The Quiet before the Storm?

This is the fourth book in the Guardian Cycle pentalogy (after The Dark Moon, The Jasper Forest and The Crystal Desert, and before Alyssa's Ring).

Another three and a half years have passed since the events of The Crystal Desert, our hero is now twenty-one. Still drawn by his instincts, Terrel is on the Skua, a ship heading for the ice covered island of Myvatan, where he believes resides another Elemental. And when he recognizes a vision from his dreams, the rock carved in the shape of a large whale described in the Tindaya Code, he has to convince the captain of the ship to let him disembark.

Emerging from Savik's Whale's blowhole, Terrel soon finds himself caught up in a war that's been going on for centuries between the Black, Red, White and Gold quarters. Taken to Saudark by the Black who suspect he's a spy, Terrel later discovers a society where water is the vector of magic. Indeed, whereas men fight with swords and spears, the Magians, all women, use the potency of water to create powerful weapons in the form of weather spells. It won't be long until Jax, taking over Terrel's body one day, impresses Tofana with his weathermage skills. The chief Wizard will then devise Fire Starters, a weapon capable of destroying their enemies utterly in the blink of an eye. If Terrel doesn't do anything about it, it will be an appalling massacre, and a threat for the whole world of Nydus.

The book goes on to describe the terrible war of magic in which Terrel reluctantly takes part, trying to make his way to the Elemental at the same time, and making new, invaluable friends on the road. Among them are Tegan and Yarek, two young people who, like him, are eager to bring peace back on Myvatan.

Whereas our hero's overall goal is still the same, this volume is a tad different from the previous ones in the sense that Terrel's search for the Elemental takes a slightly less ponderous place in the story, leaving space for a little more action. The new characters introduced here are again very likable and their society quite interesting. However, not much is said about the further deciphering of the Tindaya Code and the solving of the Dark Moon and Sleepers' mysteries, as Alyssa and the ghosts intervene less often. And I have to admit I kind of missed them, and had the felling that the pace had somehow decelerated. Let's hope this is only the quiet before the storm, as I'm looking forward to reading how things resolve in the climatic conclusion I'm expecting in Alyssa's Ring, the last volume.

7/10