Necessary Evil
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The history of the Twentieth Century has been shaped by a secret conflict between technology and magic. When a twisted Nazi scientist devised a way to imbue ordinary humans with supernatural abilities - to walk through walls, throw fire and see the future - his work became the prized possession of first the Third Reich, then the Soviet Army. Only Britain's warlocks, and the dark magics they yield, have successfully countered the threat posed by these superhuman armies.
But for decades, this conflict has been manipulated by Gretel, the mad seer. And now her long plan has come to fruition. And with it, a danger vastly greater than anything the world has known. Now British Intelligence officer Raybould Marsh must make a last-ditch effort to change the course of history - if his nation, and those he loves, are to survive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The satisfying third volume of Tregillis's Milkwood Triptych successfully throws time travel into a mix that already included alternate history, spycraft, and mad science. Following the events of The Coldest War with the other-dimensional demons called Eidolons, "the mortar between the bricks of the universe," ready to destroy the world sociopathic clairvoyant Gretel hatches a plan to send secret agent Raybould Marsh back in time to protect humankind. Landing in 1940, an older, scarred Marsh manipulates his younger self, his young wife, and novice wizard Will Beauclerk into courses of action that often parallel those of the first book. Naturally, complications ensue thanks to the new timeline's own manipulative Gretel and Marsh's younger self, just as stubborn as always. Tregillis neatly juggles two viewpoints from the same character (giving the future Marsh first-person narration), and plays with notions like free will and irony while wisely avoiding headache-inducing paradox discussions. He also keeps the tale grounded in its espionage roots, providing a thrilling spy novel as much as a science fiction story.
