cover image Triad

Triad

Terry McGarry, . . Tor, $27.95 (447pp) ISBN 978-0-7653-0429-2

Even though the magelight has been reborn and a new generation of mages—wordsmiths, illuminators and binders who work in triads—has arisen, the island continent of Eiden Myr remains under siege, beset by horrors and in need of "a good deal of saving," in McGarry's impressive conclusion to an ambitious trilogy that began with Illumination (2001) and continued with The Binder's Road (2003). Saving Eiden Myr, however, will require a journey to a haunted realm of wonder as well as the casting of forbidden "darkcraft." Adroit world-building includes rich language derived from the humanlike outline of Eiden Myr (one might travel "Headward" or send a shipment "Fistward") and a base nine counting system that accounts for the culture's many triads. Some may be daunted by the ambitious scope and multiple points of view, but others will be rewarded by the absorbing metaphysics of this intricate fantasy world. (Nov.)