Review: The Eye of the Hunter is an oldie but a goodie! It was published in 1992. I got it for a quarter in a garage sale. It was my first introduction to fantasy and I loved it!! When I got older and read J.R.R. Tolkien, I realized that McKiernan was obviously a fan! Sadly, I read this story over and over until the pages were falling out. I recently got a couple of boxes of books from a friend who was going digital and was super-excited to find not one, but two copies of Eye of the Hunter in his collection! Of course, I had to re-read it! I loved it yet again!
McKiernan develops this fantastical world that often feels more real than your own. For hardcore fantasy fans, he sticks to common fantasy themes, so there is not an awkward moment where you have to adapt from other fantasy worlds to his. The story flows so beautifully and the characters are so real. As a child I was in love with Aaravan! Riatha shaped my perceptions of the type of woman I wanted to be; strong, elegant, a protector of others. Gwilly always makes me laugh and cry and Faeril was my best friend. B'arr was a amazing and Baron Stoke haunted most of my nightmares! This is a must-read for anyone even remotely interested in fantasy!!
Author: Dennis L. McKiernan was born in Missouri, served in the military and then obtained a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri. He went on to get an M.S. of the same from Duke university and worked for the phone companies. He did not begin his career as a writer until after a major accident. During his recuperation time he wrote what was meant to be a continuation to the Tolkien series, but the Tolkien estate would not allow it. His agents asked him to change some things and make it his own and they would go ahead and publish it. Hence the Mithgar series was born. Eye of the Hunter is apparently the seventh in the Mithgar series. (ahh, the things I learn! Now I will have to go back and collect them all!!) Despite the fact that many feel he has simply ripped off Tolkien, I strongly recommend his work!!
**** four (and a 1/2?) out of five stars ( because there is no such thing as the perfect book!)
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