As overall editor, Sutter is arguably the star of the Pathfinder Tales novels, and his debut was terrific. I'm pleased to report I enjoyed its sequel just as much, though I do look forward some for developed in the future.

Salim is sent to that hive of scum and villainy, Kaer Marga, tasked with tracking down a disparity in the accounting of souls. His adventure will take him all through the city, and below it - and through the domains of heaven and hell as well.

Sutter seems to reserve the most creative and fabulous settings of the Pathfinder universe for his own books, and The Redemption Engine is no exception.

Every location is stuffed full of interesting people, cultures, and scenery. Salim's whirlwind tour through half a dozen locales that could easily serve up a stand alone novel on themselves was delightful to me. I never knew what Sutter was going to through up next.

This sense of surprise persisted with the narrative. It would be a stretch to call The Redemption Engine a mystery, but there is a procedural element to it. Salim gathers clues, and pieces them together before a spectacular conclusion. I was never bored, even when the mystery was was clear to me because Sutter is always invested in his characters first and foremost. Even minor players get a back story and a sense of something bigger in their lives and the greater world. I enjoy it very much, particular Salim's sidekicks in this outing. Pathfinder again demonstrates its willingness to go beyond the familiar trope - I really applaud its comfort in depicting characters with alternative sexualities and cultures, and taking it seriously.

Which bring me to the, not flaw exactly, but weakness of the book. Salim has been a lone wolf for so long, and it does lend a more episodic sense to the book than warranted. Sutter works hard to give us a sense of how Salim is developing and changing, but I would love to see some regulars in the books, in the same way that Dave Gross has expanded the cast to great effect in his books in this universe. Still, this is a quible, The Redemption Engine is a great read, and Sutter sets the standard again. ( )