Quin, John, and Shinobu have trained for years for this. Soon, they will take the Oath and become Seekers, guardians of an ancient magical artifact called an athame, defenders of truth, warriors of justice. But when John fails to perform well in their last training fight, Quin's father Briac, the training master, informs John that he will not be taking the oath with the others. John's journey is over before it had a chance to begin. As it turns out, this may have been for the best, as Quin and Shinobu are about to discover: you see, Seekers may once have been defenders of truth and justice, but now they are little more than hired killers. Now, on one side are Quin and Shinobu, sick with regret over what they have become, on another side is Briac, determined to enforce the young Seekers' oath, and on a third side is John, nursing a grudge for more than just his recent bad treatment at Briac's hands and determined to do whatever it takes to gain control of the athame. It's a volatile combination, and the ensuing action will range from the Scottish highlands, to downtown Hong Kong, to an airship floating over London. Who will prevail?
This book's publishers have hyped it so much that it can't possibly live up to its reputation. However, if you've somehow missed out on the hype and can take it at face value, it's not a bad story. Quin's character could stand to be a little more fleshed out, but many of the secondary characters are satisfactorily complex. The premise is interesting, and I will probably continue reading the series to see where it goes. Readers who like young adult fantasy with plenty of action should take a look at this book.
(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)
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