Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand

	The Revenge Of The Dwarves by Marcus Heitz Orbit Supplied for review by Hachette New Zealand	Reviewed By: Simon Litten
The Revenge of the Dwarves is the third instalment in Marcus Heitz’s series about the dwarven folk of Girdlegard. A fourth book has already been published in Herr Heitz’s native Germany but its release in English awaits translation. I shall note in passing that this volume has a different translator (Sheelagh Alabaster) to books one and two (Sally-Ann Spencer), which may have had some impact on the English version compared to volumes one and two. The Revenge of the Dwarves is set five years after the events of book 2, The War of the Dwarves, but follows on that story with only a pause for breath. Tungdil Goldhand and his friend Boindil Ireheart are called upon to investigate the appearance of several murderous machines that are killing dwarves for the purposes of fomenting dissent amongst the dwarves and then to protect the diamonds produced as magic stores if ever a magus ever rose again in Girdlegard. Along the way in solving these problems Tungdil is again faced with a continuation of the dwarf on dwarf conflict of book two, elves who believe the world needs purifying of evil (and only the elves can recognise that evil) and penetration of Girdlegard by tribes from the lands beyond the mountains. Unlike War of the Dwarves, which could be read as a standalone novel, The Revenge of the`Dwarves is not a complete story in itself. One needs to have read the previous books in the series to get a full understanding of the characters and the political machinations that unfold around the action; and the ending is an obvious introduction for book four, where the hanging threads of this book will be resolved. If books one and two in this series were about good versus evil, albeit on a grand scale, then the third book is that same struggle on a personal level – which made for a more interesting read as the conflict was often of a nature that involved the setting aside of long held views and prejudices – something not often encountered in epic fantasy. I enjoyed The Revenge of the Dwarves but was annoyed that the book ended on an obvious set of cliffhangers with so much of the action unresolved. But this does mean that I want to read book four, if only to find out what happens next as the impending action looks to be worldspanning in its scope. Return To Reviews SFFANZ Home Page

	SFFANZ is a non-profit organisation and registered charity designed to bring together fans of the fantastic in New Zealand		Contact us by email at: enquiries@sffanz.org.nz