The Light of Burning Shadows

'The Light of the Burning Shadows' is the second book in the Iron Elves series by Chris Evans. The Iron Elves are a corps of soldiers of the Calarhian Empire lead by their charismatic leader, Major Konowa. This group, many years before, had been disbanded in disgrace, but now have been reinstated by Prince Tyrrin to try to counter an ever growing and evil threat to the Empire. This story involves an entirely new geographic, the Hasshugah Desert, replete with its own unique dangers and unknowns. Although the main protagonist of the series is the elf, Major Konowa, Evans takes great pains to further develop several of his side characters; of note, the dwarf, Sargeant Yimt Arkhorn, and humans, private Alwyn Renwar and Prince Tyrrin. In fact, the book is filled with a host of really interesting and complex side characters. This tale has all the ingredients for good fantasy; characters with magical attributes, hideous creatures, deceit and betrayal and unexpected events and occurences. But above all this is the exceptional quality of story-telling that Evans possesses; a skill worthy of note. Evans is able to keep the readers attention with character development, a sprinkling of humor and some rip roaring battles; but all equally well done with a good sense of pace and timing. Conclusion: In truth and for reasons hard to define, I liked book I a little more. But nonetheless, a fine addition to the 'Iron Elves'. I look forward to the next installment. 4 1/2 to 5 Stars. Ray Nicholson

I have been looking forward to the second installment of the Iron Elves saga and it completely drew me in! This time we find the regiment on a new mission, sailing towards the desert sands of the Hasshugeb Expanse and along the way, ridding a series of islands of the Shadow Monarch's twisted forest. Also along the way they discover a new and quite different magic, one that holds the possibility of an ally, maybe. And one that could possibly break the magical bindings of the oath that holds the Iron Elves bound to the regiment not only in life, but death, only the price might be just as great. My favorite storyline is the one following Alwyn, it's both heartbreaking and fascinating. In A Darkness Forged In Fire, for him, it was a coming of age story in a world that makes you a man quickly. In The Light of Burning Shadows, life has become much darker for him as he becomes consumed further and further by the power he holds because of the oath, a power he's quite good at wielding. But he also still has Yimt looking out for him. I dearly love Yimt, he is the rock in the story and is most definitely Alwyn's. Konowa, on the other, grows angrier and more frustrated as the story progresses, his one desire -- to find his original Iron Elves. To him they are the answer, to everything. But I think the Prince actually has the answer to the real question Konowa is asking of himself and doesn't know he is. The Prince was another character that impressed me, he's growing, maturing, even as he's frustrating Konowa. There were several characters I was thrilled to find returning in the second book and I got caught up their storylines just as much. The "which witch is which" ladies -- Rallie, Visyna, and Chayii, Konowa's mother. One of the great moments is the bubbling pot on the ship's deck. Gwyn is also back and boy, is he! Tyul Mountain Spring accompanies Chayii, the only members of the Long Watch to join the regiment on the mission, and he and Jurwan, Konowa's father, strike off on their own quest. That was one of the exciting things about this story. Everyone had their reasons and purposes for being there and it was fascinating reading as they broke away into several directions and then all converged at one place in the desert. Not only that, but the twists, of which there are several. I don't know if you'll be like me, but I couldn't help a cry of sadness when I finished the novel. I was so sucked into the world and the story and ... then the book ended ... and those twists ... some of them heart wrenching but leaving you wondering and wanting to know and ... now I have to wait another year to find out what happens next. The next book cannot arrive soon! Meanwhile, I loved spending more time with the Iron Elves and their friend, and their enemies.

The Calahrian Empire still teeters from the assault of the elf witch Shadow Monarch whose allies include the new even more violent Viceroy of Elfkyna. Their greatest unit against the evil insurgency, the Iron Elves, remains disdained by their people for the tattoo representing their subservience to the Shadow Monarch. The people feel this way in spite of their great victory led by Commander Konowa Swift Dragon preventing the Shadow Monarch from obtaining the Red Star at the Battle of Luuguth Jor (see A DARKNESS FORGED IN FIRE). Instead of lifting the frost fire curse from his men by using the Red Star, Konowa gives it to the Elfkynal; angering his soldiers who saw brothers in arms die and return as shades or maimed in the battle. Prince Tykkin directs Konowa to retrieve a new Star reported in the Hasshugeb Expanse. Konowa knows the witch will seek the Star too so he needs reinforcements so he sends Iron Elves to recruit those peers who failed to return when the unit was reactivated. He tries to calm down his outraged unit who believe they should be freed first and then defeat the evil while he deems they must defeat the evil first. At the same time the Shadow Monarch sends her servant the Viceroy of Elfkyna to darken the woodlands while a new flame has arisen that eats the shadow from the body until the person expires; death in those cases does not mean returning as a shade. Although the overarching theme does not move forward, the second Iron Elves high quest fantasy is a great tale as Chris Evans expands the author's world adding much depth to it. The story line once again focuses on Konowa and his unit who though victorious still hurt mentally and physically from the recent battle and their commander's decision on the Red Star. Fans will enjoy this fine entry as Konowa seems on the verge of PTSD caused not just by sending men to die knowing they are cursed to become shades, but also having to make difficult decisions, which keep his men in harm's way. Harriet Klausner

In this second installment in The Iron Elves series, Konowa Swift Dragon has convinced Prince Tykkin that he needs to reclaim the original Iron Elves who were dispatched across the ocean and stationed at the backside of beyond when Konowa was originally dismissed after murdering the first Viceroy. The prince agrees, but mostly because he's heard rumors of another Star reading to appear in the Hasshugeb Expanse where the Iron Elves are stationed -- which just happens to be the rumored location of the fabled Lost Library of Kaman Rhal. So, the Iron Elves set off on another adventure to find the new star and keep it from the Shadow Monarch, but in the desert they encounter another ancient force which is bent on finding the new Star and bending it to a different, darker purpose. All the seeds planted in A Darkness Forged in Fire have definitely grown into fruition here. The action in The Light of Burning Shadows picks up shortly after the end of the first volume and the reader is quickly swept away into the story once again. Evans sets a swift pace, and this book centers more on the characters, with slightly less military action than the first volume. The characters are where Chris Evans really shines, especially with the attention paid to the ordinary soldiers in the regiment -- not just the commanders. The relationship between dwarf Sgt. Yimt Arkhorn and Private Alwyn Renwar (who lost his leg at the battle in Luuguth Jor and has a new one fashioned for him from living wood by elven magic) is particularly well written. Alwyn is a main character in this installment, as he struggles to deal with the effects of the curse and his ability to see the Darkly Departed -- the shades of fallen Iron Elves who still protect their regiment. The main fight in this book isn't between the Iron Elves and the Shadow Monarch, but against this new power coming from the desert. This creates a fresh take on what is essentially the same quest as in the last book: capture the Star, break the curse. The new villain brings political machinations to the forefront, which allows many of the characters to grow and develop. Evans writes with a brilliant evocative pose that captures the pride of this cursed regiment: "They might be doomed, damned, and buggered for all eternity, but that didn't mean they couldn't sparkle like a diamond in the sun and grin like a skull in the moonlight on their way to oblivion." There were many moments in The Light of Burning Shadows that had me laughing and there were a few shocking twists -- one in particular made me go back and read it again just to verify that I had actually read it correctly. Add in fast-paced action, intriguing characters, tight plotting, the addition of a map and a glossary, and you've got a book that's nearly pitch perfect in every way. I can't remember the last time I slammed a book shut in frustration at the end -- because I was going to have to wait a year for the next installment. I don't want to wait to find out wha

THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS is Book Two of The Iron Elves series by Chris Evans. I recently reviewed the first book, A Darkness Forged In Fire, and was thrilled to have THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS sitting here waiting or me. I was excited about continuing the story ofKonowa and his men, yet at the same time I was nervous. I didn 't know if the second book could hold up to the first but I was pleasantly surprised. THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS held up wonderfully to the expectations set forth in the first book making for a great, action packed read. THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS continues the story of Konowa Swift Dragon, a banished elf come back to civilization. In A Darkness Forged In Fire, Konowa was called back into service as the former regiment, the Iron Elves, was reformed. With most of the troops barely surviving the ensuing battles between light and dark and the rest suffering a fate worse than death, the bedraggled bunch create a great story. Now, in THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS,Konowa and his men embark on a mission to find the original Iron Elves while rumor of another fallen Star of great power begins to spread. Full of action, packed with suspense and kissed with the perfect amount of romance, THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS is a wonderfully epic read. Evans does an amazing job of creating a world where a land of fantasy mixes with modern characteristics, creating a world that is distant and yet very near all at the same time. Evans style of writing and his ability to create realism in his stories forms an atmosphere where the characters come to life and leap, or rather battle, off the page. I'm usually a fan of romance, but I find myself drawn back to The Iron Elves series. Although I love the softer and tenderer moments that can be found, the action sequences were fantastic and even a little addicting. Pages after a battle I would find myself still going over the action sequences and would end up turning back to relive the adrenaline rush. I mentioned in A Darkness Forged In Fire that Evans did a great job of keeping the tension flowing throughout the book. This is maintained if not made even better in THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS. Evans creates an ebb and flow of emotion as he leads us through the story. Not even page on the book is full of action and suspense, yet every page is tense. Each word in the story leads us somewhere, the feeling of something pulling at us quite palpable. If you plan on reading this story slowly, perhaps making it last a few weeks, I'm going to recommend that you don't even bother. It is quite difficult to put down Evans' work, even more so with this new installment ofKonowa. My favorite aspect of THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS was the fact that the story seemed just a bit darker. We get to follow some minor characters from the last book a bit more closely and emotions run much more intense. While the first book was a lovely introduction to the world of the Iron Elves, THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS really