- Divine Apostasy, Book 9
In the Riveting The Ninth Harbinger, Amy Kekai Blends High Cosmic Stakes With Deeply Personal Consequence
In the wake of surviving a devastating assault by six vengeful deities, Amy Kekai’s The Ninth Harbinger finds protagonist Ruwen transformed into an angelic being of immense power and destiny. His newfound divinity, however, has come at a cosmic price – the unshackling of the primordial System force that now threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality itself.
As rifts ripped from shattered parallel universes begin appearing, Ruwen soon finds his mission to restore Spirit to the cosmos taking a backseat to the emergence of the prophesied Harbinger quest. Imbued with untold might, this coveted role both terrifies and beckons Ruwen, even as old friends lay critically injured from the fallout of his previous battles. When one ally goes mysteriously missing altogether, the stakes become inescapably personal.
Kekai weaves an intricate high-fantasy tapestry where the players exist on both a grand cosmic scale and a profoundly relatable level of human motivation. As Ruwen grapples with overwhelming responsibility, he must still contend with aching loneliness, shaken confidence, and the push-and-pull of vengeance versus justice. His decision to risk all by deliberately springing a trap to save a loved one leads to cataclysmic consequences that may doom the universe he’s sworn to protect.
With soaring imagination and a deft hand at blending the small, intimate moments amidst world-upending conflagration, The Ninth Harbinger is an epic that deftly avoids feeling overstuffed or self-indulgent. From ambitious nation-building efforts to cosmic rifts being explored for untold powers, Kekai’s expansive world mesmerizes on both a grand scale and granular level. This is a rich, multilayered tale where the philosophical wrestlings are as captivating as the cinematic action set pieces.
Epic in scope yet grounded by its complicated, imperfect heroes, The Ninth Harbinger is a must-read adventure that masterfully merges the expansive with the intensely personal. Kekai’s progression as a fantasy worldbuilder is on full display in this imposing saga that signals an arrival as one of the premier voices in the genre. Breathtaking imagination and emotional resonance make this a knockout.
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