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57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A solid, enjoyable fantasy, February 7, 2002
This review is from: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume I) (Mass Market Paperback)
So at this point there are 167 other reviews of this book on Amazon, why should you read this one? Simple, I'll give you the straight dope on it. To start, the three Dragonlance Chronicles (I'm reviewing them together) are a strongly recommended read. I've read many of the other reviews here and there is commonly reference to how this book is clichéd, how it "stole" from Tolkien, and most popularly, how the characters are either amazing or flat. Permit me to address these concerns... This is a standard fantasy epic. A group of heroes, diverse in skill and personality, meet and decide to face the growing evil in the world. They eventually find out they are among the chosen and meet the most powerful beings in the land, and inevitably face the evil and defeat it. To say this is cliché is in itself cliché. If you are a fantasy reader you are obviously not averse to authors adopting conventions, any more than fans of other "formula" genres are (Crime, Law, Romance, etc). It's like giving a poor review to a car because the engineers had the lack of creativity to give it four wheels and to put the steering wheel on the same side as all the other cars. As far as stealing from Tolkien, I have this for you: whatever. Tolkien defined a genre and others have followed in his footsteps (hence the reason it is a genre). Keep in mind that Tolkien didn't exactly invent elves and goblins either, but adapted and shaped them to his own purposes. While this trilogy isn't as much of a milieu piece as Lord of the Rings, it has other strengths. As far as exploring the environment itself, you can see the visible hooks throughout the series for the other (future) books to latch onto. There are now over 100 if you really want to explore the world of Krynn. And finally we come to the characters. I strive to be objective of others opinions, but to say these characters are flat is ludicrous. The depth these authors have achieved is that of long books with one or two characters, not the 6+ this one utilizes. Are the characters themselves cliché? Yes. Keep in mind this world is defined by and for a role-playing game, where you are given finite choices of roles to play. To step outside those roles would cause dissention among both readers and players. However, instead of begrudging these boundaries, the authors revel within them. We find the conflict of the characters themselves with these roles, something rarely seen in this genre. Sturm, the knight, is bound by a code and not only do we see the conflict of a rigid code with a changing world as we would expect, but we see the struggle of the character himself with his beliefs. I won't go through each character but suffice it to say that several are explored in depth, especially Weis' "signature" (or for those more cynical, "franchise") character Raistlin. For most, we find their strengths, weaknesses, fears, loves and hatreds. To ask more is a little much I would say. The above points are valid discussions, but most people seem to miss the real strength of this series, perhaps because they were too concerned about evaluating its "quality". To put it plainly, its fun! I read these books soon after they came out in the mid-80's, and have just re-read them, finding myself surprised to find they were as enjoyable now as they were then. On top of the character development, we have lots of action in various environments; we have an appropriate amount of comic relief that is well spaced and spread among a few characters. We follow the characters through times of happiness and times of horror. I'll make no claims at this point of how good or bad Weis and Hickman are as writers, but I can say they know how to tell a story. So the short and sweet of it is: read the books and enjoy them. If you aren't so overly concerned with ranking them and evaluating them (as you should never be on a first reading), just follow the tale as the authors spin it for you. I can say that you will definitely have fun if you let yourself. I would give it 4.5 stars, but that isn't an option, so I'll round it up to 5.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yet Another Review (Positive of Course), April 20, 2000
This is _the_ book that spawned a saga of over 80 books to date. Being a New York Times Bestseller, the quality of the book should be self-explanatory. The story is set in a world of Krynn, a somewhat peaceful world with magic. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that an evil force is stirring up in the northern lands. The people believe gods are gone, and now worship a new set of gods. Anyway, enough of the intro.. you'll enjoy much more when you read the book yourself. The characters are very well developed. All the characters have a detailed past, which explain why they act that way towards the other characters. While they never seem to completely get along, they always work things out. This fantasy novel is not just killing and fighting against evil. There is humor, sadness, and romance. The humor comes from the kender (an annoying race) named Tasslehoff Burrfoot, who always finds the fun part of an otherwise very frightening or dangerous scene. A magician you'll meet later on in the book also provides good comic relief. The authors, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, have created a great world for more than enough room for the storyline to progress and expand. The history is rich, and evil is abundant. This book is the first in a trilogy that started it all. If you are a fantasy reader, you can relate the quality of this book to the likes of Philip Pullman, Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. If you aren't a fantasy reader, this can be an excellent book to start with. If you want more, go ahead - there's over 80 books in the saga, with at least seven of them from Weis & Hickman.
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39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now I can Say I've had a Dragonlance experience! I want More, September 7, 2001
This review is from: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume I) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have to admit I was a little reluctant to read this book. I've had a little prejudice toward books based on gaming but now after reading this masterpiece, I'm hooked on dragonlance!Weis and Hickman have successfully transported me to the world of Krynn.When I first started the book, I thought this would be quick undemanding tolkenish fantasy read with your humans,dwarves and elves battling against evil.I was wrong! Weis and Hickman's novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight is more complex than that.You have a diverse group of friends: Tanis-the noble half elf/half human who is a great leader and who is torn between two women: warrior maiden, Kitiara and elfwoman, Laurana. Sturm Brightblade-the knight of Solamnia who seeks to bring back honor to knighthood.Flint Fireforge, the gruff but lovable dwarf. Caramon-the giant warrior with the heart of gold.Tasslehoff Burrfoot-the comical kender and last but not least, Raistlin. Caramon's dark twin brother who is powerful but secretive mage.These heroes come together in what they thought would be a peaceful homecoming but instead they meet up chieftain's daughter, Goldmoon and her lover Riverwind.Goldmoon carries a powerful blue crystal staff with awesome magical powers.These heroes soon find themselves battling sinister draconian soldiers and terrifying dragons to save their homeland from a invasion from evil minions of the queen of darkness! The authors have created a stirring saga of loyality of friendship.The passion of true love and passionate fight against evil.The world building skills are considerable as you get a history lesson of this beautiful but troubled world.A the complexity of characterizations are outstanding.Characters like Raistlin, the dark mage who quiet and who seeks power through spells even after his obession destroys his body and distances himself from his friends and Tanis a quiet but effective leader who can lead his friends into battle but cannot make decisions of the heart.This novel also has scenes of fierce battles, witty bantering between tass and Flint and touching romance between Goldmoon and Rivewind.A unforgettable saga of adventure awaits you in this book so turn the first page and be enthralled!
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