The burning city - Larry Niven

There was fire on Earth before the fire god came. There has always been fire.What the fire god, gave to mankind was madness ... They burned the city when Whandall Placehold was two. And then again when he was seven. The fire god possessed one of the lordkin, the lust for fire took hold and the burning began. Whandall was himself one of the lordkin, but his insatiable curiosity about the hostile natural world and about the different peoples who surrounded him, allied to his intelligence and courage, marked him out for something more than burning down his own city. And when he felt the fire god enter him, it was just the start of an epic journey that would turn him into a legend.

The writers of classics such as LUCIFER'S HAMMER, FOOTFALL and THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE have created a masterly tale of magic, gods, wizards and heroes that ranks among the very best in the genre. More information on this book and others can be found on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk