Spellship

 

The third entry of author Chris Fox’s Magitech Chronicles series opens with Kaho talking to his brother Tobek and his mother Nebiat. Meanwhile, Aran and Nara are among redwoods when the antagonistic Krox attack. Moreover, Voria is reinstated into the Confederacy, and an assassin confronts Aran over his recent dragonslaying. Voria is asked to impart her knowledge of magic to cadets, and Nara receives the task of finding the Wyrm Father, assuming command of the spaceship Talon. Aran receives introduction to a strange metal vessel, while Voria wants to open a Fissure at the Umbral Shadow.

In the meantime, Frit loves Nara whilst thinking her on the wrong side of the war, with Voria thinking that her trap within the Umbral Depths is a punishment. Voria seeks to forge an alliance with the Void Wyrms, and Aran is allowed to embark on an expedition known as the March of Honor, which intends to punish Outriders. The third installment makes a distinction between dragons and drakes, the latter being beasts of burden, and Aran ultimately finds a gathering of them. As this occurs, Nara seeks the eponymous spellship, and Voria chances a mountaintop party held by the Wyrms.

Still on the March of Honor, Aran fights Krox, not to mention hatchlings, with Virkonna ultimately holding him hostage. Nara returns to her temple, continuing to seek the magical signature of the fabled spellship, awing Wesley with her magic and anticipating a Krox attack. Nara encounters spell-eating serpents, and while he is in the darkness, Aran meets Rhea, the last Outrider of the last dragonflight. Nara also meets the Shade of Inura, and the Wyrms seek a magic staff. The third book ends with Nara dreaming and not thinking her friends are safe around her.

All in all, I enjoyed the third Magitech Chronicles book decently, having from reading its predecessors acquired a good sense of the mythos and terminology native to the series, although there are still some asinine literary decisions such as use of the word “Tender” to describe certain characters, with no explicit definition of the term. The franchise as a whole seems like an enjoyable fusion of elements from both the science-fiction and fantasy literary genres, given the relative importance of magic to the central storyline, not to mention space dragons, and I would gladly continue reading the series.