Sethra Lavode

In Brust's stylish conclusion to his Viscount of Adrilankha trilogy (after 2003's Lord of Castle Black and 2002's Paths of the Dead), which pays homage to Dumas p?re's D'Artagnan swashbucklers, Empress Zerika the Fourth tries to consolidate her hold on the realm, but her challenger, K?na, isn't ready to give up the fight. The last desperate days of the battle for the Dragaeran Empire feature plenty of magic and intrigue, and fans are forewarned that some of the lovable characters from past installments won't survive. As before, nobles converse in absurdly stilted dialogue, while the humor is sharp enough at times to induce outright laughter. Inventive chapter headings (e.g., ''How Morrolan, Attempting to Find a God, Found Instead What His Sword Could Do'') add to the faux period feel. For full understanding of all the heroics, newcomers may want to start with the author's two prequels, The Phoenix Guards (1991) and Five Hundred Years After (1994). Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistThe conclusion to Brust's Dumas-indebted Khaavren series includes all the action, romance, and pathos of its predecessors The Phoenix Guards (1991), Five Hundred Years After (1994), The Paths of the Dead (2002), and The Lord of the Castle Black [BKL Ag 03], and fleshes out the pasts of the Dragaeran Empire and the legendary Sethra Lavode. The Phoenix Zerika has reclaimed the Imperial Orb from the Paths of the Dead and now means to reestablish the empire, in chaos since Adron's disaster. But through conquest and diplomacy, Dragonlord Kana has risen to control about half the territory of the old empire, and he intends to wrest the orb from Zerika, even if it means allying with powers that hate Dragaerans. Old enmities, new sorcery, capricious gods, and inimical powers clash in a climactic battle for the throne. Said battle--indeed, the whole book--may not be irresistable for readers starting Brust or the Khaavren saga, but there's no denying Brust's fine pacing and worldbuilding and his sheer pizzazz. Frieda Murray Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved