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When Dragons Rage: Book Two of the DragonCrown War Cycle by Michael A. Stackpole
It's traditional for the second book of a trilogy to drag; obviously nothing final can be resolved until the third book and so more plotlines are set up or just followed and the next thing you know Sam and Frodo are slogging through the dead marshes for 300 pages while the reader sinks into depression--sorry, am I going off on a tangent? Anyway, I didn't feel bored by this one.
When the last book ended, one of our heroes, Kedyn's Crow had gotten into a bit of trouble. All right, quite a lot of trouble. His friends, led by Princess Alexia, try to save him. After that, there is politicking and battles . . . and plot twists. General Adrogans continues his quest to liberate Okrannel, and may succeed . . . but Chytrine has left a dangerous gift for him. Kerrigan Reese finds an instructor who can take him to new heights. Prince Erlestoke of Oriosa carries on a guerrila war against Chytrines forces in the ruins of Fortress Draconis and beyond. And Will, who may or may not be the focus of an ancient prophecy, takes more strides into maturity and the heroism he will need to defeat Chytrine . . . if it doesn't kill him first (the heroism, that is, not Chytrine. She gets a female pronoun).
Also, a new character is introduced and we get a glimpse at how Chytrine justifies her war against the south and her use of the Dragoncrown fragments. After all, no villain considers themselves a villain, right? A lot of fun, and a really shocking ending to set up the final volume.
Oh, and, just as Fortress Draconis hardly appeared in the last volume despite being in the title, no dragons actually rage in this book, though a few do get really pissed.
Recommended.
The Grand Crusade: book three of the DragonCrown War Trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole
After the end of the last book, I couldn't wait to read this one. So I didn't.
There is nothing I can tell you about it that wouldn't risk spoiling the first two. So I'll just say that everything works out in some very surprising ways, and that I recommend the whole trilogy, plus The Dark Glory War, very highly.