THE WAR OF THE MAPS

Though life is less thrilling now that its citizens are protected from “pirates and sea dragons,” the island of Hazelport holds multitudinous marvels and irregularities.

Temperamental insects, talking birds, and a bottomless crack in the rocks stoke the imagination, but a man, someone who is “in his every aspect average,” takes notes and measurements—and performs the most gruesome of magic tricks. “The trick is: No more magic.” Surely this cannot stand—not in the swashbuckling world of Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire. Indeed, soon worlds collide, and Peter (who presents white), Sophie (who’s dark-skinned), and a ragtag assemblage of unlikely characters become separated, each caught in a complex and circuitous war of ideals. This final entry in the Peter Nimble series (which has been reissued as The Vanished Kingdom) is ripe with all the action, adventure, intensity, and wordplay of the first two stories. Auxier excels at connecting complex plot points and trusting his readers with darkness, nuance, and thorny concepts, creating complicated and morally ambiguous landscapes. At its heart, this work is about growing up, exploring the wonder found in the mundane beauty of humanity, and the fantasy of childhood giving way to the practical magic of science and progress. The author’s ambitious attempt to bring multiple characters and worlds together pulls focus away from the action and the book’s overarching beauty, however. Intricate, magical spot art opens each chapter.

An action-packed end to a wonder-filled trilogy.