• The Dwarves

  • By: Markus Heitz
  • Narrated by: Matthew Wolf
  • Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (2,696 ratings)

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The Dwarves  By  cover art

The Dwarves

By: Markus Heitz
Narrated by: Matthew Wolf
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Publisher's summary

For countless millennia, the dwarves of the 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 land of Ionandar, 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

What listeners say about The Dwarves

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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156 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Like a fantasy action movie

let's get this out of the way, the narration is ASTOUNDING on this one. He really brings each character to life with a myriad of accents and voices.

Like the title suggests, this is an action packed adventure with some slightly clichéd characters. When I say cliché I need you to understand that it isn't necessarily a negative. Yes the archetypes have been done before, but the reason they get retold is because these archetypes are enjoyable to follow on journeys. It's a good read/listen that a recommend to any fan of high fantasy action adventures.

P.S. My kids loved it so if you're looking for something to listen to in the car on a road trip or just as something to enjoy as they slip off to dreamland, this is a kid safe book.

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95 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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78 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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!

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62 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Tell Me The Bad Guy Is Bad One More Time

I have given up on this book after many hours of listening. Horrible tragedy is reported like the weather, monumental revelations made by random strangers in one sentence is accepted as fact... And the narrator tells us the bad guy needs to be stopped SO MANY TIMES that I started to root for him.

Essentially, beyond the prologue, this book languishes in a prison of overused tropes (dwarves like beer so much, they cannot ever seem to stop talking about it) and blatant Deus ex Machina. You just stop caring.

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

A lifelong Tolkien and Lewis fan, I’ll say the Dwarves series is the equal of Lord of The Rings. Having read the books in 2015, I’m now listening through the Audible versions. The performance is dramatic and compelling. I’m an avid reader, and Audible user, this is the first review I’ve written. Can’t say enough good things about Heitz. If you like taking a stroll through the pages of Middle Earth or Narnia this is for you. If you’re a Robert Jordan fan, you’ll apprecIate the detail Heitz uses to describe the world and circumstances. A MUST for the fan of adventure.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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!

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I probably rewound and re-listened 30 times

There was something about this book that was very difficult to listen to. I found myself constantly re-winding the same sections over and over and over again. I don’t know if it was the flow and how it moved from storyline to storyline but I could not keep track of the story. It probably took me at least 20’times to get past the first 45 minutes.

The narrator was great. The story was good - just difficult to follow.

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20 people found this helpful