The Second Gate

The Dwarves of Ice-Cloak #3

by A. Trae McMaken

There is no avoiding what is to come. . .

The Gate of Ice is the only way in or out of the mountain—at least that’s supposed to be true. There’s a second gate, a smuggler’s gate dug in secret over decades by a Southcaver named Yale. The Southcaver dwarves might not be the most reputable in the mountain, but they have a certain tenacity and rebellious streak that Yale depends on.

Topaz, a Southcaver smelter’s daughter, decides to accept proposals of marriage. She doesn’t anticipate getting mixed up with the existence of the Second Gate, much less the fate of the whole mountain. But with King Ringhand trying to close in on the elusive Smuggler Prince, neither she nor Yale can avoid what is to come.

Genres: Fantasy

270 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 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.

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Reviews

[Ben Duerksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book slightly disappointed, as it was clear we weren’t going to get a within-generation resolution to the previous book’s story like it provided to the first. Instead, we’re cast far into the future of Ice Cloak, and events from the first two books have faded into myth and legend.

What I’ve begun to realize at that stage of the series though is that while each book is its own story, with its own personalities, the full thrust of the series is about the Dwarven peoples/society. And in this I think the novels really excel, presenting a true progression of time and culture. And while you don’t get the resolution point in each novel you might expect, so far the subsequent books have given just enough that you know where things ended up.

This particular entry played out almost exclusively within the halls of Ice Cloak, yet managed to provide a very different but still satisfying book filled with intrigues set within the mountain itself, rather than far-flung adventure. This more than the others I think gave us insights into dwarvish culture, and it’s interesting to see just how far the dwarves of Ice Cloak have come (or fallen?) in terms of their societal structure and the ideals Ice Cloak was founded on; a theme also present in volume 2.

[Steven Nowak · Rating 2 out of 5]

sadly I had to give this just 2 stars. I LOVED the first two books so much. The Second gate seemed like a very long , drawn out love/drama story. I found there was a ton of long conversations and very little action. THEN, in the last 60 pages it becomes an amazing adventure! Almost a horrific monster story. I was actually scared for the characters. I held my breath. But it shouldn't take over 200 pages to get exciting in a fantasy book.

the writing was still really good but slow. Then the ending felt rushed . Almost as if the writer realized he needed to pick up the pace. If only the other 200 pages had been half as exciting as the last 60 .

And as I said about books 1 and 2, I wish McMaken had come up with some Dwarf curse words rather than using F bombs from our world. They just dont seem to fit.

I still love this series but I feel this book was not half as good as the first two

[Jeff Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. Pacing is excellent. Both main characters are developed nicely. This is more of a stand-alone novel. The story takes place with the backdrop of Ice Cloak, but none of the characters appear as it is hundreds of years later. Spinner gets a very brief nod.

I am very saddened by how far Ice Cloak has fallen from its first days. It is just another dwarven mine now. Greed and wealth are the drivers. Ultimately, the dwarves get what is coming to them.

What I don't like, is there is very little continuity. We get to know and like characters and now they are not a part of the story. I read the back of Book 4 and we have another huge time jump.

Still - good writing all around. I'd just like to see the story actually continue.

[Bobby T · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the story was a fun change of pace and still exciting enough to not put down, the author definitely needs to check over some spelling errors and outright mistakes made. For example (no spoilers) on page 239 there is a moment when he says a character who just died is following "not keeping a quick pace"

It is these small errors (mostly just bad spelling) that really break immersion and almost made it lose a star for me. While I understand being a single author with no editor is tough, some of these mistakes could be fixed pretty easily with like a reread or something.

Other than those annoying errors, the book was fabulous!

[Joe Fortunato · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give this two stars. The writing is good and the story starts out good.

If you don’t mind the jumping from the series so far this will be comfortable, but this is such a rushed story that is for some reason intertwined in a love story that seems to have no purpose other than to fill pages.

The writing is good. The lore — built on the back of the other two books — is great. The Easter eggs are fun. But the story itself is slow then rushed then over before you know it.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED book 1. Not so much book 2 which was back to the way of life they lived before and more fighting.

The Second gate went back to being about their way of life somewhat and has a bit of a romance.
Yale a merchant and smuggler finds a wife, and wants to be friends.
Sadly just when it gets started, there is a revolt, the King starts arresting people, they flee and it's all over.

No real kind of ending, we don't find out what happens.

[Daniel Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the Crippled King, this started slowly but built up and quickly kept my interest. Thank you Mr. McKaken for a throughly enjoyable. I'll be getting Bones of Stone soon and looking for more Dwarves of Ice Cloak novels.

[Paul Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

McMaken puts out another great Ice Cloak story with the next generation, tying in previous lore and history. Although a bit shorter than the first two novels the story is not affected by length and we are yet again left with a cliff hanger to bring us forth into book 4. Looking forward to it!

[C.M. Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series.

[Sadie Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It just keeps getting better with every book.

[Brandon Runyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ended right as it was getting interesting

[Nathan Hensler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like the time jump, nor was I totally convinced of the relationship in the story. Kinda glad it was a shorter one even though it ended rather abruptly.

[Keith Bridenstine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even in this third book I was delved deeper into the world of the Dwarves.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quickest read of the series. Amazing storyline and characters

[Oli-Nator Voss · Rating 4 out of 5]

draft saga continues to entertain