Harbinger

Well, this is it.  Harbinger.  The last Book of the Order by Philippa Ballantine.  I started it a little while ago, but read the majority of it (I think over 200 pages) today, finishing it.  The story took some twists and turns, but overall I enjoyed it.

Like its predecessors, Harbinger begins pretty much where the last book, Wrayth, left off.  Well, a couple of months later (much like Wrayth).  The remains of the Order of the Eye and the Fist are gathering around Sorcha, trying desperately to stay one step ahead of Derodak and the Circle of Stars.  The Emperor, turned against the Deacons, has begun a wave of terror as he attempts to bring the wayward Princes of the realm to heel.  And the Rossin is making his own plans in the middle of everything, managing to keep them even from Raed.  In short, the realm is in chaos and the clock is ticking for the Order as they struggle to stop Derodak from destroying their entire world.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the adventures of Sorcha, Merrick, Raed and the Rossin.  But there were many points in Harbinger where things were happening and I had a difficult time suspending my disbelief.  I feel silly writing that, as Harbinger is a work of fantasy.  But things were happening here (and, I'll admit, a little bit in Wrayth) that seemed a little too unbelievable, even in a world wracked by geists and magic.

Harbinger was by no means my favourite Book of the Order.  Nor was it my least favourite (that would be Spectyr).  I did enjoy reading it, but now I'm ready to move onto something else.  Although I do hope Ballantine considers returning to the world in the future; I would love to see what challenges the Order will face in the aftermath of Harbinger.  It would also be interesting to see some of the struggles the Order of the Eye and the Fist had when they first came to Arkaym.  But that is something for the future.  Now I need to decide what I want to read next!