Book Description
Finally, the story of the Great War of the Ban is told! Two young wanderers are given a small copper coin by a dying human, who tells them to deliver it "East to Agron" and "warn all," but dies before explaining who they are to deliver it to, and what they are to warn them of. Making matters worse, in order to deliver the message, the pair must pass through a war in the East between the Black Mage Modru and the alliance of free folk opposing him, and end up being drawn into events which threaten to overwhelm them, save for the coin which has much more significance than anyone could imagine!
Into the Forge FROM THE PUBLISHER
Finally, the story of the Great War of the Ban is told! Two young wanderers are given a small copper coin by a dying human, who tells them to deliver it "East to Agron" and "warn all," but dies before explaining who they are to deliver it to, and what they are to warn them of. Making matters worse, in order to deliver the message, the pair must pass through a war in the East between the Black Mage Modru and the alliance of free folk opposing him, and end up being drawn into events which threaten to overwhelm them, save for the coin which has much more significance than anyone could imagine!
FROM THE CRITICS
VOYA - Beth Karpas
The HSl's Crucible duology is set in the same Mithgar universe as McKiernan's Iron Tower trilogy, and is a direct prequel to that earlier work. It is the story of the Ban Wars told through the eyes of two Warrows (a race similar to Tolkien's hobbits), Tip and Beau. When a kingsman dies at Tip's doorstep, he vows to continue the man's mission to deliver a coin to a far away king. Beau accompanies his friend Tip. So begins the war and the pair's adventures in this exciting tale of ordinary people accidentally crawling (literally in some cases) into the role of heroes. While exciting, there is one significant flaw in the story's telling. Since the duology takes place in the middle of previously published Mithgar tales, the author has a tendency to retell that history. These retellings are more distracting than informative for a new reader. The author also uses this method to explain his philosophies. While "It's all connected, you know" becomes an important theme of the novels, the way in which Tip and Beau are introduced to the philosophy distracts from the rest of the story. The second novel has far fewer historical summaries and philosophical ramblings than the first, although the two books are so intertwined that a reader must read the first to truly appreciate the second. Characters who leave in the first novel return in the second without reintroduction, and a reader who had skipped book one would be very confused. This set is recommended for those libraries where other McKiernan books are popular. Others may wish to begin with individual books earlier in the Mithgar universe and test their readers' preferences that way. Note: This review was written and published to address two titles: Into the Forge and Into the Fire. VOYA Codes: 2Q 3P J S (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q, Will appeal with pushing, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
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