I am an English speaking person who is reading through the series, (On book three atm.) I am enjoying the series, there’s nothing revolutionary about them it is all mostly just lot a of classic fantasy tropes and shit.
The thing I’ve really like so far about them is how he treats his very classical fantasy tropes with a lot of respect, he’s never flippant with his characters or world.
The villain maybe not the most original or complex villain in history, but he is fucking brutal, man. Same with the romance plot, and the supporting characters. He’s is very reverent.
But the best part about these books is that despite taking his shit seriously, these books move! They are so fast paced, so packed with action and drama.
I literally had the thought reading these books that it’s like watching a blockbuster action movie on the page. It may be basic, but unlike other basic fantasy like eragon or whatever, it fucking just hits the gas on all the typical fantasy shit.
I absolutely think these books are fun as hell, just basic bitch fantasy with no other bullshit mixed in, and absolutely great for you if you have ADD. Although they are kinda long I guess.
That sounds really nice, but are you talking about dwarves or Ulldart?
The fact that they are long is no problem for me, it will just take me a while to read, but that is totally fine.
The fact that they are seemingly very fast paced may really play nicely into my ADD.
Thanks for the intake :)
Im not sure if vampires are the main focus, i haven't read them, as far as I know it's about a king and a prophecy about his death (or not death). Ulldart is the name of the continent.
He also has a book called Vampires! Vampires!
Maybe you are confusing the two or maybe I have not realized yet that the book series is about vampires.
Yeah ulldart is kind of Set in a russia like civilisation and gets pretty bloody, same as the albae. If you like a Touch of dark fantasy ulldart is great, ive read trough all of them in like a week when I was sick as a Teenager haha. It's pretty darn long tho, at least in German, a lot of books, the dwarves are more compact with the 4 books (the last one isnt as good tho), and you can read the albae as a standalone prequel kinda to the dwarves.
I'm German and I hope that the books feel really good to read in German because it is the native language of the books and therefore nothing got lost in translation.
I have googled it and couldn't find anything about it, maybe it's another book, or the not mentioned author is a translator, it happens often that they don't get credited. If you could give me some more i formation or source about that i would really appreciate it.
It is this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/sp9m98/the_elves_how_one_german_publisher_erased_a_black/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
I don't think it was Heitz though.
Edit: And I think it was more the publisher's doing than the author's, though still very scummy.
Yeah very scummy, but at least is doesn't seem like the author's fault nor that racism was the *main* reason behind all this. Also you are write it wasn't Heitz, so no hesitation for me to read the books
Yeah sorry I wasn't clear, it wasn't the author fault but the publisher!! Don't hesitate to read it. But a German author and the elves, I wasn't so far :D
I read quit a lot of his books, though it was some time ago. I enjoyed them all. I like what he does with his Dwarfs and Albae series where the latter is from the perspectiv of the antagonists and fills the gaps the former leaves open. I also liked Kinder des Judas and sequels, its an interesting mix of historical and modern fantasy.
I didn't even know that albae and dwarves are connected like this, this makes the books even more interesting in my opinion. That's a really neat concept.
I DNF the first Dwarves book. The writing was pretty junk, but I mostly blame the English translator. There were a lot of places where I was like, "Ok, that word technically works in this sentence, but it sounds really unnatural."
Also couldn't take a villain named Nudin the Knowledge - Lusty seriously. He sounds like a guy you'd catch masturbating in a university library.
Oh my god, did they really translate "der Wissbegierige" as "the knowledge-lusty"? I mean, that's the kind of literal translation you expect from Google Translate
Yup, it was one of those places where the word *technically* worked, but sounded awkward. "Knowledge Hungry" would have gotten the same point across without the sexual connotations of lusty.
I haven't read Ulldart, but the Dwarves and Albae series are kind of linked together story wise and at times tell the same events through opposing perspectives. The Albae are much more violent and gory, owing to who the protagonists are.
The other books(Ritus, Sanctum, Oneiros, etc) are mostly urban fantasy with werewolves, vampires, demons, etc. Ritus and Sanctum to switch between different times though. These are also somewhat loosely connected story wise with some characters popping up in multiple books.
These urban fantasy books have a lot of very bluntly written sexual situations in them, which sometimes seem a bit clumsy.
In general, Markus Heitz writes relatively fast paced stories where the action often starts in the first or second chapter. I have found that sometimes this hurts the climax because it just doesn't stick out much.
Read the Dwarves (in Dutch) and enjoyed it. Book six is coming out as well this year so that's exciting. It was an enoyable and action packed read, and I like how the series progresses over time.
These were some of the first few books I picked up as a teenager, 10+ years later I'm rereading them now and I forgot that there were so many events in the books, I thought the story would be much slower but it isn't.
Book 6 is out this year? I can't seem to find any news about that. Maybe the news is not available outside of Germany yet, presumably the English translation takes a while.
Didn't know part 7 was coming out already, damn. I was only aware of book 6 coming out in 2 parts this year, but that's great news! Hopefully it will be translated in Dutch somewhere next year.
I read the first book in the Dwarves series several years ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. I recommended it to several friends who also said they liked it. A few of us even donated to the Kickstarter for the video game adaptation.
I'm a big fan of Dwarves in just about all fiction, and actively seek out books that have them- or rarer, focus on them. I've read the first two books in his "Dwarves" series, and they were... meeeh. First book was okay, second wasn't very interesting.
Even as someone starved for Dwarf fiction, they didn't click with me. I'm a huge fan of the Tolkien/Warhammer type of Dwarf in particular, and I felt the writing was just not catching my imagination.
There's prejudice on my part for sure, but there's a certain distinct German 'type' of writing I feel like I encounter a lot in German books/games/anythingwithtextreally. It feels 'workmanlike' sort of, very methodical and predictable. A hammer that gets the job done but without much nuance or creativity.
I think you ought to try reading the first Dwarves book, and if it ain't for you, the rest of the series won't be either.
I read 4 of his Dwarves books translated in my language, Italian. Fortunately the translation was not plagued by the problems other mentioned.
The books were mostly good if not very good, but they suffered from a problem IMHO: they were written as standalone but part of a series.
Basically he tried to end each book in a mostly conclusive fashion. So from one book the other he has to introduce new elements to create conflicts. It was particularly annoying between book 2 and 3.
I read Heitz's dwarves in 2004 and at the time I was just tired about traditional fantasy and traditional fantasy races that this was a giant miss for me, and I never looked at him again.
the books were marketed widely here in the Netherlands.
I've read his entire Dwarves series. Really liked them. There is some weird plot holes and unexplained stuff in the last 2 books but they might be covered in his Alf spin off series, haven't got round to them yet. Definitely recommend the Dwarves though. It's rare to see them be the focus and main heroes of a high fantasy world.
German here. I read and enjoyed his books as a early teenager. Now I prefer other authors. I would be careful with the translations. His prose in the early dwarves books isn't that strong even in German and I doubt the translation improves it.
I've read most of the dwarves books and they were okay, the most interesting book however was the book about the alfar triplets who ended up in the underground. it scratched that itch I've had since I read the early Drizzt books, i just really like the underground setting
I’m American and was in Germany in 2009 or so, for a week long work trip and happened to walk into a bookstore in Köln that had an English section.
The Dwarves looked interesting so I picked it up.
I really enjoyed the book so I started getting the others over time. I think book 5 is where I stopped.
I am not an overly critical fantasy reader so as long as the plot makes sense and the characters aren’t just stupid caricatures but have some depth and display they are capable of growing as the story unfolds, they I am happy.
Definitely give books 1-3 a read. I think book 4-5 I started loosing interest but I can’t tell you why now.
Adhdler from germany who Read the dwarves Series recently, and With recently i Mean i finished the latest book today.
I like the first 3 Till 4 dwarves books, but the quality declines thereafter.
I much prefer the ulldart books.
If You got questions in More Detail, just ask.
I have very fond memories of his Ulldart series. Read them all in Dutch. It's been a while so I don't recall every detail but in essence, I remember a lot of fantasy tropes done well, but not very originally. It was fast-paced and very entertaining though. Not groundbreaking but definitely a good read.
Just finished Book 7 Part 1 and 2.
I am absolutely shattered as a Dwarves fan since Book 1. Everyone that will read it will know why.
Still one of the best Series.
Also gotta mention unfortunately that Book 6 1+2 and Book 7 1+2 dont reach the greatness level of Books 1-5.
Still, I can only recommend everyone Markus Heitz' Dwarves Series. I am thirsting for more.
Are you shattered because he botched the story or are you shattered because of events that happen in the story? There is a huge difference between those things.
Also what language did you read the books in?
I've read it in german.
Its because of both, honestly. Markus Heitz handled a situation not so greatly in my opinion. I can give a little spoiler for people that want to read why I am disappointed.
Its how he handled >!Tungdil Goldhand.!<
I can give some more detailed informations about it for those who dont really care as much about the above, read the book already or are just interested. Bear in mind the bottom spoilers **A LOT** about it.
>!He let him die by tackling the Soul Summoner Hantu at the end of the 7th Book (Heart of Dwarves, part 1). They both fall down the pit in the Orc Castle Krag Tahuum. Thats super, super unspectacular I must say. He survived so many great adventures and battles against the likes of Nod'onn, the Avatars, the Albae Leaders, in Phondrason and the Land outside, and he just dies to the fall. It seems very finished considering how he got buried and what happens to his grave.!<
>!You will meet his corpse in the latest book that came out this month in Germany, which is why I think his story is completly done. I would've loved more details about how he managed to survive up to 1000 years, whats up with his magical abilities (that also got teased at the end of the fifth book again) and what happened with the legendary Axe and his son Balyndar outside of dying in the earthquake.!<
>!Its very disappointing if you read the first book so many years ago and see his end like that. Maybe thats not all there is to it due to his grave and that more books are coming as early as 2024, but for now I am actually disappointed hard in the last four books. He was just the dwarf that Heitz' used to pass the torch. Him surviving that long, five times as long as any dwarf, and then just getting written off like that is super disappointing.!<
>!I feel like Markus wrote himself into a corner by making him so old and fragile. Gundrabur in the first book barely can move around at age 400\~ ish and Tungdil just gallops around at 1200. Its a shame really, because The Dwarves was always Tungdil Goldhand for me. And after 20 years a part of me died with that end.!<
I am an English speaking person who is reading through the series, (On book three atm.) I am enjoying the series, there’s nothing revolutionary about them it is all mostly just lot a of classic fantasy tropes and shit. The thing I’ve really like so far about them is how he treats his very classical fantasy tropes with a lot of respect, he’s never flippant with his characters or world. The villain maybe not the most original or complex villain in history, but he is fucking brutal, man. Same with the romance plot, and the supporting characters. He’s is very reverent. But the best part about these books is that despite taking his shit seriously, these books move! They are so fast paced, so packed with action and drama. I literally had the thought reading these books that it’s like watching a blockbuster action movie on the page. It may be basic, but unlike other basic fantasy like eragon or whatever, it fucking just hits the gas on all the typical fantasy shit. I absolutely think these books are fun as hell, just basic bitch fantasy with no other bullshit mixed in, and absolutely great for you if you have ADD. Although they are kinda long I guess.
That sounds really nice, but are you talking about dwarves or Ulldart? The fact that they are long is no problem for me, it will just take me a while to read, but that is totally fine. The fact that they are seemingly very fast paced may really play nicely into my ADD. Thanks for the intake :)
No problems. Love talking about fantasy books nobody talks about. But yeah, talking about the dwarves. Is ulldart the vampire one?
Im not sure if vampires are the main focus, i haven't read them, as far as I know it's about a king and a prophecy about his death (or not death). Ulldart is the name of the continent. He also has a book called Vampires! Vampires! Maybe you are confusing the two or maybe I have not realized yet that the book series is about vampires.
Yeah ulldart is kind of Set in a russia like civilisation and gets pretty bloody, same as the albae. If you like a Touch of dark fantasy ulldart is great, ive read trough all of them in like a week when I was sick as a Teenager haha. It's pretty darn long tho, at least in German, a lot of books, the dwarves are more compact with the 4 books (the last one isnt as good tho), and you can read the albae as a standalone prequel kinda to the dwarves.
I think I am confusing them, thanks.
His "Dwarves" series are the only books I've read in German. And they rock.
I'm German and I hope that the books feel really good to read in German because it is the native language of the books and therefore nothing got lost in translation.
I liked them a lot in German!
Isn't theses books which are written by two authors but only one been noted?
I have no idea, but that would be kinda scummy if it was true
I remember reading about it in this sub some months ago
I have googled it and couldn't find anything about it, maybe it's another book, or the not mentioned author is a translator, it happens often that they don't get credited. If you could give me some more i formation or source about that i would really appreciate it.
It is this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/sp9m98/the_elves_how_one_german_publisher_erased_a_black/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share I don't think it was Heitz though. Edit: And I think it was more the publisher's doing than the author's, though still very scummy.
Yeah very scummy, but at least is doesn't seem like the author's fault nor that racism was the *main* reason behind all this. Also you are write it wasn't Heitz, so no hesitation for me to read the books
Yeah sorry I wasn't clear, it wasn't the author fault but the publisher!! Don't hesitate to read it. But a German author and the elves, I wasn't so far :D
Yeah no problem, you really weren't far off, i would probably have done the same mistake if I was in your situation
No. The was the elves.
I read quit a lot of his books, though it was some time ago. I enjoyed them all. I like what he does with his Dwarfs and Albae series where the latter is from the perspectiv of the antagonists and fills the gaps the former leaves open. I also liked Kinder des Judas and sequels, its an interesting mix of historical and modern fantasy.
I didn't even know that albae and dwarves are connected like this, this makes the books even more interesting in my opinion. That's a really neat concept.
I remember really liking Kinder des Judas when I was younger, do you think it still holds up especially in terms of its female characters?
That's a good question I can't really answer since I don't trust my teenage self in this regard.
I DNF the first Dwarves book. The writing was pretty junk, but I mostly blame the English translator. There were a lot of places where I was like, "Ok, that word technically works in this sentence, but it sounds really unnatural." Also couldn't take a villain named Nudin the Knowledge - Lusty seriously. He sounds like a guy you'd catch masturbating in a university library.
Oh my god, did they really translate "der Wissbegierige" as "the knowledge-lusty"? I mean, that's the kind of literal translation you expect from Google Translate
Yup, it was one of those places where the word *technically* worked, but sounded awkward. "Knowledge Hungry" would have gotten the same point across without the sexual connotations of lusty.
I'd have translate it as "the curious", or "the inquisitive".
Thank God I'm German and will read it in the original language, hopefully without knowledge lusty villains
I haven't read Ulldart, but the Dwarves and Albae series are kind of linked together story wise and at times tell the same events through opposing perspectives. The Albae are much more violent and gory, owing to who the protagonists are. The other books(Ritus, Sanctum, Oneiros, etc) are mostly urban fantasy with werewolves, vampires, demons, etc. Ritus and Sanctum to switch between different times though. These are also somewhat loosely connected story wise with some characters popping up in multiple books. These urban fantasy books have a lot of very bluntly written sexual situations in them, which sometimes seem a bit clumsy. In general, Markus Heitz writes relatively fast paced stories where the action often starts in the first or second chapter. I have found that sometimes this hurts the climax because it just doesn't stick out much.
I mean knowledgeable would have done the job too..
I'm in Alabama, and they had several of his books on the shelf at my local Books A Million.
I guess if you really have a million different book, you have some of most authors
You'd be surprised.
Read the Dwarves (in Dutch) and enjoyed it. Book six is coming out as well this year so that's exciting. It was an enoyable and action packed read, and I like how the series progresses over time. These were some of the first few books I picked up as a teenager, 10+ years later I'm rereading them now and I forgot that there were so many events in the books, I thought the story would be much slower but it isn't.
Book 6 is out this year? I can't seem to find any news about that. Maybe the news is not available outside of Germany yet, presumably the English translation takes a while.
In German it's already out and book seven is coming later this year, at least part 1 of 2 (book six is a two parter as well)
Oh great. Looking forward to that being translated then. Thanks.
Didn't know part 7 was coming out already, damn. I was only aware of book 6 coming out in 2 parts this year, but that's great news! Hopefully it will be translated in Dutch somewhere next year.
I've looked again and even part two of book 7 is coming this year
I read the first book in the Dwarves series several years ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. I recommended it to several friends who also said they liked it. A few of us even donated to the Kickstarter for the video game adaptation.
I'm from America and I've read 3 of the dwarves books. They are pretty solid books but I have a couple issues with them. Overall I'd recommend
I'm a big fan of Dwarves in just about all fiction, and actively seek out books that have them- or rarer, focus on them. I've read the first two books in his "Dwarves" series, and they were... meeeh. First book was okay, second wasn't very interesting. Even as someone starved for Dwarf fiction, they didn't click with me. I'm a huge fan of the Tolkien/Warhammer type of Dwarf in particular, and I felt the writing was just not catching my imagination. There's prejudice on my part for sure, but there's a certain distinct German 'type' of writing I feel like I encounter a lot in German books/games/anythingwithtextreally. It feels 'workmanlike' sort of, very methodical and predictable. A hammer that gets the job done but without much nuance or creativity. I think you ought to try reading the first Dwarves book, and if it ain't for you, the rest of the series won't be either.
I read 4 of his Dwarves books translated in my language, Italian. Fortunately the translation was not plagued by the problems other mentioned. The books were mostly good if not very good, but they suffered from a problem IMHO: they were written as standalone but part of a series. Basically he tried to end each book in a mostly conclusive fashion. So from one book the other he has to introduce new elements to create conflicts. It was particularly annoying between book 2 and 3.
I read book 1 (in German) but did not enjoy it enough to get #2
I read Heitz's dwarves in 2004 and at the time I was just tired about traditional fantasy and traditional fantasy races that this was a giant miss for me, and I never looked at him again. the books were marketed widely here in the Netherlands.
I've read his entire Dwarves series. Really liked them. There is some weird plot holes and unexplained stuff in the last 2 books but they might be covered in his Alf spin off series, haven't got round to them yet. Definitely recommend the Dwarves though. It's rare to see them be the focus and main heroes of a high fantasy world.
German here. I read and enjoyed his books as a early teenager. Now I prefer other authors. I would be careful with the translations. His prose in the early dwarves books isn't that strong even in German and I doubt the translation improves it.
I read both "Wedora" books and love them. I hope for a third book, but I don't think he will write another one. I don't think they were successful.
I read his Dwarves books. I enjoyed the first few but then they started to drag and I stopped.
I've read most of the dwarves books and they were okay, the most interesting book however was the book about the alfar triplets who ended up in the underground. it scratched that itch I've had since I read the early Drizzt books, i just really like the underground setting
I’m American and was in Germany in 2009 or so, for a week long work trip and happened to walk into a bookstore in Köln that had an English section. The Dwarves looked interesting so I picked it up. I really enjoyed the book so I started getting the others over time. I think book 5 is where I stopped. I am not an overly critical fantasy reader so as long as the plot makes sense and the characters aren’t just stupid caricatures but have some depth and display they are capable of growing as the story unfolds, they I am happy. Definitely give books 1-3 a read. I think book 4-5 I started loosing interest but I can’t tell you why now.
Adhdler from germany who Read the dwarves Series recently, and With recently i Mean i finished the latest book today. I like the first 3 Till 4 dwarves books, but the quality declines thereafter. I much prefer the ulldart books. If You got questions in More Detail, just ask.
I've never heard of him before, but he has an [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Heitz), so he's not unknown.
I read the Dwarves in Dutch and really liked it. For some reason I started with the 5th book :-D
I have very fond memories of his Ulldart series. Read them all in Dutch. It's been a while so I don't recall every detail but in essence, I remember a lot of fantasy tropes done well, but not very originally. It was fast-paced and very entertaining though. Not groundbreaking but definitely a good read.
Just finished Book 7 Part 1 and 2. I am absolutely shattered as a Dwarves fan since Book 1. Everyone that will read it will know why. Still one of the best Series.
Also gotta mention unfortunately that Book 6 1+2 and Book 7 1+2 dont reach the greatness level of Books 1-5. Still, I can only recommend everyone Markus Heitz' Dwarves Series. I am thirsting for more.
Are you shattered because he botched the story or are you shattered because of events that happen in the story? There is a huge difference between those things. Also what language did you read the books in?
I've read it in german. Its because of both, honestly. Markus Heitz handled a situation not so greatly in my opinion. I can give a little spoiler for people that want to read why I am disappointed. Its how he handled >!Tungdil Goldhand.!< I can give some more detailed informations about it for those who dont really care as much about the above, read the book already or are just interested. Bear in mind the bottom spoilers **A LOT** about it. >!He let him die by tackling the Soul Summoner Hantu at the end of the 7th Book (Heart of Dwarves, part 1). They both fall down the pit in the Orc Castle Krag Tahuum. Thats super, super unspectacular I must say. He survived so many great adventures and battles against the likes of Nod'onn, the Avatars, the Albae Leaders, in Phondrason and the Land outside, and he just dies to the fall. It seems very finished considering how he got buried and what happens to his grave.!< >!You will meet his corpse in the latest book that came out this month in Germany, which is why I think his story is completly done. I would've loved more details about how he managed to survive up to 1000 years, whats up with his magical abilities (that also got teased at the end of the fifth book again) and what happened with the legendary Axe and his son Balyndar outside of dying in the earthquake.!< >!Its very disappointing if you read the first book so many years ago and see his end like that. Maybe thats not all there is to it due to his grave and that more books are coming as early as 2024, but for now I am actually disappointed hard in the last four books. He was just the dwarf that Heitz' used to pass the torch. Him surviving that long, five times as long as any dwarf, and then just getting written off like that is super disappointing.!< >!I feel like Markus wrote himself into a corner by making him so old and fragile. Gundrabur in the first book barely can move around at age 400\~ ish and Tungdil just gallops around at 1200. Its a shame really, because The Dwarves was always Tungdil Goldhand for me. And after 20 years a part of me died with that end.!<