
thinks they're too dangerous - is a big part of elf culture. Mind control - and having your memories wiped when you or some authority figure, villain, etc. Various groups who may or may not have good on their side are struggling to possess a cosmic power source that will put them in charge of the universe, and in various ways will stop at nothing to achieve it. If you don't take them down, they will take you down." Two protagonists have been genetically engineered and enhanced by their creators with special powers as part of conflicting plans for world domination.

As her bodyguard says, "In a battle, it's the only thing that's true. Violent death, abduction, imprisonment, torture, biological warfare, and weapons are part of the landscape, and and Sophie contemplates the fact that there's a villain she has to kill.

Just about all the characters have survived a whole lot of physical, mental, and emotional battering over the previous 8.5 volumes, which has helped define their characters and shape their mental conflicts.
