The Midnight Dunes

The Landkist Saga, Book 3

By: Steven Kelliher

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Death waits at the Midnight Dunes, and some ride to meet it.

Ghosts of the past have led Talmir Caru, Captain of Hearth to spearhead an expedition to the ancestral home of the Emberfolk. There, he intends to find one of the last Sages and see where the immortal's loyalties lie, and whether a silver sword and the will behind it can compel a god to fight on their behalf.

Iyana Ve'Ran, living legacy of the Faey Mother joins him on this quest. While her wayward sister seeks to put an end to the War of Sages, Iyana only wants to put the world she loves back together again. As she begins to tap newly discovered powers of her own, she will learn why some say the Faey can hurt as easily as heal.

Finally, despite deep misgivings about returning to the deserts of the North, Karin Reyna, First Runner of Last Lake has sworn to keep his companions alive throughout their journey. While he does not possess the elemental power of his son, he will rediscover what made his a name for stories before their time.

With the threat of the World Apart growing ever stronger, and the most powerful Sages still maintaining their stranglehold on the land, it is up to this small band of honor-bound warriors to play their part.

For death waits at the Midnight Dunes, and some ride to meet it.

©2021 Steven Kelliher (P)2021 Monolith

Avatar The Last Airbender meets Mad Max Fury Road

The Midnight Dunes feels similar to the first two books in the series in terms of furthering the overall plot of the elementals and the mighty Sages, but like Book 2's Emerald Road, the deserts of the north are basically a character unto themselves in this one.

I was a little worried that I might not attach to the cast in this book, since the author is pretty straight up at the beginning that this one takes place at the same time as Book 2, and follows the desert caravan as opposed to Kole, Linn and what you might call the A-list of characters.

That said, Talmir and Karin were absolute revelations in this book, and we get a TON more info about how Iyana's Faey powers work. There's also a new major Landkist introduced, and he's probably got the coolest power set in the series so far.

What really made this book was the finale. The first two books had some action-packed endings, but The Midnight Dunes takes the cake for my money. You've got Sages, Landkist and ... demon cannibals? Yes, please.