Back in July I posted about having to return the Iron Tower by Dennis McKiernan due to time constraints. I picked it up around the same time as I did the Runes of Elfland as I was finishing Lord of Chaos.
I was determined at the time to even blow through Crown of Swords in the same manner, but I admit that my ambition exceeds my ability in this case. Perhaps if I still were in high school with fewer activities taking up my time. If only I knew that most people end up spending far more time at work than they ever did at school I would have been even more fervent with my reading and art. Obsessively so.
In any case, my mother in my middle school days after I conquered the Lord of the Rings guided me to the Dark Tide, the first book of the Iron Tower trilogy. I was never able to find Shadows of Doom or the Darkest Day in that little library. Being as young as I was and the internet being still in its infancy, I had no means to track them down or hold them in my mind. The impression was good though.
Nice to know that I had some gauge of taste back then. The easiest comparison IS to that of Tolkien if you made him bearable, a story-teller, and dropped a lot of the extra words. Two pounds of paper worth of words. This makes the tale a lot more approachable than LoTR. The theme is similar, but the tale is unique and apart from Frodo and the One Ring. I can tell that it was heavily influenced though, and I begrudge that Dennis couldn't repress this 'hat-tipping'. Thankfully there are no wizards or Gandalf to be found.
Offender #1, the use of Elf, Dwarf, Halfling (most of the time referred to as waerling), and Man as the main characters.
Offender #2, some vaguely Ring-Wraith called Ghola
Offender #3, our Mines of Moria, Kraggen-Kor These abandoned dwarf-halls must be trod through while avoiding enemy Ruhks and the Gorgon (hail Balrog).
These were the main ringers (no pun) to the LoTR, but all the rest is purely McKiernan. To say this book is nothing but a rip-off is grossly unfair. Reading the Tolkien-purists crucify this book is painful. Tolkien was a powerful man for his time and inspired many people. To hold him as an originator of the genre bloats him when in memoirs he admits to having read the multi-colored fairy books. These books are treasure troves of many cultures and ethnicities that go beyond Hans Christian Anderson.
I agree with one amazon review
The author was influenced by Tolkein, but they have two completely different styles of writing. From the first page to the last it will keep you guessing and moving along. If you like fantasy books you'll have a hard time putting this book down, but don't worry, this series isn't even half as long as the Lord of the Ring. He skips all the long winded descriptions that Tolkein forces down our throats. -JetsFanMT
All in all, this is a good book that is comfortable to read. It is not pretending to be Tolkien or anything it all. There is a journey to be had, a princess to be found, a dire evil to fell, with a whole world at stake. Things could swing one way or another at any time, and who can say that the Norse-ish gods of Mithgar would even know the outcome.
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