Driftwood

While quite a departure from what readers might expect after appreciating her Lady Trent novels, Driftwood has an allure all its own. Author Marie Brennan introduces readers to Driftwood, a land in the middle of its apocalypse. In this chaotic world, where entire lands and peoples disappear, with the Crush at the life-sucking center of it all, the only stable thing most people know is a guide called Last. But who is this strange one-blood who seems to be everywhere and nowhere, who might be a liar or a god? The Drifters struggle within their understanding of him as they come together to commemorate his reported death; whatever death means to someone who most consider immortal. 

From the lived-in feel of the world to the mysteries surrounding Last, let alone the creatures from all the worlds emerging from the Mist, Brennan is at her most creative with this work. From religious zealotry to loners trying to save their little stretch of earth or memory of their people, Driftwood is as diverse as the Shreds themselves. Definitely worth a read.