Talk about nonstop action! Just a year after the first book in Irvine’s “The Gates of Good and Evil “trilogy was published, he picks up the tale immediately from where the first book ends. Family is still at the heart of this quest, but it takes Karan, Llian and Sulien in different directions beforein the end reuniting them. There’s a vast network of people helping them, and new creatures are introduced into Irvine’s fantastically crafted world. The ending is a “reset” of sorts, promising unexpected old friends and adversaries in a new setting.
The Whelm have turned on Sulien and plan to trade the gifted child to the invading Merdrun in exchange for a new master to serve, but she is instead taken by mythical beasts known as the Lyrinx. With Karan’s link to her daughter weakening, she continues her search from the stolen airship. When Aviel diverted the Gate, she stranded the Merdrun and Wilm on a remote island and sent Llian, Ifoli and the Summon Stone elsewhere. Now the stone is gathering new power, killing everything in its path. Across Santhenar, the people are rallying to form an army and new airships are being built, but a solution to the invasion is only possible if Aviel can create another dark potion. To do so, she must overcome a cruel master of her own and face her fears.
