Throughout both books of this duology, there is a certain amount of philosophizing about the evils and cost of war and revenge. The dialog is pleasantly rustic and emphatic, without the need for profanity. The characters seemed a bit simple-minded, until I remembered they’re straight off the farm -- literally.
The greatest strength of both parts of the duology is the interweaving of story lines from previous books and of recurring characters into an epic of bold deeds. The references to past books are not obvious, nor are they critical to the plot, but it's personally satisfying to identify the origin of a "rumour" or a "mythic" figure. Since all the books are interconnected and the continuity is very well done, the overall magic of this world builds, book by book.
Come to Mithgar and feel alive. Can you picture that as a caption on a travel poster?
Into the Forge (Hel’s Crucible, Part 1) comes close to reproducing the fire and heart of Dragondoom, the yardstick by which I measure all Mithgar books. The first few chapters are slow, but once Tipperton and Beau, the two Hobbit-like Warrows, get on the road, they’re up to their pointy little ears in trouble for the next 350 pages or so. Their mission is to deliver a token to a mysterious being named Agron. They’re guided by Elves and aided by Dwarves to reach their goal. The Humans have a large part in the ensuing war, but they fade into the background, while the story focuses on the Warrows and their non-Human allies.