Embers of an Age by Tim Marquitz

After a brutal battle with the Grol, in which Lathah has fallen, Arrin and members of the royal family retreat to Pathrale and the race of cat people who live there. Arrin comes to the conclusion that he needs an army to defeat the Grol and he needs to arm them with Ohra, the magical amulets that the Grol are currently using against them. In order to do this, he and his band must go to the Funeral Sands, an incredibly dangerous area of desert where creatures lurk underneath the sand. Meanwhile, the Prince of Lathah is plotting treachery in taking the throne from his father, proclaiming himself to be the king, and killing off the remaining members of the Royal Family. There are enemies at every front that Arrin must deal with.

This novel doesn’t really feel like a stand-alone novel, and in fact ends with a cliff hanger. Much like the first book, there is non-stop action in this installment. The story progresses at a furious pace with few wasted words. On the one hand, this makes for great reading. On the other hand, with the extensive cast, I think a few of the characters could stand for a little more character development. Marquitz does, however, a good job of distinguishing these characters despite the large cast. Although I would have liked to have a more definitive ending for the book, the cliff-hanger ending definitely makes me want to read the final part in this series. This is a very action-oriented epic fantasy novel that I highly recommend, a definite must for readers of epic fantasy.