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Atlanton Earth
Greyfax Grimwald
Welcome to Atlanton Earth! Drawn together by an enchanted summons, three loyal friends-Bear, Dwarf, and Otter, bid farewell to their fair home in the kingdom of Lorini and embark on a magical journey to the fabled World Beyond Time, a place where glows the ageless Circle of Light. Along the way they meet many marvelous friends, including the mighty wizard Greyfax Grimwald. But little does the trio realize the dangers that await them: the gloomy border of the Northerland....the green fires of the Palace of Darkness....evil spells and dark enchantments .... the dread city of Humans and-most fearsome of all-the evil Dark Queen.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
30 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
About the author
Niel Hancock
15 books26 followersNiel Hancock started out from the Panhandle of Texas in 1941, and was on the ground when the Sky Riders went down outside Roswell, New Mexico. Even as a lad, that tweaked his curiosity, and then they touched off the Atom Bomb at Trinity Site, which put him on the trail of the Road to the Sacred Mountain, young as he was.
He grew up in that wilderness, always looking for clues to the Mystery, then drifted on to the University, then Europe... He was then welcomed into the ranks of the U.S. Army... in 1965. Niel was drafted, and after his basic and advanced training, was assigned to the 716th MP BN, Viet Nam in July of 1967. He served through July of 1968, and was a survivor of the Tet Offensive of that year. In the aftermath of the war, he spent time in the Virgin Islands, then California, running with the wild musicians that fueled those later years of the '60's, and finally ended up in the desert of Chihuahua.
He came off the outlaw trail there, through a small miracle of friendship and having bottomed out on alcohol and drugs, and began to do the one thing he had always wanted, which was to write yarns and tales of the things he'd seen and done.
He grew up in that wilderness, always looking for clues to the Mystery, then drifted on to the University, then Europe... He was then welcomed into the ranks of the U.S. Army... in 1965. Niel was drafted, and after his basic and advanced training, was assigned to the 716th MP BN, Viet Nam in July of 1967. He served through July of 1968, and was a survivor of the Tet Offensive of that year. In the aftermath of the war, he spent time in the Virgin Islands, then California, running with the wild musicians that fueled those later years of the '60's, and finally ended up in the desert of Chihuahua.
He came off the outlaw trail there, through a small miracle of friendship and having bottomed out on alcohol and drugs, and began to do the one thing he had always wanted, which was to write yarns and tales of the things he'd seen and done.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
August 19, 2025
A weak sister to many fantasy alternatives
They’re not really sure what it’s all about and they can’t even agree on how they feel! But Dwarf, Otter and Bear – contented, happily complacent long-term friends in their quiet, peaceful kingdom of Lorini – are certain that they must leave their homes. They’ve received an enchanted summons to cross Calix Stay, the river that separates their home from the World Beyond Time. With the on again, off again guidance and protection of the wizards, Greyfax Grimwald and Faragorn Fairingay, our intrepid travelers realize that they are in the battle of their lives against the evil dark Queen Dorini who seeks to rule over all of Atlanton Earth.
As a good vs evil fantasy in the mould of LORD OF THE RINGS, GREYFAX GRIMWALD simply can’t compete. It’s competently written enjoyable fantasy but it simply isn’t in the same class as the novel it clearly seeks to emulate. There are other followers such as Terry Brooks SHANNARA series that leapt off the same springboard but, in the doing, broke their own ground and set new and different standards for excellence in the fantasy genre.
As an allegory in the style of Richard Adam’s WATERSHIP DOWN or William Horwood’s DUNCTON WOOD, Hancock still comes up short. Unlike Adam’s rabbits or Horwood’s moles, Hancock’s otter and bear are simply anthropomorphized human characters with fur. To be sure, weak nods are made in the direction of animal thinking (Bear likes honey and Otter likes to play in the water or slide in the snow), but ultimately he humanizes (or de-humanizes) his characters, even going so far as to have them participate in a fire fight with rifles and grenades. What kind of nonsense is that?
When I read GREYFAX GRIMWALD almost thirty years ago, I enjoyed it. But the sad fact is that it simply doesn’t stand the test of time. It’s passable fantasy but it pales in comparison to the menu of other choices available.
Paul Weiss
They’re not really sure what it’s all about and they can’t even agree on how they feel! But Dwarf, Otter and Bear – contented, happily complacent long-term friends in their quiet, peaceful kingdom of Lorini – are certain that they must leave their homes. They’ve received an enchanted summons to cross Calix Stay, the river that separates their home from the World Beyond Time. With the on again, off again guidance and protection of the wizards, Greyfax Grimwald and Faragorn Fairingay, our intrepid travelers realize that they are in the battle of their lives against the evil dark Queen Dorini who seeks to rule over all of Atlanton Earth.
As a good vs evil fantasy in the mould of LORD OF THE RINGS, GREYFAX GRIMWALD simply can’t compete. It’s competently written enjoyable fantasy but it simply isn’t in the same class as the novel it clearly seeks to emulate. There are other followers such as Terry Brooks SHANNARA series that leapt off the same springboard but, in the doing, broke their own ground and set new and different standards for excellence in the fantasy genre.
As an allegory in the style of Richard Adam’s WATERSHIP DOWN or William Horwood’s DUNCTON WOOD, Hancock still comes up short. Unlike Adam’s rabbits or Horwood’s moles, Hancock’s otter and bear are simply anthropomorphized human characters with fur. To be sure, weak nods are made in the direction of animal thinking (Bear likes honey and Otter likes to play in the water or slide in the snow), but ultimately he humanizes (or de-humanizes) his characters, even going so far as to have them participate in a fire fight with rifles and grenades. What kind of nonsense is that?
When I read GREYFAX GRIMWALD almost thirty years ago, I enjoyed it. But the sad fact is that it simply doesn’t stand the test of time. It’s passable fantasy but it pales in comparison to the menu of other choices available.
Paul Weiss
November 23, 2008
I remember reading this series in those halcyon days of youth 20 or 30 years ago (give or take 5 years) and being quite enchanted with it.
I tried rereading it about 10 years ago, I suppose, and somewhere the "magic" had disappeared. It just wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it, sadly.
But I'm still giving it three stars (I liked it) in memory of that 12-year-old kid who was ensorcelled.
I tried rereading it about 10 years ago, I suppose, and somewhere the "magic" had disappeared. It just wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it, sadly.
But I'm still giving it three stars (I liked it) in memory of that 12-year-old kid who was ensorcelled.
September 17, 2012
Bought this paperback book at a book sale, with it's 3 others in it's set for a full $1.00. Where has this been all my life and I've never heard of this series or author? Great high-fantasy story that I plowed through in one very lazy day. It's written for adults due to the complex concepts, but it made me feel like a little kid reading LOTR for the first time again. Wow. Can't wait to read the others.
November 21, 2009
Fantasy is a difficult genre because so many readers come into it with preconceived notions, baggage from favorite and despised authors and other such stuff that generally keeps them from enjoying a good book if it doesn't really meet their expectations.
Greyfax Grimwald is probably one of the books that gest abused by the fantasy snobs. I admit Niel Hancock is no Tolkein, but then only Tolkein is Tolkein. It's a fairer thing to say that Hancock is no Terry Brooks; he's a few notches above Brooks in quality and narrative.
Where Hancock may fall short lies in differentiating his characters one from another. The wizards Greyfax Grimwald, Froghorn Feringay and the wizard in disguise, General Greymouse, may as well be the same person, they're so alike.
Then there's the treatment of magic. There are these things, see, that are meant to keep whatever world we're in -- that's also hard to follow -- safe, or at least help people get out of fixes. Or something. They are to reside in a chest of sorts, but they've ben scattered to protect them. I spent too much time trying to figure this out, trying to figure out the lay of the land (Hancock provides maps, but there's little resemblance and few landmarks in common between the maps and these stories) that I kept losing the story.
If you want to read Hancock, I recommend "Dragon Winter" Much more coherent in narrative and geography.
Greyfax Grimwald is probably one of the books that gest abused by the fantasy snobs. I admit Niel Hancock is no Tolkein, but then only Tolkein is Tolkein. It's a fairer thing to say that Hancock is no Terry Brooks; he's a few notches above Brooks in quality and narrative.
Where Hancock may fall short lies in differentiating his characters one from another. The wizards Greyfax Grimwald, Froghorn Feringay and the wizard in disguise, General Greymouse, may as well be the same person, they're so alike.
Then there's the treatment of magic. There are these things, see, that are meant to keep whatever world we're in -- that's also hard to follow -- safe, or at least help people get out of fixes. Or something. They are to reside in a chest of sorts, but they've ben scattered to protect them. I spent too much time trying to figure this out, trying to figure out the lay of the land (Hancock provides maps, but there's little resemblance and few landmarks in common between the maps and these stories) that I kept losing the story.
If you want to read Hancock, I recommend "Dragon Winter" Much more coherent in narrative and geography.
February 18, 2020
This was not what I really thought it would be. I was never much into the whole personified animal fantasy, so that was really strike one. Strike two is (hate me if you want, I'm a fantasy purist) is the use of pretty much anything found in the modern world. When I got to the parts with the guns and bullets and such, I lost all interest and faith in this writer. That's just me.
There are quite a few parallels to LOTR, which would work for some story lines... just not this one. I am a HUGE admirer of LOTR, so if an author wants to display the fact that he/she has no imagination to come up with their own concepts and plots, they better get it right!
Niel Hancock did not.
Even Terry Brooks did a better job at ripping LOTR off.
It's not a bad story, as it had some interesting parts, but overall just not what I had anticipated. I'm not sure if I'll be reading the rest of these.
There are quite a few parallels to LOTR, which would work for some story lines... just not this one. I am a HUGE admirer of LOTR, so if an author wants to display the fact that he/she has no imagination to come up with their own concepts and plots, they better get it right!
Niel Hancock did not.
Even Terry Brooks did a better job at ripping LOTR off.
It's not a bad story, as it had some interesting parts, but overall just not what I had anticipated. I'm not sure if I'll be reading the rest of these.
December 31, 2014
Bear, Otter, and the dwarf Broco were happy living their own lives beyond the great river Calix Stay, but some mysterious unrest has overtaken them all. Drawn together, they cross the river once more, heading back into the lands that know time. They are searching for their quest. But it doesn't take long for them to come to the attention of both the good and the evil who are warring for supremacy in this conflicted realm. . .
By and large, this is a novel that shines with its language and characters. Grumpy, hungry Bear, playful Otter, and the serious Dwarf form the heart of the story. The interaction between the three is frequently amusing, especially since all of them have been alive so long that things like hurry and short-term-memory often fall to the wayside.
The plot, however, suffers a bit. While Greyfax knows who Dwarf is, and the reader figures out through him fairly early what the fuss is all about, Dwarf spends most of the book sitting around waiting for plot to happen to him. Greyfax, despite being the title character, isn't much better---he's always rushing someplace only to find his bit of information came too late, or is meant to push other people into acting.
The plot also has several echos of Lord of the Rings (which doesn't have to be a bad thing; it just makes certain twists seem far too familiar). For instance, when Dwarf suggests they go to the hall of his cousin, which is sure to be full of feasting, it tends to be rather too obvious what they'll find when they arrive.
The characters are solid, and the overarching world (or rather, multi-verse) appealed to me, so I'll track down the second book. It's an easy read. I rate this book Recommended.
By and large, this is a novel that shines with its language and characters. Grumpy, hungry Bear, playful Otter, and the serious Dwarf form the heart of the story. The interaction between the three is frequently amusing, especially since all of them have been alive so long that things like hurry and short-term-memory often fall to the wayside.
The plot, however, suffers a bit. While Greyfax knows who Dwarf is, and the reader figures out through him fairly early what the fuss is all about, Dwarf spends most of the book sitting around waiting for plot to happen to him. Greyfax, despite being the title character, isn't much better---he's always rushing someplace only to find his bit of information came too late, or is meant to push other people into acting.
The plot also has several echos of Lord of the Rings (which doesn't have to be a bad thing; it just makes certain twists seem far too familiar). For instance, when Dwarf suggests they go to the hall of his cousin, which is sure to be full of feasting, it tends to be rather too obvious what they'll find when they arrive.
The characters are solid, and the overarching world (or rather, multi-verse) appealed to me, so I'll track down the second book. It's an easy read. I rate this book Recommended.
April 15, 2017
Always enjoy this one. First read in third grade.
It's the only one of the four I can recall clearly between readings. :-)
Fans of fantasy will probably like it, though it isn't the next LOTR as the publisher states all over the cover.
It's the only one of the four I can recall clearly between readings. :-)
Fans of fantasy will probably like it, though it isn't the next LOTR as the publisher states all over the cover.
July 20, 2011
I don't know what kind of crap this is, but it is absolutely unreadable! The sentence structure is appalling, and every decent rule of good writing is broken on every page. Apparently, this writer has never even heard of stuff that every writer learns (or should have learned) in 5th grade, like that you shouldn't use too many adjectives, and you shouldn't use the same adjective over and over.
"The delightful, soft, glowing movements of the sun..."
Three adjectives were necessary here?
"Leaving all that world frozen by the cold ice night..."
Argh! The redundancy!
"The cold snow"
Do you really need to say that snow is cold? Really?
The characters are inconsistent in their behaviour and their dialogue is boring in the extreme.
The styles are mixed in too. It's supposed to be set in olden times, but the expressions used are decidedly modern day.
The plot falters along with lots of pompous talk about things being "important" but nothing ever happens.
Another rule of writing: Don't TELL me it's "important." Show me. Make me FEEL that it is important without telling me so.
The awfulness of this book is beyond words. It amazes me that this worthless stuff was ever published for actual human beings to read.
I couldn't even finish it. I made it a little past halfway through, and just couldn't stomach it anymore. My brain feels violated.
This author obviously has no education and no training in writing.
I need to read some Dickens or something to wash out my mind and remind me what real English and good grammar looks like.
Whoever this author's editor was, he's an idiot, and has inflicted a monstrousity on the world.
"The delightful, soft, glowing movements of the sun..."
Three adjectives were necessary here?
"Leaving all that world frozen by the cold ice night..."
Argh! The redundancy!
"The cold snow"
Do you really need to say that snow is cold? Really?
The characters are inconsistent in their behaviour and their dialogue is boring in the extreme.
The styles are mixed in too. It's supposed to be set in olden times, but the expressions used are decidedly modern day.
The plot falters along with lots of pompous talk about things being "important" but nothing ever happens.
Another rule of writing: Don't TELL me it's "important." Show me. Make me FEEL that it is important without telling me so.
The awfulness of this book is beyond words. It amazes me that this worthless stuff was ever published for actual human beings to read.
I couldn't even finish it. I made it a little past halfway through, and just couldn't stomach it anymore. My brain feels violated.
This author obviously has no education and no training in writing.
I need to read some Dickens or something to wash out my mind and remind me what real English and good grammar looks like.
Whoever this author's editor was, he's an idiot, and has inflicted a monstrousity on the world.
November 24, 2020
Deliciously terrible. It gains an extra star because it almost is so painful to be enjoyable lol This has been in my hunting blind for about 15 years. Finally finished
January 6, 2018
Average fare. Meh.
September 16, 2024
This was cute.
October 8, 2016
I first read this in the mid-1980s but didn't remember much about it. Decided to re-read it as an adult and my conclusion is that this book (the first in a series of four) will likely be most enjoyed primarily by younger readers. It's not terrible but it does leave much to be desired. It is unoriginal within the fantasy genre and quite derivative of Tolkein in particular. Not so much an homage as a blatant rip-off, as there are numerous characters, events, and items that directly correspond to Tolkein's creations. The writing style is uneven and distracting at times. Characters were often weakly developed, unmemorable, and interchangeable with one another. Also, I'm not quite sure why Hancock chose Greyfax Grimwald as the title, because there are at least three (and arguably four or five) characters featured more prominently in the narrative than Grimwald. Despite these complaints (and due in no small part to nostalgia for my youth), I did enjoy parts of it and will eventually be moving on to book two in the series.
October 26, 2012
This book was great! This is the first in the Circle of Light series, and it has a world reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, but not so...two-legged, for lack of a more fun word. Animals play a bit more of a role from what I can tell. The main characters are a dwarf (short, skinny, and magical--a bit different from other dwarves), a bear (an ancient, powerful being who is always hungry), an otter (he's mostly fun and playful), and a couple of wizards who help them understand what's going on when they come back to the World Before Time. It's really enjoyable, and I would suggest it for any fan of fantasy.
January 7, 2014
WOW. A let down. I guess the danger of being a pioneer (the book was written ages ago) is that you may be judged by more current standards. For its time, Greyfax Grinwald's characters and plot may have been just fine. It is not a bad book. It is just not up to par with today's standards... Like trying to review a telegrapgh system in the age of phones.
April 3, 2017
So I loved these as a kid - partly for the animals, but also for the quests and the magic and the battles. I only learned much latter that there is a distinct Buddhist theme running through the whole thing. Its deeper than it appears to be on the surface.
Anyway the ending of the series was particularly satisfying. For me anyway. I have not re-read these as an adult though.
Anyway the ending of the series was particularly satisfying. For me anyway. I have not re-read these as an adult though.
March 20, 2008
Enjoyable and unpredictable. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
March 4, 2009
Read the series a long time ago and liked it. Tried reading it again a few years back but didn't even make it through the first book. It still rates a 3-star out of sentimentality...
June 5, 2011
I read this ages ago. The series is simple and has a fairy tale sort of quality; talking animal characters and wicked queens and such.
May 4, 2017
LOved reading this to my daughter. I enjoyed these books as a tween - although we didn't call it that back then - and have enjoyed it even more sharing it with my tween.
May 1, 2012
Wow such a long time ago I must have liked them somewhat I read the series. I was about 18 years old then don't think I would enjoy this now, but was into that kind of book back then.
June 23, 2012
Weirdly compelling despite my dislike of the genre when it has no sense of humour. Bought the boxed set and re-read it every 5 years or so.
April 24, 2013
Brilliant! Anyone who likes adventure will like this!
Read
July 12, 2013One of the books i liked as a kid where it painted a whole scene for me.
Read
November 27, 2017Found this series in a box and decide to reread them to see if I wanted to keep them around. It was worth it
January 29, 2014
Read these as a child and loved them. Actually want to reread as an adult, so I can tell my daughter about them.
March 8, 2015
I would give it a 3.5 good beginning to a fantasy/fairy tale series. An easy read and a young adult, chapter book. The first time I have read this author.
January 24, 2016
Great Fantasy tale, a lot of interesting characters,both animal and human,if you enjoyed Watership Down or the Hobbit this is delightful story.
December 31, 2016
Interesting premise and series
August 8, 2024
edited: August 7, 2024 after giving the novel more thought and doing some re-reading of the first book.
Fun to revisit a book from a series I last read when Jimmy Carter was President. I first read Niel Hancock's Circle of Light series shortly after reading Tolkien for the first time. Still in junior high school, I had plenty of time to read and I was hungry for more 'epic' fantasy. In the late 70's there were quite a few novels and trilogies coming out hoping to catch some of the sales fire Tolkien had generated in the decade previous. Many were not very good but some like Hancock's Circle of Light series managed to be pretty OK while still wearing the Tolkien influence prominently.
Hancock creates an interesting cosmology for the wizards and animal lords that are the main characters, and his world build is actually fairly unique. My initial thoughts upon re-reading this first novel in the series was that Hancock is drawing from Norse mythology for the various worlds and realms that make up his fictional universe, but the more I think about it, I believe the writer is using buddhist philosophy as the framework of his universe, which is pretty unique when you think about characters moving through time and cycles involving rebirth and samsara. In the beginning, the animal lords which initially appear to exist outside of time, cross the great river Calyx Stay which is not unlike the river out of samsara in the Dhammapada. As they cross into the lower worlds, which do exist in time, they essentially are working out their karma in an effort to escape samsara and so the fantasy quest becomes a pretty effective metaphor for something very deeply buddhist. Cool, huh? This might also explain why Hancock's popularity never reached the heights of some of the writers whose influence he draws upon.
My initial reason for wanting to re-read at least the first novel in the series is because in the many years since I first read Greyfax Grimwald, I wrote a fantasy novel with animals as main characters of my own and so I feel like in a way, I owe Hancock a debt of gratitude because I'm sure his character of Bear was in the back of my mind when I came up with the idea for my own bear protagonist, Mumble.
In my own way, my fantasy novel is an effort to fuse a unique spiritual vision with more traditional fantasy elements, much like Hancock is doing here.
This first novel, Greyfax Grimwald, named for the elder wizard, is pretty good and I think many readers of traditional fantasy would enjoy discovering Hancock's Circle of Light. I guess it's on to the second book now to see how my buddhist theory plays out. On the other hand, you can also just read this novel at face value and enjoy the endearing animal characters as you join them on their quest to stop the Dark Queen from taking over any more lower worlds.
Fun to revisit a book from a series I last read when Jimmy Carter was President. I first read Niel Hancock's Circle of Light series shortly after reading Tolkien for the first time. Still in junior high school, I had plenty of time to read and I was hungry for more 'epic' fantasy. In the late 70's there were quite a few novels and trilogies coming out hoping to catch some of the sales fire Tolkien had generated in the decade previous. Many were not very good but some like Hancock's Circle of Light series managed to be pretty OK while still wearing the Tolkien influence prominently.
Hancock creates an interesting cosmology for the wizards and animal lords that are the main characters, and his world build is actually fairly unique. My initial thoughts upon re-reading this first novel in the series was that Hancock is drawing from Norse mythology for the various worlds and realms that make up his fictional universe, but the more I think about it, I believe the writer is using buddhist philosophy as the framework of his universe, which is pretty unique when you think about characters moving through time and cycles involving rebirth and samsara. In the beginning, the animal lords which initially appear to exist outside of time, cross the great river Calyx Stay which is not unlike the river out of samsara in the Dhammapada. As they cross into the lower worlds, which do exist in time, they essentially are working out their karma in an effort to escape samsara and so the fantasy quest becomes a pretty effective metaphor for something very deeply buddhist. Cool, huh? This might also explain why Hancock's popularity never reached the heights of some of the writers whose influence he draws upon.
My initial reason for wanting to re-read at least the first novel in the series is because in the many years since I first read Greyfax Grimwald, I wrote a fantasy novel with animals as main characters of my own and so I feel like in a way, I owe Hancock a debt of gratitude because I'm sure his character of Bear was in the back of my mind when I came up with the idea for my own bear protagonist, Mumble.
In my own way, my fantasy novel is an effort to fuse a unique spiritual vision with more traditional fantasy elements, much like Hancock is doing here.
This first novel, Greyfax Grimwald, named for the elder wizard, is pretty good and I think many readers of traditional fantasy would enjoy discovering Hancock's Circle of Light. I guess it's on to the second book now to see how my buddhist theory plays out. On the other hand, you can also just read this novel at face value and enjoy the endearing animal characters as you join them on their quest to stop the Dark Queen from taking over any more lower worlds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews