Kevin Hearne once more returns to the world of the Iron Druid in this third installment of the Ink & Sigil series. Al MacBharrais has faced gods, fae, magical monsters and creatures of all sorts. He is brave, or foolhardy enough, to have a hobgoblin as a servant. With his craft he can create magical sigils and use them to keep the magical and mundane worlds safely separate. But with all his abilities and all the powerful beings he knows, he has suffered for years in a cursed existence. The time has finally come for him to focus on this problem and find a solution.
It doesn’t help that there are actually two curses. One causes his apprentices to die, while the other causes just the sound of his voice to make anyone to whom he speaks frequently to hate him. It is a lonely existence with no one to teach the secrets of his craft and having to depend on a text-to-voice app to “speak” aloud to others. So Al does some research and finds a seer who can tell him how to locate the source of the curse.
Of course - it’s never that easy. While he is trying to solve his personal problems he still has to carry out his work as a sigil agent. And everyone around him seems determined to make life more complicated. His servant Buck plans to pull off a major caper that will make him the most famous hobgoblin of all. The Morrigan, ancient goddess of death, now has a new human body and wants to live in the mortal world and even date humans. His employee Nadia is starting up a new church to worship the god she invented, who loves cheese and whisky. The police are prowling around asking questions. It never rains but it pours, as the saying goes.
After the first two books in the series left readers and Al with only more questions about his cursed state, the resolution of Candle & Crow almost seems hurried. Perhaps it is just that we have waited so long (like Al) to find out who did this to him and why. But the ending feels like it is too easy, despite all the obstacles. It is still an enjoyable read - and the inclusion of some time with Atticus and Oberon is always welcome (as are Oberon's insights into the flavoring of sausages). Perhaps things can spin off to let us see some of the other sigil agents in action? This is a world that is hard to step away from once you have discovered it.
I read an advance copy provided by the publisher for review purposes.
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