The Mouth of Fire

The Dwarves of Ice-Cloak #2

by A. Trae McMaken

The Mountain of Ice-Cloak is beset by the ürsi scourge. Every spring they raid flocks and scour the valleys. Migration and trade have slowed to a trickle. Queen Jade was a warrior in her youth, but now a disease gnaws at her bones. As she weakens, the folk favor her eldest daughter to lead them. But prince Firehelm believes Ice-Cloak needs a warrior, not a healer. He wishes to strike back against the ürsi, discover their nest, and gain the folk’s favor. When Queen Jade gives Firehelm permission to raise a personal guard, a young dwarf named Korin joins the cause. Beset by uncontrollable tremors that impair his practice of other trades, Korin hopes a warrior’s calling may give him purpose. Caught up in friendship, leadership, and fell deeds, Korin follows the prince north to the brink of ancient legend—and perhaps their folk’s destiny. The Mouth of Fire is the second volume in the Dwarves of Ice-Cloak.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2023

About the author

From the struggles of a dwarven prospector to the adventures of a diminutive squirrel-rider, A. Trae McMaken's decades-long passion for writing fantasy literature has led him into many worlds and introduced many characters. He lives and works near the shores of Lake Huron, watching as his flock of sheep munch grass. He has had a varied career as a traveling storyteller and folklorist, a fiddler and singer, but these days he much prefers to stay put and write.

Newsletter signup at: http://www.traemcmaken.com/2022/10/15...

See more at: http://www.traemcmaken.com

Reviews

[Dominic De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling adventure

Another stellar, stunning entry in the Dwarves of Ice Cloak Saga. I discovered book 1 by accident, and it thoroughly captured me. Now book 2 is a different feel, a different adventure, but a deepe ing of this world of dwarves. So many questions to mull over, but the stakes stay high and violent at every point. A corps of dwarves follow a young prince gunning to carve a heroic name for himself, trekking across the world to the origins of the dwarves. As the numbers of soldiers fall to battle, the main character begins to wonder when enough is enough, and when greed replaces a heart. This is a world where I never know what happens next, even though it has familiar fantasy themes. Like Book 1, it's rich with detail and seamed with research. This creates a sense of deep believability. An easy, gripping read. More, McMaken, More!

[Daniel Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed me from the first page, looking forward to #3.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was enjoying this nearly as much as the first book ('The Crippled King') for most of the journey. Towards the end, however, perhaps the final third of the book things seemed to get glossed over. Having been quite drawn to a couple of characters it was disappointing to feel that their stories were seemingly wrapped up and closed somewhat suddenly. There is a time jump from the first book, yet not so large as to feel disjointed. Hence my hope that particular characters would find the missing elements of their tales filled in with details in the next book. So far it doesn't seem so - the third book feels like it has an even greater time jump, with no indication of filling in the gaps from book two. Possibly a little premature of me at this point as I'm only fifty pages in to 'Bones of Stone', however the introduction suggests that this is a completely separate, nearly stand alone plot.

[Paul Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the Ice Cloak series is as good as the first. It takes place a generation after the first book with a new set of characters - who are as well developed as the first book.

This new adventure has plenty of suspense for the reader and a lot of action.

The world is vibrantly created and masterfully executed in communicating it to the reader.

The finish is a bit abrupt and leaves the reader wanting, but overall, a very good book. Started the third in the series immediately :)

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I was disappointed.

After book 1 in which Naen starts a democratic colony from prisoners/indentured dwarves, this went right back to the previous lifestyle. Kings, Princes and sneering at the ones who don't mine or forge. And a bunch of fighting.

The main character begins to wonder though but still, it wasn't, for me anyway, as good as the last one.

Good enough I will try book 3 though.

[Steven Nowak · Rating 4 out of 5]

another fantastic adventure by A. Trae McMaken.

this was exciting from the first chapter on. there are some great characters. As a fan of all things dwarves , This is a must read.

Like in book 1, I still wish the writer had made up his own profanity words rather than use words from our world but its a great book

WELL DONE!

[Brian Everson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaven and Hell

I love all the author Create a story separate from The overall story Of the great cave Each book Goes over the life and time of the dwarfs It brought back brought them back to the very beginning of their existence Into the hell That destroyed it The next book should be equally intriguing.

[Andrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second entry of this series shifts gears big time. It was torturous to read, not because of the plot but because of actions characters take within the story. A great read! I had many emotions while reading it, and just like the previous book the last hundred pages get wild.

[Bobby T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another banger from this author. Ending felt a little too soon. Not that I need everything spelled out for me, but I would at least liked to have a little more context as to what effect the actions of the story had on the greater world.

[C.M. Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series.

[Cierra Arrendale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This book is a must read! The main character has so much development a b.s. d the story is great. The ending is definitely a twist.

[Roger M. Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

none stop battles.

From start to end was nonstop fighting. A few short character development chapters as the dwarves heal from their wounds. An interesting escape ending.

[Sadie Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this second instalment of The Dwarves of Ice-Cloak. Fast moving and full of adventure. Wonderful read. Well worth recommending it.

[Scott Domine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Amazing depth to the Characters A true bards tell Amazing adventure a true adventure of it time that keeps you coming back for more

[Carla Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the buildup of characters and storyline, all leading up to a finish I could not put down. Really enjoyable read.

[Beverly Fuqua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. I didn't think it could be as good as the first book in this series, but it did keep me interested in the story of the dwarves.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novel about Dwarved

This is the best series written about dwarfs since the Lord of the Rings. Love the lore, love the growth of the characters.

[Chris White · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely promising story, but the ending was entirely too rushed and abrupt, and the book in general needed about 100-150 pages of padding.

[Jeff Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read!

Korin’s story had me reading all day long. Awesome book! I’m really enjoying the Dwarves of Ice-Cloak. I highly recommend it!

[Larry Treloar · Rating 5 out of 5]

keeps you reading

I couldn’t even put it down, amazing story,awesome battles, highly recommend to everyone who loves adventure and good stories and sci fi.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different set of characters, but still follows same storyline. Loved this book as much as I did the first.

[Oli-Nator Voss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booked 2 keep up the fantasy I love in book 1

[Tim Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. can't wait to hit book 4 to see where to next.

[Keith Bridenstine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional continuation of the Dwarves of Ice-Cloak series

[Christopher Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series and am on book 4. Highly recommend it.

[Ben Duerksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid sequel to a series I was pleasantly surprised with. This one had I thought lots of interesting things going on throughout, but then largely let them drop towards the end in what I felt was a bit of a lackluster and somewhat scattered conclusion to the novel.

[Joe Fortunato · Rating 2 out of 5]

VERY LIGHT potential spoilers

The story is good, although it could probably use an extra hundred pages or so of padding. This review is more for the way the series is going. The books traverse great gaps in time, and while it’s nice to have an ending, I felt the story was building up to be much bigger than it ended up being.

Well written and the characters are great, it just went too quick and didn’t have a satisfying pop for how big it tried to get.

[Jeff Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Started slow, but the pacing kept building. Korin's character is relatable - it is sad that he was taken advantage of by Firehelm. In the end, he did what was right. Hoping to see more of his story continue in the next book.

Unsung hero? Spinner! Reminds me of Samwise Gamgee.

Very good book!