The Raven's Shadow (The Wild Hunt)
In The Shadow of the Raven, the Nimrothi, led by the speaker, Ytha, and her puppet chief, Drwyn, are prepared to start their invasion. Gair, losing his grip on the Song, returns to the mainland from the desert of Gimrael, where his mentor died. Gair questions his own decisions and wallows in guilt. Tanith and her abusive ex-lover, Ailric, have come from Astolar with words of warning. They, along with each of the other characters, join the warlord in the mountain fortress, where a meager defense will muster. Teia, speaker for the Lost Ones, makes it through the mountains to warn the warlord of the Nimrothi invasion and to tell them that there is only one hope for victory—the Iron Men, the knights, must stand and  fight. The knights have not ridden to battle in decades, and there are none to guard the fortresses. All seems hopeless, but this is merely the opening battle in a war. Cooper has set up a rather fantastic world, and the conclusion to this epic in a projected fourth volume should be spectacular. --Regina Schroeder