Shards of Glass

This side story in Sagara’s long-running “Chronicles of Elantra” series opens a stained-glass window and shines a bright light on the Academia, the once-lost magical school and library that was at the heart of the 15th Elantra book, Cast in Wisdom. In this puzzling, absorbing mystery, with its amorphous setting, someone or something is killing students and displaying their bodies on the Quad. The unlikely detectives—students and administrators willing to protect the school at any cost—end up exploring both the deep history of Elantra and the forces arrayed against it, and them. Set in the high fantasy world of Elantra, but not nearly as steeped in its lore as the main series, this fantasy mystery is wrapped around a tale of friendship so profound, it is capable of altering reality, while still displaying the wit and charm that fans of the series crave.