#011 Viperhand by Douglas Niles (Maztica Trilogy Book 2)
Read 27/9/19 to 30/9/19
Book 2- the middle one, and it suffers a little because of it- it's not the rip-roaring start of the trilogy, likewise it's not the climactic conclusion, it is the middle bit, and it wanders.
Hal and Erix are on the run from the chaos brought about in the war for gold, people, hearts, souls and the gods of Maztica. The story is great, of course, but it just seems to be going places rather than arriving. The ancient ones (Drow) are still after Erix, Cordell and his mercenary company are finding things are not quite going to plan, and the giggling maniacs (on both sides) are at it big time- ripping out hearts and riding down children with their cavalry (actually, that night have been in the first book). Zaltec and his mob are really not nice at all, you get the feeling that 'civil'-isation is on hold until these bad boys are run out of town.
The best bit- the birth of the Driders.
Read!
Update- I don't think I did this one justice, I've had a think about it and there was a lot more cool stuff in here than I first remembered (I'm reading a lot of these books quickly, as you can see). There's a fantastic attempted break-out from the central city of Maztica (name escapes me). With Cordell (the mercenary commander) having taken hostage (sorta) the native's leader. The mercenary company's residence encircled by Zaltec fanatics, the good guys (not) have to fight their way through the streets, with all those captured by the Zaltecs- including the portly priest of Helm, being frogmarched to the temple for emergency open-heart surgery.
Meantime Hal, Erix, the Couatl and others are up the mountain paying their respect (not) to the ancient ones (Drow).
Then the mountain explodes.
Go plume magic.
Then... then the birth of the Orcs, Ogres, Trolls and... the Driders.
That's a bit better.
Cheers Goonalan