Customer Reviews

Amber and Iron (Dragonlance: The Dark Disciple, Vol. 2)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I seem to be in contrary beliefs to some of the previous reviews, I loved this book, and I thought the first one was great. I thought the advancement was great, and it was easy to pick up and read without a recap of the first book (although it was so awesome I remembered what happened by the time I was finished skimming the cover flap). The plot twists in the story came as a surprise for me, because I do not look for things to happen, I prefer to be surprised by them rather than think about what I'm reading while I read it. I particularly love how the book ends, with a mild climax, but finishes the book, so you aren't having a fit to see what happens next, but enough mystery to make you want the next book...just not enough to freak out about it or be angry that "it ended that way" as some books do. I would definitely recommend the Amber set to anyone who likes dragonlance, especially as a follow up to the War of Souls!

Hmmm...well, unlike the previous reviewers, I didn't find the last 20 pages or so at all shocking or surprising. Well, maybe part of one sentence, but the rest Weis had foreshadowed from page 1 of this book, and even a bit in Amber and Ashes. Actually, even the other part had been foreshadowed, but I was too slow to pick up on it. In spite of that, the character development is terrific, and I'm very much looking forward to book 3. Weis continues to amaze, and even though I still miss Raistlin and Tas and the gang, I enjoy the new generation of characters and the new crises that occur. The most amazing thing is that every time I think she's written herself into a corner, she pulls another rabbit out of her hat and surprises me. Well, there's definitely going to have to be a pretty big rabbit in book 3 if she's going to continue to do that.

I read the other reviews and it seems pretty equal when it comes to whether the reader liked it or not. I would just like to say that after reading many Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman books and then going on with her own series, I am able to pick up some typical plots. The end was not surprising to me, however the abrupt end was. A cliff hanger that sharp is not typically her style. I did enjoy it and cannot wait until she releases the next book.

One of the bests books she has written. I am an ardent Raistlin fan but this is truly turning my head.

This is in my opinion one of the better books and stories out there. The author strings you along in mystery and suppense the whole way ! But the ending is to die for ! If you like dragonlance or forgotten realms this is a must have series.

Amber & Iron, the sequel to Margaret Weis's Amber & Ashes and volume 2 of the Dark Disciple trilogy, is a marvelous tale in its own right. The same themes of faith, love, secrets and betrayal can be seen in this book. Rhys, Nightshade, Atta, Zeboim, Nuitari, Caele, Basalt, Lleu and of course Mina return for your enjoyment. The Beloved walk the face of Krynn as well without any way to stop them... There are other faces you may know: Jenna, Coryn, and Dalamar to name a few. Certainly a large cast of characters each portrayed beautifully by Margaret.

Amber & Iron is seperated into four books. While the story jumps from one group to another, the plot is straight and relatively fluid. A few "issues" seem to be resolved too quickly but sometimes it truly is just a matter of revelation. How the story develops beyond Amber & AShes is what is really amazing; Weis does not dissapoint!

We the reader learn many secrets, some obvious and others mere hints of things to come. The largest revelation is finally put out for all the gods to know near the end of the book. Information regarding the Beloved for D&D purposes is given in an Appendix. Perhaps more interesting is the preview of Dragons of the Dwarven Depths, the first of the Lost (formerly Dark) Chronicles.

On a personal note I could not put the book down except for the demands of work. I will reread it again so as to be drawn into the amazing world of Krynn once again. Weis paints a world of vibrant color and true, multidimensional (and personal) characters.

The book itself has wonderful color art, a very nice binding, great paper and an easy to read font just as the last.

Pick it up now.

I had two meta-thoughts on this novel, but first, let me say, as far as all the regular prose and structure and style, all that jazz that reviewers talk about, "Amber and Iron" is decent enough. It does its job, which you can't say for all DL books, but there were still times when lengthy exposition got to be (how I hate the over-exposition of fantasy and don't even get me talking about sci-fi). But the story was fine, the fights were fine, all that jazz played on at a regular pace that neither excited the blood or put me to sleep.

But two things bugged me. The first is that reading this novel, I feel like I'm back in middle school with some pimply, teenage, dungeon master with a god-complex. The "Beloved" (evil sex zombies!) just feel like Weis wanted them to be "awesome" and wanted to really put it to the other people around the table no matter what they tried. "I cut its head off". They're immune! "I light it on fire?" Immune! "God blessed weapon, those always work!" Immune! "I cast the biggest spell I have, that can kill a dragon." And its still alive! "Holy water? Stake through the heart? My pendant that can call down a physical form of Sargonas to battle whatever I want?" Immune! Immune! And your pendant fizzles.

The "Beloved" (evil sex zombies!) are way too much, even with their "weakness".

The other thing was that I got major "Dragons of a Lost Star" flashbacks. As others have mentioned, there is a supposed twist at the end of this novel about Mina. They've set this character up to have something interesting about her for five novels now and we finally get the answer...but instead of being interesting I'm left groaning about how plain the choice they made was. Its exactly how I felt with "Dragons of a Lost Star" when they had played up the One God, and I hoped it was going to be interesting and new and different and it turned out to be You-Know-Who. "Voldemort!" No...not Voldemort...but that would have been interesting at least...

My Second Long Winded Final Thought: As far as DL goes its quality. Mina is the most complex character but rather less complex now sadly. Gerard, Dalamar, and Jenna all make showings, and Nunitari steals the show. This round of trilogies has me feeling like events in them are changing the world but aren't good enough because there is no direction. I feel like its time for another epic trilogy in DL, and its also time for new blood. We need new companions, and none of them need to be a Majere or a Brightblade. Its also time for a new writer duo to take the lead, if just to mix things up. Mary Herbert and Chris Pierson maybe? A review, and reader, can hope...

This sigh is for those of us who read the book and are frustrated. Not because the book wasn't excellent, it most certainly was, but because it's going to be another year or more for the next one. This series has so far exceeded all my expectations, now that the Gods have returned to Krynn. It's interesting seeing the various Gods interacting with one another in the forms of their avatars. They have an almost mortal quality that they ask for from their worshippers.

The frustration is evident because Weis is a master of the cliffhanger. And it isn't simply that our intrepid heroes are in the middle of the battle for their lives and a "tune in next week..." occurrs. It's usually that something truly incredible, awe-inspiring, or downright eerie has just happened, the characters (and the readers) have all taken a collective gasp to process it and then the book ends. Margaret, if you're reading this, keep it up, but GRRR!!!

Rhys is a character who just keeps getting better. A man who tossed aside his comfortable and safe living and background to chase down his Beloved brother Lleu. He has turned his back on Majere, collaborated with Zeboim, befriended a kender and even played khas with a death knight. But throughout, he manages to strip through his layers of self-doubt to find his true self beneath it all.

I eagerly await the next book!

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This series is a great new addition by Margaret Weis. I won't give away the story, but I very much enjoyed how she included the gods much more in the storytelling than she has in previous novels.

As someone who grew up with the original books, I can say that my first impulse with the trilogy is that it feels a bit like I've aged out of the writing. But, when I take off my I-R-SRS-ADULT hat and sit down to enjoy it, it's been a very fun series in spite of some faults.

The strongest parts of the book are, in my mind, the parts with the gods' interactions. They are, for lack of a better word, hilarious. The dialog doesn't feel leaden at all and the attitude carries strongly. Indeed, I'd reread the sections with Zebiom again just on accounts of how funny and natural those passages felt.

Some of the parts that were a bit tedious to read played into what I remember of Weis's weakness from other Dragonlance novels - good-aligned characters. Rhys didn't feel like he had quite as much of a presence compared to some of the other, darker characters.

All in all, it's a decent enough book, but it's more enjoyable if you don't take it 100% seriously.