Customer Reviews

The Companions (Dragonlance: The Meetings Sextet, Vol. 6)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

It is obvious to me that the author has never read a Dragonlance book before. Each and every one of the characters act uncharacteristically, to say the least. Tanis is stupid, Tas is evil, Sturm is a coward, and on and on. What a piece of crap! If you are a Dragonlance fan, skip this one, it will only make you mad (or violently sick). This should have been the best book ever! Instead, it's the worst... And what is this thing the author has with bodily wastes? Disgusting.

I was really disappointed by this book. The writing is terrible - like the book I tried to write when I was 8, except it's 300 odd pages long and someone must have actually given the author money for it. The story is essentially like any disaster movie: meet the characters, have a few foreboding encounters with the bad guys, climax (ho hum) where some weird and previously unheard of allies suddenly spring to their aid. Character development is poor and inconsistent with other, far superior, Dragonlance novels. Even if you've just read the previous 5 novels in the sextet (as I had), I'd advise you to forego reading this, it illuminates nothing.

This is not just the worst Dragonlance novel I have ever read, it is one of the worst books, period. I cannot believe TSR published this awful excuse for a novel. This must be Tina Daniell's first (and last, I hope) fantasy novel. I can imagine the preview if "The Companions" was a movie: "You'll howl with laughter as Tasslehoff takes an "evil" potion, and cuts of Sturm's moustache! Ha ha, ouch! Now, that's evil! You'll cringe as he paints his room black, proving his depravity! Watch out, folks! He means business!"

But hey folks, if you can overlook plot chasms, awful syntax, and a boring and preposterous story that clearly never actually happened in the Dragonlance universe(one of the reasons we liked reading about Tanis and Raistlin and Sturm was that they were basically just ordinary people who became heroes through chance. If the events in this novel are valid, they saved Krynn years before the War of the Lance)then this is the book for you!

To be perfectly blunt, this was not a good book. Usually I'm a smooth reader of just about any book. But unfortunately I could not read more than four pages. Those richly-designed characters we've all come to know and love just were not there. Where was Tanis's troubled heart and Flint's tender though gruff attitude? Where was Sturm's honor-bound ways, and where was Raistlin's concealed ambition? Truly this settled a dreary lassitude upon my soul. Frankly, it was a waste of money, though I wouldn't want to be hurtful to the writer. The writer has potential.... but I just could not feel anything with "The Companions". Please go onto to read the "Chronicles", "Legends", and the "War of Souls" parts of the awesome Dragonlance Saga before attempting this dragging quest.

great story, It combines all the elements of a classic adventure story. Plus any story featuring Minotaurs,an Evil Tas,and Raistlin has to be good. 5 Stars+ from me.

I think that is a very good book, that leads you to the unknown lands of Mithas, Karthay, and Kothas, it has some things that you practicaly know that didn't happen to the compannions, but even with this problem, I think that it deserves to be read

As i read this book, i was pulled into it like i am with most books. I couldnt really put it down, though it did have slow parts, and scenes that seemed to have been just cut from the final printing..maybe that is just me, but i felt that things should have been explained a lot better than they were. But it was altogether a good book, and i did enjoy reading it. The only thing that i didnt like about it, was that the climax of the book..that last 20 pages or so, seemed to go by to quickly, with major gaps in the storyline. Tina did a good job in writing the book, i would say that her only flaws were leaving out a little too much info here and there.. But i do recommend it to any dragonlance fan.

Most Dragonlance books written by authors other than Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman can be cheerfully ignored. While there are some exceptions, most of these books do nothing to add to the saga--and some take away from it. That's the case with "The Companions," the last book in the Meetings Sextet by Tina Daniell.

Daniell attempts to portray an epic story in the course of little more than 312 pages. It simply does not work. Instead of an epic adventure, what she produced was a rushed story that left severe plot holes and little room for character growth and development. There are moments when Daniell showed hints of actually being a competent writer. But those moments are few and far between. This may rank as one of the worst Dragonlance books--and that says something.

Daniell often seemed lost with the material. That is perhaps understandable in a writer who is new to the series--but this was Daniell's second Dragonlance book and there is no excuse for major errors. Daniell's defenders can note--correctly--that "The Companions" was published in 1993 before Weis went back to craft the early years of her heroes in "The Rasitlin Chronicles." While this may be true, Daniell made elementary errors--for example including Raistilin's hourglass pupils before he took the Test. That's Dragonlance 101--and Daniell fails miserably.

I gave Daniell's first Dragonlance book-- "Dark Heart" in the same Sextet--two stars. In that work, she pulled the strings on less characters and crafted a much less epic plot. Daniell has some abilities but, in "The Companions," she was not up to the task of guiding seven lead characters on a rushed worldwide journey that would determine the fate of many. This book has little to redeem it and can not be recommended to even the most loyal of Dragonlance readers.

I have often wondered why Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman kept returning to Dragonlance after promising--again and again--that they were done with Krynn and its inhabitants. I suspect they wanted to save their creation from bad writers--the worst of whom, based on my more than two and half decades of reading Dragonlance novels, was Tina Daniell in this stunningly bad book.

All in all a interesting book, But with some story line faults. Ok seeing that the setting is before Rastlin's test, How did he get those hour glass eyes as stated on Page 21 "the flickering fire in Rastlin's intense hour glass eyes". I think the editor should proof read befor publishing. The other thought is with the new strange creatures such as the helpful Kyrie, Why didn't The heros of the lance call upon them to help during the war of the lance? Well this was a interesting story but don't count on this one to follow true to any story line you may of already read.

I have read my share of dragonlance and althought this book was good it was not perfect.not enought charecter and to much saving the world.this book takes away from chronicls by giving the companions expiriance in saving the world.this is the first time and chronicls is the secend.so read it after chronicls to beter get the feel of unlikly heros. otherwise a solid read.