The conqueror's shadow

What a rollicking good read! This book has it all...great battle scenes; the fate of the world in the balance; wise crackin' tough guys; wicked witches; ugly, brutish trolls; snarky demons...

Sure, it's a story we've read/seen before–baddest of the bad guys retires, reforms (at least sorta), and has to come out of retirement to stop a new bad guy.

This telling of that familiar tale is done with panache and a clever trick or three to shake things up. Well done, and more than primes the pump for reading more in this world.