The five families of Katar have ruled The Cites for thousands of years. Disobedience is punishable by the complete draining of all ka, a person's life force, leading to true death.

When the Tarth, daemons of legend that the Katar banished five thousand years ago, return, the rebellion sees a chance to divide the Katar and break their rule forever. To accomplish this they need the help of the dying races, a thief, and one of the Katar.

Failure is not an option, but success could mean the destruction of all mankind by the Tarth in the wake of a weakened Katar.

A rare RECOMMENDED from "U.S. Review Of Books":

"This story quickly involves readers in the details of the main character's life, making this book difficult to put down for any length of time. Before the reader is aware that this story does not take place on a familiar Earth, they have fully bought into the world created, accepting the reality of the five moons and the concept that there are multiple humanoid species co-existing in relative peace within a limited geographical space known collectively as The Cities. As Tsom makes his way through the festival crowds plying his preferred trade to great success, he suddenly discovers he has acquired much more than he bargained for. The young thief from the docks finds himself in a race for his life that whisks him into the center of a battle he's been running from since the day his parents were killed.

"Well-written with a number of plot twists and multiple interesting characters thrown into the mix, Loshento delivers an enjoyable adventure that will leave readers waiting impatiently for more. Enemies turn out to be friends, friends may not be trusted, and it is never clear which side will win. Unafraid to maim or murder main characters, the reader is constantly concerned about who will be targeted next and whether they will achieve some form of miraculous rescue, transformation, or are simply and entirely gone. Mixing gods and mortals, magic and science, and never allowing anyone to be entirely good or evil, including gods, the story continues to surprise and entice from various angles.

"The story flows at a comfortable rate, never bogging down too much with details but providing enough details to create a very rich and vibrant world. There is some action and violence depicted, but any details that might bother a sensitive reader are easily skipped without losing meaning. Even so, no details are provided that seem gratuitous, simply for the shock factor. Instead, they are clearly creating a sense of the mindset and personality of the individual committing each act or to clearly convey the hardships of the victim.

"Some readers may be disappointed by the end of the story, but only because there aren't more pages to read just yet. This is definitely one of those stories that will have readers anxiously awaiting the sequel."

Matt Armstrong