Search - A Darkness Forged in Fire (Iron Elves, Bk 1)

Excellent story and characters. Traditional fantasy with elves, dwarves and a shadowy villian weaves into a colorful story with distinct characters to root for as well as characters you love to hate. Conclusion hooks readers to want more in the next book.

The story is character rather than plot driven. The "good" characters are more well defined than the evil ones they face. We don't get to understand the Evil Queen's motives very well. Her henchmen and allies are undeveloped. It is obviously a vehicle for introducing the main characters of the trilogy(?). The Napoleonic flavor is a nice touch and the battles well described. Parts of the story are ingenious and parts are cliche. The writer and the trilogy (or whatever it ends up) has potential. A good read but not special enough to make me rush out to find book 2. I will keep an eye out for it though and read it when I get a chance. I'd like to see if the writer and his story progress to the next level.