Customer Reviews

Tides of Blood (Dragonlance: The Minotaur Wars, Vol. 2)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tides of Blood - By Richard A. Knaak
Wizards of the Coast, April 1st 2005, 384 pages
Fantasy
This is the second book of a trilogy about the Minotaur race during the war of the souls. This trilogy belongs to the book series called Dragonlance.

This book takes place in the minotaur empire and in the ogre kingdom. The time is during the war of souls. The gods have left Krynn and magic is nothing more than a shallow husk. Rumors have been spread that the undead can no longer pass on to the after life and now they wander the planet draining people who try to use magic. During this trying time, minotaur emperor Hotak has made a pact with their ancient enemies, the ogres to try to take over the continent of Ansalon. He has also forged a pact with the mysterious Mina and her growing army to try to take over the legendary home of the elves, Silvanesti. But rebels and a growing darkness plague Hotak's kingdom right under his muzzle. As the escaped slave Faros begins to build an army of fugitives in the land of the ogres, Hotak's wife, Nephera continues to be consumed by an unholy darkness. The main characters of this story are Hotak, the throne usurper; Faros, nephew of the late emperor Chot; Nephera, wife of the emperor Hotak and Hotak's two sons, Bastion and Ardnor.
This is an exciting, intriguing book that will have you begging for more. Knaak makes this second book a nonstop thriller of rebellion, love, war and suspicion. His first book in the trilogy, Night of Blood, Knaak had built a powerful story and he continues it in this second installment. I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed his previous one, Nights of Blood. If you are a fan of fantasy and Dragonlance, I highly urge you to go and pick up Knaak's trilogy today.

As I often am when I go back to the Dragonlance series, I came into this book looking for a fun, quick read. I had just finished the Chinese classic "A Journey to the West" which though good, was very drawn out in my opinion.

I had read a few from Mr. Knaack before and I knew his style. Although he will never win awards he writes a great book, with just enough detail and plot to keep your interest. But his specialty is in action, and keeping the plot moving at breakneck speed. It worked, I completed this book in 4 days.

The Minotaur species in Dragonlance is very good for Knaack's strengths. They see most things in black and white, and are very militant. But the ruling class keeps you interested in the behind the scenes political intrigue. While you will never be identifying with characters, or getting teary eyed with their struggles, they have just enough personality to pull your interest.

If you're a militant fantasy connoisseur, then skip it. But if you want a great story with intense action, this will be a great read for you. The whole trilogy is done in just over 1000 pages, yet still feels epic. I gave it a 5 not comparing it to other great works in the genre, but for succeeding in what it was trying to do. Like I said I read it in 4 days despite having a full time job, and a busy weekend. That's saying something.

If you like battles and internal strife, this is the book for you. The second book in the minotaur series has the minotaurs already in the midst of invading Ansalon. Faros is trying to escape from imprisonment and exact revenge up his oppressors. Also, to show the unity in the ogre nations should make this worrisome for other races of Ansalon also. A major shake-up of the eastern side of the continent is going to affect the entire continent soon enough....

Tides of Blood is the second book in the Dragonlance: The Minotaur Wars, by Richard Knaak. The first book in this trilogy was dark by Dragonlance standards and this novel is no different. I am enjoying the 'darkerside' of Krynn if you will. It seems the books that have been released as of late in the Dragonlance world have been sub-par to say the least. With his first novel in this trilogy Night of Blood, Knaak broke that mold and delivered a very solid book. This second book keeps that theme going and is well written and well thought out story.

I have been a fan of Knaak's since I read Kaz the Minotaur and he doesn't disappoint here. It is evident that Knaak has planned out this story in great detail and taken the time to think everything through as far as what he would like to happen.

As far as the story there is a good deal of action mixed in with the politics of the Minotaur empire. For a Dragonlance novel I was a little surprised of the politics as that's not usual for DL novels.

Overall this is a very solid second book and one that will surely carry right into the final book in the trilogy.

This books is the second in the Minotaur Wars series and to me was a way to finally start bringing this trilogy into the Dragonlance setting. If you haven't read the War of Souls Trilogy, then you need to to understand some of what is going on in the rest of Ansalon especially with regards to how Mina's war is interweaved with the war that the Minotaurs are undertaking with the Ogres.

In addition, this book continues on with the stories of the rebellion against Hotak. Though it tries to build up the rebellion, I often felt at a lost where the story was going, maybe because this is the 2nd book in the trilogy. Also, we get more in tune with what the Forerunners actually are and where their power comes from, which is very interesting when you think to the War of Souls Trilogy (though the ending of this novel is really kind of a good setup for the end of the trilogy from several standpoints as now we are getting to a point that everyone, especially followers of the series, is going into unknown waters).

All in all, this is a great book for fans of the series and Dragonlance as a whole. If you are a casual reader, then you might get bored at points as the story seems to drag or not be as interesting as it could have been. If you like hardcovers, go for it (I do and did!), but if you don't, wait for the paperback (trust me, nothing so crucial happens that you need to buy it this second).

After overthrowing the corrupt Minotaur King Chot, usurper King Hotak forges an alliance with the ogres and sets off on a war of conquest against the elves. With the help of his evil wife, a priestess of a death-cult, Hotak has eliminated much of the opposition but a few bands of rebels remain. While his daughter serves in the war against the elves, Hotak trusts his younger son and heir to the task of wiping out resistance. His older son, Ardnor, serves his mother and secretly hates both his father and his brother for failing to make him heir.

As part of his alliance with the ogres, Hotak handed over minotaur prisoners to work in the ogre mines. Faros, an escapee from one of those mines, decides to strike back. Despite himself, he begins to gather a group of followers, other minotaurs and others, who share his hatred for the ogre overlords. Meanwhile, the rebellion is slowly being crushed, and the elf forests, long protected by a magic shield, suddenly becomes vulnerable.

TIDES OF BLOOD is largely the story of Faros. Made cynical by captivity first by his fellow minotaurs and then by the ogres, Faros doesn't want to trust anyone and certainly doesn't want responsibility. Yet responsibility is thrust on his shoulders as he becomes the one being who can stand against the ogres and their oppression. Author Richard A. Knaak makes Faros's attitude sympathetic, if frustrating.

In NIGHT OF BLOOD (see our review), the earlier novel in the series, Hotak made a powerful and sympathetic figure. By now, Hotak retreats to a more minor and less emotionally compelling role. Similarly, the rebels who played an important part in NIGHT are now largely on the run.

Knaak's writing is strong enough to sustain reader interest but I found TIDES less compelling than the excellent NIGHT. As the middle book in a series, TIDES suffers from having to pick up--and end--the story in the middle. Although weaker than NIGHT, the book grabbed my interest and hooked me. The ending serves as an exciting hook for the final novel in the trilogy--I can hardly wait.

Awesome book, Knaak is a very great author, one of my favorites. WoS and the MW come together in this novel, explaining that take over of Silvanesti. Besides that, the rebellion against Hotak grows, with some unexpected deaths, new characters, treachery (sp), and new alliances. I loved this book and cant wait for Empire of Blood to come out. Props on this series Knaak