Requiem Moon

Wakanda meets Warhammer 40,000 in Rwizi’s sequel to Scarlet Odyssey, which returns to the African-inspired Redlands and transitions from epic journey to political fantasy but never quite rises above its overused genre tropes. Yerezi sorcerer Musalodi has finally reached the class-divided city of Yonte Saire, only to find its king recently murdered in a military coup and the imperiled new ruler, Princess Isa, isolated within the Red Temple and engaged in precarious political brinksmanship to protect her clan from genocide. Musalodi must navigate a web of lies to help Isa stop the imperialist regent from inciting a war, and along the way Musalodi’s Axiom, the source of his magic, proves part of a puzzle that will rock the very foundations of the kingdom. Rwizi’s tidy, engaging prose offers smart perspectives on genocide and the abuse of power, but the sprawling plot is smothered in lore-heavy worldbuilding and the story frequently takes a backseat to exposition. The result is that this technofantasy reads more like a role-playing game sourcebook than a literary epic. Readers will enjoy the setting and the magic system, but should be prepared to retread genre staples. [em]Agent: Julie Crisp, Julie Crisp Literary. (Mar.) [/em]