Before the Mask (Dragonlance Saga, Villains Series, Volume 1) [Paperback]

Michael Williams (Author), Teri Williams (Author), Jeff Easley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Dragonlance Saga, Villains Series, Volume 1 | Publication Date: April 1993

Chronicles the life of the evil Verminaard, from his humble beginnings to his career as a despised ruler. By the authors of The Oath and the Measure. Original. 150,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This first in a series of novels focusing on the prehistory of the villains of the popular Dragonlance novels describes the rise to power of Verminaard and the choices that forged his unhappy destiny.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 31 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560765836
• ISBN-13: 978-1560765837
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Dark and Twisted Tale. . ., August 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Before the Mask (Dragonlance Saga, Villains Series, Volume 1) (Paperback)

Before the Mask is onw of the only Dragon Lance novels that I have read that really describes what made a man the way he was. The author starts from the very begining of Verminaard's life and shows why he became evil. It show how he changed from a reletively good person to one that is truly evil. Before The Mask is a very well written book that could be interesting to most reasonably intelligent people. Ones looking for gratuitous violence ought to look somewhere else. However, to those of us who are interested in the making of an evil man this book is well worth buying

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The tradgedy of Verminaard, February 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Before the Mask (Dragonlance Saga, Villains Series, Volume 1) (Paperback)

This book tells the tale of the life of Verminaard, the Dragon highlord of Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I have to say that I liked this book, to a degree. It starts very slowly and I had a hard time keeping focused during the boring beginning. But the book does pick up and become more interesting when Verminaard begins to fall from grace. The characters aren't the greatest, but the the ending is good. I see this book as a regular Greek tradgedy. Many people die and Verminaard cannot be saved from the hand of evil. But the most sad thing was that through this story, the Dark Queen gets her revenge on Huma. I won't say how, but to a person who's first Dragonlance novel was the Legend of Huma, it can seem really devastating. Read it, and you might enjoy it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just Not Interesting, July 5, 2006

By 

K. Weber "melydia" (Springfield, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before the Mask (Dragonlance Saga, Villains Series, Volume 1) (Paperback)

This is the story of Verminaard, unloved [...] son of Solamnic Knights, and his road to evil. Though far from being a bad book, it just didn't draw me in. Verminaard's evilness seems to be inborne rather than reactionary, to the point that the supposed contributing factors - the unloving father, the loss of the beloved brother - seem more like asides and much less sympathetic. Likewise with his half-brother Aglaca, who is unfailingly upbeat and loyal for no apparent reason. I understand the story the Williamses were trying to tell, and it took a while to put my finger on what was wrong. Then I realized it was missing a vital element of all great drama: levity. The human experience is not serious all the time. Even in the grimmest tales there is laughter. The unrelenting depression of this book left me frankly unmoved.