A Desert Torn Asunder

Beaulieu’s The Song of the Shattered Sands series comes to a thunderous conclusion (after When Jackals Storm the Walls) in which the fate of the Great Shangazi Desert hinges on a select few who seek to stop a mad former queen’s quest to raise an elder god. Çeda, one of the lost 13th tribe of the desert, must use visions granted by the sacred acacia tree to convince the shaikhs of the other twelve tribes to come to the city of Sharakhai’s rescue. Elsewhere in the sands, Meryam, the deposed queen of Qaimir, searches for the resting place of the god Ashael, hoping to use his power to regain her own, while Ramahd of Qaimir and the Sharakhani King Ihsan follow arcane clues in hopes of thwarting her. Queen Alansal of Mirea, meanwhile, controls the city, where she uses her water dancers to foresee the movements of enemy armies. And the blood mage Davud seeks a way to close the mystical gateway to the lands beyond that the younger gods hope to force open. Beaulieu packs in enough magic and battle for multiple books while satisfyingly wrapping up the stories of the multifaceted cast. Epic fantasy fans won’t want to miss it. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary. (July)