The Chart of Tomorrows

The third installment in Willrich’s lively Gaunt and Bone heroic fantasy series (after The Silk Map) takes his established pairing of wit and magic and brings it from a fantastical version of Asia to a Norse-themed setting. Poet Persimmon Gaunt and thief Image Bone hid their baby son, Innocence, inside the spell of the Scroll of Years. Now Innocence has returned as a young man in the distant Bladed Isles, and he has magical powers that make him a target for every ambitious wizard and warlord. Bone and Gaunt are joined in the search for their son by adventurer Snow Pine, who seeks her missing daughter, Innocence’s childhood friend Joy. Unfortunately their children are doomed to face off as part of an ancient prophecy. Bone and Gaunt must harness the powers of the magical Chart of Tomorrows and travel in time to save Innocence and Joy. Willrich delivers plenty of narrow escapes, deadly combat, and daring rescues, along with the usual bravado and witty banter. The baroque style, wry dialogue, and deft use of classic fantasy tropes evoke pulp-era heroic fantasy with an entertaining edge. (July)