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Dragonlance: The Lost Chronicles #1
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
The Companions are back!
In an untold story from the War of the Lance, the companions have saved the refugees of Pax Tharkas and led them to a hidden valley. For a time, they are safe, but the forces of the Dragon Army are in pursuit.
As Tanis and Flint seek out a haven in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, the rest of the companions face their own challenges. Raistlin is strangely drawn to the haunted fortress known as Skullcap. Sturm seeks the legendary Hammer of Kharas, the forging tool of the fabled dragonlances, while Tika Waylan must make a perilous journey to rescue those she loves from certain death.
In an untold story from the War of the Lance, the companions have saved the refugees of Pax Tharkas and led them to a hidden valley. For a time, they are safe, but the forces of the Dragon Army are in pursuit.
As Tanis and Flint seek out a haven in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, the rest of the companions face their own challenges. Raistlin is strangely drawn to the haunted fortress known as Skullcap. Sturm seeks the legendary Hammer of Kharas, the forging tool of the fabled dragonlances, while Tika Waylan must make a perilous journey to rescue those she loves from certain death.
594 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Margaret Weis
606 books5,378 followersFantasy novelist who, along with Tracy Hickman, was one of the original creators of the Dragonlance game world. I've written numerous novels and short stories set in the world of Krynn, as well as series in other, original worlds. These include: Darksword, Rose of the Prophet, Star of the Guardians, DeathGate, Dragonvarld, Sovereign Stone, Dragonships, and the Dragon Brigade. I also wrote two paranormal romance novels, Fallen Angel and Warrior Angel, with my daughter, Elizabeth Baldwin. I graduated from the University of Missouri–Columbia and now live in Wisconsin with dogs, Max, Dixie, Joey the Thug and Clancy the Hooligan.
I am currently working on the third book in the Dragon Brigade series, the Seventh Sigil. The first book is Shadow Raiders. The second book is Storm Riders, coming out from Tor in July 2013.
My hobby is flyball racing with my dogs, Dixie, a border collie, and two crackhead Shelties, Joey the Thug and Clancy the Hooligan.
I am the owner of the company, Margaret Weis Productions, publisher of RPGs. Our newest project is creating the RPG for the wonderful TV series, Firefly. Shiny!
I am currently working on the third book in the Dragon Brigade series, the Seventh Sigil. The first book is Shadow Raiders. The second book is Storm Riders, coming out from Tor in July 2013.
My hobby is flyball racing with my dogs, Dixie, a border collie, and two crackhead Shelties, Joey the Thug and Clancy the Hooligan.
I am the owner of the company, Margaret Weis Productions, publisher of RPGs. Our newest project is creating the RPG for the wonderful TV series, Firefly. Shiny!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
June 22, 2018
Once in a while you come across a world that pulls you in and never lets you go. Dragonlance was just such a place for me. A world where I could immerse myself and never get tired of the places and the people that I found there.
I know that many would put this series in the world of guilty pleasure or something similar, but for me this was a series that made me fall in love with reading. Characters that I wanted to know more about and that I fell in love with, places that I wanted to visit and explore, and adventures that made me laugh and cry.
When I found that they were going back and writing things that had been left out of the original books I couldn't have been happier. I loved the Companions and their stories more than anything else from the Dragonlance books.
I was worried at first that I wouldn't get the joy from this as I did from the original series, as time does so much to dull the things we loved when we were younger. However, this book totally delivered in every way that mattered, and I am glad to see that the characters that I loved and eventually lost were back to remind me why I had cared about them so much.
A worthy addition to a series that I will always love, and I look forward to the rest of the stories in this set.
Favorite quotes/passages
"Love gives us a power to hurt that hate cannot match," Laurana said softly.
"I never understood before how anyone could knowingly worship an evil god. Now I do," she said to Elistan. "If you were a cleric of Takhisis, you would promise these people everything they ever wanted. Your promises would come at a terrible price and they would not be kept, but that wouldn't matter. People refuse to take responsibility for their own lives. They want someone to tell them what to do, and they want someone to blame when it all goes wrong."
"We walk a land of death. The living do not belong here," Raistlin said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We cast no shadows. We leave no marks."
I know that many would put this series in the world of guilty pleasure or something similar, but for me this was a series that made me fall in love with reading. Characters that I wanted to know more about and that I fell in love with, places that I wanted to visit and explore, and adventures that made me laugh and cry.
When I found that they were going back and writing things that had been left out of the original books I couldn't have been happier. I loved the Companions and their stories more than anything else from the Dragonlance books.
I was worried at first that I wouldn't get the joy from this as I did from the original series, as time does so much to dull the things we loved when we were younger. However, this book totally delivered in every way that mattered, and I am glad to see that the characters that I loved and eventually lost were back to remind me why I had cared about them so much.
A worthy addition to a series that I will always love, and I look forward to the rest of the stories in this set.
Favorite quotes/passages
"Love gives us a power to hurt that hate cannot match," Laurana said softly.
"I never understood before how anyone could knowingly worship an evil god. Now I do," she said to Elistan. "If you were a cleric of Takhisis, you would promise these people everything they ever wanted. Your promises would come at a terrible price and they would not be kept, but that wouldn't matter. People refuse to take responsibility for their own lives. They want someone to tell them what to do, and they want someone to blame when it all goes wrong."
"We walk a land of death. The living do not belong here," Raistlin said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We cast no shadows. We leave no marks."
March 19, 2021
This book is part of the Dragonlance universe and takes place between book one and book two of the "holy six" books. At the end of the first book the slaves are freed and on the run. At the beginning of the second book we learn that these slaves have been taken in and reside in the dwarf kingdom of Thorbardin. This book tells the story of how that happened.
Even though this book takes place right after the first book I still recommend reading the first six books and backtracking back to this book. I think you can read this book right after the first book. There are a couple of scenes that have call backs to all of the first six books and without reading those the reader will be left wondering about these scenes. As for the story itself I loved it. I get to spend more time with the original companions and I am here for that. How can I not be with Tas being Tas or seeing the interaction in this group of diverse characters? This is a strong book for the character Flint as he gets to go back to Thorbardin which is a place that he has been locked out of for his whole life. The pace is a little slow as this book concentrates on the Dwarven society and the search for an item that could help the side of good in the war. We didn't get any real action until the end which was a great battle.
In my opinion nothing is going to capture the enjoyment of this first six books. This does come close as we once again share an adventure with the companions that I cannot get enough of. This is more of a localized adventure as we don't travel from place to place. The authors did a terrific job of fitting this adventure in within the original adventures and I look forward to the next one in this series.
Even though this book takes place right after the first book I still recommend reading the first six books and backtracking back to this book. I think you can read this book right after the first book. There are a couple of scenes that have call backs to all of the first six books and without reading those the reader will be left wondering about these scenes. As for the story itself I loved it. I get to spend more time with the original companions and I am here for that. How can I not be with Tas being Tas or seeing the interaction in this group of diverse characters? This is a strong book for the character Flint as he gets to go back to Thorbardin which is a place that he has been locked out of for his whole life. The pace is a little slow as this book concentrates on the Dwarven society and the search for an item that could help the side of good in the war. We didn't get any real action until the end which was a great battle.
In my opinion nothing is going to capture the enjoyment of this first six books. This does come close as we once again share an adventure with the companions that I cannot get enough of. This is more of a localized adventure as we don't travel from place to place. The authors did a terrific job of fitting this adventure in within the original adventures and I look forward to the next one in this series.
October 1, 2021
3.5 stars.
So far this is the lowest rating I have given a Dragonlance book. I felt like this book wasn't as strong as the others, and if I'm honest could have been made shorter. We are back with characters who in this particular time in the story (this book takes place between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night) haven't had that growth that I have already experienced in the other books, which made reading their scenes less enjoyable.
Mind you it was great to see old favourites again and spend time with them.
So far this is the lowest rating I have given a Dragonlance book. I felt like this book wasn't as strong as the others, and if I'm honest could have been made shorter. We are back with characters who in this particular time in the story (this book takes place between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night) haven't had that growth that I have already experienced in the other books, which made reading their scenes less enjoyable.
Mind you it was great to see old favourites again and spend time with them.
March 28, 2023
Reread 2023:
If you know me at all then you know Dragonlance is my all time favourite book series.
This is only the second time I have read this newish addition to the series and I like it even more than last time. It really is a very much needed addition to the series.
This time around my partner and I are integrating these in chronologically with the story. The first time we just threw them in where we "thought" they went lol.
Original Review 2019:
I love the addition of the 3 Lost Chronicles books to the Dragonlance series.
It was always a bit vague what happened in Skullcap and the Dwarven kingdom, between book 1 and 2 of Chronicles.
This book takes us on the adventures to both those places as well as some additional character development and of course some giggles.
If you know me at all then you know Dragonlance is my all time favourite book series.
This is only the second time I have read this newish addition to the series and I like it even more than last time. It really is a very much needed addition to the series.
This time around my partner and I are integrating these in chronologically with the story. The first time we just threw them in where we "thought" they went lol.
Original Review 2019:
I love the addition of the 3 Lost Chronicles books to the Dragonlance series.
It was always a bit vague what happened in Skullcap and the Dwarven kingdom, between book 1 and 2 of Chronicles.
This book takes us on the adventures to both those places as well as some additional character development and of course some giggles.
February 5, 2021
*Spoilers and Sensitive Topics*
This book was written much later, timeline wise, and takes place between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night. I recommend reading the original trilogy first, then picking this up after, as it would spoil big surprises from Chronicles.
This book tells the story of the quest to find the Hammer of Kharas and how the refugees of Pax Tharkas came to Thorbardin, the home of the mountain dwarves.
The gangs still together, and everyone is safe from death. No one is safe from brutality though. Riverwind and Gilthanas get tortured at one point, but they brush it off like it wasn't even a thing. They are totally fine. Really. Story wise, did it need to be told? Maybe? I'm glad it did, because I love the gang. I love world building. For myself, it's always fun to fill in the missing pieces.
The main villain's plot is clever. The side characters are not as memorable. There's Nighthawk. Or was that Nightwing? The other guy. Then the Dwarven tribes. The Hylar? Hornfel? The Daergar. The Theiwar. The three that I already forgot. Then the dragons. The bronze one. The gold one...Evenstar? Eveningstar? See? That's the element missing from the original trilogy. I complain about this a lot in my reviews, but they were mere caricatures. They are hardly characters and instantly forgettable.
All the minor nitpicking aside, still a fun read. Except for one major sticking point.
*Sensitive Topics*
If you include attempted sexual assault in your book, at least have the decency to explore the ramifications and impact of said assault on a characters life. Make it a meaningful part of the story. It shouldn't be used as a minor plot point, then dropped like it nothing. A big shame on you for this one. What I don't understand is, why even include it? Dragonlance is violent fantasy. Violence in and of itself wasn't enough?
Can't even blame this on the time period. This is not the problematic fantasy of the eighties. This was written in 2006. Margaret and Tracy should know better.
This book was written much later, timeline wise, and takes place between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night. I recommend reading the original trilogy first, then picking this up after, as it would spoil big surprises from Chronicles.
This book tells the story of the quest to find the Hammer of Kharas and how the refugees of Pax Tharkas came to Thorbardin, the home of the mountain dwarves.
The gangs still together, and everyone is safe from death. No one is safe from brutality though. Riverwind and Gilthanas get tortured at one point, but they brush it off like it wasn't even a thing. They are totally fine. Really. Story wise, did it need to be told? Maybe? I'm glad it did, because I love the gang. I love world building. For myself, it's always fun to fill in the missing pieces.
The main villain's plot is clever. The side characters are not as memorable. There's Nighthawk. Or was that Nightwing? The other guy. Then the Dwarven tribes. The Hylar? Hornfel? The Daergar. The Theiwar. The three that I already forgot. Then the dragons. The bronze one. The gold one...Evenstar? Eveningstar? See? That's the element missing from the original trilogy. I complain about this a lot in my reviews, but they were mere caricatures. They are hardly characters and instantly forgettable.
All the minor nitpicking aside, still a fun read. Except for one major sticking point.
*Sensitive Topics*
If you include attempted sexual assault in your book, at least have the decency to explore the ramifications and impact of said assault on a characters life. Make it a meaningful part of the story. It shouldn't be used as a minor plot point, then dropped like it nothing. A big shame on you for this one. What I don't understand is, why even include it? Dragonlance is violent fantasy. Violence in and of itself wasn't enough?
Can't even blame this on the time period. This is not the problematic fantasy of the eighties. This was written in 2006. Margaret and Tracy should know better.
October 2, 2013
Via Book Reviews by Niki Hawkes at www.nikihawkes.com
Even though the Lost Chronicles are the latest in publication, they actually fall in the middle of the Dragonlance saga chronologically. It is an expansion of some events that happened that didn’t quite make it into the original series. Happy to have anything new from these authors, I was thrilled when it was released, and found it to be an incredibly nostalgic read.
I don’t think the original manuscript was a full trilogy, and so the authors had to add quite a bit of additional scenes to create a more sustainable storyline. This might be the main reason why certain elements were a bit repetitive. The perspective jumps around between about a dozen characters, and unfortunately that means we get the thoughts on certain events and behaviors several times over as we go through each character’s mental assessments. There was also quite a bit of series recap, but that didn’t bother me much – it’s been ages since I read the original story.
The characters are what make this saga so enjoyable, and I must say my favorite in this book was Tasslehoff – he is so delightfully irritating and cheerful that I have to give kudos to the authors for creating such a memorable character (one of many).
Overall, it was a fun addition totally entertaining the whole way through. I highly recommend it for fans of the series.
by Niki Hawkes
Other books you might like:
“Dragon Wing” by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
“Homeland” by R.A. Salvatore (Specifically the Icewind Dale Trilogy)
“Magician: Apprentice” by Raymond E. Feist
“The Sword of Shannara” by Terry Brooks
“Pawn of Prophecy” by David Eddings
Even though the Lost Chronicles are the latest in publication, they actually fall in the middle of the Dragonlance saga chronologically. It is an expansion of some events that happened that didn’t quite make it into the original series. Happy to have anything new from these authors, I was thrilled when it was released, and found it to be an incredibly nostalgic read.
I don’t think the original manuscript was a full trilogy, and so the authors had to add quite a bit of additional scenes to create a more sustainable storyline. This might be the main reason why certain elements were a bit repetitive. The perspective jumps around between about a dozen characters, and unfortunately that means we get the thoughts on certain events and behaviors several times over as we go through each character’s mental assessments. There was also quite a bit of series recap, but that didn’t bother me much – it’s been ages since I read the original story.
The characters are what make this saga so enjoyable, and I must say my favorite in this book was Tasslehoff – he is so delightfully irritating and cheerful that I have to give kudos to the authors for creating such a memorable character (one of many).
Overall, it was a fun addition totally entertaining the whole way through. I highly recommend it for fans of the series.
by Niki Hawkes
Other books you might like:
“Dragon Wing” by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
“Homeland” by R.A. Salvatore (Specifically the Icewind Dale Trilogy)
“Magician: Apprentice” by Raymond E. Feist
“The Sword of Shannara” by Terry Brooks
“Pawn of Prophecy” by David Eddings
January 10, 2017
The thing I'm most impressed by is Hickman and Weis's ability to draw me into a story whose ending I already know. This book takes place between books one and two of the Chronicles, and I've read the Chronicles and the Legends, so I have the full picture in mind. Somehow, though, I cared what happened in this book and how it happened. The original authors make their world come to life like nobody else, but it's also being reunited with all the Companions that I loved.
I found a website that claims that Hickman and Weis directed their readers to read this trilogy after Chronicles and Legends, but you could also read it between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night. There are some inside jokes, little winks and nods, that readers who got through the other trilogies first will pick up on, but it's not necessary to read them first to understand this book.
Another website pointed out that this book is concerned with illusion, and that's a major theme: things and people aren't what they seem. Another major theme, though, is hope, symbolized by a chicken feather. Chickens can't fly, but their feathers can float.
I recommend this book, just as I've recommended all the other DL books I've read. I've never read one I didn't like, and I'm excited to read more.
I found a website that claims that Hickman and Weis directed their readers to read this trilogy after Chronicles and Legends, but you could also read it between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night. There are some inside jokes, little winks and nods, that readers who got through the other trilogies first will pick up on, but it's not necessary to read them first to understand this book.
Another website pointed out that this book is concerned with illusion, and that's a major theme: things and people aren't what they seem. Another major theme, though, is hope, symbolized by a chicken feather. Chickens can't fly, but their feathers can float.
I recommend this book, just as I've recommended all the other DL books I've read. I've never read one I didn't like, and I'm excited to read more.
December 25, 2019
It's been a long time since I read a DragonLance novel so I really enjoyed reading this one yesterday, on Christmas Eve. Seeing what the characters were up to was like visiting old friends. And the story did not disappoint either. All of the characters I loved were here having another adventure with lots of action, danger and magic. And Tas was funny. It's truly amazing how the authors could weave a new story in between the books set in the Chronicles. That's very clever. This is a really fat book and I just devoured it yesterday. Couldn't put it down.
And in the second half of the book I enjoyed visiting Thorbardin. Since the dwarf kingdom had been closed for 300 years I admit I had expected something much darker down there than what was but that's ok..it was a great adventure deep underground and we found out how they got the Hammer they needed to forge new DragonLance.
I'm looky forward now to read the second book in this trilogy. Unfortunately I don't have the second one at the moment or I'll start reading it now so I'll have to wait to get it. What a bummer!
If you love the original Chronicles you'll probably love this one too.
And in the second half of the book I enjoyed visiting Thorbardin. Since the dwarf kingdom had been closed for 300 years I admit I had expected something much darker down there than what was but that's ok..it was a great adventure deep underground and we found out how they got the Hammer they needed to forge new DragonLance.
I'm looky forward now to read the second book in this trilogy. Unfortunately I don't have the second one at the moment or I'll start reading it now so I'll have to wait to get it. What a bummer!
If you love the original Chronicles you'll probably love this one too.
January 3, 2012
I'm so glad that the passage of the time did not diminish my enjoyment of this book. If anything, it was really really nostalgic and a very satisfying read.
All of the Companions are back again - it's like going back in time and remembering the time I was reading the Chronicles again. You find yourself falling in love with all the wonderful characters again.
The story tells of the events after their escape from Pax Tharkas at the end of book 1 of the Chronicles. It tells the story of how the refugees set out to seek refuge in Thorbardin, as well as the companions' adventures inside the dwarven kingdom.
Knowing what was to come in Chronicles book 2 (still the one book that evoke the strongest emotions from me) and 3, it was both endearing and sad to find out what happened in between.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoyed that wonderful trilogy written so many years ago.
All of the Companions are back again - it's like going back in time and remembering the time I was reading the Chronicles again. You find yourself falling in love with all the wonderful characters again.
The story tells of the events after their escape from Pax Tharkas at the end of book 1 of the Chronicles. It tells the story of how the refugees set out to seek refuge in Thorbardin, as well as the companions' adventures inside the dwarven kingdom.
Knowing what was to come in Chronicles book 2 (still the one book that evoke the strongest emotions from me) and 3, it was both endearing and sad to find out what happened in between.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoyed that wonderful trilogy written so many years ago.
August 5, 2020
A estas alturas yo debería estar releyéndome la segunda trilogía de los Cuentos de la Dragonlance, pero no me he podido resistir y he empezado con esta trilogía de Las Crónicas Perdidas que, para mi eterna vergüenza como Dragonlance fan, ni siquiera sabía que existía hasta hace algunos meses, durante el confinamiento, cuando me dio por reexplorar esta querida franquicia de mi adolescencia. Las Crónicas Perdidas es una trilogía relativamente reciente - año 2006 - si la comparamos con la primera trilogía original, Las Crónicas de la Dragonlance (1984) que se completan la una a la otra. Los que han leído las Crónicas recordarán que tras terminar el primer volumen - El Retorno de los Dragones - en el segundo, La Tumba de Huma, los autores hicieron un salto temporal omitiendo una parte de la historia - por falta de tiempo y de creatividad, ellos mismos admitieron en su momento - en que el grupo protagonista recuperaba una sagrada reliquia de la nación enana de Thorbardin, El Mazo de Kharas, a cambio de dar protección y alojamiento a los refugiados expulsados de Solace y esclavizados por el Señor del Dragón Lord Verminaard. Bueno, pues, precisamente, de esto va el primer volumen de Las Crónicas Perdidas, escritas nada menos que 20 años después, para completar éste y otros huecos de la trama original.
He de decir que por una parte estaba emocionada de encontrar que se había escrito esta trilogía para completar la original, y por otra, estaba escéptica al respecto. Porque escribir décadas después para completar algo que ya tenías hecho suele dar como resultado un agravio comparativo con la obra original; parece poco probable que se haga algo mejor tanto tiempo después; y a menos que vayas con los pies de plomo, releas MUY BIEN tu obra original y tengas un pedazo de editor, es muy fácil caer en contradicciones e incongruencias en la trama.
Pues bien, ¡de eso nada! ¡Este libro es genial! No sólo los autores han recuperado el espíritu original de las Crónicas, sino que además - a riesgo de ser quemada por hereje en la hoguera del fandom - lo han mejorado, ¡y cómo! Por otra parte es lógico, porque se supone que un escritor mejora con el tiempo si pone cariño a lo que hace, y no olvidemos que Weis y Hickman son también los autores de esa maravillosa serie llamada El Ciclo de la Puerta de la Muerte, que está totalmente a otro nivel. Toda esa experiencia de años se ha invertido ahora y se nota.
¿Cómo se nota? El ritmo de la trama, por ejemplo. Las Crónicas, especialmente el primer volumen, tenía un ritmo muy estresante- era como subirse al Dragón Khan con el arnés mal puesto - mientras que El Mazo de Kharas tiene un ritmo sensato y constante, dosificando la acción y los diálogos de forma equilibrada, fluida y coherente. Segundo: está mucho mejor escrito que la trilogía original, tanto en lo que es la prosa como en la ambientación. Se toman más tiempo en describir los entornos y el lore sin volverse por ello tediosos, pesados, o demasiado precipitados como ocurría a veces en la trilogía original. Eso sí, los poemas de Michael Williams siguen siendo horribles - o tal vez es la traducción lo que es horrible, le daré el beneficio de la duda -; parece que ese tema está de Dios.
Y por fin me detengo en lo que siempre ha sido, para mí, lo mejor de Dragonlance y la razón por la que me encanta: la caracterización de los personajes. Siempre ha sido maravillosa, y en este volumen se sale. Los compañeros protagonistas, muy dispares en sus orígenes, habilidades y personalidad, siempre me han fascinado por parece absolutamente humanos y reales, creíbles aunque muchos de ellos no son "humanos" propiamente dichos o tienen habilidades sobrenaturales, claro está. Se supone que son amigos de la infancia y aliados por voluntad propia en un mundo en guerra, pero en realidad malfuncionan como una especie de familia totalmente disfuncional, si se me permite la redundancia. El enano malcarado y gruñón se mete con todos y les riñe a todos como un abuelo cascarrabias, los demás lo manejan haciéndole creer que sus decisiones importan y su intervención les es imprescindible, el caballero no para de cortarles el rollo a todos con sus ideales de honor y justicia, sermoneándoles sobre lo que es justo y bueno y cooperando más bien poco cuando se trata de tomar decisiones moralmente cuestionables, el mago se mete con todo el mundo y todo el mundo se mete con el mago, que se revuelve como una serpiente porque claro, es consciente de que sin él no llegarían vivos ni a la esquina, y a falta de culpable real sus colmillos siempre acaban clavados en su pobre gemelo - un pedazo de pan bendito ejemplo del más trágico síndrome de Estocolmo -; los bárbaros desconfían de todos pero no les queda más remedio que entenderse con ellos, el kender es, si cabe, el elemento más caótico del grupo, cuya carga y responsabilidad se van pasando el uno al otro como si realmente se lo pudiese controlar de alguna manera, todos ellos, liderados por un semielfo con remordimientos de conciencia porque es un ateo descreído que ni siquiera puede aclararse si se siente elfo, se siente humano, se siente todo o no se siente nada, y no es capaz de elegir si está enamorado de la chica elfa y de la chica humana y ya bastante faena tiene con hacer de niñera de este grupo sociópata. En fin. Una delicia para los sentidos.
Ya expertos en manejar semejante panda de inadaptados, Weis y Hickman hace que te tronches con las interacciones entre ellos. En las Crónicas no tenía aún mucha gracia - especialmente si no te habías acostumbrado al carácter de Raistlin, al que hay que tragando a pocos como una medicina amarga - pero aquí, ¡te lo pasas teta! El caballero pinchando al mago, el mago metiéndose con el caballero, los dos metiéndose con el enano, el enano metiéndose con todos, el kender en medio liándola... parece increíble que esta gente salvara al mundo, ¿no? ¡Pues lo hizo! Y, a pesar de que se llevan a matar, sin uno solo de ellos no hubiera sido posible. Ahí la grandeza de la historia.
No me quiero enrollar mucho más. En este volumen los autores aprovechan para corregir otros defectos que tenía su narrativa original, como es dedicarle más atención a Riverwind, que hace un papel fantástico como líder de los refugiados - a costa de ensombrecer a Goldmoon y por tanto, obtener el resultado inverso a la trilogía original - y también, dedicarle un poco más de atención a la pobre Tika - la más humana y quizá más creíble de todos, aunque por desgracia queda olvidada, como Goldmoon, a mitad de libro - y sobre todo, prestarle mucha más atención a Flint Fireforge, el enano, que es realmente el protagonista del libro, y que se ve enfrentado a un dilema moral: recuperar la reliquia sagrada de los enanos, el Mazo de Kharas, y escamoteársela a su propio pueblo para llevarla a los Caballeros de Solamnia y que por tanto, sea empleada como artefacto para solucionar la guerra y dar una oportunidad al mundo en peligro de destrucción; o devolvérsela de buena gana a la nación enana y arriesgarse a que se pierda para la causa.
5 estrellas. Estupendo. Genial. No aburre ni un solo momento, no hay parte que se haga tediosa, larga o innecesaria, los personajes son genuinamente ellos mismos, la trama está mejor escrita y el estilo muy mejorado. En resumen: parece que el tiempo no haya pasado en absoluto, o mejor dicho, ha pasado, pero para bien. Recomendadísimo para los fans de Dragonlance y especialmente para los que ya están familiarizados con las Crónicas. No se arrepentirán.
Jo, tengo que acortar estas reviews. Vaya rollo he soltado.
He de decir que por una parte estaba emocionada de encontrar que se había escrito esta trilogía para completar la original, y por otra, estaba escéptica al respecto. Porque escribir décadas después para completar algo que ya tenías hecho suele dar como resultado un agravio comparativo con la obra original; parece poco probable que se haga algo mejor tanto tiempo después; y a menos que vayas con los pies de plomo, releas MUY BIEN tu obra original y tengas un pedazo de editor, es muy fácil caer en contradicciones e incongruencias en la trama.
Pues bien, ¡de eso nada! ¡Este libro es genial! No sólo los autores han recuperado el espíritu original de las Crónicas, sino que además - a riesgo de ser quemada por hereje en la hoguera del fandom - lo han mejorado, ¡y cómo! Por otra parte es lógico, porque se supone que un escritor mejora con el tiempo si pone cariño a lo que hace, y no olvidemos que Weis y Hickman son también los autores de esa maravillosa serie llamada El Ciclo de la Puerta de la Muerte, que está totalmente a otro nivel. Toda esa experiencia de años se ha invertido ahora y se nota.
¿Cómo se nota? El ritmo de la trama, por ejemplo. Las Crónicas, especialmente el primer volumen, tenía un ritmo muy estresante- era como subirse al Dragón Khan con el arnés mal puesto - mientras que El Mazo de Kharas tiene un ritmo sensato y constante, dosificando la acción y los diálogos de forma equilibrada, fluida y coherente. Segundo: está mucho mejor escrito que la trilogía original, tanto en lo que es la prosa como en la ambientación. Se toman más tiempo en describir los entornos y el lore sin volverse por ello tediosos, pesados, o demasiado precipitados como ocurría a veces en la trilogía original. Eso sí, los poemas de Michael Williams siguen siendo horribles - o tal vez es la traducción lo que es horrible, le daré el beneficio de la duda -; parece que ese tema está de Dios.
Y por fin me detengo en lo que siempre ha sido, para mí, lo mejor de Dragonlance y la razón por la que me encanta: la caracterización de los personajes. Siempre ha sido maravillosa, y en este volumen se sale. Los compañeros protagonistas, muy dispares en sus orígenes, habilidades y personalidad, siempre me han fascinado por parece absolutamente humanos y reales, creíbles aunque muchos de ellos no son "humanos" propiamente dichos o tienen habilidades sobrenaturales, claro está. Se supone que son amigos de la infancia y aliados por voluntad propia en un mundo en guerra, pero en realidad malfuncionan como una especie de familia totalmente disfuncional, si se me permite la redundancia. El enano malcarado y gruñón se mete con todos y les riñe a todos como un abuelo cascarrabias, los demás lo manejan haciéndole creer que sus decisiones importan y su intervención les es imprescindible, el caballero no para de cortarles el rollo a todos con sus ideales de honor y justicia, sermoneándoles sobre lo que es justo y bueno y cooperando más bien poco cuando se trata de tomar decisiones moralmente cuestionables, el mago se mete con todo el mundo y todo el mundo se mete con el mago, que se revuelve como una serpiente porque claro, es consciente de que sin él no llegarían vivos ni a la esquina, y a falta de culpable real sus colmillos siempre acaban clavados en su pobre gemelo - un pedazo de pan bendito ejemplo del más trágico síndrome de Estocolmo -; los bárbaros desconfían de todos pero no les queda más remedio que entenderse con ellos, el kender es, si cabe, el elemento más caótico del grupo, cuya carga y responsabilidad se van pasando el uno al otro como si realmente se lo pudiese controlar de alguna manera, todos ellos, liderados por un semielfo con remordimientos de conciencia porque es un ateo descreído que ni siquiera puede aclararse si se siente elfo, se siente humano, se siente todo o no se siente nada, y no es capaz de elegir si está enamorado de la chica elfa y de la chica humana y ya bastante faena tiene con hacer de niñera de este grupo sociópata. En fin. Una delicia para los sentidos.
Ya expertos en manejar semejante panda de inadaptados, Weis y Hickman hace que te tronches con las interacciones entre ellos. En las Crónicas no tenía aún mucha gracia - especialmente si no te habías acostumbrado al carácter de Raistlin, al que hay que tragando a pocos como una medicina amarga - pero aquí, ¡te lo pasas teta! El caballero pinchando al mago, el mago metiéndose con el caballero, los dos metiéndose con el enano, el enano metiéndose con todos, el kender en medio liándola... parece increíble que esta gente salvara al mundo, ¿no? ¡Pues lo hizo! Y, a pesar de que se llevan a matar, sin uno solo de ellos no hubiera sido posible. Ahí la grandeza de la historia.
No me quiero enrollar mucho más. En este volumen los autores aprovechan para corregir otros defectos que tenía su narrativa original, como es dedicarle más atención a Riverwind, que hace un papel fantástico como líder de los refugiados - a costa de ensombrecer a Goldmoon y por tanto, obtener el resultado inverso a la trilogía original - y también, dedicarle un poco más de atención a la pobre Tika - la más humana y quizá más creíble de todos, aunque por desgracia queda olvidada, como Goldmoon, a mitad de libro - y sobre todo, prestarle mucha más atención a Flint Fireforge, el enano, que es realmente el protagonista del libro, y que se ve enfrentado a un dilema moral: recuperar la reliquia sagrada de los enanos, el Mazo de Kharas, y escamoteársela a su propio pueblo para llevarla a los Caballeros de Solamnia y que por tanto, sea empleada como artefacto para solucionar la guerra y dar una oportunidad al mundo en peligro de destrucción; o devolvérsela de buena gana a la nación enana y arriesgarse a que se pierda para la causa.
5 estrellas. Estupendo. Genial. No aburre ni un solo momento, no hay parte que se haga tediosa, larga o innecesaria, los personajes son genuinamente ellos mismos, la trama está mejor escrita y el estilo muy mejorado. En resumen: parece que el tiempo no haya pasado en absoluto, o mejor dicho, ha pasado, pero para bien. Recomendadísimo para los fans de Dragonlance y especialmente para los que ya están familiarizados con las Crónicas. No se arrepentirán.
Jo, tengo que acortar estas reviews. Vaya rollo he soltado.
October 11, 2021
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths picks up right where Dragons of Autumn Twilight left off. The companions and escaped refugees are trying to survive in the valley. But danger is never far away. All it will take is a single dragon to fly over the valley to discover them and Winter is fast approaching. The group is left with the choice to stay, or attempt a journey to Thorbardin and plead with the dwarves under the mountain for help. As the companions split up to find safe passage for the refugees, they will encounter ancient magics, stubborn dwarves, and lost artifacts.
Back when I first read the Chronicles I always wondered what happened directly after Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I felt like a large piece of the story had been pushed to the side. And while I still may not know why the authors chose to skip a section of the adventure, I am glad to finally be able to read about it.
Journeying once again with the companions was a breath of fresh air. The writing style felt a bit more modernized and there was a better balance struck between characters. I enjoyed seeing Tika’s point of view more often. She was portrayed as less of a damsel in distress, though her age did factor into decisions she made. However, she struck off on her own in this tale and began to realize as an individual what she was capable of.
The battle scenes flowed much better. The characters each had their time to shine and Raistlin's magic was used more often. I feel like now that the characters have been written about so many times, the ability to articulate their strengths in battle really came through. The dialogue also felt more on point and I’ll always enjoy an adventure where Tas and Flint share quips back and forth.
Having read about the dwarves under the mountain, but never diving into the side stories surrounding the cataclysm or the dwarven kingdoms did not hinder my enjoyment of this book. I did feel like the history lesson on each clan was a bit much, but it all goes into the massive world-building that encompasses Dragonlance. Flint does have a large portion of this tale focus on him and Tas, and every moment is wonderful. The friendship they share (though Flint will adamantly refuse to admit their friends) is one of comical mishaps and witty banter.
I do advise you read the Chronicles and Legends trilogies before diving into this one. Knowing what's to come in the future adventures adds a depth of understanding to the plot and actions of the characters. I highly recommend this for fans of high fantasy tales. The lore of Krynn and the depth of complexity these characters hold is sure to keep you reading and rereading for years to come. I know it certainly has kept my attention for years.
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths picks up right where Dragons of Autumn Twilight left off. The companions and escaped refugees are trying to survive in the valley. But danger is never far away. All it will take is a single dragon to fly over the valley to discover them and Winter is fast approaching. The group is left with the choice to stay, or attempt a journey to Thorbardin and plead with the dwarves under the mountain for help. As the companions split up to find safe passage for the refugees, they will encounter ancient magics, stubborn dwarves, and lost artifacts.
Back when I first read the Chronicles I always wondered what happened directly after Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I felt like a large piece of the story had been pushed to the side. And while I still may not know why the authors chose to skip a section of the adventure, I am glad to finally be able to read about it.
Journeying once again with the companions was a breath of fresh air. The writing style felt a bit more modernized and there was a better balance struck between characters. I enjoyed seeing Tika’s point of view more often. She was portrayed as less of a damsel in distress, though her age did factor into decisions she made. However, she struck off on her own in this tale and began to realize as an individual what she was capable of.
The battle scenes flowed much better. The characters each had their time to shine and Raistlin's magic was used more often. I feel like now that the characters have been written about so many times, the ability to articulate their strengths in battle really came through. The dialogue also felt more on point and I’ll always enjoy an adventure where Tas and Flint share quips back and forth.
Having read about the dwarves under the mountain, but never diving into the side stories surrounding the cataclysm or the dwarven kingdoms did not hinder my enjoyment of this book. I did feel like the history lesson on each clan was a bit much, but it all goes into the massive world-building that encompasses Dragonlance. Flint does have a large portion of this tale focus on him and Tas, and every moment is wonderful. The friendship they share (though Flint will adamantly refuse to admit their friends) is one of comical mishaps and witty banter.
I do advise you read the Chronicles and Legends trilogies before diving into this one. Knowing what's to come in the future adventures adds a depth of understanding to the plot and actions of the characters. I highly recommend this for fans of high fantasy tales. The lore of Krynn and the depth of complexity these characters hold is sure to keep you reading and rereading for years to come. I know it certainly has kept my attention for years.
December 1, 2015
This is a standalone novel that takes place after the events of Dragons of Autumn Twilight and before Dragons of Winter Night.
We've got all the heroes of the lance.
Tanis and Flint seeking out the dwarves in Thorbardin.
Raistlin drawn to a place called Skullcap.
Sturm seeking out the Hammer of Kharas.
Tika and Tasselhoff on a quest to save the ones they love.
This is such a great world. Such great characters.
600 pages of awesome! The entire Lord of the Rings wasn't much more than that. Hey Jordan, Goodkind and Rothfuss - you don't have to write encyclopedia's to tell a tale IF you tell it right.
I really liked this book. Not sure if I would have liked it without having previously read Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends (I recommend reading them first) but I have and I did. I would've preferred more scene time for Raistlin but that's just because I'm a fanboy.
I would recommend if you've read the other Dragonlance books.
I would not recommend if this was your first Dragonlance book - there are better places to start (e.g. Dragonlance Chronicles for instance)
Good story, good tale, good time!
We've got all the heroes of the lance.
Tanis and Flint seeking out the dwarves in Thorbardin.
Raistlin drawn to a place called Skullcap.
Sturm seeking out the Hammer of Kharas.
Tika and Tasselhoff on a quest to save the ones they love.
This is such a great world. Such great characters.
600 pages of awesome! The entire Lord of the Rings wasn't much more than that. Hey Jordan, Goodkind and Rothfuss - you don't have to write encyclopedia's to tell a tale IF you tell it right.
I really liked this book. Not sure if I would have liked it without having previously read Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends (I recommend reading them first) but I have and I did. I would've preferred more scene time for Raistlin but that's just because I'm a fanboy.
I would recommend if you've read the other Dragonlance books.
I would not recommend if this was your first Dragonlance book - there are better places to start (e.g. Dragonlance Chronicles for instance)
Good story, good tale, good time!
Read
March 10, 2015I read this book after The War of Souls trilogy. This book is a disappointment for me. The characters and the plot is not good enough to like.
I just read whole book and it does not impress me.
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote a sub story for the Heroes of the Lance. We know all of the characters from the main books of Dragonlance, the base of the characters are ok, they are well known, they have their uniqueness but the book does not add anything to these characters.
The plot and sub-plots look like a role playing game, characters are encountering some challenges and they accomplish this challenges. But nearly all of them are predictable.
I will write more detailed review later.
I just read whole book and it does not impress me.
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote a sub story for the Heroes of the Lance. We know all of the characters from the main books of Dragonlance, the base of the characters are ok, they are well known, they have their uniqueness but the book does not add anything to these characters.
The plot and sub-plots look like a role playing game, characters are encountering some challenges and they accomplish this challenges. But nearly all of them are predictable.
I will write more detailed review later.
July 15, 2017
It was great to see the companions back together again! I started this trilogy many years after reading the original chronicles and I was so happy to read about the group: Tanis, Flint, Sterm, Tass, Caramon, Raistlin, Laura, and even Kit. So much fun!
This book takes the reader on an adventure that is basically a companion to the original chronicles. What happens in this series is kind of what happens in between those first books. You see the companions save slaves and escape the dark forces. They find the door to get into the ancient dwarven land and eventually hunt of a magical hammer.
This was a fun read, but spending so long underground in the dwarf tunnels and caves grew boring after a while, thus the reason for four stars and not five.
This book takes the reader on an adventure that is basically a companion to the original chronicles. What happens in this series is kind of what happens in between those first books. You see the companions save slaves and escape the dark forces. They find the door to get into the ancient dwarven land and eventually hunt of a magical hammer.
This was a fun read, but spending so long underground in the dwarf tunnels and caves grew boring after a while, thus the reason for four stars and not five.
November 26, 2018
Çok özlemişim bu grubu yine yıllar sonra zevkle okudum. Ama Tas'ı tek geçerim;)
May 2, 2023
Yeah, I'm a DL fanboy ever since middle school. The fact Joe Manganiello is turning this into a TV series has me gitty inside!
February 22, 2016
As someone who originally read most of the (good) books of the series about a decade ago, reading these newer ones is almost the equivalent of someone remaking one of the awesome PSOne RPGs. I spent a good portion of the book pretty much reveling in having something more to read, and recalling the awesome times spent reading the earlier books. Oh, and loving Raistlin; that happens a lot.
One thing I liked about this book, that really only would appeal to veterans such as myself, is that it goes a little deeper into the character's personalities. I finally got a bit more of a reason for Sturm to hate Raistlin, that he's mean to his well-intentioned brother, so it's almost understandable sometimes (Sometimes. Other times Caramon is such an idiot that I find it hard to pity him.) Even Flint had a bit of good character development/insight, for brief moments before he became obnoxious again.
Thankfully, Tika bowed out of the book about halfway through, otherwise I might have thrown something. I love this series, and enjoyed this book, but Weis and Hickman cannot write a likable female character. Tika, Goldmoon, Laurana, might as well mention Crysania...the only one that is remotely okay is Kitiara and
Whatever. I don't know how other fantasy fans would view this book, because I was basically running on nostalgia as I read it. I would really recommend it to old fans who already know what's going on. At least read Dragons of Autumn Twilight though this book does help to explain different occurrences in several of the other books in the series.
One thing I liked about this book, that really only would appeal to veterans such as myself, is that it goes a little deeper into the character's personalities. I finally got a bit more of a reason for Sturm to hate Raistlin, that he's mean to his well-intentioned brother, so it's almost understandable sometimes (Sometimes. Other times Caramon is such an idiot that I find it hard to pity him.) Even Flint had a bit of good character development/insight, for brief moments before he became obnoxious again.
Thankfully, Tika bowed out of the book about halfway through, otherwise I might have thrown something. I love this series, and enjoyed this book, but Weis and Hickman cannot write a likable female character. Tika, Goldmoon, Laurana, might as well mention Crysania...the only one that is remotely okay is Kitiara and
Whatever. I don't know how other fantasy fans would view this book, because I was basically running on nostalgia as I read it. I would really recommend it to old fans who already know what's going on. At least read Dragons of Autumn Twilight though this book does help to explain different occurrences in several of the other books in the series.
October 16, 2013
The first volume of the "Lost Chronicles" fills in a gap in the original chronicles - in the original, there is a sudden leap from the liberation of the enslaved people at Pax Tharkas to the refugees living in the formerly-inaccessible dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin. There is dialogue like, "Now that we have unsealed the gates to Thorbardin and convinced the dwarves to help us by finding the lost Hammer of Kharas, now we can . . ." Right. So, this "lost chronicle tells the story of how that happened, filling in the blanks in the story, as it were . . .
July 28, 2011
copy-pasted from my Librarything account: started well, had some slow passages where nothing really exciting happens and you almost feel as if W&H simply HAD to write this book for the sake of writing it. But far in the second half there's finally some action and it's hard then to put the book down. sure, the original Chronicles were fab, this one's a little less, but let's see how Highlord Skies and Hourglass Mage complete the 'lost chronicles'.
July 4, 2012
i finished it quite a while ago...just haven't been back the web page to update...was an excellent book...i highly recommend if you are a Dragonlance fan!
July 17, 2023
4.5 stars rounding up to five because of good reads sub-par rating system.
If you've read the first trilogy of dragon lance novels known as "chronicles" then I'm sure you and many others were wondering why so much time was skipped between the last page of the first book and the first page of the second. At the time it was cut because this was originally all based off of Weiss and Hickmans DnD campaign and TSR was on them about time and length so they had to cut some large things of the campaign out. With that said I was wondering how the party got the refugees they saved in the first book into Thorbarden. How they retired the legendary hammer. How Flint became known as a savior and reunited the dwarf clans. Well this book answers all those questions and drops you back into the night of the wedding at the end of the first book. It answers a lot of questions and brought to light things about these characters I never would have known otherwise. The first half of the book is them trying to figure out where to take 800+ refugee slaves that we're freed in book 1 of Dragons if autumn twilight after killing lord Verminard. The "big bad" of this book is a dynamic duo of draconian leaders who had big aspirations and dreams all laid out on the back of a dead man who not many know is actually dead. The second half is the group splitting up one going out ahead to scout thorbarden (home of the dwarves) to see if they could bring the refugees there and the other half is tasked with actually leading all 800 refugees to thirbarden while dealing with clashing idealioligies and politics.
I really REALLY enjoyed this book. It was so much fun to be able to jump back into another adventure with some of my favorite fantasy characters of all time. In terms of pure writing proficiency and prose you can really tell Weiss and Hickman have mastered their craft over the two decades before this book was released. All unanswered questions from the first book are finally answered and characters and their relationships with others are greatly expanded upon. I don't have any complaints with the book itself although the narrator fit the audiobook was pretty bad in my opinion. If you like dragon lance and the characters within it's world you cannot go wrong with this novel.
If you've read the first trilogy of dragon lance novels known as "chronicles" then I'm sure you and many others were wondering why so much time was skipped between the last page of the first book and the first page of the second. At the time it was cut because this was originally all based off of Weiss and Hickmans DnD campaign and TSR was on them about time and length so they had to cut some large things of the campaign out. With that said I was wondering how the party got the refugees they saved in the first book into Thorbarden. How they retired the legendary hammer. How Flint became known as a savior and reunited the dwarf clans. Well this book answers all those questions and drops you back into the night of the wedding at the end of the first book. It answers a lot of questions and brought to light things about these characters I never would have known otherwise. The first half of the book is them trying to figure out where to take 800+ refugee slaves that we're freed in book 1 of Dragons if autumn twilight after killing lord Verminard. The "big bad" of this book is a dynamic duo of draconian leaders who had big aspirations and dreams all laid out on the back of a dead man who not many know is actually dead. The second half is the group splitting up one going out ahead to scout thorbarden (home of the dwarves) to see if they could bring the refugees there and the other half is tasked with actually leading all 800 refugees to thirbarden while dealing with clashing idealioligies and politics.
I really REALLY enjoyed this book. It was so much fun to be able to jump back into another adventure with some of my favorite fantasy characters of all time. In terms of pure writing proficiency and prose you can really tell Weiss and Hickman have mastered their craft over the two decades before this book was released. All unanswered questions from the first book are finally answered and characters and their relationships with others are greatly expanded upon. I don't have any complaints with the book itself although the narrator fit the audiobook was pretty bad in my opinion. If you like dragon lance and the characters within it's world you cannot go wrong with this novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2017
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths fills in the gaps between the first two books in the Chronicles Dragonlance series. It covers what happens to the refugees that had been kept prisoner in the first book, and how Tanis and co found the Hammer of Karas and convinced the dwarves in the underground city to reopen the mountain and join the fight against the dragon army.
The action is unrealistic and overwhelmingly daft. It manages the impressive feat of being even more slapstick than the main series! If you have read the Chronicles series you will already know how this book ends so it's hard to be convinced that the characters are ever in any real danger.
There were long bits that were just boring. Far too long is spent with the refugees at the start of the book deciding whether to stay in the valley they're hiding in or not. The characters are just bickering and fighting for power and I just really didn't care.
When they left the valley and set out on their quests it got much more interesting. It might be daft but it is a lot of fun following the adventures of this band of misfits! Raistlin steals any scene he is in and the Kender Tas brings a bit of fun to the party.
The world building was on point. The ruined castle and the underground kingdom of the Dwarves were both vivid and interesting places.
It was fun escapism when it got going but big parts of the book were dull and dragged. 200 pages shorter and it would be a decent read.
The action is unrealistic and overwhelmingly daft. It manages the impressive feat of being even more slapstick than the main series! If you have read the Chronicles series you will already know how this book ends so it's hard to be convinced that the characters are ever in any real danger.
There were long bits that were just boring. Far too long is spent with the refugees at the start of the book deciding whether to stay in the valley they're hiding in or not. The characters are just bickering and fighting for power and I just really didn't care.
When they left the valley and set out on their quests it got much more interesting. It might be daft but it is a lot of fun following the adventures of this band of misfits! Raistlin steals any scene he is in and the Kender Tas brings a bit of fun to the party.
The world building was on point. The ruined castle and the underground kingdom of the Dwarves were both vivid and interesting places.
It was fun escapism when it got going but big parts of the book were dull and dragged. 200 pages shorter and it would be a decent read.
March 27, 2017
It's a good job that my expctations for this book were not high, because my very low ones weren't really met.
Like most people reading this book (why would you choose this as your first Dragonlance book? Just a small amount of research explains that this really isn't the best place to start!!) I have an unhealthy amount of nostalgia when it comes to Dragonlance, being hooked on the Chronicles - most notably being a Raistlin devotee - in my early teens to such an extent that thinking about Dragonlance takes me to a little "safe place". If I went back to the womb I'd probably be drinking hot ribena and clutching a copy of Tests of the Twins for consumption when I got there.
I'd heard about these "Lost Chronicles" some time ago and was quite enthused about the project. There were significant gaps in the story of the Chronicles just waiting to be filled, and whilst I think that they *needed* to be (the original editing decisions were OK, since the saga risked becoming long and convoluted), I figured it could be a fun time regardless, spending a bit more quality time with Tanis, Sturn, Raistlin, Flint and the rest of the gang. I'm older and better read now and well aware of Weis and Hickman's faults as authors (which are many), but having re-read some of their work over the years I'm also aware that they can spin an enjoyable yarn when they want to. I figured that they'd really "want" to make something out of this, their much heralded return to the blockbuster series that made Dragonlance a household fantasy name in the 80s and I was genuinely disappointed at the low quality trash that they've given us, as if they had no ideas and no care to really bother with making this book a love letter to their many fans at all.
It's not a complete disaster of a novel. In train wreck terms it's definitely derailed and is now teetering on the edge of quite a high precipice, but most passengers are still just about alive. The characters are still mostly fun, Tas in particular provides some moments of good gumour and for some reason I enjoyed Tanis' broodiness this time around, and the basic plotline can pass muster for a light read; the heroes have to get a group of refugees to Thorbardin, there's some warring Dwarves, a lost hammer to discover and so on. And yet, everything seems so laboured, so heavy of touch and fundamentally so stupid. Weis and Hickman write this tale with no sense of depth, no pacing, no danger and no suspense. It's more A to B than the alphabet and everything is written to be exactly as you'd expect. Many have complained about the "prequel problem" that we know who survives and who doesn't, but that's not really the issue since it's easy enough to introduce new characters and a sense of mystery. Weis and Hickman just can't be bothered to do that, everything is spelled out before we've even started on the journey.
There's no sense of character development, no insight, no real adventure. There's just no "fun" in it and that's where I was expecting this book to primarily deliver. For all its faults a series, the Dragonlance Chronicles cares about its characters and what they're up to and we come to care about them. I simply didn't care about the characters in this novel (and don't get me started on the villains, the Draconian duo) This just isn't committed storytelling and it smacks of contractual obligations if any novel ever did.
So, am I going to read the second Lost Chronicle, Dragons of the Highlord Skies? Of course I am, I always had a bit of a crush on Kitiara. My expectations, however, will be suitably low.
Like most people reading this book (why would you choose this as your first Dragonlance book? Just a small amount of research explains that this really isn't the best place to start!!) I have an unhealthy amount of nostalgia when it comes to Dragonlance, being hooked on the Chronicles - most notably being a Raistlin devotee - in my early teens to such an extent that thinking about Dragonlance takes me to a little "safe place". If I went back to the womb I'd probably be drinking hot ribena and clutching a copy of Tests of the Twins for consumption when I got there.
I'd heard about these "Lost Chronicles" some time ago and was quite enthused about the project. There were significant gaps in the story of the Chronicles just waiting to be filled, and whilst I think that they *needed* to be (the original editing decisions were OK, since the saga risked becoming long and convoluted), I figured it could be a fun time regardless, spending a bit more quality time with Tanis, Sturn, Raistlin, Flint and the rest of the gang. I'm older and better read now and well aware of Weis and Hickman's faults as authors (which are many), but having re-read some of their work over the years I'm also aware that they can spin an enjoyable yarn when they want to. I figured that they'd really "want" to make something out of this, their much heralded return to the blockbuster series that made Dragonlance a household fantasy name in the 80s and I was genuinely disappointed at the low quality trash that they've given us, as if they had no ideas and no care to really bother with making this book a love letter to their many fans at all.
It's not a complete disaster of a novel. In train wreck terms it's definitely derailed and is now teetering on the edge of quite a high precipice, but most passengers are still just about alive. The characters are still mostly fun, Tas in particular provides some moments of good gumour and for some reason I enjoyed Tanis' broodiness this time around, and the basic plotline can pass muster for a light read; the heroes have to get a group of refugees to Thorbardin, there's some warring Dwarves, a lost hammer to discover and so on. And yet, everything seems so laboured, so heavy of touch and fundamentally so stupid. Weis and Hickman write this tale with no sense of depth, no pacing, no danger and no suspense. It's more A to B than the alphabet and everything is written to be exactly as you'd expect. Many have complained about the "prequel problem" that we know who survives and who doesn't, but that's not really the issue since it's easy enough to introduce new characters and a sense of mystery. Weis and Hickman just can't be bothered to do that, everything is spelled out before we've even started on the journey.
There's no sense of character development, no insight, no real adventure. There's just no "fun" in it and that's where I was expecting this book to primarily deliver. For all its faults a series, the Dragonlance Chronicles cares about its characters and what they're up to and we come to care about them. I simply didn't care about the characters in this novel (and don't get me started on the villains, the Draconian duo) This just isn't committed storytelling and it smacks of contractual obligations if any novel ever did.
So, am I going to read the second Lost Chronicle, Dragons of the Highlord Skies? Of course I am, I always had a bit of a crush on Kitiara. My expectations, however, will be suitably low.
February 12, 2013
This was a fun book for me =) I'll preface this review by saying I'm a huge Dragonlance fan. A book pretty much automatically gets 3 stars from me by having the word "Dragonlance" on the cover. The closest thing I could compare this to (with a movie analogy) would be a special bonus DVD from a Director's Cut of a film. It is a nice little tale that fills in some of the glaring gaps missing from the Chronicles (hence the name of this series, the Lost Chronicles).
I'd been putting off reading these until Audible just came out with ALL of them as Unabridged Audiobooks so I decided to go for it and listen to them while painting (as a fantasy artist, it's quite fitting). I must say though - I almost gave this a lower rating because the narrator of the audiobook does some really DREADFUL voices. Tasslehoff is really cringeworthy - the audiobook narrator for some reason decided to go with a "Scooby-Doo does a Kermit the Frog impression" sort of angle. Argh. Some of the other characters sound super whiny too (even when they're not whining, hehe).
But that's not the book's fault!
The book does have some faults though - mostly I think it spends too much time reiterating and recapping what has happened in the previously written books. It gives us the same repeated background information about these well-known characters that pretty much ANYBODY who chooses to read these would already know. The audience for this book should (in my opinion) only be big Dragonlance fans who have read the original Chronicles. In other words (to use the movie analogy again) - for people who have seen the movie a million times and want to see some bonus outtakes! It should NOT be a book for people who have not read the original Chronicles (again, you shouldn't start off with the DVD outtakes/bonus features from a movie you haven't seen, you should watch the movie first and then enjoy the extras).
There are also a few minor continuity/nitpicky things that popped up here and there, but it's the sort of thing that would make me roll my eyes about if I were to see them as complaints from others (ie, Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons - trying not to be like that!).
All in all, good Dragonlance fun. I'm already starting on the next one (Dragons of the Highlord Skies) ....which unfortunately has the same narrator on the audiobook, ah well.
I'd been putting off reading these until Audible just came out with ALL of them as Unabridged Audiobooks so I decided to go for it and listen to them while painting (as a fantasy artist, it's quite fitting). I must say though - I almost gave this a lower rating because the narrator of the audiobook does some really DREADFUL voices. Tasslehoff is really cringeworthy - the audiobook narrator for some reason decided to go with a "Scooby-Doo does a Kermit the Frog impression" sort of angle. Argh. Some of the other characters sound super whiny too (even when they're not whining, hehe).
But that's not the book's fault!
The book does have some faults though - mostly I think it spends too much time reiterating and recapping what has happened in the previously written books. It gives us the same repeated background information about these well-known characters that pretty much ANYBODY who chooses to read these would already know. The audience for this book should (in my opinion) only be big Dragonlance fans who have read the original Chronicles. In other words (to use the movie analogy again) - for people who have seen the movie a million times and want to see some bonus outtakes! It should NOT be a book for people who have not read the original Chronicles (again, you shouldn't start off with the DVD outtakes/bonus features from a movie you haven't seen, you should watch the movie first and then enjoy the extras).
There are also a few minor continuity/nitpicky things that popped up here and there, but it's the sort of thing that would make me roll my eyes about if I were to see them as complaints from others (ie, Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons - trying not to be like that!).
All in all, good Dragonlance fun. I'm already starting on the next one (Dragons of the Highlord Skies) ....which unfortunately has the same narrator on the audiobook, ah well.
April 4, 2019
Ah, I do love a good dwarven tale. Also nice to see Flint get to do something besides fuss and sputter and yell at Tasslehoff, and to see the dwaven cultures of Krynn. The writing style is improved since the original Chronicles, but it hasn't become unrecognizable either. Fun for fans of the original Companions of the Lance, or classic role-playing inspired fantasy. Perhaps a little too breezy for everyone, but that's generally the house style here. The pace gives the characters time to stretch and add more depth, though if you're a Riverwind or Goldmoon fan, you will find the Que-Shu in pretty short supply. Flint and Tas take over the book in the last third, while Sturm and the brothers Majere are in the middle. The new characters are pretty interesting, especially the draconian and dwarven leaders. Arman Kharas is one of the more interesting deconstructions of the "classic hero" I've seen in a bit, with a lot of the expected miles gloriosus schtick, but not falling so deep into it as to be predictable.
I'm pretty sure there's a fair amount of foreshadowing for things like the Twins trilogy, which I haven't read yet.
I'm pretty sure there's a fair amount of foreshadowing for things like the Twins trilogy, which I haven't read yet.
July 20, 2017
I love the Dragonlance series but I have been thoroughly confused by the recommended reading order! I seem to have started reading about the world of Krynn somewhere in the middle, then moved into the future, only to be shifted back in time and then returned to the middle again! Of course now I've forgotten some of the incidents in the first novels I read a year or two ago, so that I should really read them again - unfortunately I still don't know what order to read them in, so that they follow a logical timeline! I would advise that if you are starting on the series I recommend reading 'Dragons of the Dwarven Depths' between D of Autumn Twilight and D of Winter Night.
Having said all that, I'm still hopelessly entranced by the wonderful heroes and villains and immersive fantasy world created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
Having said all that, I'm still hopelessly entranced by the wonderful heroes and villains and immersive fantasy world created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
September 13, 2017
when you have an old house and you refurbish you end up with a slightly better old house. That's how i feel about the first "lost" book that after twenty years covered the gap between the autumn and winter dragons. a small story about the recovering of the hammer of Kharas that had to be stretched in order to become a 100k+ words novel. the plot is not bad and the telling is professional and well written but the initial flavor is gone and the feeling is lost. still, it is better than nothing. i am not sure we the writers chose to be so late about the lost tales, maybe they wanted to apologize for the horrible books depicting the fourth age of Kryn that in my opinion shattered the beauty of Dragonlance and i dont take under consideration and the timeline of the world ends with the Dalamar taking the tower of Palanthas and of Soth taking the body of Kitiara...
May 27, 2009
Returning to the world of Dragonlance, always get me bit sentimental and excited. Dragonlance was my first real fantasy experience and is still my favourite overall. And I love getting to hang out with Tanis, Tas, Caramon & Raistlin, Flint, Sturm, Goldmoon & Riverwind, Tika and Laurana.
This book is a return to the time of the Chronciles and fill out some of the holes left from that trilogy. We follow our heroes after they've resuced the prisoners from Pax Tharkas and how they struggle to help them and find a safe haven for them in the Dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin.
And I love the golden woolly mammooth!
This book is a return to the time of the Chronciles and fill out some of the holes left from that trilogy. We follow our heroes after they've resuced the prisoners from Pax Tharkas and how they struggle to help them and find a safe haven for them in the Dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin.
And I love the golden woolly mammooth!
March 20, 2019
I grew up on the original Dragonlance trilogy, so when I learned that there was a book that took place between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night I had to check it out.
Compared to the original trilogy, this book was written far better than the books it takes place between. The evolution of Weis and Hickman's writing is fairly apparent, and I give them props for having to try and keep their joined style as close to the original series as possible. Still, the evolution of their style was a nice change from Dragons of Autumn Twilight as I had found that the book had been a bit childish in its style.
That said, this book was just alright. There wasn't much to it other than a lot of traveling, and with three parties doing traveling, that comes to a LOT of exposition about the events of their journeys. Unfortunately, this is not very interesting and drags the book out far longer than it perhaps should have been. There were some action scenes and interesting moments, but not enough to carry the story.
Still, this book does add to the original trilogy, filling in a missing link between the first two books, and because of that it is worth giving it a read. But that said, it's not really needed in the storyline, and I can see why it was cut from the first three books. And as not a lot really happened in this novel (except perhaps a bit of evolution of Flint, now that I think about it), you could easily not read this book and miss nothing. So in the end, if you are interested in this section of the Dragonlance series, then pick it up. Just don't expect too much.
Compared to the original trilogy, this book was written far better than the books it takes place between. The evolution of Weis and Hickman's writing is fairly apparent, and I give them props for having to try and keep their joined style as close to the original series as possible. Still, the evolution of their style was a nice change from Dragons of Autumn Twilight as I had found that the book had been a bit childish in its style.
That said, this book was just alright. There wasn't much to it other than a lot of traveling, and with three parties doing traveling, that comes to a LOT of exposition about the events of their journeys. Unfortunately, this is not very interesting and drags the book out far longer than it perhaps should have been. There were some action scenes and interesting moments, but not enough to carry the story.
Still, this book does add to the original trilogy, filling in a missing link between the first two books, and because of that it is worth giving it a read. But that said, it's not really needed in the storyline, and I can see why it was cut from the first three books. And as not a lot really happened in this novel (except perhaps a bit of evolution of Flint, now that I think about it), you could easily not read this book and miss nothing. So in the end, if you are interested in this section of the Dragonlance series, then pick it up. Just don't expect too much.
January 19, 2021
Ok le 4 stelle sono anche per una questione emozionale... è stato davvero bello ritrovare "vecchi amici" dell'adolescenza, alcuni dei quali oltretutto sono morti nel corso della serie.
Che dire, perfettamente in linea con il resto della saga, come on aver mai smesso di leggerla..
Questo volume si innesta fra il primo e il secondo volume delle "Cronache" quindi per chi si avvicina per la prima volta è meglio iniziare con I Draghi del Crepuscolo d'Autunno.
Anche i prossimi due volumi si innestano nella prima trilogia e sono molto contenta di queste "Cronache Perdute".
Che dire, perfettamente in linea con il resto della saga, come on aver mai smesso di leggerla..
Questo volume si innesta fra il primo e il secondo volume delle "Cronache" quindi per chi si avvicina per la prima volta è meglio iniziare con I Draghi del Crepuscolo d'Autunno.
Anche i prossimi due volumi si innestano nella prima trilogia e sono molto contenta di queste "Cronache Perdute".
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