Rating: 
Summary: Well of Darkness is a Work of Art
Review: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's new novel, Well of Darkness, is a wonderful departure from what we are used to seeing from the duo by way of their fantasy novels. Famous for their DragonLance books, Weis and Hickman explore the dark underside of court intrigue and politics in Well of Darkness.Well of Darkness tells the story of how a young prince, Dagnarus, lets jealousy and hate rule his life, eventually turning him into the bane of his family, friends and country. Weis and Hickman skillfully relate a story that is both compelling and frustrating at the same time. The story begins with Dagnarus as a young boy, who wishes to one day become king. He knows that it isn't possible since he is the younger son of a second marriage and that his half-brother is in line for the throne. His whipping boy, Gareth, is the young prince's only companion and friend, and with his help, Dagnarus begins to learn of the terrible and forbidden secrets of Void magic. As they grow into men, Dagnarus becomes a mighty warrior while Gareth delves deeper into the arcane Void lore at the behest of his Prince. Dagnarus' ambitions to become king come to full blossom and he determines that the best course of action is to first become a Dominion Lord, a paladin of light, like his brother. His reasoning is that a king must be a strong warrior so that he can protect his people. Helmos, Dagnarus' elder brother and the Crown Prince of Vinnengael, in Dagnarus' eyes, is weak, with his nose always pressed firmly into a book. The young prince believes that if he can become a Dominion Lord, that he will have more than enough credentials to usurp his brother and become king. During this whole time, momentous events are happening around the world, and the Kingdom of Vinnengael is at the center. King Tamaros, the father of Helmos and Dagnarus, is trying to forge a lasting peace and understanding between the Elves, Orks, Humans and Dwarves. Each have their own personal agendas, and distrust among them runs high. Assassination, missed opportunities, and intrigue all plague the king's attempts, and that's not counting the rivalry between his sons at home. How does all of this end up? Does Dagnarus become a Dominion Lord, and then King of Vinnengael? Does Helmos retain his position as rightful heir? And what about Gareth and his dark discoveries? In all honesty, I don't want to give away the ending. I can say though that the finale to Well of Darkness is absolutely earth shattering!
Rating:
Summary: One of their best yet...
Review: Once in a great while, you find a book that turns conventionsal fantasy on its ear. Well of Darkness does just that, but to explain how would be a grave injustice to the reader. The World of Loerem is one that must be explored. What it borrows from the traditions of Tolkien and classic fantasy it quickly makes its own. Not since Death Gate, have Weis and Hickman produced such an ambitious tale, full of evocative imagery, strange and alluring races, and powerful characters. As the title implies, there is a dark quality we do not often see in their work. Weis and Hickman have proven that they aren't afraid to take heroic fantasy out of its pristine, plastic packaging. They succeed in showing us the dark side of the human soul, without preaching and without the needless and overbearing sex and violence that so many fantasy authors fall prey to. What remains is a dynamic story of human nature, where no soul is purely good nor evil. If you've ever been a Weis & Hickman fan, take the opportunity to read this book. If you've never read Weis & Hickman, this is a wonderful place to begin.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad, but not Great either
Review: With Weis and Hickman being the authors, I was looking forward to this book (series). While it by no means is a bad story, I really wasn't all that impressed. It was good enough for me to follow up by reading the following two books, but there are many other books I would reccomend for reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad at all. ;)
Review: Well of Darkness is the first novel in The Sovereign Stone Trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It takes place in the kingdom of Vinnengael, where the young Prince Dagnarus acquires Gareth to be his whipping boy. The two grow up together, while vastly different in personality they still become close friends. Dargnarus' father, the King Tamaros, is caught up with court affairs: in the search for peace, he communes with the Gods, who give him the Sovereign Stone, a four-piece stone to share with the other three major races of the world. The years pass by, and Dagnarus grows to be a man. Gareth is now studying to be a magus in the Temple, but secretly dabbles in the ancient and illegal art of Void Magic -- forced upon him at the age of ten by the young headstrong Prince. Dagnarus has his eye on the throne, even though it means the death of his father and his elder brother, the Crowned Prince. He also seeks to become a Dominion Lord, a position granted by the Gods to one worthy of keeping peace, something the military-minded Dagnarus is not suited for. I enjoyed this book, although it was a bit slow at the start, while it was setting up each race and their ways of living. Humans, elves, orken, and dwarves are the main populace in this novel. I read it in about a day, and it did contain a few worthy quotes and laughable jokes. This series came from the mind of Larry Elmore, a fantasy artist, and seems to have been influenced by Weis and Hickman's Darksword Trilogy, as they bear many similarities. I very much look forward to starting the second installment, Guardians of the Lost, because this first tale ended off in a very curious way that I am eager to see how it will be resolved.
Rating:
Summary: This is some good stuff.
Review: I was somewhat involved with the Sovereign Stone project (Game Master's Screen), but I never got a chance to look at the novel, not until now. If you've ever read Margaret and Tracy's work and fallen in love with it (Dragonlance, Deathgate, Darksword), I think you will find this book a welcome return to the excellent storytelling that first made this duo great. The characters are vibrant and alive and, after a time, complex. The setting is well-drawn. The style is entertaining, the mood somewhat dark but without being depressing. It harkens back to the Darksword in many ways, with just a sprinkling of Dragonlance to make it heroic. If I had but one wish, that would be that the remaining books in the series be released a little sooner than promised.
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Summary: The Beginning of one of their best
Review: If you like their work you will love this trilogy. I was unable to put the second book down and was sorry to finish the third. I did not want the epic to end. One of their best!
Rating:
Summary: Step Into The Darkness...
Review: First, a warning for the Dragonlance fans: This book isn', at all, like Dragonlance. Dragonlance was a merry, optimistic tale, filled with light and love. Even in the darkest parts of it, and there are many, it's never too dark. That's not the situation here.
Weis and Hickman takes their amazing talent of storytelling into new realms. Their incredible way of building characters in a way that they'll look real, is working great in this book. You find that you are happy when the heroes win and unhappy when they lose. You identify with them. The problem is that the heroes are not the good characters of the book, they are the villians. And so, you find yourself torn between the good characters, which you know a lot about, but they're not the main heroes, and the heroes, which you've accompanied all the way, and feel that you know them, even likes them. In the middle there's the Wheeping-boy, who is torn by exactly the same dilema as you are, and you are always eager to see what he decides to do. All around the characters there is a wonderfully built, amazingly detailed world, and an original, complicated and sophisticated plot, that makes it impossible to lay the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: First off, I'm a true Weis and Hickman fan, I love almost all their works except perhaps Rose of the Prophet which is a bit uneven, but I digress ;-) This book starts slow, runs slow, and ends slow. It reads like an entire book of prologue and indeed it is, as the 2nd and 3rd books take place decades later. Go back and reread Dragonlance Chronicles or Legends or even the Darksword trilogy and you'll know what I'm talking about. This book is by far the worst that they have written. That said, it is at least on par with Terry Goodkind (but that's another review for another day--talk about overrated!) 3 Stars because it's Weis and Hickman...really 2 stars though
Rating:
Summary: Really Good Book
Review: I've got only two small nits with this book. First, the characters seem to be somewhat stilted in behavior. However, it's very possible this is just a function of the genre. It's not all that bad, but it is noticeable. Second, throughout the book, Good is usually depicted as being somewhat stupid, and Evil is not necessarily portrayed as bad, but instead is portrayed as somewhat clever. I guess it's a philosophical difference between me and the authors (or what they're trying to do with this series). Overall, though, the book is still very well done. I enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Slow start and development, although the end makes up for it
Review: The book in itself is a good one, although i found that until page 200 (more or less) nothing happens!! We get a lot of info on the two leading man, and by the end of it you can guess what has happened... After saying that, I still think that once that stage is passed the book really kicks off. leaving you thrilled and wanting more. The rough start is made up with a great end!!
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