Instead of purse strings, he had sliced through the merchant's belt. It took only an instant for Mince to realize his mistake. Sawing back and forth, he felt the purse come loose, but something was not right. In a moment of desperation, Mince pushed caution aside. The thought was insane, but his empty stomach won the battle over reason. With his hands still under the merchant's cloak, he waited. A third failure meant they would bar him from another meal. He knew the pickpocket's creed allowed for only a single touch, and he had dutifully slipped into the crowd after two earlier attempts. Failing to cut the merchant's purse strings, he froze with one hand still cupping the bag. Some people are skilled, and some are lucky, but at that moment Mince realized he was neither. Royalists: Those wishing to perpetuate rule by individual, independent monarchs Nationalists: Those wishing to be ruled by a leader chosen by the people Imperialists: Those wishing to unite mankind under a single leader who is the direct descendant of the demigod Novron Uberlin: Son of Muriel and Erebus, god of darkness P OLITICAL P ARTIES Galeannon: Lawless kingdom of barren hills, the site of several great battles T HE G ODS Once part of Delgos, which was lost when Delgos became a republic Warric: Most powerful of the kingdoms of Avrynĭunmore: Youngest and least sophisticated kingdom

Melengar: Small but old and respected kingdom Ghent: Ecclesiastical holding of the Nyphron Church The story is ABSOLUTELY worth the time if you want a high fantasy story.Dacca: Isle of south men N ATIONS OF A PELADORNĬalis: Southeastern tropical region ruled by warlordsĭelgos: Southern republic K INGDOMS OF A VRYN With all of that said, do not let this stop you from listening. Questions are raised about why there are not any artists with no allegiance, why the dwarves couldn't find a safe haven, why, if the elves are so powerful, don't those elves have more of an effect in the world. They just kind of exist to show that humans can be prejudice to them even as the elves are prejudice to humanity. The dwarves feel like an afterthought as a species and in terms of connections to the AoM series. That's where some of the downsides come in.

The connections, in that way, is what really makes this finale brilliant in my mind.

Further, the BBEG is ABSOLUTELY wonderful and an amazing followup to the Age of Myth series. Some characters get less screen time as the story SPRINTS to an ending. This is a wonderful ending to this story if not a little rushed at the end. With that said, that does not stop this story from being filled with tropes and clichés, but since so many of the characters are so engaging and funny, you'll find yourself able to forgive them anyway. However, I say this as someone who read the Age of Myth series first, so some my knowledge is cheating. So much of this story is telegraphed since Avempartha.

Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan