Runes & Ruins

Dragonhammer Saga #2

by J.S. Morin

No army. No map. No backup. Just dwarves.

With their outpost secure, the newly crowned king of the Dragonhammer dwarves finds himself more concerned with trade and infrastructure than conquest. The failed invasion weakened their enemies, and the dwarves have graciously declined to counterattack.

After all, the Dragonhammer Clan sees the monument to their dead every day.

But the goblins can't afford to leave well enough alone. Desperate for resources only available within the dwarven-controlled region, they try to barter. And when the dwarves refuse to deal with their enemies, the goblins resort to theft.

King Nedrum Dragonhammer wants nothing more than peace, but he's not willing to pretend the goblins will ever let them have it. Not after they proved they can't mend their ways. A hasty war party is assembled, and the goal is finally drive the occupiers out of their ancient homeland, once and for all.

The Dragonhammer Saga isn't the story of one dwarf, but of the whole clan. If you want the whole vibe of dwarves as hard-drinking, hard-working, family oriented, and tougher than nails (or just about anything else), then this is the series for you. If you prefer your dwarves and gruff, bearded miners who might occasionally break into song, good this is also the series for you!

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

I am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a fantasy writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic fantasy with starships. I have worked as an unpaid Little League pitcher, a cashier, a student library aide, a factory grunt, a cubicle drone, and an engineer--there is some overlap in the last two.

Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.

I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.

My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.

Reviews

[Frank Carver]

The Dragonhammer Dwarves march to retake their old home.

After thoroughly enjoying the first book in the series "Lava and Lightning", I rushed into reading this new volume. It's been several years since the events of the first book. Not much time for the long-lived dwarves of the Dragonhammer Deeps, but enough for their human friends and goblin enemies to get old and weary. When goblins start raiding the dwarves for platinum, king Nedrum decides enough is enough and brings forward their plans to retake their ancestral home of Skrasforge.

This book still has a lot of what I loved about the first one - a richly developed dwarven culture, a heady mix of technology, magic and action, and characters who feel real and act accordingly. Overall, I enjoyed it, but a shade less than its predecessor. The best thing about this book is definitely the machinations of the street-smart goblin leader contrasted with the worthy and traditionalist dwarves.

However, I I think this book suffers a little from middle book syndrome. It's position in a trilogy is clear but it mainly seems to serve as a bridge between the "up from nothing" struggles of the first book and what I hope will be an era-defining climax to come in the next.

I'm still looking forward to the next one, though.

[Barbara]

The dwarves of the Dragonhammer Clan are concentrating on building up their new underground home of Dragonhammer Deep and setting up trade agreements with humans, after the battle with the goblins fifteen years ago caused the loss of many of their clan. To the long-lived dwarves, that isn’t much time at all, and they’re willing to wait until the right time to take back their homeland, Skrasforge, from the occupying goblins, who have inhabited it for a century. The goblins are under pressure to procure a rare metal and when they can’t trade the dwarves for it, they resort to theft. This is the last straw for the dwarves and they begin preparing for war. The story is told from the pov of the dwarves as well as the goblins, but I always remember that the goblins were the aggressors to begin with, so don’t feel too sorry for them. The ending was a little anti-climactic, but with an edge of upcoming danger hanging over it all, since the goblins are striking a deal with the trolls and their empress. I’m looking forward to the final story in the trilogy, hoping to see the dwarves finally have their ancestral home back and able to live in peace.

[Brett Wickersham]

It has been 15 years since the last book, and the founding of Dragonhammer Deeps. The dwarven colony is growing and thriving. Meanwhile, the same cannot be said for the goblins that are inhabiting Warm-Stone, their name for the captured dwarven city of Skarsforge. When the goblins need platinum, and their stores have run out, they decide that their only course of action is to steal a lode from the dwarves. This act of aggression rallys the dwarven clans to finally take the last step, and begin the process of reclaiming their ancestral city.
This is a great continuation of the series, and has enough twists and surprises to keep the pages turning quickly. Even though the dwarves are our protagonists, and the goblins are the antagonists in this story, you can't help but feel for them a little as you see how the actions from the first book have had an impact. I am definitely looking forward to the third installment of the series.

[Kelly Peasgood]

Picking up 15 years after the first book (which is barely a blink in Dwarf terms), we see the impressive industriousness of the Dwarves of Dragonhammer Deep, and also the restlessness of some inhabitants keen on reclaiming Skrasforge, along with the festering resentment against the Goblins who dwell there. Plans are made to scout the city in the hopes of finding a way to mount a successful war to flush out the 'green vermin'.
Great look at the thought processes and memories of various races given their differing life spans; what seems yesterday to a Dwarf is a generation gone to a Goblin, barely any time to an Elf, and don't bother with silly things like time to a Dragon.
I found the end anticlimactic, yet it sets up the sequel well.

[Carol Brandon]

A great continuation of the saga. The dwarves have created a settlement at Dragonhammer Deep, and settled in nicely. But the goblins need platinum, and the dwarves won’t trade with them. Tensions escalate. The ending was unexpected - I had anticipated something different! If you like Tolkien, imagine the nitty gritty of retaking the Mines of Moria, which are inhabited by goblins. I loved the dwarves, and even the goblin king. Looking forward to book 3! I received a free copy of the book with no obligation.

[Suzie Nicks]

Loved the plot. Switching POVs so often was a little dizzying in the first few chapters but once I adjusted it was great to see events from so many angles. I was quite confused by the romance between Ned and Ressa until about the halfway mark, so I wish that was acknowledged/explained sooner. I also hate how much I like King Skibl and that I want the Dwarves to win but I don't want him to lose. I bought the next book immediately after finishing.

[James Ronholm]

The saga continues.

Less outright fighting than the first novel, but the story has way more depth. No longer are we looking at a simple "Dwarfs reclaim homeland after battle story" but we learn a lot more about what intrigues, pacts, and counter-allies are doing down in the depths and where their interests lie. Although the dwarfs remain the protagonists, there is significant exploration of the goblins, their lives, industry, and politics. Skibl in particular makes a return and shows just how smart he really is.

I've already pre-purchased the next (third) book.