After an old friend is murdered in retaliation for his mercenary strikes against the oldest vampires in the world, Atticus O’Sullivan must solicit the aid of another old friend in Ethiopia if he’s going to have a chance of finishing a war he never wanted. Meanwhile, Granuaile MacTiernan starts a private war of her own against Loki, the lord of lies, and if it brings Ragnarok early—so be it.
How was it? Most of the shorts stories in the Iron Druid Chronicles are as good, if not better than the books. It’s often everything I like about the books condensed in a short and effective story. In this one, I enjoyed the backstories and introduction of Makira, the sly reference to the lion King, it put a smile on my face like most pop culture references do in the Iron Druid Chronicles. These were some surprises like the predator in the African marsh but I’m glad for the charm.
As short stories go, “A Prelude to War” is one of the good one that is a great entree to book 8: “Staked“
You can check out the book here
Worn out Spines 
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