That is, that his supposed father, Bail, the husband of his mother, is not his true father. His true father is Cobo, the Ver dala Ven who seduced his mother. There is enough infidelity here in The Last Gate to make one think Merz actually lived in a palace in England, hobnobbed with princes and princesses for a time and from that experience gleaned material for this book. The writing is expert and, unlike many of the bloated novels we see today which are puffed up beyond their natural size, this novel fills every one of its more than 700 pages. It is writing marred a bit by some lax editing.
Typos appear here and there like stains on a white linen tablecloth put down for a feast.
Still the feast is intact. Readers who like their fantasies large and broad, with many characters and many subplots, will enjoy this book. The book may therefore not be appropriate for the very young teen. Cobo could still see the master. He ducked under Blaec's blade and through the giant's legs.