A fair entry in the Mithgar world, though I felt it misses the 'epic' drama of other Mithgar novels. I enjoyed the overall story and the characters within it. The first half was well-paced and provided a good amount of detail and texture.
However, the pace picked up in the second half, and even more so in the final third. Even so, it felt to me as though the drama actually dwindled. It really felt like this book should have been a duology, if just to make the second half more compelling by fleshing out more details about the journey and the battles. In the end, all the loose ends were wrapped up, though a bit too neatly. While the Mithgar stories are more about the journey and overall story, than detailed battle sequences, the end battle setup and narration were especially short here. The epilogue, while also typically thin, was like rice paper.
If you don't know the Mithgar series, you're better off starting elsewhere. The Iron Tower Trilogy is where it all started and I highly recommend that as a starting point. This novel is essentially a 'fill the gap' for Mithgar history, and is far from his best work.
If you're a fan of the Mithgar series, I will say this: it felt like Mr. McKiernan wanted to check the box off for telling this story. He had a lot of story he wanted to tell, but it was too much for a single novel. I think he/the publsher felt a duology would've been too much, so they crammed the story into one. I still think you should get this, mostly because you know you want to fill in every gap of Mithgar knowledge you can. You'll probably enjoy it, like I did, even if it isn't his best work.
Grain of salt: I'm a huge fan of the Mithgar world, and I have read every novel, most more than once. My review may be jaded by a bit of 'been there, read that before'. Much of the story, it seems to me, to be nothing new in the realm, nor in the world of literature. It's filler in the timeline of Mithgarian history.
However, the pace picked up in the second half, and even more so in the final third. Even so, it felt to me as though the drama actually dwindled. It really felt like this book should have been a duology, if just to make the second half more compelling by fleshing out more details about the journey and the battles. In the end, all the loose ends were wrapped up, though a bit too neatly. While the Mithgar stories are more about the journey and overall story, than detailed battle sequences, the end battle setup and narration were especially short here. The epilogue, while also typically thin, was like rice paper.
If you don't know the Mithgar series, you're better off starting elsewhere. The Iron Tower Trilogy is where it all started and I highly recommend that as a starting point. This novel is essentially a 'fill the gap' for Mithgar history, and is far from his best work.
If you're a fan of the Mithgar series, I will say this: it felt like Mr. McKiernan wanted to check the box off for telling this story. He had a lot of story he wanted to tell, but it was too much for a single novel. I think he/the publsher felt a duology would've been too much, so they crammed the story into one. I still think you should get this, mostly because you know you want to fill in every gap of Mithgar knowledge you can. You'll probably enjoy it, like I did, even if it isn't his best work.
Grain of salt: I'm a huge fan of the Mithgar world, and I have read every novel, most more than once. My review may be jaded by a bit of 'been there, read that before'. Much of the story, it seems to me, to be nothing new in the realm, nor in the world of literature. It's filler in the timeline of Mithgarian history.
