Unfortunately, this is the last of the Gerin the Fox series by Turtledove. For once, things have settled down in the north and there isn't a new crop of barbarians to contend with, but now the Empire wants their renegade province back, even if they have ignored it for years. Gerin, the warrior-king/sometime wizard must try to keep them off his back while maintaining his rulership in the North. I really enjoyed the characters, setting and plotting of all of this series. Maybe it was time for it to come to an end, but I could have done with a couple more books in this series. Good reading. ( )