The Memory of Souls

June 15, 2020
All hell (literally) breaks loose in the challenging saga of crisscrossing quests that makes up Lyons’s third Chorus of Dragons epic fantasy (after The Name of All Things). The wards entrapping Vol Karoth, “the king of demons,” have weakened. Kihrin D’Mon hopes to keep the demon from escaping while Relos Var, the demon’s creator and Kihrin’s reincarnated brother from a previous life, campaigns to unleash Vol Karoth and use him to seal the wound that is slowly ripping the world apart. Both the ritual to repair the wards and the one to break them require enormous amounts of power. To complete either, the powerful vané, the last race to possess immortality, would have to relinquish their longevity. As the brothers race to convince the vané to sacrifice their immortality, Kihrin confronts his feelings for his companions, Janel and Teraeth; comes face to face with the dragon Baelosh; and duels with the Goddess of Death. Lyons raises stakes to a fever pitch while providing an overabundance of character backstory and worldbuilding history. The view of the climactic battle is eye-catching, but the casual reader might get lost on the way there as the byzantine plot is filled with switchbacks and turnarounds. Series fans will enjoy revisiting Lyons’s complex world. Agent: Sam Morgan, Foundry Literary.

Starred review from July 1, 2020
The third book of the remarkable Chorus of Dragons series (after The Name of All Things, 2019) continues to explore the intertwined relationships among those struggling against the growing power of Val Karoth, King of Demons. Kihrin's parents, Therin and Khaeriel, are back to help her reclaim her throne, with a little assistance (and hindrance) from mimic/demon, Talon. A ritual that has worked to contain Val Karoth in the past seems to be losing power each time it is invoked. Nevertheless, the Eight Eternals demand that it be used one more time, despite the risk to the last immortal human race, the vane. On the edges of the various missions looms Relos Var, wizard and dragon. Kihrin, along with Teraeth, Thurvishar, and Janel, are beginning to remember their past lives, which provides a map of whom to trust as they work with the gods and leaders?legitimate and not?of the Manol vane, and who will betray them. Lyons has cleverly taken the epic fantasy tropes of prophecy and lineage and stood them on their heads, all while delving deep into her multidimensional characters and spinning great battles with high body counts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from August 1, 2020

Vol Karoth, the "king of demons," is breaking loose from his mystical chains, and Khirin D'Mon and his allies are working feverishly to stop him from escaping. Relos Var insists that freeing Vol Karoth is the only way to seal the wound that is destroying their world; in fact, that is exactly why Relos Var created him in the first place. With the reincarnated brothers at odds, both Khirin and Relos Var know the only way to achieve either goal is through an elaborate ritual that will mean the last immortal beings, the van�, must give up their perpetual lives. In the midst of this, Khirin attempts to reconcile his feelings for both Janel and Teraeth, and learns the truth about his own link to the king of demons. Lyons braids multiple points of view, tenses, and time lines into a richly detailed and elaborate story with increasing tension and stakes. VERDICT The third "Chorus of Dragons" book (after The Name of All Things) is an exciting entry in the series, culminating in an intriguing endpoint that will have readers excited for the next book.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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