Return of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz

Book Review

David Green

As the title for this excellent and engaging dwarvish tale would suggest, German author Markus Heitz is back with another entry in his ‘The Dwarves’ world, and the series is better than ever.

‘The Dwarves,’ a five-book series that came to an end back in 2018 with ‘The Triumph of the Dwarves,’ was a compelling, and often brutal, slice of adventurous epic fantasy told from the viewpoint of everyone’s favourite bearded fantasy culture. Becoming a huge smash-hit in the author’s native Germany, ‘The Dwarves’ marched around the globe, carving themselves out a sizable army of fans.

And now they’re back.

‘Return of the Dwarves’ – whilst being multi-POV – mainly follows the dwarf Goimron, a fourthling dwarf and the collector of rare artefacts. After finding a strange diary which suggests a deceased hero might actually still be alive, Goimron decides a quest is in order. And I’m glad he does, as ‘Return of the Dwarves’ is a wonderful example of classic epic fantasy told extremely well. The story is set many years after the previous books, so prior knowledge isn’t needed, and this book – the first in a planned sequence – is an excellent starting point if you’re new to the author or his world.

What’s great about this, though, is that the world of ‘Return of the Dwarves’ truly feels lived in and well-explored. There’s a rich history underpinning Goimron’s story, and, if this book appeals to you, there’s a whole other set of books to dip into. While the book has been translated for its English language release, so there’s always the question of specific dialogue nuance being lost in translation, the writing is vivid where it needs to be, to the point in other places, and descriptive when Heitz feels the need to pump the brakes and let the words linger.

‘Return of the Dwarves’ is an excellent entry into the world of ‘The Dwarves’, and I’m ready and looking forward to more.