Rollins, widely-known as creator of the Sigma Force novels as well as a slew of other international thrillers, returns to his original love, fantasy/ science fiction. I’m so glad he has!

This was hard to put down: a quest on a planet whose only viable land is an equatorial belt. There is desert and high mountain forests, swamp lands and islands dotting a narrow band of ocean. Weird beasties and humans make do with the livable bits of landscape. And what a band of characters carrying this inventive tale forward!

There’s the young, goal-less party-hearty prince Kanthe who loves tavern hopping. Everyone assumes he is happy being the drunk and useless scion of the royal house while his older brother does great deeds.

A woman named Nyx who we first meet as mostly blind, is a student in the confines of a nine-tiered academy staggered up a mountain called the Cloistery of Brayk. She grew up in the swamps of Myr with her herdsman father and two brothers. Found abandoned in the swamp as a baby she survived by being raised by giant, intelligent bat-like creatures. Her biological parents’ history is revealed in bits and pieces and establish Nyx as a crucial point of contention throughout the novel. She’s accompanied by her best friend and fellow student the rather ungainly Jace.

Then we have Rhaif, a slave who escapes the mines in the desert only to come across a golden robot named Shiya who was buried deep underground centuries ago. He rescues her from the nasty sorcerers who want to use her as a weapon. And once her presence is made known, Kanthe’s father zeros in on her for his impending war.

There are battles, escapes and raids on cities, as an escalating power struggle is begun by the avaricious king wresting lands and political control of the surrounding cities. The king’s army maneuvers over the landscape in fabulous air ships: dirigibles with large wooden galleons tied beneath them. They can, not only let loose with hoards of soldiers, but drop all kinds of incendiaries. Smaller ships are able to swoop and dodge around the bigger ones, harrying them with weapons.

And the quest? It’s to stop the nearby moon from crashing into the planet. Shiya is programmed to initiate ancient prophecies and save civilization from utter destruction.

Rollins moves this novel along with fabulous verve and energy. He’s created not only a fascinating world but compelling complex characters to see this saga through. There are wonderful illustrations by Danae Fidler throughout of some of the denizens of the planet.

This was a juggernaut of a read. Can’t wait for the next book! ~~ Sue Martin

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