Under the smokestrewn sky

Zib, Avery, and their companions are very close to the end of their journey along the Improbable Road to the Impossible City. The have one more kingdom to pass through, the strange and mostly deserted Kingdom of Fire. They should be safe, more or less, as long as they stay on the road. It's more difficult to stay on a road like the sensitive and capricious Improbable Road than one might expect, and so, their journey requires a detour. Each of the travelers has their own reasons for going to the Impossible City, and those reasons shift and change as the trip goes on. Safety is difficult to achieve, and an impossible journey--which is the only kind that can get you to the Impossible City--is particularly challenging. There will be danger and betrayal, and restoring the balance of the Up-and-Under once they get there, while it seems deceptively simple, will not be easy either. McGuire's hand with portal fantasies is extraordinary, and this is no exception. It is not only an excellent story on its own, but it does a much better job at ending than L. Frank Baum ever managed.