A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Lila in particular is a winningly unconventional heroine who, as she declares, would “rather die on an adventure than live standing still.” The brisk plot makes this a page-turner that confronts darkness but is never overwhelmed by it.įantasy fans will love this fast-paced adventure, with its complex magic system, thoughtful hero and bold heroine.Īre we not men? We are-well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).Ī zombie apocalypse is one thing. Schwab ( Vicious, 2013, etc.) creates a memorable world-actually, three memorable worlds-and even more memorable characters. And it’s when a wanted Grey London thief named Lila steals the artifact that the real trouble starts-for both of them. It’s that habit that leads him to accept a dangerous relic, something that shouldn’t exist. Unofficially, he’s a smuggler who collects artifacts from other worlds. Officially, he’s a royal messenger, carrying letters among the rulers of the three Londons. As for Black London, the city consumed, no one would be so foolish as to risk a trip- not even Kell. Now the doors are closed, and only a chosen few have the power to travel between Grey London, a world without magic, Red London, a world suffused with it, and White London, a world where magic is scarce, coveted and jealously guarded.

Long ago, the doors between worlds were open, and anyone with magic could travel from one to the next.

A fast-paced fantasy adventure that takes readers into a series of interconnected worlds ruled by magic-or the lack of it.

Schwab a darker shade of magic