This Crooked Way

August 31, 2009
Legends spar in Enge’s episodic fantasy, narrated by an ensemble cast in achingly precise prose. Immediately following the events of Blood of Ambrose
(2009), the crooked-backed enchanter Morlock departs into exile on his horse, Velox. When a stone beast ambushes the strange pair and Velox disappears, Morlock goes in search of his horse and finds a long-lost figure from his past who desperately needs his aid. So begins Morlock’s long, meandering journey, narrated by those he befriends on the way. The supporting characters all initially regard the dispassionate wizard with awe, but as they gradually discover his flaws, they learn some delightfully compelling psychological facts about their own inadequacies. When the ending finally does arrive, its anticlimactic events disappoint, but there’s enough strength in the rest of the story to keep readers hoping for a redemptive third book.