The Bookwyrm's Review of Mountain of Madness by Derek Prior

Author: Derek Prior

Length: 235 pages/ 8 Hours, 12 Minutes (Audio)

Publisher: Homunculus

Release Date: 2019/ January 6, 2020 (Audio)

Narrator: Mike Carnes

Series: Annals of the Nameless Dwarf, Book 2

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Rating 4/5 stars

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I have to admit, I am a sucker for stories with dwarves in them. Gruff natured, hard drinking, hard fighting dwarves to me just make a fantasy story better. Books like Markus Heitz's Dwarves, D.A. Adams's Brotherhood of Dwarves and J. Zachary Pike's Orconomics are just catnip for me. When I read the first book in this series, Ravine of Blood and Shadow, I knew I'd found a series easily as good as those other. Mountain of Madness does nothing to change that opinion, being an outstanding addition to this series.

PLOT SUMMARY

The story picks up one year after the tragic events in the dwarven city of Arx Gravis, where the now nameless dwarf was duped into taking up the black axe, which drove him into a magical rage that led him to killing many of his fellow dwarves thinking they were demons. The only thing that stopped him was being separated from the axe and having an ocris metal helmet permanently bonded to his head, and being placed into stasis until he can be separated permanently from the axe. Hearing a familiar voice, Nameless awakens before he's supposed to, alarming the guards and leading to a confrontation with a large part of the guard force with his cellmate. The various factions come together to try and kill him, but he is saved by the magical entrance of a swords-woman, an assassin and a wizard, who are there to help Nameless's cellmate escape, and decide take Nameless with them. 

Having escaped Arx Gravis, but now being a nameless exile, a fate worse than death for a dwarf, he decides to accompany the group on their quest to stop the evil wizard Sektis Gandaw from unmaking the entire world with the power of the captive goddess Etala. Realizing they need to try and get armies on the move to try and stop him, the group, made up of Aristodeus the wizard, Zaylus the holy order knight, Rutha, a mercenary, Shadrak, an assassin and Nameless, proceed to the nearest human city.  The group ends up in an inn on the seedy side of town, and run into Albrec, Shadrak's old partner in the assassins guild. They send Zaylus to warn the city leaders, which is a mistake, since his order is banned in the city. and Zaylus is beaten and sentenced to death. This leads to a wild series of events as the Nameless, Shadrak and Albrec have to break him out and escape, while Aristodeus and Rutha leave on a mission of their own.

Escaping the prison, Zaylus, who wields a magic sword tied to his mental purity, kills a helpless guard, and can't use the sword anymore. This is a huge issue, since that sword was one of the only weapons that could possibly stop Sekris. While Aristodeus trains Rutha in his tower to use another magic sword that might work against Sekris, Nameless, Shadrak, Albrec and an old dwarf teacher of Nameless's approach Sekris's mountain to try and take him on, while trying to figure a way for Zaylus to use his sword. What happens next is an action packed confrontation as Nameless's group has to infiltrate the mountain, avoiding or fighting the traps and monsters in their way, while Aristodeus and Rutha try to confront Sekris on their own, while Sekris attempts to destroy the world with the stolen power, and the results of their success or failure have world shaking consequences.

CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING

This is a character driven book, especially with Nameless, as he struggles to find his place in a world he never expected to ever be in. He is such a great character, strong and brave, but haunted by what he did in Arx Gravis and wondering if he will ever be worthy again. His companions are such a great group as well, with so many strengths and flaws making them seem like real people, and really help to sink you into the story. The villain, Sekris Gandaw, is kind of a trope, the evil wizard that is irredeemably evil, and is a bit over the top, but still makes an effective villain, since his power is so overwhelming. He's just kind of old school, having a more pulp villain feel. 

As far as world building, it's an excellent fantasy world, from Arx Gravis to the city life, to the underground tunnels of Sekris's mountain lair. Magic is not commonplace, but it's not unknown, especially with regards to artifacts. I'd probably rate it middle fantasy in regards to magic and technology. While not unique, it does have some fun with the dwarven realm and culture, which are pretty developed in the story, especially the history and mythos. All told, it's another strength of the story.

NARRATION

The narration is handled quite well by Mike Carnes. He does an excellent job bringing the characters to life, especially Nameless, who is channeling his inner Gimli for all he's worth. He has knack for finding just the right tone, cadence and accent for each character. His narrative pacing is excellent as well, never falling into a monotone. I look forward to hearing him narrate the next book in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This book is a perfect example of a book that not only avoids the sophomore slump, but continues the story in such a way that it brings you even more into the story. The characters and world building mix with the solid storytelling to create a book that will appeal to a wide range of fantasy fans. I look forward to reading/listening to the next book in the series.