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Wizards’ Conclave (Dragonlance: Age of Mortals)

The latest title in a series based on characters from the best-selling War of Souls trilogy.

This title is the next in a series that explores the lives of key characters from Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman’s New York Times best-selling War of Souls trilogy. Wizards Conclave describes events that directly overlap events during the War of Souls, and it features two lead characters familiar to any fan of the Dragonlance world. Author Douglas Niles is well-known to and popular with both recent and long-term Dragonlance novel fans.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Stars Quite probably the worse DL book ever released
Really, I’d give negative stars if it was possible. Before I get going, I’d like to point out that I’ve always liked Douglas Niles’s DL works, The Last Thane aside. In particular, I’d recommend Fistandantilus Reborn, The Kinslayer Wars, and Emperor of Ansalon as excellent examples of how good a writer her can be in this setting…even if each has slight flaws, they don’t add up enough to detract from the book.

In Wizard’s Conclave, it seems like all there are, are flaws. As far as the issue of Dalamar the Dark’s hair color, he WAS killed and resurrected. The shock of that COULD have bleached his hair - it happens in real life sometimes when people experience a severe trauma. That was the least of it in my mind.

For starters, the heroine (Coryn) was far too naive and STUPID throughout the book. The idea that a kender could just show up (in Icereach, of all places, without being a god, as in The Icewall Trilogy) at Scharon’s door and guide a 15-year old girl to Palanthas WITHOUT INCIDENT is ludicrous. Plain and simple. Any ship they took would have had to pass close enough to the Gale off the coast of Southern Ergoth to experience negative weather patterns from its fallout, yet we hear nothing of a storm-tossed ship or anything. Just smooth sailing!

Secondly, the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth has a whole big piece of source material on it (Raistlin’s Legacy: The Tower of High Sorcery) that was readily available to Mr. Niles that he apparently didn’t look at once. Wayreth Forest is just that, a forest. No caves, no mountains, NO SECRET TUNNELS! It is guarded by a COPPER dragon, not some massive green holdover from the Third Dragon War. It is also a structure that CANNOT be harmed. Raistlin, in Test of the Twins, was a god in an alternate future and even his DIVINE power couldn’t harm it, never mind some wild magic.

The villain was, in a word, boring. The writing was kiddie (he should have named Coryn Harriet Potter and just have been done with it) and there were so many problems that they got in the way of telling a good story. Not the least of which is the idea that every wizard had the “fly” spell memorized for every day use or that they suddenly had a full compliment of spells after years of having no access to them. Oh, and lest I forget, they made good time from all corners of the continent, all arriving at the SAME EXACT TIME the day AFTER the Night of the Eye. I wasn’t aware Ansalon had Leer jets.

The Master of the Tower has his own form, but it was not once used, and is more powerful than just about any wizard because he IS the Tower. Why he didn’t lock the villain and his toadying sidekick in a room and allow them to suffocate is beyond me. The Tower’s physical layout was incorrectly described, or should I say incompletely described. No mention was made of where the fence went from the foretower.

And for all of Coryn’s unbelievable (literally) powers, she HAD to use her little copycat spell on that arrow to win? What about, oh, I dunno, casting a haste spell on the arrow so it would get there before Kalwhatshisname had time to turn around?

Was there anything about this book I liked? Yes, actually. I liked that Jenna became the Head of the Conclave, even if she’s far too old to have withstood the punishment she took. She was no spring chicken in Dragons of Summer Flame as it was, yet here she is 40+ years later and still running around like she was in the prime of her life. Even Elminster would have a problem bouncing back from the kind of injuries she sustained!

The best part, though, was the scene with Palin and Dalamar. I felt that it was an excellent closing of the book on the Majere family (Linsha aside) and their involvement with the future of Krynn. Palin sacrificed magic at the end of the War of Souls trilogy and in this book - released shortly after Prisoner of Haven and, thus, a great piece of loose-end-tying - we see him happy for the first time in years. A family that rose from peaceful common stock returns to peaceful common stock…a great way to bring their saga full circle.

In short, though, Mr. Niles took far too many liberties with the story, not the least of which was betraying the tone of DL with a kiddie fantasy story, dialogue sequences, and pace. As I said, though, I like Doug Niles’s DL stuff, by and large, and will just be forced to file this in the Miss category for him…which is still far outnumberd by his Hits. I really hope that he phoned this in due to personal feelings towards the story idea and the supposed story arc that is supposed to come with it. Coryn is rumored to feature prominently in his upcoming trilogy…I can only hope he doesn’t continue the trend established in this book, but rather takes the story seriously and attempts to make the read not only fun, but worthwhile as well.

4 Stars Okay…
This book is okay but one reviewer does have a point…Why does Dalamar have blond hair instead of black hair? Also, in the War of the Souls trilogy it is mentioned that he was thinner and looked much older? Never mind the questions though. The book was okay but it left out some important details. Although Niles does capture Dalamar cool and aloof nature perfectly. Aside from that, the book was okay. It ended too quickly perphaps he could made it longer? Try The Hunter’s Blades trilogy instead by R.A. Salvatore.

3 Stars Eh….
As many other reviewers have stated, Dalamar the Dark is -not- blonde. He is, in fact, a black-haired elf. It was also my understanding that he had been physically changed during his time serving the ‘One God’ in the War of Souls, (i.e. he was weaker, thinner, possibly even going gray. Appearing to age faster then an elf -should-.) This was not portrayed in the novel at all.

The writing style was wonderful, and I enjoyed the story. But there were massive holes in it. Unfortunately, this seems to be a running theme with some of the newer Dragonlance books. (If you haven’t read ‘Lake of Death’ yet, don’t.) If you’re a hardcore dragonlance fan, and want to know about the current status of High Sorcery, this book delivers. But you can definitely live without it.

4 Stars Fair
I admire Mr Niles skills in writing, and he is one of the founders of the DragonLance Trilogy. I enjoyed reading more of Dalamar, an often neglected but fascinating character.

Still he did make a crucial error in that Dalamar is indeed dark-haired (confirmable, if one asks Larry Elmore or Mrs Weis) and that the novel was woefully short. . . or that no kender were killed in the procession of this novel.

Still, it’s a good read.

3 Stars Not great,but not bad either
i like the new direction DL is going at the end of this story..Coryn is going to be a major character in the DL world,and I liked how Dalamar,Jenna,and Coryn all worked together to reach their goals… The reason why this gets 3 stars and not higher is because of the horrible villains..Kalrakin and his dull and boring sidekick are by far the worst villains I’ve ever erad about..Kalrakin should be on some low budget saturday morning cartoon..They were the type of villains u want to hate and hope die soon cause they were just awfully stupid and dumb..

I did like the overall storyline and the rest of the book flowed nicely..It took me just 3 days to read,which is a plus in my book…I just wish the villains were cooler than how they were portrayed.. If you like Dalamar,Jenna,and a newcomer mage “coryn” that might one day rival even Raistlin himself,then go read this book.

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Dragons of Despair (Dragonlance module DL1)

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Enjoy it as a classic movie
Dragonlance is the classic 80’s campaign for D&D. It is the occasion for you to enjoy this beautiful saga.

Dragons of Despair is the beginning if the saga. Heroes gather after long wanderings at Solace, the small city build of their childhood. They’re going to meet 2 new fellows who bring the first clue about the lost gods of the world. An incredible journey should conduct the PCs to the sunken city of Xak Tsaroth. At the same time, tales of war and slaughter come from north along with streams of refugees. Rumors tell that Dragons are rising in the skies again…

5 Stars Lavish introduction to the Dragonlance Saga
The DL series was a huge leap forward for TSR - these modules featured a new emphasis on drama and storytelling that made the gaming MUCH more fun and involved for the PCs and the DM. Of course, at heart, being TSR modules from the 80s, they’re still dungeon crawls! In this chapter, the heroes must come to grips with a grim new world where dragons no longer exist, gold is worthless, and the gods themselves have forsaken mortals, and clerics are powerless… a classic of dark adventure for levels 4-6.

4 Stars The start of a long adventure
This first module in the Dragonlance saga is very enjoyable and probably rate top ten in my personal AD&D/D&D list. Unlike many of the earlier adventures it is very much more structured to force the party towards a certain path. The adventurers have ample choices to try other ways, but will end up in Xak Tsaroth to, with some help, face a creature of legend. For the DM it is a fairly simple adventure to master. The text boxes are very well-written, and the song and the Canticle included add to the mysterious feeling of the world of Krynn.

There are very few negatives, but I think the decision at the time to not “force” the players to use the characters included was a mistake. Also, there should have been more background material on the characters to add to the role-playing experience. However, the whole Dragonlance story had just taken its first steps when the adventure was published.

All in all, the adventure is really good and one wants to go straight to DL2 after this one.

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Knights of the Sword (Dragonlance Warriors, Vol. 3)

The greatest order of chivalry in the history of Krynn.

After a knight has achieved the Order of the Crown, he must then begin his training in the virtues of courage and heroism in order to achieve the Order of the Sword.

This is the second tale of Sir Pirvan the Wayward, whose reluctant and inauspicious beginnings bore few clues to his potential as a Knight of the Sword or as a Knight of the Crown, nor as a mentor for another similarly dubious prospect for Krynn’s greatest order of chivalry.

Roland J. Green is the author of the Starcruiser Shenandoah and Wandor series and numerous Conan novels, and is coauthor (with Jerr Pournelle) of the Jannisaries series.

The Warriors series details the exploits of the heroes and villains of the War of the Lance.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Better related to Dragonlance world than its prequel
The author finally incorporated the unique features of Krynn in the sequel to the Knights of the Crown. In this book, the reader is introduced to an adventure set in the pre-Cataclysm Ansalon. There is the growing complacency among the humans, especially in the court of the PriestKing of Istar. There are the White, Red and Black Robes and the Towers of the wizards. Last but not least, there are the not-so-stuffy Knights who embarked on a mission to evacuate a too-successful band of bandits to prevent a potential war in Karthay.

Waydol, an exiled minotaur, went among the humans to learn of their strengths and weaknesses. In the course of his mission, he created a highly organised group of bandits that roamed the countryside of Karthay. Ever alert to the potential of expanding its power, the Istarian court despatched an army to Karthay to eradicate the bandits, threatening to take direct control of the distant region. Anxious to prevent a war between the Istarians and the Karthayians, Sir Pirvan the Wayward, along with his wife and old friends, embarked on a race against time to evacuate the bandits if the outlaws are willing, or to eliminate them before the Istarian army entrenches itself in Karthay. To meet Waydol, Pirvan had to travel over hostile countryside riddled with various outlaws, some in tacit support of Waydol, others finding the bounty on the minotaur too tempting. Meanwhile, his friend Jemar the Fair led a convoy of ships, braving the rough seas and stormy weather and above all, his pregnant wife who insisted on tagging along.

Against them, besides the outlaws, is the highly disciplined Istarian army, locally raised militias of Karthayians anxious not to give Istar any excuse against Karthay, and the Istarian fleet complemented with the mysterious priests of Zeboim who were acting under orders from the PriestKing, or was it really Zeboim?

Pirvan was counting on the help from his wife Haimya, Jemar the Fair, his old friend the mage Tarothin, the mage’s love interest the Black-Robed Rubina and Epron the mercenary captain.

Roland Green did a good job in fleshing out little know aspects of the Dragonlance world. His characters are interesting in their virtues, weaknesses and motivations.

Unfortunately, he left out parts which could have been interesting undeveloped - the schemes of the priestking, his silent servants etc.

2 Stars I can’t believe somebody liked this book!!!!!
Frankly, I was disappointed. In one word, this book sucked (no wait, that’s three words). Still no real knightly stuff, too much boring nautical junk and a lot of boring parts. I can’t believe that I was stupid enough to buy it. The only reason I gave it two stars was because the ending was good compared to the rest of the book. If you’re a die hard DL fan, buy it but don’t read it. If this is your first DL book, throw it out and get some Weis and Hickman. They are GODS!

5 Stars A GRATE BOOK
I thought this was a grate book. It did have a few problems though. Like the dialoge. It was not written with much care. And I did not like the way Roland killed off Waydol. He was my faveriot charicter. I have just started reading Roland’s first book in the Warriors saga Knights of the Crown and I think he is a very good author. So far (from what I have read) he has done a very good job on writting this one. I recamend any book written by him. Knights of the Sword is a very, very good book dispite it’s few problems.

5 Stars Sweet sweet candy
This book rocked. I am a huge fan of minotaurs, and Waydol is no exception. The tale of Pirvan, Waydol and his “adopted” son Darin is great. The minor characters give the book some color. I also like the cameo appearance of Jemar. This book does have some boring moments, but what are you going to do?

1 Stars The Worst Dragonlance Book (so far)
Let me start by saying that I am an avid Dragonlance reader, having read just a little over 100 DL books to date.
Yet I find myself in the sad obligation of warning any potential buyers that this book is awful.
Where Knights of the Crown was a relatively good book, this time I was simply forcing myself to keep reading this dreadful thing until I just couldn’t do that to myself anymore.

Why is it so bad? How can you describe a bad meal? The best I can say is that the author takes a different approach this time by constantly giving you a peek at what’s on the characters minds; I know this may sound interesting, but in this book, it simply doesn’t work. Also, the story just keeps dragging along to the point where you wish the fiery mountain would divert itself from Istar and just fell on these caracters’ heads for the good of Krynn.

Looking for good DragonLance? Please let me help:
1) AVOID THIS BOOK.
2) If you’re a newbie, you must read Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends before anything else. Then follow it up with Dragons of Summer Flame and then start with the War of Souls.
3) If you’ve already been to Krynn before, then may I suggest the Soulforge and Brothers in Arms… Done that? Then pick up The Doom Brigade and Draconian Measures (all 4 of these are brilliant!).
4) But if you’re a REAL DL nut, then find Elven Nations Trilogy and Dwarven Nations Trilogy. Those books, although rare, are excellent!

I hope this helps…

Ace

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The Second Generation

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.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars after test of the twins, comes the second generation
I was told by a friend that this book was not as good as chronicles or legends.

So I didn’t buy it or read it.

I’ve found that to have been a mistake, since the book it very good. It binds together events happening in the test of the twins and the dragons of summer flame.

It may not involve the old heroes of the lance as much as previous books but brings fort new heroes, and foes.

I’d recommend this book to any dragonlance reader.

4 Stars A must for Dragonlance fans!
Ive read many of Weis and Hickman Dragonlance novels. I fell in love with the world of Kryn instantly. Although this book is made up of short stories about the the hero’s of the lance children, each story is well written. Some stories do have a some what abrupt end which leads you to wonder what will become of the characters in the future books, but thats all part of Weis and Hickmans massive plot weaving style.The focus of the stories seem to be around Caramons kids, but there are 2 others that were quite a shock to me….sorry no spoiler here…

This book should NOT be read as a first introduction into the world of Dragonlance but a must for DL readers and fans.

4 Stars Good Book
This was a good book. Seeing how the Queen of Darkness is trying to take over the world again but with a new set of heroes. The children of the main characters in the Dragonlance Chronicles are definately spit images of their parents. Heroic hearts combined with honed skills and excellent dialogue.

3 Stars Decent book… but more a prologue than a novel
while i did enjoy this book.. it was a bit choppy but it sets up a great book in Dragons of Summer Flame… you can read summer flame without reading this but it would make alot more sense if you did… i would recommend it

4 Stars The Children of the Lance
This takes place after the War of the Lance and tells a story of the heroe’s kids, my favorite being Steel Brightblade, Sturm and Kitiara’s son. They told me they are here to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I liked it a lot.

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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.

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