Raven's Ladder - Jeffrey Overstreet

Raven's Ladder (Overstreet, 2010)

Raven's Ladder, the third book in the Auralia series, picks up where Cyndere's Midnight left off. The remnant of House Abascar is seeking a safe haven, King Cal-Raven is looking for direction, and the land is slowly falling victim to a new threat from Cent Regus.  Meanwhile, the Seers in House Bel Amica are plotting to seize control of all the kingdoms of the land.

The narrative focuses mostly on the events surrounding Cal-Raven and House Abascar, though when they flee to Bel Amica for refuge, Cyndere's story is intertwined neatly. Cal-Raven's faith in the Keeper, the creature who visits children in their dreams but whose existence is denied by all intelligent adults, keeps him balanced precariously on his people's good will, some tolerating his belief, others secretly despising it. His own faith is dramatically affirmed, then brutally challenged in the course of the story.

At this point in the series, the enemy has changed several times.  In Auralia's Colors, the enemy is King Cal-Marcus of Abascar, and perhaps a few roving beastmen. In Cyndere's Midnight, the beastmen take center stage as a very real threat.  Yet in Raven's Ladder, the Cent Regus feelers, burrowing through the earth and destroying any creatures they can find, make the beastmen seem inconsequential.  And hovering over it all are the Seers, with their inhuman masks and moon-worship.  We get the feeling there is a lot going wrong with the world, and it is increasingly getting worse.  We also get the feeling that the Keeper represents some sort of forgotten hope. In Raven's Ladder, the history and mythology of this world is explored more deeply, and the stage is set for the final act.

Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 inhuman masks