Review by Ian Keogh

Peace in five different kingdoms is maintained by the Kings Guard, who occupy their own small territory and maintain offices in the others. They have an elite squadron of soldiers and employ bounty hunters, and their lowest level of affiliation are Nomads, who are identified by a cross tattoo, and the only people allowed to travel between kingdoms.

That’s the background to Lance’s quest for his missing brother. He’s become a Nomad to visit other kingdoms and as seen in The Sky Kingdom, so has his travelling companion Satra. What Satra hasn’t revealed is that he’s the prince of the Sky Kingdom, and his going missing has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Neither know that Satra has been reported as kidnapped, nor that bounty hunters are on his trail. It’s just as well they have a magical mask who spends most of its time as a talking cat.

Some ingenious plotting on the part of creator Captain Juuter ensures Lance and Satra are separated early, leaving Satra in the company of Poko, last seen in the previous book. It was obvious then she was keeping secrets, and here we discover what they are, which is well used for the remainder of the book. Were this anything other than an adventure for children it would be too obvious as a get out of jail free card, but for the audience it’ll just add to the magic. Juuter also broadens the cast, introducing very different bounty hunters Estelle and Fletcher, although they’re basically good natured, and the Kings Blood, who’re more dangerous and generally the people who police the Nomads.

There’s plenty of action and adventure, which was the case before, but the larger cast means Lance sinks into an ensemble and the concerns of others take centre stage. Satra’s problems are well handled. He realises the trouble he’s causing his friends, but can’t figure how to reveal the truth to them now. His becoming a Nomad and the restrictions on them complicates matters further.

Chapter by chapter Juuter tracks the journey across a map, there’s a clever return for a friend from the previous book, and the various relationships set up here and in the first book play out interestingly, and usually involve a conflict of loyalty. Yet the cleverest aspect of the plotting is how a bunch of amateurs consistently manage to outwit the finest trackers. The complications lead to some fine closing disagreements.

Nomads is riding high as we head toward the next volume. And oh, what a cliffhanger!