“Exiled in the last (third) book, the wizard Felix and his long-suffering half-brother, former thief and assassin, Mildmay, travel to the distant land of Corambis where Felix must submit himself to the will of a council of wizards. Corambis has been in the midst of a civil war, the abrupt ending of which seems to have heralded the awakening of various strange and deadly mechanisms.
A new character, Kay Brightmore, Margrave of Rothmarlin, was at the center of the fighting for the freedom of his lands from the rule of the Corambins. In an act of desperation, he and the leadership of the rebellion sought to awaken the powers of the mechanism of Summerdown, to disastrous effect.
Corambis is so far from Felix and Mildmay's city of Melusine, that much knowledge has never spanned the distance. Felix has some idea of the powers at work and has the ability to safeguard the world from them, but he's hobbled by the will of the council.
In the meantime, the brothers need to sort out their relationship and see if they will be able to forge a new life in this strange land. They cross paths with Kay and with many other characters along the way.
All the characters are well-drawn and fascinating, and the land of Corambis, with its technology (trains!) and differing views of magic, is also worthy of exploration. This forth and final book in the Doctrine of the Labyrinth series (beginning with _Melusine_--the books are best read in order) makes for a satisfying conclusion.
”
aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, July 8 2009.
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