Throne of Vengeance

Delver Magic #2

by Jeff Inlo

The Sphere of Ingar has been destroyed and pure magic now flows freely throughout the land of Uton. Magic casters arise as do the dark creatures that need magic to exist in this realm. As the land changes and its inhabitants adapt, a growing wind of rebellion leads to potential disaster for all the races. The dwarf queen Yave declares war on the algors, blaming the desert dwellers for the tragedy which took the life of her eldest son. She leads a revolution against what remains of her own family. Dwarf separatists eager to assert their own superiority follow blindly as she begins her quest for revenge.Ryson Acumen, the pure bred delver who saved the land from Ingar's sphere, attempts to intervene. In response, human towns are attacked by the dwarf army of Dunop. Raids against the elves lead to escalated tensions. Even as the algors plan a response to protect their very existence, the elves threaten to unleash their own weapon of sheer terror against the dwarf city. The overriding need that brought the races together to defeat Ingar is gone as Uton fractures into chaos.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Magic

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2009

About the author

Jeff Inlo spent several years in NJ with his wife, Joan, and their dogs. He wrote over twenty novels, focusing on fantasy and science fiction. Recently, he retired and moved to Pennsylvania. His last novel was the 15th book in the Delver Magic Series featuring the purebred delver Ryson Acumen. If you wish to contact him regarding his work, please send an email to jeffinlo@gmail.com

Reviews

[Mayhem-RW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bol Folarok is a dwarf who was the king of the dwarves. His decision to send Tun and Jon to Sanctum Mountain, where his eldest, Tun, lost his life to the Algor Sand Giants, weighed heavily upon him. That is why he left the dwarven city of Dunop, never to return, but before he left, he stripped his wife, the queen, of her place and power. This action left Jon as king, and Jon was not the one breed for such a duty. He was the one that avoided conflict, so the Separatists gained power, and his mother took control of the throne with the Separatists’ help. Now Queen Yave was angry because her eldest son Tun had died helping the Elves, Humans, Delvers, and Algors to destroy the sphere that unleashed the magic upon the land once again. Something she was opposed to from the beginning. Yes, she was angry, and she would make them all pay.

Oh! How the new creatures abound. First, we have what is called a Serp, which has the inherent ability to control lessor creatures like goblins, river rogues, shags, and others with its mind. It is like the Algor, except it has a tail and prefers to walk upright like a human. A shag is a creature like a bigfoot but larger, about twice the height of a man. A river rogue is not as large, but as the name implies, it is found in or near rivers or under bridges that cross rivers. (Troll?) And we have goblins but no orcs? Once again, the world-building is well done, and the intangible or ethereal world-building is done very well. The character interaction seems rushed in some places or childish in others, especially when the Delver is involved. Then there is the creation of the Shadow Trees, remnants from a previous elf versus dwarf war. Things so terrible, so horrible, so evil, created by supposedly good people that can only live and grow in the dark. The elves created them and unleashed them on the dwarves in the last interracial war. It was a near-genocidal event as the shadow trees would absorb everything living, including themselves, grow, and reproduce by dropping seeds. It was these seeds that the elves created and harvested for use in the dwarven caves. The trees could move around the caves to scour them of all life as they did not grow roots but grew a disk-like base. Only a strong light could make them shy away or kill them.

This book has fantasy covered in an epic story. This is the second book of the series, and if you have not read the first one, well, that is okay, but you should find it and read it before this one. I give this one four stars out of five stars.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't say this book is as good as its predecessor but it is still very enjoyable.

Jeff Inlo is an interesting author - there were some elements I was *certain* were down to certain things (i.e. the minor changes in personality between Holli and Leif) but he never mentions this. In other instances the book is practically SCREAMING about certain plot twists (a certain potential evil character from book 1, a last minute reprieve) but then acts surprised that it happens... Part of me doesn't get it and I can't decide if that is the sign of a skilled author manipulating common tropes, or a not so skilled author who occasionally has flairs of brilliance... either way, I'm finding these to be an interesting read regardless of plot.

The conversations between characters though is still shockingly poor. The actual dialogue feels stilted, in some places it feels like it has been written and someone else is just repeating that in a poor kind of speech (Holli v the white wizard comes to mind... see my notes/highlights for explanation). Characters ask others to do things in an obvious way - example Holli asks Ryson to let her know if he spots something and to be wary, which...well it is kinda his thing. Yes he gets overwhelmed with curiosity but he still tells people he is! It just seemed forced.

I also couldn't help but continue to compare this to LOTR and it's made worse now I have equated... I want to say Evin? with Gandalf as the White Wizard. I'm still conflicted on him and have some theories though - kinda spoilers below but not really.

1) Evin remains good, lass from book 1 turns evil and they have an epic dual
2) Evin becomes bad, lass from book 1 decides not to remain evil and they have an epic dual
3) They both become evil together and some other characters we don't know yet have an epic dual with them both

It's just... from the way *some* things are being telegraphed the first two both seem likely at this point... I only own the next book in the series but there's a high chance I'd buy more yet just to see if I am anywhere close.

Oh, before I close this review I did want to comment on one thing I thought Jeff did really really well, and that was with Yave. I thought that obsession with revenge was well handled, it felt natural and real as did her various actions and re-actions. A very unlikable character but built well.

[Murray Gunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I said of the first book in this series that Inlo wrote with more passion than skill, and unfortunately, that applies doubly for this book. The adage 'show, don't tell' is new to him. He consistently tells us what he's about to show us, then often tells us what he's just shown us, which makes for a maddening read.

Then the only reason there is a story to tell here is because two of the people in positions of power are imbeciles. Having an imbecile with power is not new, and can work quite well to complicate a story (I'm thinking of the king in Feist's Magician), but having two is overkill and when they're the reason behind the story, something is wrong.

I would love to read more about this world, but I've lost confidence that Inlo's writing will evolve to match his imagination.

[Iona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second instalment of the Delver Magic series as much as the first. Plenty of descriptive writing which helps set the scenes perfectly. Part 3 is now in my sights.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging

Characters more developed in the 2nd book of the series. I look forward to the next. Thanks for the new world

[James Groenestein · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, after reading book 1 of this series, I was eagerly awaiting to find out what happened after the events that arose.

This book focuses on 5 main plots, the first being the story of how the dwarfs of Dunop cope after the loss of Tun in book 1.

As this part unfolds, it forms the plots of the rest of the book that separately (but also as a whole) affects all the other main races.

This book does keep the delver Ryson Acumen as the main character, but also focuses on other characters too including: Enin who just might be the most powerful wizard the world of Uton has ever known; Yave who is Tun's mother; the Algors and of course the elves and humans.

I really enjoyed this book as it progressed in a way I didn't expect with a couple of real good twists thrown in for good measure too.

If you have read the first book, then I recommend you stick with the series as its starting to pan out really well in ways you wouldn't have thought!!

I'm now going to dive in to the 3rd book!!

[Nicky Cartwright Pashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book two in the series and yet again I loved it! The action builds quickly and the plot is fast paced. The characters are once again well developed and emotive ~ Jeff Inlo takes the time to ensure that the reader understands why their personalities have developed thus. The book has it's obvious story line but has deeper meanings for the reader to explore and ponder too, which makes it quite thought provoking at times (though not in an overly obvious way). I really enjoyed this sequel and would have plunged straight into book three had I not already committed to reading other books first ~ however I look forward to reading the next two books in the series soon. I am particularly fond of Dzeb.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this series is even better than Lord of the Rings! The first started a bit slow but boy did this one race along with battles against elves, dwarves, Algors and humans and with a Delver for good mix too.

Fantastic epic! Can't wait for the next one! And for those with an ereader its free to download at ManyBooks.net just search for Delver Magic or Jeff Inlo, choose you device to download to and away you go!

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and in my humble opinion, it is just as well written if not better than the first one. In this one you still get to read about the adventures of the core group, but you are also introduced to new characters and get to see what their actions or lack of actions have on the story

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love trilogies. The story always gets better. Instead of studying for exams, this was what I was reading. It was worth it. Throne of Vengeance was really good. It reached a point where I literally couldn't put it down.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

dire

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice return to the series in the second book with a completely different storyline, but once again interesting characters and ideas.

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series of books. Exciting and they kept me reading long past when I should have been. I highly recommend them and, as an added bonus, the first three are free on the Nook.

[Stephanie Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good sequel and enjoyable if not predictable read.

[Cliff Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good sequel. Intriguing with a few surprises. If you liked the first you'll like this one.

[Karen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book a while ago. Very interesting read.

[Sandra]

Free on Amazon and Nook

[Martha]

Also in Nook Archive.

[Trish Bodine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sequel, although the ending seemed rushed.

[infael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series has been surprisingly good.