Customer Reviews

Well of Darkness: Volume One of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are by far two of the most well known, beloved fantasy writers of our time. Which is why it is no surprise that The Sovereign Stone Game System elected to jump-start the system with a trilogy written by Margaret and Tracy. I also suspect that Margaret Weis being one of the creators had something to do with this decision as well. Also, looking at the past success of the Dragonlance novels and what overwhelming interest those novels sparked in the Dungeons and Dragons gaming system it seems like the best move to make.

The first half of the book was relatively slow. It concentrated mainly on character and world building. While being interesting it's not overly exciting, so the book doesn't have the typical Weis and Hickman alure that their other series seem to have. However, once the reader is familar with the world and the characters the action and intensity magnify until you can't put the book down! The same phenomenon happened to me when undertaking the Death Gate Cycle. The first book was so new and different it took some time to get into the story.

I realize I haven't mentioned much about the content of the book, but the other reviews cover much of that. This book finishes strong and even though it cuts all of the loose ends by the last page there is still a hook that leaves the reader longing for more. The second book can't come out soon enough in my opinion. I highly recommend this book and I wish The Sovereign Stone Game System much success.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's new novel, Well of Darkness, is a wonderful departure from what we are used to seeing from the duo by way of their fantasy novels. Famous for their DragonLance books, Weis and Hickman explore the dark underside of court intrigue and politics in Well of Darkness.

Well of Darkness tells the story of how a young prince, Dagnarus, lets jealousy and hate rule his life, eventually turning him into the bane of his family, friends and country. Weis and Hickman skillfully relate a story that is both compelling and frustrating at the same time.

The story begins with Dagnarus as a young boy, who wishes to one day become king. He knows that it isn't possible since he is the younger son of a second marriage and that his half-brother is in line for the throne. His whipping boy, Gareth, is the young prince's only companion and friend, and with his help, Dagnarus begins to learn of the terrible and forbidden secrets of Void magic.

As they grow into men, Dagnarus becomes a mighty warrior while Gareth delves deeper into the arcane Void lore at the behest of his Prince. Dagnarus' ambitions to become king come to full blossom and he determines that the best course of action is to first become a Dominion Lord, a paladin of light, like his brother. His reasoning is that a king must be a strong warrior so that he can protect his people. Helmos, Dagnarus' elder brother and the Crown Prince of Vinnengael, in Dagnarus' eyes, is weak, with his nose always pressed firmly into a book. The young prince believes that if he can become a Dominion Lord, that he will have more than enough credentials to usurp his brother and become king.

During this whole time, momentous events are happening around the world, and the Kingdom of Vinnengael is at the center. King Tamaros, the father of Helmos and Dagnarus, is trying to forge a lasting peace and understanding between the Elves, Orks, Humans and Dwarves. Each have their own personal agendas, and distrust among them runs high. Assassination, missed opportunities, and intrigue all plague the king's attempts, and that's not counting the rivalry between his sons at home.

How does all of this end up? Does Dagnarus become a Dominion Lord, and then King of Vinnengael? Does Helmos retain his position as rightful heir? And what about Gareth and his dark discoveries? In all honesty, I don't want to give away the ending. I can say though that the finale to Well of Darkness is absolutely earth shattering!

Once in a great while, you find a book that turns conventionsal fantasy on its ear. Well of Darkness does just that, but to explain how would be a grave injustice to the reader. The World of Loerem is one that must be explored. What it borrows from the traditions of Tolkien and classic fantasy it quickly makes its own. Not since Death Gate, have Weis and Hickman produced such an ambitious tale, full of evocative imagery, strange and alluring races, and powerful characters.

As the title implies, there is a dark quality we do not often see in their work. Weis and Hickman have proven that they aren't afraid to take heroic fantasy out of its pristine, plastic packaging. They succeed in showing us the dark side of the human soul, without preaching and without the needless and overbearing sex and violence that so many fantasy authors fall prey to. What remains is a dynamic story of human nature, where no soul is purely good nor evil.

If you've ever been a Weis & Hickman fan, take the opportunity to read this book. If you've never read Weis & Hickman, this is a wonderful place to begin.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have been telling stories of fantastic worlds for over 15 years. WELL OF DARKNESS gives us another kind of world, where the Tolkienesque races and concepts are not quite what we'd expect. Elves are concerned with honor, face, and distrust magic. Orks are a sea-faring race whose superstitious predictions have an eerie habit of coming true. The gods, who take such an active role in the worlds of Dragonlance and Rose of the Prophet, are distant and uninterested in this new world.

This is a story of love, loyalty, and difficult choices. Gareth is brought to Vinnengael as the Whipping Boy for young Prince Dagnarus -- and fills his role both literally and figuratively, absorbing the emotional impact of Dagnarus' choices while the Prince grows more selfish and ambitious. Gareth is torn between his love for Dagnarus and his admiration for the king's oldest son, Helmos. The two princes become polar opposites--Helmos striving for ideals impossible in the real world, while Dagnarus becomes increasingly amoral in the pursuit of his own goals. This book is slightly darker and a bit more political than some of Weis and Hickman's other efforts--but this book stands out as one of the best fantasy novels in recent memory. The world is fully realized, from the gardens of the elves to the waterfalls of Vinnengael, with characters who are not black and white--but rather varying shades of grey. Readers will each put this book down with a different view of the characters and events described, and may find themselves drawn back to read it again to understand how chance, fate, and choice lead to the novel's unsettling conclusion.

The Well of Darkness falls well below the bar for Weiss and Hickman. Having read nearly all of their other works I can assure you that this book does not even come close to any of their previous works.

From the start, the book follows the only character with any real depth, the whipping boy Patch. Unfortunately, Patch's character is such that he is absolutely incapable of standing up for himself or any of his morals when faced with the whims of his playmate, prince Dagnarus. Right in the beginning Dagnarus bullies Patch into doing everything he wants and at every step afterward Patch obeys because "he has already made his choice". This leads to the feeling that Patch is nothing more than a secondary character supporting the distasteful and bland prince.

Somehow during the entire story Dagnarus is described as loved and respected by all that see him despite the fact that he seems to be very obviously selfish, disrespectful, uncaring, and eventually evil. He is not even a villain with great intelligence and depth, he simply succeeds at everything he tries to do regardless of whether his conversations with other characters or his plans justify it.

The races of the world are all very different from standard fantasy, but the logic behind them and their actions are entirely lacking. The elves (which are the most important of the nonhumans in the story) are described as just as long lived and skilled as always, but also as militant, honor-bound, and with a high birth rate. This leads one to question why they haven't driven the rest of the races into slavery or extermination already. One might think their chivalry would prevent that, but the elves in the story seem to be willing to ignore their morals and honor at the drop of a hat. They loudly proclaim their disgust and hatred of void Magi and soldiers of the Void, but are perfectly willing to follow someone called "Lord of the Void".

In the end though it seems that the good guys (which are not the subject of the book) have a powerful well-defended kingdom and good plans that simply have no effect on the events of the story. It truly seems that the authors wanted certain events to happen but could not figure out a way to string them together without completely ignoring racial tendencies and character personalities. Halfway through the book I read the reviews here and assumed that it picked up and became interesting but it never did. I finsihed it primarily so I could feel capable of relaying my dislike of the book. I'm a long time fan of Weiss and Hickman and have a hard time believing this is one of their books at all.

I have read all of Weis/Hickman's work, including most of their solo books as well. "Well of Darkness" is another brilliant piece, showing that even after 15+ years of writing together, this duo shows NO sign of wearing down. This book is Fresh, bold, and VERY thought out.

The first half of the book is mostly setup. Yes, it is slow. But, once you get to book to, you will look at all that set up like it's gold. It *really* adds to the story. While lacking action, the first half of the book goes into great detail, taking you along the journey or Dagnarus and "Patch" as they are young boys. This half of the book is really what makes the *entire* book shine. Once you get through it, you realize the true gravity and depth of what you just read.

The second half of the book really picks up. With the groundwork firmly in place, Weis/Hickman are free to really get things going. This is where the action takes place. There is alot going on here, it becomes very interesting. The book does things that few books I have read dared to do.

One thing I want to mention though, is that the book feels like it was PRUNED... alot. The paperback weighs in at 576 pages... but you feel like it should have been closer to 800. I honestly think that the editors made them chop out a good 300 pages, replaces with a few paragraphs of summary. There were at least 3-4 occasions reading this book where this happened: I would read 3 chapters of setup and foreshadowing, getting all excited for what was building up.. and then then thing I was waiting for is summarized in 2 paragraphs. I don't know if this is intentional, but I was a little let down, I wanted MORE!! Don't let it scare you though, the entire book is good, it just EASILY could have been 800+ pages and still be interesting the entire time.

If you like serious, dark fantasy, read this book. If you are coming to this straight from the Dragonlance books... be warned, this is the "new" weis/hickman, much more polished, deep, dark. It's a 4 out of 5 stars, for sure. (sorry, I can only give 5 stars to the "Star of the Guardians" :))

Oh, and painting on the cover... I don't think the artist even read the book. Please ignore it.

In Well of Darkness Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman once again prove why they are near the top of the fantasy genre.

Weis and Hickman introduce us to yet another world they have created to tromp around in. Well of Darkness is the first book in the Sovereign Stone Trilogy.

This world is unlike their Dragonlance books in that they have complete control over what happens and it's noticably a little darker than their other works.

The story during the Sovereign Stone Trilogy moves along at a break neck pace. There are multiple twists along the way. I thinkt he thing I like best about this trilogy is that the 'villian' starts off as a good guy for the most part, but with misguided ideals. He doesn't really know he's being evil he thinks he's doing what's best.

Overall, if you are a fan of Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles of Death Gate cycle you should give these books a chance. The world if fresh and different from most that is out there today.

If you're ready for a new journey, jump aboard and get ready for a fun enjoyable ride.

When it comes to fantasy, Well of Darkness has it all. Weis and Hickman have packed into this book an array of events that continue to surprise and intrigue the reader. The conflicts throughout the book are magnificently described and all the while intricately tie into eachother. The characters are brilliant, ambitious, ingenius, and the enigma that surrounds them reaches an awe inspiring resolve. By reading this first book in the Sovereign Stone Trilogy, a reader will be compelled to complete the series post-haste.

Being a huge Weis/Hickman fan (I've read Foraging the Darksword, Rose of the Prophet, and various Dragonlance), I had high hopes for this series. I should begin by saying that it is nothing like these.
I won't bore you with a summary. It is clear that from early on this novel will be about pitting one brother against another in a good vs. evil type of book. However, this is more than just hero vs bad guy: each of the characters are very complex. Even the secondary characters: Dagnarus's whipping boy, the elven advisor, and the just,well-loved king are excellently developed and each have an interesting take on the events of the story.
I agree with the other reviewers who said that the book starts of slow but definitely speeds up in the middle and will have you captivated by the end. I don't want to give too much away except to say that book 3 (the third section of this book) will provide interesting surprises as the reader finds out who really holds the power in their universe: Dagnarus, Helmos, the Void, or the Gods.

Pretty good fantasy mind candy from the authors of the Dragonlance series. I saw this book in the library and wondered if these authors, who had so captivated me as a young teenager, still had the touch. This, their latest series, holds up just fine, although it is certainly not as fine as some of their other books. The character development was a little less than ideal (I would like to have seen more time spent explaining why certain characters turned evil, as the explanation given seems a bit flippant), but overall, very enjoyable. I am looking forward to the next in the series...