Ring of Swords by Eleanor Arnasson [Orb/Tom Doherty Assoc, 1993 -- 364 pages]

It is the late 21st Century, and humanity is busy exploring the far reaches of space looking for habitable planets in the hope of escaping a polluted and overcrowded Earth. They are also looking for other intelligent life. They find the latter in the form of the fur-covered humanoid hwarhath. They seemed at first to be perfectly matched to humanity: aggressive, technologically advanced, and eager to go to war with the first thing they met.

Or so they seemed.

The Wolves of Time: Journeys to the Heartland by William Horwood [Harper Collins UK, 1995 -- 610 pages]

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies

"It is a dark time for the deer. A tyrannical new Lord of the Herd has ended the old way, the yearly play of antlers that ensure a change of leadership. At his command is a corps of young stags, antlers sharpened for the kill, whose mission is completely dominion over the animal world.

"But a prophecy among the deer promises a hero -- a fawn with the mark of an oak leaf on his forehead. His unique bond with all creatures, including humans, will bring a new age of freedom.

"Rannoch is born the night his father is murdered. His mother, Eloin, keeps him hidden from the deadly attention of the Lord of the Herd, but soon Rannoch is forced to flee, beginning a perilous, wonderous journey. Among the moutnins and haunted glens of the Great Land, the young stag encounters strange herds, makes unusual allies, and, at last, finds the knowledge and courage to face his extraordinary destiny.

"In this grand epic of old Scotland, with its echoes of myth, history, and Scripture, David Clement-Davies has created a classic hero tale, full of thrilling action and told with the resonance of legend."

As a writer and an avid reader, I naturally tend to be very critical of books that I read. Yet I also take into account other factors that attribute to a book's greatness. Many "great" books have scored 0 on my list. However, _Fire Bringer_ is an excellent tale that is woven together with history into a rapturing story that was difficult to put down. I stayed up many, many nights reading this book.

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies

Well, it's warmed over Watership down for sure. Actually, I was a little disappointed in this one. The author never could seem to decide which way he wanted to go: at one moment its an allegory for historical battles and the unification of Scotland, and the next its a much more traditional sentient animal story.