Customer Reviews

Silver Wolf, Black Falcon

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2 star:		(1)
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_Silver Wolf, Black Falcon_ by Dennis L. McKiernan. Roc, 2000, hardback, 474 pp.

The meaning of a prophecy is in the scrye of the beholder. The actual meaning of a prophesy might be quite different from the first perception. _Silver Wolf, Black Falcon_ is the fourteenth Mithgar book. It draws upon four visions of the future gathered from the previous books. These prophecies may or may not be true, and may or may not be related. The fact that the final prophesy did not end as I had expected was a delightful surprise.

This book starts where the _Eye of the Hunter_ ends. There is about a three chapter overlap to set the stage for this epic and bring new readers up to speed. The Elves of Arden decide all these visions might refer to the newborn Bair, a shapeshifter with a wolf alter-ego. They raise Bair for his role, to open the pathways between dimensions and lead the fight in a world-spanning war. Aravan, Bair's mentor and a principle character from _Voyage of the Fox Rider_, is back, seeking revenge for the murder of Galarun and trying to master a crystal containing a black falcon figure. Bair and Aravan do an admirable job of living their destiny-ridden lives, without being paralyzed by indecision or being grief-stricken over the outcome of their deeds. The best aspect of _Silver Wolf, Black Falcon_ is the smooth manner in which it gathers, interweaves and resolves many of the loose ends from the previous books: what happened to the Mages of Rwn, who killed Galarun, how did the Dragonstone escape the destruction of Rwn, and where do little Rucks come from?

If you are a new traveler to Mithgar, do not be overwhelmed by the vast amount of history creeping through the first few chapters. As young Bair grows up, his kinfolk and teachers explain the history and customs of the Elves, Dwarves, Dragons and Humans that populate Mithgar. As Bair gains awareness of his world, you too will come to know Mithgar.

As a veteran traveler to Mithgar, I am greatly amused by the references to the past books. As Bair speculates on the history of an old ruined mill (pp. 97-98), I remembered that mill was in the first few chapters and on the cover of _Into the Forge_. I could see what was coming and I was tempted to use a score card to tally the number of references.

It was delightful to visit with all my old friends from the previous books. Lord Gildor Goldbranch, from "The Dark Tower Trilogy", makes a cameo appearance (p. 357). Lady Arin Flameseer, the principle character from _The Dragonstone_, arranges for a hunting party to be in the right place, at exactly the right time, to provide food and horses to the wolf and the falcon (p. 360). You might say her planning showed a great "foresight". I assume the "Red Slipper" Inn (p. 451) is an inside joke, based on the author's forward from _The Dragonstone_. Many red slippers clutter the landscape of Mithgar, each with a tale to tell. When you pick up one of the slippers, another slipper may fall out, revealing a story within a story.

I am saddened this will likely be the last Mithgar book, because I feel I've actually been there. It's a wild and beautiful world to visit, with a complex, well-woven history. I've enjoyed my journeys, but I may travel back and re-visit some of those places to refresh my memory, relive the experiences and improve my understanding of the intermingled events. Dennis McKiernan's parting words sum up my perception of _Silver Wolf, Black Falcon_ and the other Mithgar books: "It's all connected, you know".

This is,perhaps,the last book of Mithgar. I, for one, am saddened by the end of an Era. Dennis McKiernan has brought to a world magic, passion, and excitement . . . but more important, he taught us lessons. In this book many lessons are brought to the forefront . . . discover the truth behind prophecy, and always test your faith, to discover the truth. In Silver Wolf, Black Falcon, we explore the world of Bair, son of Riatha and Urus, discovering origins, horrors, and ties of love and loss. No matter what happens, the true blessing Dennis McKiernan gave were those funny Warrows!

It's all connected in this book, but several stories are left out of the loop. For a story supposedly ending, he's left it open for more!

Let us wait for the Second Tales of Mithgar, yes?

"Silver Wolf, Black Falcon" will be enjoyed by any fan of Dennis L. McKiernan's Mithgar stories. First timers would be advised to start elsewhere. This book starts slow, but picks up and improves throughout, although the ending is somewhat anti-climatic.

McKiernan himself describes this book as a sequel to all his prior Mithgar stories. The problem is that this is a lot of extra baggage for a less than 500 page novel. This is not the author's best work, although it is enjoyable.

The Mithgar novels are not for everyone. Mckiernan writes in a highly formal style that can best be described as "High Tolkein". McKiernan has been the great master's most slavish imitator, not that there's anything wrong with that. But if you get irritated by an overdose of "thees", "thine", "thou", etc., these books are not for you.

"Silver Wolf, Black Falcon" is chronologically the last of McKiernan's Mithgar novels. It tells the story of Bair, a young man born to a female elf, and a Baeron, a human shapechager of mixed heritage. He is called an Impossible Child, because elves cannot give birth on the plane of Mithgar. Millenia ago, the ways between the planes were sundered to defeat the forces of evil. Only those who have the blood of another plane can travel to that plane. Thus elves can return to their home plane of Adonar, but can't return to Mithgar; the foul beings of evil known collectively as Rucks, can return to their evil plane of Neddra, but can't return to Mithgar, etc. Bair is of mixed blood, so he can freely travel the planes. This novel spends the first 100 plus pages watching Bair grow to the age of 16, and then, finally, picks up speed as we accompany Bair and his Elven "uncle", Aravan, on a mission of great importance.

As I stated, this is not the author's best novel. He provides no explanations for certain mysterious events (perhaps for future books), but the result is he provides solutions out of nowhere. Mithgar fans should know that the author leaves room for future Mithgar stories.

This book starts slow and has too much baggage. The book is also too short to be a worthy climax of the Mithgar saga. Still, McKiernan fans will be entertained.

For a while Mr. Mckiernan's characters discussing right and wrong, and the philosophizing behind it grated on my nerves. But his characters remained consistent throughout the series, from the humble and virtually carbon-copied-from-Tolkien origins in the Iron Tower Trilogy, to complex and reader-testing writing style that Mr. Mckiernan first introduced in full with Dragonsdoom, and carried on through the rest of the novels of Mithgar. His stories were consistent, and they were not overly predictable, and he always had a story to tell. Silver Wolf, Black Falcon continued that tradition, and did it triumphantly. I was impressed by how consistently Mr. Mckiernan kept to form, and with how consistently he kept to details to which he kept refering. The only real weakness is that I had to refer to the map more often than I would like, but I have that problem with many authors, and this is a small point. Also, his maps, while never quite complete to my satisfaction, are consistent with each other. I have found many inconsistencies in the works of other authors, and I believe that they detract from the story;there's always that slight voice in the back of the mind saying "that's not right." The only real problem I have with this storyline is that there is an author-generated element that this is a proto-history of our world. That is Conanesque, and usually cheapens the quality of the fiction. It does not in this case. I will miss this universe, but if Mr. Mckiernan decides not to write any more Mithgar novels, he certainly is ending on a high note. The progression of the writing from first story to last(in order of publication)is a model for all authors-to-be.

Dennis has truly out done himself with the Silver Wolf, Black Falcon book. It was a none stop roller coaster ride. From sun up to sun up, I could not put this novel down. From the beginning all the way to the end you are hook on it. From the birth of Bair to the his first shapshifting form. To what the redes of Arin Flameseer, faeil, and Rael it is all connected in a way thats beyond anything that we could possible imagine. This is one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time all that has a ending u would have never expected.

Dennis McKiernan's done it again! After picking this book up at a book store I found myself saddened that this may be the last of the Mithgar series, but excited that the story of the Impossible Child had come. After arriving at home, I could not stop reading until it was all done. It was non stop action as he developed both Bair and Kutsen Yong. I found myself going to my bookshelves and pulling out the older books as he alluded to so much throughout the novel. It was a very well written story and I highly recommend it to everyone.

For those of you who love fantasy and science fiction, this is the book for you. I have been a fan of Dennis McKiernan's for several years, and was happy to discover this latest novel, which brings together most of the Mithgarian novels, was available in paperback. This is a classic story of good versus evil, and McKiernan weaves this tale with threads from most of his other novels, and brings the whole series to a conclusion that leaves the reader feeling as if he has seen a struggling world finally achieve the peace it has so ardently fought for.

Well, I was a little afraid to read this book, knowing that it was going to be the last Mithgar book. Once I picked it up however, McKiernan's magic started working on me again. I loved the chance to find out more about some of the old standard characters, including Urus, Faeril, Riatha, Dalavar, and Aravan. All in all, I would say that Dennis McKiernan has created a very fitting "end" to his Mithgar books, although I wouldn't be surprised if he came out with more books filling in the holes, as he made at least one good opportunity for himself to do so in this book!!!

Mr. McKiernan has once again enthralled me in the world of Mithgar. I remember the first books of his I read, The Iron Tower Trilogy, books I could not put down. Since then I have not found books in the genre that can compare. Mr. McKiernan has capped off his Mithgarian saga beautifully with this novel and I for one am saddened that this may be his last. Mr. McKiernan's tale in this book delighted me, especially with the mentionings of my personal favorite: Tuckerby Underbank. Out of all of his wonderful characters, Tuck stays with me most. Anyone who enjoys quality High Fantasy would be missing out to not read this last(?) novel. Mr. McKiernan, if you should read this humble review, I deeply thank you for these books and while I understand the need to put the pen down at some point, I hope you've at least another tale or two in you. Thank you again Mr. McKiernan and Godspeed.

As always, Mr. McKiernan has written an outstanding novel. The novel ties up all the loose ends and prophecies from the previous novels. Bair was a great character and McKiernan did an outstanding job of developing him and his relationship with Aravan. I found the idea of Bair questioning Adon's previous actions quite fascinating. I only wished McKiernan spent more time discussing that aspect of the novel. Also, the section in the novel where Dalavar spoke to and tried to convince the dragons to switch sides was classic. Its sad to think that this may be the last novel about Mithgar. I pray that McKiernan will decide to write at least one more.