With Alexander destroyed in the Livonian campaign, Prince Jurgen can now pursue his own interests without the competition and intrigue that for which Alexander was noted. While much relieved he seizes an opportunity for revenge that will allow him to remove another thorn from his court, the Tremere mage Jervais.
It is easy to underestimate Jervais, who shows little taste for the hardships of the north of Europe. Even his masters in the enclave of Ceoris view him with doubt, but find the idea of having Jervais lead a punitive expedition back into the forests of Livonia attractive. Jurgen will get his revenge, the Tremere will strike back at Deverra, who deserted the Tremere to form her own band on the Northern Steppes. And just maybe, Jervais will undo himself in the process.
But Jervais is made of sterner and more devious stuff. His band of seven blood mages with the reinforcement of the Knights of the Black Cross keep surviving against the insurmountable odds of an alien magic in an alien land. Matching Deverra spell for spell shows an unexpected competence and an extraordinarily unpleasant personality.
Gervais is a closs tie with Alexander for most obnoxious vampire of this series. While this is the volume with the most action so far, The Tremere mages have no personality to hang on to. You keep hoping that Deverra and Qarakh will put Jervais down, but every time he manages to weasel through. It becomes easy to understand why the Tremere are as unpopular as they are - not even other Tremere like them.
I found the book a bit tedious. Deverra's appearances are brief, and looking over Jervais' shoulders too long makes the reader want to wash their hands. I was hoping that the increase in the use of magic would add interest, but it all comes down to who has the biggest fireball, and that only amuses for a short time. While Tremere doesn't become a didactic demonstration of vampire history, it also never quite lives up to its promise either.