The final volume of a dark-fantasy trilogy finds its heroes hunting a tyrant on another world.

In the scarred realm of Norland, Jacob Grimwullf is the Dragonspawn, a warrior who battles evil on behalf of magii’ri law enforcers. He’s bonded to the Dragon Slagg, who wants Jacob to slay him and release his “true form.” Slagg initially agrees to protect Jacob and his companions—Link, Michael, and Anja—from his own mate, the Dragoness, but the group barely survives dealing with the winged beasts. Meanwhile, the Wizard Mathias and Jacob’s magii’ri mentor, Luke Graywullf, seek the Book of Runes. With it, they can fashion magical handcuffs to bind Darklord Timon Blackhelm and force him to reverse a spell that’s causing chaos in Norland. Later, Jacob learns that Lord Dunmore plans to betray King Titus to Traegor, King of Demons. When he warns Titus, the paranoid king imprisons Jacob and plans to use the powerful young man for his own twisted ends. Jacob’s only hope is to trick Titus into finding the capable Dragonwitch, La’Nay. Luke’s hunt for Timon takes him through a portal to an alternate version of Norland on another world. He learns that Timon isn’t just hiding there—he’s the ruling President. Rottinghaus’ third Dragonspawn novel is satisfactorily grim, featuring a series of nightmarish scenarios that endanger his heroes. None of the fantasy elements feel overused; Slagg, who “tossed [a victim] in the air like a cat with a mouse, caught him full in his jaws and ground his teeth together,” is consistently awe-inspiring. Incredible carnage results from Jacob’s enhanced abilities as he battles Beastsoldiers while gunning for the duplicitous King Titus. Events simmer down on the other world where Luke hunts Timon, a place that readers will find familiar. Rottinghaus allows reality to intrude on his narrative through a character who complains about “Greenies” and vegetarianism. Overall, the novel’s first half is more riveting and climactic than its second, but fans who’ve followed the series closely will appreciate its late reveal.

An energetic, gore-soaked series finale.

In this dark fantasy debut, a centuries-old Wizard crosses paths with a dying breed of gun-slinging lawmen.

Lynch, a villainous Dark Wizard some five centuries old, is being pursued by a mercenary across the frigid wastes of the post-apocalyptic World. The merc’s name is Ned Roark—one of King Elander’s magii’ri, who use magic and pistols to uphold the moral Code of Aard, the Mountain God. Elsewhere in the World, Lorn Graywullf and his magii’ri companions (Bill, Ox, and Smilin’ Jake) have spied a merchant ship full of weapons and gunpowder belonging to Mordant, the Black Queen. After wresting it from her, they proceed to the Isle of Serpents to stash the bounty. There, they encounter a nearly drowned Lynch, who promises to help destroy the World’s plague of Slayers, airborne creatures of Dark Magic, in exchange for a chance to recuperate. Lynch also explains the current situation in Graywullf’s home, Norland, in which Marsten—head of the wealthy magii’ri Council—has been using the magical warriors to enforce widespread corruption and economic suppression. Graywullf, who’s been away from home for almost two years, shudders to think that his son, Luke, may be in danger. But how far can Lynch and his words be trusted? Debut author Rottinghaus, in the first segment of his trilogy, has produced a sleek distillation of his influences—mostly J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King. His setup is a marathon of taut action and mythmaking that steams forward as it continuously infuses fantasy elements with precision, including dragons, magic tomes, and alternate realms. The author also hints at the World as it once was in lines like, “The men of that time traveled impossible distances in horseless carriages.” The book’s use of magic is subtle, taking place primarily in the minds of dueling Wizards—at one point, a challenger simply dies because his power is inferior to Lynch’s, and a killing spell is reversed. As the heroes tear through layer upon layer of evil (and experience their own casualties), the battles become increasingly gory, and the plot satisfyingly dense. It will be a thrill to watch this towering narrative grow during the next two planned volumes.

A fine fantasy debut intensified by its emotional heft and swaggering action.