Spell of Fate — Mayer Alan Brenner

The author of Spell of Catastrophe and Spell of Intrigue delivers “a winner . . . An off-the-wall kind of fantasy” in the third Dance of Gods adventure (Interzone).
 
Trouble is converging on the imperial city of Peridol, and whatever dance the gods are planning, Maximillian the Vaguely Disreputable wants to stay out of it. No such luck, though -- it's up to Max and his friends the Great Karlini and the Creeping Sword to unseat the despotic gods, who treat the mortal realm like a giant chess board. But with the gods fighting amongst themselves, no one is going to win this battle anytime soon -- until a long-forgotten player re-enters the dance . . .
 
“I was utterly hooked . . . The nearest I can get to the general tenor is The Man from U.N.C.L.E. with magic rings instead of talking pens.” -- Interzone
 
“Like riding on a racing carousel.” -- Kliatt