Corambis

February 23, 2009
The rambling conclusion to Monette's Mélusine fantasy quartet (after 2008's The Mirador
) reveals the destiny of three exiles. Prince Gerrard Hume dies in an attempt to start the sinister Cymellunar engine, which he hoped would help win Caloxa's independence from Corambis. Blinded by the engine, Kay Brightmore, the margrave of Rothmarlin and the prince's illicit lover, is imprisoned by Corambis's duke of Glimmering. Meanwhile, far away in Bernatha, gay wizard Felix Harrowgate returns to prostitution to raise money when his half-brother becomes ill, but is gang-raped by Corambins in a ritual that restarts the Clock of Eclipses, another terrible Cymellunar device. Monette throws in numerous unsubtle lessons on love, lust and power, but for full effect, the intricate plot requires familiarity with prior installments.

April 15, 2009
Exiled from Mélusine for his heretical magical practices, Felix Harrowgate, accompanied by half brother Mildmay, seeks refuge in the land of Corambis, where he has sworn to present himself for judgment by that realm's council of mages. A chance meeting with a disgraced nobleman brings Felix and Mildmay into the midst of a dangerous plot that could imperil their world. This concluding volume in the series (e.g., "Mélusine") illuminates a new part of Monette's fascinating world and brings old enmities to a satisfying resolution without closing every door to a realm full of possibilities. For most fantasy collections where the adult-themed novels of Jacqueline Carey, Terry Goodkind, and Storm Constantine are popular.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.