The Road of Storms

Ryan ups the ante in his sixth Seven Swords fantasy, delivering on the major twist that concluded Across the Sorrow Sea. Guyime, the former king once known as the Ravager, has learned the truth about the cursed Seven Swords, whose possessors, himself among them, have been bound to the blades by some kind of supernatural force. While he previously believed that bringing the swords’ bearers together would lift the curse, the specter of a mighty sorcerer has revealed that in fact uniting the sword bearers has a different and more consequential purpose; the blades were created to prevent the demon known as the Desecrator from opening a portal to the mortal realm and ushering in “an age of unending cruelty,” during which humanity would be bred only to suffer. To avert this calamity, Guyime and the six other sword owners put aside their personal grievances and travel the eponymous hazardous path together to destroy a weapon the Desecrator seeks. Ryan, whose series runs counter to current trends by ladling out installments in non-doorstopper size, makes this brief foray a nail-biter. Fans will be eager to see what happens next. (Sept.)