Thomas N. Toner was born in the English countryside to two parents employed by the BBC (his mother was a set designer for Doctor Who). He studied fine art and painting in Loughborough before moving to Australia to write. He collects giant fossilized shark teeth, and lives in Bath.
The prose is baroque, the pacing stately * Financial Times * I love gobsmacking moments in science fiction, moments that make me sit up with a jolt and see everything around me with fresh and curious eyes. Wonder is vital. There are times whenThe Promise of the Child is truly wondrous. Without doubt, it is innovative, complex, ambitious and original * For Winter's Nights * Intense, bold writing; inventive worldbuilding; excellent plotting. * SF Signal * Marvellous...a space opera of surpassing gracefulness, depth, complexity, and well, all-round weirdness * Locus * to call The Promise of the Child one of the most accomplished debuts of 2015 so far is to understate its weight-instead, let me moot that is among the most significant works of science fiction released in recent years. * Tor.com * an incredibly impressive debut novel novel, with an engrossing plot and delightful oddness that should satisfy any space opera aficionado * Sci-Fi Now * a beautifully crafted read that's evocative and hugely inventive * SFX * An excellent second installment in the series. * THE BOOK BAG * it;'s rare to come across something as original as this debut novel, set 12,000 years from now * Stuff Magazine *