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Urshurak
URHURAK: a land peopled by Elves and Amazons, wizards and Gwarpys, witches and monsters. Urshurak, a land of extremes--of beauty and ugliness, violence and peace--where an epic struggle between the forces of good and evil will be fought, a struggle that will decide the fate of the world.
URSHURAK is the creation of the Brothers Hildebrandt, artists famed for their fantasy and science fiction illustration. Perhaps best known for their visual recreation of the characters of Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS and the STAR WARS poster, the Brothers have turned their unique talents to storytelling. With Jerry Nichols, they have put into words a tale in the classic tradition of fantasy, a rich tapestry of high adventure and romance set in a land where magic reigns and anything is possible. Sixteen color paintings and more than 80 black and white drawings by the Brothers vividly illustrate the text, bringing to life the characters and landscape of URSHURAK
URSHURAK is the creation of the Brothers Hildebrandt, artists famed for their fantasy and science fiction illustration. Perhaps best known for their visual recreation of the characters of Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS and the STAR WARS poster, the Brothers have turned their unique talents to storytelling. With Jerry Nichols, they have put into words a tale in the classic tradition of fantasy, a rich tapestry of high adventure and romance set in a land where magic reigns and anything is possible. Sixteen color paintings and more than 80 black and white drawings by the Brothers vividly illustrate the text, bringing to life the characters and landscape of URSHURAK
405 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
9 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Brothers Hildebrandt
6 books2 followersGreg and Tim Hildebrandt, known as the Brothers Hildebrandt (born January 23, 1939), are American twin brothers who worked collaboratively as fantasy and science fiction artists for many years. They produced illustrations for comic books, movie posters, children's books, posters, novels, calendars, advertisements, and trading cards. Tim Hildebrandt died on June 11, 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
August 24, 2017
So this is a stunning art book containing gorgeous Brothers Hildebrandt color plates and littered with their line art. They are, unfortunately, surrounded with 375+ pages of words. The words as arranged form a middling-bad Tolkien knockoff that hits all the right trope buttons--wizard, elves, dwarves, ranger/archer, whatever the hell a "gwarpy" is--but is drainingly soulless and unmemorable.
You flip through the illustrations and set your sights on the Amazonian death-ray submarines, but they appear a looooong way in. And after a hundred pages, I decided it was far too long.
You flip through the illustrations and set your sights on the Amazonian death-ray submarines, but they appear a looooong way in. And after a hundred pages, I decided it was far too long.
February 6, 2016
Read as a kid and loved it. It probably doesn't hold up today, but it was accessible fantasy where LoTR was dense and intimidating. Besides, the illustrations really captured my imagination and brought the story to life. I was reminiscing about older fantasy books today and this book leapt to mind.
Five stars for brightening my childhood and leaving a lasting memory.
Five stars for brightening my childhood and leaving a lasting memory.
December 21, 2015
Your last D&D campaign was more original than this. Actually, I take that back. Your first ever D&D campaign was more original than this.
July 2, 2009
When I first read this book (c. age 12-13), I really, really liked it. It remained stored in my mother's basement for years, and a few years ago I decided to reread it - not a good choice. It doesn't hold up well, though the Hildebrandt's artwork remains good.
March 1, 2013
I bought this when it came out and really wanted to like it. I'm not a huge fan of the Brothers Hildebrandt -- never been much for their LOTR stuff -- but I liked their illos in this very much. The story, OTOH, I forced myself to read once and that's likely it. A pity, though -- if the writer had just been able to rise above trite and cliched, this could have been a terrific package.
May 21, 2024
This 1979 release was created by The Brothers Hildebrandt , best known as fantasy artists who illustrated Lord of the Rings and the original ‘Star Wars’ movie poster. While certainly not the most original storyline, this book was a fun read and contains 16 beautiful color paintings as well as more than 80 black and white drawings illustrating the story.
If you are a fan of classic old school fantasy like The Sword of Shannara or Dragonlance, I definitely would recommend this . This is from a time when all the tropes of the high fantasy genre hadn’t been done to death yet , but it may be a bit too predictable for some modern readers. Still, I found a charm to its simplicity and the overall aesthetic of the art.
If you are a fan of classic old school fantasy like The Sword of Shannara or Dragonlance, I definitely would recommend this . This is from a time when all the tropes of the high fantasy genre hadn’t been done to death yet , but it may be a bit too predictable for some modern readers. Still, I found a charm to its simplicity and the overall aesthetic of the art.
July 27, 2025
Weiteres Buch meiner Kindheit, welches getrost in meiner Kindheit bleiben darf.
May 27, 2018
Not worthy.
This is essentially a series of storyboards and scene directions, put in incapable hands and bloated to 405 pages in a vain effort to read as "epic". The Tolkien influence is more transparent than air, and the desperate attempts at density only serve to pull the already-lacking efforts on characterization wafer-thin.
To that end, the illustrations are there to round out the package and give the scenery and characters more to do, and perhaps to compensate the deficient, stilted prose. Frankly, the pictures are not pretty enough to be worth sitting through this.
Really, this book's biggest issue is its...bigness. I swore going into this that this could only be 250 pages at most, but it just goes on and on...! There are too many characters doing too few things (why are there Dwarf twins? Why not just one). If you can remember what Tark-Volmar actually accomplishes in the plot you're a better reader than I.
There are occasional glimpses of quality peppered throughout, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. For all its cliches and illogical worldbuilding, I admired the guts to never clearly describe the "Death Lord" (sigh) in detail. His ultimate fate, as well as that of the quintessential "Chosen One" (sigh) in the generic "Prophecy" (sigh) is almost clever. I didn't mind the ending, such as it was.
The characters of Elgan and Shandar are almost interesting, partly because they tend to work without a token "adventuring party" and thus get more time to themselves. Their relationship, thanks to the unwieldy writing, carries a surely unwitting LGBTQ vibe, not helped by Volmar's observation of the "queer old man"... It's a stretch, but it makes Shandar's infamously-belated death almost meaningful.
This is not a good book. If you've ever humoured fantasy fiction in your life then you've seen this dozens of times in much better form already. Skippable.
(...and did the traitor's name REALLY have to be "Deceidon"? REALLY?)
This is essentially a series of storyboards and scene directions, put in incapable hands and bloated to 405 pages in a vain effort to read as "epic". The Tolkien influence is more transparent than air, and the desperate attempts at density only serve to pull the already-lacking efforts on characterization wafer-thin.
To that end, the illustrations are there to round out the package and give the scenery and characters more to do, and perhaps to compensate the deficient, stilted prose. Frankly, the pictures are not pretty enough to be worth sitting through this.
Really, this book's biggest issue is its...bigness. I swore going into this that this could only be 250 pages at most, but it just goes on and on...! There are too many characters doing too few things (why are there Dwarf twins? Why not just one). If you can remember what Tark-Volmar actually accomplishes in the plot you're a better reader than I.
There are occasional glimpses of quality peppered throughout, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. For all its cliches and illogical worldbuilding, I admired the guts to never clearly describe the "Death Lord" (sigh) in detail. His ultimate fate, as well as that of the quintessential "Chosen One" (sigh) in the generic "Prophecy" (sigh) is almost clever. I didn't mind the ending, such as it was.
The characters of Elgan and Shandar are almost interesting, partly because they tend to work without a token "adventuring party" and thus get more time to themselves. Their relationship, thanks to the unwieldy writing, carries a surely unwitting LGBTQ vibe, not helped by Volmar's observation of the "queer old man"... It's a stretch, but it makes Shandar's infamously-belated death almost meaningful.
This is not a good book. If you've ever humoured fantasy fiction in your life then you've seen this dozens of times in much better form already. Skippable.
(...and did the traitor's name REALLY have to be "Deceidon"? REALLY?)
October 15, 2021
I first read this book in 1981 and really loved it. It was once of my favorite fantasy books of my youth. Reading it again now as a middle aged adult, it has lost some of it luster, but still was a good read. It is a middle of the road typical fantasy romp with all the normal expected tropes. It reads a lot like a classic D&D adventure module, which is not surprising considering it was written in 1979 durring the golden age of Role-paying Games. It has a general feel of all the classic fantasy books you have ever read in a warm comfort food way. My main complaint is that it is too long. At 400+ pages you realize that there are parts that could have been cut without really harming the narrative that were likely included in a failed attempt at making the book seem more epic. It is a good book, it is not an epic book. However, It does have one increadable asset, and that is the amazing artwork of the brothers Hilebrandt. There are 16 color paintings and 80 black and white drawings. It was worth getting a copy of the book just for the art. It one of the main reasons I give it 4 stars instead of 3. The art, just makes the story come more alive in your mind as you read. So, I will still recommend the book, if you liked fantasy games in the '70's and '80's it has that feel. It is not the best or worst fantasy book you will read, but it is a good solid escape to another world.
March 14, 2024
Reading Challenge 2018 - Bookish: author's debut book. Third time is a charm. This rich novel, illustrated by the Hildebrandts, brings together the races of Urshurak with the promise of freedom and love. Books with maps and illustrations are the best kind of fantasy. It contains all the aspects of a good fantasy novel with a happy ending. I wish they had made it into a movie like intended.
November 18, 2021
How do you make a transparent rip-off of Lord of the Rings this boring? It's quite the indictment of the readership of this website that there's only a half-point difference in opinion between this (the worst book I read this year) and Klara and the Sun (the absolute best book I read this year and probably one of the best books I have read in the past decade).
Anyway I bought this for a dollar at the book fair because my mom had a book of Brothers HIldebrandt illustrations that I liked a lot as a kid, I should have skipped all the words in this and just imagined a narrative for them. In the extremely unlikely event you find yourself confronted with a copy, look at the pictures and then buy pretty much any other bog-standard sword-and-sorcery novel, it will without a doubt be more enjoyable.
Anyway I bought this for a dollar at the book fair because my mom had a book of Brothers HIldebrandt illustrations that I liked a lot as a kid, I should have skipped all the words in this and just imagined a narrative for them. In the extremely unlikely event you find yourself confronted with a copy, look at the pictures and then buy pretty much any other bog-standard sword-and-sorcery novel, it will without a doubt be more enjoyable.
July 24, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is a childhood favorite from before I became a more discernible reader. It really is a gem for a teen/tween and I regret a bit growing old enough to recognize it for the cliche-ridden retread that it is. And yet - I will enjoy giving this to my daughter when she's old enough and I know she'll treasure it as well.
February 20, 2018
Read this story when it first appeared back in 1980 and really enjoyed it, of course I was only 11 and dying for anything that remotely resembled Tolkien also I was a big fan of The Brothers. Reading it again after 30 odd years and it reveals itself for what it is...a by the numbers fantasy adventure, incorporating all the familiar tropes that go with it but still..I have a fondness for these stories.
March 20, 2011
Really read it for the illustrations. The brothers were awesome painters and world-renown. Story was generic LoTR material.
February 8, 2021
wat een zeldzaam slecht boek!
Voor een boek dat duidelijk is geïnspireerd door In de ban van de ring heeft het heel weinig begrepen van wat Tolkiens werk wél tot een succes maakt. Waar je Aragorn ziet uitgroeien van een modderige man met potentie tot een zachtaardig maar doeltreffend leider, is grote held Ailwon in dit boek een volledig blanco figuur over wie we niets te weten komen. Waar Hobbiton en Rivendel en Minas Tirith plekken zijn die ik levendig voor me kan zien, blijven de landen en steden in Urshurak sfeerloze locaties zonder betekenis.
Hoewel de premisse van dit soort klassieke fantasy voorschrijft dat het plot voorspelbaar is (de goeierikken winnen), is het lachwekkend hoezeer de schrijver hier geen enkele spanning aan weet te brengen in het verhaal. Ik kan het plot daarom bondig samenvatten als: "En toen gingen we naar de boze heks, en toen vochten we met de boze heks, en toen ging de boze heks dood. En toen gingen we naar de boze tovenaar, en toen vochten we met de boze tovenaar, en toen ging de boze tovenaar dood".
In dit zo kalmpjes voortkabbelende verhaal werd ik één keer verrast. 'Bruine elf' Gwynn moet toekijken hoe er . Ze is daar een paar dagen van overstuur en een alinea later wordt er met geen woord meer over gerept. Dit is exemplarisch voor een boek waarin niets gewicht heeft en er geen consequenties bestaan. Oorlog, dood, ellende: het maakt allemaal niets uit in deze onvolwassen oorlogsfantasie waarbij geen enkele tint grijs is toegestaan.
En ik wil ook graag weten waarom coole Amazoneprinses Zyra in godsnaam verliefd wordt op totaal oninteressante vrouwenhater Hugh. Doe het niet Zyra!
Voor een boek dat duidelijk is geïnspireerd door In de ban van de ring heeft het heel weinig begrepen van wat Tolkiens werk wél tot een succes maakt. Waar je Aragorn ziet uitgroeien van een modderige man met potentie tot een zachtaardig maar doeltreffend leider, is grote held Ailwon in dit boek een volledig blanco figuur over wie we niets te weten komen. Waar Hobbiton en Rivendel en Minas Tirith plekken zijn die ik levendig voor me kan zien, blijven de landen en steden in Urshurak sfeerloze locaties zonder betekenis.
Hoewel de premisse van dit soort klassieke fantasy voorschrijft dat het plot voorspelbaar is (de goeierikken winnen), is het lachwekkend hoezeer de schrijver hier geen enkele spanning aan weet te brengen in het verhaal. Ik kan het plot daarom bondig samenvatten als: "En toen gingen we naar de boze heks, en toen vochten we met de boze heks, en toen ging de boze heks dood. En toen gingen we naar de boze tovenaar, en toen vochten we met de boze tovenaar, en toen ging de boze tovenaar dood".
In dit zo kalmpjes voortkabbelende verhaal werd ik één keer verrast. 'Bruine elf' Gwynn moet toekijken hoe er . Ze is daar een paar dagen van overstuur en een alinea later wordt er met geen woord meer over gerept. Dit is exemplarisch voor een boek waarin niets gewicht heeft en er geen consequenties bestaan. Oorlog, dood, ellende: het maakt allemaal niets uit in deze onvolwassen oorlogsfantasie waarbij geen enkele tint grijs is toegestaan.
En ik wil ook graag weten waarom coole Amazoneprinses Zyra in godsnaam verliefd wordt op totaal oninteressante vrouwenhater Hugh. Doe het niet Zyra!
October 16, 2025
About 40 years ago, when I was seven, my father received this book as a gift. I do not remember the occaison, but I never forgot the amazing illustrations contained within the book or its name...URSHURAK!!!. I very much wanted to read the book as a boy but was told I was not old and mature enough. Years and decades passed, and my father has entered his golden years. I always meant to read the book and as I knew our time was getting shorter, I made it a priority to do so. I say this to explain that my reading of the text and its illustrations comes with the fair dose of nostalgia.
While I enjoyed the book. I think I would have enjoyed it better 30+ year ago. I agree that it is a bit simplistic and derivative to those who have read better fantasy. It is not Tolkien and never will be.
So my advice to anyone who is interested is to perhaps give it to a pre-teen or teen who has gotten bit by the D&D bug and see how it goes. It is one complete story so there is no need to read several volumes to get the whole story. I think it is fantastic gateway drug to the wonderful and magical world of fantasy and reading in general.
While I enjoyed the book. I think I would have enjoyed it better 30+ year ago. I agree that it is a bit simplistic and derivative to those who have read better fantasy. It is not Tolkien and never will be.
So my advice to anyone who is interested is to perhaps give it to a pre-teen or teen who has gotten bit by the D&D bug and see how it goes. It is one complete story so there is no need to read several volumes to get the whole story. I think it is fantastic gateway drug to the wonderful and magical world of fantasy and reading in general.
December 7, 2023
This book had me all over the place.
I would say that I came to enjoy the second half of it much more than the first. The pictures and paintings were outstanding and had me staring at them for quite long intervals. However, there is much to be said about this book.
Most of the characters from the party were not given a good description, and I was left until the very end not knowing who was who, (mainly with the Dwarfs). The first part of the story was long, and I had no idea what on Urshurak was going on, whilst the second half was too quick!
I was so disappointed! Finally, the Siege had come and I was so excited to get through it, but it just ends in a whiff! The same can be said with the battle between Torgon the Death Lord and Ailwon - their encounter had been prophesied for a 1,000 years and it just ends in 2-3 pages??
Personally, I would have liked the book more had it gone deeper into these battles, as despite I think its a "meh" story, I do strongly believe that if tackled properly, Urshurak could be so much more.
I would say that I came to enjoy the second half of it much more than the first. The pictures and paintings were outstanding and had me staring at them for quite long intervals. However, there is much to be said about this book.
Most of the characters from the party were not given a good description, and I was left until the very end not knowing who was who, (mainly with the Dwarfs). The first part of the story was long, and I had no idea what on Urshurak was going on, whilst the second half was too quick!
I was so disappointed! Finally, the Siege had come and I was so excited to get through it, but it just ends in a whiff! The same can be said with the battle between Torgon the Death Lord and Ailwon - their encounter had been prophesied for a 1,000 years and it just ends in 2-3 pages??
Personally, I would have liked the book more had it gone deeper into these battles, as despite I think its a "meh" story, I do strongly believe that if tackled properly, Urshurak could be so much more.
February 2, 2018
After a conversation with a coworker I remembered one of the first books that really peaked my interest in reading when I was a child. That began the internet search for the title but all I had was the characters name Hugh and some details about the story. I read this story so much as a preteen that the book fell apart.
On reading several of the newer reviews I feel that they are taking an old story and holding up to a standard that didn't exist when this book was published. This story is close to 40 years old at this point and it wasn't written to be a classic.
I do plan to purchase this book again and reread it.
On reading several of the newer reviews I feel that they are taking an old story and holding up to a standard that didn't exist when this book was published. This story is close to 40 years old at this point and it wasn't written to be a classic.
I do plan to purchase this book again and reread it.
May 10, 2024
Omdat deze review heel erg lang zou worden als ik alles opsom wat er niet deugt aan dit staaltje opzichtig en talentloos jatwerk bij Tolkien, noem ik alleen op wat er wél goed is: de afbeeldingen. Het tekenwerk van de Hildebrandts is onovertroffen prachtig, zelfs vijftig jaar later nog. Ze hadden het moeten houden bij tekenen. Enfin, daarom hebben ze waarschijnlijk Nichols laten schrijven. Maar die kan er geen bal van, of heeft zulk waardeloos materiaal gekregen van de Hildebrandts dat er echt niet meer van te maken viel dan deze verzameling beschrijvingen van uitwisselbare karakters die op uitwisselbare locaties uitwisselbare dingen meemaken.
August 5, 2017
The art is really good but that's it. It's a wannabe LOTR but fails miserably, I feel it is slow, confusing at times and at other times too much is going on. If your also looking for a book with no mushy romance crap then this is perfect they have very little compared to todays writing. It's good reading for pretweens and tweens.
October 4, 2020
I remember reading this back when the hildebrandt brothers were famous for all of their fantasy artwork. I remember liking this, but I was also, let's admit, younger so my likes were a bit different (hows that for a waffling on a 'like'?) Now? I'd probably have to agree with some of the other reviewers, it's got good artwork scattered throughout, but the plot is highly derivative.
May 1, 2022
When I first read this back when it was published, I remember really enjoying it. My fantasy interests were shaped more by this book, the Sword of Shannara and the Conan stories than the Tolkien books.
This time around, I found getting through it to be a hard slog. I'm not exactly sure why. Must be my reading interests have changed.
The artwork throughout is, of course, gorgeous.
This time around, I found getting through it to be a hard slog. I'm not exactly sure why. Must be my reading interests have changed.
The artwork throughout is, of course, gorgeous.
October 3, 2023
I read this at age 9 and absolutely loved it.
Tried again as an adult and barely got a third of the way through before setting it down.
Still, I'm glad I found it at the used bookstore- and in good condition. Nostalgia and the stunning artwork made the purchase worth it.
Tried again as an adult and barely got a third of the way through before setting it down.
Still, I'm glad I found it at the used bookstore- and in good condition. Nostalgia and the stunning artwork made the purchase worth it.
June 8, 2017
This book was written so the Hildebrant Brothers would have something to justify their artwork. It cliched, and a little confusing. Not destined to be a Fantasy Classic.
September 30, 2018
YMMV. I'll admit to remembering this through nostalgia goggles. B-movie schlock fantasy somewhat below Conan level, but the art is charming.
February 12, 2019
Not my favorite fantasy, but certainly one of the leaders in the days before fantasy became THE genre.
February 16, 2020
Great artwork, weak story
October 13, 2021
gave up
July 7, 2022
Great fantasy. Tolkien-like. A special world with a lot of fantasyfigures, a quest, a purpose and friendship all along.
March 3, 2025
Derivative of the Shannara books which are derivative of Lord of the Ring. Third time is not a charm.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews