Rating: 
Summary: I'm sorry, but this was awful!!!
Review: Truth to say, I couldn't stand it. This is a book best suited to readers 9-10 years of age. Why did Jean Rabe get the contract to write this??????
Rating: 
Summary: Dawning of a New Age doesn't make the grade
Review: I have the Fifth Age game and I have this book and I can at least say the Fifth Age has a good game system! This book is very pathetic. For starters, many of the characters - Blister, for example - have little to no substance in the later chapters. There isn't any more "magic" to DragonLance anymore - all of us old-timer DragonLance fans were mystified by Astinus, who lived forever writing history; the Three Orders of Magic, which mystified us all; the isolanist and hidden world of elves and the creative world of gnomes. None of that is in this book. Instead, we have a "new" magic where anyone could waltz in and learn. Malystryx and the other Dragons, while impressive foes, weren't nearly as terrifying as the Dragonarmies under Lord Ariakan. Palin Majere seems to combine Raist and Caramon with none of the faults. Many characters are spoofs of older characters. I still love DragonLance, and I hope Jean Rabe can turn things around the next novel - however slim the chance may be.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent front cover, pity about the content.
Review: A dissappointing continuation of a fantastic series. But a must read for people (like me) who require closure.
Rating:
Summary: DragonLance? Yeah, I remember that...
Review: This book is absolutely pathetic; no more than a cheezy spin-off of an otherwise classic series. Souless characters, no plot to speak of, and written in a style I'd expect of a third grader. Seems TSR will do anything for a few bucks now-a-days. This might be good if you're six...might. Avoid!
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as bad as some say!
Review: The characters are an interesting bunch. They do, however, lack the specialised personalities Weis and Hickman have given theirs. The story is nevertheless very interesting. I was surprised a couple of times, by what happened next. The sequence of events do not come accross as being bunched together but rather as events one leading to another. I would like to see that the personalities and character of the individuals are explored a bit more. I found the ending rather exciting and also found that I had an urge to go out and look for the next title of the trilogy. A worth-while read.
Rating: 
Summary: A great new book for the Dragonlance world. A must read!
Review: IF you have read this book, and did not like it then stop right here. If you haven't read it, listen up! I have been waiting for more books that center on powerful dragons and adventurers out to stop them for a while. Most of the other books center on the war of the lances and feuds between the gods and such. This book keeps you interested with action and deception, while introducing some new characters and baddies such as spawn. Spawn being a mix of draconian shape with powers of a chromatic dragon and a human mind. This book rocks! After reading it I literaly went to every bookstore I saw, trying to find the sequel which hadn't been published yet. (I went to 7 bookstores in 3 states. That's how good this book is!) Jean Rabe should make many more books in the series to keep people like me sane! I am still mindlessly awaiting the next book in the series, The Eve of the Maelstrom. If you have read this one and liked it, make sure you check out The Day of the Tempest which is the second book in the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: "Dawning" symbolizes twilight of Dragonlance Saga
Review: This books is by far one of the worst Dragonlance novels yet written. The fifth age is as unintersting as it could have possibly been made. The characters are all cheesy "bizarro" rip offs of the original companions. Let's face it, with the possible exception of Richard A Knaak, no one but Weis and Hickman seems to be able to write a Dragonlance novel worth a damn....."Summer Flame" was a good enough ending for the series. Please god just let it die now, while it still has some dignity. Maybe Wizards of the Coast will do us all a favor and have Jean Rabe sent down to the basement to edit press releases or something. This might be worth reading if you're twelve or dyslexic....
Rating:
Summary: The world of Krynn remains magical, despite appearances
Review: The legend of Krynn continues on in this latest installment of Dragonlance. Despite their best efforts, the writers managed to keep ol' Krynn spinning and pumping out new adventures, and adventurers. The action and storytelling combine nicely in this book, keeping the reader's imagination nicely vivid. I'm glad that it was felt necessary to keep some of the old cast around, though I must admit, I'm really waiting for Raistlin to pop his metallic face up again. Palin makes quite the advisor in his old age, and I can see him remaining so quite easily. Now for those of you who've not yet read it, I suggest you shell out a few bucks and invest in the future of Dragonlance, it's a goin' places! And on that note, I will say not but that I really hope TSR gets off its arse, takes the next book in the series off hold, and allows Jean Rabe to continue on with the series, some of us are addicted and dyin' out here
Rating:
Summary: Work better left for another author
Review: Perhaps the biggest tragedy associated with 'The Dawning of a New Age' is that there is vital 5th age information contained within its pages, but the reader must plod through Jean Rabe's drivel to get to it. An outline would be better.
It's time for Dragonlance/Wizards of the Coast to replace Jean Rabe... w/Chris Pierson? He showed potential with his Kingpriest Trilogy. I don't foresee myself ever purchasing one of her books again (and from the reviews below it seems that many longtime Dragonlance fans share this sentiment). If the Fifth Age is to take hold it definitely needs a new voice.
To anyone who gives this book 4 stars: I encourage you to read earlier Dragonlance novels (Chronicles, Legends, Elven Nations, etc) or other contemporary Dragonlance trilogies (Ergoth). That's 4 star writing.
Rating:
Summary: A slow start that gets better
Review: Jean Rabe constantly takes abuse from Dragonlance fans around the globe for a plethora of reasons. Some I've found to be just, others, I believe are unfounded. It was because of this harsh critism that I remained hesitant for a good while to read this book. After finishing every other book I owned and reading some for a second time, I grudgingly began this read.At my own admission, this book began very slowly. The first 100 pages seemed plaqued by choppy writing, and seemingly overly fantastic ideas. Given this is a fantasy book, I still found some of the happenings in the book a bit hard to swallow.
My biggest critism of the book,however, has to do with the how willingly the author let years go by without description(literaly decades). It seemed to me that the amount of time that passed in te early portion of this book really didn't mean much to Mrs. Rabe. I have to say I was seriously starting to doubt whether or not I would finish this one. All the critism aside, after the first 100 pages or so the plot settled down and the writting began to become enjoyable. I was finally able to get involved with the characters and wanted to see what would happen to them next. By the end of the book I was left wanting more. When all is said and done, that to me is the most important part of a book in a series. I really admire the guts that it took for Jean to step out on a limb and write this series. I've found that many DL fans can be very critical, and unmoving in thier willingness to branch out and discover new things. Jean did something that was very difficult, in filling the gap that is the beginning of the Fifth Age. Kodus to her! All in all, I think this book is a enjoyable read that will leave most readers wanting more. For those diehard DL fans it is a must read. Looking back, my gripe about the passage of time allows, hopefully, other authors to fill the gap with other tells of heroism and valor. Don't go into this book expecting the kind of greatness that is the Chronicles series or maybe The Legand of Huma(my personal favorite), because you won't find it. There isn't a ton of depth and you probably won't develop a strong attachment to the characters. DoNA starts slowly, but levels off into a nice story. I believe if you press on and overlook the choppy writing at the begining you will leave this book pleasantly surprised. I did.
|
