Arcadia

Loosed magic continues to unwind present-day life in this magnificent concluding volume of Treadwell’s fascinating trilogy (after Advent and Anarchy). Rory, a young boy living on the Isles of Scilly off Cornwall, U.K., is the last male member of his community; the others have been claimed by the Sirens who now haunt the surrounding seas. He talks to magical entities, and to one in particular. A trio seeking the source of magic finds Rory and directs him quickly to the mainland, where he seeks the valley that holds the power to make wishes come true. Amid the wrecks of civilization and battling gangs of horse-riding women and dog fur–clad men, Rory is forced to decide whether the revealed gods who lurk within the ordinary should stay visible or go back to hiding. Returning to the vigorous storytelling and cohesive plotting that made Advent such a treasure, Treadwell admirably maintains the viewpoint of a perplexed but plucky 10-year-old, handing the reader the key of innocence with which to unlock the mystery of magic. Agent: Will Francis, Janklow and Nesbit. (Feb.)