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Summary: BEST FANTASY NOVEL IVE EVER READ
Review: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND THE OTHERS IN THIS SERIES, CHRONICLES AND LEGENDS. I HAVE NEVER READ A FANTASY BOOK LIKE THIS BEFORE. THE CHARACTERS IN THESE BOOKS COME TO LIFE AND KEEP YOU TURNING THE PAGES, AND THE STORY KEEPS YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT. TWO THUMBS UP!!!!!!!!
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Summary: Watching a role playing game
Review: For someone who plays Dungeons & Dragons like I do, you will find that this series of books is the game come to life. You can almost hear the dice rolling, especially in the begining of this first book.The world is Krynn and its about to go through an unfortunate string of events which will drag our group of adventurers through hell and back. Each has thier own demons and issues to work through, and its pleasing to watch each one struggle and grow. To be honest I loved this series of books and I found that the detail of the world and the interesting-ness of the characters keep the pages turning. Read the whole series including the Legends trilogy - you won't be disapointed.
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Summary: Q. Better Fantasy Series out there? A. Don't do drugs.
Review: What can the Don say about this book that has not been said before. It's the beggining of an epic. The chance to see all of the future heroes and villans, and heroes who are at heart villans in thier younger days is a pleasure. If you are new to Dragonlance start out with this book and read the rest in chronological order.
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Summary: Worth reading at least once, especially for teens.
Review: Dragons of Autumn Twilight is the first, and by far the best, book detailing the world of Krynn invented by Weis and Hickman. Some additional 80 books have been written in the setting, and only a handful - some of the other ones by the original authors - are worth reading. The characters and settings are magnificently vivid and interesting enough to spark a teenager's love of reading. It certainly did that for me. I practically adored this book and its characters for years. Unfortunately, rereading this as an adult was disappointing. There were too many inconsistencies for believability, even in a fantasy setting.
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Summary: Love, magic, friendship, fights
Review: My son wrote the following mini-review: A team of eight "friends" join together in a quest for the dragon-slaying weapon -- the mythical dragonlance! Along the way, they encounter love, magic, friendship, and a lot of fights with the ominous draconians. Will they vanquish or be vanquished? Because I received the trilogy as a gift, I was obligated to finish at least one of the original Dragonlance titles. At first, I didn't really want to, but when I had fifty pages under my belt. I was hooked. I liked the sword fights, magic, and the dragons themselves. The small print and a whopping 441 pages make this book slow going but fun to read. I recommend it to anyone ten or up.
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Summary: Not too shabby
Review: This review will focus overall on the Chronicles trilogy, which i thought were some very good books. The characters were well done, and the plot was interesting. Actually, to say the characters were well done is an understatement. You really come to like them and to feel sorta like you are sharing the adventure with them. Two of my favorite characters were Tas and Fizban, because they are so funny. They bring the right amount of humor into these books that really made me enjoy the trilogy a lot more. By far the most interesting character is Raistlin, the mage, whose struggle for life and power is so real and cool. Him, always being sortof overshadowed by his handsome and strong twin brother needs something to distinguish him in this world, so he struggles to become the most powerful person in the world. His magic is very cool, as is Fizban's- who is absolutely hilarious in trying to cast his favorite spell, Fireball. The deaths in the book were well done, and brought more reality of life into these books, as did the fact that the characters werent all powerful. Yes, the group did have massive amounts of power and stuff, but they were still frightened by Dragons, and they knew their limits. But some may think, if i give this book so much praise, why only 4 stars. The 1 star that i took off was due to the massive amount of things that were pulled from tolkien. maybe some of it wasnt on purpose, but there were just so many similarities. For example, the Elves. They were so much like the elves in the Silmarilion, with their Kinslaying, and division among the 3 groups. One of the most annoying similarities was the the Towers of High Sorcery, which held the dragon orbs. Those were so reminiscent of the towers which held the palantirs, it was annoying. But other than my annoyance with the Tolkien likeness, i thought this was an admirable series, with many high points, along with a bunch of cool twists and turns in the plot. I would definately recommend these books.
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Summary: Definitely worth a read and a re-read
Review: I first read the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy when I was about 14 or 15 years old and I really enjoyed it for the exciting adventures and for the battle scenes. I'm now 23 and I just finished reading it again for the second time. All I can say is that I loved it even more this time around, mainly for the superb character development. Chronicles succeeds on so many levels because Weis and Hickman take you deep into the main character's psyches. Thus, although the story is epic and sweeping in its scope (good vs. evil with the fate of the world in the balance), it is also imbued with a deeply human and personal quality which makes you (or at least made me) laugh at, get angry at, cry with, and sympathize with the main the characters. You walk away from this series really feeling that, whether you like them or dislike them in the end, you actually know the characters. Personally, I was furious at Tanis during the last part of Dragons of Winter Night and almost all of Dragons of Spring Dawning, but in the end you really see that Tanis is a man with flaws like us all. In the process of reading, I would have preferred that he forget Kitiara and give himself to return Laurana's love way back at the begining of Drag. of Winter Night, but he had to have a wrestle with his own demons before he could choose which woman he was going to give his heart to. At the end of the story, Tanis is a much more real and substantial character for the whole mess in the middle. I give this example because it is character development such as this (for good or for evil) that elevates the Dragonlance Chronicles far above most fantasy novels, and indeed even above the clichés inherent in its own storyline. If you want to read one superb and compelling fantasy series, you'd be hard-pressed to find one that is superior to Dragonlance Chronicles (and then read Dragonlance Legends as well, its just as good). Start, of course, with Drag. of Autumn Twilight, and after that I don't think you'll have any hesitation about reading the second and third volumes. (One comment concering comparing DL Chronicles to Tolkien: Let's let Tolkien be what he is- the father and pioneer and architect of the epic fantasy novel, and let's let Weis and Hickman be what they are- those who are masterfully building on the foundation that Tolkien laid. Personally, I enjoy both Tolkien's writings and those of Weis and Hickman equally as much, but for different reasons.)
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Summary: The 'Daddy' of all Fantasy Books - Simply Astounding
Review: When my eyes first fell upon this book, the title itself made me extremely curious. On further sight of the artwork on the cover i was hungry to look inside. After finishing the boook, my fingers were still trembling. My heart was beating fast and i was having problems controlling my urge to read the book again, to make sure i had read everything and not missed anything out. In my mind i was thinking 'This book is absolutely brilliant-I WANT MORE!' You might think this a little extreme, but any one else who has read it, thinks the same. It simply is ["that good"] The authors place you in a world that seems so real, that after reading the book, youd be able to fully illustrate it within your mind in great detail. The characters within the book are wonderfully constructed, each one being entirely different, yet you can relate to each one as if they were real people. Each one has a different story, a different attitude towars life, but they never seem out of place with each other. Their relationships with each other during their advntures brings you closer to them, so you feel for them when something doesnt go right. Emotionally you will FEEL for these characters, which is a trait any good book needs to make you do. Sadness, Anger, happiness, laughter, are but some of the emotions you will feel as you travel with them. The fluidity of the writing is also a point need to be raised when reading the book. The style of writing of these authors is themost fluid i have ever read. It never falters, never has too much detail or words too complicated that it breaks up a sentence. You will never want to put the book down, EVER once you start reading it. Their is great attention to detail, especially towards Raistlin and affliction and the interaction between him and Caramon, his twin brother, is beautifully written aswell. Lastly Tasslehoff Burrfoot, who is perhaps the best character within he book is by far the best character ever developed in a book. Buy it, borrow it, what ever you do just read it!
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Summary: A solid fantasy excursion
Review: At the age of 36, I've finally decided to read this book and I was not disappointed. I agree with many of the reviewers that stated that this book is a little simplistic and cliched, but for me this did not prevent me from enjoying the tale. I think what I appreciated most about this book was that the story was constantly moving foward. After wading partly through dull novels such as The Dragonbone Chair and Eye of the World before giving up (my insomnia became a thing of the past), reading this book, despite it's flaws, was an absolute pleasure. I have already purchased the remaining 2 books in this trilogy and intend on reading the Twins trilogy as well. Good stuff.
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Summary: Into the heart of story . . .
Review: This is a work of both high and low fantasy, marking the beginning of a remarkable 6-book tale (the Chronicles Trilogy, followed by the even more magnificent Legends Trilogy), which greatly increased the interest in the Dungeons & Dragons game throughout the 1980's. (And here in 2001, it's still being read . . .) It certainly does contain more than a few stock fantasy elements (e.g. dragons, elves, dwarves, an unlikely group of friends somehow being chosen to stop the conquest of Evil . . .). However, the straightforward, simple way in which the tale is told and (even more so) the distinct, "real" nature of (most of) its characters set it apart from the paperback fantasy pack. (Another wonderful aspect of the trilogy is the title sequence: autumn twilight, winter night, spring dawning. Why? Because this is the timeless pattern of fantasy tales: the strengthening of Evil compels weakened and bickering good forces to unite and strengthen, to become Good so that the glory of life may continue--weakness to death to resurrection, as with each turning year, as with us . . .) Who can forget the irrepresible Tasslehoff, the conflicted Tanis Half-Elven, or the cynical, amibitious Raistlin as they strive to carry word of the ancient, true gods to a war-torn land? Some of the other companions (particularly Sturm and Riverwind) are a little bland in comparison, and the comic relief with the gully dwarves and the magician Fizban is sometimes too modern-feeling and cute (like the ewoks in Return of the Jedi). Nonetheless, this series is worthwhile reading for the fantasy fan, often resounding with the true voice of a legend (greatly assisted by splendid songs and poetry throughout), leading onward into the heart of story (as one of the poems proclaims).
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