With The White Towers (The Rage of Kings Book 2), Andy Remic does something amazing. He takes the members of the Iron Wolves and actually begins to turn them into some semblance of human beings without losing their grimdark appeal. For those of you have not read my review of The Iron Wolves, I’m sure that seems somewhat nonsensical but just trust me when I say that our heroes are some of the most despicable, vile, and loathsome humans you will ever come across. From pit fighters to drug addicts to kidnapper/serial killers, the Iron Wolves run the gamut of human depravity. Honestly, when reading the first book of the series, I felt dirty for even routing for them to not be hanged for their crimes against humanity. But as I said, in book two, Andy Remic begins their slow transformation into something more than classic grimdark caricatures.

The story picks up right where book one ended: the remaining Iron Wolves have saved the Kingdom of Vagandrak from Orlana the Changer and her vile mud orcs and inhuman "splice" only to be arrested and sentenced to death by mad King Yoon. Now, they must not only find a way to save their sorry assess from the hangman’s noose but also, somehow, escape the impregnable fortress in the Pass of Splintered Bones. And even if they succeed in doing those things, none of them are prepared for what awaits them back home. For Orlana’s coming has awoken another enemy: the Elf Rats. These twisted denizens of the toxic land far to the north have returned to their ancient homeland, determined to avenge themselves on their ancient tormenters and wipe the scourge of mankind from Vagandrak!

From this great beginning, Mr. Remic weaves a grimdark story that actually spends a great deal of time on the characterization of the individual members of the Iron Wolves. The Captain of the Wolves, KiKi, has her early years and unusual childhood explored. Dek the Pit Fighter opens up about his family. Narnok of the Axe begins dealing with his wife’s betrayal and his vile torture. Trista the Serial Killer turns into more than a murdering ice princess. Even Prince Zastarte exorcizes his demons to an extent and explains how he had been lead down the path to serial killing. Not that any of these epiphanies by the Wolves washes them white as snow or changes their inherent evilness, but at least, Mr. Remic begins to explore the why of their insanity. That, in and of itself, made the characters more real and compelling to me.

Another thing that Mr. Remic does a good job of doing is actually giving readers a less over-the-top villain. The Iron Wolves really suffered, in my opinion, from the fact that Orlana the Changer was so evil, so ridiculously inhuman that all her actions seemed surreal. Here, though, the author finds the right balance between vile and fantastical with the Elf Rats. Sure, they are genocidal monsters, but their reasons for being such are clearly articulated, allowing a reader to understand why they hate the humans of Vagandrak so much and what they hope to gain from their behavior. Perhaps that doesn’t seem very praise worthy, but after book one, I thoroughly enjoyed knowing exactly why the bad guys were killing everyone.

With all that being said, I want to assure grimdark lovers that even with Mr. Remic spending more time of characterization and explanation The White Towers is still a blood spattering grimdark fantasy. There are pages and pages of gory atrocities, fierce battles, and monstrous genocide. Sex also plays a major role here, and more than a few of our heroes are bi-sexual, which leads to several uncomfortable moments when the less open-minded members of the group discover this. So if you loved The Iron Wolves or just are overdue for a hit of grimdark, pick this one up, but make sure you have a clean rag to wipe all the blood off your face as you read it.

I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

With The Iron Wolves, Book 1 of The Rage of Kings, being one of my favorite reads of last year, I was definitely anxious to check out the sequel. Although it does suffer somewhat from the dreaded second-book syndrome, coming across as more of a bridge between books than a standalone novel, that's not altogether a bad thing (more on that in a moment). Overall, The White Towers was still a great read.

On the strongest side of the middle book 'bridge' syndrome, Andy Remic really opens up the lives and histories of the Iron Wolves here, providing us with glimpses into who they really are, where they've come from, and what makes them tick. It's an approach that strips away some of the madcap cruelty of the first volume, humanizing the Wolves in such a manner that you can't help but sympathize with even the darkest of the lot. We heard a lot about their curse in the first book, but the story careened along at such a frantic pace, we didn't really have time to get to know them. It's only here that we begin to appreciate just how much they've suffered, and just how damaged they really are.

If the first book was General Dalgoran's tale, then this one is altogether Kiki's. It is she who now leads the Wolves, and she who provides the primary focal point for the narrative. As we learn here, her story is perhaps the darkest and most tragic of all, with the curse of the Iron Wolves paling in comparison to the curse of her birth. We get a lot more of her relationship with Dek here, but we also discover there are overlapping love/lust triangles within the Wolves, with desires both unexpressed and unrequited. It's odd, it's awkward, and it's a bit messy (especially when Zastarte starts taunting Dek with threats/promises of man-on-man lust), but it all makes a tragic sort of sense. Much to my surprise, it is actually Prince Zastarte who grows and develops the most here, with some rather pithy insights into both the human condition and the reasons behind his own cruelties. He was somebody I loved to hate in the first volume, but hated to love here.

As for the weaker side of the middle book syndrome, The White Towers comes across as a bridge between bigger story arcs. It begins with an underground flight from execution, with none other than King Yoon along for the ride as a prisoner/hostage. This is probably the most entertaining part of the story, with some great banter, really inventive threats, and some . . . well, troubling dialogue. As much as we have no reason to trust the madman, Yoon actually makes us question his motives, and wonder if the Wolves have saved the world from Orlana or just doomed it to something worse. I was surprised to see such doubt cast on the story, and to so successfully have such suspicions raised, but it definitely casts a new light on things.

The villains this time out aren't mud orcs but elf rats - twisted, cursed creatures with a dark affinity for the twisted, poisoned woods of their homeland. These guys are really creepy, with the ability to send out roots and tendrils that can either creep inside your head and steal your thoughts, or brutally rape your every orifice and tear you from the inside out. They're a more interesting race than the mud orcs, particularly given their sorrowful history, but it must be said their leaders cannot hold a candle to the over-the-top glory of Orlana the Changer.

It's with the elf rat story arc and the quest of the White Towers themselves that the narrative suffers some in terms of pacing and substance. There's a lot of waiting and traveling here, and despite some epic set pieces along the way (the salt plains were awesome), the climax seems somewhat rushed. In fact, if it weren't for the revelations about Mola (one of the 'lost' Iron Wolves), even the final sacrifices might have fallen a little flat - especially since I wonder how final they really are. Most frustrating of all, however, is the short epilogue in which a year-and-a-half of subsequent events are quickly summarized, with some big happenings just dropped in. I think, if the narrative had stretched to encompass that time period in the body of the novel itself, it might have felt a lot less like a middle book.

My minor quibbles about being a middle book aside, The White Towers was a heck of a lot of fun - and, in the grand scheme of things, it's probably better to come away wanting more, than feeling like the author packed in too much. The Iron Wolves are a fantastic lot, and the book doesn't suffer the slightest from the change in leadership. Once again, Remic mixes ample doses of pulp and profanity into his fantasy, with dark horrors balanced by even darker humor, creating a sequel that builds nicely on the original, and which absolutely demands a third.