The Navigating Fox

Rowe (These Prisoning Hills) builds a breathtaking world in this resonant tale of anthropomorphized animals. In a surviving Roman empire that has colonized the Western Hemisphere and magically altered certain animals to have reason and language, fox navigator Quintus Shu’al is the only one of his kind. After losing an entire expedition on the mystical Silver Roads, which exist outside of time and provide seemingly impossible shortcuts between disparate points, that only he can access, Quintus returns to Aquacolonia to face expulsion from the Sodality of Explorers. High Priest Scipio Aemilanus intercedes on his behalf, convincing Quintus’s denouncer Octavia Delphina, the sister of the last expedition’s leader, to take part in Quintus’s upcoming journey to seal the gates of hell. Rounding out their party are twin cartographer raccoons Loci and Foci and perceptive bison ambassador Walks Along Woman. As Quintus, who made a secret deal with Scipio to deliver the prior expedition to its death in exchange for knowledge about his singular origins, leads the others along the Silver Roads, details of this prior trip come out, the team suspects Quintus is not leading them in the right direction, and loyalties are tested. Rowe packs a lot into this slim volume, with perceptive descriptions enhancing the worldbuilding and taut, morally complicated action keeping the pages flying. Readers will savor this. (Sept.)