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5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely Frankowski's best; I hope he writes more, Jun 22 2004
Frankowski's New Kashubia series has been a lot of fun since the first book, but this latest work, which focuses more on the upcoming villain than on the hero-to-date, is by far the best in the series, and is in my opinion the author's best work so far.The Mitchegai are truly nasty, sadistic critters on the scale of Moorcock's Melnibonéans, though in a definite sci-fi world rather than the fantasy land of the Elric saga. They torture and eat their own offspring alive, among other things, and Kren is no exception. Nonetheless, I really found myself rooting for Kren to succeed, and actually liked his character in many ways more than I like the human main character. This book tells the story of Kren in parallel with the story of the humans' preparations for his invasion. The human side of the equation is a bit too reminiscent of a future Conrad Stargard, but the Mitchegai story is really original, and a real winner. The story ends just before the big battle is about to commence. It reminds me a lot of Ringo's "Gust Front" in that (and other) ways; spending lots of time developing the villain, ending just before the action heats up, etc. I think this is a far better book, though. According to Frankowski's web site, his publisher thinks this book should be the last in the series, which would be a terrible pity. Perhaps if the hardcover sales go well enough, they'll reconsider.
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