This is the 2nd book of 4 in the Riftwar series. I liked the first book a lot and like this one a little bit better. It starts off where Apprentice leaves off. Pug is now a slave in another world and Tomas is struggling with a power that can overtake him. The war continues and no one sees it ending anytime soon.If you liked the first in this series, you'll definetly like this book. I gave it 4 stars only because when it got to the parts on the war strategies, politics, etc., it tended to bore me a bit. That's just me though. I would still highly recommend the book.