The Gates of Thorbardin (Dragonlance: Heroes) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Dan Parkinson (Author) "EVEN hERE, iN this cold CREVaSSE split deep and narrow into living mountain stone...even here, where he could go no farther, where his aching body..." (more)
Key Phrases: dwarven girl, bison cloak, something voiceless, Chane Feldstone, Chestal Thicketsway, Rogar Goldbuckle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Magic and Peril Under the Earth

Deep beneath the mountain fortress of Skullcap, legend has it, are the remains of the dark wizard Fistandantilus and the path to the gates of the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin. Buried somewhere along that perilous path is the magical helm of Grallen, son of King Duncan, tragic hero of the Dwarfgate War. The finder of Grallen's helm, it is prophesized, will be rewarded and honored by a united Thorbardin -- but he will also open the gates of the realm to fresh horror and chaos.

In The Gates of Thorbardin, Dan Parkinson, author of Starsong, continues the history of the dwarves of Krynn in the tradition of Nancy Varian Berberick's best-selling Dragonlance novel, Stormblade.


About the Author

The late Dan Parkinson authored 38 novels, including best-sellers in four categories of fiction. He wrote poetry, historical novels, westerns, sailing-ship adventures, fantasy, science fiction and several Dragonlance novels, of which The Gates of Thorbardin, originally published in 1990, was his first.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast; 1st Edition edition (September 26, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880389125
• ISBN-13: 978-0880389129
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,091,307 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptionally well told story!, February 4, 2001

By	"demarkes" (Ft. Myers, FL) - See all my reviews

I hope that Mr. Parkinson will write many more Dragonlance novels. While his characters weren't too developed, they were also not overkilled with detail (such as the details of 4 generations of their families, etc.). The story itself ran smooth as silk, no contradictions in itself, just the right amount of humor too.

Chane Feldstone, an orphan dwarf with no traces of his lineage, has a dream. Not like that of great men, but a dream that reoccurs constantly about an old helmet. He loves a dwarven woman who's father hates him (such as in-laws are, lol), and when Chane reveals that his dream is actually fate calling him... her father plans to have him "taken care of"... thus beginning Chane's quest and his adventures. Along the way he meets 'Chess' a kender, Bobbin- an insane gnome (you'll understand when you read it, lol), a human that goes by Wingover, and some others... then along the way Chane and his friends have to face armies of a Highlord (goblins, Hobgoblins, and a few Ogres).

The whole "concept" in the synopsis of "uniting Thorbardin" is barley skirted upon... instead its about the finder of Grallen's helm bringing Thorbardin to a time that it once was...

Very descriptive in battles, features and other things, and the combination of Kender and Gnome (insane remember) is a thoughtful added spice of humor. I highly recommend this book to Dragonlance fans.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extemely....good?, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

WOW! You talk about a change! Usually when books like this come out, they suck. This is the exception. After reading the Fifth Age series, I couldn't even stand to LOOK at a another Dragonlance book. Then one day my friend told me to read it, so I did. As it turns out,it was one of the best ones I have read. You should read it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Gates of Thorbardin (Dragonlance Heroes, Volume 5), February 10, 2004

By	Christopher (Levittown, New York United States) - See all my reviews

In my opinion this book has problems from the get go. The main character of the book, Chane Feldstone seems very hard to get into, and I believe if it wasn't for his supporting cast, this book would be unreadable. The kender, Chess, while not Tasslehoff, is always a good edition to a Dragonlance book, providing a fun-loving aspect to any story. Jillian, the dwarven woman, is annoying as far as I can tell, but even she adds good depth to the story. Wingover, the human (ranger i think), at times i believe adds to much to the dourness of the dwarves. (DL Fans, wasn't the name Wingover used in Darkness and Light for one of the gnomes that went to the red moon with Sturm and Kitiara?).
All in all I find the book difficult to get into, and though I was not a big fan of Stormblade until the 3rd time I read it, I believe that to be a much better book.
I believe this to be only good for completionists who absolutely must read every Dragonlance publication that comes along, or dwarf fans, who would like to know a bit more about the mysterious Thorbardin.