Pact of the Nightmare Queen by Ian Garner

The second book begins exactly where the first ended, with Anshul unleashing his fire magic, defeating the Cinder Prophet, killing a dragon, and burning almost everything and everyone around him in the process. Stryg, the owlkin wizard, now carries the staff taken from the prophet, while the original group has expanded to include Hunhow, a devilkin monk, Michael, a half-elf ranger, and Gubal, a goblin. Because the title mentions a queen, I was expecting to see her quite early, but this was not the case. Having no female characters at all for the bulk of the novel, something I said was lacking in the first book, honestly felt good in this one. It let the story just be about the boys, so despite there being even fewer female characters, I liked it more.

Their mission remains the same: find Argo, Javari’s missing brother. After reaching a village governed by Jarl Errikson, they discover that remnants of the Cinder Prophet’s power still linger within Stryg’s staff, drawing a horde of undead towards them. From there, the group’s journey becomes increasingly chaotic, eventually involving flying on a dead, headless dragon, ancient mines beneath the Highlands, and several battles involving wraiths, demons, dead kings, and voidwyrms.

The novel continues the entertaining mix of traditional fantasy and modern humour established in the first book. Fenris is permitted into a village because Anshul claims the wolf is his support animal, while a lightning-wielding hammer is used as a defibrillator to bring someone back to life, complete with someone shouting “Clear!” before every jolt. The golem is essentially a robot that comes to life speaking pure science fiction: “Hostile entity detected. Security protocol activated. Directive: Protect the chapel from the taint of infidels. Commencing defensive action.” These moments of humour help build the relationships between the characters and stop the story’s darker events from becoming overwhelming. I also learned a thing or two about magic, both arcane and divine.

Gubal was a highlight. His broken-English declarations, including “Gubal save stink dwarf,” made him particularly endearing. One memorable sequence involves him being thrown across a chasm while wearing an oversized propeller hat, which he then intends to use as a tool for picking a lock.

That humour is balanced by moments of genuine sadness. One apparent death made me stop reading and search the character’s name in the Kindle app before I was willing to continue. Another occurs near the end, though I refuse to believe that character is truly gone. Too many of the larger questions across both books revolve around him, his power, and what may really be happening, so I am holding out hope for the third book.

It was also satisfying to see the group becoming more confident with the abilities they began developing in the first book. Their powers are no longer simply introduced; they are combined, tested, and used strategically in battle. The author also plants small, unsettling details around nearly every major character, continually making the reader wonder what is really happening beneath the surface.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how earned the relationships felt. These characters fight for one another, stand beside one another, argue over who is allowed to risk their lives for someone else, and bicker constantly, yet their loyalty never feels doubtful. Each character is given their own space to develop, and it is through their sacrifices for one another that we want to see them succeed. They recognise that each member of the group has flaws, secrets, and abilities that may eventually cost them more than expected, but they accept one another despite those dangers, at least for now.

An excellent fantasy adventure and, in my opinion, even better than book one.