Lindskold's fantasy saga about Firekeeper, a young woman raised by intelligent, talking wolves and destined to save her world, concludes in this intricately plotted sixth adventure (after 2006's Wolf Hunting
). Long ago, the sorcerers who ruled the Old World beyond the magical gates were destroyed by a terrible plague—one which Firekeeper and her allies accidentally freed when they reopened the long-closed gates between New and Old Worlds. In the aftermath, which left New World magic users damaged or crippled, Firekeeper is compelled to learn the source of the plague and how to destroy it once and for all. Meanwhile, the kingdoms around her home in the Nexus Islands prepare to fight to get the gates—necessary for trade—reopened, no matter what. While a complex backstory obliges new readers to start with an earlier entry point in the series, this volume rewards patience with a thought-provoking tale of magic and politics, enlivened by Firekeeper's wry and wolfish point-of-view. (Mar.)
