Tides of the Titans (Titan’s Forest #3)

Dyer’s triumphant conclusion to the Titan’s Forest trilogy (after Echoes of Understorey) brings murder, prophesy, and redemption to her vibrant world of magic, colossal trees, and disparate human settlements. Leaper is a servant to Airak, the merciless god of lightning, in the Canopy community of the titan trees. Leaper is also having an affair with Queen Ilik, but before he can ask her to elope with him, she is murdered, with only the bloody remnants of her lustrous hair left behind. Setting out to find her killer, Leaper travels down the mighty trees to the Floor and out into the mysterious plains and mountains. He encounters the deceptive Floorians, the devious Crocodile-Riders, and the last of the Winged, a demon of destruction. Along the way, Leaper learns harsh truths about the origin of the gigantic lizardlike Old Gods and the Titan’s Forest, and pledges to free the people of Canopy from the tyranny of the new gods. Loyal readers will rejoice at the reunion of characters from the other books and delight in Dyer’s rich mythology, and anyone can appreciate the sympathetic, vivid characters as they navigate their elaborate world of mercurial gods, magical abilities, and determination to be free. Agent: Evan Gregory, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Jan.)