The Death Gate Cycle: Serpent Mage (original 1992; edition 1992)

In the fourth book of the Deathgate series Alfred, Haplo (and Dog) travels to the fourth elemental plane, Chelestra the water-world. Besides the exciting plot and great characters we happen to know a lot more about one of the most original fantasy world. Looking forward the next book... ( )

Well Serpent Mage managed to jump Weis and Hickman back on track after the slightly average performance of Fire Sea. Despite the lack of interaction between Alfred and Haplo, the development of both characters in this book really set the scene for an interesting conclusion coming up in a couple of books.In Serpent Mage both Haplo and Alfred land in Chelestra, the land of sea. Haplo meets the mensch and the sinister dragon-serpents, whilst Alfred unwittingly awakens the original Sartan from the Sundering. Both become pawns in the battle between the Sartan and the Patryn, a battle in which it seems no one was the innocent.I really enjoyed Haplo's story in this book, particularly his attitude to the mensch and his distress over the dog, whilst the hints of Alfred's true powers were leaked I steal feel that he really is being under utilised. ( )

I didn't feel drawn into this one at all, and found myself skipping large sections just to find out a bit more about Alfred, the Sartan and the dog, and leaving the rest. I didn't find the story as interesting as the first two I read, and just found myself hunting for information to explain the characters I had read about previously. ( )

After a somewhat lacklustre third entry, Weis and Hickman play to their strengths in 'Serpent Mage'. All the requisites of high fantasy are included, with elves, dwarves and magic vs. science. These factors are cleverly blended with the strong Death Gate scenario, brimming with originality and ideas. The setting does not overshadow the plot, with less premable and backstory than previous entries - Haplo's journey is central to the action and mayhem. Good characterisation and clever use of narrative styles create an engaging story, utilising the Death Gate scenario to almost reinvent an old angle. At times the story seems a little forced, with some trite dialogue and clumsy foreboding, however overall Serpent Mage is a worthwhile and inventive read. ( )

In the fourth volume of the Death Gate Cycle, a fantasy series I would have never discovered on my own, we meet our protagonists: Haplo and Alfred, bitter enemies of different races; Haplo, the Patryn, was forced to escape a death prison known as the Labyrinth, created by the Sartan, of which, Alfred is a member. Haplo, harboring a grudge against all that is Sartan slowly comes to see Alfred as an equal as their paths continually intertwine.

They find themselves on the water-world of Chelestra, separated by quite some distance. Alfred also finds that Haplo's inseparable dog has somehow ended up with him, and that the Sartan existing on this world are those that originally caused the Sundering in the first place. Haplo, meanwhile, finds himself caught up in a battle between the mensch (the term used to describe the humans, elves, and dwarves) and the deadly and powerful dragon-snakes. Additionally, the water of this world seems to nullify all Patryn and Sartan magic.

Haplo accompanies the three princesses (though one is really a boy in disguise, serving as a placeholder for the princess, whom he adores) to the lair of the dragon-snakes and discovers that they hold fealty to him and the Patryns. Accepting such hospitality as they give him, but always being wary of deception, he helps the mensch to return to their world and get the people ready for the migration to their next land, currently occupied by the inhospitable Sartan.

The worlds presented in these books are more or less fully realized, with enough back matter to make your head spin. The series itself isn't an example of a fantasy series that will knock your socks off and redefine the genre, but it does provide memorable characters and an intriguing plot that will definitely have you wanting more.

While Weis and Hickman may not be the next Tolkien or Lieber or Moorcock, they're probably just a tad better than most of those other authors who write Dungeons and Dragons series (theirs is Dragonlance).

The Death Gate Cycle will probably appeal to you if you find yourself reading D&D-based fiction (though it itself is not D&D-based), or if you like fantasy that isn't quite epic and isn't quite sword and sorcery, but at the same time, isn't at all recasted romance sitting in the wrong aisle at your bookstore. ( )