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    The Light of Burning Shadows: Book Two of the Iron Elves
    The Light of Burning Shadows: Book Two of the Iron Elves
    The Light of Burning Shadows: Book Two of the Iron Elves
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Light of Burning Shadows: Book Two of the Iron Elves

    Written by Chris Evans

    Narrated by Michael Kramer

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    "They might be doomed, damned, and buggered for all eternity, but that didn't mean they couldn't sparkle like a diamond in the sun and grin like a skull in the moonlight on their way to oblivion."

    Musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy vie for supremacy once again in this second epic fantasy adventure from acclaimed author Chris Evans. As the human-dominated Calahrian Empire struggles to maintain its hold on power in the face of armed rebellion from within, the Iron Elves' perilous quest to defeat the power-hungry elf witch, the Shadow Monarch, takes on greater urgency.

    The Iron Elves, shunned by their own people for bearing the mark of the Shadow Monarch and desperately wanting to forever erase this shame, became legendary for their prowess on the battlefield as the Calahrian Imperial Army's elite shock troops. But when their commanding officer, Konowa Swift Dragon, murdered the Viceroy of Elfkyna, he was exiled, and these brave elves were banished to a remote desert outpost, doomed and leaderless, their honor in tatters.

    Recalled to duty to reform his regiment from the dregs of the Imperial Army, Konowa thwarted the plans of the Shadow Monarch at the Battle of Luuguth Jo-ensuring that the fabled Red Star, a source of great natural energy, did not fall into Her hands. Now Konowa must cross storm-tossed seas to seek out the lost elves and the prophesied return of another Star somewhere in a desert wasteland roiling with mysterious power, infernos of swirling magic, and legends brought back to life in new and terrible ways. And the fate of every living creature will come to depend on a small band of ragged and desperate soldiers whose very loyalty to the Empire they have sworn to serve is no longer certain. When death is but a temporary condition, a terrifying question arises: who is the true ally-and who is the fearsome enemy-in a growing conflict that threatens all?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 18, 2010
    ISBN9781400183210
    Author

    Chris Evans

    Chris Evans is also the author of the Iron Elves saga: A Darkness Forged in Fire, The Light of Burning Shadows, and Ashes of a Black Frost, as well as Of Bond and Thunder, and the nonfiction book Bloody Jungle: The War in Vietnam. He is a military historian and former editor for Random House and Stackpole Books. Born in Canada, he lives in New York City.

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    Reviews for The Light of Burning Shadows

    4.5/5

    12 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The Red Star will stay with the Elfkynan people, but more stars will certainly fall. Konowa Swift Dragon and his Iron Elves now realize the full weight of the curse they are bound under and fear their immortality of service. Konowa and his men want the curse to end, but they don’t know how to end it. To strengthen and reinforce their numbers, Konowa sends the Iron Elves south to look for the former elven members of the group. With the Shadow Monarch still alive, the new Viceroy of Elfkyna under her spell, and his men upset that Konowa chose to let the Elfkynan keep the star instead of use it to free them of the curse, Konowa is ever more determined to use the power in the acorn given him to defeat the evil forces and free his men.He just doesn’t know how.Still suffering the Prince who wants to use the stars as collections of knowledge while expanding the oppressive Calahran Empire, Konowa is at the breaking point. Private Renwar is also battling his own ghosts. Almost killed during the last big battle, he lost a leg and neared death. Getting so close to the other realm has put him in a state of living limbo. Along with the constant pain of his wooden leg being rejected by the magic of the frost fire curse, he is connected to the shades of the dead Iron Elves. The Viceroy of Elfkyna, now a dark servant to the Shadow Monarch, is set out on a mission to spread her dark forest, which he does dutifully as Her Emissary. The frost fire curse gives the Iron Elves the ability to destroy the dark forests, but the more they use the powers, the deeper they fall into the curse. Now there is also a new flame, a white flame that consumes the shadow until the body is dead. Most interesting is that those who die of the white flame are cured of the curse and do not return as shades. Unfortunately, though, they still die. Can the Iron Elves harness this power to free them of the curse? Will they find the former Iron Elves and defeat the Shadow Monarch, keeping the stars out of the hands of darkness? If you think this book is going to resolve anything, you are wrong. But isn’t that great? It means there are more books to come. At the end of the book, you are literally left at the edge of your seat because you cannot believe that what has happened indeed really happened. Evans very effectively wraps up his story with a proper cliffhanger to leave you wanting more. I absolutely loved the foreboding way The Light of Burning Shadows ended and am going to watch the web for information about book three, which I have to read.Even more masterfully, Chris Evans weaves in elements of our world into the one he has created. I like connecting the parallels such as the Dwarf slave trade, the one omnipotent creator one soldier raves about, and the imperialist spirit of the Calahrian Empire that seems very familiar when one understands the history of our world. If not for the magic and mystical creatures involved, one could easily see this series as an historical and Napoleonic epic. Fans of military fiction, battles, and fantasy are going to love this book. I also think there’s something about the dark nature of the book that will appeal to people who enjoy supernatural and paranormal fiction. The Shadow Monarch and the Viceroy are certainly evil enough to sate anyone’s need for dark forces! For those of you who love romance, there is some of that included, too. Konowa and Visyna like each other, but they can’t seem to see eye to eye and Visyna is worried for Konowa as he wields the dark power. She feels that he won’t be able to properly control or resist it. He, of course, sees differently.I cannot wait for book three because I need to know how the book will end. I hope for the best for Private Renwar and I hope that the darkness is defeated, that the men are severed from the power of the curse, and that Konowa becomes the elf he has never been. Oh, and that he and Visyna stop fighting long enough to love each other properly.
    • 3/5
      I was not nearly as impressed with this one as I was with the first book. There are still some takes on standard fantasy themes in this book, but this book seems to suffer from a lack of plot. The author knew going in that the landing of the next Star was the main event, then spent the whole book wasting time to save that event for the very end. Unfortunately he did not do a great job of building up suspense. I still enjoyed it, but it was a bit flat compared to the first one.
    • 5/5
      THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS is Book Two of The Iron Elves series by Chris Evans. I recently reviewed the first book, A Darkness Forged In Fire, and was thrilled to have THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS sitting here waiting or me. I was excited about continuing the story ofKonowa and his men, yet at the same time I was nervous. I didn ’t know if the second book could hold up to the first but I was pleasantly surprised. THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS held up wonderfully to the expectations set forth in the first book making for a great, action packed read.THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS continues the story of Konowa Swift Dragon, a banished elf come back to civilization. In A Darkness Forged In Fire, Konowa was called back into service as the former regiment, the Iron Elves, was reformed. With most of the troops barely surviving the ensuing battles between light and dark and the rest suffering a fate worse than death, the bedraggled bunch create a great story. Now, in THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS,Konowa and his men embark on a mission to find the original Iron Elves while rumor of another fallen Star of great power begins to spread.Full of action, packed with suspense and kissed with the perfect amount of romance, THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS is a wonderfully epic read. Evans does an amazing job of creating a world where a land of fantasy mixes with modern characteristics, creating a world that is distant and yet very near all at the same time. Evans style of writing and his ability to create realism in his stories forms an atmosphere where the characters come to life and leap, or rather battle, off the page.I’m usually a fan of romance, but I find myself drawn back to The Iron Elves series. Although I love the softer and tenderer moments that can be found, the action sequences were fantastic and even a little addicting. Pages after a battle I would find myself still going over the action sequences and would end up turning back to relive the adrenaline rush.I mentioned in A Darkness Forged In Fire that Evans did a great job of keeping the tension flowing throughout the book. This is maintained if not made even better in THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS. Evans creates an ebb and flow of emotion as he leads us through the story. Not even page on the book is full of action and suspense, yet every page is tense. Each word in the story leads us somewhere, the feeling of something pulling at us quite palpable. If you plan on reading this story slowly, perhaps making it last a few weeks, I’m going to recommend that you don’t even bother. It is quite difficult to put down Evans’ work, even more so with this new installment ofKonowa.My favorite aspect of THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS was the fact that the story seemed just a bit darker. We get to follow some minor characters from the last book a bit more closely and emotions run much more intense. While the first book was a lovely introduction to the world of the Iron Elves, THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS really introduces us to the darkness of the hearts of the fighters and those they are fighting against.Fair warning time: As in A Darkness Forged In Fire, there are a few graphic and violent scenes. Not enough to turn me off from the book, but I wanted to put the warning out there nonetheless.THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS was a wonderful book that is sure to please any Fantasy lover. Even if Fantasy isn't quite your thing, I'm fairly certain that the action, mystery, and intrigue gracing the pages would be enough to keep any reader enticed. Although I still came across a few instances where the pace seemed a little off or characters knew things when I had no clue how they could know them, I still found THE LIGHT OF BURNING SHADOWS to be a total winner.I would suggest that anyone who likes their stories with a bit of magic take a look at THE LIGHT OF THE BURNING SHADOWS. This is an epic tale of magic and adventure that keeps the heart racing from the front cover all the way through to the back.
    • 4/5
      As with various fantasy epic series I've read, there are different story arcs in this plot. You have the main plot; to stop the Shadow Monarch. Then you have Konowa's quest, which is to free him and his Iron Elves from this dreaded Blood Oath and to also recruit back his original Iron Elves army. Then you also have the interesting plot of Renwar, a soldier in the Iron Elves who has trouble with visions, and hears voices. He realizes he is different from the rest of them and wants desperately to end his Oath and free himself from his agony. True, this may seem like a lot to read, but it's not confusing or muddled. Everything is clear and easy to understand so you won't get lost while reading because eventually it all ties together in the end. I loved this book. Although I sort of had to go back and jog my memory a bit I loved the action and the doses of comedy mixed into this story. There is plenty of action so you will not be bored with this book. I find it interesting this nice mix of cannons and muskets with magic and swords. It add a uniqueness to this type of fantasy story and in some ways it reminds me a lot of the Sharpe series (which I enjoyed reading as well). There were parts in the story where the dreaded realization hits you and you're blindsided with a giant revelation or a surprise. I've been blindsided at least two or three times reading this book. Plus the ending was a total cliffhanger and I couldn't believe it ended that way and I had to reread the last few pages to make sure I got it right (but I still couldn't believe it ended like that)I find myself very attached to some of these characters (I usually get attached to several while reading fantasy). You actually follow Renwar more in this story as he's central to what's been happening, and you see how he develops as a character. I like Yimt. He provided the comic relief but you knew he loved his squad and cared for each of them in his own way. It was too bad you don't really read much of Konowa (not like the first one) as I like him a lot (he reminds me a lot of Richard Sharpe of the Sharpe series) but he's changed and not necessarily for the better. Overall a really good book. The plot moves quick and to the point. Unlike some series where when you reach the "middle point" of the series everything stands still then the series start to drag. Not with this one. You're taken to the next stage with more surprises in store. I can't wait for the third one.
    • 4/5
      The second book of the series and it does across as a bridging novel. The Iron Elves are trying to get to the next star before the Shadow Monarch. As they go they discover another threat. Anwar Renwar is still trying to come to terms with his lost foot and with the ghosts that haunt him.There were times when I was lost in the story and there were times I was lost by the story I enjoyed it as a read but sometimes I wanted more or less, depending on the scene. I do want to read the next story in the series to see what happens next. This is a complex and messy story with plots within plots and you're never sure what some of the characters are going to do next.
    • 4/5
      Even darker and better than the previous. I cannot wait until the next book comes out.