Blade of fire

"At the Hub of the World, Queen Thirrin was in the Leopard Hols watching the finishing touches being added to the coming victory feast. The alliance of human, Snow Leopard, and Wolf-folk had defeated the fearsome Ice Trolls in a vicious, battle, and the victors were assembling, ready to mark the event with mountains of food and rivers of beer. "This is the second volume in the "Icemark Chronicles." Icemark is a relatively small kingdom in the far North where humans have partnered with other species to insure that the Kingdom survives the war brought against it by the mighty Polypontian Empire. Although once defeated, the Empire, after some years of unrest, has turned its attention once again to Icemark and the General Bellorum is once again preparing for war.There are two major threads to this volume. One is the story of the war and how those in Icemark hope to delay and defeat the war host brought against them. The second thread involves the children of Thirrin and Oskan and how they grow and develop during this time of crisis. Charlemagne, he youngest, is crippled by polio and is protected from the physical war. He must become a warrior and be exiled to a faraway land where he will find himself. Medea, his sister, is a mage like her father Oskan, but she hates Charlemagne for he receives more love and attention. Medea is tempted by the Dark and may turn against her family. The two older brothers must become warriors and fight in terrible battles. The oldest sister must become a great warrior and leader like her mother Queen Thirrin.Besides the battles and the interactions between the major characters, Charlemagne travels far to the South to recruit allies to fight against the Empire. Quite a challenge for a crippled 14 year old, but it does give us an opportunity to see much more of this world and its varied peoples and geography.Recommendation:While there are many adventures, this is also a story of personal growth and responding to challenge. Characters, including the animals and the vampires, are well developed if human-like, the world-building is nicely done, and there is enough sight-seeing and action to keep the pages turning. Charlemagne, in particular, is an attractive, appealing character. The author's use of familiar Earth names for people and places has some value in linking this story to familiar history, but may also add a false touch. Cover art by Gary Blythe and Carol Lawson is true to the story and has considerable appeal. Although the text is long, print is large and dark. White space is ample and aids reading. While this story may be read alone, it makes more sense if read following the first volume, the Cry of the Icemark*Scott, Martin ~