Radiant is another of the series that has a chance to win me over as far as sticking with it for coverage is concerned, but not an unlimited time to do it.  The season isn’t in full swing yet but once it is, the bar is necessity going to get much higher.  The sequel is off to a pretty good start – things feel pretty canon at least – but we’ve been very much in setup mode so far.  Now that Seth (among others) has arrived in Caislean Merlin the rubber is about to hit the road, and we’ll see what Radiant has under the hood.

While several old friends pop up this week, a good chunk of the narrative is given over to the Merchant-Barons, a class of opportunist with long and deep roots in European history.  Seth literally bumps into them on his way to Cyfandir, and like many of the cast of Radiant their initial appearance is mostly played for comedy.  But their interest in Caislean Merlin suggests a larger role, and the less buffoonish among them are interested in something of great value the city has to offer.  As for Seth, they conclude he’s a spy and set off to capture him, but some unexpected help foils their attempt.

Grimm is one of those characters that seems liable to pop up – perhaps a bit too conveniently – at any given moment.  I think it’s safe to assume he has a continued interest in Seth (as half the world seems to) and his presence here is not coincidental), but after he gives the boy some healing magic and lets him rest up a bit, Grimm lets Seth go off on his way to Caislean Merlin.  With a warning – don’t stray off the main path, because the castle is protected by powerful magic which causes travelers to become lost for months if they wander into the woods.

Also present in Caislean Merlin are Doc and Melie (and Mister Bobelie), who were obviously going to show up sooner or later as I predicted last week, but definitely erred on the side of “sooner”.   Just how and why they got there ahead of Seth I’m not sure, but with Draganov and his old subordinate under no misapprehensions about where Seth is headed we’re certainly looking at a “gang’s all here” scenario sooner rather than later.