In previous books, I mentioned that these aren't books you can't put down, but rather books with lots of chapters and section breaks that provide opportunity to put them down, but this also lets you pick one up and jump back in for a bit, even if you don't have much time to read. A Veil of Spears fits this description as well, but to an even greater degree: I found myself having to stop on a couple of occasions, after particularly unexpected twists, to ponder, in shock, for a couple of minutes just what the implications might be, only to return to the book immediately to continue reading. My wife had the darnedest time trying to figure out if I was done reading or returning back to it.
This time, we find Çeda trying to find a way to free the Asirim, enslaved souls of the lost tribe - her tribe - and to overthrow the remaining of the Twelve Kings of Sharakhai, as well as to free those Asirim souls that are imprisoned in an onyx bracelet that she took as a trophy from one of the fallen kings. Sadly, she doesn't know the secret of its use and, although she can sense those trapped within, they seem distant and don't speak to her. In addition to ending their torment, Çeda could use help in overthrowing the kings and she can feel the anger of the Asirim and their desire to do just that. She also has possible allies in the finally re-gathering thirteenth tribe and desert tribes, but King Onur is trying to unite the desert tribes against the other kings, which seems to be what most of the surviving kings are doing, whether openly or in secret. It seems that each of the kings is eyeing the remaining life-giving immortality droughts as no longer enough to be shared.
We also see interesting story advancement on the young mages, Davud and Anila. Davud is being held by King Sukru, who has Davud performing research and tasks for him, while promising to teach him in the ways of blood magic. Davud is grateful for King Sukru taking care of Anila while she recovers and wants to improve his arcane skill, but he feels like he's learning more from books and on his own than from King Sukru, himself, and feels that he can't trust King Sukru. Anila's been a wreck ever since the incident, but she gets a bit better, though she seems somehow changed by the experience, in surprising and frightening ways whose full consequences have yet to be revealed. Davud hopes to find a way to escape from King Sukru and find another mentor, but can he manage it? And what of Anila?
Queen Meryam of Qaimir and Ramahd, her brother-in-law and right-hand man, continue to work their schemes, with Meryam setting her sights on a magical item: a gemstone containing an ehrekh, a being of immense power. However, the current owner, The Tattered Prince, a mysterious figure who has a small, but loyal group of followers, uses that power to heal drug addicts in the poorest area of Sharakhai. He won't easily give it up, but he has his own secrets and more than a little bit of internal conflict over the gemstone and the ehrekh it contains. How things play out was... unexpected, to say the least.
And, of course, there's ever so much more that I quite simply can't say or I might ruin some of the intrigue and suspense. If you have been following The Song of the Shattered Sands series and haven't found it completely riveting, this book will be your turning point. If you haven't read the series at all, this book is the reason to start (at the beginning). A Veil of Spears has taken this series from one that I tell my friends that I enjoyed to a must-read recommendation.
