L.E. Modesitt
Cadmian's Choice

This is book 5 in Modesitt's Cadmian Chronicles.

It felt familiar - we have the talented and smart hero (two of them this time) working wtih life force, order, and power while working against a conspiracy. The heros are variations on his standard hero. The world and magic are variations on his standard world. He is ringing the changes on a theme, which is fine because it is a good theme.

I found myself basically NOT trying to keep track of the conspiracy and actors. I could not remember who was who, who was where, who was allied with whom, and who was betraying whome. There was a serious case of Russian Novel Syndrome going on with the off-stage characters.

Instead I just followed the moment-by-moment decision making of the two heros.

And it was enough.