World: High Fantasy, Parody World.
Races: Lightlings (humans, elves, dwarves, etc.) vs Shadowkin (goblins, orcs, trolls, etc.) Races seem unlimited but there is a glossary in the back to help sort through Pike's ideas about them.
Magic System: Soft magic system (spells seem unlimited). Among lightlings, two schools of magic are dominant - solamancy and noctomancy, harnessing the power of the sun and the night respectively. A third school that harnesses both, omnimancy, has become extinct.
Premise: Quest for redemption story. The cleric Niln gathers a group of discredited heroes to fulfill a prophecy and save the world.
Pike really took his time to get this one right. Following the Magnificent Seven format, he builds the party of heroes with comical flair, adding bizarre touches to his world as needed. The quest itself is secondary to his purpose but he adds enough plot twists to keep your curiosity engaged.
The real magic in the book happens when you pull the fake dwarf beard off the storyline and it hits you that this outlandish scenario he's cooked up is no less ridiculous that what American society has become today. He gets us to laugh at our own flaws without laughing them off. Overall, highly recommended.
Age recommendation: 13+
