The Anvil of Souls

The Forgemaster Cycle, Book 2

By: Joshua C. Cook

Narrated by: Eric Bryan Moore

Gods are hard to beat, even dead ones.

Victory!

Hard-fought, and a close thing, but victory all the same. But why did William feel so horrible about it all?

He had Amder back to the world. He, William Reis, was made the new forgemaster of Amder by the God himself. Valnijz’s return ended, and even the near-immortal High Priest Zalkiniv is gone. The Valni were almost totally decimated, assuring safe passage for years to come.

But the cost was high. Scores of innocent Reachers dead to the Valni. And Duncan Reis, William's last family, was dead. Duncan was the one who stopped the blood god, trading his own life for that feat. Given a new task by the God Amder, William and his friends embark to set things in order, joined by Captain Vin Tolin, an old soldier and now de facto protector of the newly minted Forgemaster William.

Soon, Will discovers that not all is as he believed, and Duncan may yet still live. Dropping everything, William sets out to save his cousin one last time. Things are not always as they appear, however. For, secrets abound in this group of friends. One secret will hurt the heart, one will terrify them, and one could undo everything they have worked and sacrificed for.

From the dark depths of the world of Alos, to the last refuge of true magic, William and his allies will scour the world for the truth. It just may not be the truth they want to find.

The last act of the Gods' fall is still to come, and the hidden past will remake everything.

©2020 Joshua C. Cook (P)2023 Joshua C. Cook

The Forgemaster Continues

Once again Joshua C Cook has written a creative and clever epic fantasy that has taken his characters down dark and dangerous paths. Joshua's world building skills and introduction of new and varied creatures are by themselves worth reading his tale. His likeable and relatable characters are icing on the cake. I recommend this book for those who like this genre. Eric Bryan Moore's narration skills are accomplished and add another layer of enjoyment to the story. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Yup no question now. I am definitely hooked!

Yup no question now. I am definitely hooked on this series and can't wait for book #3, 4, 5 ,6 .........

The story had it all, multiple gods, a love story, death, sacrifice and plenty of weird creatures which is right up my ally.

The narration seemed much better then the first book and I am really starting to like Eric Bryan Moore's narration style so will need to look for more of his work.

Sooooo Joshua is book 3 ready yet???? ;)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

2nd Book in Series

Though this book continues the story started in book #1, I personally did not think it was as good. The various Gods are mostly mean, arrogant beings and as the book goes on I find I dislike where this Story is heading. Narrator did a good job with this story and characters.

Awesome

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially made even better by the narrator. His voice was clear and easy to listen to. You feel the magic that’s going on. Will finds things are not what they seem.

The gods are keeping secrets from each other!

The Anvil of Souls by Joshua C. Cook is a continuation of the amazing story of Will and Duncan. We learn more about the gods of this world in The Anvil of Souls. The gods are keeping secrets from each other! Big secrets! I can’t wait for the third book!

Synopsis:
Will has just resurrected the god Amder. His cousin and best friend, Duncan, had to sacrifice his own life to prevent the rise of the blood god Valnijz. Will is utterly devastated at the loss of Duncan. He pulls himself together just enough to set out on a new quest for Amder.

When Will finds out that Duncan may still be alive, he abandons the quest to mount a rescue. Both gods, Amder and Valnijz, have plans to get their way at the end, but no one is counting on Myriam’s surprise!

Story Review:
Blood of the Fallen God is the first book in this series and the first book ever written by Joshua C. Cook. He hit a grand-slam home run with that book. I loved it in every way! As a follow-up to such a remarkable first book, The Anvil of Souls is good but doesn’t quite live up to the complexity and intrigue of the first book.

I would like to have seen more subplots, decision-making, consequences, and action outside the main plot lines. Imagine if The Anvil of Souls’ ending marked the end of the second act and then continued with twists and turns in the third act. Oh, the possibilities!

I will definitely read book three in the series. I cannot wait to see how the story continues!

Narration Review:
The narration is incredible. Eric Bryan Moore does an amazing job with the voices and action in the book. His supernatural voices will make your spine tingle!

Source:
I received a free copy of The Anvil of Souls at my request in exchange for an honest review.