The Incandescent

Emily Tesh
Completed 5/26/2026, Reviewed 5/31/2026
5 stars

Fighting demons at a school for magic has become commonplace in the fantasy genre.  Tesh freshens it up in her latest novel which has been nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards this year.  Rather than just being another in this crowded subgenre, this book has the Director of Magic as the main character.  She tries to prevent demon incursions and works day and night to keep the kids and her staff safe.  Tesh creates quite a neat magic system in a world with a complex relationship with demons.  I loved the writing and of course, the MC.  And once again, here is another Hugo nominee that is clustered at the top with the other nominees.  They’ve all been terrific, but this one might just stand out from the others.    

In this book, the story is told from the most powerful professor at the school, Sapphire Walden.  Saffy to most of her colleagues is also the Director of Magic.  Besides the teaching about magic and demons, she is in charge of the whole magic curriculum and the safety of the school and its student.  Walden is dedicated beyond belief.  “It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in work-life balance.  It was just that her career was her life.”  During one of her classes with a small group of seniors, they accidently nearly summon a very powerful demon, nicknamed Old Faithful.  This instance brings in the wrath of the head of Security, Marshall Linda Kenning.  There is a power play between Walden and Kenning, underneath which is some definite attraction.  Nothing kicks into gear until there is an incursion of Old Faithful.  Walden and Kenning attempt to fight this high-order demon, nearly killing themselves in the process.  They do finally reveal their mutual attraction just in time for Kenning to take the blame for the incursion, resign, and return to the private sector.  Now the school is under investigation and many small demons are taking up residence in the magical gap left by Old Faithful.

Walden is a great character; a powerful magician who cares deeply for the school and her students.  However, she is very closed off from her feelings.  On the Meyers Briggs Personality Type Indicator, I’d say she was off the charts ISTJ: reliable, logical, and action-oriented.  Unfortunately, this prevents her recognizing that she has a thing for Kenning and vice-versa until it is too late.  But rather than mourn it, she gets back into her structured day-to-day, keeping tight control on her environment.  I loved this line: “It wasn’t Walden’s fault that Laura Kenning had waited until the middle of a giant demonic incursion to turn out to be competent and beautiful and interested.”  Even when the contracted safety inspector Mark shows up, they begin an affair that she keeps completely separate from her emotions, leaving her to overthink everything.  But this isn’t to say she isn’t self-aware.  She recognizes she has two chances at something different with Mark and Linda Kenning.  “Like bloody buses…nothing for years and then two come along at once.”

The book has many well-developed characters, including the handful of seniors Walden teaches.  Nikki is a ward of the school and the most promising student.  She may even exceed Walden’s capabilities.  Matthias is also a ward of the school, coming from abusive parents.  He’s tongue-tied and shy, but powerful in various ways.  William is an entitled jerk from an old English magical family.  Tries to ride on his good looks and intuition, which is usually wrong.  Aneeta was taking a magic course as an interesting sideline to her education.  These four make up the core of the most gifted students Walden works with.  And just like students who are too smart for their own good, they make a lot of mistakes that Walden has to clean up.  

I must admit, this book may edge out the rest of the 2026 Hugo nominees.  Walden is simply engaging and entertaining.  She is fierce, determined, and protective, even though she crushes her emotions.  The battles with demons are intense.  The setting was pastoral but still has the grit of an urban fantasy.  Tesh has great settings and compelling characters, as I discovered in her 2024 Hugo winning Some Desperate Glory and her World Fantasy Award winning novella, Silver in the Wood.  She’s a great new voice in world of science fiction and fantasy.