A Triumph of Souls by Alan Dean Foster

Etjole Ehomba and his companions Simna ibn Sind, Ahlitah and Hunkapa Aub found a way and a crew willing to cross the Semordria Ocean. But their travels are still not yet done, and their first task is just to cross the Semordria. But when a freak storm of winds sends them off course across the ocean, can they find a safe place to shelter from the winds and repair the damage? And then, once they are repaired, can they even *escape* from what was formerly their safe harbor?

And then comes a horrifying incident on an island where the crew finds their faces stolen by the islanders. Unless they want to end up seeing out of two small holes in their head and eating through a mere slit, they will have to recover their own faces. But how can they find the vault where their eyes, nose, ears and mouths are kept while they are being kept prisoner by the islanders for their own good?

Even if they escape the islands, there are still numerous kingdoms to cross, and a desert that is the home of demons and a valley that changes any who try to cross it to salt. But even if they can make it that far, they still have to face off against Hymneth the Possessed and bring back the Visioness Themaryl to the bosom of her family. And while this confrontation has been twice fortold to end in Etjole's death, can he overcome his fate and escape his death? And if he dies what will happen to Simna ibn Sind, Ahlitah and Hunkapa Aub? Hymneth the Possessed is the strongest necromancer in the world. Can they somehow manage to overcome his power in the heart of his own Kingdom? Or will their long journey end only in suffering and defeat?

This is the final volume in Alan Dean Foster's Journeys of the Catechist series, and even then, it isn't until the end that we learn the true source of Etjole Ehomba's many powers, and those of his fellow villagers. And it's truly no surprise to see by this point, for when he claims he is no more a magician than any other person in his village, he speaks the truth. Of course, what this says about his village is up for you to read in this book.

I liked this book, and the whole series, too. In the end, it isn't any of Etjole's equipment that saves him, but something entirely different- his will, heart and soul. And even when he finds that the Visioness Themaryl, and she declines to go home, having fallen in love with her captor, Etjole won't give up the fight to return her to her family. Etjole, while appearing simple, is a most complex character, and easily carries this series almost by himself. But then, each character is more than they seem at first, even Simna ibn Sind and especially Hunkapa Aub. The final pages are surprising as well as expected, and the ending of the book is even more surprising still.

This book is easy to read and yet provides many interesting twists and turns as you read. A surprising end to a tale full of adventure while culminating in an ending you might have suspected, and might not have, either. This a series I absolutely recommend.