The Kingdoms of Dust

Necromancer Isyllt Iskaldur, exiled and forsworn following the events of 2011’s The Bone Palace, takes refuge with her mercenary comrade Adam at the court of the Assari empress. Stalked by agents of rival factions of Quietus, a fast-shrinking order of mages dedicated to containing ancient spirits of entropy, Isyllt and Asheris al Seth, a jinn bound in human flesh, venture into the burning desert in search of the ancient city of Qais and the source of the destructive ghost winds that threaten Assar’s very existence. Downum leavens the fast-paced fantasy adventure with the anger and despair of those bound, sometimes brutally, to preserve humanity’s safety and the moral dilemma the situation presents for Isyllt. This magnificent and multifaceted work, set against a richly detailed quasi-Arabian background, confirms Downum’s Necromancer Chronicles as a top-notch fantasy series. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, the Donald Maass Agency. (Mar.)