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Mithgar (Publication) #9
Voyage of the Fox Rider
The Mage Alamar has never forgotten the life debt he owes to Farrix, one of the legendary Hidden Ones of Mithgar, who keep to themselves and avoid contact with ordinary humans. So when Farrix’s mate, the Lady Jinnarin, appears on Alamar’s doorstep, he fears the worst. Months ago, Farrix vanished—and Jinnarin has been plagued by nightmares of him being in danger ever since. To find him, Alamar and Jinnarin must embark on a journey across the sea to confront a master of dark magic preparing to open a portal between Mithgar and a destructive Dark God....
590 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1993
37 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Dennis L. McKiernan
69 books517 followersMcKiernan was born in Moberly, Missouri, where he lived until he served the U.S. Air Force for four years, stationed within US territory during the Korean War. After military service, he attended the University of Missouri and received a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1958 and an M.S. in the same field from Duke University in 1964. He worked as an engineer at AT&T, initially at Western Electric but soon at Bell Laboratories, from 1958 until 1989. In 1989, after early retirement from engineering, McKiernan began writing on a full-time basis.
In 1977, while riding his motorcycle, McKiernan was hit by a car which had crossed the center-line, and was confined to a bed, first in traction and then in a hip spica cast, for many months. During his recuperation, he boldly began a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The publisher Doubleday showed an interest in his work and tried to obtain authorization from Tolkien's estate but was denied. Doubleday then asked McKiernan to rewrite his story, placing the characters in a different fictitious world, and also to write a prequel supporting it. The prequel, of necessity, resembles The Lord of the Rings; the decision of Doubleday to issue the work as a trilogy increased that resemblance; and some critics have seen McKiernan as simply imitating Tolkien's epic work. McKiernan has subsequently developed stories in the series that followed along a story line different from those that plausibly could have been taken by Tolkien.
McKiernan's Faery Series expands tales draw from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books, additionally tying the selected tales together with a larger plot.
McKiernan currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.
(Biography taken from Wikipedia)
In 1977, while riding his motorcycle, McKiernan was hit by a car which had crossed the center-line, and was confined to a bed, first in traction and then in a hip spica cast, for many months. During his recuperation, he boldly began a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The publisher Doubleday showed an interest in his work and tried to obtain authorization from Tolkien's estate but was denied. Doubleday then asked McKiernan to rewrite his story, placing the characters in a different fictitious world, and also to write a prequel supporting it. The prequel, of necessity, resembles The Lord of the Rings; the decision of Doubleday to issue the work as a trilogy increased that resemblance; and some critics have seen McKiernan as simply imitating Tolkien's epic work. McKiernan has subsequently developed stories in the series that followed along a story line different from those that plausibly could have been taken by Tolkien.
McKiernan's Faery Series expands tales draw from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books, additionally tying the selected tales together with a larger plot.
McKiernan currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.
(Biography taken from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 16, 2017
This adventure on the high seas is one of my favorite Mithgar books. It seems to have less of a Tolkien influence than the earlier novels, and expands and explores his world while telling a moving and very engaging story on its own. This is the perfect volume to have while sitting next to the fireplace on a cool autumn evening.
April 5, 2019
McKiernan's seafaring adventure in his wonderful Mithgar series of books involves the diminutive Pysks, a cranky elder mage, his daughter, and our introduction to the elf Aravan and how his great weapon came into creation.
The story involves the search by Jinnarin, a pysk female, for her companion, Farrix, who went off to seek the source of some mysterious lights in the sky. Jinnarin enlists the aid of Alamar the mage who instantly becomes the star of the book as far as I was concerned.
The two with Jinnarin's fox in tow begin a grand adventure once they locate Aravan, his crew, and their amazing ship the Eroean, which essentially becomes yet another character during the course of this book.
The search is on eventually for a black galley and its crew including foul folk, trolls, and the main antagonist, a black mage named Durlok.
The crew of the Eroean is made up of both humans and dwarves and McKiernan makes each member come alive in talk, tone, and action. And much like Dragonstone the story covers a lot of actual Mithgarian places, seas, cities, forests, and islands.
The story involves the search by Jinnarin, a pysk female, for her companion, Farrix, who went off to seek the source of some mysterious lights in the sky. Jinnarin enlists the aid of Alamar the mage who instantly becomes the star of the book as far as I was concerned.
The two with Jinnarin's fox in tow begin a grand adventure once they locate Aravan, his crew, and their amazing ship the Eroean, which essentially becomes yet another character during the course of this book.
The search is on eventually for a black galley and its crew including foul folk, trolls, and the main antagonist, a black mage named Durlok.
The crew of the Eroean is made up of both humans and dwarves and McKiernan makes each member come alive in talk, tone, and action. And much like Dragonstone the story covers a lot of actual Mithgarian places, seas, cities, forests, and islands.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2016
I think this is definitely one of the best McKiernan books I've read so far. Between this and the previous book in the series, I've realized that one big thing that helps is the lack of Warrows. They feel like annoying Hobbit knock-offs, which is what they are, and especially in the Hel's Crucible series they do little more than frustrate me. Here the little people quotient is instead filled by the Lady Jinnarin, a Pysk (pixie), the titular Fox Rider. Admittedly, there are some problems in terms of McKiernan's handling of female characters, but Jinnarin and the Pysks that show up towards the end of the novel are actually kinda fun. There's the obvious issues to deal with in being a foot tall, but they compensate somewhat through the ability to disguise themselves in shadow and deadly arrows. I have to say, I kinda want to steal the concept for my next D&D game.
McKiernan's Mages, unfortunately, really fall down. The main example is Alamar, who is basically everyone's least favorite annoying relative. He seems to exist entirely to get into stupid fights with Jinnarin and also to give McKiernan an excuse to spout off about his philosophy of good and evil. Part of the problem is that this philosophizing feels like so much filler, but it also never really ties into the rest of the story. At least in Into the Forge, the discussion of how small events can lead to world-wide changes was grating but it clearly tied in to the plot. Honestly, I felt very little sympathy when the Mages basically get wiped out towards the end of the novel, especially because I knew it was coming from a note at the end of the previous book.
McKiernan clearly also knows a lot about ships, and while that's nice, I got sort of tired of all the descriptions after a while. The idea of Aravan and his Elvenship are pretty cool, and I'm actually kinda looking forward to seeing Aravan more at the end of the series, but it does bring up the typical problems of this sort of generic fantasy universe. Namely, Aravan's ship is basically a somewhat superior form of what was around in the Age of Sail, and yet technology never advances any further in the setting as a whole for the literally thousands and thousands of further years that pass. Plus, Aravan himself has been around for millennia and by the end of the Mithgar series has been around for tens of millennia and yet this has no real impact on his character. As with many Tolkien knock-offs, McKiernan clearly apes Tolkien without thinking of new or interesting implications of his tropes.
The plot itself is a pretty typical quest plot, with a lot of filler through various bits of sailing back and forth across the whole globe. And I mean it - they visit or at least mention basically every continent, which kinda jars with the Eurocentric vibe of the Iron Tower trilogy. It takes much of the book for the heroes to actually rescue the guy they're looking for, and even then they figure out the villain's plan too late to do anything about it. The problem is that I never really ended up feeling attached to the characters, especially the victims, because they're basically all two dimensional cliches at best, and annoying jerks at worse. There's the one black guy in the entire book, who is exactly what you'd expect, and the dwarf who just wants to smash stuff, and a bunch of other cliches. Unlike Terry Brooks, I'm kinda torn as to whether McKiernan gets better or worse when he's not directly aping Tolkein's plots. I think it's a bit like some of the worse D&D knock-offs: there are hints of neat ideas, but most it's just regurgitated junk that doesn't actually do anything new. Still, there are certainly even worse fantasy novels out there, and I tend to not completely hate the experience of reading these books, so I'm likely to keep going in hopes of finding the occasional diamond in the rough.
McKiernan's Mages, unfortunately, really fall down. The main example is Alamar, who is basically everyone's least favorite annoying relative. He seems to exist entirely to get into stupid fights with Jinnarin and also to give McKiernan an excuse to spout off about his philosophy of good and evil. Part of the problem is that this philosophizing feels like so much filler, but it also never really ties into the rest of the story. At least in Into the Forge, the discussion of how small events can lead to world-wide changes was grating but it clearly tied in to the plot. Honestly, I felt very little sympathy when the Mages basically get wiped out towards the end of the novel, especially because I knew it was coming from a note at the end of the previous book.
McKiernan clearly also knows a lot about ships, and while that's nice, I got sort of tired of all the descriptions after a while. The idea of Aravan and his Elvenship are pretty cool, and I'm actually kinda looking forward to seeing Aravan more at the end of the series, but it does bring up the typical problems of this sort of generic fantasy universe. Namely, Aravan's ship is basically a somewhat superior form of what was around in the Age of Sail, and yet technology never advances any further in the setting as a whole for the literally thousands and thousands of further years that pass. Plus, Aravan himself has been around for millennia and by the end of the Mithgar series has been around for tens of millennia and yet this has no real impact on his character. As with many Tolkien knock-offs, McKiernan clearly apes Tolkien without thinking of new or interesting implications of his tropes.
The plot itself is a pretty typical quest plot, with a lot of filler through various bits of sailing back and forth across the whole globe. And I mean it - they visit or at least mention basically every continent, which kinda jars with the Eurocentric vibe of the Iron Tower trilogy. It takes much of the book for the heroes to actually rescue the guy they're looking for, and even then they figure out the villain's plan too late to do anything about it. The problem is that I never really ended up feeling attached to the characters, especially the victims, because they're basically all two dimensional cliches at best, and annoying jerks at worse. There's the one black guy in the entire book, who is exactly what you'd expect, and the dwarf who just wants to smash stuff, and a bunch of other cliches. Unlike Terry Brooks, I'm kinda torn as to whether McKiernan gets better or worse when he's not directly aping Tolkein's plots. I think it's a bit like some of the worse D&D knock-offs: there are hints of neat ideas, but most it's just regurgitated junk that doesn't actually do anything new. Still, there are certainly even worse fantasy novels out there, and I tend to not completely hate the experience of reading these books, so I'm likely to keep going in hopes of finding the occasional diamond in the rough.
November 29, 2018
Excellent book.
September 10, 2013
The Voyage of the Fox Rider reminded me, and not so fondly, of the Dungeons and Dragons epic fantasy novels of the 1970s and 1980s. Granted, it's practically contemporaneous with them, since it was published in 1993. But there's a reason I donated the D&D novels years ago - the conventions of speaking are so unrealistic that they come off as painfully self aware, and the characters are cookie-cutter stereotypes. Let's leave aside the elegant elf, warrior dwarves and such, since these Tolkien-types are par for the course. But there's the massive and intimidating black sailor (obviously the token black man must be big and scary, with a violent past, 'tamed' by associated with the genteel pale elf!). The tiny fox-riding Pysk who the novel is named for is actually mostly a frail helpless female. She seems to be there only a)to be protected by the manly men b) to ask questions to trigger long explanations & declamations c) to express fear (because of course no manly character can quaver!) and to swoon and be impetuous so men can rush to the rescue. The querelous old wizard is pointlessly argumentative and pigheaded. For me, he's ten times as annoying as Zeddicus in the tv show Legend of the Seeker, who before meeting Alamar, I'd thought was my least favorite wizard character of all time.
Also, this novel's glacial pace and awkward dialog reminded me of a live-action or tabletop role-playing game, and I expect more from a professional writer. For example, in an RP game, when action in-character generates new information among of subset of players, they have to repeat the info to the rest of the group, even if out-of-character, all players heard what happened. McKieneran repeats action in dialog in the same manner, killing story momentum dead. The romantic dialog reads in places like the awkard improv of LARPers relying on 'strking looks 4' on character sheets, and in others like the musings of never-been-kissed 13-year olds. And the pace of action is so slow, with pages of intervening sailing here-to-there description, that I suspect even Robert Jordan fans might get cranky.
On top of long-windededness and info-dumping relevant to the story, there is also plenty of repetitive verbage that adds no value to the story. The worst offender in this regard is that the wizard leads ongoing pedantic philosophical discussion of the nature of evil, a discussion that does not connect AT ALL to the story (such as working toward understanding the villian). It is so unsatisfying to slog through pages of bickering about the topic to end only with a uh, yeah, I guess the bad guy is evil. Way to kill the pleasure of epic Big Evil, without offering anything more nuanced in its place. Overall this book could have been vastly improved by cutting the 588 pages down to 380. Maybe even 280.
If you're an epic fantasy fan and you've heard good things about Dennis L. MichKiernan - and there are plenty of fans, including many talented authors - make this novel your last pick for where to start with his work.
Also, this novel's glacial pace and awkward dialog reminded me of a live-action or tabletop role-playing game, and I expect more from a professional writer. For example, in an RP game, when action in-character generates new information among of subset of players, they have to repeat the info to the rest of the group, even if out-of-character, all players heard what happened. McKieneran repeats action in dialog in the same manner, killing story momentum dead. The romantic dialog reads in places like the awkard improv of LARPers relying on 'strking looks 4' on character sheets, and in others like the musings of never-been-kissed 13-year olds. And the pace of action is so slow, with pages of intervening sailing here-to-there description, that I suspect even Robert Jordan fans might get cranky.
On top of long-windededness and info-dumping relevant to the story, there is also plenty of repetitive verbage that adds no value to the story. The worst offender in this regard is that the wizard leads ongoing pedantic philosophical discussion of the nature of evil, a discussion that does not connect AT ALL to the story (such as working toward understanding the villian). It is so unsatisfying to slog through pages of bickering about the topic to end only with a uh, yeah, I guess the bad guy is evil. Way to kill the pleasure of epic Big Evil, without offering anything more nuanced in its place. Overall this book could have been vastly improved by cutting the 588 pages down to 380. Maybe even 280.
If you're an epic fantasy fan and you've heard good things about Dennis L. MichKiernan - and there are plenty of fans, including many talented authors - make this novel your last pick for where to start with his work.
May 22, 2018
Jinmarin is a Pysk , Faery, Little person, or as they like to be known a Hidden One, and is a Fox Rider, in the land , and her husband Farix has vanished. After being haunted by dreams of him being in danger, she sets off t the Mage Alamar for his help. So starts an adventure that will see them sail the seas, with Dwarves and Elves, meeting Merfolk, where they will encounter evil the likes they have never seen,
Full of magic, this is an enchanting read , for all those who enjoy Terry Brooks or Tolkien,
It is also one of many books set in Mithgar,
Full of magic, this is an enchanting read , for all those who enjoy Terry Brooks or Tolkien,
It is also one of many books set in Mithgar,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2010
I am a fan of Mithgar and as such I have yet to come across a Mithgar book I didn't like. Of course some are better than others and it's been a while since I read this particular book, but it is an enjoyable story and time well spent.
February 16, 2024
In a well-organized thrift store, I found this novel in the “science fiction and fantasy” section. The thick and creased spine, sitting on the dusty shelf piqued my interest. Having never read a Mithgar tale or hearing of the author, Dennis L. McKiernan, I purchased this book on cover appeal and size, alone. The cover is a great illustration that evokes “90’s fantasy” vibes. With increasing admiration, I slowly realized as I read the story inside that the cover actually portrays the characters and a setting of the novel. The cover art is done by Keith Parkinson who sadly died in 2005 from Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). In the mass market paperback that I own, the world map is very poor. Illustrating the small, in relation to the greater world, island of Rwn, it isn’t enough. While reading, I researched and found a decent interactive map for the world at https://mithgar.infinispace.net/. This tale alone takes place all over the known Mithgar world and the provided interactive map still isn’t enough.
Published in 1993 from Roc Books, The Voyage of the Fox Rider is the 9th published entry into the Mithgar franchise and the 2nd, chronologically. Reading any previous Mithgar tale isn’t a requirement. I can’t say for certain if that is the case for the other entries in the series, but this one reads quite well as a single entry.
Starting the story, Jinnarin, a Pysk, approaches Alamar, a mage, in hopes that he will make good on his life debt to Jinnarin’s mate, Farrix. After Farrix leaves their forest home in search of abnormal auroral plumes, Jinnarin begins to worry for his safety when he fails to return. Jinnarin’s “sending”, vivid dreams sent as a form of a message from another, causes alarm when she conveys to Alamar the contents of the nightmares. Thus starts a wild journey that follows the titular character and the venerable mage on a long and treacherous journey in search of Jinnarin’s mate. Searching for clues as to the meaning of the foreboding dreams,they join the crew of Eroean, an Elvenship. Aravan, the elven captain and his crew of Dwarves and Humans are constantly in search of exciting and glorious adventure.
This tale is full of sea-faring adventure, with the jargon and terms that go along with that. You’ll hear about “yardarms”, “reefing”, jib sails, stay sails, “moon-rakers”, “star-chasers”, bows, sterns, aft, prows and more. Many of these terms were and are unknown to me. I believe that it depends on the type of reader that you are and the amount of comprehension you wish to retain as to how you’ll feel about these ship portions. Many of the tense moments that take place on the ship are rife with character dialogue that leans on the ship and sea terms that aren’t common knowledge.
The major conflict of the story moves ahead at a slow pace. Glacial, some would say. The crew spends much of their time traversing the seas and oceans, searching. The same issue or conflict may be covered or discussed more than once for certain pieces of the story without adding any new layer to it that would move the story further. At times, as a reader, this grew tiresome. Character conflict between the “goodies” and the “baddies” leaves something to be desired.
The cast of the characters is fairly large with a mix of Humans, Elves (one Elf), Dwarves, Pysk, and Mages. Dialogue can be funny and heartfelt. I snickered multiple times while reading the interactions between Alamar the Mage and Jinnarin the Pysk. Also, Rux, Jinnarin’s fox-mount, offers comedic interactions. The naming of the characters was, at times, frustrating. Alamar, Aylis, and Aravan are commonly in the same conversation. While reading, I commonly confused their names for each other.
I enjoyed my first Mithgar novel and I will undoubtedly return to the world in the future!
Published in 1993 from Roc Books, The Voyage of the Fox Rider is the 9th published entry into the Mithgar franchise and the 2nd, chronologically. Reading any previous Mithgar tale isn’t a requirement. I can’t say for certain if that is the case for the other entries in the series, but this one reads quite well as a single entry.
Starting the story, Jinnarin, a Pysk, approaches Alamar, a mage, in hopes that he will make good on his life debt to Jinnarin’s mate, Farrix. After Farrix leaves their forest home in search of abnormal auroral plumes, Jinnarin begins to worry for his safety when he fails to return. Jinnarin’s “sending”, vivid dreams sent as a form of a message from another, causes alarm when she conveys to Alamar the contents of the nightmares. Thus starts a wild journey that follows the titular character and the venerable mage on a long and treacherous journey in search of Jinnarin’s mate. Searching for clues as to the meaning of the foreboding dreams,they join the crew of Eroean, an Elvenship. Aravan, the elven captain and his crew of Dwarves and Humans are constantly in search of exciting and glorious adventure.
This tale is full of sea-faring adventure, with the jargon and terms that go along with that. You’ll hear about “yardarms”, “reefing”, jib sails, stay sails, “moon-rakers”, “star-chasers”, bows, sterns, aft, prows and more. Many of these terms were and are unknown to me. I believe that it depends on the type of reader that you are and the amount of comprehension you wish to retain as to how you’ll feel about these ship portions. Many of the tense moments that take place on the ship are rife with character dialogue that leans on the ship and sea terms that aren’t common knowledge.
The major conflict of the story moves ahead at a slow pace. Glacial, some would say. The crew spends much of their time traversing the seas and oceans, searching. The same issue or conflict may be covered or discussed more than once for certain pieces of the story without adding any new layer to it that would move the story further. At times, as a reader, this grew tiresome. Character conflict between the “goodies” and the “baddies” leaves something to be desired.
The cast of the characters is fairly large with a mix of Humans, Elves (one Elf), Dwarves, Pysk, and Mages. Dialogue can be funny and heartfelt. I snickered multiple times while reading the interactions between Alamar the Mage and Jinnarin the Pysk. Also, Rux, Jinnarin’s fox-mount, offers comedic interactions. The naming of the characters was, at times, frustrating. Alamar, Aylis, and Aravan are commonly in the same conversation. While reading, I commonly confused their names for each other.
I enjoyed my first Mithgar novel and I will undoubtedly return to the world in the future!
November 20, 2019
This is a decent book, though long. 589 pages long, to be precise. That means that occasionally for those of us who don’t enjoy mariner’s tales as much, can get a tiny bit frustrated. However, other than the fact that once again the villain is a torturing sadist and that two characters have conjugal relations without marriage, this is a pretty decent book.
Recommendation: This is a fun book, especially if you enjoy books about sea voyages and sailing ships. If you don’t, I wouldn’t recommend this book, because a lot of the story is about a sea voyage. It even says so in the title! My one other problem is that McKiernan delves a bit into Magic and Mages. His magery really feels a lot like the Polynesian/Melanesian mana. This is especially visible in the sequences in which he introduces ‘dream-walking’ in which several characters (this is not the dream-walk of the elves in which they rest) use a mixture of hypnosis and ‘spirituality’ to become awake in dreams and move from one to another. This book also states that if you die in dreams you will die in real life. I didn’t like that.
Synopsis and Review: (spoilers) Jinnarin is a legendary Pysk, or Fox Rider. This ‘magical’ people are no larger than a foot and tend to stay hidden from the larger people, this goes from elves to Waerans. However, she is forced from seclusion when her husband Farrix, gone off on another of his jaunts doesn’t return and she is haunted by dreams of a crystal castle overlooking a green sea with a black ship coming.
She turns to the Mage Alamar, for he owes a debt to Farrix because Farrix saved Alamar’s life, once long ago. Alamar is a crochety old Mage. He convinces her to go with him to Aravan, a Friend who can help them, because he has a ship and has sailed the seas of Mithgar for several millennia.
Aravan’s ship is the Eroean and a true elf ship. Aravan crews it with dwarves, men and even occasionally Waeran. However, a Pysk on board is new to all. As the quest continues all involved come to realize that this is no simple quest to find a lost loved one, but a high stakes race to save Mithgar. Into this mix, Aravan falls in love with Aylis, daughter of Alamar.
What makes this book especially fun is that fact that it is set before the great war for Mithgar, thus before Adon’s Ban. Therefore, the Rukha/Lokha (Trolls, Orcs, and Goblins) can walk about in daylight (the evil villain uses this by having trolls row his boat across the ocean). That means that they aren’t safe even during the day. The interactions other than those between Aravan and Aylis (Which get a bit too romantic) are really fun, especially those between Jinnarin and Alamar. Some of the most fun scenes come when Alamar is teaching Jinnarin a complicated game. (Presumably a combination between chess and stratego)
Recommendation: This is a fun book, especially if you enjoy books about sea voyages and sailing ships. If you don’t, I wouldn’t recommend this book, because a lot of the story is about a sea voyage. It even says so in the title! My one other problem is that McKiernan delves a bit into Magic and Mages. His magery really feels a lot like the Polynesian/Melanesian mana. This is especially visible in the sequences in which he introduces ‘dream-walking’ in which several characters (this is not the dream-walk of the elves in which they rest) use a mixture of hypnosis and ‘spirituality’ to become awake in dreams and move from one to another. This book also states that if you die in dreams you will die in real life. I didn’t like that.
Synopsis and Review: (spoilers) Jinnarin is a legendary Pysk, or Fox Rider. This ‘magical’ people are no larger than a foot and tend to stay hidden from the larger people, this goes from elves to Waerans. However, she is forced from seclusion when her husband Farrix, gone off on another of his jaunts doesn’t return and she is haunted by dreams of a crystal castle overlooking a green sea with a black ship coming.
She turns to the Mage Alamar, for he owes a debt to Farrix because Farrix saved Alamar’s life, once long ago. Alamar is a crochety old Mage. He convinces her to go with him to Aravan, a Friend who can help them, because he has a ship and has sailed the seas of Mithgar for several millennia.
Aravan’s ship is the Eroean and a true elf ship. Aravan crews it with dwarves, men and even occasionally Waeran. However, a Pysk on board is new to all. As the quest continues all involved come to realize that this is no simple quest to find a lost loved one, but a high stakes race to save Mithgar. Into this mix, Aravan falls in love with Aylis, daughter of Alamar.
What makes this book especially fun is that fact that it is set before the great war for Mithgar, thus before Adon’s Ban. Therefore, the Rukha/Lokha (Trolls, Orcs, and Goblins) can walk about in daylight (the evil villain uses this by having trolls row his boat across the ocean). That means that they aren’t safe even during the day. The interactions other than those between Aravan and Aylis (Which get a bit too romantic) are really fun, especially those between Jinnarin and Alamar. Some of the most fun scenes come when Alamar is teaching Jinnarin a complicated game. (Presumably a combination between chess and stratego)
August 25, 2022
I read this book several years ago, so my memory of it is not that great, and quite frankly it would never even have crossed my mind to write a review of it, (or even remember it at all) if it were not for one odd and pretty hilarious detail. For some weird reason the author of this book had an obsession with saying the phase "eyes flew wide." I know that sounds kind of strange, but I am completely serious. When I was reading this book, I had the general idea, which I think a lot of people share, that I would finish any book that I started, no matter how boring or bad it got. To that end I was stuck reading this book even though I had gotten bored of it fairly quickly. In order to alleviate the boredom while reading, I began to record each time that the phrase "eyes flew wide" was used, (it had stuck out to me at an early point in the book as a weird way to say something). I can tell you that the sheer number of times that it was said is just astounding. For the first half of the book at least it was said probably every five pages or so. Also, it wasn't only "eyes flew wide," but just eyes being wide in general was mentioned a ludicrous number of times.
I would literally recommend that someone read this book if only to find a new party trick. The trick is; you ask someone to flip to a page in this book, then you make a bet that you can find a reference to eyes flying wide within 5 pages to either side of the page they flipped to. 9 times out of 10 you'll win the bet.
I'm giving this two stars because I remember being absolutely bored out of my mind reading this book. I would give it one star, but I think it deserves a second based entirely on the abundance of this single bit of odd verbiage.
I would literally recommend that someone read this book if only to find a new party trick. The trick is; you ask someone to flip to a page in this book, then you make a bet that you can find a reference to eyes flying wide within 5 pages to either side of the page they flipped to. 9 times out of 10 you'll win the bet.
I'm giving this two stars because I remember being absolutely bored out of my mind reading this book. I would give it one star, but I think it deserves a second based entirely on the abundance of this single bit of odd verbiage.
October 5, 2024
These super thick, small-fonted old Fantasy novels aren't everyone's cup of tea and indeed, I have to be in the mood to read one of them. I often find them dense and heavy on the world-building, more about the journey than the destination, and this was no exception.
The Voyage of the Fox Rider is accurately-titled because most of the novel takes place on the Elvenship, Eroean, with her Elf captain Aravan. The world is thick and lively, mostly described through conversation so it never felt too bogged down with dense paragraphs of descriptions. I enjoyed (as always) seeing the Men, Dwarves, Elves, Mages, and Hidden Ones band together to try to thwart true Evil. My goodness, Durlok's evil plan was truly despicable and devastating. (I can't believe McKiernan didn't give us a clear answer It definitely encourages picking up another book in the Mithgar series!)
I adored all the characters, especially Jinnarin and Alamar, and never felt the need to stop to look anything up, which I always count as a win in these kinds of books. The story moved slowly, but I enjoyed the characters enough that I didn't mind. It was probably a little overlong on the ocean-faring parts. (If you have any interest in sailing, this is the book for you!) I'm eager to learn whatever becomes of Aravan's crystal spear in other novels. 3/5
The Voyage of the Fox Rider is accurately-titled because most of the novel takes place on the Elvenship, Eroean, with her Elf captain Aravan. The world is thick and lively, mostly described through conversation so it never felt too bogged down with dense paragraphs of descriptions. I enjoyed (as always) seeing the Men, Dwarves, Elves, Mages, and Hidden Ones band together to try to thwart true Evil. My goodness, Durlok's evil plan was truly despicable and devastating. (I can't believe McKiernan didn't give us a clear answer It definitely encourages picking up another book in the Mithgar series!)
I adored all the characters, especially Jinnarin and Alamar, and never felt the need to stop to look anything up, which I always count as a win in these kinds of books. The story moved slowly, but I enjoyed the characters enough that I didn't mind. It was probably a little overlong on the ocean-faring parts. (If you have any interest in sailing, this is the book for you!) I'm eager to learn whatever becomes of Aravan's crystal spear in other novels. 3/5
August 1, 2024
Tragically, not for grown-ups.
When I first read this as a teenager, it felt so amazing. It felt deep and soulful, with genuine emotion and nuanced grief, spread throughout the tales of mithgar.
Re-reading it now though… it just doesn’t stand the test of time. As young adult fiction, it’s… alright I suppose. But the dialogue is simplistic and the emotions cartoonish. The progression of each character’s development is cartoonish in its steps. The relationships develop exactly as those of a child’s do in school. Two people meet, they hit it off and all of a sudden, they are eternal soul-bonded partners.
It’s just not great. I love Mithgar for the time I spent there, the joy gained and the experiences shared. But, much like ones first relationship, it’s better in memory than in reality.
Not recommended for experienced readers. As an introduction to “full sized” or “grown up” books for a younger or newer reader, go ahead. The book I s fun and it has the presence of emotions not usually present in YA fiction. It can introduce your typical “old timey style Elven speech” patterns to people that haven’t seen it yet.
Just fine for a 13/14 year old I would think.
But it does feel like Fantasy and Sci-Fi authors were able to be successful in the past because the “best” authors wouldn’t write in these genres. You can find better books for the young audiences right now.
When I first read this as a teenager, it felt so amazing. It felt deep and soulful, with genuine emotion and nuanced grief, spread throughout the tales of mithgar.
Re-reading it now though… it just doesn’t stand the test of time. As young adult fiction, it’s… alright I suppose. But the dialogue is simplistic and the emotions cartoonish. The progression of each character’s development is cartoonish in its steps. The relationships develop exactly as those of a child’s do in school. Two people meet, they hit it off and all of a sudden, they are eternal soul-bonded partners.
It’s just not great. I love Mithgar for the time I spent there, the joy gained and the experiences shared. But, much like ones first relationship, it’s better in memory than in reality.
Not recommended for experienced readers. As an introduction to “full sized” or “grown up” books for a younger or newer reader, go ahead. The book I s fun and it has the presence of emotions not usually present in YA fiction. It can introduce your typical “old timey style Elven speech” patterns to people that haven’t seen it yet.
Just fine for a 13/14 year old I would think.
But it does feel like Fantasy and Sci-Fi authors were able to be successful in the past because the “best” authors wouldn’t write in these genres. You can find better books for the young audiences right now.
January 21, 2024
I was introduced to Mithgar back in the mid90's as a high school kid. I was just getting into dungeons and dragons and a buddy told me to check out the Iron Tower trilogy, and as luck had it, the library had all three. I've read that trilogy many times since, but for some reason, have only read a few of the other novels. I decided to start getting through my "to read" pile and this one called out to me.
I enjoy McKiernan's writing though it can feel a bit heavy at times. Typically I can fly through a high fantasy novel, but his are very descriptive and he tends to use other languages for the various peoples of his world. It forces me to slow a bit to take it all in. He also spends a lot of time with details about the various nautical scenes which were rough going for me.
I really enjoyed the lore of Mithgar that this book added to, as well as the introduction to the hidden ones. Learning a bit about the wizards of the world was really interesting and I definitely appreciated seeing how this story tied into the the Iron Tower books.
All in all, it was a great read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good high fantasy story. It doesn't require knowledge of any of the other books, but if you have read them, it really adds to the experience.
I enjoy McKiernan's writing though it can feel a bit heavy at times. Typically I can fly through a high fantasy novel, but his are very descriptive and he tends to use other languages for the various peoples of his world. It forces me to slow a bit to take it all in. He also spends a lot of time with details about the various nautical scenes which were rough going for me.
I really enjoyed the lore of Mithgar that this book added to, as well as the introduction to the hidden ones. Learning a bit about the wizards of the world was really interesting and I definitely appreciated seeing how this story tied into the the Iron Tower books.
All in all, it was a great read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good high fantasy story. It doesn't require knowledge of any of the other books, but if you have read them, it really adds to the experience.
February 26, 2019
2.5-3 stars. It starts out slow but does speed up near the end. There is a lot of ship talk and I mean a loooot of detailed ship jargon. I highly recommend you not read this series in chronological order. There are spoilers in the epilogue. If you're not hooked by chapter 14-15 you more than likely won't enjoy the rest of the book. Although, I won't mind if you prove me wrong. They are on a voyage and even with some fudging of time... on the fastest ship in the world... they are still on a ship with not a lot to do, so, the main characters are going to do a lot of talking and it will be deep.and philosophical (McKiernan's favorite thing) over the nature of good and evil and arguing the mage Alamar and Pysk Jinnarin argue worse than siblings and can get annoying. The cast is diverse not only in races but in cultures and genders, yes, some of them are slight typecasted but not in a disrespectful way.
March 30, 2025
I don't have very many I give up on.. and I never thought one of McKiernan's wonderful fantasy novels would be one of them. This one just got stuck on the ocean, making me feel like Tom Hank's character in Castaway.... After 150+ pages the story wasn't moving... The dialogues were wonderful. The mythology and stories the characters told were intriguing. The relationship between Alamar and the Pysk (Pixie?) was fun.
So what happened? The author got bogged down on all that stuff. The voyage wasn't going anywhere. The ship had traveled halfway around the world and the plot of the story hadn't budged half an inch from where it began. My literary GPS told me when possible put it down and try something else.
I usually love this author's Mithgar series, but this one just got waterlogged.
So what happened? The author got bogged down on all that stuff. The voyage wasn't going anywhere. The ship had traveled halfway around the world and the plot of the story hadn't budged half an inch from where it began. My literary GPS told me when possible put it down and try something else.
I usually love this author's Mithgar series, but this one just got waterlogged.
April 23, 2020
I have read and love the iron tower. I spent time tracking down the other Mithgar books. I have read many of them. But they tend to blur in my mind. On one hand I want to run to the shelf and grab the next book. In the other this was a slong to get through like 6 dinghies with 6 dwarf 1 man a sailor in each repeated no less than 3 times fighting their way through the weeds with or without the wind.
So much nautical stuff so much sailing in winter or make that summer because we are near the pole and winter is reversed who cares? is it cold is it snowing? Is the wet great you are still sailing.
This book is longer than it needed to be.
It is unlikely that it will get a reread. (As I think this was its 2nd) who knows maybe I will get to the series end and wait to try again.
So much nautical stuff so much sailing in winter or make that summer because we are near the pole and winter is reversed who cares? is it cold is it snowing? Is the wet great you are still sailing.
This book is longer than it needed to be.
It is unlikely that it will get a reread. (As I think this was its 2nd) who knows maybe I will get to the series end and wait to try again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I have read it several times. The first time, it was the first of the McKiernan novels I read. This time I read it in order of the other novels and it made so much more sense with the rest of his world building. I really enjoy this story and the crotchety portrayal of Alamar, who doesn't ever change. I like this High Fantasy adventure and I am sure I will read it again in the future.
January 18, 2019
Thinking back, this might be the first time I gave up on a book. All I remember is barely caring about any of the characters to begin with (at an age where anything would suck me in), and then getting worn down by a pseudo-Socratic dialogue on a ship about the nature of evil. It was so out of place, and served no purpose. And that's why this book is 600 pages long. Not because it needs to be.
April 19, 2021
If you like reading adventure books and pirate stories mostly for the sailing parts, this book is for you! There's some magic and romance too, and the defeat of a great evil at great cost. But mostly, a lot of messing around in boats.
January 31, 2019
I truly was sad when I finished this one. I will miss that characters especially Alamar, Aravan, Aylis and Jinnarin.
July 17, 2022
I enjoyed the story but didn't particularly like the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
did-not-finish-or-start
October 29, 2023DNS 10/28/23
December 7, 2024
Excellent addition to the McKiernan universe.
October 23, 2025
Whew, what an ending. Who's cutting onions in here...
December 12, 2023
This was my first book by the author, but I'm really interested in continuing with the Mithgar series. I was drawn to it primarily because I enjoy novels about sea voyages, and I especially relished the detailed descriptions of ships, powerful maelstroms, and the weather at sea.
In the story, Jinnarin, the fox rider, approaches the magician Alamarr seeking help to find her spouse, Farrix. Reluctantly, Alamarr agrees to assist her due to a debt owed to Farrix. Their mission not only involves rescuing Farrix but also entails defeating a sorcerer intent on world domination. Though the story follows a fairly typical trajectory, it was still immensely enjoyable to read.
One of the aspects I most appreciate about this novel is how the plot twists and turns, leaving the reader guessing about the eventual destiny of some characters.
In the story, Jinnarin, the fox rider, approaches the magician Alamarr seeking help to find her spouse, Farrix. Reluctantly, Alamarr agrees to assist her due to a debt owed to Farrix. Their mission not only involves rescuing Farrix but also entails defeating a sorcerer intent on world domination. Though the story follows a fairly typical trajectory, it was still immensely enjoyable to read.
One of the aspects I most appreciate about this novel is how the plot twists and turns, leaving the reader guessing about the eventual destiny of some characters.
January 9, 2012
Written by Dennis L. McKiernan, this fantasy book is one of many set in his created world of Mithgar series. This particular tale takes place mostly on the high seas - hence the “Voyage” in the title. The Fox Riders are exactly that - riders of foxes, little mythical people, hidden ones, human like in form but very small - Ummm, small enough to ride on foxes. Oh, and they are immortal, can create shadows to hide in, and shoot bows with deadly poison that none can duplicate, etc. . . .
Starting to sound all very “fantasy novel” standard fair? Well, this book is no exception. Throw in a good mage, a bad mage, a seer, an elf captain sailing a legendary ship, fighting dwarves, trolls, vile orc-like creatures, people that live in the sea. . . . you get the picture. Overall this book was not hard or complicated reading and fairly enjoyable, more so if you have read the previous Mithgar novels making this one more journey to an already familiar place - this novel paints a detail on the larger canvas of his Mithgar works, though it can stand alone without having ever read any of the previous novels.
Now for some quibbles and bits. One of the main characters, a fox rider named Jinnarin, and another main character, the good mage Alamar, have what I can only describe as forced, unbelievable arguments most of the way through the book. I know you are supposed to suspend your disbelief and live the world you are reading, but when two characters on stage are arguing for the sake of having some character conflict, it gets tired fast and detracts from the story. I see no point to it except to have conflict for conflict’s sake. Otherwise the tale itself, though I felt the pacing was off a little more than it was on, is pretty solid, enjoyable and you get swept along on the journey to its climactic world changing end.
But do not be fooled. This is no Lord Of The Rings. But it is a lighter satisfying tale of adventure and no surprise to the seasoned Fantasy reader. If you are like me (scary thought, no?), you will want to start the Mithgar tales at the beginning if you are going to read McKiernan at all. With that in mind read the Iron Tower trilogy first, then the Silver Call dualogy, then Dragondoom, then The Eye Of The Hunter before this work.
So do I recommend it? Hmmm. Tough call. If you are familiar with fantasy and want a fairly quick read with no real surprises, go for it. If not, I would not suggest you do.
Starting to sound all very “fantasy novel” standard fair? Well, this book is no exception. Throw in a good mage, a bad mage, a seer, an elf captain sailing a legendary ship, fighting dwarves, trolls, vile orc-like creatures, people that live in the sea. . . . you get the picture. Overall this book was not hard or complicated reading and fairly enjoyable, more so if you have read the previous Mithgar novels making this one more journey to an already familiar place - this novel paints a detail on the larger canvas of his Mithgar works, though it can stand alone without having ever read any of the previous novels.
Now for some quibbles and bits. One of the main characters, a fox rider named Jinnarin, and another main character, the good mage Alamar, have what I can only describe as forced, unbelievable arguments most of the way through the book. I know you are supposed to suspend your disbelief and live the world you are reading, but when two characters on stage are arguing for the sake of having some character conflict, it gets tired fast and detracts from the story. I see no point to it except to have conflict for conflict’s sake. Otherwise the tale itself, though I felt the pacing was off a little more than it was on, is pretty solid, enjoyable and you get swept along on the journey to its climactic world changing end.
But do not be fooled. This is no Lord Of The Rings. But it is a lighter satisfying tale of adventure and no surprise to the seasoned Fantasy reader. If you are like me (scary thought, no?), you will want to start the Mithgar tales at the beginning if you are going to read McKiernan at all. With that in mind read the Iron Tower trilogy first, then the Silver Call dualogy, then Dragondoom, then The Eye Of The Hunter before this work.
So do I recommend it? Hmmm. Tough call. If you are familiar with fantasy and want a fairly quick read with no real surprises, go for it. If not, I would not suggest you do.
June 25, 2011
(Note: I've read all of the Mithgar books except City of Jade.) Voyage of the Fox Rider is definitely of the better Mithgar books, featuring an epic quest, seafaring adventures, mystery, dreams, evil machinations on a grandiose scale, and a crotchety old Mage bickering with a foot-tall lady Pysk. I first read this book quite a few years ago and quite enjoyed it; I reread it again now and still quite enjoyed it.
Readers of McKiernan's Mithgar books may roll their eyes again as this book, like most of the others, features a running philosophical discussion on a particular theme. In this case, the philosophizing on evil running throughout the book is a bit clunky at times, but it's not too bad since it isn't presented as anything other than it is: a character talking about perceptions and definitions of evil.
The characters are what make this book rise several notches above most of the rest of its brethren--Jinnarin and Alamar have a lot of chutzpah and chemistry (no, not in THAT way, since she's 12 inches tall and he's not) and their quarreling is entertaining and endearing. Aravan, immortal Elf captain of the Elvenship Eroean, is another main character; the story explains some things about him and fills in some background for later books.
This book is a solid high fantasy adventure without too much affectation towards Ye Elde High Fantasy and pseudo-Tolkienism that plagues some of the earlier Mithgar books. A good book to introduce yourself to Mithgar; in terms of world timeline, I believe this is the second book, but it was published somewhere in the middle of the series.
Readers of McKiernan's Mithgar books may roll their eyes again as this book, like most of the others, features a running philosophical discussion on a particular theme. In this case, the philosophizing on evil running throughout the book is a bit clunky at times, but it's not too bad since it isn't presented as anything other than it is: a character talking about perceptions and definitions of evil.
The characters are what make this book rise several notches above most of the rest of its brethren--Jinnarin and Alamar have a lot of chutzpah and chemistry (no, not in THAT way, since she's 12 inches tall and he's not) and their quarreling is entertaining and endearing. Aravan, immortal Elf captain of the Elvenship Eroean, is another main character; the story explains some things about him and fills in some background for later books.
This book is a solid high fantasy adventure without too much affectation towards Ye Elde High Fantasy and pseudo-Tolkienism that plagues some of the earlier Mithgar books. A good book to introduce yourself to Mithgar; in terms of world timeline, I believe this is the second book, but it was published somewhere in the middle of the series.
October 19, 2008
I've read just about every book of McKiernan's, and while I like his Mithgar universe very much, this is perhaps my favorite book of them all. It has a sense of high adventure that the other books lack, and we discover both pysks, strange islands, elven ships and mages... all a part of a magical plot to save the world... or perhaps just a vanished pysk.
I admit it, I dont remember the entire story, afterall, its a big book, and at the time I read all the Mithgar books, one after the other, which makes the stories hard to separate, but I still have the feeling of wonder... especially in the beginning when we meet Jinnarin and Alamar, the pysk and the mage...
Yeah, Mithgar is a Tolkien spin-off, but at least Dennis L. McKiernan admit it freely, and while the stories may be similar (sometimes, not always), Mithgar is a world that you can actually feel, and not just a history book of the world.
I may have to return to Mithgar before long...
I admit it, I dont remember the entire story, afterall, its a big book, and at the time I read all the Mithgar books, one after the other, which makes the stories hard to separate, but I still have the feeling of wonder... especially in the beginning when we meet Jinnarin and Alamar, the pysk and the mage...
Yeah, Mithgar is a Tolkien spin-off, but at least Dennis L. McKiernan admit it freely, and while the stories may be similar (sometimes, not always), Mithgar is a world that you can actually feel, and not just a history book of the world.
I may have to return to Mithgar before long...
June 4, 2009
This is the second McKiernan book I read, the first being the Dragonstone.
Like Dragonstone, I liked the characters a lot. Everybody seemed pretty well thought out and had very believable personalities.
Voyage of the Fox Rider is billed as a fantasy on the high seas. The problem I have with the book is that it moves awfully slowly. There were plenty of sections where my eyes glazed over and I skipped parts looking for action.
The best and worst part of the Mithgar books is that they're not a series. You can pick up any book and you'll be set, but you also don't get a ton of resolution. You're left hanging at parts, wondering what happened and it's not like you can read the next book to find out what happened. It's incredibly frustrating for me. Either resolve everything or create a series, not somewhere in between.
Like Dragonstone, I liked the characters a lot. Everybody seemed pretty well thought out and had very believable personalities.
Voyage of the Fox Rider is billed as a fantasy on the high seas. The problem I have with the book is that it moves awfully slowly. There were plenty of sections where my eyes glazed over and I skipped parts looking for action.
The best and worst part of the Mithgar books is that they're not a series. You can pick up any book and you'll be set, but you also don't get a ton of resolution. You're left hanging at parts, wondering what happened and it's not like you can read the next book to find out what happened. It's incredibly frustrating for me. Either resolve everything or create a series, not somewhere in between.
August 9, 2007
A sailor would appreciate the numerous and lengthy descriptions of everything to do with how one deals with a ship, winds, the lack of winds on the equator, the need to row a ship across the equator and/or the Crab... but to me, this seemed like a page-filling, book-bulking exercise.
Apart from that? The tale, while long, convoluted and relatively satisfying,,, was kinda long, convoluted and only relatively satisfying.
I am left wondering the fates of Alamar and his daughter, and whether Aylis and Aravan will ever be reunited... and it is for this reason only that I would be tempted to look up the author's works for a sequel to this tale.
Apart from that? The tale, while long, convoluted and relatively satisfying,,, was kinda long, convoluted and only relatively satisfying.
I am left wondering the fates of Alamar and his daughter, and whether Aylis and Aravan will ever be reunited... and it is for this reason only that I would be tempted to look up the author's works for a sequel to this tale.
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