Search for Power

Rating:
Summary: A few clever stories amid the mediocrity
Review: As seems to be the case with these collections published by Dragonlance, many of these short stories are told just for their surprise endings. And in many cases these twists make for a very memorable and quirky tale. However, a surprise ending can't save a dull plot and lackluster storytelling.

Among the gems in this work are Knaak's minotaur-esque study in 'Loyalty;' Jeff Grubb's off-beat gnomish concoction that begins, "It was raining pianos in Flotsam" (how can you beat an intro like that?), and Thompson's macabre 'Box.' There are some entertaining yarns by Dan Willis (Lake of Death), Douglas Clark (The Dragonslayers), and Jean Rabe (Inventory).

With the remaining 8 stories, mediocrity sets in. One or two aren't so bad (e.g. Chamber's 'At the Water's Edge'), but some are decidedly unreadable or horrible ('Wyrm's Claw Inn' by Horner and Soulban's 'Marine Skies'), and 2 I didn't even contend with (Niles' 'Albino' and Stein's 'Coin of Adament').

The 6 or so decent tales are worth the read, but with nearly 8 weak stories out of 14 total, you have to ask yourself whether the book is worth it.