The shorter sequel to A Throne of Bones. It holds up well to its predecessor. It doesn’t have the awe-inspiring “Bigness” of A Throne of Bones, but it does have a more focused narrative. One reason why the first one was so long was the murky fleshpots of quasi-Roman politics. Here Dwarves and Orcs have more focused (and are far more interesting).
My only quibble is the opening scene. Be warned. It is raw. Remember those 1980s fantasy B movies where the “raiding hordes” come upon the village? And if the movie is rated R, you probably know what happens next.
Now to the rubrics
Prose: Very good. Probably better than his first book. 9/10.
Plot: same as the first book. 10/10.
Characters: He really outdid himself this time. Even the character chapters about the orcs are fascinating. 10/10.
Ideas: Maintains the Warcraft feel to it. That’s not a criticism.
Word-House 