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Summary: The Beginning
Review: My friend first got me to read this book. I'm so glad she did too. This books is amazing and action packed. Start reading and enter a world full of mages, magic, elves, and knights. This is the book to read. Once you finish you'll just have to pick up the second book and read all of the other Dragonlance novels.
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Summary: great book, a must read for fantasy lovers
Review: Dragons of Autumn Twilight is the very first book in the Dragonlance series, and if you like fantasy, it is a must read. All the characters have such great, yet differing, personalities. The book also features a lot of action scenes, whether it be hand-to-hand, or the use of magic. Be sure to read the second two books, which are just as good!
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Summary: Dragons of Autumn Twilight Book Review
Review: when i started this book i did not know what to think i was not sure if it was going to be interesting or not. After a little bit it started to get interesting and i realized that i was reading the book 24/7. I could not put it down. It was full of suspense and action. I liked the "romance" and that action. All of the different genra's put together makes it a really good book.
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Summary: Classic fantasy adventure
Review: The DragonLance saga is one of the most prolific in fantasy, with scores of prequels and sequels and offshoots and imitators. The DragonLance Chronicles is the series that started it all. To call it anything less than a classic would be sacrilegious. Deeply rooted in the mythos of Tolkien and heavily influenced by the rules and mechanics of the RPG world, the DragonLance Chronicles manages to create a vast high-fantasy universe with few equals then or since. Dragons of Autumn Twilight has many rough edges, typical for a first book in a series, but it fulfills its role admirably and paves the way for a crescendo in the second and third book.All of the main characters are introduced very early on. In fact, most of them already know each other. Five life-long friends agree to reunite after a long separation. There's Tanis Half-Elven, the mongrel who serves as the group's de facto leader. Raistlin Majere is the creepy mage who recently underwent a disturbing transformation, physical and possibly much more; his twin, the warrior Caramon, is a gentle giant who's somewhat simple-minded but unswervingly faithful. Sturm Brightblade is an austere paladin seeking to attain knighthood and restore honor to his family and to the disgraced Knighs of Solamnia. Flint Fireforge is an old, hot-tempered dwarf who, despite his gruff demeanor, considers the others his only family. Rounding out the company is Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a lovable kender who bubbles with curiosity and loves to lay his hands on other people's belongings. It was a troubled time, with news of war abroad and disturbing rumors of strange creatures walking the lands. Soon, the company runs into a mysterious barbarian princess and her grim escort. She bears a staff with strange powers that soon proves to be the source of their troubles. There is no lack of adventure and exotic locales. The party finds themselves whisked on one fantastic, and deadly, journey after another. They will have traveled from the tree city Solace to Darken Wood, never before seen by living eyes, to the legendary ruined city Xak Tsaroth, where black wings of death reign, to the secret elven city Qualinost, with its slender and graceful spires, to the long abandoned fortress Pax Tharkas, now teeming with sinister forces. Strange, fantastic creatures hinder and aid their journey, and rumors have it that dragons have returned out of legends to spread destruction across the lands. The main characters scream "stereotypes". But remember that this book was one of the first, so such accusation would be unfair. Tanis is a conflicted protagonist, tortured by the passions of his human heritage and the aloofness and passivity of his elven heritage. He's also torn between his desire for the tempestuous human warrior Kitiara and his love for the sweet but inexperienced elfmaiden Laurana. The others seem somewhat one-dimensional. Caramon is unfailingly obsequious to his brother, Sturm unbendingly upholds his ideals of honor and chilvalry, Riverwind is always grim, Goldmoon has boundless compassions, Flint is deathly afraid of boats, the seemingly evil Raistlin spouts one foreboding comment after another, in between in bouts of racking coughs. It seems Raistlin does little else; we know he's sorely bothered by his coughs, can we just move on? Raistlin would become the focus for later books, but I must admit I do not find him very interesting in this book, even though among the group he has the most potential for intrigue. My favorite character is Tas. Despite obviously being the comic relief, his ofttimes silly little adventures are quite funny. I love his exchanges with Flint, who never quite carries out his threat to throttle the lovable kender. He has a lot of Bilbo Baggins in him. The first part of the book up until Xak Tsaroth is as good as it gets. The mood is evil and foreboding and the reader has no idea what to expect. The first encounter with the draconians gives the impression that they are mysterious, deadly, and very hard to defeat. However, after the meeting with the gully dwarves, the book takes an abrupt turn and becomes... comical. The fight scenes in Xak Tsaroth are light-hearted, almost slapstick-like. The draconians proceed to lose most of their fearsome aura and become no more than your average goons. I'm also not sure if the whole treatment of the gully dwarves in Xak Tsaroth are supposed to be comic relief or not. If so, it ruins the mood of one of the more exciting sections of the book. I'm also dismayed by the lack of fighting prowess of the characters. The humans are fair enough fighters, but despite his age and experience, Flint is virtually a liability in battle. Raistlin is capable of casting only a few noneffectual spells before he tires and has to rest. The elflords too are rather weak and easily defeated. And everyone is so susceptible to magical attacks that they can be easily disabled. I suppose, like in an RPG, the party gain power as they gain experience. Still, this is a novel, not a game. Given their adventuring experience, the characters should have more martial prowess than they are given credit for. The authors have shown a lot of imagination in bring to life the many ruins and dungeons the party has to explore. However, many adventures seem to be rushed, as if the authors are trying to cram as many as possible into the book. For one thing, I would've liked to learn more about Xak Tsaroth, Qualinost, or the dungeons of Sla-Mori. The descriptions are too brief and fail bring out all the grandeur and mystery the idea of these places can inspire in the reader. Overall, the book has a great beginning, a so-so middle, and a good ending. The way is paved for the next installment of the series, a masterpiece! So get this one out of the way and get started on Dragons of Winter Night.
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Summary: The backbone of the Dragonlance series
Review: This was the first fantasy book I'd ever read, and it has cursed me. This book was incredibly deep and still did it's job of setting up the rest of the trilogy and really, the rest of the series. I say it cursed me because now I expect all fantasy books to be this good, which many aren't. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are by far the best Dragonlance writers, adding little details to add great depth to there books. Anyone wanting to get into fantasy or Dragonlance needs to get this book.
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Summary: A good hook, shoddily concealed
Review: I must admit that I'll read just about anything. I nearly stopped reading this book, and I'm still debating returning it to the used bookstore, along with the rest of the series. The plot is disjointed, which is explained in the after word.
The authors modified the plot based on gaming sessions that they had during the project. Although the scenes derived from those sessions are memorable and humorous their integration causes the greatest holes in the story line. I occasionally felt that I was being slapped in the face with game mechanics. This is bad enough during a role-playing session, and I find it unacceptable in a novel. The ending in addition to the books role as a successful hook into the rest of the series is what spares this book a single star.
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Summary: First book in the best fantasy trilogy of all time
Review: These characters, often collectively referred to as the Companions will be with me for the rest of my life. Also read the Legends trilogy and Dragons of summer flame if you like this trilogy. I like Tolkien but i think this trilogy is better. Instead of wading thrugh page after page, chapter after chapter of Tolkien trying to describe a tree in a new way, these characters jump off the page coming to life. There are many great characters in this unique world. Sturm's nobility and Raistlin's duality make them strong contenders for best character but Tanis is my favorite. His self-doubt really gets me, he isn't sure he's as noble as Sturm but i think he is. Tanis is a quiet, contemplative man, all he wanted was a sedate life. He never wanted to be a hero or a warrior like Sturm and Caramon did and he achieves a complexity and maturity i've seen rarely in a fictional character in a fantasy world. Tanis is the leader and kind of carries the trilogy. There is a moderate grittiness and a certain level of realism in the characters here never achieved by Tolkien.
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Summary: Childishly Simple -- Cookie Cutter Junk Fantasy.
Review: I guess if your a teenager looking for a written form of Dungeons and Dragons this series may be the best thing it the world to you. But, if you're an adult that likes character development, plot line development, believable situations (yes, this can happen in a fantasy novel), then don't look here. I found the characters notably shallow, not self motivated, and frankly overly boring and unbelievable. The world seemed better thought out than the characters were. Certain races were so simplistic in their placement in the book showing that there is no real reason for their existance other than to be the 'band-aid' to cover poor planning on the part of the authors. The interaction between the races is predictably boring and again, not believable. I bought the first three in this series. After reading this first one, I'll toss the rest into the garbage. Look elsewhere if you're seeking a real fantasy novel. This is teenie-bop heaven. If you're a kid, have fun. If you've grown up, try Robin Hobb, Melanie Rawn, Robert Jordan, Tolkien, Stephen Donaldson ... there are too many good authors to list that will keep you enraptured in fantastical worlds. Don't waste good reading time with this kiddie junk.
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Summary: Dragons of Autumn Twilight - A true fantasy genre classic!
Review: I first read this series back in the late eighties and at that time thought it was simply the best fantasy series I'd ever read. A re-read of this the first novel, simply reconfirms that opinion for myself. To think what Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman started here with Chronicles is simply astonishing, considering the number of novels released since this outstanding series started it all! From what I've read, they and a few others were playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons and came up with the idea for this first of many series. In doing this, they too must've been amazed at how good their fantasy writing was. Their style of writing, to say the least, is very fluidic with scene after scene, chapter after chapter flowing into one another beautifully. Back when I'd originally read this and a few of the other early series, for some reason I'd stepped away from the fantasy realm. I can probably attribute seeing The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Rings to re-instilling a desire to once again delve into this genre. The premise: MINOR SPOILERS Welcome to the magical world of Krynn where every kind of fantasy and mythical creature is a possibility. A group of life long companions who, five years prior had chosen to take leave of each other to search in many directions for signs of the ancient true gods. Their time of separation is over and they are reuniting in their home town of Solace. Upon their arrival, they find false prophets have taken control of their home town and that they are literally at the epicenter of where a new war is beginning. Through chance and fate, they meet with new companions and that that meeting will take them on a whole new quest. This new quest will bring the group to many strange new places with peril lurking over their shoulders at every turn. What follows from this point for the reader is the first of one of the finest fantasy trilogies written since Tolkien set out to write the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You will quickly find that every character is extraordinarily well written, with a "soul" to their words and thoughts. There are few, if any, dull spots in this story, even as the writers clearly must get the reader from one spot to another, they inject a fair amount of humor and well placed dialogue to do so. If you're a fan of fantasy and have never read this series or, like myself and have read this once before, I highly recommend a first time reading or a reread of this exceptional trilogy! {ssintrepid}
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Summary: A Wonderful Introduction to Dragonlance
Review: This has been my first time out with a Dragonlance novel, and I couldn't be more pleased. I had tried to read this book months back, but couldn't get past the first page. I'm not sure why. But when I picked it up again just last week, I found myself reading beyond the first page. And I'm glad I did. It's great. At first, I thought maybe I was missing something; I felt that with each character that was introduced, I was supposed to know who they were - I thought maybe I had entered the middle of a series (my boyfriend later assured me that this WAS the book to start with, as far as all of the Dragonlance books that contain these characters). After I found that out, I enjoyed the book even more. I love a lot of the characters. Of course, Tasselhoff - the carefree kender - is my favorite, but I'm so intrigued with the mysterious Raistlin, that I can't wait to get onto the books in the series that are focused on him (the Twins series, and the Raistlin Chronicles). I haven't been this interested in a fantasy series since Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series (although, I can't seem to get past the third book with that one), but these are about half the size of those books, which is good. A lot of fantasy authors feel they need to go on for a thousand pages with lots of images and description, but so far, this one's just cutting to the chase. If you've ever seen the billions of Dragonlance books in a bookstore, want to read one, but don't know which one to pick up, I highly recommend this one. It is well-written, it's a good story, and it will make you want to run out and buy the rest in the series. It's definitely a great way to begin the Dragonlance series.
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