The Dwarves
(Die Zwerge)
(category: fantasy)by
Markus Heitz (translated by Sally-Ann Spencer)
published by Heyne Verlag in 2003English translation published by Orbit in 2009
Nick read a library book, in March 2010
Nick's rating: 9 out of 10
Nick's opinion:
From one point of view, this is just a good fantasy novel. What sets it apart is... the point of view. This is the only book that I have read where the dwarves are the central characters. Sure, every fantasy quest has men, elves, hobbit equivalents... and dwarves. And yes, the dwarves are tough, loyal, etc. Then there was the LoTR movie, where Gimli suffered the ignominy of being cast as comic relief. Now -- at last -- a book where dwarves are treated as more than just quest-group fillers.
The dwarves of The Dwarves are real characters: They have history, depth, emotions -- and variety. Good dwarves and bad, honest and sneaky, leaders, tradesmen and fighters. Yet all are distinctly dwarves, as distinct from men and elves. And -- my own preference -- the good guys are good and the baddies are obviously bad. (Though it does take a while for the good guys to recognise, or to prove, the badness of some of the baddies.)
A rip-roaring fantasy adventure, with plenty of close calls and good luck. (Meaning that even I can see that a more miserable author could have made life even more difficult for the heroes.) Enjoyable from start to finish, with happy endings all round, as the final plot twists are revealed.
My only problem was with the language. This book was written in German, as Die Zwerge. The English translation is excellent -- just different to English as I expect it. I can't even put my finger on it, it just causes my reading to stumble, occasionally. Once I realised that I really was reading a German book translated to English, I relaxed and read happily to the end. And hope that it is not really The End: I look forward to finding out what evil is lurking in the west...
A blog reader asked me if The Dwarves was suitable for children. Specifically, an eight-year-old who enjoys reading long fantasy books. This is my reply:
I would say that book one (The Dwarves) is okay for children. Let your son know that the book is translated from German (unless he is reading in German?!). It may interest him if he notices the occasional not-quite-common-English phrasing. Best point, book one is "complete" -- happy endings all round, just a strong indication that a further story will follow.The second book (The War of the Dwarves) is *not* a children's book. Too much violent death, too many plot threads, too many characters to follow, not as good a book as the first. I've not read the third.
So... Get hold of The Dwarves, book one, for your son. But don't get either of the follow-up books. In my opinion :-)
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