Somewhere along the line Carr is letting us down from the tradition of Piper. It took me a while to think about that, but it is what I have arrived at. Carr has plotted out the entire arc, and along the way he seems to have decided that more time is needed with the characters of his and Greens own invention from when they wrote Great King's War.

Considering that book prices have come down to something reasonable, this series is extremely high priced to allow a world that Piper made, become the plaything of Carr.

This may support Carr while he is in retirement and I can see how expenses add up. It is a quality book, but the story is eBook material at a fifth the cost. And that is due to the deviation from Down Styphon! to the story that Carr wants to tell.

Piper had us suspend our disbelief when he transport Calvin Morrison to Hostigos, but then he gave us a credible story that had a man who knew historical tactics for time periods ahead of where the natives were and could use that to his advantage.

The first extension of the story saw the enemy playing catch-up, but since then we have had so many new characters that Carr wants us to be involved with, that we have lost sight of Kalvan. He is off stage far more often then he is on stage. And then we have the Paratime subplot as well.

Verkan Vall was not chief very long, so Carr could develop this as something that brings together other Piper storylines and gives them play in the story. Yet we do not have enough time with the Paratimers to make their story as full as it needs to be.

The world has a great deal going on, and with the Paratime subplot, let us add whole universes to that. But this was a story about Kalvan and the Hostigians. Let's get back to that. They have just been displaced in an endeavor that was bigger then the Voortrek. They have conquered new kingdoms. Let's work through that, and really see if they are going to reconquer their homes instead of shining the light on what the lords they left behind are up to.

I hope the next one returns to Kalvan, otherwise this series may really have been over a few books ago. ( )