The Tower Broken

Williams’s third Tower and Knife installment opens with an all-consuming storm, created by the events of The Emperor’s Knife and Knife-Sworn, approaching the city of Cerana. As refugees flood in, religious fanatics use their mastery of magic to carry out a bloody campaign of intimidation and terror. As useful as magic is in the short run, each spell maims the god that sustains the world it created. As opportunists exploit the political crisis to seize power, Emperor Sarmin and his allies must try to heal a wounded universe. Since magic, the primary tool needed to manipulate the world, is inherently destructive, the characters face an interesting dilemma; in addition to the cosmic implications, many mages are consumed by their own work. Though trilogy endings are usually predictable, Williams is keen on heroic sacrifice and willing to let characters fail, keeping the reader in some suspense about whether Sarmin and company will preserve their world or die with it. Agent: Ian Drury, Sheil Land. (June)