cover image A War in Crimson Embers

A War in Crimson Embers

Alex Marshall. Orbit, $27 (592p) ISBN 978-0-316-34072-4

Marshall concludes his Crimson Empire fantasy trilogy with more of the mayhem and magical chaos that readers enjoyed in the first two books. The now-aged “baddest of the bad,” war leader Cold Zosia, won a legendary battle but then failed miserably as queen. She keeps jumping back into trouble: first to save the new queen, Indsorith, who once tried to kill her, and then to save her world from being overrun by hordes of demons and other evils. All she has to do is escape a death sentence, find her scattered friends, and resolve to go down fighting if the world ends. Ragged, sharp edged, and expansively flawed Zosia is still the center of the story, but Marshall broadens the story and gives her far-flung friends and enemies more depth and time in the spotlight. The heroes and villains now face brutal extremities, including literal hells, that flay them open and expose every bit of bravery and evil within them; these personal developments are as cataclysmic as the epic final battle. This is a must-read for fans of Marshall and the Crimson Empire’s antiheroes. Agent: Sally Harding, Cooke Agency. (Dec.)