As the game world continues to evolve details emerge which… were pretty predictable. It’s still a fun story. The really weird bits are very Steven King-esque (think Dark Tower, and others), which helped make a tolerable test of patience more enjoyable.

The book ends on a soft note, leaving the cliffhanger for the epilogue. That was an interesting surprise (leaving me thinking it was more the desire of the publisher than Bagwell). Nevertheless, it’s a solid (albeit oddly tempo’d) iteration. Four stars.

Stifel is good but the author simply asks too much from a single narrator: there are 3 stories with 3~8 characters each, and not a lot of overlap. Most all the characters are represented in every chapter, causing voice bleedover. It’s simply too much for one voice actor.

Nevertheless, worth the credit!