War continues to rage across the land as the Black Road marches on the True Bloods. Captain Taim Narran desperately tries to hold the Black Road back but faces problems at every turn. The worst of these problems come from the arrogant and inexperienced Aewult who commands the realms armies with inexperience and volatility. Meanwhile Aeglyss is rapidly becoming the World's most powerful na'kyrim and is set to unleash his new powers on an unsuspecting World. It would appear only young Thane Orisian understands the danger Aeglyss poses but can he do anything about it?

"Bloodheir" is the second part of Brian Ruckley's epic "Godless World" trilogy. Epic is a term too often used in the fantasy genre and is one I usually use for classics such as Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". However, it is not a term that is misplaced here as Ruckley once again unleashes a superbly rich and complex fantasy novel. As with any middle book in a trilogy it benefits massively from not needing to do too much scene setting and as a result we are thrust instantly into a World of war, assasination and political intrigue. Of course, this means if you haven't read "Winterbirth", this books pre-cursor, it may well be totally lost on you as you muddle through complex family histories and terminology. However, as a continuation of a series this is pitched perfectly at an audience who want more warring factions and yet more love and loss.

Once again Ruckley gives us a strong cast of multi-faceted characters who are often duplicitous in their intentions. There are several sides here and you will find yourself struggling to figure out which one you should be rooting for. There is no true good and evil to be found and this makes for a far more rounded fantasy experience. If you want a stand out villain of the piece you will struggle to find one as characters on all sides are flawed and ultimately human.

In fact, despite being rich with vivid imagery this is fundamentally a book about characters and how they might behave. Despite being set in a traditional fantasy setting this is more of a novel of emotions and reactions. Characters have deep and varied backgrounds and there actions are rarely predictable. The tyrant can be a loving husband while the doting wife can also be a tyrant! Ruckley's writing differs a little in this outing in that the action can swiftly change from one characters viewpoint to another. This does make following the thread more difficult than the long narrative of "Winterbirth". However, it is also make "Bloodheir" far more exciting and adds a much faster pace to proceedings.

If I were to be picky, "Bloodheir" is slightly irritating as there is an obvious progression towards a final instalment that seemingly no serial novelist can avoid. Things seem to be motoring towards a conclusion and then everything ends quite abruptly leaving you yearning for more. No mean feat from a weighty 544 page tome! I highly recommend this accomplished and enthralling fantasy novel and cannot weight for an epic conclusion. Although you might want to read "Winterbirth" first