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Cleveland Portal #2
The Dwarves of Whiskey Island
A CONSPIRACY OF DWARVES--
Kline Maxwell was a serious political reporter, covering the City Hall beat for the Cleveland Press. He wasn't interested in working on "fuzzy gnome" stories, or any of the other unbelievable tales that should end up only in sensationalist rags. But twelve years ago a magical Portal had opened into Cleveland, a Portal that had ruined much of Cleveland's modern-day technology even as it released magical energy all over town. And suddenly there was a shift in the population as humans fled the burg while dwarves, elves, dragons, ogres, gnomes, mages, and every other denizen of the fantasy realm on the other side of the Portal began moving into town.
And whether he wanted to or not, Maxwell had found himself covering stories that sometimes took him far from his political stomping grounds and into way too much danger both magical and mundane. Now, just when he thought he was safe from all that, a mysterious phone call from a dwarf who wanted to give him information about the unexplained suicide of the former City Council President drew him into a case that had dark spells, destruction, and death written all over it...
Kline Maxwell was a serious political reporter, covering the City Hall beat for the Cleveland Press. He wasn't interested in working on "fuzzy gnome" stories, or any of the other unbelievable tales that should end up only in sensationalist rags. But twelve years ago a magical Portal had opened into Cleveland, a Portal that had ruined much of Cleveland's modern-day technology even as it released magical energy all over town. And suddenly there was a shift in the population as humans fled the burg while dwarves, elves, dragons, ogres, gnomes, mages, and every other denizen of the fantasy realm on the other side of the Portal began moving into town.
And whether he wanted to or not, Maxwell had found himself covering stories that sometimes took him far from his political stomping grounds and into way too much danger both magical and mundane. Now, just when he thought he was safe from all that, a mysterious phone call from a dwarf who wanted to give him information about the unexplained suicide of the former City Council President drew him into a case that had dark spells, destruction, and death written all over it...
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 4, 2005
1 person is currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
S. Andrew Swann
39 books118 followersS. Andrew Swann is the primary pseudonym of Steven Swiniarski, who also writes as S.A. Swiniarski, Steven Krane, and S.A. Swann.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 10, 2026
This is a fun novel set in Cleveland where a magical portal has opened over Browns Stadium and released a lot of magic and a host of magical creatures, such as the titular dwarves. You would assume that much hilarity ensues, and it does somewhat, but the humor is tempered by the viewpoint character, Kline Maxwell, who's a political journalist that ends up covering the whole magical mess, when all he really wants to do is cover serious human political activity. It's a very fun book, darker than you would expect for the subject matter, but it's still fun, as was the other book in the series, The Dragons of the Cuyahoga. This one stands alone well, and you don't need to have read the other one first. I believe I liked this one a bit better, and it's a shame there were no others. The depiction of Cleveland seems quite convincing, and Kline's character is very well developed.
February 3, 2010
The Dwarves of Whiskey Island is the second book in the Cleveland Portal series from S. Andrew Swann. I've read and reviewed the first book as well (The Dragons of the Cuyahoga) but the series is set up so that each book can be read individually. You don't need anything from the first book to follow or understand this second one.
And the second one is better than the first in my opinion. The first has it's interesting points, because the world he created--one in which Cleveland is suddenly inundated by dragons, elves, dwarves, etc because a portal to their world opens up in the middle of the city--was new and unique. Part of the problem with a series like this is that the second book can't rely on that "trick" to keep the readers reading. There has to be something new.
And there is in this. We still have the main character, Kline Maxwell, working for the newspaper and getting involved in the "fuzzy gnome" stories he hates when all he wants to cover is politics. In the first book, he gets assigned a "fuzzy gnome" story and the politics come in afterwards. In this one, he starts with politics and the "fuzzy gnome" gets interwoven into that. This time, it's dwarves. When they first came through the portal, no one knew what to do with them, so they were sent to the salt mines (where the magic was so high that no humans could live) and with the help of Mazurich, a politician, they became essential to the survival of the city after the portal by taking over construction projects and such.
And then Mazurich kills himself . . . and no one knows why. Kline receives a phone call that sends him search of the answers and leads him to the dwarves . . . and something much, much worse that threatens not only Cleveland, but his family as well.
I liked this book better because the writing felt . . . smoother. It was easier to read and the case itself flowed more naturally out of Kline's real job as a reporter on politics. Another reason I liked both this book and the previous one was become S. Andrew Swann is adept at giving you more and more information about the story without actually giving the real point/plot away. He sets all the cards on the table for Kline (and essentially us) and yet they still don't quite make sense until he reveals what's REALLY going on at the end. And then it makes perfect sense and you wonder why you didn't see it earlier. I also liked how this story got more personal for Kline. In the first book, it was just him against everything else. In this one, it gets personal, threatening his family, so in the end he's not doing this to save himself or to get the story for the paper. This personal stake in the outcome makes the book much more tense and dramatic.
I had some issues with the ultimate bad guys in the book, but I think my issues are more personal than anything else. I can't really say anything more about this without ruining part of the plot of the book. Suffice it to say that I wish S. Andrew Swann had chosen something a little new and different for the Big Evil. Don't get me wrong, he does do something different things with this Big Evil, but the Evil itself . . . he had an entire portal full of anything he wanted, so I wished he'd come up with something different.
But as I said, a good story. It has me wondering if he's going to do any more stories in the Cleveland Portal series. I hope he does.
And the second one is better than the first in my opinion. The first has it's interesting points, because the world he created--one in which Cleveland is suddenly inundated by dragons, elves, dwarves, etc because a portal to their world opens up in the middle of the city--was new and unique. Part of the problem with a series like this is that the second book can't rely on that "trick" to keep the readers reading. There has to be something new.
And there is in this. We still have the main character, Kline Maxwell, working for the newspaper and getting involved in the "fuzzy gnome" stories he hates when all he wants to cover is politics. In the first book, he gets assigned a "fuzzy gnome" story and the politics come in afterwards. In this one, he starts with politics and the "fuzzy gnome" gets interwoven into that. This time, it's dwarves. When they first came through the portal, no one knew what to do with them, so they were sent to the salt mines (where the magic was so high that no humans could live) and with the help of Mazurich, a politician, they became essential to the survival of the city after the portal by taking over construction projects and such.
And then Mazurich kills himself . . . and no one knows why. Kline receives a phone call that sends him search of the answers and leads him to the dwarves . . . and something much, much worse that threatens not only Cleveland, but his family as well.
I liked this book better because the writing felt . . . smoother. It was easier to read and the case itself flowed more naturally out of Kline's real job as a reporter on politics. Another reason I liked both this book and the previous one was become S. Andrew Swann is adept at giving you more and more information about the story without actually giving the real point/plot away. He sets all the cards on the table for Kline (and essentially us) and yet they still don't quite make sense until he reveals what's REALLY going on at the end. And then it makes perfect sense and you wonder why you didn't see it earlier. I also liked how this story got more personal for Kline. In the first book, it was just him against everything else. In this one, it gets personal, threatening his family, so in the end he's not doing this to save himself or to get the story for the paper. This personal stake in the outcome makes the book much more tense and dramatic.
I had some issues with the ultimate bad guys in the book, but I think my issues are more personal than anything else. I can't really say anything more about this without ruining part of the plot of the book. Suffice it to say that I wish S. Andrew Swann had chosen something a little new and different for the Big Evil. Don't get me wrong, he does do something different things with this Big Evil, but the Evil itself . . . he had an entire portal full of anything he wanted, so I wished he'd come up with something different.
But as I said, a good story. It has me wondering if he's going to do any more stories in the Cleveland Portal series. I hope he does.
August 26, 2014
Love it! This book is even more exciting than the first. If you've read the first book, you gotta check this one out for sure. The plot is bigger and much scarier, and I was honestly worried how the ending would end.
One of the things that I really liked about this story was how the main character shows more of his fatherly and loving side to his daughter, who comes into a larger play in the plot. I liked the writing style this time around too, it was easy to follow and the change in events seemed to happen at the right times, never being too short or dragged out. (At least in my opinion...) Overall, it was a very smooth ride. This is a book I'll be reading again for sure...
Caledvwlch is still awesome btw. :P
One of the things that I really liked about this story was how the main character shows more of his fatherly and loving side to his daughter, who comes into a larger play in the plot. I liked the writing style this time around too, it was easy to follow and the change in events seemed to happen at the right times, never being too short or dragged out. (At least in my opinion...) Overall, it was a very smooth ride. This is a book I'll be reading again for sure...
Caledvwlch is still awesome btw. :P
May 4, 2015
We're back in Cleveland, Ohio with magical creatures. This was an interesting story since it focused more on the dwarves in the city. I enjoyed the story overall. The writing was detailed and the original characters came back with a new mystery to solve. My only problem was that Kline Maxwell was back to solving mysteries again, but he still wasn't a detective. The story progresses at a good pace. The story sticks with the original plot, but with each new discovery the plot becomes more complex. The characters did develop compared to the first book, because of their new experiences. I recommend this book to the readers who enjoyed the first book, and to the ones who like mystery and fantasy. If there are more books in the series I will continue to read them.
March 1, 2017
This is the second of Swann's supernatural portal set in Cleveland books. From what I can tell there are no more. That is somewhat unfortunate as I enjoy the "old home" nature of the stories. I guess there are just not enough of us who like the idea of NE Ohio meets Middle Earth.
What is most interesting about Swann's two Cleveland novels (I do not know if the rest of his work is this way) are the plots are plots within plots within plots. He does such a great job twisting and turning the plot that one never knows who the real big bad is until the very end of the book.
What is most interesting about Swann's two Cleveland novels (I do not know if the rest of his work is this way) are the plots are plots within plots within plots. He does such a great job twisting and turning the plot that one never knows who the real big bad is until the very end of the book.
August 11, 2015
I can easily recommend it.
The two things I liked most about it were:
1. Non-convential setting mixes high fantasy, urban fantasy, the occult and municipal politics in Cleveland, OH.
2. Protagonist isn't some kind of special ubermensch/chosen one. He's a regular guy thrust into extraordinary circumstances and has to make make due with little more than his wits.
The two things I liked most about it were:
1. Non-convential setting mixes high fantasy, urban fantasy, the occult and municipal politics in Cleveland, OH.
2. Protagonist isn't some kind of special ubermensch/chosen one. He's a regular guy thrust into extraordinary circumstances and has to make make due with little more than his wits.
May 23, 2017
I picked this up at the used book store in Japan where the pickings were slim. I enjoyed it a lot. The setting amused me.
I do believe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book first. I might go back and read it later despite the inevitable spoilers that come from reading the second book first.
I do believe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book first. I might go back and read it later despite the inevitable spoilers that come from reading the second book first.
March 17, 2018
Anyone that questions the importance of representation in fiction should find a fun novel or two that take place in their city. Once you feel how fantastic it can be to see your world, your experiences and history, the setting of your life, reflected in the story you're consuming, it's easy to make the mental leap and imagine how great it is for everyone else to see and feel that for their group, whatever that group may be. I loved The Dwarves of Whiskey Island, just as I loved Dragons of the Cuyahoga, but if I'm being honest, I probably can't review either book with much objectivity. As a Cleveland boy through and through, I just get too much joy from reading a book full of mages and dragons and dwarves and magic and mana that also uses my city as not just a setting, but a bit of a character in its own right. If it makes perfect sense to you that dwarves would be Westsiders and elves would be Eastsiders, then you need to read both of these Cleveland Portal books. If the previous sentence makes no sense to you at all, so what? Read them anyway and see that there's more magic in Cleveland than just our spiffy rivers of fire.
January 22, 2026
Wow! This really hits so much better than the first story. This was a GREAT book! The tone was witty and fitting for a noir, the action scenes were vivid and well written, and the story was filled with heart and soul.
I thought this really found a stride that the first book didn’t because of the need to introduce this world. This hits on the interplay of politics, magic, and a love of Cleveland. I’d highly recommend this book to folks who love noir tales.
I thought this really found a stride that the first book didn’t because of the need to introduce this world. This hits on the interplay of politics, magic, and a love of Cleveland. I’d highly recommend this book to folks who love noir tales.
January 11, 2020
A great follow up book
August 30, 2020
CW: suicide, graphic violence & death
Almost as fun as the first one. I love Kline's relationship with his daughter - very sweet and refreshing.
Almost as fun as the first one. I love Kline's relationship with his daughter - very sweet and refreshing.
August 31, 2008
This is the second fantasy in a fine new series. I recommend it highly.
September 23, 2012
Not worth the nightmares it gave me.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews