This sequel to [Initiate Brother] is every bit as promising as the first novel.

War closes in on the Empire from within and without, the maddened Emperor refuses to see the trap he has built for himself and nearly takes the entire empire down with him. However the sheer genius and tactical maneuverings of the Shonto family just might see the successful conclusion of all of their plans....

Excitement, intrigue, love, war, and the game of the Imperial Courts...when foes become friends and House Shonto must defend the empire against the Emperor's "allies" before the empire is crushed by barbarian hordes, choices must be made that will rock the Bothivist faith to its foundations.

Surrounded by war and his own tumultuous emotions, the young monk finally discovers the truth behind his name, his destiny, and all of the doubts he had picked up in his relationships with the senior monks of his order. Now a sole practitioner of a sect that had been destroyed as heretic centuries before he arrives at the feel of the new Master, one who has affected the course of his life and those of the family he loves.

Sean Russel blurs the line between enlightenment and deceit, nirvana and blasphemy in this conclusion to Nishima and Shyun's story. The ending is perhaps one of the most hopeful, yet bittersweet endings I have read in a long time. ( )