'A haunting, lingering tale as delicious as it is deadly'
- Annabel Campbell, author of The Outcast Mage, on The Shape of Monsters.
A Million Points of Light is the stunning sequel to the award-winning The Shape of Monsters, a dark and thrilling tale where powerful mages, vengeful siblings and fragile humanity collide. For fans of Starling House by Alix E. Harrow and Gallant by V. E. Schwab.
Reality is unravelling as rivalries turn deadly and an ancient magic awakes . . .
Aleks Kercheval has come into his true power, and unwittingly unleashes an ancient, chaotic deity that threatens to consume everything. His sister Vaira, corrupted by the Void and driven by her thoughts of revenge, returns with an army at her back.
With the boundaries between worlds beginning to crumble, magic has become unpredictable and weak. Mages and monsters are fighting over the scraps of power left to them, and unlikely alliances form in a desperate bid to prevent the annihilation of both worlds. Meanwhile, the ruthless Lani Dunholm schemes to use Aleks for her own ends.
Ilea, bound to Aleks, struggles to contain the growing chaos within him. As Aleks grapples with his godlike abilities and the temptations they bring, Ilea must find a way to keep him human - or risk losing him to the power they helped unleash.
'A dark and intricate delight'
- Lorraine Wilson, author of The Salt Oracle, on The Shape of Monsters
The Shape of Monsters won Best Audio (Fiction) award at the British Fantasy Awards 2026.
Autorentext
CL Hellisen lives somewhere between Scotland and the Hypnagog. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, their stories are influenced by the border places between waking and dreaming, urban and rural, myth and superstition, land and water. Their stories and poems have appeared in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Tor.com, Apex, Shimmer, Daily Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, Shoreline of Infinity and others, and their work has been shortlisted for multiple awards. When they're not writing, CL Hellisen makes art, and throws themself repeatedly at a large block of ice for fun as a figure skater and ice dancer. They like exploring rivers in cities, and finding new pubs, especially ones with crows carved into the beams and pictures of saints who don't exist on the walls.