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Summary: My opinion of the death Gate Cycle and Dragon Wing
Review: Read this book! I read all the seven books and I recommended you read all the Death Gate Cycle. The first book of the series, "Dragon Wing", it's good (in my opinion it's a little slow, but interesting), the other six especially the last four are amazing and very exciting, the story changes in its entirety in the latest books and you don't expect the end. The story is full of magic and imagination and the way that the authors conceive how does it act it's totally new.The Death Gate Cycle tells the story of seven realms formed by a powerful wizards, the sartans, with the purpose of take control of the mensch and to avoid the increase power of their ancient enemies, the patryns, another powerful race of wizards. The sartans secluded the patryns in a prison named The Labyrinth and then dissapeared mysteriously. But the patryns could conquer The Labyrinth and now they wish revenge and take control of the realms. Dragon Wing, the first volume of the Cycle, tells the story of the realm of air, Arianus. Haplo, the patryn, is sent by Xar to this realm with the commission of search the sartans. Haplo at the begining, didn't find his ancestral enemy but he found a strange machine operated by the gegs and it's function still unknown.Besides, in this world humans and elves fight for water, the most precious element, because in this world it is scare. Haplo, after a while, knows the gegs Limbeck and Jarre, Bane a human prince who is taked care by Alfred (a strange fellow) and Hugh, another human that must kill Bane. So, don't you think that at first sight, this story is predictable by only reading the first book. Read the complete series of books, you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: Stunning Novel: Be prepared to be blown away
Review: This book is absolutely amazing! I have been an avid fantasy and fiction reader since I was a child, and there are very few books that can compare to this novel. Margaret Wise and Tracy Hickman have done a wonderful job at writing the Dragonlance series and this series is equal, if not better, than the Dragonlance books. The plot is well developed and amazingly intricate, and everytime the reader begins to understand something, that supposed "truth" is swept from their grasp. It constantly makes you think and try to understand what is going on in the book. However, even better than the develpment of the plot is the development of the characters. The main character of the series is Haplo, a Patryn who is trying to secure the four worlds for his master. Haplo is an amazingly complicated character and the first book only begins to delve into his intricacy. However, Weis and Hickman use this character to display deep and meaningful truths about humankind. Haplo's race, the Patryns, have grown up in a place where what we consider vices have been switched to virtues in the battle to stay alive. Anger is used to fuel a body so that it may continue fighting to the bitter end; lust has taken the place of love because of the fact that your loved one may not survive until the morning; pride makes a person seek perfection so that he may live through the day. All these are viewed in a negative light to us readers, but in the Labrynth, these emotions are needed to survive. However, with Weis and Hickman's skilled writing, a sense of understanding rather than loathedness can be felt while reading about the Patryns. Why, though, can we feel good about what occurs in the Labrynth if all those virtues are horrible sins in our eyes? This is where the authors slip in their message: we cannot judge anyone because we can never and will never know the entire situation that they have gone through. Another charater used to portray a theme is the bumbling Alfred. The poor butler can never seem to make his body do his bidding, and he is always passing out at the first signs of danger. However, later in the book it is revealed that Alfred is part of a race like the Patryns. Both are a type of demi-god race with powers incomprehensible to the average human's mind. The Sartans, as his race is called, had been fighting the Patryns for centuries until the world was sundered into the four realms. The Sartans put the Patryns in a type of prison to help them become less evil (which later turned into the deadly Labrynth) and started to rule the four realms. However, the lesser beings, the dwarves humans and elves, did not respond kindly to even the unimposing rule of the Sartans. The elves and humans began to fight while the dwarves turned into a helpless race. The Sartans could not do anything to stop this chaos, for they had trouble of their own. They couldn't communicate with the other realms and decided to wait for a while for a message from the other realms. The went into an enchanted sleep and never awoke, except for Alfred. This is such a powerful message that every reader should be able to understand: we are not in ultimate control, no matter how strong we think we are. "The best laid plans of mice and men/Gang aft aglay."
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Summary: OUSTANDING! (So real! Is it historical fiction?)
Review: This is probably the best series of books I have ever read (I haven't read Tolkien yet. I KNOW, I'm sorry!). I just cannot say enough good things about this book series. I literally read it 3 times through, and each time I can relate to a different character and come to see it from their perspective. The way that Tracy and Margaret bring the characters to life significantly contributes to the reason this series of books is so great. By the end of the 1st book, Hugh the Hand (Best Assassin in the world), Alfred(Sartan Mage), Haplo(Patryn Mage), Bane(son of most powerful human mage alive), and the rest of the characters have almost come to life in your mind. If you're going to read Fantasy(Or SciFi) start with this! The sense of depth these books have to them makes you wonder if it's actually historical fiction that Margaret and Tracy are writing about and the index each book has is absolutely amazing. Whenever you're confused about something the characters are making reference to (or if you 'missed' [skipped, lol] the part when the character's were discussing it) you can simply look it up in the back index and you'll understand it better than you would have just reading straight through. (THEY EVEN HAVE DIAGRAMS OF EVERYTHING!) Margaret and Tracy together are unparalleled writers equal to only a few such as Tolkien, Piers Anthony, Knaak, Louis Lamour(SP?) and the like. I won't be suprised when this series becomes the next movie series. Except for the fact that since the book's environs are so diverse (they 'literally' create whole worlds with flora and fauna and a whole system of language [actually I think it might be latin]) the movie industry right now might not be up to it. Finally, if you're worried about it being too advanced or too intellectual, don't. The characters are incredably deep, but like real people, are revealed to you slowly through the actions they take and throughout the series, so you're not overwhelmed all at once. All the books are great, and I will read the series a 4th, 5th, and maybe a 6th time. Although one of the middle books does drag a little because it's mostly about the humans, dwarves, and elves (Mensch: Patryn/Sartan(Magus) word for humans, dwarves, and elves or anyone else who doesn't live thousands of years).
Rating: 
Summary: thought it was a joke
Review: Well all I have to say is that,"what the heck were they thinking when they wrote this book." The characters were very bland, Stupid,annoying,and couldnt even stand up to a fight. They had a assasian leading there party that was stupid enoguh to drink some kind of liquid that he didnt know what it was from a bowl that somone else gave him, Hmmm... let me think would such a excperinced assasian do that of course not, But this one dose and gets poisoned , almost dies.thats one example of a dumb character.There is also a monk/wizard that is banes (the little annoying,stubborn prince child ,that you wish would just keep quiet.)servant that is constantly fainting from being frightend and screwwing everything up.He eventully starts to show his powers at the end of the book, why the heck didnt you use your powers in the begning you moron. Well other than the terrible characters that just complian and run away from every fight, the plot is another dribble of an aspect to look at.I'm not going to get into that because i can go on for ever about how every chapter was boring and ridculous.oh and one more thing the so called dwarves in this book,but known as gegs in this one are more like the dwarves from snow white,so if your used to the stubborn,arragont,kick somenes but with big battle axes and warhammers, dont read this because these dwarves are scared,wimpy beings that live in one of the lower realms and refuse to revolt and fight for freedom,what kind of dwarves are those?.well to pretty much some it all up this book totaly goes againsnt all other fantasy creations.Basically its the oppisite of all others.
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