The cold war between magic and technology heats up.
Magic has returned to Earth.
A year ago, the dark elves breached the interstellar veil between our world and theirs. They slaughtered scores of innocents in the first battle of a war between magic and technology.
Then they vanished.
In the year since, Elizabeth Chambers has trained alongside Cassie “Starlight” Rogan in the Special Forces unit known as Task Force Devil. Their to monitor the interstellar portal where the dark elves forced their way into our world.
Elizabeth, like Cassie, is one of only two ‘magic-sensitive’ people on the planet who can control the powers of magic flowing back into our world. But whereas Cassie's magic heals, Elizabeth's kills, driving her to resist her deadly gifts. Soon, though, she will have to fight, because in a single night of fire and death the dark elves have returned.
And they have sinister plans for humanity.
You’ll love this second book in the urban fantasy/military sci-fi Dark Elf War series by former Army officer William Stacey because of his engaging characters, fast-paced plot, and thrilling battle scenes.
A former soldier, William Stacey served his country for more than thirty years, including multiple combat tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan. William loves exercise and all things martial and is a black belt in karate.
This is Stacey’s latest novel and it is the Conclusion??? of the Dark Elf War. It follows the first in the series, Starlight (which I loved – see earlier review). I am glad that I was able to read the two books close together as I am sure I would have had to re-read the first after such a long interval between the two parts. This is the issue I have with most series. I prefer to read them once completed so I can read them all together. I must be f***ing weird or something.
The second one brings back a number of our favorite characters but also a new bunch that we instantly fall in love with.
The Dark Elves use the gateway from their planet to ours to conquer and cull humankind. As the armies of the dark elves march across the interior of British Columbia slaughtering any who stand in the way, the rest of the world tries to communicate with this alien race in a peaceful way. Those on the ground know better. When a rebel Dark Elf and a warrior Dwarf bring news of the real threat, it is up to a small band of heroes to take the fight to the enemy against the orders of their leaders.
This story is non-stop action and tension and leaves the reader panting and exhausted at times – In a GOOD WAY! Stacey uses a promise between warriors to keep the story open for more installments and I cannot wait!
A dark fantasy story full of action and dynamic. We follow the story of Elizabeth and Cassie right where it stopped at the end of book one. The dark elves returned, full of violence and death. Elizabeth, or Gunz, is one of the rare magic-sensitive people, controlling the flow of magic -and much more. Her powers are dangerous but pretty awesome. Which is exactly what is necessary to keep the dark elves at bay and stand a chance in this new war. Action-packed, with lots of fighting scenes and tension, the book is a quick read for fans of dark fantasy and YA. Fast plot development, intricate and magical world full of fae creatures and impressive powers, that combined with the author's writing mastery gives a very solid base for great reading experience. I loved the variety of creatures and totally enjoyed the fantastic elements in this book, and grew quite fond of the characters as well. Although they sometimes came out a little immature, and maybe in some moments I'd choose differently being in their skin, the characters are built for YA audience and combined with the plot and world building, they come out really attractive. The book held my attention from the first page, and I am looking forward to read the next installment.
(Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) Gunz, Book 2 of the Dark Elf War is a heart wrenching, emotional, exciting, action-packed, unimaginable, fantastical science-fiction masterpiece. The author, William Stacey, wrote a book of amazing characters, descriptive environments that you can touch feel see and walk through with an ending that left me teary-eyed. The battles are realistic, it’s a war, but not random carnage, the author goes to great length to incorporate the characters emotions, reactions, thoughts, and feelings. The storyline is truly engrossing and welcomes you into the family with open arms - a hallmark of a must read and a tribute to the author. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading GUNZ, Book 2 of the Dark Elf War by William Stacey. –Tex
I really loved Starlight, book 1 of William Stacey’s The Dark Elf War. Now, in the series’ second book, Gunz, the Dark Elves are back - and they’re bringing fire and death. Unlike the star of book 1, Cassie, with her healing magic, this turn around we are looking for a new star, Elizabeth Chambers, to come front and center. She is also one of the rare ‘magic-sensitive’ people who can control the powers of magic flowing back into our world, but her magic is of a much more lethal variety - which is just what’s needed. I’m not going to ruin things by giving away any of the plot but it’s a real doozy (that’s a complement) full of thrills and non-stop action, all very well written and with wonderfully crafted characters and a sense of gritty realism despite the fantasy setting. A heady combination and one that’s thoroughly enjoyable.
“Guntz” is the 2nd book in the Dark Elves War Series and it is just WOW! It picks up where the 1st book, “Starlight” ends and doesn’t disappoint. William Stacey does a great job in creating real life characters and scenes. You are right there in the middle of the action. Both books are action packed and you will have a hard time putting either down. Stacey does an excellent job when it comes to creating all the different creatures in the Dark Elf World. They become almost believable. The same apples to the characters and action scenes. I highly recommend not only this book but also the 1st book, “Starlight “. If you like dark fantasy, you will love both books. Both are thoroughly enjoyable reads.
I really enjoyed first book and bought this and the third book half way through it. Always great to have all books in a series. This started in a understandable point after the first book and went right into the story with a lot of action. This book was mostly from Elizabeth’s view but didn’t change the storyline and maybe enhanced it. All around a terrific reading well worth the time and cost. Now I happy to go to the third book and see what happens next.
Continuing the story from Starlight, I was once again totally engrossed and gave up my sleep to finish reading. The great characters from Starlight continued to evolve as they faced challenges they never expected. Non-stop action. Another great story from William Stacey. I received a free ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
This is a fab blend of sci-fi and fantasy and just draws you in! Carrying on from book 1 this is full of action and is fast paced and the author has a way of making you feel like you are smack bang in the middle of the action! A fab 2nd book and a must for all fantasy fans
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Powerful story telling. I could not stop reading. Most serial books I ve read have the same plots, same story told over and over with small changes. But these books go from one point to another then another, never repeating. Author knows how to keep you focused on the story, keeps you reading, looking for and always getting more!
Great follow up read to “Starlight”. Polished off both books in well under a week. Great plot, great characters would love to read a continuing story. Hated to leave the story. Will be looking for more reads by this author.
Great paced from beginning tho end. Epic characters and there is a lot of thought provoking moments through out story. No spoliers but the end was really powerful and drew our a big emotional response! Brilliant.
Enjoyed the book. Great story, got rather intense at times and I had to take a break but had to know what happened next. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book, even if I have to take breaks from reading it
Outstanding second book in the series. I can't wait to see where we go from here. It was a wonderful mix of urban fantasy and military fiction. Highly recommended.
This is the second book in The Dark Elf War series. The Queen has sent her people over to the modern world to totally annihilate earth. I Elizabeth is the main character in this story instead of Cassie. As the first book, it has a lot of action and adventure and good characters. Looking forward to starting the next book.
Way too many references to an actual Christian religion for my tastes in a fantasy book. Very disappointing.
If not for the Christian references, I would have rated the story 4.0 stars. Since they were throughout the book and ending, the actual stars 2.5.
The first book in the series had the same character and the small amount of Christian references were annoying at times, but not enough to lower the rating. This book is mainly about that character.