"[A] master fantasist."

"Robin Hobb is one of our very best fantasy writers. Her novels are always fresh, entertaining, and completely engrossing."

"Hobb is probably one of the best writers of the fantasy genre currently operating. With Robin Hobb you do not get the standard good versus evil story in which every character is one or the other. Instead her characters are believable, human and flawed."

The stirring conclusion to The Soldier Son Trilogyâ??the acclaimed epic tale of duty, destiny, and magic by New York Times bestselling master fantasist Robin Hobb

Loyal, privileged, and brave, Nevare Burvelle proudly embraced his preordained role as soldier in the service of the King of Gerniaâ??unaware of the strange turns his life would ultimately take. Exposed to a plague of enemy sorcery that felled many of his compatriots, he prevailed, but at a terrible cost to his soul, body, and heart. Now he stands wrongly accused of unspeakable crimesâ??including murder, the most heinous of them all.

Condemned by his brother soldiers and sentenced to death, Nevare has no option but to escape. Suddenly he is an outcast and a fugitiveâ??a hostage to the Speck magic that shackles him to a savage alter ego who would destroy everything Nevare holds dear. With nowhere to turnâ??except, perhaps, to the Speck woman Lisana, the enemy whom he lovesâ??he is mired in soul-rending despair. But from out of the darkness comes a bright spark of hope.

Perhaps, somehow, the hated magic that has long abused Nevare can be used by him instead. Could he not learn to wield this mighty weapon for his own purposes rather than be enslaved by it? But down what perilous road will this desperate new quest lead him? And what will be the outcome and the ultimate new incarnation of Nev