Rating: 
Summary: Only enjoyable if it was the only book on earth
Review: I totally agree with "a reader" from Washington DC. As fantasy books go, this one is pretty boring. But, unlike the anonymous reader (and, in fact, the enthusiastic critics cited on this page), I would like to state the reason for my dislike.The first thing I read of McKiernan was a paperback volume of short fantasy stories called "Tales of Mithgar". And, truth be told, I quite liked it, although the Warrows that feature in almost every story are too obvious Hobbit-clones to my taste. Anyhow, in the short story department McKiernan certainly has some talent. The book contains a series of three stories that form the tale preceding Eye of the Hunter. They are enjoyable and my curiosity made me buy the continuation of the story. And that's were the disappointment began. McKiernan, clearly at home in the short story form, is not capable to hold the interest of the reader over a longer time. The book has all the ingredients a good fantasy has to have: exotic places, strange creatures, fights, magic, a dark, ominous and cruel enemy and a PROPHECY. But, alas, the story itself is too fragmentary. Short spans of interesting action described in detail are too often alternated with long (very, very long and very, very boring) accounts of the travels made by the main characters to get from one place of action to another. This would not be such a problem if the places of action were of any real interest, but unfortunately, they aren't. All the places visited by our heroes seem arbitrarily chosen, just because there had to be some decor, there is absolutely no convincing back-ground or connection between the different places, something that we do find in the books of, for example, Tolkien, Jordan and Modessitt. And then there are the characters. Apart from the Hobbit-like Warrows there are of course Tolkien like Elves and there is even a shapeshifter modelled after Beorn (again Tolkien). In other words, how derivative and stereotypical. To make things worse, McKiernan lets his non-human characters criticise the way humans destroy the environment (even is his medieval setting!). I don't mind a bit of moral when brought with some style and delicacy (read Pratchett for some very fine fantasy novels with a moral that never ever gets oppressive), but this is almost blatant Greenpeace propagation, with Mister McKiernan pointing out that when we go on like this, things will be really bad. "Will humankind ever learn" one of his Elves sighs. YUK! So, what are we left with after reading this book? A fragmentary story with stereotypical characters with no character development at all and a plot that is so thin it would make a nice evening dress for Madonna. And the prophecy around which the action revolves isn't even properly explained!! And to be honest, I don't give a ...
Rating: 
Summary: The is the best book in the entire world!
Review: If you like fantasy, you'll love this. It's absolutely wonderful and very involving.
Rating:
Summary: insightful commentary of humans by the characters
Review: Incredible story that keeps you reading the book again and again. I love all the characters and am searching for more stories about any and all of them. This book truly makes you think about humans and how much we are and have destroyed this planet. In this story especially, the elves are so right about us.
Rating:
Summary: This is an incredible book!
Review: Once more, Mckiernan not only brought me into a world he created but kept me in that world, with the characters, the believability, and lastly the sheer excitment. He has an incredible talent, read ALL his books, they are all linked to each other, the more you read the better they get!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: The begining of the book was allright then in the next few chapters McKiernan grabs you by the heart and wont let go. The first time I read this book I didn't realy like it that much. Then I read it againg and now I am reading it for a third time and every time it gets more interesting. Definetly a five star read.
Rating:
Summary: Grrreeaaat!!!
Review: This is a wonderful book that I loved from start to finish. Another definite triumph for McKiernan. I was so involved that when I accidentaly found out about Gwylly's death I didn't want to read on, but I couldn't put it down. This book is a much time-worn but still beloved addition to my shelves.
Rating:
Summary: McKiernan's Absolute Best
Review: This is by far Dennis McKiernan's best book in my opinion. He has an innate ability to make the reader genuinely care for the characters that few other authors have. The plot and action in this book are remarkable. I couldn't put it down for a week until I'd finished the whole thing. The action and intellectual discussions work well throughout. The ending neatly wraps up the story, and also hints at a future plot while giving almost nothing away. Extremely highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great adventure and character studies.
Review: This is one of my favorite all-time books in any genre. I love the way it combines non-stop adventure with engrossing, in-depth analysis of all the major characters and their actions. I also enjoy the way the book switches from its present to various scenes and events in the characters' past and back to the present.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Baron, Where Art Thou?
Review: This novel is about a group of adventurers who set out to destroy Baron Stoke, an evil necromancer. While this is very standard fare, the characters are well developed in which any one reader should be able to identify with at least one character. Presented are magic, impossible goals for unlikely heroes, and love. Contrary to the urge of some authors to make their pet characters invincible, McKiernan does allow one of the main characters to perish. Perhaps it is just me, but I didn't really fee much empathy for the dead character so much as I felt sorry for the survivors. McKiernan tends to insert his own religious/political agenda into this fantasy. Present are commentary about man's inability to care for his environment and comment about how God (in this case Rakka) is himself evil when he floods the earth in order to purge some who are evil. While I'm not that interested in McKiernan's thoughts on the environment or the story of the flood, I found the novel refreshing. I applaud McKiernan for allowing this novel to stand on its own without forcing the reader to buy his next book to find out how the story ends. A well thought out story and a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Baron, Where Art Thou?
Review: This novel is about a group of adventurers who set out to destroy Baron Stoke, an evil necromancer. While this is very standard fare, the characters are well developed in which any one reader should be able to identify with at least one character. Presented are magic, impossible goals for unlikely heroes, and love. Contrary to the urge of some authors to make their pet characters invincible, McKiernan does allow one of the main characters to perish. Perhaps it is just me, but I didn't really fee much empathy for the dead character so much as I felt sorry for the survivors. McKiernan tends to insert his own religious/political agenda into this fantasy. Present are commentary about man's inability to care for his environment and comment about how God (in this case Rakka) is himself evil when he floods the earth in order to purge some who are evil. While I'm not that interested in McKiernan's thoughts on the environment or the story of the flood, I found the novel refreshing. I applaud McKiernan for allowing this novel to stand on its own without forcing the reader to buy his next book to find out how the story ends. A well thought out story and a good read.
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