19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What an epic!, November 29, 1998
This review is from: The Dragons (Dragonlance Lost Histories, Vol. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)
Joining the ranks of lost histories such as THE IRDA and THE DARGONESTI, THE DRAGONS is an amazing conclusion to the series that sifts through the obscure races of Krynn. People who want to know about the history of Dragonlance's most focal race will love this book, which spans over 8000 years of history from the beginnings of the world to the defeat of Ariakas at Neraka. Even better: THE DRAGONS is not only an exceedingly detailed "history" book, it's also a finely written novel in its own right. Of all the rich Dragonlance books, THE DRAGONS probably has one of the largest casts. Some four or five generations of the firstborn race are detailed, starting with the children of Paladine's daughters and finishing with the evil great-grandchild of Takhisis. It's recommended that you read "Aurora's Eggs" from THE DRAGONS AT WAR anthology before this book, because the first chapters pick up right after the short story. The best part is, both stories are great reads on their own, even better together but hardly necessary for enjoyment. Douglas Niles has quite an ability to juggle viewpoints, perspectives, and also gloss over important events without making them seem frivolous. For example, whereas other books can spend chapters on the Cataclysm, the dragons are unaware of the immense armageddon wreaking havoc on Krynn, and thus Niles appropriately makes little mention of it. The effect at the end is of one long, arduous journey completed-but a journey that was enjoyable from the start. Also a testament to Niles is the fact that despite having so many characters (he does appear to make some small lapses, however, in numbers and mentions) he never lets the focal dragons slide. Any other author might fully develop the evil Crematia and leave her descendants form-letter characters. But the development of each personality is full, although at the end, there are a handful of weaker characters. THE DRAGONS is also excellent in how much history it spans. THE LEGEND OF HUMA (Richard A. Knaak) is retold in the viewpoint of the dragons, including the adored silver dragon Heart. The stories of the exile of the three moons of Krynn, the creation of the evil draconians, the exodus to northern utopia, and the return to ancestral Kharolis are only a few of the incredible pageantry one will find in this book. Unfortunately there is also plenty of death, too, so much that it becomes predictable in the end, and this is probably the biggest flaw I can find with the book. Otherwise, it's a shiner. At the last page, it feels like Douglas Niles has written a 1000 page book, not a 300 novel. A definite must read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Amazing!!!, December 11, 2002
This review is from: The Dragons (Dragonlance Lost Histories, Vol. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)
BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER...IF YOU HAVE NOT READ "THE LEGEND OF HUMA" AND "THE KAGONESTI" DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!! YOU WILL MISS ALLOT OF STUFF IF YOU DO NOT READ THOSE OTHER TWO BOOKS FIRST!!
Ok, that being said, let me get to the "meat and potatoes" of this amazing book.
It begins several thousand years before the first "Dragon War", the second "Dragon War" and the "War of the Lance"...not to mention before the "Cataclysm" also.
This is the story of the dragons of "Paladine", and of course those of "Tahakisis". Spanning multiple generations of dragons and thousands of years it follows the life, death, and epic struggles of the dragons.
You can really see how their individual victories, and losses greatly affected the lesser people's of "Krynn". A victory of a single Silver dragon could shape millenia of peace on the land, while a dark victory meant millenia of death and terror. You can really see how close the dark queen really came to winning the dragon wars, and the war of the lance.
It also goes into detail how the gods cast their lots into the battles so that evil would be defeated, and how they were punished for bringing back the powerful spell magic back to the land.
Now, I had one beef with this book. in "The Legend of Huma", "Huma" fell in love with a female silver, named "GWENNITH"....and of course this was the dragon who loved him, and who he rode in the final battle of the "War of the lance". Now here is the problem: in "Dragons" she is mentioned...and they call her "Heart". How the writer could miss this seemingly small, BUT VERY NOTICEABLE DETAIL, is simply beyond me.
Problem 2: In this book they mentioned "Humas Compaings", and conquests..once again THE WRITER OVERLOOKS ANOTHER SMALL, BUT VERY VERY NOTICEABLE DETAIL...Huma was never on any conquest or campaign...from the time he got to the front lines, he was immediately swept into one mishappen adventure to the next, and was only in contact with the rest of the nighthood only a handful of times till his death in the end of "Legend"...HOW COULD HE THEN BE ON ANY CONQUEST OR CAMPAIGN LEADING TROOPS TO VICTORY OR GLORY WHEN HE WAS NEVER AROUND THEM???
This brings me to a point repeated over and over...AUTHORS NEED TO READ EACH OTHERS WORK SO THAT THEY DON'T MAKE THESE KIND OF MISTAKES.
If you can see past thses flaws, then don't miss this book. It is amazing!! A true epic, a crown jewel in the DL series..
But thats my opinion, I could be wrong... -Jon
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dragon Heaven, June 27, 2001
This review is from: The Dragons (Dragonlance Lost Histories, Vol. 6) (Mass Market Paperback)
If you're wondering how things are with the dragon race of Krynn, then this book is all your answers in one! While reading other books in the series you may wonder what's going on in the background with the dragons. Well, this book will tell you everything about the dragons of Krynn. Its really cool to see the story of Krynn through a dragon's point of view!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
