Kingdom of the Dwarfs (1980) does for dwarves was Gnomes did for, well gnomes. It’s written by Robb Walsh, who I can’t find much about but who shares his name with a food writer (I kinda hope it is the same guy, honestly). David Wenzel’s done a bunch of stuff, probably most prominently a gorgeous graphic novel adaptation of The Hobbit in the 1989.
The text is basically a novella recounting the discovery of an ancient dwarf city called Aegol, the effort by archaeologists to uncover it and the piecing together of the history of the dwarfs using the artifacts and records found within. That frame supports the presentation of all facets of the dwarf culture, from lifestyle to metallurgy and so on, but also leaves room for a chronicle of the last king of the dwarfs in a fashion that kind of reminds me of a Norse epic. The dwarfs raised Stonehenge, incidentally, and had commerce with humans, but declined under the spread of Christianity. The kingdom eventually collapsed during a plague, with a few stragglers sailing west into history. It’s a bit sad, really, especially the tale of the prince and princess who preside over the end, attempt to relocate the kingdom, tend the ill when plague breaks out and eventually succumb to it.
Wenzel’s color art is rich and colorful, though, and often quite cozy. The black and whites remind me a bit of an earlier era, perhaps of Prince Valiant, similar to the feelings evoked by Gary Gianni’s work. Knowing his Hobbit work, though, and how lush and wonderful his views of the countryside are there, I find the interiors and subterranean spaces a bit confining. And 140+ pages of little bearded guys does get a little repetitive by the end.
