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Mithgar (Publication) #7
Tales from the One-Eyed Crow: The Vulgmaster
In Mithgar, the realm of the Vulgmaster, the powers of magic and evil contend for the possession of lands, treasure, and the souls of mere mortals
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1991
2 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
About the author
Dennis L. McKiernan
69 books523 followersMcKiernan was born in Moberly, Missouri, where he lived until he served the U.S. Air Force for four years, stationed within US territory during the Korean War. After military service, he attended the University of Missouri and received a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1958 and an M.S. in the same field from Duke University in 1964. He worked as an engineer at AT&T, initially at Western Electric but soon at Bell Laboratories, from 1958 until 1989. In 1989, after early retirement from engineering, McKiernan began writing on a full-time basis.
In 1977, while riding his motorcycle, McKiernan was hit by a car which had crossed the center-line, and was confined to a bed, first in traction and then in a hip spica cast, for many months. During his recuperation, he boldly began a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The publisher Doubleday showed an interest in his work and tried to obtain authorization from Tolkien's estate but was denied. Doubleday then asked McKiernan to rewrite his story, placing the characters in a different fictitious world, and also to write a prequel supporting it. The prequel, of necessity, resembles The Lord of the Rings; the decision of Doubleday to issue the work as a trilogy increased that resemblance; and some critics have seen McKiernan as simply imitating Tolkien's epic work. McKiernan has subsequently developed stories in the series that followed along a story line different from those that plausibly could have been taken by Tolkien.
McKiernan's Faery Series expands tales draw from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books, additionally tying the selected tales together with a larger plot.
McKiernan currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.
(Biography taken from Wikipedia)
In 1977, while riding his motorcycle, McKiernan was hit by a car which had crossed the center-line, and was confined to a bed, first in traction and then in a hip spica cast, for many months. During his recuperation, he boldly began a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The publisher Doubleday showed an interest in his work and tried to obtain authorization from Tolkien's estate but was denied. Doubleday then asked McKiernan to rewrite his story, placing the characters in a different fictitious world, and also to write a prequel supporting it. The prequel, of necessity, resembles The Lord of the Rings; the decision of Doubleday to issue the work as a trilogy increased that resemblance; and some critics have seen McKiernan as simply imitating Tolkien's epic work. McKiernan has subsequently developed stories in the series that followed along a story line different from those that plausibly could have been taken by Tolkien.
McKiernan's Faery Series expands tales draw from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books, additionally tying the selected tales together with a larger plot.
McKiernan currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.
(Biography taken from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 7, 2024
EDIT: This graphic novel tells a story that is also retold in writing in Tales Of Mithgar. I say in my review below that this is not essential reading. Well, I was wrong! The events of this story have a huge role in the events that conspire in the later set novel The Eye Of The Hunter. So, if you can't find the graphic novel, grab a copy of Tales and read this short story before delving into that fantastic chonk of a novel.
Anyway, below is my original review, unchanged:
In a world that celebrates the modern, deems a work of fiction old at 10, 20 years, and treats the past as if it must be scrutinised and seen found wanting in comparision to the oh-so-correct current time, I have kept going with my love of the old fashioned fantasy writer.
Dennis L McKiernan is as old fashioned as the genre gets. His stories read like Tolkien crossed with the adventure writing of Robert Howard. He has a more fanciful flavour than Terry Brooks, he feels more ethereal than the likes of Feist or Weis/Hickman, and he certainly never reaches the dizzying heights of brilliance that Tad Williams frequently entertains.
But I love him. His books transport me, at 33, to a time when reading fantasy was exactly what the genre should be: fun.
Anyway, Tales From The One-Eyed Crow: The Vulgmaster, is a one off short story told in the form of a graphic novel. Much like the one off comic in the Shannara universe, this doesn't feel like an essential read for the series. But what I appreciated was a sweet, old school flavour rescue story, the artwork was pleasing, and I enjoyed the pages at the end that serve as a glossary for the characters, objects and races of the world. That's a nice touch that will compliment the readers journey through the remainder of the series.
Some will scoff and say that Dennis L McKiernan was nothing but a cheap copy of Tolkien. I don't care, he's my kinda escapist fantasy writer. I can hear the synth score, I can see the puppet vulgs chasing the tiny elves and warrows, I cheer at the sight of a slo mo fight between a monstrous wolf and bear. This is classic eighties style fantasy at its finest.
Much like Shannara, this is my comfort blanket. I love innovative, genre pushing fantasy. But I never tire of the warmth of traditional, old school high fantasy.
This was a delight, and it's taken me a long time to get a copy of this book without spending a fortune.
Anyway, below is my original review, unchanged:
In a world that celebrates the modern, deems a work of fiction old at 10, 20 years, and treats the past as if it must be scrutinised and seen found wanting in comparision to the oh-so-correct current time, I have kept going with my love of the old fashioned fantasy writer.
Dennis L McKiernan is as old fashioned as the genre gets. His stories read like Tolkien crossed with the adventure writing of Robert Howard. He has a more fanciful flavour than Terry Brooks, he feels more ethereal than the likes of Feist or Weis/Hickman, and he certainly never reaches the dizzying heights of brilliance that Tad Williams frequently entertains.
But I love him. His books transport me, at 33, to a time when reading fantasy was exactly what the genre should be: fun.
Anyway, Tales From The One-Eyed Crow: The Vulgmaster, is a one off short story told in the form of a graphic novel. Much like the one off comic in the Shannara universe, this doesn't feel like an essential read for the series. But what I appreciated was a sweet, old school flavour rescue story, the artwork was pleasing, and I enjoyed the pages at the end that serve as a glossary for the characters, objects and races of the world. That's a nice touch that will compliment the readers journey through the remainder of the series.
Some will scoff and say that Dennis L McKiernan was nothing but a cheap copy of Tolkien. I don't care, he's my kinda escapist fantasy writer. I can hear the synth score, I can see the puppet vulgs chasing the tiny elves and warrows, I cheer at the sight of a slo mo fight between a monstrous wolf and bear. This is classic eighties style fantasy at its finest.
Much like Shannara, this is my comfort blanket. I love innovative, genre pushing fantasy. But I never tire of the warmth of traditional, old school high fantasy.
This was a delight, and it's taken me a long time to get a copy of this book without spending a fortune.
December 13, 2017
A comic book in mass market paperback form. It's drawn by Alex Nino whom I love but it's a later work of his and far from his best work. The story is strongly Tolkeinesque and a bit on the slight side.
The back of the paperback states it's the first in a series of graphic novels by top artists and authors from RoC publisher. If that's true I'd very much like to find the other books in the series. But I've looked everywhere I can think of and can't find anything about this series.
The back of the paperback states it's the first in a series of graphic novels by top artists and authors from RoC publisher. If that's true I'd very much like to find the other books in the series. But I've looked everywhere I can think of and can't find anything about this series.
December 6, 2023
Se trata de otro de esos experimentos comerciales de Byron Preiss: una historieta de fantasy en formato paperback, para venderse al lado de los libros del género, no de los comics.
La historia es sumamente genérica, un derivado del mundo de El Señor de los Anillos con elfos, hobbits (aquí se llaman Warrows y son como del tamaño y la conformación de un niño, sin pies grandotes), hombres que se convierten en osos, hombres que se convierten en Vulgs (lobos), Ruks (orcos) y así. El dibujo de Alex Nino, brutalista, con tintas profundamente negras, sin sombras y trazos firmes y duros, me gustaron bastante y aunque no le otorgan profundidad ambiental al relato, extrañamente me parecieron muy atractivos.
¿La historia? Lo de siempre: un pequeño grupo de tres aventureros se sumergen en lo profundo de las montañas para vengarse de un oscuro barón Stoke que junto con sus Vulgs y Ruks, siembra el terror en la comarca, desde su castillo sobre una roca inmensa, destruyendo y matando a diestra y siniestra. ¿Podrá nuestro grupo vencer al barón y regresarle la libertad a sus presos en las mazmorras?
La historia es sumamente genérica, un derivado del mundo de El Señor de los Anillos con elfos, hobbits (aquí se llaman Warrows y son como del tamaño y la conformación de un niño, sin pies grandotes), hombres que se convierten en osos, hombres que se convierten en Vulgs (lobos), Ruks (orcos) y así. El dibujo de Alex Nino, brutalista, con tintas profundamente negras, sin sombras y trazos firmes y duros, me gustaron bastante y aunque no le otorgan profundidad ambiental al relato, extrañamente me parecieron muy atractivos.
¿La historia? Lo de siempre: un pequeño grupo de tres aventureros se sumergen en lo profundo de las montañas para vengarse de un oscuro barón Stoke que junto con sus Vulgs y Ruks, siembra el terror en la comarca, desde su castillo sobre una roca inmensa, destruyendo y matando a diestra y siniestra. ¿Podrá nuestro grupo vencer al barón y regresarle la libertad a sus presos en las mazmorras?
March 8, 2022
A pleasant fantasy story told with a classic comic drawn style.
I’ve never seen a graphic novel in a normal book style like this, it appears to be that of my Narnia books in looks, but it’s almost completely art inside.
Story-wise, it was a simple “rescue the princess from an evil fortress” plot with Arthurian and Tolkien inspirations. The Warrow are essentially Hobbits, and the other races are humans, elves, and dwarven-like creatures.
There’s nothing wrong with a story with such little complexity and standard fantasy tropes, but it’s not very thrilling or original. It’s played out.
It came what it set out to do, nothing more, nothing less.
I’ve never seen a graphic novel in a normal book style like this, it appears to be that of my Narnia books in looks, but it’s almost completely art inside.
Story-wise, it was a simple “rescue the princess from an evil fortress” plot with Arthurian and Tolkien inspirations. The Warrow are essentially Hobbits, and the other races are humans, elves, and dwarven-like creatures.
There’s nothing wrong with a story with such little complexity and standard fantasy tropes, but it’s not very thrilling or original. It’s played out.
It came what it set out to do, nothing more, nothing less.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2020
Nice short story. It is in graphic novel form which was an odd and wierd choice. This book tells how Ritha, Urus, Pebble, and Petal met. It is a quick read, most pages have maybe 5 sentences max.
May 31, 2015
This is a lovely little graphic novel that for some reason never seemed to find its audience. It's a good fantasy story as well as a good early graphic novel. Nino's art is simple yet subtle; he does quite well with the small pages and black-and-white limitations, managing to add a lot to the atmosphere of the story. The story is a good one, fitting comfortably within the framework of McKiernan's Mithgar, yet remaining accessible to the average comics reader. Fans of either should give this one a try if they get the chance.
October 5, 2015
Read this a while ago and for some reason never put it into Goodreads until now.
Graphic novel bound in a standard Mass Market Paperback size - it's short but tells a good tale of high fantasy/horror. I've re-read it many times over the years - good stuff.
Graphic novel bound in a standard Mass Market Paperback size - it's short but tells a good tale of high fantasy/horror. I've re-read it many times over the years - good stuff.
January 15, 2012
What a delicious villain!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews