The Emerald Storm

3.0 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Royce and Hadrian continue their journey to locate the Heir of Novron and install him to his rightful throne. On this adventure they board The Emerald Storm, a New Empire ship with a crew whose allegiance is never quite what it seems.

This ship tale was not on par with Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders or Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies, but it's another satisfactory installment in the series. I found this second pair of books to be less compelling than the first pair, perhaps because I've become more invested in the overarching story that spans the series rather than the plots of each individual book. Luckily, Royce and Hadrian continue to be a fun duo and I will see their journey through to the end.

Well a 3.5 would be more like it. The adventure is now rollicking along at pace. Emerald Storm takes us out to sea and you can't help be reminded of the adventures of Drizzt. The major difference is that the Elves and Dwarfs in this storyline are all in the past. Michael broadens the scale quite effortlessly with this book. He introduces to us new characters and then kills them off effortlessly sometimes too effortlessly for my liking. Killing off key characters is an art and needs to set Boromirish expectations. All in all great addition and keeps me wanting more. Onwards to Wintertide!