Eastern Tide: 1 (Aldabreshin Compass) Paperback – 28 Oct. 2021

I've mentioned in the reviews for the other three books in this series that Juliet E McKenna has constructed the narratives in a certain manner to reflect the disruption caused to Kheda's ordered life. At the end of the third book that pattern looked set to be overturned completely as Kheda lost all faith in the omens and auguries that are embedded in the Aldabreshin culture - and here, at the start of the fourth and final book, McKenna leaves Kheda high and dry, in strange domains, battling dragons with magic while desperately wondering what's going on at home.McKenna's plot drives ahead to pick up nearly every loose thread that has been left dangling over the course of the series, everything tightly woven together into a brilliant attack on another warlord. But McKenna's too great a writer to tie everything into a pat happy ending and she throws a few neat twists into Aldabreshin continuity, ensuring that even the characters Kheda left behind develop and grow out of his shadow.Life and politics in the Aldabreshin Archipelago are never anything less than amazingly brutal and yet it's a world that I really don't want to leave behind - the trade, the houses, the islands are all described with a depth that brings the whole culture to life. Spending time in the slightly more traditional fantasy spaces of the northern continent almost feels like a waste of pages, although it's certainly pertinent to the plot.A wonderful reissue, and a fantastic conclusion to a series that really deserves to be shouted about a hell of a lot more than it was when Orbit first published it. Kudos to Wizard's Tower Press for bringing the Compass back to life!

No issues.

As with the previous three books from the series, I have enjoyed the plots. I also found that although there was depth to the various cultures, and the characters they were still shallow at times.I give it a 4* because I liked the whole quest in general. However, I did find that the author describes the sceneries with too much details, which makes it a little laborious at times as well as recollecting what happened in the previous stories far too often. She spends less time describing scenes that lead to the conclusion, at times some scenes felt rushed.I have enjoyed the world Juliet McKenna has created and I am looking forward to reading the other series.

There's not much that's new in the final chapter of this series, however McKenna works hard to ensure readers will see it through. Without any preamble the central characters are found engaging another dragon. The early action sequence sets the scene for a dragon filled final chapter, in which power struggles come to a head between man and beast, as well as a clash between kingdoms. What sounds like an epic end to the series is marred by a complicated series of political wranglings and redundant filler. McKenna's action sequences are well detailed and vividly written, fortunately enough to carry the attention, although the end is a welcome relief. The Compass series offer a fresh scenario and that alone ensures they are a recommended read, although McKenna's style is not emotive or creative enough to stand tall alongside the fantasy greats.