From Booklist
Gr. 6-8. In a time when elves, trolls, little people, and dragons share the earth with humans, alien invaders, convinced that no intelligent life exists on the planet, plan to attack and plunder. Magi in each of the thinking races, forewarned by visions of the Earthdoom, plot to stop the invasion but are unsure of what to do. Following the suggestion of the troll high wizard, 12-year-old apprentice Lithim and his father, Mulng, journey to the oracle Gurda for advice. As the time of the Earthdoom moves closer, the magi work desperately to put a plan into action and save the planet. McGowen's satisfying conclusion to the popular
Age of Magic trilogy, which began with
The Magical Fellowship (1991), will delight fantasy fans.
Candace Smith
From Kirkus Reviews
Mages from Earth's intelligent races--humans, Alfar, Dragons, etc.--have all foreseen the end of Earth and the slim chance that doom can be averted by working together. This particular doom takes the form of a space-faring race bent on mining Earth's resources; a salvation of sorts is won when an oracle advises the firing of immense geometrical shapes, thus showing the invaders that Earth harbors intelligent life. Still, their brief, violent visit leaves the earth in tatters: Trolls destroyed, Dragons sterile, Little People fled, and--worst of all--magic lost. Sad to say, the somber ending creates no more emotion than the rest of a story that's so low-key that it seems inevitable, with little suspense and few high (or low) points. It would be easier to mourn the magic if there had been more joy in its presence. Still, readers who followed human mage Mulng and his young son Lithim through the earlier books may want to know how it all comes out. (Fiction. 10-14) --
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