Home :: Books :: Science Fiction & Fantasy  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy

Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Dragons of Autumn Twilight

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 .. 31 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Fool me once...
Review: The first time I read this book was about 14 years ago (I was 12 years old) and I remember being completely drawn into the Dragonlance universe. So much so, that I ended up reading many other books about the world of Krynn. Recently, I picked up a copy of this book and got ready to be immersed in a world of fantasy once again. But, this time around, I was very disappointed.

My first disappointment was encountering how very poorly written this book is. And, it is not just this book, but many others in the Dragonlance universe share the same fate. The descriptive words and conversations become a long a string of clichés and overused adjectives. The word "smile" is at least found two or three times on every page, often preceded by the words "crooked" or "half". Weis and Hickman's descriptions often become repetitive; the conversations many times leave the reader feeling diluted or lacking, rarely is there a middle ground. The authors' poor use of language becomes a burden on anyone who can read at a junior high level; so much that it becomes more aggravating to read rather then enjoyable.

The characters are not enjoyable to read about and impossible to connect with on any level. They are stereotypical creations of the D&D gaming world, bound by the limitations that are set in the rules of the game instead of their own personal traits. They quickly become dry and stale and very rarely show any type of personality. The authors' try to paint pretty pictures of emotion and character depth in this book, but more often then not, this attempt fails and is quickly forgotten about.

The plot is actually the only redeeming factor about this series but is quickly brought to its knees by other faults. The world of Krynn has the potential to be a well-developed world, which has depth, detail, and could captivate any reader. Unfortunately, what it doesn't have is authors who know how to write it.

Overall, the book is probably better suited to younger readers, probably no older then 15. The characters often act like teenagers, which is what probably drew me in to the Dragonlace world many years ago. The maturity of the characters was something I could relate to. I would rate this book 1 star, but since it entertained me once, it should get another for effort.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I loved this one when i was 13
Review: I remmeber this book was the most amazing tale when i was a kid. I read it recently, and i was a bit taken aback by how easy it was to fly through. Maybe its a bit Harry Potteresque. For a kid, the characters jump out of the pages and take you into the world with them. I dont think ive ever been as encapsulated in a story ever again. I remmeber at the end of the 3rd book crying and crying because i felt all my freinds had just died. Sad eh?

The one disturbing this i heard was the authors are Mormons, and the stuff about "the true gods" is them trying to push their religion is a kind of abstract way.

This may also be complete rubbish.

Anyway, i couldnt bring myslef to give it anything but 5 stars, as it pretty much was the defining series of my childhood.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I read, I like.....or do I?
Review: Dragons of autumn twilight was a good story, but the writing style was NOT that impressive. There was no character development and no character emotion put into the characters (I am speaking in general). The beginning of the story went by so fast, putting them in a different place almost every single chapter, and the places were not very cool.

I gave the book three stars because of, what I said in the first sentence, it was good story. Not the main story line of the eight or nine travlers (with exceptions, Raistlin), but the story of the whole world. The gods which almost destoryed the world, children's tale's coming true, evil lurking all around the world, and the dark mystery which is Raistlin. All these elements made me keep turning the pages.

If you are looking for a fun easy action adventure to read this is your book.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: One of those read-when-your-bored books
Review: I must say that I was slightly disapointed in this book.I decided to read it after hearing about it in an online chat. After a chapter or two, I realized I'd hurd this story before...several times. Elves, dwarves, little people-it's all been down before. The charectors had flimsy and unoriganal personalities, the plot was somewhat random and disorderly. Don't get me wrong, it had it's good points(who doesn't like a good sword fight every now and then) It just lacked the basic spark of imagination that makes fantasy novels so wonderful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: oo yeah (put's book down during 4th read) writing review!!!
Review: I'm virtually speechless where Dragons of Autumn Twilight, by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman, is concerned. I'm just beginning to read it... for the fourth time... if that says anything about how good it is. I guess I'll lay it down in order.

1. Amazing Characterization- Weis and Hickman describe, but not over describe their characters. You get to know them gradually and aren't told things about them directly. For example Flint is allergic to horses, this is never told to the reader directly by the author but in the very first chapter Flint sneezes and a horse rides out of the brush, again he sneezes constantly during a wild ride with a herd of centaurs. Also the characters are not completely 'good' with maybe the exception of Strum, the Knight. Raistlin has evil tendencies, and Caramon will do anything, and I mean everything, to protect his brother. Some characters you don't 'meet' in this book. But they are spoken of excellently so that when you meet them you feel as if you knew them already. This is probably the best part of this book. The people within it are like real people. They have limits and fears and problems just like the rest of us... well, theirs consist of dragons and evil gods but you get the idea.
2. (I'm only on 2 ?!? I'll make them shorter I promise)Beautiful Setting- Very, nice places are in this book and though I love Tolkein he does get a bit long winded on setting. You can tell that Weis and Hickman know Krynn. They describe very well the quirks of this land. It is a real place when you read, every detail you can imagine and it's wonderous to be able to see such a place in your mind.
3. Devious Plot- I loved the way this book flows. Each event rolled into the next and it never got too cliche for me. Sure, it started in a tavern but what good adventure story doesnt begin around ale? The book was riddled with smaller conflicts all adding to a general build fully emcomapassed by the 3 books of the DragonLance Chronicles. The mortal villans are believeable in their actions and motives and the immortals have motives that are just as power-hungry as the mortal villan's and their descicions are just as fickle it seems.

To wrap this rant/review up... I highly recommend this book... I enjoyed it so much the first time i read it again and the best part is that each time i read it i come to appreciate the true art that it is... Don't pass this by it's more than worth the $7.99 I paid for it and you can probably get it cheaper online so bonus!
Alrighty, enjoy

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beginning of an epic
Review: This is the very first installment in the beautiful and tortured world of Krynn. The Gods have long since abandoned mankind, and they are struggling through an age of ignorance and superstition, with each race distrustful and ignorant of each other. Things have remained unchanged for centuries.

Until now. Dragons, the creatures of myth, have returned to Ansalon and bring with them a dire threat, the return of Takhisis: the Queen of Darkness. Fate has now thrust the destiny of a world onto the shoulders of a band of adventurers and rogues as diverse as they are intriguing. Characters like Tanthalas Half-Elven, Caramon and Raistlin Majere, Sturm Brightblade, Flint Fireforge, and Tasslehoff Burfoot are all very well developed and now, almost twenty years after their creation, fantasy icons.

"The Dragons of Autumn Twilight" is a great fantasy/adventure story that really keeps the pages turning. Although there are some of the usual D&D cliches, there's enough originality and great action to make this well worth your time to read. In recent years, the Dragonlance Saga has really gone downhill, with books being cranked out for cash-flow, but the original trilogies in the series are excellent and served to pave the way for the later successes of series such as "The Forgotten Realms" and "Ravenloft". Weiss and Hickman have penned a now classic series, and granted it will never challenge Mr. Tolkein, but for fantasy lovers this is a must read.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An average fantasy epic...so far
Review: Yet another long epic fantasy book, Weiss and Hickman's first entry in their Dragonlance series has nothing new to offer fantasy fans. The abundant cliches are only outnumbered by the large group of uninteresting characters that undertakes a journey that's already been taken countless times before.
The plot revolves around a core group of adventurers: a half-elf/half-man leader, a hobbit-like thief, a mysterious magician, his warrior twin, an out-dated knight, a pair of barbarian lovers, and a grumpy dwarf. They undertake a quest to stop an evil cleric who, under the command of the Queen of Darkness, has started a war between good and evil.
A large problem with this book is that their are too many characters. Along with the main eight characters, many more join in the quest. By the end, there are about thirteen heroes to keep track of. Unfortunately, this ridiculous number leads to some dull character development, as if the two authors ran out of personalities to write. Instead of turning into three-dimensional characters that we would care about, each character only has a few traits. For example, Tanis the leader doesn't like to fight. Sturm the knight is always suspicious of Raistlin the magician. Caramon the warrior is always hungry. I found Sturm to be a pointless character who was almost identical to Caramon. One trait that I found to be annoying was the fact that everyone was quite fearful most of the time. Though it was more realistic having the group be afraid of the dangers they faced, reading about how scared each character was everytime they entered a dark cave took the excitement out of the book. Even Tas, a character who lacked the emotion of fear, seemed scared at times.
Weiss and Hickman try to incorporate some originality into their group of adventurers. Instead of being close friends, everyone in the group mistrusts each other and bicker over one another. However, this book has far too many fantasy cliches that aren't put to good use. Flint the dwarf is identical to the dwarf from R. A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels or Gimli from "The Lord of the Rings". The heroes' leader conveniently finds a magic sword that can slay dragons. Elves are mistrustful of all other species, dragons are large and in charge, and an evil goddess is the main villian. It seemed as if the authors were using these cliches as rules to write their book, causing the end product to seen like another by-the-numbers fantasy.
There were some elements that made this book far from dreadful. Raistlin, the dark magician, is the most interesting character by far. He could easily carry a full story on his own. Other interesting characters were Fizban, the bumbling mage and Tas, the lovable kender. The action is well done and fast-paced. I hated the draconians, however, and found myself wishing for ogres or more goblins.
Compared to Salvatore's Dark Elf series, this is a weak start for a trilogy of books. The only reason I'm going to read the next installment is because I had a little case of impulse buying and bought the next trilogy of books in the series, so I have to finish the first trilogy before I can go on. I'd rather reread "The Crystal Shard".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A book of epic proportions
Review: For everyone searching for the roots of the Dragonlance series, it all started here. Dragons of Autumn Twilight holds in it a kind of inarticulate "magic" that compels many readers to continue on through the series. The characters are developed with immaculate detail. By the end of the book, a reader can feel a sense of familiarity to each of the characters. The plot itself is but a drop in a bucket when it comes to the world of Dragonlance, albeit the story is full of exciting conflicts and personal quests. This enthralling, innovative novel is a must read for all fantasy fans.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hooked on Dragonlance!
Review: OK,yes, the magical fantasy world thing has been done before, but never like this.Wies and Hickman have a wonderful way of putting you right in the middle of the action. The story is complex and detailed. It leaves you wanting to know more about the world of Krynn and it's inhabitants. The charectors are complex too-from the grim and slightly evil mage, Raistlin to the light-hearted kender, Tasselhoff Burrfoot (my personal favorite). This story isn't all blood and battle either-there's also love and friendship and brotherhood. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoyes fantasy/science fiction novels. I know you'll enjoy it-it certainly has me hooked!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ok...
Review: It's a really good book, but is it just me, or was it the same ol' stuff over and over throughout the entire book. These are great authors, and this is the book that they fall short on...to me anyway. I suggest reading it, but it's not a classic.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 .. 31 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates