Starless – Jacqueline Carey

What people thought were stars were actually gods, and when the gods were banished to (this) earth, the sky was emptied of stars. Since then the gods have been bound to the world - to specific geographic extents - and the peoples of the world have been shaped considerably by which gods are bound within their countries. One of the exiled gods is apart from the others, has the power to destroy the world, and has set out to do so. There is a fragmented, partly-lost, prophecy that may show a path to survival, and Khai and Zariya are part of it.

We meet Khai as a child, training to be Zariya’s champion. (They were born at the same auspicious time.) The training focuses on excellence with weapons, but most of the dangers to Zariya come from her own family.

The book divides into three parts. The first part follows Khai’s training, and introduces Khai’s world. It is the best part of the book. The second part is placed at the court of Zariya’s family. There is the background danger from her own family, and the rapidly-rising danger from the pending end of the world.

The third part is the quest. Khai, Zariya, and a group of fellow questers (my term, not theirs) seek out the missing parts of the prophecy and then attempt to use it to save the world. The third part was competently written, but it didn’t shine. The author may have written herself into a corner here: Once your party sails west into danger, with the people and items the prophecy says are needed to overcome the danger, the story doesn’t leave the teller much wiggle room.