Before she died Queen Usharna gave each of her children a Key of Power in the hope that they will work together to keep the kingdom of Grenda Lear prospering. She could not know that upon her death, conspirators would kill her successor King Berayma and make sure Prince Lynan would be wanted for the deed. The new Queen Areava declares her half-brother, who she dislikes because he has commoner blood, a traitor. Lynan escapes before he can be killed and the two masterminds behind the conspiracy hold very important posts in the Queen's government.

Not content to stay with the same scope as "Inheritance", Simon Brown continuously raises the stakes in "Fire and Sword". The armies get larger, the magic more mind-blowing, the battles bigger and bloodier, and Brown doesn't pull any punches. But most importantly, the characters are growing apace with the events in the story. Everyone in the cast, major or minor role, develops and changes as they go along.

Lynan flees to the Chetts in the Sea of Grass and forms an alliance with Queen Korigan of the White Wolf Clan. Everyone knows for Lynan to return to Grenda Lear, he must come as a conqueror with an army at his back. He unites all the clans of the Chetts under his banner and he turns them into a fighting force second to none, but before he marches on Grenda Lear, he must defeat two mercenary armies. One wants him dead while the other wants to use him as a figurehead to conqueror his homeland.

Anyone who writes a trilogy faces certain problems. The big conclusion to the series must wait until the final book, but the second volume must hold our interest so we can get there. The Keys of Power series may, at a surface level, look like a standard formula fantasy, but "Fire and Sword" proves to be full of surprises. Would you have guessed, for instance, that Jenrosa's relationship with Lynan would fall apart as she falls for Kumul instead? Or that a political power play would separate the royal couple in Kendra?

Scouring the fantasy section of the bookstore can be a tedious chore, given how much crap there is. But here is a story where the action is hot and the fighting is fierce, the humor is funny and the romance is romantic. It's what we've all been looking for, and now that it's here we shouldn't turn away. ( )

Before she died Queen Usharna gave each of her children a Key of Power in the hope that they will work together to keep the kingdom of Grenda Lear prospering. She could not know that upon her death, conspirators would kill her successor King Berayma and make sure Prince Lynan would be wanted for the deed. The new Queen Areava declares her half-brother, who she dislikes because he has commoner blood, a traitor. Lynan escapes before he can be killed and the two masterminds behind the conspiracy hold very important posts in the Queen's government.

Not content to stay with the same scope as "Inheritance", Simon Brown continuously raises the stakes in "Fire and Sword". The armies get larger, the magic more mind-blowing, the battles bigger and bloodier, and Brown doesn't pull any punches. But most importantly, the characters are growing apace with the events in the story. Everyone in the cast, major or minor role, develops and changes as they go along.

Lynan flees to the Chetts in the Sea of Grass and forms an alliance with Queen Korigan of the White Wolf Clan. Everyone knows for Lynan to return to Grenda Lear, he must come as a conqueror with an army at his back. He unites all the clans of the Chetts under his banner and he turns them into a fighting force second to none, but before he marches on Grenda Lear, he must defeat two mercenary armies. One wants him dead while the other wants to use him as a figurehead to conqueror his homeland.

Anyone who writes a trilogy faces certain problems. The big conclusion to the series must wait until the final book, but the second volume must hold our interest so we can get there. The Keys of Power series may, at a surface level, look like a standard formula fantasy, but "Fire and Sword" proves to be full of surprises. Would you have guessed, for instance, that Jenrosa's relationship with Lynan would fall apart as she falls for Kumul instead? Or that a political power play would separate the royal couple in Kendra?

Scouring the fantasy section of the bookstore can be a tedious chore, given how much crap there is. But here is a story where the action is hot and the fighting is fierce, the humor is funny and the romance is romantic. It's what we've all been looking for, and now that it's here we shouldn't turn away. ( )

Before she died Queen Usharna gave each of her children a Key of Power in the hope that they will work together to keep the kingdom of Grenda Lear prospering. She could not know that upon her death, conspirators would kill her successor King Berayma and make sure Prince Lynan would be wanted for the deed. The new Queen Areava declares her half-brother, who she dislikes because he has commoner blood, a traitor. Lynan escapes before he can be killed and the two masterminds behind the conspiracy hold very important posts in the Queen's government.

Not content to stay with the same scope as "Inheritance", Simon Brown continuously raises the stakes in "Fire and Sword". The armies get larger, the magic more mind-blowing, the battles bigger and bloodier, and Brown doesn't pull any punches. But most importantly, the characters are growing apace with the events in the story. Everyone in the cast, major or minor role, develops and changes as they go along.

Lynan flees to the Chetts in the Sea of Grass and forms an alliance with Queen Korigan of the White Wolf Clan. Everyone knows for Lynan to return to Grenda Lear, he must come as a conqueror with an army at his back. He unites all the clans of the Chetts under his banner and he turns them into a fighting force second to none, but before he marches on Grenda Lear, he must defeat two mercenary armies. One wants him dead while the other wants to use him as a figurehead to conqueror his homeland.

Anyone who writes a trilogy faces certain problems. The big conclusion to the series must wait until the final book, but the second volume must hold our interest so we can get there. The Keys of Power series may, at a surface level, look like a standard formula fantasy, but "Fire and Sword" proves to be full of surprises. Would you have guessed, for instance, that Jenrosa's relationship with Lynan would fall apart as she falls for Kumul instead? Or that a political power play would separate the royal couple in Kendra?

Scouring the fantasy section of the bookstore can be a tedious chore, given how much crap there is. But here is a story where the action is hot and the fighting is fierce, the humor is funny and the romance is romantic. It's what we've all been looking for, and now that it's here we shouldn't turn away. ( )