Author: Trudi Canavan
Cover Artist: Steve Stone
Publisher: Orbit
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2005
This last installment in the Black Magician series begins with Cery, the young thief a little older and now head of his own gang of thieves, working to hunt Sachakan spies. These spies are killing the people in the slums and he’s hunting them for the Highlord. Unaware of her old friend’s elevation of position in the slums, Sonea has laboured for a year since the challenge that brought her some grudging respect from her fellow students. However, her understanding of the Highlords scheme deepens, which brings her to a difficult decision – should she learn forbidden magic to protect her people and can she trust the Highlord?
Personal thoughts – this book brings a few loose ends together and is very much the longest in the series. We learn more about what motivates the Akkarin, the Highlord, and the history that lead him onto his current dark path. There are some changes for Cery and Sonea as they are now older and more mature. They both play a part in fighting the Sachakan magician threat, though in different ways. Sonea has a major change in attitude towards Akkarin and her understanding of magic and the forbidden arts. This brings new dynamics into the storyline, sometimes in unexpected ways. I did feel that some parts of this book would have been better included in the 2nd instalment, as the plot does feel rushed at times. Suddenly Akkaran’s behaviour is explained and he is represented in a completed different light to the other books. In sometimes felt I was reading about a different character. I personally felt some of these changes would have worked better if they had come to the fore in the previous book and prepared readers for the major changes in attitude for both the Highlord and Sonea.
We finally get a name for the Sachakan nemesis that’s behind the invasion threat to Kyralia. The two opposing groups of magician’s finally meet and the slum people play a strong part during these scenes. The battle between the Guild and the Sachakan magician’s is quite exciting at times, however the final conflict between Akkarin and the Sachakan leader did not live up to the build up throughout the rest of the book.
The book ends leaving things open for a future series, so no doubt the author will return to this world and to these characters.
