Acclaimed author Elizabeth Moon spins gripping, richly imagined epic fantasy novels that have earned comparisons to the work of such authors as Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold. In this volume, Moon’s brilliant masterwork reaches its triumphant conclusion.
The mysterious reappearance of magery throughout the land has been met with suspicion, fear, and violence. In the kingdom of Lyonya, Kieri, the half-elven, half-human king, struggles to balance the competing demands of his heritage while fighting a deadly threat to his rule: evil elves linked in some way to the rebirth of magic.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia, a set of ancient artifacts recovered by the former mercenary Dorrin Verrakai may hold the answer to the riddle of magery’s return. Thus Dorrin embarks on a dangerous quest to return these relics of a bygone age to their all-but-mythical place of origin. What she encounters there will change her in unimaginable ways—and spell doom or salvation for the entire world.
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“Moon offers convincingly realized characters persuasively shaped by
the extraordinary richness, depth, and texture of the world they inhabit
and the low-key yet knotty problems they must confront. So mesmerizing
is the narrative that it’s a sad surprise having to emerge into the
mundane world at story’s end. While fully satisfying, this conclusion
leaves ample scope for further embellishment or spinoffs: excellent news
for all concerned. Such is the allure of an extremely talented writer at the height of her powers.”
—
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)