The second book of the Imager Portfolio takes place so soon after the first that our hero Rhenn is still recovering from his injuries. The plot is interesting but not compelling; Rhenn plots a pre-emptive strike against a powerful family that wants revenge, but that is too neatly wrapped up without much angst or conflict. The captivating subject of the book, however, is the political discourse. In Imager, religion and its role in society is examined; here politics and the justice system take the main stage. Through Rhenn’s assignment as a police liaison we explore how people are arrested, tried, and punished, how the rules don’t apply equally to all classes, and how corruption affects the entire system. While I found the previous book to be a bit more thought provoking (and more controversial), Modesitt clearly has another winner here.
On Vendrei, the twentieth of Erntyn, just before the bells rang out the seventh glass of the morning, I hurried across the quadrangle of the Collegium to the administration building to meet with Master Dichartyn—imager Maitre D’Esprit, the director of all security operations for the imagers of Solidar, the second-most senior imager of the Collegium Imago, and my immediate superior.
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