Dwarves have long been a staple of fantasy fiction. What is much rarer however is to see dwarves cast directly in the protagonist role. Dwarves are long overdue their time in the spotlight and Heitz has put them well out in front of the lamp.

This is not a story about men or elves with dwarves being a curious sort of sidekick, sometimes even reduced to comic value as Peter Jackson did to an extent with Gimli in The Lord of the Rings. This is a story about dwarves with the other races only making quite fleeting appearances.

The Dwarves was originally published in Germany in 2003 with non-English sales nearing the one million mark. This translation by Sally-Ann Spencer, being released in September 2009, is the first English release.

The story still has some of the staple elements generally expected of dwarves – bearded, axe-wielding, orcs the favoured target for use of their blades and of course, living underground. Heitz deliberately attempted to retain those general expectations but while trying to create his own vision.

Our protagonist, Tungadil, is something of an exception to the dwarves in the story – at the time we begin our adventure, he has not so much as even seen another dwarf before, having been brought up in the household of the wizard, Lot-Ionan.

The setting is the land of Girdlegard but the Perished Lands, a region of diseased and dieing life where the dead rise again in the service of darkness, is fast encroaching.

Tungadil is sent on a journey to deliver certain artefacts from Lot-Ionan to another mage. His journey takes some detours particularly after he is found by some other dwarves and taken off to one of the dwarven strongholds as a surprised and reluctant contender for the leadership of one of the dwarf clans. He finds himself caught up in the middle of a devastating war, surrounded by treachery and deception while learning what it means to really be a dwarf.

The main characters are all well characterised but I did become a little confused at times with a number of the names being just that bit too similar.

At over 700 pages, this is not a quick, simple read but I found myself easily drawn into the story. Anyone who has read plenty of fantasy will see where the story is going at times but there are still some surprises to be had along the way. The final ending was wrapped up just a bit too quickly and neatly for my liking, although the ending does hint at something darker yet to come.

I believe this is the first of a series and I look forward to reading more.

Ross C. Hamilton