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Dragons of a Lost Star (Dragonlance: The War of Souls, Volume II)

Dragons of a Lost Star (Dragonlance: The War of Souls, Volume II)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Please...Somebody Get That Girl...
Review: In every novel, there is always at least one character that you absolutely HATE with every fiber of your being. In this novel, that character is Mina. I despise her with all my heart. Her personality is the most despicable one I've seen in any book I have ever read. Mina's absolutist "because the One God says so" view of Krynn makes the perfect foil for heroes such as the unfortunate Gerard, who has already faced his share of suffering and is not yet out of his twenties. In fact, I found myself cheering for Lord Targonne over Mina all throughout the novel.

On the upside, Weis and Hickman provided us with a titanic clash between Beryl and the Qualinesti. I will not provide any spoilers, but I will state that the two main themes of "Lost Star" are "Obey the One God!" and "Die, everyone!! DIE!!!" The dead are ever increasing in numbers, and we find that Dalamar is somehow connected with them...All the characters except Mina's fanatically loyal followers suffer greatly in this book, and the reader's sympathy will certainly be extended to them.

Finally, we learn the identity of the One God, and when the final bomb is dropped, it turns out to be a dud. I could not believe that the authors would do what they did, but once you read all the way to the end, you find that the move was logical.

Because of some herky-jerky writing techniques and the mere fact that the Mina exists makes me drop a star. Otherwise, this is a great piece of literature that is worth the time to read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hard to put down
Review: After not reading Dragonlance for a good while, I saw Dragons of a Fallen Sun and bought it. I read it and immediately ordered Dragons of a Lost Star. I think that both books are excellent, written in the style of Weis and Hickman that I like, but with new and interesting elements. The many mysteries of these two books are what make them hard to put down, and the characters are great too. I found myself liking Marshal Medan and Gerard the most.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hmm.... definitely, this is more than I was expecting.
Review: If you read my review of "Dragons of a Fallen Sun" you know what I thought was lacking in it: a bit sparse on plot and weak characters you couldn't identify with.

I am pleased to admit that "Dragons of a Lost Star" has thoroughly exceeded my expectations. Not only are the old characters (Tas, Goldmoon) written better in this book (In Fallen Sun, they seemed strangely unlikeable) the new characters, like Mina and Silvanoshei become more fleshed out and appealing (though not Gilthas. I fear poor Gilthas is doomed to remain a static character for the rest of eternity).

Without giving away any spoilers (when people give away spoilers in Amazon.com reviews it just irritates me like all hell) I thought the scenes with Mina, her followers, and the One-God were done much better than in the first book. In the first book, the only event that provided any dynamic was her meeting with Mirror. In this book, the reader sees more than simpy "Ah Mina! I worship you and the One-God!" To cut it short, it's less religious-fanaticism-by-the-numbers than the first book.

We get to see more about Tasslehoff and Goldmoon, and Goldmoon's big secret and mystery, which I was expecting to be a letdown, was rather interesting, if not entirely original.

But for those of you who seek action, the wars with the elves are good... but not Hickman-Weis great in my opinion. Beryl and Qualinost does not measure up to, say, The Attack on Neraka in Spring Dawning, or the High Clerist Tower's Final Stand in Summer Flame. But it does nicely change the pace of the book from early on. The real strength of this book lies with Mina, Tasslehoff, Goldmoon, Silvanoshei... and a few others who I may not name.

If you're still doubting whether you should read this book, I have one more thing to remind you of:

What about Dalamar?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tas with no respect
Review: This book, like all previous Weis and Hickman novels, was impossible to put down. Granted there were some slow parts and the recapping of already known information is very ANNOYING. One problem I have had with the books following Chronicles is how Weis and Hickman have other characters and pretty much everyone on Krynn treat Tasslehoff. Whether he be kender, gnome, or hobgoblin he was a hero of the lance, and saved the world two more times, in Legends and again in the Chaos war. He has done more to save Krynn than any character to date and the rest of the world should act like it. Since the magic departed Krynn following the Chaos War Krynn almost ceased to be an interesting place...

' With that being said I found this book to be a very quick read....The "One God" is finally revealed. Rather than being disapointed at who the one god is i was excited. Because now some really interesting things must take place to rectify the situation. I can't wait for Vanished moon to see how it all ends. Thanks for bringing Krynn back again Margaret and Tracy, as only you know how to.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just as good as the first, and true Dragonlance
Review: Some have stated that the new Dragonlance novels are not as entertaining or as well-developed as the originals. I have long been an opponent of the "old-codger" viewpoint in which the original is glorified and the new condemned. Perhaps it is nihilistic of me to say so, but I think that part of what makes a series like Dragonlance so amazing is the continued flow of quality work. This novel is every bit as good as Dragons of Winter Night, and one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. Granted, if you do not know what has come before, it would fail to have that effect, but I think those who claim that Weis and Hickman have lost their flame (or is that star?) need to desperately reread this novel.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's a Book 2
Review: While the first book set the for a great trilogy and the return of the way Dragonlance was but this like so many trilogys is just a book 2 meaning book 1 set the stage, told what probleoms the the characters would face, introduced new characters and so on but not much really happens until the last 150 pages the whole book just talks about what it builds up to in the end setting the stage for a great conculsion in vanished moon. Most of this story talks about The elven nations for about 3/4 of it that really gets boring after a while well not borning but monotonous. the other 1/4 of the book talks about the things that is more interseting like Palin, Dalamar, and Tas. Although i do tend to dog on this book it's still pretty darn good. THe only real probloem i had was an event in the beginning of the book where Caramon suddenly appears and then disapears and they never really explian how or why don't worry about this being a spoiler it happens on about page 40.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Losin' it...
Review: It's been a while since I've read any of W&H's older work, so I'm not entirely certain: are my standards just going up, or has their writing style deteriorated considerably since the Deathgate Cycle? Because, I have to say, here it's...well, pretty bad. Not unreadably so, but still not at all good. That aside, though, this one still has its share of problems.

So, we learn the identity of the One God. Ooh! Suspense! Yeah, fine, except that, when it's finally revealed, a few pages from the end, it's hard to avoid laughing at the sheer banality of it all. It had briefly crossed my mind before that this might be it, but I quickly banished such thoughts from my mind--"they wouldn't do something that cheap," thought I. But they did. Oh yes they did. I won't give it away; I'll just say, think of the single most obvious and unimaginative answer you can possibly come up with. Yes, that's who it is. Pathetic.

Also, let's talk about the characters. When you come right down to it, a lot of them are kinda...well, boring. Gilthas, for instance. Who *is* he, exactly? He seems to have no personality other than 'gosh, I'm concerned about the fate of my people' (incidentally, does his wife even have a name, or does she really *always* go with the cheesy nick? It's silly. Very silly. And I doubt they even *have* lions in Qualinesti, so it doesn't make much sense, either. Unless it means 'mountain lion'. But I doubt it. Hmph). And Gerard. Well...he started out with a fair amount of potential, but I think they've more or less blown it. And the grim inevitability of his becoming romantically involved with that Solamnic chick (which, in one of the book's more ludicrous scenes--pp 352--the authors make him SPELL OUT, as if it wasn't obvious enough already). And--I REALLY hate to say this, BUT--Tas has become annoying. He's just not at appealing anymore. Back in the day, he had a bit of an edge to him (one of the very first things we ever saw him do, back in Autumn Twilight, was kill a goblin, remember), but now he's just really boring. He grates. When they try to make him into comic relief, it doesn't work. When they try to give him pathos it doesn't work. It just doesn't. I dunno...given the authors' pathological obsession with killing off all of the original DL characters, it is perhaps ironic that the only one still alive is the one you WISH were dead. Bah. I did think Medan was kinda cool, but of course...sheesh. And I did like the idea of the silver dragon reduced to a blind beggar, but they ultimately do very little with the concept.

I'm just scratching the surface, of course--there are plenty of other things that irked me, but many of them would involve major spoilers, and in any case, I think I've said enough. In spite of all, though, I'm giving the damn thing three stars. Why? I don't know. I just can't help it, I suppose. I'll grant you, it was compelling. In places. I just wish it was better. Or, better yet, that it--along with Summer Flame and Fallen Sun--had never been written.

One final note: although I can't deny that I'd *like* to see them completely obliterate everything that happens here via the time travel schtick, in all honesty, I have to admit that that would be the ultimate in cheesiness. You dug this hole yourselves, guys; you can't just fly out of it because it finally dawned on you that it wasn't such a good idea after all.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Abrubt Ending
Review: I really liked this particular book. I think it is an excellent follow up on "Dragons of a Fallen Sun" and It never let you put it down. One thing I didn't like however was the abrubt ending of the book. I was reading and I turn the page to find nothing and was sorely disappointed, which I guess is a good thing because they made it so I wanted to keep reading. This is why I gave this book 5 stars.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: ...HE will return...
Review: OH MY RAISTLIN!!!... I mean, OH MY GOD!!! (I get those two confused sometimes...) I just came back from Borders and I am in shock! Why Laurana? Why have practically all of the original companions had to meet such tragic demises? Oh, and I don't want to get off on a rant here but now that "The One God" has been revealed, Raistlin will HAVE to come back and destroy this pathetic immortal; and NOT to "save the world" (I say that dripping with sarcasm) but to show that HE should be the one to rule Krynn. Keep those pompous dragons in line and show Mr. Dark Elf (Dalamar)how to REALLY bring magic back to Krynn. Well, I'm done ranting; I guess that I now have to wait A WHOLE YEAR to find out when the best character in all of Deragonlance's history will return in all his glory!!!... thank you.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is a great read for the avid fans of the Dragonlance Saga. It was very hard to put down, and I found that it traveled with me everywhere I went until I finished it. It is definatly worth owning!


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