Book Description: The last installment of the top selling Fiery Spiral Trilogy.

In a dystopian future Cape Town, Teenager Ebba Den Eeden is desperate to restore ecological and social harmony to an Earth torn apart by the warring Gods Theia and her brother Prospiroh. To end the divine

conflict, Ebba must guard and return the necklace of four amulets to Theia. Forced to search the utopian planet of Celestia, which is populated by people who died on Earth, Ebba is guided by a magical map and Lucas Poladion—who died in Cape Town saving Ebba's life—and their annoyance at one another laced with complications... and maybe something deeper.

As Ebba crosses time and landscapes, the God Prospiroh stalks her and will do anything to get his hands on the necklace.The further Ebba journeys, the more difficult the choices she faces become. She searches for strength, guided by spiritual encounters with her female ancestors, all the while grappling with the burden of her hunt and the betrayal of Micah, her ex-boyfriend.

The Fiery Spiral combines mysticism, magic, and time travel in a tale of impossible decisions and the great sacrifices that can come with destiny. A mythical dystopian fantasy that plays out on the shore of South Africa, for lovers of Akata Witch and Children of Blood and Bone.

Buy the book here. Author Bio: Helen Brain was born in Australia in 1960 and raised in Durban, South Africa. After school, she studied music at the University of Cape Town. Before settling to a life writing and teaching writing online, she was a freelance journalist and editor, a screenprinter and crafter, and taught English, music, and Ancient Greek. A mother to three sons and grandmother to one grandson, Brain lives in Muizenberg, South Africa with her husband.

This is the third and final book in The Fiery Spiral series. What inspired this final installment, and how did writing this book differ from writing the first two books in the series?

This book was really difficult to write as it takes place in a mythical world that Ebba can’t see—all she sees is sand and dust, because she’s still alive on Earth and hasn’t earned her place in Celestia yet. I had to find a way to make it compelling reading when I had so little to go on. The South African version of book 3 is vastly different. The US version is a complete rewrite of 60% of the book, and reduces the fantasy elements.

The series combines mythology, spirituality, fantasy. How did you bring these different ideas together while writing the story?

It was difficult. If I was doing it again I’d probably cut out the spirituality element and focus more on the climate change aspects. But I wanted to have the goddess come back and restore the Earth to how it was meant to be, all in balance, with nobody taking more than their fair share of resources.

The novel explores the relationship between humans and the natural world, including themes connected to climate change and environmental destruction. Why was it important for you to explore these issues through fantasy and speculative storytelling?

I wanted to tell the story in a way that took us out of our ordinary world so that it didn’t read like a history lesson or something that could actually happen.

Throughout the series, Ebba’s journey is shaped by questions of identity, power, and responsibility. How do you see Ebba’s character changing throughout The Fiery Spiral, and what do you hope readers learn from her journey?

She begins the journey as a cloistered, frightened girl suddenly given huge power and wealth. She’s a target for people who want to exploit her vulnerability. She has to learn to stand on her own two feet and to trust her inner power. This is where the ancestors come in—she can learn from their individual strengths and find them within herself. Ultimately, she has to become an ancestor too, for the next generation. The ancestors are an important aspect of many traditional African religions and I wanted Ebba to draw on the strength of the women in her family who had lived exemplary lives before her.

The story addresses difficult real-world themes such as corruption, greed, war, violence, and slavery. Why was it important to include these topics in a book for young readers, and how did you approach writing about these subjects in a way that encourages reflection and conversation? 

I was inspired by my niece, who is an eco activist in Western Australia. She told me about loggers who cut down three hundred year old trees in Australian forests and turn them into wood chips that are shipped to other countries to be made into junk mail, advertising more ‘stuff’ that people don’t need. 

The relationship between Ebba and her father reaches an important turning point in this final book. Can you talk about why you chose to explore their reunion at this stage of the story and how it contributes to Ebba’s overall character arc?

I thought about what Ebba’s psychological longings would be—what was she missing. She’d never known her father and she could be ripe for Prospiroh to impersonate her father to trick her out of the necklace.

The mythology of Theia and Prospiroh is central to the conflict in the series. What interested you about creating a story where gods, humans, and the natural world are so connected?

In 2009 my husband died of cancer. He was an Anglican priest and a really good guy with a solid moral core.

Why Luke, who spent his life helping other people, died an agonisingly painful death aged 48, when people who do nothing for other people, who are corrupt and uncaring and have no morals except getting more for themselves, thrive and live to old age. 

It’s the age-old theodicy problem—how can an all-good, all-knowing, all-loving god allow people who love him to suffer pain and be the victims of wickedness? I wanted to create an explanation that made sense to myself, so I created the multiple worlds that refine us as we pass through them, before we reach the ultimate source of everything, the Fiery Spiral.

Writing the final book in a trilogy can come with unique challenges. What was the process like bringing Ebba’s story to a close? Was there anything particularly challenging, or rewarding, about writing the conclusion?

I loved the ending. I cried and cried when I wrote it, when she arrived back on Earth and everything was destroyed and she thought she was alone. It’s how I felt when Luke died—that everything was gone and I had to rebuild my life brick by brick, when I was in despair. But then she hears Isi bark and she realises at least she’s got her dog, and then her friends appear again. The people she loved the most survived because her mystical, time-travelling dog warned them in time and they got into the bunker.  And then finally the Goddess comes back and restores the destroyed Earth to how it was on the day she made it, all in balance and uncorrupted. I love that bit.

Looking back at the entire series, do you have a favorite moment, character, or element from The Fiery Spiral trilogy?

Isi the Africanis dog is based on my dog Isidingo, who is the best dog who ever lived.

What do you hope readers take away from The Fiery Spiral and Ebba’s journey?