27. 1988. (Dec.) - Dragonlance - Michael Williams - Weasel's Luck (Dragonlance #12)

 

Series: Heroes Volume 3

The third volume in the Dragonlance Heroes series, this is one of the least heroic of the bunch. The titular Weasel is the youngest son of a modest aristocrat and is a thoroughly egotistical, opportunistic scoundrel. The book is, however, a kind of High Fantasy Bildungsroman with Weasel learning about life and what it means to be a hero.

Unfortunately, Weasel's transformation from anti-hero to hero does take place a bit too quickly towards the end and is not totally convincing, but I do understand why this happens. The truth is Weasel is a lot more fun to read about when he is just being a little shit, playing pranks on his brothers and playing both sides against each other in a supernatural good versus evil fight in order to survive. 

In the end it is a really enjoyable book, above average writing for the franchise with interesting characters and a plot which includes ghosts, revenge, knights, palatial intrigue, centaurs and satyrs. Definitely worth a read.

TL;DR: 7/10

23. 1988 (Aug.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Nancy Varian Berberick - Stormblade (Dragonlance #11)

Series: Heroes Volume 2

A part of the Heroes cycle, Stormblade is a perfectly good Dragonlance novel, but it seems to be stuck in the wrong place. The Heroes cycle usually follows the story of an important character in the universe, the first volume covering Huma, an almost mythical hero of the universe, and the volumes after this one doing a similar job of fleshing out great characters.

Stormblade is a more typical D&D novel of the style where you get a party together and give them a quest which they must achieve before the end of the book. In this case they have to retrieve a new kingsword which was stolen and which would give the wielder the power to be the new regent king of the Dwarves of Thorbardin. 

The story is fun, happening parallel to the "Dragons" trilogy, with some of the characters being not too original (the Kender here is just a copy of Tasslehoff, but older), still it fleshes out the universe nicely and it's a fun read. By the end it feels like there's a sequel being set up, but that was not to come, further cementing the idea that this is somewhat out of place in the Dragonlance novels.

TL; DR: 6/10

19. 1988 (Mar.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Richard A. Knaak - The Legend of Huma (Dragonlance #10)

Series: Heroes Volume 1

The first of the Dragonlance novels not to feature the characters from the Chronicles series, this goes into the backstory of the world and to a character that although was never actually present in the Chronicles is mentioned several times in them. 

Huma is a mythical figure in the Dragonlance universe as the first to have found the Dragonlances, magical weapons that could be used against dragons in a really effective way. He was also a hero to the Solamnic orders of Knights, a kind of folk hero and ideal knight blessed by the god Paladine and defeater of the dragonqueen Takhisis. The original chronicles were full of references to him and to a song based on his exploits, Strum Brightblade being a particular fan of him.

As a novel it is a competent bit of writing, Knaak is pretty good at this kind of stuff. It's of course no some kind of masterpiece but it is also thoroughly enjoyable, with some cool characters, particularly in Kaz the nice Minotaur and the dragon/cleric/love interest Gwyneth. It's ultimately a story of heroic sacrifice in the Dragonlance universe, and it does its job well. 

TL; DR: 7/10

16. 1987 (Nov). - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Eds.) - Love and War (Dragonlance #9)

Series: Dragonlance Tales Volume 3

The last volume of the Tales series continues with a variety of short stories, which are cool precisely because of their variety and not necessarily due to any great literary quality. Still these are fun tales to read which help flesh out the Dragonlance universe.

Unlike previous volumes there is no contribution by Margaret Weis or Tracy Hickman here, they serve only as editors, it doesn't suffer particularly from that, however. There are a couple of longish tales on Goldmoon and Riverwind, how they met and fell in love, tales about Huma and about a rumored daughter of Raistlin. These tales effectively flesh out the universe and feel cozy when you return to well loved characters, this doesn't mean that there is much original going on here, but that isn't really what you'd read these books for, is it? That's where this book, to me at least, becomes a bit better than the others in the series, it focuses on some stories about big characters and big events which you actually want to read about, more so than the previous volumes. 

TL;DR: 7/10 A nice read.

13. 1987 (Aug). - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (Eds.) - Kender, Gully Dwarves, and Gnomes (Dragonlance #8)

Series: Dragonlance Tales Volume 2

Another volume in the Dragonlance Tales series, much like the previous one, The Magic of Krynn, this is a collection of short stories with a pretty long one in the middle. They are by a variety of writers some better known than others, and some better writers than others. The timeline is also varied but it focuses on the main characters of the previous series. 

The longest tale is by the editors and writers of the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends, and it is the most substantial of the pieces not only in page-length but as a story. This has a lot to do with the format, seeing as the story is some three times the size of the others in the volume. The cool thing about this book is that it has a great variety of tales, from a Gnomish treatise on poetry to a tale seen from the point of view of an enchanted dagger. We get to know a bit more about the sons of Caramon who were introduced in the previous volume so there is some forward movement in terms of the Dragonlance timeline, which is cool. 

The downside of this volume, much as in most anthologies, is the fact that the writing is uneven, some tales are great, some not so great. Fortunately no real stinkers here, so it's a fun volume to dip into. 

TL;DR: 6/10 As in the previous in the series it's a fun read.

10. 1987 (Apr.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Various - The Magic of Krynn (Dragonlance #7)

Series: Dragonlance Tales Volume 1

At the end of the Legends trilogy, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman told us that this was it for those characters, and if anyone else wanted to pick it up they'd be welcome to. A few months later we get a new Dragonlance book and we learn that Weis and Hickman are liars. Not that I'm complaining.

Here we get a mix of short stories and one novella, near the end. Many of the stories return us to familiar characters like Tas, Laurana and Tanis but the real highlight here is the final novella by the creators of the Dragonlance series. 

It's no surprise that this is the most enjoyable story, Weis and Hickman know these characters inside-out, particularly seeing as it is a story based on Caramon and Raistlin. We see what happens some years after the events of the Legends series, and start seeing a new generation growing up to take the place of their parents. In this case we get Caramon's son, Palin, who follows in the footsteps of his uncle as a spellcaster. 

It's fun to dip back into the universe through these short stories, with the big pay off that is the novella at the end.

TL;DR: 6/10 A bit hit and miss, but a fun read.

8. 1986 (Aug.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Test of the Twins (Dragonlance #6)

Series: Dragonlance Legends Vol. 3

So we come to the end of the Legends series in Dragonlance. Actually it is more of a landmark than that, the plot-line concluded here is a direct continuation of the Chronicles, so it is easy to see this as a 6 book series, rather than a 3 book one. 

This is not to say that you can't read Legends if you didn't read Chronicles, you can, but it will not have the impact that the 6 books do. In fact it would be a much inferior experience, because the empathy and knowledge of the characters you create in the first trilogy enrich Legends a lot. You might actually be a bit lost with all the references to events and characters from the first books.

When it comes to this conclusion, though, it is a pretty satisfying one, neatly wrapping up a lot of plots while keeping the door open to future adventures. As the titles indicate, the story is mainly about the twins Caramon and Raistlin, with Tas and Crysania thrown in. In this last volume Crysania is pretty absent, except for the ending, but the story of the twins is engaging enough to keep you excited throughout. It's the tale of how Caramon becomes a complete person, and Raistlin manages to kind of redeem himself. It's about accepting one's self, and accepting death as part of the whole process. It ends up being a more profound, less "actiony" series than Chronicles, and probably better for it. 

I hadn't read the Legends series before, they don't have the nostalgic feeling I get from Chronicles, so these are probably, objectively, better than the first series. Raistlin is such an engaging, evil yet sympathetic character, that you really want to always see what he does next. Caramon, who was a dead weight for most of the time, has an arc through this trilogy that make his progress from drunk wreck to full balanced person believable. If you liked Chronicles there's really no reason to skip this, read it.

TL;DR: 8/10 Great ending to what really amounts to a 6 book series.

8. 1986 (Jun.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - War of the Twins (Dragonlance #5)

Series: Dragonlance Legends Vol. 2

On we go with the Legends series, this time the twins and Crysania travel to the future... well future in relation to the Cataclysm at the end of the first book of the series, but it's still the past in relation to what happened in Chronicles and their own original time. I think one of the interesting things they do with this series is precisely the exploration of important events in the world of Krynn through time travel, with familiar characters.

This is kind of a less interesting read than the first chapter, focused as it is almost exclusively on the 3 main characters, with Tas only coming in at the end. Raistlin continues to be one of the most interesting characters in the universe, being at the same time evil, a really evil at that, while being basically the hero and having some moments of humanity which are really quite touching. This is also a sign, however, that he is by far the most complex character in the series, Caramon isn't that developed, he's stopped being a drunk, and towards the end of this there seems to be real growth as he realizes what Raistlin actually is. However, this has seemed to happen before without much coming from it. 

Where we face problems is with the only female character here, Crysania. I don't know if she's just naive, but if she is that, she is it to the point of absolute stupidity. I know love makes people do silly things and look at their beloved through rose-tinted glasses, but this is really too much. Come on, Raistlin is literally wearing black robes, how she never seems to see through him, or to dismiss anything negative she finds about him, makes her kind of a weak character defined by "her man"... which is pretty bad when she's the only female character here. I hope the third volume will turn her character around, really. Also, again this is an all white novel, which is only to be expected, unfortunately. 

All this being said, I'm looking forward to the third volume, the story is compelling, and I want to see if they fix the problems present in this volume, also after a while you spend so much time with these characters that they become part of the family, which is cool.

TL;DR: 6/10 Not a bad read, but can really improve, looking forward to the third volume.

6. 1986 (Feb.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Time of the Twins (Dragonlance #4)

Series: Dragonlance Legends Vol. 1

We go on with the Dragonlance series, and this is quite a nifty start to a new trilogy. It starts a few years after the end of the Chronicles and we get to catch up with the characters from the previous books and we get to know what they have been doing in the interim, until we get started on the adventure proper.

The adventure proper focuses on three characters that we already know, Raistlin, Caramon and Tas, and there is quite a bit of character development for them happening here, particularly Caramon, who ends this book a transformed man. Actually Caramon starts this book transformed as well, as a disappointed man, who has gone fat and alcoholic making life hell for poor Tika. By the end of the novel, he is angry, determined and finally seems to stop being the puppet in Raistlin's hands that he has been for most of his life. 

Another character that is introduced here is Crysania, and while it is always good to have new female characters in these books, she seems a bit silly to be honest, she falls in love with Raistlin for no particularly believable reason, she seems to be obsessed with him above all else, and again we get a female character that is more defined by the man she loves than by herself. Which is kind of a lost opportunity, however there are still two books to fix this, so we'll see. Also this is a pretty white book, there is one character of colour who commits a self-less act of sacrifice, but really doesn't show up that much in the book. Oh well.

On the other hand this feels like a third of a story, it ends in a cliffhanger and everything, so we have to wait for the next chapters to see if it redeems itself. Nonetheless it is a fun read, and you get back to characters you already know, which makes it familiar while throwing them into a different time and place.

TL;DR: 7/10 Nice, but not without its problems 

5. 1985 (Oct.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Dragons of Spring Dawning (Dragonlance #3)

Series: Dragonlance Chronicles Vol. 3

So we come to the end of the Dragonclance Chronicles trilogy, I have to admit that I am reading this series with some rose-tinted glasses, as they have nostalgic value for me. I remember them being some of the first fantasy books I ever read, the first being Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. Frankly, when you are 12 years old, Dragonlance is an easier and more exciting read. Having read both Zelazny and this recently, and not being 12 anymore, it is easy to dismiss this as "easy-reading". And so it is, but that isn't necessarily bad. 

This third volume suffers slightly from the problems that plague the last book in a series, it is not as focused as the previous one, tries to tie up too many loose ends and at times feels a bit rushed. This is not helped by the fact that the heroes are kind of scattered all around the place, so there are something like 4 different story-lines going on at the same time. You would think that they would come together at the end, but not even that, although this is slightly frustrating, it does seem to be on purpose, in order to keep the series open for further stories. The finale with Raistlin is particularly intriguing and I sure want to know more about him (I know we will). 

So a competent third installment but probably the worse of the series, there is not the world-building of the first volume or the adventure of the second, it just takes a turn for the dark and leaves loads of questions. Again, these questions are part and parcel of what will be a vast universe of novels, that's how they make you buy the next volume.

TL;DR: 6/10 Competent, but the worst of the series.

3. 1985 (Jul.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Dragons of Winter Night (Dragonlance #2)

Series: Dragonlance Chronicles Vol. 2

This is quite a good sequel to the first book in the series, and it actually addresses some of the problems I pointed out in my review for Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Not in a completely satisfactory way but at least we have a secondary character which is not white, and is a good guy: the blacksmith who creates the dragonlances Theros. The part of the women here is also enhanced, Laurana comes into her own as a warrior and a leader of people and we finally get the very foreshadowed Kitiara who is very much in control of her situation. 

Kitiara is an interesting character and even if she is in the part of a villain she comes across as a woman who is sexually liberated, who get what she wants when she wants it, and who is the equal or superior to any man she meets. Her story will surely be more developed in the conclusion to this, but she is a three-dimensional female villain, which is actually a rare thing in any kind of fiction. She is working for the wrong side but it is hard to tell if she is truly evil, she comes across as self-serving but not unnecessarily cruel, and unlike most other female villains in fiction none of her evil comes from being too emotional or hysterical, and that is actually quite refreshing. That being said there was little of Kitiara in this volume, but it bodes well for the series as a whole.

In terms of the more general story, now that the characters have mostly been introduced in the first volume we can get down to brass-tacks and into the action, and this volume is packed with it, leading to a final confrontation with a real emotional punch when one of the leading characters bites it. In the long tradition of second installments in a trilogy, it ends in a downbeat, everyone is sad, things look bleak and the third volume will have to solve that, very much an Empire Strikes Back ending here. 

TL;DR: 8/10 Really Fun

2. 1984 (Nov.) - Dragonlance (D&D) - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance #1)

Series: Dragonlance Chronicles Vol. 1

And so we jump 5 years into the future into one of the most popular series of books in the history of RPG related fiction. The popularity of this book and its follow-ups is quite easy to understand. They are written in a clear and attractive style, managing to attract both young adults and adults (I first read them at about the age of 12), and they appear at a time when there was not much else in terms of popular high-fantasy fiction going on, with the exception of Tolkien and the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. This is an easier read than Tolkien and a better read than Brooks so... it's success is no surprise.

This is not to say that there are no issues with these books, and even though in my case they are  tainted with nostalgia, my older self can spot a lot of problems here. The first problem is related to diversity, there is no character here which isn't white, the majority of characters are either blond or red haired, and the excuse "oh but it's like medieval Europe, there were no black people there" doesn't fly. Not only is it untrue, there were indeed black and brown people in medieval Europe, but if you can have spells and dragons and gods walking among humans, you can also have people of a different color.  Well I'm not being fair here, Raistlin is golden-skinned, but that's due to a spell or curse, we'll find out later. Diversity problems also arise when we mention the female characters, yes there are 3 of them, Tika, Goldmoon and Laurana and they can defend themselves in a fight, but they are all connected, defined and protected by male characters (respectively Caramon, Riverwind and Tanis), they are not self-sufficient. There is a mention of a character which will appear later, Kitiara, who seems to be tough as nails, but is not in this book at all. All the characters are also straight as an arrow, of course.

That being said, and this is a problem that will appear in many other books in the following years, it is an enjoyable read, the heroes have well defined characters, more so than the villains who are a bit one-dimensional with the exception of Matafleur, and if you can turn off all the diversity problems which our 21st century brains are attuned to you will have a great time reading this. It's not a masterpiece but it's a rollicking adventure in high-fantasy style, and quite original in itself, unlike the Shannara books it's not openly stealing from Tolkien, although there are songs and meetings and a party of heroes in it of course. There are a few moments you can almost hear the dice rolling, but it's fun and that keeps an element of surprise in the story. It ends leaving itself open to the inevitable sequel, which is the next book on this list!

Tl;DR: 7/10 Marred by problems of lack of diversity which were common at the time, it's a fun adventure story for all ages.