Customer Reviews

The War of Souls Trilogy Gift Set: Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, Dragons of a Vanished Moon (Dragonlance Series)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First off let me say I've always been apprehensive on reading any Dragonlance novels. Generally I consider myself somewhat of a Highbrow Fantasy snob, e.g. George R.R. Martin, Tolkien, Donaldson, etc., and hence, I figured these books were just lowbrow trash. Well, I was really wrong. Let me get something straight here, I'm not comparing these novels to any of the works of the above-referenced authors; however, these novels, each around 600 pages long, were enjoyable, fast-paced, great stories, and kept me hooked. I drove through all 3 novels in 2 short weeks. I enjoyed them so much I've now started at the beginning of the Dragonlance series, Chronicles, and while I've completed the first novel in that series (which I didn't enjoy quite as much as these 3), I'm hooked right now on the Dragonlance world.

Give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

The show must move on, if it is to continue. I'm not certain it needed to. The Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy Gift Set, while flawed, were a great story. The Legends Gift Set: Time of the Twins, War of the Twins, and Test of the Twins (Dragonlance: Legends Trilogy) was even better. This effort fell flat, and even turned continuity on its head.

The entire plot is based on a what-if scenario: what if Tasslehoff Burrfoot (herien referred to as Tas) didn't die? At the end of the Chaos war, Tas decides he needs to be present at Caramon Majere's funeral. Using an artifact, he travels forward in time, disrupting everything.

Now, if the Chaos War were lost, that would mean that Chaos won, and everything and everyone went caput. There's no way around that. But that's just what the authors decided to do: ignore the consequences of their book, Dragons of Summer Flame Dragons of Summer Flame.

That didn't sit well. But there were other problems:

We became attached to the original cast in Chronicles as they interacted with one another. They faced danger as a group. They grew, they quarrelled, forgave, cursed and watched eachothers' backs. This trilogy isn't like that. Each of the characters we're introduced to, and expected to care about, faces everything on their own, right up until the very end.

Another issue I had a problem with was the the antagonist. A teenage girl who appears completely honest and blunt throughout, but when it suited the purpose of the story, acted subtley, maliciously, and in a backstabbing manner. Then too, how she could be so attached to Goldmoon, and yet fall so completely for the 'One God.' Her last act seemed so out of character, it took me completely out of the story.

This set was heavily bloated. More happened in the Dragons of Summer Flame, a single book, than occurred in this entire trilogy.

It was nice to see some of the old characters again, even if they were on their way out. It's a shame we never really got to know Palin or Usha, who are still rather flat. The major groups acted consistently with their established history. Even when everything changes in the end, alot remained the same. Meh. This was one tale the Dragonlance universe could have done without. It leaves the world of Krynn with alot less good and evil. The very things that made DragonLance tick.

(And how many times does the fate of Raistlin need to be changed, people?)

I have been a long-time fan of Weis and Hickman and their Dragonlance books. They have an uncanny ability to write engrossing stories full of conflict and angst and failure that somehow still come together at the end on a note of acceptance and hope. In general, the characters end the stories as better people than they started them as, and the price the characters pay is redeemed by what they gain by the end. I looked forward to this new series. The story is certainly engrossing -- I found it hard to put the books down, even during the darkest and bleakest points in the story. But unlike their earlier works, Weis and Hickman don't manage to wrap this one up well. Several story lines end abruptly, as if Weis and Hickman just ran out of steam on them and gave up. More important, almost none of the characters end the story having learned anything important. The sacrifices made by the characters remain unredeemed at the end. I was left disappointed and unsatisfied. Go ahead and read the story -- it is well written. Just be prepared to feel incomplete at the end.

First let me start off by saying that I did enjoy these books. But I enjoyed the previous books more. The Chronicles Trilogy was the first set in the Dragonlance world and I must say the best. It all sort of went downhill from there, albeit a long hill with a small angle but still downhill. I really thought that with The Second Generation and Dragons of Summer Flame that led up to The War of Souls Trilogy, that there would be a "rebirth" (if you will) of the Dragonlance Series. But sadly that wasn't to be. An IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: I have been led to believe that the writers, Weis and Hickman, actually have very little creative control over the Dragonlance Series. I believe that these books are meant to be companions to the world of D & D. I enjoy reading not throwing dice to see how much damage I do. As such, maybe they threw dice to see how the storyline would unfold. I don't know.

The Good:
The story is great. The action is great. Tas the loveable and unlikely hero is back. There is a lot of action and intrigue to keep you interested. The whole trilogy is one big twist after another.

The Bad:
I'm afraid there may be more bad than good...but only just. The number one problem, and it is SERIOUSLY BAD, is the typos. Did anyone actually proofread this book? I mean seriously it is bad. By the middle of Dragons of a Lost Star (second book in the trilogy), I was almost ready to call it quits just because it was so hard to make any sense of it. Misspelled words...bad punctuation...missing words...extra words. Just really, really, really bad. They need to fire whoever edited this book.

Now about the problems with the stories themselves. POTENTIAL SPOILER

My best advise to the readers about these books and this goes for pretty much ALL of the Dragonlance novels: Don't get attached to ANY character because they ALL die. The writers spend 3 books building a character and getting them developed then kill them. Why would you do that? Take a lesson from R.A. Salvatore or Terry Goodkind and keep your main characters ALIVE. It's what keeps readers coming back for more. If Salvatore had killed Drizzt after his first trilogy, Salvatore's career as a writer would have been a lot less eventful. Same goes for Goodkind's Richard in the Sword of Truth books.
Let's see who has died along the way to The War of Souls. Keep in mind these are MAJOR CHARACTERS!
Sturm Brightblade, Tanis Half-Elven, Caramon Majere, Raistin Majere, Tika Majere, Alhana Starbreeze, Crysania, Goldmoon, Laurana, Palin Majere, Riverwind, Steel Brightblade, Tanin Majere, Kitiara Uth Matar (who needed more development), Berem the Everman (death was justified), Flint Fireforge, Tas Burfoot (dead but brought back) and I'm sure there were others but I think you get the picture. And again these were major characters. Why even bother developing them if they are so expendable? Heck, I wouldn't even bother being creative with the names. Maybe I can write a Dragonlance novel. "Here is Sam. Sam is an elf. Sam has to overcome insurmountable odds to save the world. Sam overcame the insurmountable odds and saved the world. Now Sam is dead." There, I just wrote a whole Dragonlance novel in five sentences.
What was the point of "The Second Generation" and "Dragons of Summer Flame"? They introduce new characters and then killed them all. Stupid.

Summary of my review:
These books have a great story, great plot, and great characters who will all die. Or if that sentence had as many typos as these books...Thes books have great story great plot and grate charactrse woh will all dye.

Great product that was delivered in record time. I was totally amazed at how fast it got shipped to me. Dragon Lance books are great reads. If you're ready for an adventure that sucks you into the character then these books are for you. Dragon Lance books have a huge selection of books to choose from and most of them tie together in storyline at one point or another. You get the feeling of an ever-expanding storyline. I recommend these books to readers of all levels.

These three books were simply amazing. If you enjoy a simple fantasy novel, then let me tell you something, these books are for you! They contain your typical mythical beasts and have a dungeons and dragons theme. I know, you may be thinking that it sounds a little corny, but believe me when I tell you that it's not. These books are incredibly well written. They keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time; even for someone who doesn't enjoy reading. For example, if I had a choice to read or not I would probably not read. However, upon stumbling across the first book in this trilogy, I found myself absorbed and wanting to delve in for more. I enjoyed it that much. The story is about missing gods, lost magic, and a crumpled world that a band of heroes have to save from an evil persona. Basically your typical fantasy, however, this one is greatly put. I would reccommend these books to anyone of all ages, as I found them to be enjoyable at age ten, and now, six years later at age sixteen, I still find myself being quite fond of them. I found myself picking up the book because I was told to read, yet when the class time was over and it was time to go along my way, I would not put the books down because they were just too good. The story gets you involved mentally. It is very well thought out and in depth. The characters are superb to their personality and they burrow themselves into your very heart. Have you ever been to a movie that you just felt different when it ended because you enjoyed it so much? You enjoyed the movie so thoroughly that you just didn't want it to end. Well, let me tell you, that feeling that I explained is the very feeling that you will feel when the book is over. You will feel sad for ending it and not being able to continue the adventure. However, you will also feel fulfilled for being blessed with the opportunity to voyage along with the characters on their journey. I promise you that if you pick up these books, you will not regret the money and time invested in them. This series is just awesome. Start your mythical journey now!

A lot of people say that this series will disappoint Dragonlance fans, but I for one am a fan of the earlier books and I LOVED this trilogy. It's different from most Dragonlance, that's for sure, but no worse. Yes, revealing the One God took a bit away from it, but by the end of Vanished Moon, when all was revealed and the gods took such a drastic and unforseen action against this evil, the series is once again absolutely brilliant. Weiss and Hickman have always been among the best writers of all time and their work on this trilogy is no different. I personally enjoyed the War of Souls even mor than the War of the Lance, especially Fallen Sun. Anyone who disagrees probably just misses the old Krynn.

I received the book in excellent condition. The only downside at all is extremely small print. I should have assumed that fitting all three books in one book would have that effect. So I would have to admit that it is my fault!

Weis and Hickman have done it again. A beautiful piece of work that will keep you guessing. It was a shame it came to an end, but that's life in the world called Krynn.

This was on my grandson's Amazon wish list for Christmas. He is an avid read and was thrilled to receive it.