Series: Masters & Mages #2
Release Date: January 29th 2019
Publisher: Gollancz
Pages: 448
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review.

Synopsis

Only fools think war is simple.
Or glorious.

Some are warriors, some captains; others tend to the fallen or feed the living.

But on the magic-drenched battlefield, information is the lifeblood of victory, and Aranthur is about to discover that carrying messages, scouting the enemy, keeping his nerve, and passing on orders is more dangerous, and more essential, then an inexperienced soldier could imagine . . . especially when everything starts to go wrong.

Battle has been joined – on the field, in the magical sphere, and in the ever-shifting political arena . . .

Review

Cold Iron was one of my favourite new fantasy books of 2018. I enjoyed the world so much and I really grew attached to Aranthur and friends. Masters and Mages has the feeling of an old time fantasy novel but with a completely fresh perspective. When Dark Forge arrived I was so excited to dive back into this world, and it definitely did not disappoint.

This time around we are on the battle field. Cameron brings to life the sights and sounds of the magic filled battle zone and it is a gripping setting for this next instalment.  Aranthur is tasked with carrying messages and he soon finds out this is  a pretty dangerous situation to be in – especially when things don’t go quite as planned. The plot is quite quick paced as the battle rages on and I found it difficult to put Dark Forge down.

Dark Forge also has quite a bit of political intrigue which I really enjoyed. It helped to expand the world and really immerse myself in the story. Like the previous instalment Aranthur goes through quite a bit of character growth and I enjoyed seeing him continue to gain new skills as a mage.

As Dark Forge continues the story of Aarathur it continues that feeling of old time fantasy but with a modern approach. I really loved this aspect of the book and it definitely feels like a breath of fresh air to the typical fantasy novel. Miles Cameron really does a superb job with world building and it was easy to sink into the world he has created in this exciting series. If you’ve read Cold Iron and planning to pick Dark Forge up, it’s definitely worth the wait!