The Kagonesti (Dragonlance Lost Histories, Vol. 1)
The Kagonesti (Dragonlance Lost Histories, Vol. 1)
The Age of Light
Forests cover Ansalon. Under the legendary Silvanos, the elves of Krynn begin to tame the wilds and raise their crystal cities.
But as the Elderwild Kaganos jouneys toward a mystical encounter high in the mountains, he knows that, for his tribe, the woodlands must remain their eternal home.
As centuries pass and Dragonwars rage, the tribe of Kaganos battles encroaching humans and the minions of the Dark Queen, aided by a potent lgacy guided by revered pathfinders . . .
Until the wild elves stand upon the brink of the deadliest challenge of all — a challenge that marks a choice between annilhilation and survival.
The Lost Histories Series probes the historical roots and epic struggles of the heretofore little-known peoples of Krynn.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great book, but only half of it is outstanding.
I wished this book was not broken up in 3 different sections.
I wish it just dealt only with the start and the beginning of the wild elves and just left it with that, instead of jumping in time in Parts 2 and 3 over to Huma and the Land of Istar.
The introduction and the first Part is awesome reading. I loved every second of it. The first wild elf meets palandine (who is called by a different name in this book)/the good dragon god in the mountains where the ancient Ogres inhabit.
The Introduction and Part 1 of the book happens many thousands of years before The Land of Istar is torn down/The Cataclyism. This book is one of the first events of the entire Dragonlance storyline/timeline/Saga.
The 2nd and 3rd Parts of the book was pointless, and a total waste of time to read.
The 2nd Part of the book talks about some backstory to Huma and the 3rd Part of the book talks about some knights of Istar, which really has nothing to do with anything, and is not important at all to the overall storyline/timeline/saga.
Just read this book for the Introduction and Part 1, and forget about Parts 2 and 3.
So actually, this book is only about 100 or 150 pages long if you take out and completely ignore Parts 2 and 3.
5 Stars a great read.
along with DL’s CHRONICLES this ranks among the best DL books i’ve read. with lots of action, magic and even drama, this book’s collection of stories about the wild elves always holds your attention and you never get to skip pages out of boredom. an essential DL book. trust me i have about 30 of them.
4 Stars Well Done
Niles has completed a huge story in a few pages with this novel. The time covered is amazing in itself, but the great thing about it is that it is like getting three short novels in one book. A very fun read! The only thing I would like to have seen is three books instead of one. The individual “Pathfinder” stories were good but a longer more in depth story would have been even better. Still, a great, easy, read.
4 Stars Interesting history of origins of the Wild Elves
This is a very well-written book that gives the history of the Kagonesti, or Wild Elves, by following the story of three separate characters who lived in three different ages. This book should be of interest to Dragonlance fans, but might seem a little esoteric to people with little or no knowledge of the world of Krynn and its inhabitants.
This book does a great job of giving the story of the origins of the Kagonesti and how they broke off from the other elves on Krynn. This first part was the best in the book.
The second and third parts, while still interesting, are not quite as good. They tell of the first positive interaction with humans and the days leading up to the Cataclysm. I would really have liked to see another part that leads closer to the War of the Lance and shows how the Kagonesti came to be servants among the other elven nations. This book leaves that question unanswered.
All that being said, Niles is a wonderful author and writes a good book.
4 Stars Wild elves flesh out further history of Krynn
A solid and pleasurable read for those experienced in the Dragonlance world. This novel is divided into three parts, each telling a climatic event within the history of the Elderwild elves.
The first story touches upon events in the life of Kagonos, the first Pathfinder of the “wild” elves. Through his pact with a dragon, to his timely defeat of an orge horde, to his final separation from the “house” elves, Kagonos remains a fairly wooden character and extremely difficult to like. While there are some brief flashes of reverance and grief, this “founder” of the Kagonesti tribes only potrays stoicism and a bordering on rage-like anger. Through out his tale, Kagonos never encounters fear or doubt, he is never asked to change or develop. He is presented as an unfeeling machine and continues that feel to the end.
The second story arc is the best tale of the three and focuses on a young brave named Ashtaway, the nephew of the tribes current Pathfinder. What Ashtaway accomplishes in the history of Krynn is not as profound as what Kagonos did, but what he changed within himself and the mindset of his tribe is the better story. Battling through worry and revenge, Ashtaway confronts his own people to protect the life of a human. He has the opportunity to mend mistakes and couragously defend what is correct rather than what is easy. Compounded on the growth of the main character is the appeal of the foreigners that Ashtaway meets. Sir Kamford, Highbulp Toofer and Hammana have a life of there own, there own fear, doubts and goals. Add onto that a very well written battle sequence and this story trumps its counterparts.
The third story is a chronicle of survival, then revenge and then right back into survival. Here the story tells of our young protagonist, a Kagonesti elf named Iydahoe and his bouts with the empire of Istar. These events range from fourteen years before to the day of the Cataclysm. While our main character has some epiphanies about life and the right path to take, this story is actually driven by the events that are taking place around him. While the world is falling down about his shoulders, Iydahoe goes nearly insane and loses all hope. While this is a good place for drastic character development, Iydahoe is spared that inconvenience by an apparition that leads them to safety. With that considered this third tale had the ability to be just as powerful as the second but the transitions were rushed and the true weight of what the character was dealing with was only realized in a few aspects of his journey. The most intriguing aspect of Iydahoe’s story in found in what actually took place during the infamous Cataclysm and the nightmarish days preceeding it.
All in all this is a fun supplemental book to the Dragonlance realm. The history of the Kagonesti separating from the Silvanesti elves, the role a single elf played in the war during the time of Huma and how the Kagonesti fought back from the brink of extinction during the time of the Cataclysm gives more life to the living, breathing world of Krynn.
Filed under: Dragonlance Reviews
