Lava & Lightning

J.S. Morin

Sep 2025 · Dragonhammer Saga Book 1 · Magical Scrivener Press

About this ebook

It takes a dwarf to be homesick for a place he's never been.

Ninety years ago, the dwarves of the Dragonhammer Clan were driven from their ancestral home. Now, a small band from a new generation, raised in exile among humans, are mounting a venture to retake it.

These young dwarves aren't fools. They don't have an army. They don't even know the old ways. Led by the young heir to the clan, Genrik Dragonhammer, they seek to carve out a foothold within a nearby mountain, rebuild the clan's strength, and eventually drive out the goblins that have settled in the city their ancestors built.

But the goblins have other ideas. Their network of spies locates the Dragonhammer outpost on their borders. Knowing that a fortified settlement of dwarves is the last thing they need for neighbors, they come up with the most obvious solution:

War.

It will be up to a small group of young, untested dwarves to combine their upbringing in human lands with the knowledge of aeons of dwarven tradition and find a way to defend their new home against the occupiers of their ancestral one.

The Dragonhammer Saga isn't the story of one dwarf, but of the whole clan. If you want the whole vibe of dwarves as hard-drinking, hard-working, family oriented, and tougher than nails (or just about anything else), then this is the series for you. If you prefer your dwarves and gruff, bearded miners who might occasionally break into song, good news: this is also the series for you!

Ratings and reviews

Grab your pickaxe and join a clan of dwarves carving out Dragonhammer Deep to reclaim their heritage. As always, J.S. Morin delivers characters you root for, villains with depth, and lore both rich and inventive. The “Dwarven History for Humans” excerpts are as funny as they are insightful. This new JS Morin world has me hooked —I’m already eager for the next adventure.

This new fantasy series by Morin is a refreshing return to pure fantasy without it calling up much of anything from his Twinborn series. This story pulled me in right from the start as a group of dwarves are on a trek to reclaim their home. Much of the book spends time bringing the reader up to speed with the dwarf culture and history. Not much time is spent with the magic system, but we do get glimpses. The characters are compelling and it is easy to become invested in their stories.

A new generation of young dwarves return to the mountains their ancestors once called home and work to establish themselves there anew. They have rudimentary dwarf skills (like mining and forging) but have to learn that it's different when it is for real. They have lots of new challenges to face and some enemies from long ago to contend with in a story that clearly has an ending - but also cries out for a series) I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.