The Hidden Masters of Marandur (Pillars of Reality #2)

The Hidden Masters of Marandur by Jack Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The adventure continues as Alain and Mari venture into unknown territory. Being on the run has never been this much fun.

In this second book in the Pillars of Reality series, the two young prodigies from the Mage and Mechanic Guilds find themselves in some serious trouble. Their Guilds want them silenced in their challenge to the status quo. The two are avoiding assassins and disasters in general, braving the elements, falling more in love and struggling to define their relationship.

There is some serious character development happening here and it's delightful. Alain continues to emerge from his shell as Mari struggles to accept her prominent role in the future of their world. As they gather the clues that will give them the tools they need to fight the oncoming storm, their clever banter gets better and better. Alain learns the nature and practice of sarcasm as Mari teaches him about appropriate social cues. We meet some new characters and situations. And we get to see even more of their natural talents as they evade capture and death - life is a lot easier when you can do magic and blow stuff up.

The world gets more extensive here as well. We find an entirely new society hidden from the rest of the world, which only deepens the story as the saga continues. The romance deepens and well, let's face it - the whole book is just a continuation of the fantastic story that is the Pillars of Reality.

Once again MacLeod Andrews is astounding in his narration. The way this guy can bring a specific character to life is just amazing! These characters are so diverse and yet he distinguishes each one so well. I never felt I was being read a book or even hearing narration - rather it was like listening in on the conversations of characters. The publishers hit it out of the park on the choice of Andrews as narrator.

This series has been written specifically for audio and boy does it deliver. The projected release date for the next book, The Assassins of Altis, is July 2015. I cannot wait. Bring on the barrage of Mages and Mechanics!

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