Wow. Middle volumes of trilogies are supposed to be dark, but the ending of this volume hits like a truck. Characters are torn apart from each other as betrayal from within and threats from without increase. It wouldn’t be a Tad William epic unless the very fabric of the world was threatened—and threatened it is.

In addition to the pain experienced by characters we’ve grown to love over the years, the mystery of the Keida’ya become central. The Ocean Children in all their forms are called to the center stage. Knowing that the next volume concerns the Narrowdark (a mystery introduced in Empire of Grass) and the final volume is titled, The Navigator’s Children, only increase the anticipation.

Empire of Grass sets up the final volume(s) of “The Last King of Osten Ard” beautifully. With the exception of “The Wheel of Time,” I’ve never been so eager to read the conclusion to a fantasy epic.

Williams, Tad. Empire of Grass. DAW, 2019. Last King of Osten Ard 2.