Book
The Glowstone Bargain
The Lamplighters of Gloamhaven, Book Three
Book 3 of 4 in The Lamplighters of Gloamhaven·Next in the series: The Hill of Cinders
- 15 chapters
- 4 hr 13 min read
- Accessible Reading difficulty
- Ages 9–12
Free to read·No account needed
The City That Never Dims
Taking books where there’s no signal? See Ochorus for missionaries or chaplains
About this book
The Glowstone Bargain is the third book of The Lamplighters of Gloamhaven, an adventure series by James DeGreef and Ochorus for readers aged nine to twelve. It follows on from The Black Stair, and is best read after the first two books.
This is a book about false light: the kind that dazzles and comforts and asks nothing of you, and slowly takes everything. Each of the travellers is tempted by something truly good, offered on the wrong terms: to be special, to have a home, to rescue someone they love. It is the darkest book of the series so far, with a real loss at its heart, and it ends in grief and in hope. Like the books before it, it never preaches; it lets a story of temptation, failure, sacrifice and a gift that belongs to no one speak for itself, for children to discover and for parents to talk about.
The book has fifteen chapters, about the length of a classic children's fantasy, each one a good evening's reading.
© James DeGreef and Ochorus. An Ochorus Original, free to read and share.
The gates of Vaelport had no guard on them. That was the first surprise. Every gate Wren had ever known had somebody standing in it with a hand out. Even the Delvers, who did not believe in money, had made you stand and be clicked at before they let you past.
Contents
- 1 The City That Never Dims 17 min
- 2 Oskar Venn’s Welcome 17 min
- 3 The Children Who Don’t Laugh 17 min
- 4 The Girl Who Sees 17 min
- 5 A House for Wren 17 min
- 6 The Mines Beneath the Harbour 17 min
- 7 Ash’s Warning 17 min
- 8 The Offer 17 min
- 9 What Each One Wanted 17 min
- 10 The Night of the Theft 17 min
- 11 Into the Glowstone Mines 16 min
- 12 Old Ash’s Last Lamp 15 min
- 13 Broken 17 min
- 14 The Docks at Low Tide 17 min
- 15 Go to the Hill 17 min
Questions and Answers
Do I need to read the first two books first?
Yes, ideally. The Glowstone Bargain carries straight on from The Black Stair, and its turns land hardest on readers who already know Wren, Tobin, Mira, Old Ash and Cinder.
What age is The Glowstone Bargain for?
Readers aged nine to twelve. It is the darkest book of the series so far, with a loss that will move readers, told gently and without anything gory. Parents of younger or sensitive children may like to read it with them.
What are glowstones?
Cold white crystals that light the whole city of Vaelport without flame or oil and never go out. They seem like the answer to every failing Ring, until the travellers find out what they are made of.
Who is Oskar Venn?
The charming merchant-prince of Vaelport, who gives the city its glowstones and the travellers their gifts. He truly believes he is making a world that will never need a Flame again.
What happens to the lamp in this book?
It still cannot be bought, stolen or earned, only given, and in Vaelport, beside the glowstones, it looks small and dim. This is the book where the travellers learn that the lamp has never belonged to any of them.
Is it a Christian book?
Yes. Like the classic Christian fantasies, it tells its truths as story rather than sermon: the dark that dresses itself as light, temptation and failure, love that lays down its life, and a call to come back. It never names God or quotes Scripture directly.
How long is the book?
Fifteen chapters and about forty-eight thousand words, much the length of a classic children's fantasy.
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Cite this book
Copy a citation in the style you need.
- MLA
- DeGreef, James and Ochorus. The Glowstone Bargain. 2026. Ochorus, https://ochorus.com/books/the-glowstone-bargain/.
- Chicago
- DeGreef, James and Ochorus. The Glowstone Bargain. 2026. Reprint, Ochorus. https://ochorus.com/books/the-glowstone-bargain/.
- Chicago footnote
- James DeGreef and Ochorus, The Glowstone Bargain (2026; repr., Ochorus), https://ochorus.com/books/the-glowstone-bargain/.
- BibTeX
- @book{degreef2026glowstone, author = {DeGreef, James and Ochorus}, title = {{The Glowstone Bargain}}, year = {2026}, publisher = {Ochorus}, url = {https://ochorus.com/books/the-glowstone-bargain/} }