Chimaera by Ian Irvine

All resistance has been crushed. In a few minutes of overwhelming violence the Council's air-dreadnought fleet has destroyed Fiz Gorgo's defences. Xervish Flydd, Irisis and their allies have been condemned to die in a brutal aerial spectacle designed to reinforce Chief Scrutator Ghorr's power and majesty. Nish is their one remaining hope. But Nish is trapped in a burning watchtower, and hunted by both the scrutators and his former lover, Ullii, whose twin brother he accidentally killed. Before Nish can hope to rescue his friends, he must convince Ullii to spare him, then overcome the most powerful cabal of mancers in the world as well as the Council's four hundred crack guards. And even if he succeeds, to win the war the allies still have to defeat the scrutators and overthrow Nennifer, the corrupt Council's dread bastion, before the rampaging lyrinx overwhelm all Santhenar. REVIEWS "Chimaera brings his Well of Echoes saga to a spectacular and satisfying conclusion, confirming his reputation for first-rate fantasy page turners." Van Ikin, Sydney Morning Herald. 'Ian Irvine is arguably the most inventive fantasy author to emerge in recent years. Geomancer succeeds in being a page-turner of the highest order ... Irvine can now consider himself comfortably ranked next to the works of Robert Jordan and David Eddings and, more appropriately, the mighty Anne McCaffrey. Formidable!' SFX (UK) 'Irvine's strength here is that he makes us care not only about the idealistic, wet, misguidedly ruthless Tiaan, but also about the occasionally vicious and manipulative Irisis and Nish, who are not merely villains, but products of their unpleasant world somewhat redeemed by their growing regard for each other. This is, attractively, grimmer and grittier than most fantasy novels with a real sense of industrial squalor and a society in paranoid melt-down-and with a neatly unpleasant set of twists at the end.' Roz Kaveney, Amazon.uk. 'Ian Irvine has produced one of those rarities in the fantasy genre, and that is a unique, well-thought-out world coupled with a well-written storyline. A gripping read.' Enigma (UK) 'Readers of Eddings, Goodkind and Jordan will lap this one up.' Starlog (UK) 'Irvine mixes in plenty of interesting characters of uncertain moral fibre to create a compelling adventure in a landscape full of wonders.' Locus. 'Irvine imagines the epic landscape through which the characters move in persuasive detail and describes it powerfully. The misery of the manufactory's oppressed children and fearful adults is effectively communicated and elaborated. Driven by fear and inadequacy ... they cheat, lie and betray others in the cause of their own ambition, but are nonetheless sympathetically portrayed.' Australian Book Review. "The final payoff is fantastic. The most unflaggingly inventive storyteller we've seen in years." Sydney Morning Herald, on Chimaera. Scrutator listed in the Sydney Morning Herald's BEST BOOKS OF 2003 (by Tim Cadman). Honourable Mention, Scrutator, Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 2003.

This book is part of the "The Well of Echoes" series.
Here are some other books from this series: