I decided to reread The Dwarves before starting on War of the Dwarves, which I got for Christmas and I'm glad I did. The first book had a solid but fluid ending leaving the world building incomplete and some pretty blatant loose ends. That's because the story is continuous, not episodic. So, this second book picks up the story from the point that the first one ended as well as carrying on with the slow and calculated world building. And they work beautifully together as a duo with this book providing definite closure. There are 4 books in the series altogether and there were a couple of small threads left opened at the end of this book to facilitate more sequels, but the next book will be the start of the next adventure. Serials aren't typically conducted like this so it caught me off guard but it's a very agreeable way to manage the story and I've really enjoyed it.
War continues the tale of the foundling dwarf who rediscovers his people and ends up becoming the hero in a fantasy world that is focused on the dwarves rather than elves or men. The ultimate axe that was forged in the first book was only the beginning of the story. It was a simple beginning too which better enabled this book delve into the complexities of the relationships between the races as they band together to defeat the second tier of the threat posed in the first installment. The pace of this one is much faster with more action sequences. Although there were a couple of predictable turns in the story, it also tied itself into so many knots that it was hard to imagine how it would wrap up as the book started thinning. Yet all was worked out without short changing any area. There were a lot of typos,but other than that I was pleased. I'll definitely get the next one and not wait a year to do it.
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