First part of a fantasy duology about a family that guards the borders between our mundane reality and the fantastic realms that wait beyond, whose legacy is mostly forgotten in the waking world and who themselves are on the precipice of dying out. As so often with these type of stories, something evil is lurking to come back, but the first book isn’t about the primeval villain attacking, but rather this Saruman-type character (formerly one of the best of the good guys turned evil thinking his way is the only to save everyone and he knows best) trying to get control of the house the family guards, to open the gate between worlds.
I find Wright’s style highly enjoyable, he likes to drown the reader in world-building details that run the gamut of classical fantasy, old myths, various allusion and his own spin on all things fantasy, pulling monsters and gods and other creatures out of his hat like it was nothing, making all of them feel fresh and original and not derivative in any way.
The main bulk of the book is about two outsiders who get roped into the conflict which is all about the villain trying to get access to the house of Everness, attacking it with all his varied powers. As it is only half of a whole, it ends on a cliffhanger, and wow it’s a dozy one. Definitely recommended, can’t wait to read how it all plays out.
The Entropy Pump 