From Library Journal
These 11 tales, set in the land of Mithgar, take place at an inn called the One-Eyed Crow. Whether offering whimsical "proof" for the existence of giants or relating a somber tale of war's false glory, the author of The Eye of the Hunter (LJ 9/15/92) displays a genuine flair for pacing, characters, and drama-all essential to the storyteller's art. A good choice for most fantasy collections.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
McKiernan here uses his increasingly popular world of Mithgar as a background for 11 tales told in an inn called the One-Eyed Crow by a bunch of storytellers gathered to practice their art. Particularly appealing are "The Thornwalker and the Wolf," "The Dammsel," and "The Ruffian and the Giant." As in the rest of his creations, McKiernan employs classic fantasy elements, using them better in each new work. He also reveals an unexpected deftness at writing short fantasy stories, which is more than can be said of a good many of his colleagues and may help him avoid turning good short stories into less than good novels as the years roll on. Any McKiernan fan is bound to ask for and be pleased by this one. Fantasy collections, proceed accordingly. Roland Green

Jennifer Roberson
Evocative and compelling...a triumph of wondrous myths and great magics.

Book Description
Snowbound at an inn called the One Eyed-Crow, storytellers from across the realm of Mithgar share eleven mythical adventures around the fireplace.

ANNOTATION

When a blizzard howls out of the North, the citizens of Mithgar are trapped at the mercy of the winds and snow. But for those at the town's modest inn, it's an excuse to throw another log on the fire and begin a wondrous evening of spinning tales and retelling myths. From the author of Voyage of the Fox Rider.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Arin's visions come to her unbidden, summoned by the campfires into which she stares long into the night. They are flashes of things long past - or yet to come. But never before has she had a vision of such horror, suffering, bloodshed...of riving hordes and raging Dragons. It is a terrifying window onto the most terrible of wars, a conflagration that promises to swallow all of Mithgar - unless it can be stopped. Now this valiant Elven lady embarks upon a desperate mission to understand that which fate has thrust upon her - and to block the fulfillment of her nightmarish prophecy. Through the aid of potent wizardry, the depths of her fell vision are plumbed, and a mysterious riddle of a cat, a one eye, a peacock, a ferret, and a keeper are revealed.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Like his previous 11 fantasy novels (Caverns of Socrates, etc.), McKiernan's 12th takes readers to the world of Mithgar with a tale of a grand quest. A vision of bloody world war forces the novel's heroines, Arin, an elf of the mysterious deep woods of Dylvana, and Aiko, a female warrior, to take up an arduous mission to find the missing Dragonstone, a magical gem of immense power, before it can fall into evil hands. Their first stop is a disreputable tavern, where they seek a one-eyed man to fulfill the requirements of a riddle given to Arin in a vision. Since they find two one-eyed candidates, the local drunk and a recently wounded warrior, Arin and Aiko take both along on a roundabout journey full of danger, dragons and other morsels from the standard fantasy menu. Although there is enough detail here to satisfy readers who revel in baroquely textured fantasy worlds, McKiernan seems more interested in pairing off his characters romantically than in the quest itself. This tale of early Mithgar does not stand up to the author's other popular books, but it will keep most hardcore fans of large-scale fantasy entertained nonetheless. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Popular fantasy writer McKeirnan brings his Mithgar series to a triumphant conclusion with this sprawling story. Right after noting that the great story arc of the series is "the struggle of those who believe in liberty and freedom... against those who would take those things away," McKeirnan introduces two babies, both born under miraculous circumstances and expected to bring about great changes in Mithgar, as predicted by Oracles and ancient prophecy. First is Kutsen Yong, born of a dead woman. Marked with the Yong, the sign of the Dragon, he grows into an arrogant and pitiless lord, the prophesied Mage Warrior King who will command Dragons and rule the world. Meanwhile, good-hearted Bair, the first child born to an Elven mother in Mithgar in millennia, is the long-awaited Impossible Child, "the Rider of the Planes who will bear the Silver Sword to Mithgar when evil comes to the world." At 16, Bair joins the Elf Aravan in his search for the evil Necromancer Ydral--High Priest of a cult determined to free the god Gyphon from his prison deep in the earth and help him defeat Adon, Mithgar's defender of free will. The novel moves slowly toward the final confrontation, building tension with bloody combat and magical battles as Aravan and Bair search for the knowledge and weapons needed to stand against Kutsen Yong and Ydral. McKeirnan's fans--as well as those of Terry Brooks and Terry Goodkind--will enjoy his usual array of thin-skinned power-mad evil-doers, hearty, honorable good guys and grand magical fireworks. (June) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

KLIATT

This is high fantasy at its best. McKiernan proves his mastery of the storytelling art in this new and concluding novel of the 12-volume Mithgar series. Young Bair, a shape shifter and the "impossible child" born of Elf and Human on the world of Mithgar, has a destiny to fulfill as the "Rider of the Planes." He is the only man to be able to cross between all five planes (which contain parallel worlds with different species) since the god Adon Sundered the Ways. While the world braces once again for war and the fiend Ydral guides the young, arrogant Dragon King to conquering the world, Bair and his friend Aravan continue Aravan's thousand year-plus quest to take revenge on the "yellow-eyed man." The Dragon King, possessing the Dragon Stone that controls all the Dragons on Mithgar, continues in his evil march to destroy the High King residing in Peltar. Ydral plots against all to bring the dreaded god Gyphon back to power, bringing a reign of terror with Ydral as Regent. The complex plot twists into a brilliant climax, rich in the history of McKiernan's series. It is a fitting ending to a favorite epic fantasy. (Violence.) (Mithgar series) KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Penguin Putnam, Roc, 534p., $6.99. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Lynn Rosser; Freelance Writer, Asheville, NC , September 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 5)

Library Journal

Born to an elven woman, the child known as Bair contains the blood of four races in his veins and bears a destiny that marks him as the Impossible Child fated to travel between the worlds and wield the Silver Sword. McKiernan's eighth, and possibly last, novel of Mithgar weaves together the past and present of a world where elves, humans, shapeshifters, and other creatures struggle to prevent the forces of darkness from overwhelming the land. In the tradition of Tolkien, the author blends lore and prophecy with vivid battle scenes and emotional drama to create a tale of high fantasy that should appeal to most fans of epic fiction. Recommended for fantasy collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal