Mass Market, 458 pages
English language
Published April 18, 2010 by Tor.
The vampiric sorcerer Uctebri has at last got his hands on the Shadow Box and can finally begin his dark ritual - a ritual that the Wasp-kinden Emperor believes will grant him immortality - but Uctebri has his own plans both for the Emperor and the Empire.
It looks like Tchaikovsky had a conclusion in mind, but opted for a, to be continued, epilogue.
It’s war. The Wasp Empire advances, some win some lose. This book is full of action, dramatic battles and has the best romantic duo fight ever.
Felt like a really comfortable book to be entertained by. Not too grim, not too peachy. But it's not my favourite since it's more adventure fantasy with pride and plotting and whatnot. Kind of cool tech vs magic tension in this story, but that too is comfortably familiar.
Very nice story arc conclusion.
