cover image The Hidden City

The Hidden City

David Eddings. Del Rey, $23 (457pp) ISBN 978-0-345-37323-6

In this conclusion to the trilogy begun with Domes of Fire, Sir Sparhawk must rescue his wife, Queen Ehlana of Elenia, from the followers of the mad god Cyrgon. Her kidnapping occurs as various Church Knights and Atan troops are finishing what they believe are mopping-up operations against the enemies of the Tamuli emperor, Sarabian. Ehlana's abductor is the son of the Styric renegade masterminding a plot against the emperor. Her safe return is promised in exchange for Bhelliom, the powerful living gem responsible for the destruction of the evil god Azash. The Pandion knight Berit, disguised as Sparkhawk by a spell, moves from place to place following the kidnappers' instructions, while Sparhawk, in another guise, seeks allies, and the child-goddess Aphrael (reborn as Ehlana's and Sparhawk's daughter Danae) calls on some reluctant fellow gods to lend aid. These moves are gravely complicated by the machinations of Cyrgon, who has unleashed Klael, the ancient embodiment of evil. A new note of introspection gives a fuller dimension to Eddings's rousing adventure. (Sept.)