The Stone in the Skull

Excellent worldbuilding, but only the first part of the story

The Lotus Kingdoms are the scattered remains of a once great empire, small kingdoms each with their own rulers, and with widely-varying geographies and resources. Such a setup means that the rulers of the poorer, more desolate lands covet their richer neighbors, positioning themselves to take advantage of any momentary weakness.

Two mercenary-adventurers are escorting a trade caravan, with a secret second mission: to bring a powerful sorcerer's message to the young ruler of one of the wealthier kingdoms. As they approach their destination, they realize that they are riding into an impending war.

I was able to read and enjoy this without having read the earlier Eternal Sky trilogy, which took place in the same world, but centuries before this one. I enjoyed it enough that I am now going to pick up the original 3 books.

This is very much a setup novel, though, and is not really a complete story on its own. However, I will definitely be reading the subsequent books in the series. Those who dislike being left hanging might do well to wait until the next book has been released.