First let me say that I've always been a voratious reader. No, really. I am. I'd much rather read a book that watch most of the junk on tv.
So, what is this page all about, you might ask. I guess my goal and hope is to make it one bibliophile's perspective on her favorite authors out there.
One author that I have grown to appreciate over the years is Dennis L. McKiernan. He is a fantasy author who could be likened to a modern-day J.R.R. Tolkien. His characters interact on a planet known as Mithgar--patterned after Earth and inhabitated by Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Warrows among others. Over the years, the depth of his storytelling and his characters has grown and expanded.
But like most authors, his beginings were humble. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McKiernan during two Young Author's conferences in the late 1980's. At that time, he was residing in my hometown and his career as an author was picking up steam. Until I attended his workshop for young authors, I thought most writers were disorganized and wrote in a very free-flowing manner. Mr. McKiernan, however, was very methodical in his planning of new books. Looking back on this, I would have to say that this was perhaps due to his first career as an engineer over at Bell Labs.
But this planning and outlining has paid off. Like many authors, Mr. McKiernan tantalized his reader for more tales of Mithgar by dropping hints about past and future events. And over the years, he has helped fill in the details about these events until he "completed" his Mithgar saga. And like most authors, including C.S. Lewis and Anne McCaffery, the overall chronology of the saga does not quite mesh with the chronology of publication.
Mr. McKiernan recognized this early on--as early as the "Silver Call Duology". In the forward for the duology, he mentions that the "backstory" was so intriguing to him that he was compelled to flesh it out and his publisher decided to print it first. This backstory was "The Iron Tower Trilogy". In the grand scheme of things, the "Iron Tower Trilogy" is actually in the middle of the larger saga of Mithgar.
He also seems to know when it is time to take a break. A few years ago, he wrote a non-Mithgar book called "Cavern of Socrates". This book was truly a science fiction/fantasy blend. It combines the speculations concerning artificial intelligence (AI) and sentience with exploring the nature of reality (virtual and otherwise). There are two worlds that are explored: the high-tech world of today and the virtual reality world created for and by the main characters.
You may find yourself comparing McKiernan's AVERY and Arthur C. Clarke's HAL, but this is all part of the written and unwritten debate that permeates this book. And like his Mithgar books, the debate never really is closed, leaving one to wonder if he will start it up again in another book.
The Official Dennis McKiernan Web Site
Favorite McKiernan Books