Just in time for winter, Reul Tomala has released the third novel in his hit series The Far Reaches. He’s also declared that since these works are much more popular than anything else he’s written he will be regularly releasing new books, at least once every generation.

This novel, Eye of Talisman focuses on the court intrigue of the gargantuan Imperial Capital, located in the center of this endless realm. God tells the Emperor and his advisors that demons will soon be invading the capital and has gifted to them the titular Eye of Talisman, which will somehow help the elves find victory in the battle. Rather than using it for the good of the people, the capital immediately descends into an 8-way civil war of factionalism and court politics for possession of this holy relic.

Lavish parties, political marriages, spies and assassins and gossip, EoT is a non-stop thrill ride full of death, despair, and the usual catharsis of seeing stupid elves get what they deserve. What sets this book apart from the previous two is that none of these snobbish, know-nothing aristocrats are good people. There are no characters you want to survive and achieve a happy ending, there are only characters you want singled out for merciless destruction.

These aristocrats are fools and their plots comedically fail due to their own ineptitude almost as often as they fail due to the sabotage of their rivals. There’s also an inherent irony of these idiots being the ‘elite’ of the Elven Empire. In a just society, a military commander would have marched on the capital and removed these fools from power.

Who wins this power play, and God’s plan with the talisman, is something I won’t dare reveal, but the adventure is one worth reading.