The Second Generation (Mass Market Paperback)

by Margaret Weis (Editor), Tracy Hickman (Editor) "It was autumn on Ansalon, autumn in Solace..." (more)
Key Phrases: Dark Queen, Tower of High Sorcery, Staff of Magius (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Poor grammar, weak imagery and rickety old plots dressed up as Matters of Import doom this series of novellas, a continuation of Weis and Hickman's popular Dragon Lance series. As before, the protagonists are heroic; the revelation here is that the evil forces (who lost the War of the Lance some 20 years ago) are now organizing themselves into The Knights of Takhisis and employing the tactics once used to defeat them. They will be led, or not, by Steel Brightblade (the son of Kitiara, a disciple of evil in the last war) and Sturm (the hero in the last war). Action focuses on uninspired tales of Caramon Majere's son Palin's quest to be a wizard and political unrest among the Elves, which threatens the possibility of hegemony. There's hardly any suspense since contrivances make it clear that the eventual victory will be by authorial fiat. Descriptions are repeated three or four times, often within paragraphs of each other--and little of it deserves close attention. For Dragon Lance game players, there is, of course, an appendix with game statistics and the like.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Years have passed since the end of the War of the Lance. The people of Ansalon have rebuilt their lives, their houses, their families. The Companions of the Lance, too, have returned to their homes, raising children and putting the days of their heroic deeds behind them.

But peace on Krynn comes at a price. The forces of darkness are ever vigilant, searching for ways to erode the balance of power and take control. When subtle changes begin to permeate the fragile peace, new lives are drawn into the web of fate woven around all the races. The time has come to pass the sword -- or the staff -- to the children of the Lance.

They are the Second Generation.

An all-new repackaged paperback edition of a classic Dragonlance novel.

This book of five novellas bridges the gap between the Chronicles and Legends trilogies and Dragons of Summer Flame. While detailing their adventures, The Second Generation also sets up key events and characters in future Dragonlance novels.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; illustrated edition edition (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786926945
• ISBN-13: 978-0786926947
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,247 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Weis & Hickman revisit the Dragonlance universe!, June 20, 2001

By	Christopher Ware (Fremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Second Generation (Dragonlance) (Mass Market Paperback)

For those of you who don't already know this (like me before I actually sat down and read it), this book is actually five short stories. They are loosely tied together and told in chronological order. They are basically designed to introduce the reader to the offspring of the Heroes of the Lance. These new characters play prominent roles in Weis and Hickman's DRAGONS OF SUMMER FLAME.

The first story is KITIARA'S SON. It tells the story of...umm...well...Kitiara's son. I won't tell you who the father is since that's one of the surprises of the story (I guarantee you will never guess this one!). In it, Weis and Hickman explore some of their favorite themes: love, honor, and duty. It is a very intriguing story and very well written.

LEGACY tells the story of Caramon and Tika's son Palin. We are also introduced to two of his other sons, Tanin and Sturm. Another classic tale from these two founders of the Dragonlance world. We again see the brilliant characterization and character interaction that made the CHRONICLES and LEGENDS trilogies so great to read.

We get a better look at the interaction between Caramon's three sons in WANNA BET? We get to see Weis and Hickman's classic humor once again in this story (albeit, without a glimpse of a kender's topknot). The situations these three men get themselves into despite their best efforts made me laugh out loud.

RAISTLIN'S DAUGHTER regales us with a legend circulating in the land of Krynn, the unbelievable story that Raistlin fathered a child. This story introduces new characters that play very important roles in DRAGONS OF SUMMER FLAME. I was kind of disappointed in this story. The characters just didn't seem as vivid as in the others. The story was interesting, but it just didn't seem to come alive for me.

The last story involves Tanis and his son Gilthas. It is an emotionally charged story of elven political intrigue. Weis and Hickman again nail their characterization with this story. The elven politician that played a pivotal role was excellently drawn, although I would have liked a bit more insight as to his motivations.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. It's not required reading if you're going to pick up DRAGONS OF SUMMER FLAME, but it will give you a better understanding of the characters. Weis and Hickman definitely still have what it takes to spin a good Dragonlance tale.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good stories, January 2, 2002

By	D. Pachal (WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Second Generation (Dragonlance) (Mass Market Paperback)

When i first heard of this book, i thought it was a novel. But when i bought it i was suprised to find that it was actually a bunch of short stories, dealing with the children of the heros of the lance. That fact didnt discourage me at all as i read the book. Most of the stories were very good, and very entertaining. They were filled with a lot of action, though some of them were emotional. This is a must read before reading Dragons of Summer Flame. It brings to life many of the characters that are big players in that book. I finished this book in a day, it was very well written, and pulls you into all of the stories. I highly recommend it to all dragonlance fans.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Two good story tellers don't give us their usual product, April 24, 2000

By	Karl Rader (Shelton CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second Generation (Dragonlance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Weiss and Hickman have created a prodigious body of work based on the mythical world of Krynn. Regrettably, this particular anthology of short stories is inconsistent, in both tone and quality, with their usually fine craftsmanship. As a whole, the collection suffers from a lack of focus, though there are bright spots.

'Legacy' is generally well written and focused, yet leaves a great deal unanswered insofar as what was illusion and what was "real" in Palin's test.

The young dark Paladin is a plausible product of Kitiara's lifestyle, and a possible, though improbable, outcome of her previously described journey North with Sturm. In a glaring story telling omission, tension is absent and obstacles trivially overcome when a party tries to infiltrate both the Dark Paladin's fortress and the High Clerist's Tower. And the weight of a blue dragon's passengers is utterly ignored.

'Raistlin's Daughter' is well put together.

The Search for the Greygem, which includes the sons of Caramon, is silly and blatantly devoid of the detail most Weiss/Hickman tales receive. A ludicrous "PC" theme is added which not only detracts from the lame plot, but utterly ignores the adaptability of people. This story reads like a shoddily produced "Monty Hall" D & D module: hope it was never run at a tournament.

A comment on a structural weakness Weiss and Hickman have built into the world of Krynn, steel currency notwithstanding. They can never portray Kender, Gnomes, or Gully Dwarves with any sobriety, and often portray "normal" Dwarves as silly. This is inconsistent with the gravity with which humans and elves are generally portrayed, and leads to an enormously unbalanced world view. It is the fundamental weakness of the Krynn fantasy world, one which they will probably never change. Considering the well designed world presented in the Rose of the Prophet Trilogy, and the absence of sillines in the Dark Sword Chronicles, they know how to do it, they just choose to keep the Kender and Gnomes on the Jar Jar Binks level of character depth: which is a pity.

In the Graygem quest, combining this flaw with three characters who are elsewhere treated with some realism, and who represent the continuation of a line of heroes, seems like self-sacrelige on the authors' part.

For the non-Krynn veteran, avoid this book, it is far below Weiss and Hickman's normal standard. For Krynn fans, it is worth a look, but best checked out of a library.