War has plagued the kingdom of Belleger for so long that its soldiers have given up on peace. This war is all the more brutal thanks to magical weapons of mass destruction called Decimates, which incinerate soldiers by the dozen or inflict deadly pestilences in the middle of battle. Seeking the rumored Seventh Decimate — which can ostensibly quell the other six, and may turn the war’s tide — the heir to the throne embarks on a grueling quest to reach a legendary sorcerers’ library.

There are no subtleties in SEVENTH DECIMATE (Berkley, $27), by the acclaimed fantasy veteran Stephen R. Donaldson. The Decimates decimate. Key characters have blatantly descriptive names like Abbator or Rummage or, for the leader of the exotic brown-skinned desert dwellers the prince encounters, Set. The library is a literal ivory tower full of scholarly magic-users. Yet amid all this blatant symbolism, it’s difficult to discern a theme or focus. There is potential here for a meditation on how privation feeds bigotry. As Prince Bifalt travels, he repeatedly rails at non-Bellegerins for doing what his people cannot, like learning multiple languages, or for wasting time with frivolities like dance and study. In many ways he is the stereotypical American abroad, confronted with his own insularity: “Faced with so much diversity, so much lying outside his experience, he felt an unexpected impulse to draw back. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat to his pallet and sleep until the world shrank to more comprehensible dimensions.” There’s no basis for Bifalt’s resentment, though; none of these outsiders are responsible for his country’s endless war. He, as prince, is more capable than anyone of ending the conflict. He is simply wrong, and blaming others for his wrongness.

Since this is the start of a projected trilogy, however, maybe it’s too soon to tell where Donaldson is going. Let’s hope future volumes define the arc.

In the covert Unseen World of Kat Howard’s new novel, AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS (Saga, $25.99), readers can find an intriguing microcosm of New York’s wealthy elite, plus magic. The book’s high society magicians belong to houses, like private clubs, whose open secret is that their power comes from exploitation. Each gives a living sacrifice to Shadows, a torture chamber that drains victims of magic and allows member houses to wield power without consequence. The draining is usually fatal, but one powerful survivor has recently emerged, determined to avenge her fellow victims and dismantle the corrupt system. Amid the crucible of a kind of magical Final Four, the formidable Sydney makes her move.