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Annals of the Nameless Dwarf #2
Mountain of Madness
Awakened from an induced year-long slumber, the Nameless Dwarf is tortured with memories of slaughter and must come to terms with who he has an outcast, a butcher, the most reviled of dwarven-kind.
As forces of unimaginable destruction coalesce around the mountain fortress of a mad sorcerer, the philosopher Aristodeus puts together a team for a last desperate attempt to avert the coming
A knight besieged by doubts, who has been prepared since a child for the current crisis, yet is crumbling under the pressure of the task before him;
An albino assassin who denies the truth of what he really is;
A woman with a black sword as disturbing as the axe responsible for the massacre at Arx Gravis;
And a dwarf with no name, who will either carve out the path of his own redemption or condemn the world to a night that will never end.
As forces of unimaginable destruction coalesce around the mountain fortress of a mad sorcerer, the philosopher Aristodeus puts together a team for a last desperate attempt to avert the coming
A knight besieged by doubts, who has been prepared since a child for the current crisis, yet is crumbling under the pressure of the task before him;
An albino assassin who denies the truth of what he really is;
A woman with a black sword as disturbing as the axe responsible for the massacre at Arx Gravis;
And a dwarf with no name, who will either carve out the path of his own redemption or condemn the world to a night that will never end.
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First published December 12, 2012
54 people are currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
Derek Prior
79 books209 followersInternationally bestselling and award winning author Derek Prior excels in fast-paced, high stakes epic fantasy adventure stories in which good ultimately triumphs, but always at a cost.
Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.
Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)
Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow)
Website: www.derekprior.us
Twitter: @NamelessDwarf
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dpprior
Taking familiar fantasy tropes as a point of departure, Prior expands upon them to explore friendship, betrayal, loyalty and heroism in worlds where evil is an ever-present reality, magic is both a curse and a blessing, and characters are tempered in battle.
Winner of best fantasy novel 2012 (The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles)
Fantasy Faction semifinalist for the SPFBO 2018 (Ravine of Blood and Shadow)
Website: www.derekprior.us
Twitter: @NamelessDwarf
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dpprior
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 22, 2017
Revenge of the Lich (Legends of the Nameless Dwarf #3) by D.P. Prior is my favorite book so far of the series. Of course the gang comes across more monsters to fight but Nameless also comes across something else that may help him battle, or will it? It seems to have a mind of its own. Love this epic fantasy.
January 21, 2014
Probably the closest thing to playing Diablo on my e-book reader :) In other words, it's a fun, irreverent fantasy adventure with usual, yet different hero classes (morose, witty dwarf; dumb yet eager thief; dark wizard wannabe; and finally, in a slight departure from the norm, coward shapeshifter) and enemy types (humans! zombies! man-ants! werewolves! homunculi! demons! dragons! more!). The rag tag band of unlikely heroes go constantly from bad to worse, there's non-stop fighting, and yet I didn't get bored for a second - there's more to the book than the hack'n slash: interesting mythology, likeable characters, colorful descriptions, ever-present humor...
Not high literature, but lots of fun.
Warning - the book constantly references events from the author's previous books (which I haven't read) so if you want to avoid spoilers you should start with Shader. I'm not sure I want to read that now that I know how it ends :(
Not high literature, but lots of fun.
Warning - the book constantly references events from the author's previous books (which I haven't read) so if you want to avoid spoilers you should start with Shader. I'm not sure I want to read that now that I know how it ends :(
May 31, 2013
When a writer sends me an email requesting a review, I get a little nervous. There is no guarantee I will like the author's book, and I prefer not to write a scathing review. Which why I avoid writing bad reviews of books, and move on. I've posted a scathing review before, and deleted it because I didn't have anything constructive to say to help the author.
Thankfully that wasn't the situation with D.P Prior's novel The Nameless Dwarf.
The Nameless Dwarf novel take place in the same universe as Prior's Shader novels (The first of which is Cadman's Gambit.),but in a part that is more primitive and barbaric than the world previously in the Shader novels. No guns here, and no post apocalyptic Australia.
At the core of the novel, the plot is a tale of redemption. The main character, Nameless, wields an evil black ax, and the ax made him slaughter his own people, and drive them out of their home. In revulsion of his horrible deeds, he stays away from his fellow dwarfs, and shaves off his beard marking him a dwarf. He drowns himself in alcohol to stave off his memories that haunt his mind.
But when Nameless finds out they have fled to the dark lands of Qlippoth, a land of monsters and constantly changing landscapes, he goes on a quest to save them from certain extinction, even though he knows they will probably kill him before he can help.,,And I'd better stop before I spoil the epic plot, and twists. :)
Prior has written yet another great and original novel in the Fantasy genre. And he took a big risk making a dwarf the main character, in a genre flooded with stories with elves and young wizards in training. This is another Fantasy for adults that cover very complex themes that people deal with everyday. The Nameless Dwarf is a must read.
I give this tale 5 stars out of 5!
NOTE: Thanks Derek for the reviewers copy!
Thankfully that wasn't the situation with D.P Prior's novel The Nameless Dwarf.
The Nameless Dwarf novel take place in the same universe as Prior's Shader novels (The first of which is Cadman's Gambit.),but in a part that is more primitive and barbaric than the world previously in the Shader novels. No guns here, and no post apocalyptic Australia.
At the core of the novel, the plot is a tale of redemption. The main character, Nameless, wields an evil black ax, and the ax made him slaughter his own people, and drive them out of their home. In revulsion of his horrible deeds, he stays away from his fellow dwarfs, and shaves off his beard marking him a dwarf. He drowns himself in alcohol to stave off his memories that haunt his mind.
But when Nameless finds out they have fled to the dark lands of Qlippoth, a land of monsters and constantly changing landscapes, he goes on a quest to save them from certain extinction, even though he knows they will probably kill him before he can help.,,And I'd better stop before I spoil the epic plot, and twists. :)
Prior has written yet another great and original novel in the Fantasy genre. And he took a big risk making a dwarf the main character, in a genre flooded with stories with elves and young wizards in training. This is another Fantasy for adults that cover very complex themes that people deal with everyday. The Nameless Dwarf is a must read.
I give this tale 5 stars out of 5!
NOTE: Thanks Derek for the reviewers copy!
May 7, 2013
The Nameless Dwarf chronicles are a must read for any fantasy fan. There are five books in total that make up this series and you will not be disappointed. I get quite frustrated when I read quality like this and then don’t see the books on the shelves in brick and mortar stores, especially considering this is one series I would love to see on my own bookshelf. I don’t know if Mr Prior has looked at finding a publisher but they’d be a fool not to snap him up.
As you have probably guessed the series follows a nameless dwarf who is carrying a lot of baggage around, in the emotional sense of the word. The companions that he meets throughout the tales only add to the raw emotions that these stories lay bare, each one with their own problems and skeletons to deal with. It was refreshing to see characters that weren’t infallible and that were prone to the low balls life can throw at you. What you end up with is a ragtag band of adventurers who rely upon one another to survive against the atrocities they regularly bump into. And what happens when someone picks on one of them… a dwarf axe happens! This sword and sorcery tale has it all; humour and wit, sadness with the odd touch of merriment, and plenty of adventure and adversity.
It was a real shame to have come to the end of Nameless’ journey, but I did think (with a sly grin) at least I still have the Shader series to read!
As you have probably guessed the series follows a nameless dwarf who is carrying a lot of baggage around, in the emotional sense of the word. The companions that he meets throughout the tales only add to the raw emotions that these stories lay bare, each one with their own problems and skeletons to deal with. It was refreshing to see characters that weren’t infallible and that were prone to the low balls life can throw at you. What you end up with is a ragtag band of adventurers who rely upon one another to survive against the atrocities they regularly bump into. And what happens when someone picks on one of them… a dwarf axe happens! This sword and sorcery tale has it all; humour and wit, sadness with the odd touch of merriment, and plenty of adventure and adversity.
It was a real shame to have come to the end of Nameless’ journey, but I did think (with a sly grin) at least I still have the Shader series to read!
April 11, 2013
The story unfolds with Nils Fargin, the son of a guild master being tasked with the simple objective of leading a nameless dwarf to a wizard known as Jankson Brau.
But like things always tend to take a twist for the worse; our heroes find themsleves in the bandit town of Malfen, where they have to confront and defeat their terrifying ruler, Shent, The Ant Man.
The characters have been beautifully portrayed and a lot of detailing has been done on their personalities.The author has also carefully developed the conversations and the expression of thoughts of our heroes.
The story writing is excellent with various themes intermingled and unexpected twists and turns. It also has its fair share of humor, especially when the dwarf gets drunk.
All in all the story had me gripped and made me devour the pages. Can't wait for the next installment in the series
March 7, 2013
The Nameless Dwarf is the Omnibus collection of all five books in the series. I was lucky enough to get reviewer copies of all of them as they came out and was very excited to see that he decided to release a single volume collection with some epic cover art.
I would rate the collection a 4.5, but since there are no half stars it gets rounded up. The stories really get stronger as you progress through them making it so I have no problem with the 5 star ranking at all.
This is especially a great series to read if you are familiar with the Shader series by D.P. There are some shared characters and back story that really enriched the other books for me.
If you are a fan of action packed epic fantasy this is a great collection for you to pick up.
I would rate the collection a 4.5, but since there are no half stars it gets rounded up. The stories really get stronger as you progress through them making it so I have no problem with the 5 star ranking at all.
This is especially a great series to read if you are familiar with the Shader series by D.P. There are some shared characters and back story that really enriched the other books for me.
If you are a fan of action packed epic fantasy this is a great collection for you to pick up.
August 28, 2016
W O W! I'm so glad I have the 4 book set! Rollercoaster of emotionally tumultuous encounters. So many irritating habits are truly part of human behavior and I couldn't stop hoping that 'this' would be the time the character/s would step up instead of fall back to their habits. Enjoyed the whole story and pleased I could simply hit the arrow tab on my Kindle and start Book 4!
April 15, 2013
This book is a shogging good time!!! The characters really come alive. Is it sad that my second favorite character was the bad guy. I also like the idea that the heroes were flawed and gritty. It made it seem more like real life. Buy this book. You'll really like it! I did!!!
June 19, 2014
I "picked" it up as an ebook special and I was pleasantly surprised. This was the second novel where a dwarf plays a major role. I thought the characters were interesting and the plot moved along. If you enjoy a good dwarf based fantasy novel this is worth reading.
July 28, 2016
I love this series and this book (3rd of 4) is the best yet. Mr. Prior did a marvelous job writing the series thus far but book 3 is a masterpiece, in my opinion, of course. If you like action and dwarves, buy the first book and know that you have a wonderful read ahead of you.
January 24, 2013
Love this book: great artwork inside and out. The Nameless Dwarf rocks. Very well written - lots of pathos, lots of action, and it's full of humour.
December 12, 2013
It ia a wonderful fantasy fiction book full of adventure & lovely characterization. I really was`nt ready for it to be finished! I would definitely read more books by this author.
March 12, 2017
Fantastic!
Great writing and wonderful characters. A real tale of hurt and forgiveness. And a lot of adventure...
Great writing and wonderful characters. A real tale of hurt and forgiveness. And a lot of adventure...
January 15, 2015
The first author that i have read who is as good as J.R.R. Tolkien but does not copy his work, this book was brilliant and whisks you away into another world.
August 8, 2015
If you love Michael Moorcock then this will be right up your alley. Gritty action packed axe swinging adventure.
June 18, 2019
This revised edition is a good as the original story was. It still has a lot of action. The story moves quickly. I still like the characters. The names of a few of the characters have changed, but that makes no difference to the story. All in all, I loved it.
January 3, 2013
Background:
It was against the laws of the dwarves to act in the world beyond their city, to study the old texts, or to enter the underworld—and with good reason. The deceptions of the Demiurgos, Father of the Abyss, are everywhere, and once before they brought betrayal and death on a scale that must never be repeated.
When they are accosted by one of their own with a demonic axe found on the brink of the Abyss, drastic measures are needed. The link between axe and wielder is broken by a helm of scarolite, and the lawbreaker is held in stasis in the bowels of the Ravine City, Arx Gravis. To complete his shame, his name is taken from him, permanently removed from history.
When this Nameless Dwarf is awakened by the voice of the knight, Deacon Shader, he becomes embroiled in the battles against the unweaving of all creation by the technocrat, Sektis Gandaw. He later partakes in a quest to find three artifacts with which to shatter the lingering power of the black axe and free himself from the scarolite helm. Too late, it is revealed as a trap laid by the Demiurgos and his spawn, the homunculi, and the Nameless Dwarf returns to Arx Gravis as a brutal dictator, slaughtering his kin by the thousands.
Finally, his tyrannical rule is brought to an end by his closest friend, the assassin Shadrak the Unseen. With the axe destroyed and the scarolite helm broken, the Nameless Dwarf realizes the magnitude of his atrocities. A mere few hundred dwarves have survived his reign of terror, and they have fled Arx Gravis in fear of what he might do next.
Hearing rumors that they have headed into the nightmare land of Qlippoth, where they will surely face extinction, the Nameless Dwarf hires the son of a New Jerusalem guild boss to help him find them.
What reviewers are saying:
"... so excellent, so Fafhrd and the Mouser type good - you remember those stories by Fritz Lieber, that you have to read at least three of these Nameless Dwarf stories to appreciate how absolutely fantastic they are." - Pinky Mo
"... it just doesn't get any better that this." - Ray Nicholson
"D.P. has established a fan for life in me" - Scott Poe
It was against the laws of the dwarves to act in the world beyond their city, to study the old texts, or to enter the underworld—and with good reason. The deceptions of the Demiurgos, Father of the Abyss, are everywhere, and once before they brought betrayal and death on a scale that must never be repeated.
When they are accosted by one of their own with a demonic axe found on the brink of the Abyss, drastic measures are needed. The link between axe and wielder is broken by a helm of scarolite, and the lawbreaker is held in stasis in the bowels of the Ravine City, Arx Gravis. To complete his shame, his name is taken from him, permanently removed from history.
When this Nameless Dwarf is awakened by the voice of the knight, Deacon Shader, he becomes embroiled in the battles against the unweaving of all creation by the technocrat, Sektis Gandaw. He later partakes in a quest to find three artifacts with which to shatter the lingering power of the black axe and free himself from the scarolite helm. Too late, it is revealed as a trap laid by the Demiurgos and his spawn, the homunculi, and the Nameless Dwarf returns to Arx Gravis as a brutal dictator, slaughtering his kin by the thousands.
Finally, his tyrannical rule is brought to an end by his closest friend, the assassin Shadrak the Unseen. With the axe destroyed and the scarolite helm broken, the Nameless Dwarf realizes the magnitude of his atrocities. A mere few hundred dwarves have survived his reign of terror, and they have fled Arx Gravis in fear of what he might do next.
Hearing rumors that they have headed into the nightmare land of Qlippoth, where they will surely face extinction, the Nameless Dwarf hires the son of a New Jerusalem guild boss to help him find them.
What reviewers are saying:
"... so excellent, so Fafhrd and the Mouser type good - you remember those stories by Fritz Lieber, that you have to read at least three of these Nameless Dwarf stories to appreciate how absolutely fantastic they are." - Pinky Mo
"... it just doesn't get any better that this." - Ray Nicholson
"D.P. has established a fan for life in me" - Scott Poe
February 19, 2015
(Copied from my review on Amazon.com)
When I first downloaded this collection of short novels, I had few expectations. As a fan of and former player of D&D, I simply assumed it was typical hack-and-slash. In fact, I found it very difficult to sympathize with any of the main characters after the first book. They just didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities and appeared to be actively attempting to dispose of the other characters at every chance (much like a former group of D&D players I once gamed with, actually, which made me wonder whether at some level the stories in this set of books weren't at least partly based on gaming experiences).
But as I continued into the second book, the characters began to grow on me. They weren't the simplistic black and white cardboard cutout stereotypes that I had been expecting. The background of the narrative proved equally complicated -- convoluted, even. I felt myself drawn deeper into the plot, wishing that Silas could find what he seeks, knowing that he would not be able to escape his fate, and discovering that even after the characters' worst nightmares had come true, the story pace and characterizations didn't let up one iota.
Completely over the top carnage and mayhem? There was that, and more. But all in all, a very pleasant surprise for a 99¢ ebook collection. Makes me want to find out more...
When I first downloaded this collection of short novels, I had few expectations. As a fan of and former player of D&D, I simply assumed it was typical hack-and-slash. In fact, I found it very difficult to sympathize with any of the main characters after the first book. They just didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities and appeared to be actively attempting to dispose of the other characters at every chance (much like a former group of D&D players I once gamed with, actually, which made me wonder whether at some level the stories in this set of books weren't at least partly based on gaming experiences).
But as I continued into the second book, the characters began to grow on me. They weren't the simplistic black and white cardboard cutout stereotypes that I had been expecting. The background of the narrative proved equally complicated -- convoluted, even. I felt myself drawn deeper into the plot, wishing that Silas could find what he seeks, knowing that he would not be able to escape his fate, and discovering that even after the characters' worst nightmares had come true, the story pace and characterizations didn't let up one iota.
Completely over the top carnage and mayhem? There was that, and more. But all in all, a very pleasant surprise for a 99¢ ebook collection. Makes me want to find out more...
December 18, 2015
It was a tough read. The first 2 or 3 books could have been omitted . Too slow moving and could have been shared with a paragraph on each of the characters as they joined the trek. When the real action started it had a Keystone Cop quality to it. Run somewhere and fight then run somewhere else and fight, lather, rinse, repeat.
January 25, 2014
I very much enjoyed reading this chronicle of the nameless dwarf. The characters were distinctive and had plausible emotions. Some of the prose was murky and there were some pacing issues but it was overall an enjoyable romp.
December 31, 2014
Self-published fantasy fiction and not really five different books, but rather one intact story. Not perfect in pacing or continuity, the characters were still compelling, the world interesting, and the plot relentless in its forward momentum.
January 30, 2013
a great fantasy book by an exciting author. One to watch in the future as this story and character have a long way to travel yet
April 11, 2014
Overall, this was a fun adventure tale. I wish the characters had been a little more developed. It reminded me of YA fiction at times, with some adult content thrown in just for the heck of it.
unlimited-to-read
May 11, 2016This was previously published as The Nameless Dwarf: The Complete Chronicles
Very actiony. Decent story and plot.
Very actiony. Decent story and plot.
September 6, 2017
And the awesomeness continues. Again, I could not put it down. Onto the 4th book.
August 26, 2019
Fun story that strongly reminds my of my game of dungeons and dragons. Actually gave me a free GMing ideas.
July 24, 2014
I could not finish it. Disjointed and derivative.
June 19, 2018
When the Nameless Dwarf set off in pursuit of what remains of his people, he knows the journey through the nightmares of Qlippoth will be a challenge. The story that follows is the best of the bunch as Revenge of the Lich delivers where the two prior entries in the collection failed. Not only is there a more well defined conflict, the characters are easier to root for and to find common ground with. Nameless' tortured existence toes the line with overly moribund but rebound quickly each time it sinks too far into despair.
A fair bit of detail is added that may have helped the first two books resonate more factually than they did, as the world expands beyond the words on the page into a full blown universe with it's own lore and peoples. Learning as you go, the story really folds you into itself. Expect a fast paced and exceptionally brutal car chase type of story that has plenty of highs and lows and keeps you guessing throughout. If the fourth book can continue to build on the momentum gained in the Revenge of the Lich, then it'll be a fitting conclusion to the Nameless Dwarf's story.
A fair bit of detail is added that may have helped the first two books resonate more factually than they did, as the world expands beyond the words on the page into a full blown universe with it's own lore and peoples. Learning as you go, the story really folds you into itself. Expect a fast paced and exceptionally brutal car chase type of story that has plenty of highs and lows and keeps you guessing throughout. If the fourth book can continue to build on the momentum gained in the Revenge of the Lich, then it'll be a fitting conclusion to the Nameless Dwarf's story.
November 12, 2021
The nameless dwarf is awoken and is sucked into a group of "adventurers" to stop the unweaving by the mad sorcerer. Nameless, having not many options goes with them with the guidance of the weird philosopher Erastidaeus. More lore of the land is given and a well-developed adventure into the fortress of a insane wizard. I continue to enjoy the series via audible. Great narration by Mike Carnes.
January 18, 2020
I received a review copy of this audiobook.
I liked this novel only slightly less than its prequel. It is closer to traditional fantasy, with a party of adventurers with varied talents and skills. For all that, it’s interesting and I think worth reading.
If you are bothered by language, you might want to steer clear. Some of the characters swear like sailors.
I liked this novel only slightly less than its prequel. It is closer to traditional fantasy, with a party of adventurers with varied talents and skills. For all that, it’s interesting and I think worth reading.
If you are bothered by language, you might want to steer clear. Some of the characters swear like sailors.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews