Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp

The invasion of the arch-wizards is on! The archwizards of Shade Enclave have come out of the desert with a message of peace, and an act of war. Split by petty disputes and causeless feuds, the merchant realm of Sembia is wide open for invasion, and with no shortage of Sembians more than happy to sell out to the Shadovar, can only one man--even if that man is Erevis Cale--do anything to stop it? From the Paperback edition.

What a step up from book 1! Everything notches up - the pacing, the war, the brutality, and the grittier, darker tone. Well done.

Book 2 continues immediately after the end of book 1. The pace never lets off from there, as we follow Cale and Riven on an intertwined quest to save Magadon and serve Mask's agenda. Along the way, we follow Abelar, Tamlin, Rivalen, and Elyril as they each deal with their own darkness within them. I have to love the theme here, so fitting with Shar's doctrine, and so well written.

Characterisation was superb, not just Cale and Riven, but the supporting cast as well. The book crams a lot of events, so it's really commendable that the internal reflections and dialogue continue to push the plot, yet builds a firm consistent picture of the characters.

The closing chapters bring to fruition all the schemes and plans that has been put into motion - the true scale of the plotting coming to light, pushing the primary concerns highlighted in book 1 into the background. There's even scenes where the Princes of Shade Enclave got to see some serious action. I think book 3 is going to get even darker still.