The Bright Spot
The Bright Spot Paperback
The Bright Spot Paperback
Fallout meets The Sunlit Man in an eternal race against the sun. Do the survivors strive to maintain society, or do they revert to their animalistic nature?
Keep moving. Stay in the light. Don’t look back.
The planet Nivalis turns so slowly that only a narrow band of land is ever warmed by its sun. This moving zone—called the Bright Spot—is the last refuge for life. Everything outside it has frozen into desolation. Centuries ago, civilization thrived in both light and shadow—until the darkness turned deadly. No one knows why. Few dare to ask.
Caelius marches with The Brightest, a caravan devoted to following the light’s path around the world. Faithful. Fearful. Unyielding. But when the caravan suddenly stops moving, they find uneasy refuge in the shadow of the ancient city of Solace. When one friend disappears, Caelius begins to see the cracks in their beliefs—and in himself. Violence follows. So does doubt.
With humanity unraveling around him, Caelius must face a terrible choice: cling to who he was, become what he’s feared, or rise as something entirely new.
Formats:
- A gorgeous 8.5×5.5 inch paperback
- E-Book formats for viewing in your favorite reader (pdf, mobi, epub)
Genre: Sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, thriller
Page Count: ~320
Recommended Age: 17+
Warnings:
- Violence
- Gore
- Disturbing Scenes
- Mild Language
- Drug Use
The Cast
Caelius is a hunter and a protector for The Brightest, a religious caravan who stay at the very front of The Bright Spot. Because of this, they are secluded from the evil and cannibalistic world behind them. Many members of The Brightest are even unaware that such people exist. Caelius sees first hand how evil these cannibals can be and is mentally scarred, altering the decisions he makes.
Hadrian is the leader of The Brightest caravan. His goal is to have as many people dedicated to ‘The Path.’ He struggles with making decisions on what’s right for the group while trying to not turn his followers against him. Hadrian hides a secret that may be a detriment to The Brightest and their safety.
Oberon is a father, husband and best friend. He is strong to his values and will do anything to keep his wife, Dolora, and his daughter, Brena safe. When his best friend Caelius, starts making decisions that may hurt the group, he is stuck with an internal struggle. Does he stay loyal to his friend or does he stay loyal to his family?
The Planet Nivalis
Nivalis is an Earth-sized planet with an unusually slow rotation, where only a small section is illuminated at a time. It is also almost tidally locked to its home star. Because of this astronomical quirk, the illuminated area slowly travels around Nivalis, leaving most of it in darkness.
Its inhabitants used to live in harmony with this quirk, building civilizations and integrated societies, until one day the darkness and everything in it froze, leaving towns and cities to degrade over time.
Now, 600 years later, Caelius and his acquaintances suffer from the aftermath. They learn what centuries without structure do to people, reverting them back to their primal instincts.
Meet The Author
Shawn Raben grew up in a small Nebraska town before settling in Wisconsin, where he lives today. A speculative fiction writer with a deep curiosity for the unknown, he writes stories designed to make you question everything. The Bright Spot is his debut novel.
Draft 3 Preview Chapters
Draft 2 Preview Chapters
The preview chapters here are outdated. Many things in these chapters will not be in the final version. Its also very hard to read. Read at your own risk.