Dragons of a Lost Star (The War of Souls, Volume II) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Margaret Weis (Author), Tracy Hickman (Author) "Morham Targonne was having a bad day..." (more)
Key Phrases: Dark Knights, Marshal Medan, Queen Mother (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Dragonlance's dynamic duo--the inimitable Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman--continues to do no wrong, reviving the once-ailing world of Krynn with yet another solid book, the second in their War of Souls series. Which is not to say, of course, that Krynn itself is doing well. Far from it: as you might remember from the trilogy's debut, Dragons of a Fallen Sun, creepy Joan-of-Arc-type Mina is spreading the influence of her One God even further over the previously godless land. To top that off, the cursed magical shield protecting the Silvanesti crumbled with the death of the great green Cyan Bloodbane (who had been masquerading as an elf), and the hated Beryl has made a move on the Citadel of Light and the lands of the Qualinesti. And just in case you didn't read Fallen Sun, Weis and Hickman take great pains to bring you up to speed in the first chapter.

What follows in Dragons of a Lost Star is the satisfying resolution to most of these threads, although--like it or not--that means a lot of interplay among the elves. But a literally earth-shattering finale with Beryl in Qualinost amply makes up for it, and that's just the appetizer for the main dish: the true identity of Mina's mysterious One God is revealed at last. Throw in some typical Tas antics for good measure (you've got to love that Device of Time Journeying), and you can count on being left antsy for this trilogy's concluding installment. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have done it again".

-- Bookreproter.com

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786927062
• ISBN-13: 978-0786927067
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The War of Souls Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hmm.... definitely, this is more than I was expecting., May 27, 2001

By	Alexiel (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragons of a Lost Star (Dragonlance: The War of Souls, Volume II) (Hardcover)

If you read my review of "Dragons of a Fallen Sun" you know what I thought was lacking in it: a bit sparse on plot and weak characters you couldn't identify with.

I am pleased to admit that "Dragons of a Lost Star" has thoroughly exceeded my expectations. Not only are the old characters (Tas, Goldmoon) written better in this book (In Fallen Sun, they seemed strangely unlikeable) the new characters, like Mina and Silvanoshei become more fleshed out and appealing (though not Gilthas. I fear poor Gilthas is doomed to remain a static character for the rest of eternity).

Without giving away any spoilers (when people give away spoilers in Amazon.com reviews it just irritates me like all hell) I thought the scenes with Mina, her followers, and the One-God were done much better than in the first book. In the first book, the only event that provided any dynamic was her meeting with Mirror. In this book, the reader sees more than simpy "Ah Mina! I worship you and the One-God!" To cut it short, it's less religious-fanaticism-by-the-numbers than the first book.

We get to see more about Tasslehoff and Goldmoon, and Goldmoon's big secret and mystery, which I was expecting to be a letdown, was rather interesting, if not entirely original.

But for those of you who seek action, the wars with the elves are good... but not Hickman-Weis great in my opinion. Beryl and Qualinost does not measure up to, say, The Attack on Neraka in Spring Dawning, or the High Clerist Tower's Final Stand in Summer Flame. But it does nicely change the pace of the book from early on. The real strength of this book lies with Mina, Tasslehoff, Goldmoon, Silvanoshei... and a few others who I may not name.

If you're still doubting whether you should read this book, I have one more thing to remind you of:

What about Dalamar?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, much better than the first in the series, December 7, 2001

By	M. Ahmed (Urbana, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dragons of a Lost Star (Dragonlance: The War of Souls, Volume II) (Hardcover)

I thought this book was actually very good, and for me that was a surprise, because after what they and Rabe did to Dragonlance, it just doesn't look all that interesting anymore, y'know? Taking away magic?! I mean, what's left? You gotta have that. And after reading reviews for some of the "filler" books that they were throwing out for the Dragonlance series, I gave up for a few years.

But with this book, and it's predecessor, they've dug (or I should say, "are still digging") their way out of the trenches. The first one set the tone, (a grimmer, darker book then they have written in the Legends or the Chronicles) and this one fit smoothly into place, continuing exactly where the other one stops, at a point of certain doom.

When I first read this book, I was literally shocked. I mean, yeah, they have death and destruction in all Dragonlance books, but in Lost Star, boy, they really wipe Krynn clean. You'll see when you read it (FOOL, GO READ IT NOW!! :)

One of the bad things about this book, I saw in a previous review and I totally agree: it keeps you wanting a LOT more. After every chapter ends, you HAVE to keep reading or else you're going to go insane; you'll literally snap. You'll also find yourself yelling at people to stop make noise so you can just finish your darn book. The ultimate evil of this book, however, is the end, where you're left just cringing, NEEDING to know what happens next, because it's such a dramatic point (dramatic but unfortunately not resolved). And that's why this is different from the Chronicles. Those were the best, because if you bought one book and read it, it's complete in itself. There's insanely good writing, a climax, and then a good resolution of the events.

This book, unfortunately, doesn't have that and that's the reason for the 4 stars and not 5. It's a good book, don't get me wrong, but it, of course, can't have the glory of the first set.

Some of the "secrets" of the book are pointedly obvious, and that's a shame. They really could have done a lot better. But, still, it's not finished and they have their reasons, I'm sure.

This book is very, very short. The type of suspense just forces you to keep reading. I read it and I wished I hadn't, God, I wished I hadn't, cause at that point, I would've had to wait more than a year for the next one. But, time is slowly creeping toward April....every so slowly......
You'll find the book finished in just a couple of days. But, don't worry, if you read , it'll be a good couple of days.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars no longer lost, April 11, 2001

By	Skippertan (Peru, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragons of a Lost Star (Dragonlance: The War of Souls, Volume II) (Hardcover)

Not since the days of the Chronicles and Legends have i enjoyed reading so much. Dragons of a Lost Star is incredible! And while I had my doubts after reading the first War of Souls novel, Dragons of a Fallen Sun, rest assured fellow readers, all is right in the world of Krynn. Finally, the one God's identity is revealed! And you will kick yourselves because the answer is so obvious with all the elven wars. Qualinost under attack by the great Beryl! Once the one god is unmasked the pieces of this great and wonderful puzzle begin to fall into place. take note of the man aboard the Gull Wing, he's got alot of making up to do! do yourself a favor and run to buy this book. I promise, you wil not regret for one moment. the return of Dalamar! the secret behind the dead walking again! it's going to be a long year awaiting dragons of a Vanished Moon...