The Guantlet and the Broken Chain by Ian Green

Elloise Hopkins

The immortal mage, Tullen One-Eye, the one they call Deathless, is back. Lothal, the god-wolf, is once again on the hunt, and Anshuka, the god-bear, still slumbers, guarded by her sworn protectors.

In the cold of the Claw Winter, stormguard Floré is desperate to find and save her daughter, Marta, from the magic that will slowly and surely kill her. She travels north with Yselda and Cuss at her side, slaying goblins as she must, even though she knows now the terrible truth of what they used to be. Still, she will do whatever it takes to save her child.

Ashbringer, the Orubor, has the dagger, but trapped on Deathless’ side, she can no longer kill him than she can leave him. Her ability to use the skein has been taken away from her and she does not yet understand what he wants with her. Unknown to her, Floré is also in need of an Orubor.

Like the previous books in The Rotstorm series, The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain begins again with an invaluable recap of what came before, reconnecting the reader with this world and its characters, and also contains some interludes which provide some well-received additional details.

This is a world where traditional fantasy elements are infused with just a touch of sci-fi technology. The rotsurge continues to plague the land with acid rains that bring dangerous creatures into the paths of our heroes.

The sword and sorcery kick off from the offset with battle and brutality, heightened with the knowledge gained in the last book that sheds more light on the truths of the rot and the distasteful actions our key characters face. The pace is relentless, leaving little time for sub-plots or second thoughts, propelling the reader to the finale. Green gives us resolution but leaves enough open that we could well see more of this world in the coming years.