The Skybound Sea

In this final installment of the Aeon's Gate trilogy we journey to the island of Jaga. Death has followed, chased, and clung to our crew of adventurers, and a soujourn to Jaga won't change the fact that they are walking into the gaping maw of Ulbecetonth herself. An island surrounded by the statues of lost gods, occupied by lonely hostile warrior lizardmen, and under attack by wave after wave of longfaced purple warrior women who are only content in battle.

So, a lot more of the same, which isn't a bad thing. Sykes picked up the gauntlet where it lay when we finished Black Halo and carried it to an almost satisfactory conclusion. Some questions remained, and Sykes has all but admitted that's because he plans on writing more stories in this universe. The questions that did remain after reading this novel were the larger picture questions, the kind that are called “spoilers.”

What should returning readers look forward to? Expect to find resolution between Lenk and Kat (as much resolution as possible between a man with voices in his head and a shickt who's people are sworn to eliminate the human infection from the face of the planet). The answers you wanted for Denaos' history or Asper's hand are covered. We even get a glimpse of where the Netherlings come from.

All in all, this third book did a great job of bringing this chapter of the story to a conclusion, while still leaving room for expansion in the future. As the conclusion of a trilogy, this book was probably the least accessible to new readers, but that's not to be unexpected in a series. I think returning readers will find that this book balances well against the first book in terms of amounts of action and pace.

RHEGA!!!