Rooms of Ruin is the second book in the Blood of the Isir series by Erik Henry Vick and it is compelling, well-written, and a gorgeous treat for fans of epic fantasy. Hank Jensen is a man cursed by a powerful god and punished with a rare disease. But that’s not all there is about his pain. After battling powerful mythical creatures and beings to rescue his wife and son, his family gets trapped in Isir, and as the days pass his curse gets worse, ravaging his body. Now with the help of friends, he must travel to the distant Rooms of Ruin to reopen the pathways of the two worlds. Hank and his newfound friends will not only meet with dire obstacles on the way, but there is a traitor among them who dances to the tune of the Dark Queen and is just waiting to do her bidding. Even worse is what awaits them at the journey’s end — the very labyrinth of the trap! Can they press on through the danger and outwit one as cunning as the Dark Queen?

I loved, loved, and loved this novel! It’s so well-plotted and driven by a conflict that is enormous, a conflict not only between persons and beings, but one between worlds. The world building is impeccable and readers will feel as if they are navigating a mythical landscape filled with mystery and deadly traps. I enjoyed the deft handling of the theme of family, friendship and adventure. You know a great author when they can create an extraordinary character and make you believe in the character, feel close to the character, and that is what Erik Henry Vick has done. The writing leaps majestically off the pages and the conversations feel so real, without losing the relevance of the setting. Rooms of Ruin is fast paced, tightly plotted, and filled with stuff to entice fans of the genre.

Hank Jensen, his wife, Jane, and their son, Sig, were at some time in the past scooped up from their quiet life at home in western New York and transplanted into a weird and frightening multiverse, ruled over by the Dark Queen. Hank and his disparate group of followers and friends must somehow find a way home, whilst avoiding the infamous Dark Queen whose sole purpose seems to be to destroy the Jensen team, a group that includes her own sister. In Rooms of Ruin (Blood of the Isir Book 2) by Erik Henry Vick, they are searching for a way to the Rooms of Ruin, where it is possible they can restart the process that brought them to this place originally. The Dark Queen, however, will harry them every step of the way with every conceivable trap, a traitor, and some horrifyingly gruesome creatures under her control. Hank and his friends are in a race for their very lives.

There are epic fantasies and there are hugely epic fantasies. Rooms of Ruin (Blood of the Isir Book 2) by Erik Henry Vick is definitely in the category of hugely epic fantasies both in terms of its length and its depth. I am not a big fantasy reader, but despite not having read the first book in this series, the author drew me in immediately and the pages of this novel just flew by. There is a little adjustment to be made, as a reader not having read the first book, to grasp the situational reality of the setting for this novel, but the warmth, the humanity and the subtle use of sarcasm and wit by the author just draw you in and keep you reading. The fight scenes are violent and vivid, but for me the best parts of this book are the dialogues between the members of the team, especially the interaction between the wives and their husbands; this had me chuckling continually at the lines. The imagination of and the world created by the author has to be admired. I am always in awe of excellent fantasy authors and Vick is definitely in that category. I highly recommend this book and, by association, this series.