Rating: Summary: Retains the Tradition and Quality of the series Review: I have read this book in one sitting. Truly, this saga is one of the best I have read in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. It was always sad to see one or two of the original companions go. And I admit,the first time I read the series, I had doubts that these new set of heroes (Gilthas, Gerard, Odilla, Gandar, Silvanoshei) will live up to the original companions.The answer. Yes they do. Tanis is reborn in in Gilthas. Sturm in Gerard. Goldmoon in Odilla. Kaz in Gandar. But, we need more of Tas and Flint. Hopefully, in the future, we'll see the world of Krynn in wide-screen. Do you think the balance was maintained? What do you think happened to Dalamar, Palin, and Mina? And of course, the exiled elf?
Rating: Summary: Another great series by Weis and Hickman Review: I really enjoyed this triology. It's been many many years since I first read the Chronicles and Legends series, and War of Souls rekindled my interest in and fondness for the Dragonlance universe. I can see the point of some of the critics here that there are some loose ends in the plot, some intentional and some not. The most obvious example of an intentional loose end is the one-page mention of the minotaur invasion of Silvanesti. This is obviously laying the groundwork for a spinoff series. Personally, I wasn't too offended by what same are characterizing as crass commercialism; I figure there's a lot going on in the Dragonlance universe, and we can't expect EVERYTHING to be covered in this one little trilogy. But overall, I thought the plot was well crafted. The scenes involving dragons -- the destruction of Qualinost, the battle against Malys -- are among the most memorable in the series. I loved the verbal exchanges between Gerard and Odila and Silver and Razor. Yeah, Tas' character is starting to get a little worn from use, but I didn't mind seeing him in (hopefully) his final performance. At the risk of going off on a tanget, I just finished reading the Sovereign Stone trilogy, and ick. Weis and Hickman are masters of the Dragonlance universe -- and they should stay there!
Rating: Summary: Dragonlance Forever Review: As Takhisis is revealed to the heroes things start turning grim. A perfect ending to an imperfect world. This book is great. It ties up all loose ends but leaves a lot of extras for the future. The ending is a shock but not unexpected in such a world. As always Margaret and Tracy deliver. The book is perfectly written with the usual madness of the kenders and the unexpected twists and turns of the plot. Once again these two writers prove that they are Dragonlance and nobody else can step to the plate.
Rating: Summary: All I can say is this... THE END Review: Being a fan of the original six books and all the characters within, I had but one hope for the War of the Souls. That Tas would go back in time, get squished, and undue the whole bitter nonsense that was the 5th Age (ala post DOAFS). If you dont want to know, dont read any more...Did that happen, NO. Although the end was in true Weis/Hickman style with the fall of the One God and the Sacrafice that made it possible (Fizban), where will avid fans go from here? Minotaurs ruling Krynn, just not that exciting. I have always rushed to read the new stuff W/H added to Dragonlance and was disappointed after Fallen Sun, but I did keep going into WOTS, it was good overall, but in the end I feel this way. Im done with dragonlance. Someone likened it to the end of Phantom Menace, I liken it more to the end of Return of the Jedi, Vader is redeamed (ala Raist) and while you could go one, I cant think of one good reason to. Everything is pretty much wrapped up from the beginning, the six books that got us all into Dragonlance to begin with. There isnt anything left to say, the story has its end, and with that, I know that I will most likely never feel need to buy another Dragonlance novel again. While the story may go on, the characters with whom I have walked with in my mind over the decade, have all taken their last bow and have walked from the stage forever...
Rating: Summary: For the Sake of Art, Avoid this Trilogy Review: There's so much to say that it's hard to know where to start. First, the book itself: it's obvious that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman really didn't plan this out from the beginning (ex. Mina's true god turns out to be Takhisis, but in Book One she proclaims that the vision of Takhisis is false-- p.210, hardcover edition). Even ignoring the horrible planning of this book, let's look at the big picture: By and large, the characters are all uninteresting and two-dimensional. Reviving Tasslehoff for this series was as trite as it was stupid, and his overused-- and by now annoying-- presence only adds to the problem. Gone is the compelling poetry of Michael Williams which gave atmosphere to the Chronicles and Legends. Replacing it is repugnantly bad attempts at rhyme and verse, which appears to have been composed by Stan & Jan Berenstain. There's absolutely nothing left to redeem this pitiful farce of a series. The question is, what could compel these authors, who proved their skill with the Chronicles and Legends, to write such a thing? I'm sure that there was a time, long ago, when Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman had a genuine love and respect for the world of Dragonlance. This trilogy shows beyond a doubt that that time is gone forever. I was and still am a huge fan of The Chronicles and The Legends, but I have no more respect for Weis and Hickman. TSR, now Wizards of the Coast, is and always has been solely concerned with money. This was evident from the beginning, as is witnessed by the numerous hack series based on the Chronicles (The Preludes, The Meetings Sextet, The Villains, etc.). But now Wizards of the Coast seems to have gone into overdrive churning out this garbage (Conundrum, The Minotaur Wars, Bertrem's Guide to the War of Souls, etc: Collect Them All!). And now it's time to face the facts: Weis and Hickman have fully descended into the realm of hack authorship. Their characters, once lovingly constructed and developed, are now little more than marionettes whose sole purpose is to fuel the soleless, greedy empire that is Wizards of the Coast. And worst of all, Weis and Hickman willingly and gladly take part in this. If they had any respect whatsoever for their characters and their world, then they would refuse to write anymore Dragonlance books and walk away. As it is, they happily take part in the debasement and downfall of Krynn. That's their choice, but as readers, our choice should be to stop buying the new Dragonlance books and leave Wizards of the Coast, Margaret Weis, and Tracy Hickman, to wallow in their greed.
Rating: Summary: GREAT! Review: Yet another great Novel by Weis and Hickman, everything these two write is solid gold in my book.
Rating: Summary: Not as bad as the reviews are saying! Review: While I won't lead on that this trilogy was as good as Chronicles or Legends, I will state that I absolutely did enjoy it. This book in particular was my favorite of the three in this trilogy. There were several chapters that definitely carried the "can't put it down" tag, such as the battle with Malys. I did not find it predictable at all, and I did find some of the new characters to be well developed and interesting- Gerard, Mirror, Odila, and especially Mina. If I have a real complaint, it would be that they ended the book rather abruptly, leaving some of the story lines somewhat unresolved. Basically, the ending was a bit sloppy. But still- it's worth the read for all Dragonlance fans, even if it's not as special as the early books in the Dragonlance saga.
Rating: Summary: Others slam it, but they weren't all that bad Review: I read Dragonlance novels as a girl but quickly grew past them. I had completely given up reading DL until a friend of mine urged me to try these new books. I didn't want to spend the money but I quickly fell into Weis and Hickman's masterful writing. Mina is a character that I would normally dispise, but she quickly became my favorite character. Though I would agree with the other reviewers on some points, most of the other characters are background fodder and forgettable, and I could not stand Silvanoshei or Gilthas. The Tasselhoff storyline is overused, I actually let out a groan of disappointment. He's in there stories AGAIN??? (don't get me wrong, I love Tas, but enough's enough, they killed him off for crying out loud!! And their excuse about the Time Travelling doesn't cut it, remember at the end of Summer Flame? Tas was with Flint in the afterlife!! Get a new hero!!!) The series was riding on "moments" aka. exciting bits in the storyline like a battle or some such. The series overall was a let down, but the third book I felt, was the best of the three and had plenty of exciting moments to thrive on. But I wouldn't buy it unless you have the other two and are a Dragonlance fan.
Rating: Summary: A AWESOME END TO A GREAT TRILOGY! Review: THIS BOOK WAS A GREAT END TO A WONDERFUL TRILOGY. THE SECOND BOOKWAS SLIGHTLY DISSAPONTING BUT DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU FROM BUYING THIS BOOK. MINA'S STORY LINE TAKES SOME SOMEWHAT UNEXPECTED TWISTS, MAKING HER MUCH DARKER IN THE THIRD BOOK. HER LOYAL SECOND HAND,GALDAR, STARTS HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT THIS "ONE GOD"(YOU FIND OUT THAT THE NAME OF THIS ONE GOD IS VERY FAMERLIER)BUT ALTHOUGTH HE STOPS HAVING FAITH IN THE GOD HE REMAINS LOYAL TO MINA. ODILA PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT PART IN THE LAST BOOK, AS WELL AS RAZOR AND MIRROR, THE SILVER DRAGON. THE KENDER, WHO LIGHTENS UP THE BOOK FREQUENTLY, MAKES A HONORABLE CHOICE THAT ALMOST MADE ME CRY. THE TWO ELEVEN NATIONS COME TO SOME VERY IMPORTANT DECISONS THAT CHANGE THE WAYS OF THE ELVES ALOT. I GREW TO HOPE FOR MINA, THAT SHE WOULD COME OUT STRONG THROUGH THE ODDS AGAINST HER WITH THE ONE GOD. DOES SHE? READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
Rating: Summary: Enough is enough! Review: This is one of the worst books written by Margaret and Tracy. I read Legends and Chronicals quite a long time ago, I marveled how deeply the characters and the world is scruptured, and how serveral story lines intertwin seemlessly. The problems that Tanis, Caramon and Raistlin faces, are things that happens for many people and is consistent with their characters. However, other than perhaps the un-charismatic knight from Solace (name forgotten), most main characters that held threads, like Silvanoshei, Gilthas, the Minotaur and Mina, are one dimensional. The supporting characters like Laurana, Palin, and Dalamar, the female Solamic, and others, are even less: they are simply there to do perhaps one thing or two for the stories, and then they are discarded. Margaret and Tracy are not good writers about wars ever since the Chronicals, but this one is even worse. They used to write a war like a chess game, with a single piece that turn the tide, and others are mere decoration. But at least the goals and why the tide is turned are well established in Chronicles and Legends. I don't even understand why there is a war in the case of the War of Souls, and how the contest of the semi-god (the dragons overlord) with the one god (takhisis) extend to the mortal level. I must admit that their previous work turn the world into something difficult to handle, the dragon overlords are pointless and yet they becomes permanent fixture in the world, and they must write the story to kill them. The mortalization of Paladine and the rise of Sargonnas are the new idiosyncrasies for profit making for the wizards of the coasts. The worse fears that Margaret written in the foreword of legends become true: The story has become a tool of profit and the demands from the publisher stifles their creativity. This story is so bad that I was thinking that I felt Chronicles and Legends are good simply because I was young when I read those. Therefore I read them again recently. The story are relatively simple to those written by authors like George RR Martin, but the charisma is still there. The characters are multi-dimensional and their adventures, and their past, are sense-making. I can summarize Chronicles as this: Through the adventures of the heros, the world is healed by their actions; and in so doing, they grow up and heal themselves from their past. In other words, the main character is the world Krynn, rather than any individual character. There is no such connection in the War of Souls. I recently also start to read the Death Gate Cycle, and the story is not as bad. Therefore I would like to recommend: even if you want to read the work of Margaret and Tracy again, do not follow the dragonlance series as it is a tool to trick your money.
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