A satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. It’s as fun and imaginative as the first two books, but has better pacing (except for the overly-long opening section where the characters split into two groups and say goodbye 300 times to each other), takes a few more risks (read: more characters die), and has some nice twists/reveals. The only downside is that the main villain, Maldor, who is normally interesting, unpredictable, and a badass, ends up looking a bit weak and pathetic in this third book. But, I guess he has to go for the simple “good guy wins” narrative of this type of story.
Side note: the Drinlings are hilarious. Within the story, we are told that they are a race created by a wizard to be excellent soldiers that can be sacrificed when necessary (i.e., basically canon fodder): they are tough, immune to almost everything, live only a couple years, and are completely unafraid of death. But if you step back, you then realize that this is exactly how the author uses them. They join the expedition precisely so someone can die that isn’t the main character. They are the author’s canon fodder, dropping left and right every time they are in a scene, much like extras in the Star Trek.
Rating: 4 stars
Yevgeniy Brikman
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