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Die Zwerge #3
The Revenge of the Dwarves
Though hailed a hero by his people, the course of life has not run smooth for the battle-weary Tungdil the dwarf. But there is no rest for this warrior yet - as he must now find the strength to face the most formidable enemy the kingdom has ever encountered . . .
A new evil has risen from the depths of the earth to terrorize the land of Girdlegard. Monstrous creatures - half-orc, half-älfar - are roaming the kingdom, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. These merciless hybrids are on a mission to obtain the most powerful weapon known to the dwarf race - and whoever holds this weapon will control the world.
Then when the fossilized Magus Lot-Ionan is stolen, Tungdil spies total disaster on the horizon. With the very existence of the dwarves under threat, he will have to resort to his trusty double ax and risk everything he knows to save his country from annihilation . . .
Hold your breath for THE REVENGE OF THE DWARVES, the next thrilling installment in this spectacular fantasy epic from international bestselling author Markus Heitz
A new evil has risen from the depths of the earth to terrorize the land of Girdlegard. Monstrous creatures - half-orc, half-älfar - are roaming the kingdom, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. These merciless hybrids are on a mission to obtain the most powerful weapon known to the dwarf race - and whoever holds this weapon will control the world.
Then when the fossilized Magus Lot-Ionan is stolen, Tungdil spies total disaster on the horizon. With the very existence of the dwarves under threat, he will have to resort to his trusty double ax and risk everything he knows to save his country from annihilation . . .
Hold your breath for THE REVENGE OF THE DWARVES, the next thrilling installment in this spectacular fantasy epic from international bestselling author Markus Heitz
800 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
184 people are currently reading
2086 people want to read
About the author
Markus Heitz
207 books1,236 followersMarkus Heitz is a German fantasy, horror and science fiction author, most famous for his five-book Dwarves saga.
Markus Heitz was born in Homburg in 1971. He studied history, literature, and the German language. He now lives in the town of Zweibrücken.
Markus Heitz was born in Homburg in 1971. He studied history, literature, and the German language. He now lives in the town of Zweibrücken.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
September 27, 2022
In comparison with the previous 2 books in "The Dwarves" series, I found this one disappointing. [this review may have spoilers from here]
For one thing, it drag on entirely too long --- a more engaging story might have just as possible in a book about a third to half the length of this one. Any fantasy series has to have a certain amount of world building within it for the story to have a background and make sense. In this book's predecessor, "The War of the Dwarves", so many of the main characters and even entire races are wiped out such that its successor, this book, has to spend a lot of time doing "world rebuilding". It makes for a plod in much of the book.
The book goes off into too many different plot threads --- makes it unfocused and, again, a plodding narrative.
The protagonist in "The Dwarves", Tungdil the Dwarf, is portrayed in ways that seem uncharacteristic of him from the previous books. He's a drunk and a slob in the beginining --- and, after taking forever, the book finally goes into why that is. Then he cleans up ---- only to cheat on his wife, Balyndis --- whom in the previous 2 books was built up as the love of his life. The reason: the one that I've heard almost everyone cheating on their spouse claim as the reason, loss of passion. Ok, I understand that happens, but this is fantasy, Tungdil's the hero, and you just spent 2 massive books previously building up the relationship between these 2, only to cast Tungdil now as a self-centered, incontinent flake. I didn't like this at all, notwithstanding that the book does ok in salvaging the damage it's done to its main character in the first half or so of the book.
It brings back one of the main characters from the first book, Lot-Ionan, perhaps best considered as the series "Gandalf" or "Dumbledore" --- but then does a lame job, in my opinion, of making use of him as a dynamic character.
Another gripe I have with the book is its tokenism. The previous book introduces female characters in assertive, dynamic roles, yet retains their feminity ---- they're not just masculine characters with female parts ---- they're women pushing their physical limits, yet you never forget that they're women responding in ways that a woman of great intellect or physical ability might, yet in a woman's way --- can't really articulate it any better than that --- except that it seemed believable whereas this book's way does not. Many female characters here more like the book version of NPCs --- wooden, contrived, and almost seemingly inserted into the text to even out the numbers of males vs. females --- almost as if an editor went to Heitz and said you need more masculine females here, here, and here. It doesn't work in my opinion. When you do things like that, all you end up with is a generically masculine cast that makes for a less interesting read.
The book has good action sequences, just not enough to keep it going.
It's an ok book if you really love the Dwarves series. It's mildly entertaining, but, if you've got other choices to choose from, you're not missing a whole lot going with them, instead of this one just to continue the series.
For one thing, it drag on entirely too long --- a more engaging story might have just as possible in a book about a third to half the length of this one. Any fantasy series has to have a certain amount of world building within it for the story to have a background and make sense. In this book's predecessor, "The War of the Dwarves", so many of the main characters and even entire races are wiped out such that its successor, this book, has to spend a lot of time doing "world rebuilding". It makes for a plod in much of the book.
The book goes off into too many different plot threads --- makes it unfocused and, again, a plodding narrative.
The protagonist in "The Dwarves", Tungdil the Dwarf, is portrayed in ways that seem uncharacteristic of him from the previous books. He's a drunk and a slob in the beginining --- and, after taking forever, the book finally goes into why that is. Then he cleans up ---- only to cheat on his wife, Balyndis --- whom in the previous 2 books was built up as the love of his life. The reason: the one that I've heard almost everyone cheating on their spouse claim as the reason, loss of passion. Ok, I understand that happens, but this is fantasy, Tungdil's the hero, and you just spent 2 massive books previously building up the relationship between these 2, only to cast Tungdil now as a self-centered, incontinent flake. I didn't like this at all, notwithstanding that the book does ok in salvaging the damage it's done to its main character in the first half or so of the book.
It brings back one of the main characters from the first book, Lot-Ionan, perhaps best considered as the series "Gandalf" or "Dumbledore" --- but then does a lame job, in my opinion, of making use of him as a dynamic character.
Another gripe I have with the book is its tokenism. The previous book introduces female characters in assertive, dynamic roles, yet retains their feminity ---- they're not just masculine characters with female parts ---- they're women pushing their physical limits, yet you never forget that they're women responding in ways that a woman of great intellect or physical ability might, yet in a woman's way --- can't really articulate it any better than that --- except that it seemed believable whereas this book's way does not. Many female characters here more like the book version of NPCs --- wooden, contrived, and almost seemingly inserted into the text to even out the numbers of males vs. females --- almost as if an editor went to Heitz and said you need more masculine females here, here, and here. It doesn't work in my opinion. When you do things like that, all you end up with is a generically masculine cast that makes for a less interesting read.
The book has good action sequences, just not enough to keep it going.
It's an ok book if you really love the Dwarves series. It's mildly entertaining, but, if you've got other choices to choose from, you're not missing a whole lot going with them, instead of this one just to continue the series.
April 27, 2012
This was a really busy book. The plot lines and sub plot lines were all over the place, not in a terribly bad way but not in a good way either. The largest thing that contributed to this book not being as enjoyable as the prior two, was the translation. I'm not sure why orbit books went with a new translator, but there is a bucket load of "What the Fuck?" happening throughout.
At first, I was trying to figure out why Heitz was treating his dwarves with so much contempt, and spent a large amount of time trying to figure if OB had hired the same proof readers as the Smeyer tragedy had employed because the sentence structures and grammar where all over the damn place. I found myself rereading sentences and paragraphs trying to decipher their meaning, which completely ruins the flow of any book.
I often wonder about the process of translation and how translators decide if they should change something, and if so, how and to what. I read a piece on the orbit books site about how the first translator changed some of the place names, species names and surnames of the dwarves. And her reasons for doing so. (Which all seemed perfectly logical) After reading this instalment I am not sure the new translator gave these questions as much consideration, or ignorantly assumed that English readers would be able to determine the more Germanic terms with more ease than she thought.
I'm also wondering if she had read the first two books, and if she did, how she could tamper with the characters so boldly? Because surely Heitz himself would not dare to treat his characters in such a way?
The difference some characters have taken on between the second and third instalments is at times rather dramatic. (and often seemingly unrelated to natural character and story developments)
Of course, being a whole other person, her interpretation of the first two books and the characters would differ a great deal from the first translators, but when one is dealing with a serial, surely the idea is to stick to the commonality and not give your own flavour to the books you translate?
I look forward to the next instalment, though I do so with bated breath. My love for my favourite characters hasn't been completely destroyed at the hands of a new translator, but if she picks up where she left off...I am not sure my heart could take it.
At first, I was trying to figure out why Heitz was treating his dwarves with so much contempt, and spent a large amount of time trying to figure if OB had hired the same proof readers as the Smeyer tragedy had employed because the sentence structures and grammar where all over the damn place. I found myself rereading sentences and paragraphs trying to decipher their meaning, which completely ruins the flow of any book.
I often wonder about the process of translation and how translators decide if they should change something, and if so, how and to what. I read a piece on the orbit books site about how the first translator changed some of the place names, species names and surnames of the dwarves. And her reasons for doing so. (Which all seemed perfectly logical) After reading this instalment I am not sure the new translator gave these questions as much consideration, or ignorantly assumed that English readers would be able to determine the more Germanic terms with more ease than she thought.
I'm also wondering if she had read the first two books, and if she did, how she could tamper with the characters so boldly? Because surely Heitz himself would not dare to treat his characters in such a way?
The difference some characters have taken on between the second and third instalments is at times rather dramatic. (and often seemingly unrelated to natural character and story developments)
Of course, being a whole other person, her interpretation of the first two books and the characters would differ a great deal from the first translators, but when one is dealing with a serial, surely the idea is to stick to the commonality and not give your own flavour to the books you translate?
I look forward to the next instalment, though I do so with bated breath. My love for my favourite characters hasn't been completely destroyed at the hands of a new translator, but if she picks up where she left off...I am not sure my heart could take it.
July 25, 2022
More complicated than the previous two but another great installment in the series.
February 6, 2021
3.5 Overall, 5 for the fantastic audiobook narration
March 13, 2012
There is no race in fantasy I appreciate more than Dwarves. When I first discovered Heitz's The Dwarves in a Border's bookstore when the English translation was first made available I was extremely eager and dove right in. To my profound relief and enjoyment I discovered a well-crafted fantasy story with all the elements that implied with one crucial difference: The protagonists were of a people commonly stereotyped, forced into secondary roles or ignored altogether. I was certainly biased in favor of the story before I had read so much as a page. With the second installment, it was like revisiting old friends. Although I cringed at some of the immaturity displayed by characters, and felt like some of the dialogue was just awful, I still enjoyed it.
So when Revenge was released I snatched it up and began, with a skeptical view, to read of characters I had come to like. Within a few pages I had to put it down, wait a few months, and begin once more.
For one thing, it appears that this new book is translated by 'Sheelagh Alabaster' and unless the prior translator is using a pseudonym then it would explain some of the issues I have with the text. A lot of the word choices and the phrasing come across as immature and even read as if a child wrote it. The term 'he walloped it' should never appear in a fantasy novel geared towards a presumably adult audience, unless it is in dialogue between characters. Likewise, phrases like 'mind out' and the generally banal conversations between characters illustrate further that this translator is either quite new at their profession or simply did not care enough to do a decent job.
Moving on to the characters, I could not believe how much of a wish-fulfilling Gary Stu the actor Rodario was in this version. In the first book he was irritating but also gave amusement, the second novel actually presented a less one-dimensional version and now it seems like Heitz decided to ignore any character-building he did and have Rodario performing(no pun intended) the roles normally given over the to protagonist, in this case the dwarf Tungdil. Suddenly having knowledge that in prior books was usually the province of the dwarves, being able to woo any woman he wanted including virtually any married one, then having the immaturity and idiocy to be jealous of a woman who does the same to him, and capping it off with being so well-respected that even royalty stops and gives him their full attention are just a few of his talents.
The other characters haven't changed much, save that they now apparently think nothing of torturing people for information without any discussion of the morality of such actions. Now there are many authors I read who don't (indirectly through their characters or directly in the text)discuss the morality of torture, or even come down in favor of it, but with this it's just lazy writing, especially when it seems like the acts are carried out to move the story along rather than a calculated effort on behalf of the characters.
The story itself seemed to railroad the characters along, as if this book was written with the rest of the series in mind and he needed a few hundred pages to focus. I will read the fourth book, but with a good deal more skepticism than I did with even this one.
*SPOILER BELOW*
From what I read of the preview for the fourth book, it appears that some of the potentially interesting plotlines, such as an internecine conflict between the dwarves, will have been left to fester or marinate for the past 200 years. With the apparently returned and newly-minted evil Tungdil leading an army of monsters this could either be a good, challenging development for the series or a George Lucas-sized plot hole.
So when Revenge was released I snatched it up and began, with a skeptical view, to read of characters I had come to like. Within a few pages I had to put it down, wait a few months, and begin once more.
For one thing, it appears that this new book is translated by 'Sheelagh Alabaster' and unless the prior translator is using a pseudonym then it would explain some of the issues I have with the text. A lot of the word choices and the phrasing come across as immature and even read as if a child wrote it. The term 'he walloped it' should never appear in a fantasy novel geared towards a presumably adult audience, unless it is in dialogue between characters. Likewise, phrases like 'mind out' and the generally banal conversations between characters illustrate further that this translator is either quite new at their profession or simply did not care enough to do a decent job.
Moving on to the characters, I could not believe how much of a wish-fulfilling Gary Stu the actor Rodario was in this version. In the first book he was irritating but also gave amusement, the second novel actually presented a less one-dimensional version and now it seems like Heitz decided to ignore any character-building he did and have Rodario performing(no pun intended) the roles normally given over the to protagonist, in this case the dwarf Tungdil. Suddenly having knowledge that in prior books was usually the province of the dwarves, being able to woo any woman he wanted including virtually any married one, then having the immaturity and idiocy to be jealous of a woman who does the same to him, and capping it off with being so well-respected that even royalty stops and gives him their full attention are just a few of his talents.
The other characters haven't changed much, save that they now apparently think nothing of torturing people for information without any discussion of the morality of such actions. Now there are many authors I read who don't (indirectly through their characters or directly in the text)discuss the morality of torture, or even come down in favor of it, but with this it's just lazy writing, especially when it seems like the acts are carried out to move the story along rather than a calculated effort on behalf of the characters.
The story itself seemed to railroad the characters along, as if this book was written with the rest of the series in mind and he needed a few hundred pages to focus. I will read the fourth book, but with a good deal more skepticism than I did with even this one.
*SPOILER BELOW*
From what I read of the preview for the fourth book, it appears that some of the potentially interesting plotlines, such as an internecine conflict between the dwarves, will have been left to fester or marinate for the past 200 years. With the apparently returned and newly-minted evil Tungdil leading an army of monsters this could either be a good, challenging development for the series or a George Lucas-sized plot hole.
February 16, 2023
Die Reihe „Die Zwerge“ ermöglichte dem deutschen Fantasy-Autor Markus Heitz den Durchbruch. Als der erste Band Die Zwerge 2003 erschien, ahnte niemand, welchen durchschlagenden Erfolg das Buch haben würde. Ursprünglich war daher keine Reihe geplant, sondern ein Einzelband im Stil von Stan Nicholls‘ Die Orks. Heitz war gefragt worden, ob er sich vorstellen konnte, auf ähnliche Weise über ein traditionelles Fantasy-Volk zu schreiben. Er sagte zu und entschied sich für die Zwerge, weil er sich mit ihren Ecken und Kanten identifizieren konnte.
Nur ein Jahr später wurde dem begeisterten Publikum die Fortsetzung Der Krieg der Zwerge präsentiert, gefolgt vom dritten Band „Die Rache der Zwerge“, in dem das Geborgene Land erneut von finsteren Mächten bedroht wird.
Friede ist im Geborgenen Land eingezogen. Seit die Avatare vor fünf Zyklen alles Schlechte auslöschten und immense magischen Energien in einen Diamanten einschlossen, begegnen Menschen, Zwerge und Elben nur noch vereinzelt den Geschöpfen Tions. Es ruhig geworden. Vielleicht zu ruhig. Der Großkönig der Zwerge traut dem Frieden nicht. Er befürchtet, dass sich die Scheusale im Jenseitigen Land sammeln. Deshalb beauftragt er Tungdil Goldhand, eine Expedition anzuführen, die herausfinden soll, was hinter den schützenden Gebirgsmauern des Geborgenen Landes vor sich geht.
Leider ist Tungdil nicht mehr derselbe, der er vor fünf Zyklen war. Seine alten Freunde sind entsetzt, wie heruntergekommen der einstige Held wirkt. Was ist mit ihm geschehen? Als seltsame Maschinen und Mischwesen aus Orks und Albae auf der Suche nach dem magischen Diamanten überall im Geborgenen Land angreifen und der Zwergenstamm der Dritten erneut auf Rache sinnt, sind die Völker auf Tungdils Entschlossenheit und die Feuerklinge angewiesen, um ihre Heimat zu verteidigen. Wird er seinen Kampfesmut wiederfinden und abermals für das Gute in die Schlacht ziehen?
Ich weiß nicht, was passiert ist. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob es am Rahmen der Reihe „Die Zwerge“ liegt oder daran, dass ich es mit einem Markus Heitz der Vergangenheit zu tun bekam, der sich seit 2005 als Autor enorm weiterentwickelt hat. Ich fand „Die Rache der Zwerge“ mies. Wirklich mies, richtig enttäuschend und seinem großen Namen nicht würdig.
Objektiv betrachtet ist der dritte Band vermutlich gar nicht schlechter als Die Zwerge und Der Krieg der Zwerge. Wahrscheinlich haben mich die Mängel, die mir in den beiden Vorgängern bereits aufstießen, dieses Mal nur mehr gestört und genervt. Das ändert jedoch nichts an meinem subjektiven Eindruck: „Die Rache der Zwerge“ ist mit Abstand der bisher schwächste Band des Mehrteilers.
Am meisten regte mich auf, dass Markus Heitz in der gesamten Reihe keinen einzigen Konflikt vorstellt, der gründlich genug ausgearbeitet wäre, um die Handlung eines Bandes eigenständig zu tragen. Er stapelt Bedrohungen für das Geborgene Land aufeinander, die alle irgendwie gleichwertig sind. Es gibt keinen zentralen Konflikt. In „Die Rache der Zwerge“ überlappten sich die Gefahren immerhin und sind keine hübsch ordentliche Perlenkette. Doch die Mischung aus Steampunk-artigen Maschinen, Ork-Albae-Hybriden, den Dritten und weiteren Monstern, die sich gegen Ende des Bandes dazugesellen, ergab meinem Empfinden nach einen verkorksten, unübersichtlichen, diffusen Brei, in dem rein gar nichts die angemessene schriftstellerische Sorgfalt erfuhr.
Das zeigt sich allein schon daran, dass zahlreiche Elemente der Handlung bei der kleinsten Nachfrage in sich zusammenbrechen wie ein Kartenhaus. Heitz präsentiert in „Die Rache der Zwerge“ vieles als Fakt, was eine Begründung, Motivation und/oder Erklärung gebraucht hätte, um plausibel zu sein. Er verlässt sich scheinbar darauf, dass seinen Leser_innen diese Nachlässigkeit neben all der Action schlicht nicht auffällt. Tja, mir ist es aufgefallen, weil sich das Actionlevel schnell abnutzt. Das Buch enthält keine Liebe zum Detail, keine Finesse und auch keine Subtilität, alles ist sehr Hau-Drauf. Das ärgert mich, weil ich mir sicher bin, dass mich „Die Rache der Zwerge“ überzeugt hätte, hätte er sich auf nur einen Konflikt richtig konzentriert und diesen konsequent ausgestaltet.
Dieselbe oberflächliche Schludrigkeit macht sich in der Konstruktion der Figuren bemerkbar. Außer Tungdil erfährt keine von ihnen eine charakterliche Weiterentwicklung; ich fand in „Die Rache der Zwerge“ exakt dieselben Persönlichkeiten vor wie im ersten Band. Aber auch Tungdils Entwicklung erschien mir unrealistisch und ein paar Aspekte davon hätten mich beinahe ins Buch greifen lassen, um ihm kräftig eine zu scheuern. Das ist an sich völlig in Ordnung, Reibung mit den Figuren ist wichtig. Mich störte es allerdings, dass Heitz sein inakzeptables Verhalten als positive, gute Taten inszeniert. Mich stieß er dadurch lediglich mit der Nase darauf, wie unkritisch sexistisch das Universum und die Geschichte der Reihe sind.
„Die Rache der Zwerge“ demonstrierte mir, dass ich viel zu hohe Ansprüche an das Genre der High Fantasy habe, um eine Reihe wie „Die Zwerge“ wirklich zu genießen. Meine Leseerfahrung mit dem dritten Band ist das Ergebnis meiner schwelenden Unzufriedenheit über die zahllosen Klischees, Mängel und Unzulänglichkeiten, die den Mehrteiler von Anfang an beuteln.
Aber sogar, wenn ich einbeziehe, dass meine Wahrnehmung von „Die Rache der Zwerge“ durch die Vorgänger negativ beeinflusst wurde und ich viel guten Willen für die überschaubaren positiven Facetten des dritten Bandes zusammenkratze, kann ich dem Buch nicht mehr als zwei Sterne zugestehen. Auch objektiv gesehen ist es maximal durchschnittlich. Meiner Meinung nach war es richtig, dass Markus Heitz sich danach erst mal eine Pause von den Zwergen gönnte. Die hatte er offenbar bitter nötig.
April 27, 2016
Tungdil gets himself in more trouble in the third instalment in the series. This time the threat is from the Outlands and within. Tungdil has to battle an army and some crazy metall/magic/monster indestructible hybrids. There are threats from all sides and some unexpected.
For me this book isn't as good as the past two, it seems to want to be some much more complex, with more convoluted plot twists and characters than ever before. Part of the first books charm to me was that it was a simple good vs evil battle featuring dwarves. I feel this book pulls away from that too much for me.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, but for me I feel that the series should end now.
For me this book isn't as good as the past two, it seems to want to be some much more complex, with more convoluted plot twists and characters than ever before. Part of the first books charm to me was that it was a simple good vs evil battle featuring dwarves. I feel this book pulls away from that too much for me.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, but for me I feel that the series should end now.
March 13, 2022
Le sfide continuano per il nostro protagonista Tungdil che dovrà lottare ancora per difendere la Terra Nascosta. Il volume inizia molto bene. Ho apprezzato molto l'inizio perché questa volta il protagonista non mantiene le stesse idee che aveva nei precedenti volumi. Ha altre opinioni sulla vita, la pensa diversamente sull'amore e sulle battaglie. Questo cambio di carattere e di umore mi è piaciuto perché spezza con i due volumi precedenti. Credo che se Heitz ci avesse presentato per la terza volta lo stesso scenario la cosa sarebbe stata ripetitiva. Facendo così invece questo non accade. La storia però diventa un pochino pesante durante la seconda metà del libro dove vengono introdotti nuovi personaggi quasi per allungare il brodo...la storia procede lenta.
Rispetto ai precedenti questo volume è diverso per due caratteristiche.
1- Verso la fine ci sarà un colpo di scena (cosa che negli altri volumi non accadeva rendendo la storia abbastanza piatta).
2- Finisce con una scena che porta subito il lettore alla curiosità del volume successivo. I precedenti volumi facevano intendere che sarebbe successo qualcosa ma non mettevano molta curiosità. In questo il finale spinge il lettore a vedere cosa accadrà.
Queste due caratteristiche mi sono piaciute molto ma per la piccola pesantezza della storia nella parte centrale del volume, il libro prende solo tre stelle. Vediamo il volume successivo...
Rispetto ai precedenti questo volume è diverso per due caratteristiche.
1- Verso la fine ci sarà un colpo di scena (cosa che negli altri volumi non accadeva rendendo la storia abbastanza piatta).
2- Finisce con una scena che porta subito il lettore alla curiosità del volume successivo. I precedenti volumi facevano intendere che sarebbe successo qualcosa ma non mettevano molta curiosità. In questo il finale spinge il lettore a vedere cosa accadrà.
Queste due caratteristiche mi sono piaciute molto ma per la piccola pesantezza della storia nella parte centrale del volume, il libro prende solo tre stelle. Vediamo il volume successivo...
August 2, 2022
4,5 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Recensie volgt later.
Recensie volgt later.
November 21, 2025
Rezension folgt...
June 8, 2015
Auch dieses Mal hat Markus Heitz ein opulentes Fantasy-Mahl bereitet. Die Geschichte wird zunehmend komplexer, Gute und Böse sind nicht mehr so einfach auseinander zu halten, und einige liebgewonnene Charaktere sterben - obwohl es ja in dieser Serie fast schon normal ist, daß die scheinbar Toten später doch wieder auftauchen. Wie heißt es so schön: Totgesagte leben länger.
Mal schauen, ob er das Tempo und die Qualität auch im vierten Band aufrecht erhalten kann. Bis jetzt gefällt mir das Epos gut.
Mal schauen, ob er das Tempo und die Qualität auch im vierten Band aufrecht erhalten kann. Bis jetzt gefällt mir das Epos gut.
April 6, 2025
Im Vergleich zu den beiden Vorgängern schwächer, weil es massive Längen hatte. Tungdils Entwicklung fand ich echt schade. Alles in allem viel Politik und „Drama“.
August 17, 2023
Irgendwie werde ich nicht so richtig mit der Reihe warm. Die Hörbücher sind toll, aber die Geschichte ist doch oft sehr konstruiert und mit einigen Zufällen geschrieben. Vielleicht weil ich nicht so der große Zwergenfreund bin.
Ich werde trotzdem weiterhören und dann mal gucken, wie die Reihe ausgeht.
Ich denke, die Albae werden mir besser gefallen, aber ich wollte die Zwerge zuerst fertig haben.
Ich werde trotzdem weiterhören und dann mal gucken, wie die Reihe ausgeht.
Ich denke, die Albae werden mir besser gefallen, aber ich wollte die Zwerge zuerst fertig haben.
July 16, 2025
Ocekavala jsem oddechovku, feel good cteni… asi jo, ale zacina to byt dost prekombinovane. Bylo tady dost akce oproti predchozim dilum, coz cenim, ale po precteni anotace k dalsi knize v serii uz pokracovat nebudu.
Nerekla bych, ze pribeh jde pro me spravnym smerem, takze bohuzel.
Nerekla bych, ze pribeh jde pro me spravnym smerem, takze bohuzel.
July 8, 2022
Der dritte Teil der Zwergen-Reihe von Markus Heitz heißt „Die Rache der Zwerge“. Ebenso wie die ersten beiden Teile habe ich diesen Teil in der Hörbuchfassung mit Johannes Steck als überragenden Sprecher genossen und auch wenn ich tatsächlich ein paar Verwicklungen ein wenig langatmig fand, war der Gesamteindruck des Werkes durchweg positiv.
Die Charaktere entwickeln sich, als Leserin hatte ich oft Angst um ihr Schicksal und habe mit gefiebert, wenn sie mal wieder in einen Kampf geraten waren. Was mir aber wirklich gut gefallen hat, war zum Einen die Auflösung um die Ursachen der Maschinenwesen und zum Anderen die Einführung der vielen neuen Charaktere und ich möchte fast sagen – neuen Welt. Das macht sehr viel Lust auf den vierten Band, was man nach einer solch episch gesponnenen Handlung bestimmt nicht von jeder Reihe behaupten kann.
Zum Inhalt möchte ich mich lieber zurückhalten, da ich nicht spoilern möchte. Nur so viel sei gesagt: der Titel des Buches ist absolut treffend!
Die Charaktere entwickeln sich, als Leserin hatte ich oft Angst um ihr Schicksal und habe mit gefiebert, wenn sie mal wieder in einen Kampf geraten waren. Was mir aber wirklich gut gefallen hat, war zum Einen die Auflösung um die Ursachen der Maschinenwesen und zum Anderen die Einführung der vielen neuen Charaktere und ich möchte fast sagen – neuen Welt. Das macht sehr viel Lust auf den vierten Band, was man nach einer solch episch gesponnenen Handlung bestimmt nicht von jeder Reihe behaupten kann.
Zum Inhalt möchte ich mich lieber zurückhalten, da ich nicht spoilern möchte. Nur so viel sei gesagt: der Titel des Buches ist absolut treffend!
October 28, 2019
The title of this novel is down pat. Everything and everyone is out for revenge. Practically every character is dead set on righting perceived and alleged wrongs that somebody has done to them. That wouldn't be so bad if there was something compelling going on in the story or with the characters. Alas, there isn't. Essentially, it's one fantastic crisis after the other perpetrated by seemingly insuperable bad guys. Of course, the good guys prevail, but there's that revenge thing again. The whole novel is tempered by this malady, and to be blunt, I'm not sure if I want to read the next installment. This series has deteriorated in quality with each novel.
December 31, 2019
De serie van De Dwergen is leuk om te lezen, als je er maar niet te veel van verwacht. Heitz schrijft van gebeurtenis naar gebeurtenis; het gaat meer om avonturen dan diepgang op het gebied van personages. Ook in dit derde deel is dat niet anders. Tungdil en zijn companen moeten na vijf jaar vrede in het Veilige Land (een onbegrijpelijke misnomer als je de serie in ogenschouw neemt) weer vijanden bevechten om de orde op zaken te stellen. En hoewel dit boek aanvankelijk veelbelovend is op het gebied van de titelserie (het lijkt in dit deel werkelijk meer te gaan om het dwergenvolk dan de andere volken), verzandt het geheel toch weer in Heitz' typische ontwikkeling van het verhaal.
De vijanden aan het begin van het boek worden irrelevant als de volgende zich aandienen en richting het einde van het boek zijn ook zij weer vergeten en terzijde geschoven. In dit deel ontmoeten Tungdil en zijn vrienden nieuwe medestanders, waarover we echter niet veel meer leren dan hun uiterlijke kenmerken (de dwergvrouw is weer aantrekkelijk, dus held Tungdil is in boek 3 toe aan zijn derde grote liefde; onderwijl steeds vertwijfeld aan zijn eerste grote liefde denken. Net als in boek 2). In het gevecht tegen de vermoedelijke eindbaas raken tientallen ubaru hun leven kwijt, om vooral te illustreren dat hij een lastige tegenstander is. Hun naamloze aanwezigheid is echter nooit interessant en omdat Tungdil en zijn vriendjes zelf wel overleven, is er nooit echte spanning. Ook aan het werkelijke einde van het boek, waarin nog weer een andere, echte eindbaas verslagen moet worden, volgen we naast Tungdil en Co. een 20.000 ubaru, die op een handvol allemaal aan de klauwen van monsters tenonder gaan, zonder emotionele impact.
Meer is niet altijd beter. En het gebrek van Heitz lijkt te zijn, dat het vooral aan de oppervlakte blijft hangen. Mannetjes en vrouwtjes zijn allemaal in elkaar geïnteresseerd, vooral als de vrouwen de mannen "een blik op hun volle borsten" gunnen.
Na vier delen ben ik er wel helemaal klaar mee.
De vijanden aan het begin van het boek worden irrelevant als de volgende zich aandienen en richting het einde van het boek zijn ook zij weer vergeten en terzijde geschoven. In dit deel ontmoeten Tungdil en zijn vrienden nieuwe medestanders, waarover we echter niet veel meer leren dan hun uiterlijke kenmerken (de dwergvrouw is weer aantrekkelijk, dus held Tungdil is in boek 3 toe aan zijn derde grote liefde; onderwijl steeds vertwijfeld aan zijn eerste grote liefde denken. Net als in boek 2). In het gevecht tegen de vermoedelijke eindbaas raken tientallen ubaru hun leven kwijt, om vooral te illustreren dat hij een lastige tegenstander is. Hun naamloze aanwezigheid is echter nooit interessant en omdat Tungdil en zijn vriendjes zelf wel overleven, is er nooit echte spanning. Ook aan het werkelijke einde van het boek, waarin nog weer een andere, echte eindbaas verslagen moet worden, volgen we naast Tungdil en Co. een 20.000 ubaru, die op een handvol allemaal aan de klauwen van monsters tenonder gaan, zonder emotionele impact.
Meer is niet altijd beter. En het gebrek van Heitz lijkt te zijn, dat het vooral aan de oppervlakte blijft hangen. Mannetjes en vrouwtjes zijn allemaal in elkaar geïnteresseerd, vooral als de vrouwen de mannen "een blik op hun volle borsten" gunnen.
Na vier delen ben ik er wel helemaal klaar mee.
January 4, 2026
I love this series. Everyone I talk to about books, I talk to about how much I love this series. I think the plot of these books is simplistic but fantastic. Nothing too over complicated, no difficult magic system, but a whole host of likeable characters with strong character arcs and a compelling plot.
Unfortunately this book in the series fell short on a couple of things that made the previous entries so good and I think I know why - the translator.
I don’t know why Orbit chose to do this, but this book has a different translator to the first two books. In this book there was a lot of grammatical issues, and at times nonsensical sentences. Characters would say and do things that felt unusual for their already established personalities. At others, lots of things being said that just felt unimportant? Plenty of new characters are introduced early on in this book, but then seemingly never show up again, or have very little presence in the rest of the book, leading to me either forgetting who they were, or just straight up not caring. I’ve looked into this, and I know that in the first two books the translator put a lot of work in to make the English version flow better for non-German readers. I don’t feel like this translator put in anywhere near as much work, or even heart into the process.
Like I said, I love this series. I probably always will, but this entry felt like the story I love was being told by someone who didn’t quite believe in it. Still, I have the fourth and final book in the series, and I’m hoping it finishes strong.
Unfortunately this book in the series fell short on a couple of things that made the previous entries so good and I think I know why - the translator.
I don’t know why Orbit chose to do this, but this book has a different translator to the first two books. In this book there was a lot of grammatical issues, and at times nonsensical sentences. Characters would say and do things that felt unusual for their already established personalities. At others, lots of things being said that just felt unimportant? Plenty of new characters are introduced early on in this book, but then seemingly never show up again, or have very little presence in the rest of the book, leading to me either forgetting who they were, or just straight up not caring. I’ve looked into this, and I know that in the first two books the translator put a lot of work in to make the English version flow better for non-German readers. I don’t feel like this translator put in anywhere near as much work, or even heart into the process.
Like I said, I love this series. I probably always will, but this entry felt like the story I love was being told by someone who didn’t quite believe in it. Still, I have the fourth and final book in the series, and I’m hoping it finishes strong.
October 24, 2022
Rispetto ai primi due libri della serie, trovo che questa sia stata la lettura più interessante e godibile. Lo stile è sempre molto semplice e scorrevole, i temi sviluppati perdono gli ultimi strascichi della pesante banalità incontrata nel primo libro e, elemento forse più degno di nota, diversi personaggi abbandonano il semplice dualismo "buono Vs cattivo", rivelando una maggiore complessità.
Lettura piacevole e riposante, il mondo fantastico di Heitz si espande ulteriormente agli occhi del lettore, senza però sopraffarlo con un'ondata di nomi illeggibili o complesse trame politiche intessute di lana caprina.
Questi meriti rendono il testo un'ottima lettura per i novizi del genere fantasy ma, per contro, lasciano un senso di vuoto a chi è più navigato, portandolo a notare tutti i mancati approfondimenti o le rapide accelerazioni che compie la narrazione nei momenti deboli della trama.
Nel complesso, avrei voluto dare al libro 4 stelle, ma l'uso continuo e quasi spropositato del "colpo di scena" nelle ultime 100 pagine rendono noioso questo espediente e, anzi, portano il lettore a porsi forti dubbi sulla scorrevolezza della narrazione, dove tutto può essere soverchiato per esigenze di trama (e di sequel).
Lettura piacevole e riposante, il mondo fantastico di Heitz si espande ulteriormente agli occhi del lettore, senza però sopraffarlo con un'ondata di nomi illeggibili o complesse trame politiche intessute di lana caprina.
Questi meriti rendono il testo un'ottima lettura per i novizi del genere fantasy ma, per contro, lasciano un senso di vuoto a chi è più navigato, portandolo a notare tutti i mancati approfondimenti o le rapide accelerazioni che compie la narrazione nei momenti deboli della trama.
Nel complesso, avrei voluto dare al libro 4 stelle, ma l'uso continuo e quasi spropositato del "colpo di scena" nelle ultime 100 pagine rendono noioso questo espediente e, anzi, portano il lettore a porsi forti dubbi sulla scorrevolezza della narrazione, dove tutto può essere soverchiato per esigenze di trama (e di sequel).
November 28, 2024
Nikdy bych neřekla, že tu sérii bude u třetího dílu zachraňovat hlavně postava praštěného herce :D A nebýt audio formy, asi by to bylo ještě horší.
June 27, 2021
I feel like this book has taken the decisive steps back from where the series was initially, positively directed.
From the forced union between Balandys and Tungil CUT without a reason (or not completely justified) and the submerging island (again not fully justified how a dwarf would submerge himself into this element), to the steampunk monsters and the exaggerated betrayal of Furgas.
This for me completes the series.
From the forced union between Balandys and Tungil CUT without a reason (or not completely justified) and the submerging island (again not fully justified how a dwarf would submerge himself into this element), to the steampunk monsters and the exaggerated betrayal of Furgas.
This for me completes the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2024
The pacing is ... strange, to be sure. A lot happens, and perhaps there's something lost in translation, but I wasn't a fan of certain characterizations. However, it was still a fun rollercoaster, and the implementation of steam punk elements was radical.
October 28, 2021
This book took me forever to finish. After the gripping first book (The Dwarves), which I thought was brilliant, and the somewhat weaker second one (War of the Dwarves), this one was a chore to go through. I cannot count the number of times I rolled my eyes at how inept the good guys were at preventing the villains' plans. It's like any time the opponents were present, the protagonists got a severe case of the stupids, suddenly being unable to fight, reason, act, or speak coherently. The new characters, introduced in place of those that the author killed in the previous volume, aren't nearly as well developed as the old cast. Some of them are also killed off quite quickly or abandoned, never to appear or be mentioned again. Hell, it even seems like the author had no idea what to do with some of the main characters established as far back as the first book, sparing for them only a few pages.
To add insult to injury, one of the villains in this book is probably the most unlikely person you'd suspect of turning evil. Suddenly this quiet person from previous books turns into an evil mastermind, hatching plots worthy of the Baron Harkonnen (this reminded me a lot of of how Marcalo De'Unnero, the main villain's lackey in R.A. Salvatore's demonwars saga, suddenly turns into a master political manipulator and an evil genius himself in the later books). Some of the evil hybrid creatures that the villains use to perpetrate their deeds also exceed what seems to be canon for the world created by the author, reaching somewhat into steampunk. The capabilities of the bad guys also require tapping into those deep reserves of willing suspension of disbelief, as they're capable of quite impossible feats that defy physics and/or biology. It very much feels like a bad fanfiction at times, written by a teenager intent on realising some sort of immature power fantasy.
I would strongly suggest avoiding this book. It's nowhere near as good as those before it, and I dread to think what the next one will be like.
To add insult to injury, one of the villains in this book is probably the most unlikely person you'd suspect of turning evil. Suddenly this quiet person from previous books turns into an evil mastermind, hatching plots worthy of the Baron Harkonnen (this reminded me a lot of of how Marcalo De'Unnero, the main villain's lackey in R.A. Salvatore's demonwars saga, suddenly turns into a master political manipulator and an evil genius himself in the later books). Some of the evil hybrid creatures that the villains use to perpetrate their deeds also exceed what seems to be canon for the world created by the author, reaching somewhat into steampunk. The capabilities of the bad guys also require tapping into those deep reserves of willing suspension of disbelief, as they're capable of quite impossible feats that defy physics and/or biology. It very much feels like a bad fanfiction at times, written by a teenager intent on realising some sort of immature power fantasy.
I would strongly suggest avoiding this book. It's nowhere near as good as those before it, and I dread to think what the next one will be like.
August 17, 2022
Zwerge in Aufruhr!
Habe ich schon mal erwähnt, dass ich diese Reihe einfach liebe? Nach den ersten beiden Teilen musste ich natürlich auch den dritten Teil „Die Rache der Zwerge“ hören und ich bin immer wieder begeistert, was für eine phantastische Welt Markus Heitz hier geschaffen hat! Tolle und authentische Charaktere, eine atemberaubende Welt und spannende Geschichten ohne Ende! Besonders schön finde ich, dass es in den Werken nicht nur um Schlachten geht, sondern auch um Liebe, tiefe Freundschaft und Vertrauen. Die zwischenzwergische Probleme gingen mir richtig unter die Haut, vor allem Tungdils innere Zerrissenheit war deutlich spürbar. In diesem Teil begleiten wir die Zwerge gegen den Kampf um die Halbkreaturen, teils Albae, teils Orks, die sich mit Maschinen vereinen und alles abschlachten, was sich ihnen in den Weg stellt. Und wär das nicht schon mehr als genug, wird der versteinerte Magus Lot-Ionan, Tungdils Mentor, gestohlen und er muss alles geben, um ein weiteres Mal das geborgene Land und seine Freunde zu retten. In diesem Band wird hauptsächlich in zwei verschiedenen Strängen erzählt… zum einen steht man Tungdil bei, zum anderen begleitet man den unglaublichen Rodario auf der Suche nach seinem Freund Furgas. Beide Storys fesseln total und ich habe die Geschichte wirklich bei jeder Gelegenheit gehört. Hut ab vor Markus Heitz und auch vor dem Sprecher Johannes Steck, der jedem einzelnen Charakter eine ganz eigene Note gibt. Ich hätte beim ersten Band niemals gedacht, dass ich ein großer Fan von Boindil werde, aber ausgerechnet er ist mir mittlerweile unheimlich ans Herz gewachsen, was an der fantastischen Leistung Stecks liegt. Und auch Rodario ist einfach herrlich dargestellt!
Fazit:
Ich bekomme nicht genug von den Zwergen und freue mich schon wahnsinnig auf den vierten Teil, der da heißt „Das Schicksal der Zwerge“.
Habe ich schon mal erwähnt, dass ich diese Reihe einfach liebe? Nach den ersten beiden Teilen musste ich natürlich auch den dritten Teil „Die Rache der Zwerge“ hören und ich bin immer wieder begeistert, was für eine phantastische Welt Markus Heitz hier geschaffen hat! Tolle und authentische Charaktere, eine atemberaubende Welt und spannende Geschichten ohne Ende! Besonders schön finde ich, dass es in den Werken nicht nur um Schlachten geht, sondern auch um Liebe, tiefe Freundschaft und Vertrauen. Die zwischenzwergische Probleme gingen mir richtig unter die Haut, vor allem Tungdils innere Zerrissenheit war deutlich spürbar. In diesem Teil begleiten wir die Zwerge gegen den Kampf um die Halbkreaturen, teils Albae, teils Orks, die sich mit Maschinen vereinen und alles abschlachten, was sich ihnen in den Weg stellt. Und wär das nicht schon mehr als genug, wird der versteinerte Magus Lot-Ionan, Tungdils Mentor, gestohlen und er muss alles geben, um ein weiteres Mal das geborgene Land und seine Freunde zu retten. In diesem Band wird hauptsächlich in zwei verschiedenen Strängen erzählt… zum einen steht man Tungdil bei, zum anderen begleitet man den unglaublichen Rodario auf der Suche nach seinem Freund Furgas. Beide Storys fesseln total und ich habe die Geschichte wirklich bei jeder Gelegenheit gehört. Hut ab vor Markus Heitz und auch vor dem Sprecher Johannes Steck, der jedem einzelnen Charakter eine ganz eigene Note gibt. Ich hätte beim ersten Band niemals gedacht, dass ich ein großer Fan von Boindil werde, aber ausgerechnet er ist mir mittlerweile unheimlich ans Herz gewachsen, was an der fantastischen Leistung Stecks liegt. Und auch Rodario ist einfach herrlich dargestellt!
Fazit:
Ich bekomme nicht genug von den Zwergen und freue mich schon wahnsinnig auf den vierten Teil, der da heißt „Das Schicksal der Zwerge“.
February 7, 2020
Der dritte Band der Zwerge war das bisher schwächste Buch, was ich von Heitz gelesen habe. Beim Lesen hatte ich permanent das Gefühl, dass er hier einfach 'zu viel' unterbringen, den Vorgängern immer noch eins draufsetzen wollte. Noch eine Bedrohung, ein Handlungsstrang, eine Romanze mehr, und im Endeffekt wurde das alles sehr verworren, weil nicht, wie oft in solchen Büchern, alles zusammenlief, sondern tatsächlich mehrere, von einander unabhängige 'Finale' stattfanden. Außerdem entwickelt sich unter Held Tungdil zu einem recht unsympathischen Zeitgenossen, so dass es oft schwerfiel, mit ihm mitzufiebern. Deutlich sympathischer wurde mir dafür in diesem Teil Rodario, der endlich mal etwas von seiner eigenen Medizin zu schmecken bekam, was ihm sicherlich gut tat. Wie er von einem sich selbst permanent überschätzenden, aber im wahren Leben nicht sehr fähigen Schauspieler zu einem wahren Alleskönner wurde, ist mir aber noch nicht klar...
August 30, 2021
Honestly, I only read about 2/3 of it and then gave up. I really enjoyed the first two books and was excited to have a series to get into, but I won't be continuing after this one. I really loved the character of Tungdil in the other two books and then lost so much respect for him in this one. I am just so tired of authors using infidelity as an exciting way to move their story forward. No, infidelity is nothing but pain. Stop it, stop glorifying it, just stop. And on that note, Rodario was way too prominently featured in this one. He is a much better secondary character. Also, the plot was just all over the place and hard to remember all that was going on. The thought of the vanishing island is really interesting, probably the only thing I enjoyed about this book.
January 5, 2019
The third installment in the series got things more complicated. Half-breed new creatures are threatening to invade, while the dwarf tribes are warring amongst themselves. Some tensions are too deep-seated to ever be completely left behind, and the entire book reads like a huge disillusionment with the world. This corresponds best to the disappointment that is slowly starting to build into the heart of Tungdil, our main character, and which will cause him to uproot as his restlessness grows.
It's a great continuation for the first two volumes, while I personally still prefer the 2nd and 4th books best.
It's a great continuation for the first two volumes, while I personally still prefer the 2nd and 4th books best.
August 18, 2023
Wieder ein tolles Buch von Markus Heitz. Gleich zum Ende hin aber trotzdem zwei mal hintereinander mit dem vermeintlichen Tod der Hauptfigur zu flanieren um einen Spannungsbogen künstlich am Leben zu erhalten, welcher es überhaupt nicht nötig hätte bei dieser Dichte an Ereignissen in die Länge gezogen zu werden ist dann doch etwas over the top. Ähnliches musste ja bei den Hobbit Filmen gemacht werden, damit diese Hollywoodtauglich sind. Braucht ein Buch wie dieses wirklich als allerletztes, deshalb reicht es auch diesmal für mich leider nicht für den 5. Stern.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2024
I was not the biggest fan of the first two Books either, but this Book was really disappointing. I just hate the main character now : First the author tells us that one cannot separate from a spouse and then you can just do it by writing a shitty letter, sending her back to her ex after leaving her behind badly injured…. Seriously? And the ex can just send his current wife and child away… brilliant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
I don’t remember the last time I DNF’d a series, but I’m stopping here with this one. There are entertaining moments but the plot bounces between so many different stories and then leaves them alone for ages. The characters are not that compelling, and most of the dialogue is unbelievably cheesy and mediocre. I hope others can enjoy this series because I couldn’t.
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