What is the worth of a legacy?

However deception requires subtlety,

and there is nothing subtle about stone.

It does not seed to hit its motives, it

simply is, and the world around it must

either force it to move or retreat.

That is the argument of stone.

Following the revelations of Pride of a King, the second volume in the War of the Stone trilogy tells of the first battles in the dwarf civil war.    Rordin has begun to spread the word of Golloch's betrayal and gather those forces that do not wish to see the betrayer continue in power.  Sveri Egilax also gathers forces of the Free Dwarfs to join with Rordin and begin the march against Golloch, who has moved to take over the infamous rift in the Halpi mountains where he can build an army to crush all those who refuse to follow the abyss.

This book has a much different tone and style than the first volume.  Where that was bit slower, containing much more world building, it effectively was a murder mystery at it's heart.  Instead the pacing is much faster, and much more conflict happens, both at a small scale and a much larger one.

Of course this is a Kings of War novel, so there are battles.  At times the description of these enables those who are familiar with the game (and the characters from the game who are now much more fleshed out than what they ever were in the game "fluff") can see how some of the game rules actually have an effect in the world.  I particularly enjoyed in the battle with Garrek Heavyhand where:

The armband, one of the recovered God Boons, crackled with arcane energy, and he knew that the soldiers around him would be feeling he effects of its magic as it healed their wounds and bolstered their vigor for battle.

Then just a few pages later

His cloak seemed to vibrate with energy, and he felt some of his more grievous wounds stitch themselves closed.  His shoulder stopped hurting, although he still couldn't lift his shield above chest height.

If you look at the special rules, he has both "Radiance of Life" and "Regeneration", nicely describing how they would work and why.  It is a nice easter egg for fans of the game who already knew the character.

One of the things I always enjoy is when a book manages to surprise me, especially when it leads into a trope and manages to avoid it.  There is a scene where a character is dying and sees the light, and talks to their friends who have gone before.  The expected trope is of course the character coming back to finish the fight, but instead they admit they are tired, and move on.  A bit unexpected, but it really works, and also helps to up the stakes.  

Having the book also tie into the entire Halpi's Rift storyline also brings in more of the other factions in Pannithor, as well as more of the wider storylines.  Having a small contingent of the Northern Alliance helps to broaden the story as well.

Overall, like all good books should, it left me wanting more.  I really am looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.

Because it is all fun and games . . .