Rating: 
Summary: Excelent
Review: Imagine yourself on a world torn into three pieces. Then imagine yourself as a Human, Elf, or Geg, a dwarf-like person. You for the first time see another species. This person, though, just happened to be one of the demi-gods thrown into the Labyrinth, a jail for these Patryns. He is one of the fist to escape it and is bent upon the destrucion of the oppressors who put him there. But he happens to think that you might be one of them or know where one is. This is how the reader is thrown into this dramitic tale of adventure. As you read, the elaborate story unfolds and you simply cannot put the book down. Once finished with this book one must rush out to buy the next in the series
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant book, stand alone or as part of a series
Review: I read quite a bit of fantasy, but never felt a strong desire to read this one; I mistakenly thought it to be more Sci-fi than Fantasy. However, I came across Dragon Wing at a garage sale, it sat around the house for a while, and one day on a whim, I picked it up. Other than popping online to order the rest of the books and a couple of bathroom breaks, I do not think I quit reading until I had finished. The characters are amazingly rendered, and true to life. I enjoy a book like this that you can read and enjoy as a stand-alone title, but has sequels so if you cannot get enough there is more story! Highly recommended to all fantasy fans, I find this a slight cut above most current fantasy in this "POST-Harry Potter" world. The story is dramatic, action packed and a bit more REAL than most of the fluff I have read lately. 5/5
Rating:
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: Great book BUT BE WARNED
Review: Having just finished the final book (the seventh Gate) i am extremely pleased with this book.
When you start this book you probably are just expecting a non chalant novel...BUT NO this book really goes deeper and deeper into a immense storyline that will instantly get you hooked.
when my friend showed me this book i was just like "oh yea i guess ill read it", by thre time i finished the first book i was begging him for the next one and the next one and on and on until i finished the whole series.
so all in all
if you dont want to get into immense stories that just are mind blowing and you dont have that much time for it then dont get it, otherwise enjoy this book to te fullest becauae it is so far the best i have read.
Rating:
Summary: Will read the entire series!
Review: At first I was daunted when I looked at the map at the beginning of this book (it's quite involved and complicated) - but I read the the prologue anyway and was hooked. The characters are well developed (though some mystery is left to be unraveled, presumably in future installments) as is the world in which the book is set. The story flows well and includes an interesting blend of races in different societal settings. Normally even good books will have some trait that annoys me. I couldn't find one in this book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Rating:
Summary: You gotta read this one.
Review: I first read Dragon Wing when I was in high school, my first real fantasy novel second to the Hobbit. Since then, I've read Dragon Wing two additional times, and each time has been better than the first. This time around, now that I have the complete collection of all 7 Death Gate novels, I plan to read them straight through. What I have found very impressive with this book is that each time I read it, I have a better understanding of the world that has been created, and it makes more sense than the first or second time I read through it. Though I'm reluctant to compare anything to Tolkien, I would have to say that the Death Gate Cycle comes real close to being a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the story does tend to get a little choppy near its end with many a misspelled word and grammatical errors. Whereas that alone is not enough to kill a story, it does tend to draw away from it, sort of as if Weis and Hickman were getting edgy to hurry up and finish and move on to the next in the series. Still, definately worth a read (or two or three).
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I love this book soo much! I liked how the book sometimes changed character focus, it gave the REader some ide a of what everyone thought of situations. Haplo was my favorite character, he was portrayed in a way that made me really like him and want to know what happened with him (even though he's slightly evil). The new worlds that the authors made are spectacular! Very creative and interesting to read about. There are 4: Air, Water, Fire, and Stone. This book takes place in Arianus, the Air World.
Haplo is a "Patryn", a man of an ancient race who controls rune magic. He's sent to Arianus by his Lord, the Lord of the Nexus (also a Patryn), to wreak chaos there ... to pave the way for his Lord's world domination. He meets a Geg (a.k.a. dwarf) who's a rebel leader, an cunning but honorable assassin named Hugh the Hand, a manipulative "prince" named Bane, and Alfred - who Haplo later discovers has a big secret.
I found the middle through the end really really exciting, just in the way to make you want to pick up the next book as quickly as possible...parts of the beginning aren't as exciting, though some of it is. As a whole, Dragon Wing, has a certain je'ne se quoi (can't spell that: jeh-nuh-say-quaw).
It is a definite must-read. Readers will find that the books get even better as you get deeper in the series (I think there are seven) the next one is Elven Star.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant book, stand alone or as part of a series
Review: I read quite a bit of fantasy, but never felt a strong desire to read this one; I mistakenly thought it to be more Sci-fi than Fantasy. However, I came across Dragon Wing at a garage sale, it sat around the house for a while, and one day on a whim, I picked it up. Other than popping online to order the rest of the books and a couple of bathroom breaks, I do not think I quit reading until I had finished. The characters are amazingly rendered, and true to life. I enjoy a book like this that you can read and enjoy as a stand-alone title, but has sequels so if you cannot get enough there is more story! Highly recommended to all fantasy fans, I find this a slight cut above most current fantasy in this "POST-Harry Potter" world. The story is dramatic, action packed and a bit more REAL than most of the fluff I have read lately. 5/5
Rating:
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: 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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