Word of warning: This book ends with, well, not a cliffhanger per se but with major plot threads dangling -- it's obvious that Per Hiero Desteen's story was supposed to run on for at least one more book. Ah, well.Again Hiero is making his way across the war-scarred ruins of what used to be North America. He visits different areas this time, including our first glimpse of a relatively large & civilized realm; and the forces that schemed from the shadows in Hiero's Journey march openly to war.Old friends reappear (although they don't have as much time onstage as might have been preferred) and new wonders & terrors await. Again probably closer to a 3.5-3.75 than a 4, but I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.