CITY OF SAND

Three friends explore unknown lands to learn more about the demons threatening their city.

In the third entry of A War of Banes and Demons, the focus swings from protagonist Garet—and his attempts to identify who is using demons as personal weapons—to characters who’d previously played secondary roles. Dorict, Marick, and Vinir leave Shirath and head south to the City of Fountains to find the demons’ spawning grounds. The outsiders’ raucous ways, however, don’t sit well with the town’s inhabitants. “Two things were free in this city: water from its hundred fountains and gossip from its ten thousand tongues.” Tensions rise among the three friends after Marick’s rash behavior threatens their mission, and the impulsive, young Marick plans to run away. Instead, he’s kidnapped by a slaver who hauls him across the desert before he’s eventually rescued by a “sandwalker” named Yala. Taught by her tribe that outsiders are merely animals, Yala begins to question everything she thought she knew as she accompanies the reunited trio on their journey. Harkness makes the surprising but smart choice to forefront what might be considered a “side mission” within the overarching arc of the series’ plotline. Letting these side characters assume center stage, and introducing the fascinating characters and culture of the sandwalkers (aka demons), offers readers a broader, more meaningful glimpse into the various cultures and tribes within this carefully built world. Harkness also retains his knack for creating horror and tension while imbuing his characters with depth: “The sandwalker crouched there, trembling. This close to the demon, the fear battered her like a midday sun. She could not raise the bow. Wave after wave of horror called up terrifying memories: and they all came in her mother’s voice.” Fans and newcomers alike will find this a worthy entry in the series.

Epic battles and breathtaking adventure appear alongside a moving exploration of friendship and forgiveness.