Bear, Otter, and the dwarf Broco were happy living their own lives beyond the great river Calix Stay, but some mysterious unrest has overtaken them all. Drawn together, they cross the river once more, heading back into the lands that know time. They are searching for their quest. But it doesn't take long for them to come to the attention of both the good and the evil who are warring for supremacy in this conflicted realm. . .By and large, this is a novel that shines with its language and characters. Grumpy, hungry Bear, playful Otter, and the serious Dwarf form the heart of the story. The interaction between the three is frequently amusing, especially since all of them have been alive so long that things like hurry and short-term-memory often fall to the wayside.The plot, however, suffers a bit. While Greyfax knows who Dwarf is, and the reader figures out through him fairly early what the fuss is all about, Dwarf spends most of the book sitting around waiting for plot to happen to him. Greyfax, despite being the title character, isn't much better---he's always rushing someplace only to find his bit of information came too late, or is meant to push other people into acting. The plot also has several echos of Lord of the Rings (which doesn't have to be a bad thing; it just makes certain twists seem far too familiar). For instance, when Dwarf suggests they go to the hall of his cousin, which is sure to be full of feasting, it tends to be rather too obvious what they'll find when they arrive.The characters are solid, and the overarching world (or rather, multi-verse) appealed to me, so I'll track down the second book. It's an easy read. I rate this book Recommended.
This book was great! This is the first in the Circle of Light series, and it has a world reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, but not so...two-legged, for lack of a more fun word. Animals play a bit more of a role from what I can tell. The main characters are a dwarf (short, skinny, and magical--a bit different from other dwarves), a bear (an ancient, powerful being who is always hungry), an otter (he's mostly fun and playful), and a couple of wizards who help them understand what's going on when they come back to the World Before Time. It's really enjoyable, and I would suggest it for any fan of fantasy.
Do You like book Greyfax Grimwald (1982)?
I remember reading this series in those halcyon days of youth 20 or 30 years ago (give or take 5 years) and being quite enchanted with it.I tried rereading it about 10 years ago, I suppose, and somewhere the "magic" had disappeared. It just wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it, sadly.But I'm still giving it three stars (I liked it) in memory of that 12-year-old kid who was ensorcelled.
—Terence
I don't know what kind of crap this is, but it is absolutely unreadable! The sentence structure is appalling, and every decent rule of good writing is broken on every page. Apparently, this writer has never even heard of stuff that every writer learns (or should have learned) in 5th grade, like that you shouldn't use too many adjectives, and you shouldn't use the same adjective over and over. "The delightful, soft, glowing movements of the sun..."Three adjectives were necessary here?"Leaving all that world frozen by the cold ice night..."Argh! The redundancy!"The cold snow"Do you really need to say that snow is cold? Really?The characters are inconsistent in their behaviour and their dialogue is boring in the extreme. The styles are mixed in too. It's supposed to be set in olden times, but the expressions used are decidedly modern day. The plot falters along with lots of pompous talk about things being "important" but nothing ever happens.Another rule of writing: Don't TELL me it's "important." Show me. Make me FEEL that it is important without telling me so.The awfulness of this book is beyond words. It amazes me that this worthless stuff was ever published for actual human beings to read.I couldn't even finish it. I made it a little past halfway through, and just couldn't stomach it anymore. My brain feels violated.This author obviously has no education and no training in writing.I need to read some Dickens or something to wash out my mind and remind me what real English and good grammar looks like.Whoever this author's editor was, he's an idiot, and has inflicted a monstrousity on the world.
—Kailey
