Shadrach Moongrasp was having a good day until he had to set himself on fire.

Thus begins the impressive second volume, The Widows’ Wrath, in Noble Brown’s The Elder Pact series (Click here for my review of Vol. 1, The White Arrow).

And a fitting beginning it is. Like the first book, Brown’s narrative style wastes no time in enveloping the reader into his fantastical world of wizards, soldiers, assassins, royalty, and rogues and isn’t afraid to get right to the action. It begins both thousands of years before the setting of the first book, and a couple years after.

How? Patience, my friends, patience.

As a contrast to the first volume’s modest 200-pages, Widows’ Wrath (pay attention to that plural possessive) is a beefy 500-plus page behemoth. Don’t let that dissuade you from jumping right in, though, because like Arrow the author’s style makes the pages fly by, seldom dwelling too long on exposition, and more often getting to the action and the duty of pushing the plot forward.

And before I get to the plot (in a general sense, as there are a plethora of spoilers at hand if I’m not careful), let me say that as much fun as I had reading the first volume, Widows’ Wrath exceeding that enjoyment in almost every way. The sheer volume of characters and settings is absolutely mind-blowing, and Brown finds several ways to get his characters to interact with each other and those various settings in some inventive and unexpected ways. If there was any doubt from the story in The White Arrow that Brown is knowledgeable, adept, and actually loves the fantasy genre, Widows’ Wrath removes that doubt and sets it ablaze.

This is not to say, however, that this book is a run-of-the-mill fantasy book. Be forewarned, Brown does not hesitate to break a few rules and wink at the reader as he’s doing so. From the interstitial chapters that follow Shadrach Moongrasp, to the willingness to dispose of a character unexpectedly, the author challenges you to guess what’s coming next.

Aside from those, shall we say, Special Chapters that follow Shadrach’s progress, the other chapters introduce us to the rest of the cast in this epic tale, wherever they may find themselves a few years after the conclusion of the events in The White Arrow. The aspect of these chapters that I appreciate the most is that they feel necessary and vital to the story, and seldom, if ever, do you feel a sense of meandering. This story often feels like a multi-sided chess board, with the pieces from one faction seeming to move against another or join with an ally to combat a common foe. As such a lesser author could have let the multiple subplots overwhelm them and confuse the reader.

Brown has no such issues, planning out his storytelling with care, and divvying out the information and entertainment in equal parts. Eventually many of these subplot converge, and again the author makes the merging of these stories so natural that they never feel forced or contrived.

As for the plot itself, as stated before much of Wrath’s story takes place about 2 years after the conclusion of The White Arrow (seriously, if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? A link to the Amazon page like this one here?)

Not to spoil that book, but it’s enough to say that there is an ending conflict that sets up many character motivations for the second volume. The main villain from Volume One is being sought after, and many characters have vengeance on their minds. And though that villain, a certain Rowan Wolfe, is missing in action, his Dark Army is still causing havoc and the opposing forces have accomplished nothing more than a stalemate.

Something has to give, something has to swing the advantage to one side or the other in order to break that stalemate…

Meanwhile, an underground source of immense power has been harnessed by a group of Elves that has conquest on their minds. How exactly they plan to unleash that power plays a pivotal role in the main plot of this epic tome.

The payoff for how these and many other storylines resolve themselves (or, setup the next volume perhaps?) is oh so satisfying and well worth the journey you take with all the various characters throughout this superb book.

Speaking of Characters, a Brown set up a primer page that introduces many of principle cast of The Widows’ Wrath complete with a short bio, quote, and illustration. That page can be found here.

Now, it goes without saying that I heartily recommend this book, and just want to list a few of my favorite things:

• Many of Brown’s characters are “Gifted” and the range and variety of the different Gifts and how he implements them as plot devices is magical.
• Speaking of Magic, the various magical methods and concepts the author has some of his characters employ shows the care and attention to detail that he put into this work of fiction.
• His use of wit, humor, and even philosophy adds dimensions to the storytelling that make his manner of writing uniquely his.
• As with Volume One, this book is written on a level that ensure young teens to adults will have no issues reading and enjoying.
• Lastly, it sticks the landing. The reader, if they’re paying attention, begins to realize that this book is setting up at least one further volume in the future. But, it doesn’t negate to give the reader a satisfying and well-deserved conclusion for The Widows’ Wrath.

The Widows’ Wrath is available on Amazon on Kindle and Paperback here.