The Dwarves

The Dwarves-A MUST READ!!!!

I picked this up at Barnes & Noble almost by accident. Intrigued with the plot and it's seeming originality I bought it. I had never heard of the book (though it's an International best selling fantasy title) or it's author. I learned that the book was just released in the US and translated from German. Once I started The Dwarves it was so hard to put down. The Characters, the writing style and the battle scenes were all done just right. For any fan of great fiction, great writing and awesome fantasy. "The Dwarves" is a must. The sequel_"The War of the Dwarves" is due in february 2010. I look forward to that!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The epicness is overwhelming!

I wasn't expecting much when I first came into the book, and because of that, I had no idea it would be so overwhelming. Keep in mind you're getting into something huge when you read this book. Do not, under ANY circumstances, underestimate it! Time is precious, after all, and this book is worth it! It was designed with political intrigue and TONS of hack-and-slash action in mind, and I'm happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. I hope I've persuaded you. Now, go out and read it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

an exciting sword and sorcery saga

In the Fourth Kingdom Tungdil Bolofar the dwarf was found as an abandoned infant and raised amidst the long-uns. He works for master magus Lot-Ionan the Forbearing ruler of the enchanted realm of Ionandar, who is one of the great sorcerers protecting the Girdlegard Valley; a land also defended by mountains on all sides with five passages watched over by the five tribes of dwarves.

However, all is not well in Girdlegard in the 5199th Solar Cycle. The evil ones want to breach the natural and species fortification. The alfar, gnomes, trolls, orcs, and others have apparently found an egress through the deserted Fifthling Kingdom while the sorcerers are busy trying to prevent the spread of the Perished Land where those who die reanimate as tormented revenants. However, a traitor from within has placed Girdlegard in jeopardy. On an assignment for his master, Tungdil meets dwarves especially a female he is attracted to; but the mission comes first.

The incredibly deep vivid descriptions of the five kingdoms is a two edged sword as readers become fully versed with the Heitz fantasy realm but also can slow down an exciting sword and sorcery saga. The cast is strong as the culture of with long-uns, magus, and dwarves come across as genuine. Fans will enjoy Tungdil's escapades as he goes from a blacksmithing ward to adventures to save the world as he knows it; ironically his quest changes that world because he begins seeing it differently. With a nod to Willow, DWARVES is en entertaining well written quest fantasy that at time times slows down with the mountains of detail.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommemded

This is very hard to put down. I first saw it on a table at my local Barnes and Noble and was intrigued by the cover. I did"t pick it up right away as I thought it would be yet-another-poor-retelling-of-The-Lord-Of-The-Rings. I'd gotten away from fantasy fiction just because of that. The book stayed with me and, when it became available, as a nookbook i bought it. I wasn't disappointed. Tungdil is a very "real" character, not an empty stereotype. I have to read the others now!

Amazing

Its better than you would think its written really well.

Riveting

Amazing start to what i hope is a great series

Entertaining

An entertaining tale. Nice to see a book in the point of view of Dwarves. A typical entertaining fantasy book, but nothing thatvreally stands out.

awsome read

I read the english translation and loved it. Upon completion, I promptly started the sequal and can't wait for the third in the serries to come out!

A must read!!!

This is a great fantasy filled with charaters and plots. If you get book one you need to get book 2 at same time!

Great Read

I picked this book up because it looked good from its cover art. I had never heard of the author or the book. I am sure glad I took a chance on this one. It is a great story of not knowing where you come from but knowing who you are. I enjoyed all the cast of characters in this book, from the warrior twins to the hero Tungdil. This was a great book from start to finish the author leaves you wanting more and more. It is non-stop action from start to finish never a dull moment.

An Epic Adventure!

This book was awesome...a great story about a dwarf raised in human society who longs to unite with some of his fellow kin, and then finds himself in the middle of more than he bargained for...venturing out on a quest to save the land from an evil force known as the Perished Land. Several dwarves wind up accompanying him on this perilous journey, and though this great work revolves mainly around dwarves, there are also a couple of humans, a mage, a half alf half human, and a hulking dark warrior who band together with them for this journey and all play pivotal roles in the quest, and there is of course more to this book than just that, but that's the general jist of it. I don't want to go inot too much detail either, so as not to spoil too much. You simply just need to read this book! Go out and buy it! If you like Lord of the Rings or the Inheritance Cycle series by Christopher Paolini, then you're bound to enjoy this book. It is refreshing to see dwarves as the primary characters in a work of fantasy for a change, and I feel that Heitz did a wonderful job on this. If you like fantasy...this is a must read! Check it out!

Nice look at dwarves in fantasy

Markus Heitz does an excellent job talking about the relationship between a race that is often not covered in fantasy literature. The interactions between the dwarves and looking at the story through their eyes made this novel enjoyable for me. I felt like it dragged a little bit in the middle, but overall the action kept the pages turning. A great battle scene at the end just capped off what a great book this was. I am definetly buying the next book about Tungdil, Boendil and Boindil.

Has promise, but hurt by shallow characters

Idea and some plot details were interesting and had a lot of promise, however, there was very limited character development, which hindered my enjoyment.

There was very little to tell the 'good guys' apart, even considering very different background stories and some plot developments.

'Bad guys' likewise were one dimensional. There was very little to differentiate one from another (individual, type, etc).

Conversations were likewise flat and repetitive.

Also, the pacing was fast and frenetic ... hours of story-world time passed similarly to days of story-world time (same conversations, etc).

Seemed more of a young adult book, versus mature fantasy a la Tolkien, or even GRR Martin or CJ Cherryh.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great read along the lines of the Hobbit.

The author has created a great book that has much potential to braoden into a great series. His character development is amazing. I cant wait to get his next book in this series, "The War of the Dwarves".

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best German fantasy novel ever!

This book is a really great fantasy novel and one of the best I've ever read. You can feel the world and the characters which are described. It is so easy to understand the dwarves, their lives and traditions which are illustrated incredibly remarkably. I promise you will fall in love with the main character and his funny pals. I can very recommend this unbelievable entertaining and extraordinary book. There is love, humor, drama and creepy horror.

p.s. Give this German author a chance! He's very good in writing. Trust me.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good book although not as good as "Orcs"

Very much like a dwarf version of "lord of the Rings".

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good

I thought it was good book overall. I think it being translated may have lost some of the feeling, but it was still a good read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun and moved quickly

It was a great fantasy book that moved along at a great pace. I enjoyed it.

Best book I've read in a long time

This is on the same level as Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance. I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait for the other two to be released.

Riveting Book!

Once I picked up this book it was hard to put down! I can't wait until the next two books are translated into English. Its a wonderful book and if you enjoy High Fantasy you will love this book. Finally, the Dwarves take center stage on an epic adventure that lovers of Tolkien will enjoy.