Governor Saxa, of the great city of Carce, a fantasy analog
of ancient Rome, is rusticating at his villa. When Saxa’s
son Varus accompanies Corylus on a visit to the household of
his father, Crispus, a retired military commander, Saxa
graciously joins the party with his young wife Hedia,
daughter Alphena, and a large entourage of his servants,
making it a major social triumph for Crispus. But on the way
to the event, something goes amiss. Varus, who has been the
conduit for supernatural visions before, experiences
another: giant crystalline worms devouring the entire world.
Soon the major characters are each involved in supernatural
events caused by a struggle between two powerful magicians,
both mentored by the deceased poet and mage Vergil, one of
whom wants to destroy the world and the other who wishes to
stop him. But which is which? There is a complex web of
human and supernatural deceit to be unraveled.
This new novel in David Drake’s ongoing chronicles of Carce,
The Books of the Elements, is a gripping and intricate work
of fantasy.
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