Silver Wolf, Black Falcon

Silver Wolf, Black Falcon (2000) Dennis McKiernan

This is the final book in Dennis McKiernan’s Mithgar series, where all the loose ends are tied up. We follow the journal of Bair, the impossible child, borne of Riatha and Urus. The reeds speak of Bair as the one to find the silver sword, to be borne on the dawn, and to herald a coming time of war and chaos. In his tasks, Bair travels with Aravan, who has appeared in many of Dennis McKiernan’s volumes, including Eye of the Hunter and Voyage of the Fox Rider

As a conclusion, I found the story very satisfying. We learn the answers to many of the questions that have been floating around, but not all, which I like since we don’t learn all the answers to our questions in life.

I really liked the dragons in this story. I thought that Dennis McKiernan did a good job making them alien, while still making you feel compassion for their situation. And I loved how their dilemma was resolved–that may well be my favorite part of the book. I found it absolutely perfect.

Interestingly, as much as I like the story and the conclusion, this is not my favorite Mithgar book. It’s good, but I don’t find it great, and I didn’t find it as gripping as other books in the series, although it is certainly worth re-reading.

Part of the problem may be that great events are occurring all over Mithgar, but we learn only the barest of details (otherwise this book would be far longer than it’s 534 pages). These details are interesting, but because we only get a hint of what is happening, the mental speculation that comes from these bare details is distracting, and drew my attention from the main story.

And as usual, I hated the sex scenes. The only good thing about them is that they are brief. But as this has been an issue through most of the books, it didn’t come as a surprise, and can be pretty easily ignored.

If you have read the Mithgar books, then reading this book is a must. If you want to read the Mithgar books, this is not the place to start, this is the place to end. And it is a good ending. But start elsewhere, like Voyage of the Fox Rider or Tales of Mithgar. It’ll be worth your wait.
Rating: 7/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• The Blue Girl » »
• « « The Iron Tower Trilogy