When we last left the friends and family of Queen Miriamel and King Simon, they were all in desperate straits. Miri found herself in the middle of a bloody rebellion and because of a loaned ring on a now dead and burned countess, all of Erkynland believes their queen is dead. Simon is overrun by grief at the loss of his wife and refuses to deal with the growing troubles around him. Meanwhile, their grandson and heir, Morgan, has been missing, lost in the wild. It is only recently that he has met up with Sithi, but now he has found himself separated from the fair folk and under the watchful eye of a Norn soldier who is having her own doubts about the life she has lived.
Meanwhile, one of Simon and Miri's closest advisers, Pasevalles, has proven (to the reader at least) to be a traitor with his own ill intentions towards the rulers of Erkynland. There are already several deaths that can be laid at his feet, and it's clear that he is responsible for many of the misgivings that have befallen the throne as of late. Unfortunately for our protagonists, Pasavalles' treachery is only just getting started and it soon becomes apparent that his allies are far more devious than was previously expected.
For one, it appears that Pasevalles is at least partially responsible for stirring up the unrest on the border with the Thrithings-folk. And when the neighboring people invade and take a foothold in lands protected by the High Throne, Simon decides he must work past his grief and lead a force against the barbarians. What Simon doesn't know, though, is that he has a personal connection to the new leader of the grasslanders, and if he and this Unver should meet, the resulting encounter will be a shocking one, for one of them at least.
Of course, Pasavalles has many plans in the works. For one, Queen Utuk'ku has been gathering her Norn armies and has left Nakkiga for the first time in living memory. It seems she is determined to finally wipe out the mortals that infest Osten Ard once and for all. Over the last two books, she has sent select warriors to collect strange artifacts, and the result is the resurrection of a long dead character from legend. How exactly this character plays into the Norn Queen's plans is yet to be seen, but it is obvious she plans to manipulate this once-hero for her own good. Meanwhile, at her side is the mortal woman Tzoja. Tzoja is the concubine of the High Magister of the Builder's Order and mother of his only child, the same Norn that is currently holding Prince Morgan captive. While she isn't aware of her daughter's current location and personal conflicts, Tzoja is all too aware of the precarious place she finds herself in at the side of Queen Utuk'ku, but she doesn't see a way out of her position that doesn't lead to her death.
Morgan, himself, is in a strange situation. It's clear that his captor, Nezeru, is also hiding from her own people. What he doesn't realize is that her recent dealings with another mortal have left her faith in Queen Utuk'ku shaken. The questions she has been asking herself have forced her to break away from everything she knows. Now, she feels she must find a way to survive, despite being hunted by multiple parties, and with this young mortal named Morgan in tow. Little do the pair know that they, too, have some unexpected connections, though it will be a strange set of scenarios that will lead to the pair discovering those connections, as they are nowhere near anyone who might be able to put the pieces together.
Into the Narrowdark is another great step forward in this epic fantasy series. While there are some events that finish playing themselves out, those only help to start other events going. With, supposedly, only one volume left to conclude this newest dive into the world of Osten Ard, it will be interesting to see how all of the pieces come together. As of the end of this book, many of the protagonists are still scattered to the wind. They've all moved quite a bit from where they started at the beginning of the book, but even so, it's clear that they are far from any kind of real resolution.
I recently read an opinion that The Last King of Osten Ard series has succeeded in being a strong follow-up to Memory, Sorry, and Thorn because it is now hard to think of the original adventures without seeing these as the natural follow-up, and that is very true. Especially as we learn of the motivations of some characters and realize that many of the events happening in these books are direct consequences to the actions of Simon and Miri's younger selves. Any fan of the world Williams started to explore back with The Dragonbone Chair should be happy with this latest entry. I can't wait to see how everything plays out and what exactly the ominous series title "The Last King of Osten Ard" means for our protagonists and their world.
