The Arkhel Conundrum by Sarah Ash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the original trilogy shortly after publication and discovering there was to be a new instalment in the saga was a wonderful surprise. After 14 years, I certainly hadn’t expected a new book in the series! That’s also a reason I delayed reading it. ‘What if it spoils the memory of the originals? What if my tastes have changed and I don’t like it?’ I was both excited and anxious to read The Arkhel Conundrum and in the end I needn’t have been worried: it is every bit as excellent as the first three books.

The rear cover has a quote comparing Ash to Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time) and George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and rightly so; she is an expert in weaving a tale of epic proportions with a wide cast, all of whom are well-written and fleshed out, without falling foul of overly complex plot threads.

Yes, you will almost certainly need to read the Tears of Artamon in full in order to appreciate The Arkhel Conundrum as there are references back to events in the previous books that you might not understand without reading them. You could go in straight at book 4 and get by with what’s in this book alone and still enjoy the new story-lines but I heartily recommend the trilogy as it is excellent.

In this instalment we meet back up with Gavril and Kiukiu and start the story in earnest almost a year after the end of Children of the Serpent Gate and after the birth of their daughter who, it turns out, was conceived before Gavril was freed of his dragon-demon Khezef. Little Larisa is a very special baby and once Elder Ones and Heavenly Guardians alike discover her existence, she becomes very popular indeed.

Emperor Eugene, in the absence of his mentor and magus Kaspar Linnaius, launches a competition to construct a flying craft, which accidentally opens him up to new threats. We’re also introduced to a handful of new characters, including Toran Arkhel and Gerard Bernay, who feel like we’ve known them long before this book, such is the strength of their characterisation.

In the high/epic fantasy style there are different plots weaving together towards two climax points that are expertly done and I foresee those two story-lines coming together in a 5th book. PoV shifts between chapters so that we can feel and experience the world from different character perspectives where even seemingly minor characters are still key to the overall story.

I feel I cannot proselytise about this series enough. I loved it when I first read it and still love it now. I look forward to the next book and won’t be quite so anxious to keep going next time! 

This was my 42nd book of 2020.