Elizabeth Moon returns to the fantasy world of the paladin Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter – Paks for short – in this second level of a fresh series filled with all the bold imaginative flights, meticulous world-building, realistic military action, and deft characterization that readers have come to expect from this award-winning author. In Kings from the North, Moon is usually working at the very elevation of her storytelling power. Peace and purchase have already been restored to the kingdoms of Tsaia and Lyonya, thanks a lot about Kings from the North towards the crowning of two kings: Mikeli of Tsaia and, in Lyonya, Kieri Phelan, a mercenary captain whose royal blood and half-elven heritage are resented by elves and human beings alike. On the top, all is usually hope and guarantee. But underneath, trouble can be brewing. Mikeli cannot sit properly on his throne as long as remnants of the wicked Verrakaien magelords are in large. Kieri has been hounded to marry and offer the kingdom with an heir – but this is the least of his issues. A strange rift is rolling out between him and his grandmother and co-ruler, the immortal elven queen referred to as the Lady. More problematic may be the ex-pirate Alured, who schemes to seize Kieri’s throne for himself – and Mikeli’s, too, while he’s at it. In the mean time, to the north, the intense kingdom of Pargun seems poised to invade. Now, as war threatens to erupt from without and within, both kings are dangerously divided. Aged alliances and the bonds of camaraderie are going to end up being tested as nothing you’ve seen prior. And a stunning discovery changes everything.