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Mithgar (Publication) #14
Silver Wolf, Black Falcon
Bair, the progeny of an Elf and a shape-changing Baeran, is cursed with a destiny that he is the Hope of the World--perhaps the long-foretold Rider of the Planes. Unaware of the peril around him, Bair accompanies his friend Aravan on a quest to find the yellow-eyed demon Ydral. But the oracle warns them to be prepared for a time of chaos.
534 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
21 people are currently reading
497 people want to read
About the author
Dennis L. McKiernan
69 books519 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 13, 2025
Bair, teenage child of an elf and a shape-changing Baeran; child of prophecy; and possibly the foretold "Rider of the Planes", blithely joins his friend on a quest for vengeance to find the yellow-eyed demon Ydral... while behind them the forces of Darkness gather.
This was supposed to be the last novel set in Mithgar, so McKiernan spends a lot of text going on what felt like sight-seeing trips, philosophizing, and expository references to the events told in previous novels (of which I've only read two so far). I felt this extraneous text slowed the pacing down. as well as making the book longer and more tedious than it should have been. However, I did enjoy the somewhat formal/archaic writing voice. I've also been reminded how much I enjoy McKiernan's world-building and his characters - it reminds me of Middle-Earth. An entertaining high-fantasy novel that was not nearly as intense or sorrowful as its predecessor "The Eye of the Hunter".
This was supposed to be the last novel set in Mithgar, so McKiernan spends a lot of text going on what felt like sight-seeing trips, philosophizing, and expository references to the events told in previous novels (of which I've only read two so far). I felt this extraneous text slowed the pacing down. as well as making the book longer and more tedious than it should have been. However, I did enjoy the somewhat formal/archaic writing voice. I've also been reminded how much I enjoy McKiernan's world-building and his characters - it reminds me of Middle-Earth. An entertaining high-fantasy novel that was not nearly as intense or sorrowful as its predecessor "The Eye of the Hunter".
March 17, 2018
What a great book. This is really a novel that wraps up a lot of loose ends and refers to a lot of the previous books in the series. It is kind of important to know what happened previously in order to really appreciate all the nuances of the book. I liked the character development and the way so much of the other novels have tied into this one. I also recognize that if it is read alone, it won't be as good a read. I liked this high fantasy story.
February 9, 2018
I believe this one to be the least typical of McKiernan's Mithgar books, but still a strong entry in the series. It's more diffuse than the earlier novels, with references and overlaps from many of the earlier and very distant events and settings. It's not as tightly wrapped but is much faster-paced. I suggest reading it with more of an eye to his chronology than is needed in the others. It's wonderful high fantasy.
July 31, 2015
I have been reading Dennis McKiernan for a long time. This book--published in 1999--was supposedly the last of his Midkemia books, but since then he's written and published at least two more. Because this was going to be the last, the author threw many, many bones to his fans: names and places and references to his body of work that all tied together in this one mega-epic. Having read all ove these books over the last 25 years or so, I found it hard to keep all of it straight in my head! I kept thinking, "Hmmmm...I sort of remember that...I think I know who that was...I vaguely recall that happening..."
First I'll talk about what I think the weakness of this book is: its length. It's simply too long. It could have been 75 pages shorter. Too much of it read like a gazetteer, or a treatise on mountain climbing. There were a lof of digressions about evolution, free will, and sea navigation. An editor should have caught all of this. It detracted from the pace of the narrative.
Second, what I liked: the author's use of language. McKiernan writes in such a way that's almost like reading a Victorian fairy tale. His sentence construction, his syntax...it has a marvelous fantasy feel to it. He has a unique writing voice, and he is highly creative: his massive make-believe world is consistent and lovingly imagined. I always enjoy my visits to Midkemia. I care about what happens there.
McKiernan has been criticized for being Tolkien-lite, and there is some truth to that observation. With that said, I like his books and I'm glad I read this one.
First I'll talk about what I think the weakness of this book is: its length. It's simply too long. It could have been 75 pages shorter. Too much of it read like a gazetteer, or a treatise on mountain climbing. There were a lof of digressions about evolution, free will, and sea navigation. An editor should have caught all of this. It detracted from the pace of the narrative.
Second, what I liked: the author's use of language. McKiernan writes in such a way that's almost like reading a Victorian fairy tale. His sentence construction, his syntax...it has a marvelous fantasy feel to it. He has a unique writing voice, and he is highly creative: his massive make-believe world is consistent and lovingly imagined. I always enjoy my visits to Midkemia. I care about what happens there.
McKiernan has been criticized for being Tolkien-lite, and there is some truth to that observation. With that said, I like his books and I'm glad I read this one.
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October 28, 2024This novel was classic Mithgar, with heroes of various races teaming up, with lots of travel, to stop a big evil from winning. The author states that this was possibly his last Mithgar novel, and the story is definitely written like it - the novel combines the stories from all other Mithgar novels, and sometimes even some characters, into one story that ties everything up neatly. I checked and luckily there are at least a few more books after this one.
May 22, 2014
He meant it to conclude the series (though we now have two more to go) and does a pretty darn good job. The end feels a little rushed, but he is trying to weave together a lot of stories from thousands of years of Mithgarian history, so I suppose I understand. It helps that there is no love story here, since often those are his clunkiest moments.
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.
September 28, 2020
Great conclusion that ties in the previous 12 books.
May 31, 2014
I loved reading this fantasy book and now I am going to start reading all of McKiernan's other books. I read it a few years ago and I might reread it.
June 17, 2012
Enjoyed this one.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews