In the bestselling and legendary traditions of J.R.R. Tolkien, Bernard Cornwell, and Terry Brooks, the second novel in the acclaimed epic fantasy series following A Darkness Forged in Fire—where musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy all vie for supremacy in an empire teetering on the brink of war.
Disgraced elf officer Konowa Swift Dragon of the Calahrian Imperial Army has been forcibly returned from exile to resurrect the regiment he once led, the Iron Elves. These elves, born bearing the mark of an elf witch known as the Shadow Monarch, are shunned by their own people. In hopes of proving the mark false, the elves volunteer to fight for the Calaharian Empire in its quest to rid the world of dark magic. The regiment became legendary for its fighting ability, but all was lost in an instant when their commanding officer, Konowa, murdered the Calaharian Viceroy of Elfkyna, casting the loyalty of the elves into question. The regiment was banished to the desert, while Konowa was court-martialed and disappeared. Now, having found the mythical Star that was rumored to have fallen from the sky in a remote land, things couldn’t be worse for Konowa and the Iron Elves regiment as they trek through the blazing desert on their quest to defeat the Shadow Monarch once and for all....
Packed with wit, high adventure, and political intrigue, The Light of Burning Shadows will have readers hooked on this bold and exciting fantasy series. **
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Private Alwyn Renwar of the Iron Elves is having constant, debilitating nightmares of the evil Shadow Monarch-and it's nearly killing him. The magical acorn which the Shadow Monarch planted in the chests of all the reformed Iron Elves during their last campaign carries dark magic, useful in combating the Monarch's minions, but filled with evil and contrary to the nature of elves. In this quick but moving second volume of Evans's Iron Elves series, Private Renwar, Major Konowa Swift Dragon, Sergeant Arkhorn, and the rest of the regiment discover that one of the dark acorn's side effects is turning souls, after death, into ghosts. Private Renwar focuses all his efforts on finding a cure for this curse, while a more worldly battle transpires over a magical falling star, the Jewel of the Desert, which must be found before the Shadow Monarch claims its powers for "Her" own. Evans evokes the era of Napoleon with muskets and slashing swords while neatly mixing in military fantasy, swords and sorcery, and a great deal of success; readers will no doubt end up desperate for the next volume.
Review
"A gutsy fantasy set in a world of imperial greed and magical plotting, with an eye for the ordinary soldier's plight that would have done Kipling proud." -- Karen Traviss, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force -- Revelation and City of Pearl
Description:
In the bestselling and legendary traditions of J.R.R. Tolkien, Bernard Cornwell, and Terry Brooks, the second novel in the acclaimed epic fantasy series following A Darkness Forged in Fire—where musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy all vie for supremacy in an empire teetering on the brink of war.
Disgraced elf officer Konowa Swift Dragon of the Calahrian Imperial Army has been forcibly returned from exile to resurrect the regiment he once led, the Iron Elves. These elves, born bearing the mark of an elf witch known as the Shadow Monarch, are shunned by their own people. In hopes of proving the mark false, the elves volunteer to fight for the Calaharian Empire in its quest to rid the world of dark magic. The regiment became legendary for its fighting ability, but all was lost in an instant when their commanding officer, Konowa, murdered the Calaharian Viceroy of Elfkyna, casting the loyalty of the elves into question. The regiment was banished to the desert, while Konowa was court-martialed and disappeared. Now, having found the mythical Star that was rumored to have fallen from the sky in a remote land, things couldn’t be worse for Konowa and the Iron Elves regiment as they trek through the blazing desert on their quest to defeat the Shadow Monarch once and for all....
Packed with wit, high adventure, and political intrigue, The Light of Burning Shadows will have readers hooked on this bold and exciting fantasy series.
**
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Private Alwyn Renwar of the Iron Elves is having constant, debilitating nightmares of the evil Shadow Monarch-and it's nearly killing him. The magical acorn which the Shadow Monarch planted in the chests of all the reformed Iron Elves during their last campaign carries dark magic, useful in combating the Monarch's minions, but filled with evil and contrary to the nature of elves. In this quick but moving second volume of Evans's Iron Elves series, Private Renwar, Major Konowa Swift Dragon, Sergeant Arkhorn, and the rest of the regiment discover that one of the dark acorn's side effects is turning souls, after death, into ghosts. Private Renwar focuses all his efforts on finding a cure for this curse, while a more worldly battle transpires over a magical falling star, the Jewel of the Desert, which must be found before the Shadow Monarch claims its powers for "Her" own. Evans evokes the era of Napoleon with muskets and slashing swords while neatly mixing in military fantasy, swords and sorcery, and a great deal of success; readers will no doubt end up desperate for the next volume.
Review
"A gutsy fantasy set in a world of imperial greed and magical plotting, with an eye for the ordinary soldier's plight that would have done Kipling proud." -- Karen Traviss, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force -- Revelation and City of Pearl