The Mirror of Worlds
David Drake
Tor, Jul 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 9780765312600

Due to the magic of wizards, the Isle has become a hodgepodge continent of past and present people and places. If that calamity is not enough, different species of past and future are converging on the present that, if unchecked, humanity will cease to exist. The Coerli cat people are a special breed who Ilna the witchweaver wants eradicated although most humans see them as mindless slaves.

The Lost from the future seeks control of the world and destruction of all life forms. Prince Garric and his sister Sharina believe the Coerli can be brought into the empire as equals. They work separately to kill off the Lost in their world and close the gate so they cannot come back into the prince's realm. Two wizards, human and Coerli, work together to save the world from their mutual enemies, proving the two species can toil in peace as partners.

Readers who enjoy the other worldly works of Simon Brown, Holly Lisle, and Jim Butcher will thoroughly appreciate THE MIRROR OF WORLDS, the exciting sequel that begins where THE FORTRESS OF GLASS ended. David Drake provides a great epic saga filled with strong fully developed characters (human and otherwise); especially feeling plausible is the Coerli. The use of magic is subtle so that the stirring plot focuses more on people than on the power of wizardry. Though what motivates the Lost is unclear, genre fans will want to journey into the world of Drake where the action is non stop and the fantasy realm seems real.

Harriet Klausner