The burning land

In the midst of the sacred wastes of the Burning Land -- in a hidden sanctuary called Refuge -- life goes on as usual for the people who have always believed themselves the last of their kind. But Axane, in secret, dreams forbidden visions of a world she has been taught no longer exists -- and awaits the arrival of a savior ... or destroyer. Returned to power after long years of oppression, the rightful and pious rulers of the realm of Arsace have chosen Gyalo as their emissary, entrusting the young Shaper with finding a lost society of renegade mages and returning them to the fold. But his journey across the Burning Land promises dangers and temptations possibly too terrible to bear. And a shocking secret is waiting to be uncovered in Refuge, one that could reveal the true nature of the world ... and ignite a holy war without end.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fantasy, Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.