[close] Ten years have passed since Europe plunged into chaos following a directed comet strike on London by Louis XIV's alchemists. The resulting nuclear winter forced everyone southward. The Russian Empire of Peter the Great holds sway, but Tsar Peter has mysteriously disappeared and his chief alchemist, Adrienne de Montchevreuil, has been attacked by a creature of the malakim, who provide the power for many of the technological innovations created by alchemists. Ben Franklin now lives in Charleston and is part of a secret organization, the Junto, that seeks to destroy the malakim and their agents in the New World. Only here have their evil intentions been fully recognized. Now the enemy is on American soil in the form of Scottish king James Stewart and his troops in the East and a mysterious but terrifyingly powerful army led by the Sunboy in the West. Only an alliance of English, French, and Spanish settlers with the Native American tribes have a chance of defeating them.

The series continues to provide an intriguing blend of fantasy and historical characters, plenty of action, and fine writing. This episode, however, begins and ends abruptly. Read the first two books (Newton's Cannon and A Calculus of Angels) first, and be prepared for a cliffhanger ending that will leave readers anxious for the next book. --Nona Vero [close]