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The World of the Alfar #3
The Thrall and the Dragon's Heart
WAR OF THE DARK ELVES
Brak just wanted to help Ingvold, the elfin girl who was cursed by the witch-queen Hjordis to act as a hag. He never expected his efforts to lead him through a strange gate to the world of the Alfar, where the dark elves were fighting to destroy all the light elves. As a humble thrall, he had no business there.
But he was trapped. Ingvold had given him the dragon's heart, the only hope the light elves had to summon aid from the Rhbus. He could not let that fall into the hands of Hjordis or Myrkjartan, the dreadful necromancer who was mustering armies of the dead against all that was good in the world.
Betrayed by the wiles of the wizard Skalgr, Brak struggled to master the magic of the dragon's heart and recover the weapons of power that would, perhaps, bring victory to Ingvold and her people.
It was too much, even for a hero. And Brak was no hero!
Brak just wanted to help Ingvold, the elfin girl who was cursed by the witch-queen Hjordis to act as a hag. He never expected his efforts to lead him through a strange gate to the world of the Alfar, where the dark elves were fighting to destroy all the light elves. As a humble thrall, he had no business there.
But he was trapped. Ingvold had given him the dragon's heart, the only hope the light elves had to summon aid from the Rhbus. He could not let that fall into the hands of Hjordis or Myrkjartan, the dreadful necromancer who was mustering armies of the dead against all that was good in the world.
Betrayed by the wiles of the wizard Skalgr, Brak struggled to master the magic of the dragon's heart and recover the weapons of power that would, perhaps, bring victory to Ingvold and her people.
It was too much, even for a hero. And Brak was no hero!
294 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1982
3 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 10, 2023
Enjoyable light Nordic fantasy from the Del Rey era in the 80s.... had meant to read something by this author but never managed till I came across this one. Lo and behold her bio mentions her inclusion in Catfantastic-- so actually I must have read that short story, seeing as I had a story in that same anthology! I have it bookmarked to read again soon.
September 4, 2017
Okay, disclaimer first - I got this book in a ten-book grab bag of sci-fi/fantasy novels from a used book store for five dollars. I'd never heard of the author or (apparently) series it belongs to and based on this book, would not seek out the author or other titles in this series.
Second, this isn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me, nor is this particular style of fantasy fiction really my bag. I would go so far as to say I don't know what this book is trying to be. Part Lord of the Rings (with it's epic quest and bumbling, doofy anti-hero main character) part Norse folk novel, it just seems kinda amateurish to me. Or, I guess may said differently, there are a lot of fantasy novels out there and a lot of them are better than this, so why read this one? But I read it, and I'm not worse off for having done so.
The issue for me is that the author seems to have only one or two plot devices in her toolbox. Almost all of the 300 pages is the main character (Brak, a thrall - sort of a servant/squire type guy) doing dumb things and being rewarded for it. Mostly, Brak excels at getting captured. Luckily, the "bad guys" are of the "let me tell you my evil plan then not kill you" type, so it doesn't matter. Brak, often described as cowardly and feeble (but earnest and hardy) is eye rolling in his anti-hero roll. Once the adventure gets rolling, he wanders away from his friends at dusk into a forest and gets lost and then captured (then freed by DEM, see below). About 70 pages later, he does the same thing, this time in a foggy swamp. Don't worry, DEM is there to facilitate his escape, again. And that's basically the entire book. None of the characters ever really grow or learn or gain skills, they're just orchestrated to be where they need to be. The much more powerful villains bluster a lot, threaten a lot and demonstrate their big, bad, evil guy powers and, for most of the novel, have the good guys in their clutches but they "Austin Powers" their way to failure over and over.
There is also a flashing, neon green, caps lock'ed DUES EX MACHINA character who reappears (usually to betray the "good guys" in some manner, over and over again) many times from page 50ish to the end who basically controls the narrative and it's no surprise when he turns out to be much more than he seems - and really, this isn't a spoiler because it's that obvious to anyone except the characters that he's more than he seems. So you hit a certain critical mass where you know the plot is driven by this one character and anytime he's not around, we're at either a "fluff" stage of the book, or he's doing something in the background to catalyze whatever happens next.
Again, not a bad book, just not for me. It's obvious early on that while the "bad guys" hold all the power, that they're basically idiots. The good guys are also kinda idiots, but one quickly notes that they're never in any real danger of failure, so there's not much in the way of suspense, just some hundreds of pages to read through while you wait for the inevitable victory.
Second, this isn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me, nor is this particular style of fantasy fiction really my bag. I would go so far as to say I don't know what this book is trying to be. Part Lord of the Rings (with it's epic quest and bumbling, doofy anti-hero main character) part Norse folk novel, it just seems kinda amateurish to me. Or, I guess may said differently, there are a lot of fantasy novels out there and a lot of them are better than this, so why read this one? But I read it, and I'm not worse off for having done so.
The issue for me is that the author seems to have only one or two plot devices in her toolbox. Almost all of the 300 pages is the main character (Brak, a thrall - sort of a servant/squire type guy) doing dumb things and being rewarded for it. Mostly, Brak excels at getting captured. Luckily, the "bad guys" are of the "let me tell you my evil plan then not kill you" type, so it doesn't matter. Brak, often described as cowardly and feeble (but earnest and hardy) is eye rolling in his anti-hero roll. Once the adventure gets rolling, he wanders away from his friends at dusk into a forest and gets lost and then captured (then freed by DEM, see below). About 70 pages later, he does the same thing, this time in a foggy swamp. Don't worry, DEM is there to facilitate his escape, again. And that's basically the entire book. None of the characters ever really grow or learn or gain skills, they're just orchestrated to be where they need to be. The much more powerful villains bluster a lot, threaten a lot and demonstrate their big, bad, evil guy powers and, for most of the novel, have the good guys in their clutches but they "Austin Powers" their way to failure over and over.
There is also a flashing, neon green, caps lock'ed DUES EX MACHINA character who reappears (usually to betray the "good guys" in some manner, over and over again) many times from page 50ish to the end who basically controls the narrative and it's no surprise when he turns out to be much more than he seems - and really, this isn't a spoiler because it's that obvious to anyone except the characters that he's more than he seems. So you hit a certain critical mass where you know the plot is driven by this one character and anytime he's not around, we're at either a "fluff" stage of the book, or he's doing something in the background to catalyze whatever happens next.
Again, not a bad book, just not for me. It's obvious early on that while the "bad guys" hold all the power, that they're basically idiots. The good guys are also kinda idiots, but one quickly notes that they're never in any real danger of failure, so there's not much in the way of suspense, just some hundreds of pages to read through while you wait for the inevitable victory.
August 12, 2021
Elizabeth Boyer is an oft-overlooked fantasy author from the 1980s, but she is worth seeking out. Setting her books against a backdrop of Scandinavian myth and folklore, her works convey a true feel for the way the magical realm of the Alfar was believed to interact with our realm when these myths were believed to be real.
You can really start to see Boyer's growth as a writer with this book, with better depth of character, and a more linear plot. Boyer still has a tendency to write a very unlikeable protagonist in this book, but in this work the self-loathing/self-pity of the protagonist is more understandable and presented in a more natural fashion.
You can really start to see Boyer's growth as a writer with this book, with better depth of character, and a more linear plot. Boyer still has a tendency to write a very unlikeable protagonist in this book, but in this work the self-loathing/self-pity of the protagonist is more understandable and presented in a more natural fashion.
August 25, 2018
Terrific story great for young readers.
October 25, 2023
Reads like a Viking Saga across a land like Iceland - with lots of plot twists and battles and unpronounceable names - makes a good read!
August 27, 2025
Faxi is best horse
Read
October 23, 2025Del Rey / Ballantine, 1982. One of several printings. Third book in the author's "World of Alfar" fantasy series.
January 2, 2010
Ms. Boyer's heroes who aren't heroes are the heart of her books (get it "heart"). She writes with humor and adventure rolled into her stories and an ability to give us characters who can be laughed with. Her books with the chill of the Norse myths are wonderful, Dragons to Frost Giants, and as here Dark Elves and Light Elves locked in battle, with a thrall having to tip the scales to save a cursed elfin girl.
Enjoy, if you can track these wonderful reads down.
Enjoy, if you can track these wonderful reads down.
Read
April 25, 2009Read this whole series as a teenager and loved it! I've been trying to think of the author's name for at least a month and it finally came to me yesterday!
Medieval fantasy with a Scandinavian setting.
Medieval fantasy with a Scandinavian setting.
May 11, 2017
Occasionally I have to get my fix on cheesy fantasy. One of the best places to do that is in an Elizabeth Boyer book. Her books may be cheesy, but at least they have there own twist on the fantasy world. It doesn't feel cookie cutter or copy-cat.
April 15, 2013
This was a fun adventure that reminded me of what The Hobbit should have been like. A young man comes of age. A wizard learns what he can and can't do. An evil is growing in the land. Only the dragon's heart can help save the day.
March 10, 2008
This is one of my all time favorites.
June 26, 2008
This book is epic without being to long, or too depressing. It has humor and a little bit of romance to spice it up.
August 12, 2007
Icelandic heroes suffer alot
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews