The Dwarves

By: Markus Heitz

Narrated by: Matthew Wolf

Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

For countless millennia, the dwarves of the Fifthling Kingdom have defended the stone gateway into Girdlegard. Many and varied foes have hurled themselves against the portal and died attempting to breach it. No man or beast has ever succeeded. Until now...

Abandoned as a child, Tungdil the blacksmith labors contentedly in the Kingdom of Fifthling the only dwarf in a kingdom of men. Although he does not want for friends, Tungdil is very much aware that he is alone - indeed, he has not so much as set eyes on another dwarf. But all that is about to change.

Sent out into the world to deliver a message and reacquaint himself with his people, the young foundling finds himself thrust into a battle for which he has not been trained. Not only his own safety, but the life of every man, woman and child in Girdlegard depends upon his ability to embrace his heritage. Although he has many unanswered questions, Tungdil is certain of one thing: no matter where he was raised, he is a true dwarf.

And no one has ever questioned the courage of the Dwarves.

©2012 Markus Heitz (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Welcom to Girdlegard

I actually started to listen to this a few months ago and set it aside but boy am I glad I gave it another shot! It is seldom that fantasy stories revolve around Dwarves, in fact they are usually just background characters or a token drunkard or some other cliche. In this story we get to explore dwarves as a race. I cheered for them, I laughed out loud and I even teared up. For me it was about the characters that I couldn't help but want to hear more about them.

It is an adventure story and there are several points of views that you need to keep track of but I believe it was done very well and I eagerly await the next in the series.

If you are interested in high fantasy, this is definitely worth listening to with a clear resolution to it. Yes there are more books in the series but you aren't left hanging.

The narrator was good, giving different voices for the various characters and not once was he distracting but instead pulled me in deeper into the story.

All in all I do believe I will even give this another listen in the future.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Please Get the Next 2 Books on Audible!

I love Dwarves! Always a fixture in fantasy, yet mostly a side character. Finally they get a series of their own....and guess what!?!...it is awesome!

29 of 31 people found this review helpful

A Must Read ( or Hear) !!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Dwarves the most enjoyable?

I hate to compare authors to authors but it is to me the best way to explain how well written and completely put together this book is. If you have missed that first excitement upon read your first J. R. R. Tolkien or an Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman book. The magic is back in this book!!! A Must Read!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think the hero (Tungdil Bolofar aka Tungdil Goldhand) is my favorite character. I know that's very cliche but his story is will thought out. Well drawn character who you cant help but to pull for.

What does Matthew Wolf bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Matthew Wolf helped bring the characters alive with his voice and inflections. I hope the producers continue to use him to record the remainder of the series. To me Matthew Wolf is up their with the likes of Scott Brick!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!! But since I use these audio books to get me through my daily work day I had to refrain from listening to them outside of work.

Any additional comments?

Please Please Get the rest of the series their is another 3 books in the collection. I know the author writes in german but translation can't be that hard. Its not like its a unknown language.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Dwarf Adventures

Yes, 22 hours is a huge investment of time. For me, there were good and bad but all in all Im glad I did take the time.

The length was the drawback for me, but the storyline kept it together just enough for me to continue.

Spelling the names is a mystery for me so Ill say the main character and the twins are the most enjoyable. They are funny, brave and unique. Although, there are other characters I liked these were my favorites. The adventures and travels of these Dwarves with a renaissance feel were nice company for several days.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Can't wait til the next audiobook

Loved it, the voice actor caught the attention of an person with severe ADHD and played the characters the way I imagined they would sound.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Very entertaining. A great epic journey.

It was amazing. An epic journey and a surprising plot twist. Fresh new look on the mixed company epic.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

very plain fantasy novel

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listened to this book while in my car and while working, it was time well enough spent.

What was most disappointing about Markus Heitz’s story?

This story fell into many of the tropes that have come to be associated with fantasy novels. Difficult to pronounce character names, dwarves and elves not getting along, dwarves being sturdy folk who can hold out against evil, resurrection of the dead, etc. It's all very played out. There was so little time spent developing characters that i didn't really care if one of them died. Also, the unnecessary references to time as cycles, it was annoying instead of unique.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't want to spoil the story for someone who hasn't listened to it yet, but the scene that ties the introduction to the story into the main story was probably the best.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

not without patton oswalt as a script doctor

Any additional comments?

I don't want to dissuade anyone from enjoying this book, it they are all about dwarves and elves this is probably perfect for them. It's just not by cup of tea.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Fun

Where does The Dwarves rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Creative tale with enjoyable characters. not a deep read read but a very pleasurable summer read. This is a good fantasy book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Great Fantasy Story! More, Please!

I'll keep this brief, as we all have lives to lead and things to do. Crack open that dusty wallet, pull out that Audible credit, and GET THIS AUDIOBOOK. Why? If you like a rousing story, in-depth characters, deep story lore, a fantastic narrator AND it's only one in this enjoyable author's series, THAT'S WHY!

We all want a good listen, and all of the elements come together to make this exactly that.

Here's a fact: I'll be acquiring every single one of this author's work.

You read correctly.

Every. Single. One.

Done. Finished. Go get the audiobook.

Why are you still reading this?

Enjoy!

14 of 17 people found this review helpful

I'M A DWARF, NOT A GROUNDLING

GRUMBLING WOULDN'T GET HIM THERE ANY FASTER, BUT IT GREATLY IMPROVED HIS MOOD.
Of all the fantasy human type beings, I have always favored the dwarves. Perhaps because they are usually grumpy, or they have to overcome their height, or just that I find axes to be cool weapons. So, I really wanted to like this and it was not a bad book by any means. Mostly it was just so and so, I never got invested in the characters and I could not keep my mind from wondering.

ORBITS = DAYS
CYCLES = YEARS
I started to take it a lot less serious, when the main character, just happens to wake up in a tree and over hears the plans the bad guys are making under the tree he is in. Even in kid books, I can't excuse the laziness of the author to make things so easy on the hero. I can see why some would like this book, and I hate to come down to hard on it. It just was to average for my tastes.

70 of 90 people found this review helpful