This is a fabulous tale and if you want to read any Dragonlance series, this is it. It’s a tale involving going back in time which is normally fraught with difficulty in writing a sensible plot. The authors’ do this amazingly well and this is a haunting tale. Characterisation is brilliant and fantasy fans will be enthralled by the main characters. Cameron and Raistlin are twins but more different twins you could not get. In this tale Cameron is a shadow of his former strength. Drink has brought him to a sorry state and not even his kinder friend, Tas, can help. Into the tale comes Crysania and she believes strongly in Paladin. She is persuaded on a quest by Raistlin who clearly has his own agenda. In his haste for power he has been cursed and he sees the world through hour glass eyes and everything decays as he watches. Raistlin wants to challenge the Dark Queen, but to do so he must travel back in time to destroy Fistandalus, the worlds greatest ever sorcerer. This is cleverly written and surprisingly believable. ( )

It's most of the interesting characters from the first Dragonlance trilogy without the dull ones! A good read and not badly written, as these things go, though the authors should have watched their repetition of phrases and unsual verbs (for a few pages there Raist kept "padding" everywhere instead of walking). At least this one doesn't have the terrible poems.

Raistlyn is a fascinating character, and I find Caramon more interesting than he seemed at first.

I was surprised when they started started to give Raistlyn some of the attributes of the haughty, sneering romance hero, but it's added a new dimension to the character, and I suppose it helps to explain why Crysania doesn't go get a life.

At first I wasn't sure I bought the reinvention of Raistlyn as a dirty sexy mage, but his relationship with Crysania is complex (to say the least) and is a pleasant change from Tanis' whining. ( )

Raistlin is perhaps the most powerful character in the DragonLance saga, for his story is not just about the darkness in his soul and his potential for redemption. In Raistlin we see the darkness within us all, and our own journeys through this world as we seek to learn more. Time of the Twins is the first book in the Legends trilogy, which focuses heavily on the development of Caramon and Raistlin and the nuances of their relationship. Less heavy-handed than the later Dragons of the Dwarven Depths, Time of the Twins highlights Caramon’s innocence juxtaposed against Raistlin’s malfeasance. This trilogy also introduces the discusson of ultimate good versus ultimate evil, and seeks to define these.

I consider this trilogy the frontrunner for such works as the Sword of Truth series, or George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, for DragonLance was one of the first fantasy series that introduced the idea of evil being good at times, and goodness blinding itself and thereby committing great evils. As such, I do not feel that one of these books can truly be taken on its own; Time of the Twins is good, but without its compatriots, it has no lasting value.

Nevertheless, on its own, Time of the Twins is interesting. The character of Crysania, cold and stonelike, is often compared with the dark character of Raistlin, who seems to burn with some inner fire. As Raistlin seeks to go back in time and study with the great Fistandantilus, Crysania is struck near dead and sent by the Wizard’s Conclave back to the time of the Kingpriest, when such clerics walked the land who would be able to cure the curse laid upon her. Caramon travels with her, and Tasselhoff Burrfoot, the irascible kender, is able to jump into the spell at the last moment and travel as well.

Three hundred into the past they journey, to a time just before the Cataclysm that broke the land and ended in the silence of the gods. This book has some good twists, and its development of the characters, particularly of Raistlin, is worthwhile. Voices are varied and enjoyable, and as with most DragonLance novels, it is quite a page turner. Pick this one up, but don’t fail to grab volumes 2 and 3 as well. The story is just beginning. ( )

Several years after the events of the War of the Lance, a new trouble is afoot. Raistlin has continued his rise to power and now has ambitions above and beyond the comprehension of anyone else in Krynn. Caramon has devolved from a strong, proud warrior into the laughing stock of Solace. Crysania, Elistan's heir apparent, fancies herself to be more important than the Church itself. And Tasslehoff Burrfoot is bored. Par-Salian, the white-robed head of the Conclave of Magicians sends Tas, Caramon and Crysania back in time to just before the Cataclysm in an effort to turn Raistlin from his mad power grab. The trip back in time is the only hope for them all - if they don't die first. And kender aren't supposed to be able to travel in time...

I first read this book back in high school and I thought it was incredible. Of course, I know now that it isn't. A couple of years ago, after slogging through the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever, I thought I'd take a break from heavy reading and reread the DragonLance Chronicles. It was stunning how clumsy and juvenile the Chronicles were when directly compared with Stephen Donaldson's writing. It may be that because I've just come off of Rick Cook and Christopher Stasheff that Weis & Hickman seem better. My hope is that they actually improved between Chronicles and Lengends... because I've got another 80 or so DragonLance books to read...

Read 11/1987, 9/2007 ( )

I liked this trilogy, as the twins (and particularly Raistlin) were interesting characters. ( )