Customer Reviews

Urshurak

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It amazes me how many people make reference to Terry Brooks' The Sword of Shannara in review of this book. The Sword of Shannara was the first novel that I ever wanted to read when I was very resistant to "reading books" back in the late-70s. Urshurak was the second novel that I read.

It was wonderful for me as someone who was just discovering the joys of reading because, in a sense, it helped me learn how to better use my imagination. I used the fantastic and beautiful illustrations and color plates kind of as references for the story, which was very helpful to me. You see, as a kid, my family and I had been traveling overseas, and having been immersed in a completely non-English speaking environment, I was having a tough time re-learning English when we returned. The last thing on my mind was reading. Urshurak forever changed that.

I would highly recommend Urshurak for parents whose children are interested in the fantasy genre. (In light of the popularity of the Lord Of The Rings movies, I can see how this might be the case.) I would also recommend it for bright children who nevertheless might be having trouble reading. Adults who have an interest in reading it might argue that it tends to make too great a leap from scene to scene, but I don't believe that it's enough to disrupt the flow of what is basically a well thought out and fun story. Did I mention the beautiful illustrations? These are some of the best works of art that the Brothers Hildebrandt made in my humble opinion.

Another nice thing about Urshurak is that right away, it launches you into a chase scene, then feeds you enough information make you want to ask what's going on. The pace pretty much stays that way. There are very few lulls in the story. The characters are archetypical fantasy characters, but at the same time have their own unique flavor to them.

Any of you folks that out-grew D&D but reminisce about the epic battles and quests you enjoyed, this book will likely take you back to those less complicated days before your mortgage payments, when cold pizza in the fridge meant breakfast at your dorm.

For me, this book - considering it's one of the very first ones I ever read - still stands the test of time. I know I've read hundreds of books since the late-70s, but Urshurak is still one of my favorites. It entertains me still, and I think it will entertain you.

I also read this book a (long) while back and enjoyed it enough that I gave it to my children to read. We, now that they are grown have a conflict everyone wants the copy of the book that is on my shelf. It is a great story and was read and reread by all. Wish that the authors had written a follow on. Perhaps it should be reissued.

I first read this book about twenty years ago when it was very new. I lost my copy of it and have been trying to recover it ever since. The plot was sort of a take-off of the Lord of the Rings theme, but it was well-done at a time when there were many Tolkien clones out there. The story was fast-paced and lively with colorful characters brought to life by the extraordinary artwork of the Brothers Hildebrandt. It's a fun story full of action and suspense and, even though the plot is familiar, you'll have a hard time putting it down. I'm not a fast reader and I had it done in two days. I'm relying on Amazon to find this book again for me.

As with other reviewers, I can't describe this book as great literature. It's not. But it is great escapist fun in a fairly well developed little fantasy world. Of course the highlight of the book are the Hildebrandt sketches and color plates. These really breath life into the story and give this book something special that very few other books can provide.

That said, the plot is completely predictable, but like any good B Movie, we are reading for the simple joy of a great fantasy ride.

Now, I read this book back when creating the next dungeon setting for the weekend was my most important priority. This book was excellent for stirring the creative juices and putting together some memorable D&D adventures.

So I am in agreement with another reviewer, that this particular book is a great nostalgic ride to the time when collecting 20 sided die actually has some meaning in our lives.

Usually, I can make it about 2 pages into Urshurak before I die laughing. It's just that bad. Lucky for it, it's of the "so bad it's good" category. I wish the authors had been able to launch a movie version of this book simply because it would have made an awesome MST3K episode. The story is basically trite, over-tramped typical fantasy stuff, which reads sort of like watered down Terry Brooks (who reads like watered down Tolkein). It has it all: about a billion different races - elves, dwaves, these little obnoxious, furry, wanna-be Ewoks, mutants(!!!), and hot, scantily clad AMAZON CHICKS! Really, what gripping fantasy yarn is complete without one of those?! There are also fabulous super-sciency machines, dark wizards, light wizards. . .So much that adds up to so little. If it weren't so unintentionally hilarious, it wouldn't be worth the paper it's printed on. However, if you're a fan of the Hildebrant brothers' artwork, it's definitely a worthy purchase. The book contains several gorgeous, full-color plates along with numerous black and white pencils. All the artwork is top-class.

Dad got me into fantasy and sci fi reading. He had a beautiful copy of the complete Lord of the Rings, some really nice sci fi anthologies, the Gormenghast novels, and many others. Urshurak was and still is one of my favorites - in fact, I confess I appropriated it from him years ago! I'm guilty enough about it that when I came across it recently I decided to buy him a new (used) copy. The old one I got from him is in tatters.

There are definitely blatant Tolkein rip-offs out there. Dennis McKiernan's books come to mind - I couldn't even finish the first one, I was so disgusted. Urshurak is decidedly not. Yes, there are certainly elements in common, one might say 'borrowed' elements. On the other hand there is a lot that is unique to the book. As a teenager, the hero's angst certainly resonated with me, and I found many of the characters enthralling. I read it again recently and, yes, there are flaws that I wouldn't have noticed years ago. On the other hand, there are far, far worse. I treasure this book, and of course the Hildebrandt artwork is top-notch - rich in detail, beautifully done. Glad I'm finally doing the right thing and replacing my dad's old copy!

Yes, the artwork is amazing. Yes, the story is reminiscent of Tolkien and Brooks. But it varies from the norm in that the characters are real. The hero is cowardly and weak at times. The fighter meets his match. The women actually have more than large chests. Okay, they do, but only in the artwork. Where Tolkein gets too literary and Brooks gets too heavy handed, this book is just plain, simple fun. Its the Brothers Hildebrandt's example of what a good imagination can do in the hands of skilled artisans. It is what it is, and nobody pretends otherwise. Sure, it'll never be great literature, but I guarantee it'll entertain you. And if it doesn't, you'll still have some fine fantasy art to admire.

I picked this book up because it was an illustrated novel, and I think that more authors should try to project their work into the visual realm in addition to the written.

The actual story in Urshurak, while fast-paced, is painfully cliched. The bro's H put a lot more creativity into their artwork than the writing, although towards the end even the environmental artwork seems uninspired. It's pretty clearly a "movie" novel, though at the time of its writing I don't think they could have realized it very well on film.

That being said, I still enjoyed the work, and I think it would be great reading material for younger readers. It's just disappointing that the story isn't up to par with the illustrations.

For all the Hildebrandt fans out there it represents some of their best art. I wish there was a more recent edition. I purchased mine used and love every chapter of it. If only there were an interest in publishing it again with the Lord of the Rings popularity that is recent. It's time we see this book return again with a possible sequel!

If you want to add an acceptable fantasy book with nice illustrations by the brothers Hildebrandt to your collection, then this is it. The story isn't bad but it is very formulaic and unoriginal. The new Tolkein this isn't. However if you are prepared to take it for what it is, a vehicle to hang pictures on, it's worth having.