Rating:  Summary: Dark, Wonderous World with No Real Hero Review: I thought the Well of Darkness was a unique fantasy story with many new twists to some of the old races, like dwarves and elves, but there was no real *star* in the book that I liked. The characters were either annoyingly good, or evil enough that I felt like killing them myself. All in all, I am glad I got the book from my local library, instead of buying it right away like I considered. I think the book is worth a read and even a re-read, but I would wait to buy it in the paperback form. Hopefully the second book will introduce some characters I can begin to care about, like the outstanding Death Gate series that Weis and Hickman wrote.
Rating:  Summary: A dark novel. Review: Over all a good book. It shows how good people can go bad and bad people can get worse! There are a lot of politics involved which slows down the story a little. It was the darkness of the book that intrigued me. Even darker than Dark Heart.
Rating:  Summary: Well Written Fantasy Review: I always look forward to a new book by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I've been fans of theirs since their early DragonLance days. This book was no exception. The beginning of this book did move along rather slowly, but for me, learning about the world and the races made up for that. After the book got going, I found myself lost in it. I eagerly await the next book in the series.
Rating:  Summary: Reads like a Handbook for the Game Review: This book is slow and ponderous. It feels like a history book with too much narrative and very little interaction between the characters involved. The only thing keeping this from a lower rating is that it is the first book in the series. Even so, the pace is drawn out and the action is few and far in between. Unlike their previous series, the story does not really flesh out. The background into the politics between the human and other races does help to make the reader understand the world in which the story is set, but it also makes the reading dull and boring. Not until the very end does it redeems itself and picks up the pace. The time will also flash by very quickly. From boys to young adults within a chapter was an abrupt change. But at least the story is set and the next two books in the trilogy can focus more on the story than the background. I guess this is to be expected since the book was released with the game. However, this foray is a far cry from their previous outstanding works. Hopefull, the next book will re-charge the magic the authors have.
Rating:  Summary: Not a typical game knockoff Review: I expect the worst when I read a novel based on a game system. Too often, we have heros hacking their way through dungeons and picking up gold. WELL OF DARKNESS delves into people (including non-human people), lets us sympathize both with those following good and those following evil, and integrates a complete look into the history of its world and its people without stepping out of the story line.
Rating:  Summary: Back in form Review: It's been awhile (in this reviewer's humble opinion) since Weis and Hickman were going on all four cylinders. I would date their last truly fine work all the way back to the last volume in the Death Gate Cycle. No worries though, this new trilogy has tons of promise. Well of Darkness has lots of great characterization, many fresh twists, and all of the great world-building that one expects from a quality Weis-Hickman novel. Additionally, I loved the grim overall tone of the novel, a tone that let's you know early on that this isn't your typical fantasy, and that really anything can happen to any character at any time (and boy does it). The only thing that keeps this book at four stars is that I felt it could have been fleshed out in areas (in some parts, particularly when the book would leap forward many years, I felt as if I was missing some important stuff that was laying on an editor's floor somewhere). However, this is still a great read, and an awesome start to their new series.
Rating:  Summary: The Well Runs Dry Review: The institution of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have produced in Well of Darkness the beginnings of a promising series. Though I didn't like the new take on Dwarves and the new take on Orcs, the Elven society is interesting enough to make up for them. As for the story, there isn't one until the final seventy-five pages. Up to that point, the book reads like a role-playing game guide... and, that's kind of what it is, having been simultaneously released with the Sovereign Stone gaming system. As readers of fantasy know, Margaret and Tracy aren't Tolkein split in half; but they're not schlock-king Piers Anthony either. Well of Darkness is long and somewhat boring, but ends in a way that seems to hint... hey, the next one's gonna be really good. And believe me, good or not, the next one will be very different, as the town of Vinnengael and its Dominion Lords are turned completely upside down. I'm tempted to bump this review up to three just out of curiousity.
Rating:  Summary: Good fantasy Review: King Tamaros of Vinnengael wants peace to rule everywhere, even through the portals that link the human plane to the realms of Elven, Orken, and Dwarves. To that end, Tamaros request the Gods create the Sovereign Stone. However, Tamaros is blind to ambition within his own household. His second son, Dagnarus, immediately wants to become the next monarch. Not only is his father in the way, Dagnarus' older brother the compassionate scholarly Helmos is next in line. To that end, Dagnarus forces his loyal servant Gareth to become a practitioner of the forbidden void magic. When his father dies, Dagnarus with Gareth at his side is set to plunge four realms into chaotic war so he can grab the human throne and rule over the three non-human domains if necessary through forbidden magic and the Sovereign Stone. The first book in the Sovereign Stone trilogy, WELL OF DARKNESS, is a well-written fantasy novel that fans of the role playing game will fully enjoy. The story line offers nothing new, but is entertaining due to the detailed descriptions of the three non-human realms especially the elves. The main characters never feel real as their traits retain a game-like extreme. D&D fans and other fantasy game players will take pleasure from reading this tale as authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman continue to successfully transform games into likable novels. Harriet Klausner
Rating:  Summary: I liked it! Review: I liked this book. It is more mature than the DragonLance novels. I was in high school when I read the DragonLance Chronicles and I feel that they were written with a person of that age in mind. Now, as an adult, I find that Weis and Hickman have evolved their writing style so that it is more mature, but still entertaining to the readers that they won over fifteen years ago. Well of Darkness is filled with intrigue, betrayal, treachery, love, and ambition. It is a strong mix, but Weis and Hickman pull it off.
Rating:  Summary: Slow to start, but a strong finish. Review: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are by far two of the most well known, beloved fantasy writers of our time. Which is why it is no surprise that The Sovereign Stone Game System elected to jump-start the system with a trilogy written by Margaret and Tracy. I also suspect that Margaret Weis being one of the creators had something to do with this decision as well. Also, looking at the past success of the Dragonlance novels and what overwhelming interest those novels sparked in the Dungeons and Dragons gaming system it seems like the best move to make. The first half of the book was relatively slow. It concentrated mainly on character and world building. While being interesting it's not overly exciting, so the book doesn't have the typical Weis and Hickman alure that their other series seem to have. However, once the reader is familar with the world and the characters the action and intensity magnify until you can't put the book down! The same phenomenon happened to me when undertaking the Death Gate Cycle. The first book was so new and different it took some time to get into the story. I realize I haven't mentioned much about the content of the book, but the other reviews cover much of that. This book finishes strong and even though it cuts all of the loose ends by the last page there is still a hook that leaves the reader longing for more. The second book can't come out soon enough in my opinion. I highly recommend this book and I wish The Sovereign Stone Game System much success.
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