The Eye of the Hunter

The Eye of the Hunter (1992) Dennis L. McKiernan

If I remember correctly, this is the second Dennis McKiernan book I read–and the first novel. (The first book was the short story collection Tales of Mithgar.)

In The Eye of the Hunter, the Lastborn Firstborns Gwilly and Faeril, join with Riatha and Aravan to fulfill the oath to destroy the Baron Stoke, who killed Riatha’s brother, and Gwilly and Faeril’s ancestors.

The first half of the book moves back and forth through time, from the past to the present, telling the histories of different characters, including the histories of Aravan and Riatha. Faeril also quotes from Petal’s journal, the medium through which the hunt for Stoke was passed from one generation of Warrows to the next. The jumpes, which had the potential to be confusing, worked well in this book, as Dennis McKiernan does a good job of keeping things straight. One thing he does is give the date at the head of each chapter, which allows you to keep track of whether you are in the past and the present, as well as note how much time has passed in the present.

This may be my favorite Mithgar book, and having read the other books in the series makes it even more enjoyable, as I already know about Aravan’s past love, the destruction of Rwn, the War of the Ban, and the Winter War–all histories referred to in the book. (Interestingly enough, except for the Winter War, those were all stories that Dennis McKiernan had not yet written when The Eye of the Hunter was published [he also referrs to stories that still have not been written and probably never will be.])

I love Dennis McKiernan’s characters and writing, and although sometimes gives way more detail than I want, it’s not a seroius problem. The issue with too much detail is that it’s fine at the beginning of the story, but as the tale continues and the story gets good, I want to know what happens NOW and I don’t care what the surroundings look like. So the fault is probably my own lack of patience.

Although this is one of the first Mithgar books I read, I would still recommend reading some of other Mithgar books, set earlier in the timeline, such as The Dragonstone, The Voyage of the Fox Hunter, and the Iron Tower trilogy first, just because I think that knowing the history of the characters make this story more enjoyable, although that history certainly isn’t necessary.
Rating: 8/10

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