Following on from Jack Churchill's journey across time to the modern world, and Ruth, the woman he loves, we find that the entire world is under something called the Mundane Spell. This is one of Chadbourn's cleverest inventions, because it's easy for readers to get a sense that, somehow, it might be true. Created by the Void, the Mundane Spell is what keeps humanity focussed on the greed for gold, endless toil, crushing religious doctrines, and lives that are free only to serve the almighty system. Effectively, humanity is in thrall to something that stops us from ever reaching out potential. Both individually and as a species. In order to break the spell and advance the cause of Existence, Churchill and his small band must locate two keys, both of which are living people. One of whom has the power to create, the other the power to destroy. Yin and Yang, dark and light, good and evil. The patterns always repeat, and Chadbourn ensures we have an interesting time while pondering this concept. The living keys are hidden, of course, somewhere among the world's population, and the search for them awakens old gods. These deities react in different ways to the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, as they make their way around the world with no choice but to trespass into areas the gods consider to be their Great Dominions. Running parallel with the search are the interpersonal relationships, and group dynamics, between the various Brothers and Sisters of Dragons. The end result is a story which combines a Grimmesque fairy tale with Gothic horror, bitter sweet romance, and the techno-bleakness of urban decay.

This time around, the story is tighter, and more sharply focussed than the enthusiastic sprawl of the previous book. Even so, Chadbourn packs in an incredible amount. We discover what became of the massed Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, saved from the traitor, Ryan Veitch. There's a major revelation as to the connection between Church and his nemesis, the Libertarian. A dark and innovative form of emergency transport, known as the Last Train, is used to maximum effect. The eternal triangle between Veitch, Ruth and Church takes a new twist. We get a series of testosterone charged scenes between Church and Veitch, waving their magical swords, and including what I took to be a nod to Moorcock's Stormbringer and Mournblade encounters. There's also a noteworthy and rather nasty scene involving Rhiannon, a tortured and imprisoned member of the Golden Ones. Best of all, for me, was an intensely satisfying sequence, where justice finally catches up with another, utterly immoral magical character, whose activities throughout Chadbourn's previous books have been particularly unpleasant.

There are a few minor negatives. Mostly, the Libertarian, who was never quite as convincing an arch villain as he could have been. Why? I can't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps it's because we don't get to know enough about him and his personal motivations. However, there are indications of a purpose in this vagueness, and I trust that all will finally be revealed in the last book, Destroyer of Worlds. Also, I am still unsure as to why this series is subtitled Kingdom of the Serpent, when the enemy is the Void and its agents are the Army of Ten Billion Spiders! These niggles aside, when I look at what the author has created in his trilogy of trilogies, as opposed to the endless stream of fantasy-by-numbers spewing from the usual suspects, I am reminded of how the Sex Pistols kicked rock'n'roll stagnation where it hurts. With that in mind I say, toss out the twaddle, here comes Mark Chadbourn!