Gareth is nog een kind als hij wordt uitverkoren om ranseljongen te worden van de eigenzinnige jonge Dagnarus, de tweede troonopvolger van Loerem. Gareth moet letterlijk de klappen opvangen voor de straf die de prins niet mag krijgen maar wel verdient.


(Review volgt nog) ( )

I actually really enjoyed all three books in the Sovereign Stone Trilogy. What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything with Dragons, Dwarves and Elves. I know it is weird for a girl who loves Bronte and Austin. Ah well, there you go! ( )

This book felt more like an exercise in how to write a fantasy book with different archetypes - but the same old plot. Dwarves are nomadic horsemen, 'orks' are seafaring traders, typical fantasy tropes turned around. However, this features one of Weis and Hickman's favorite plots - good brother versus evil brother. Haven't they done that one before? The world is somewhat interesting but there really isn't that much else that's interesting about this book. ( )

The first in a trilogy, this book deals with the childhood of young Prince Dagnarus and his whipping boy and sometime friend, Gareth. The book is dark and good does not always triumph, the clearest message being that there is a price to be paid for evil. Sadly, the last chapter, which I expect was meant to be a sort of cliffhanger for the sequel, was weirdly irrelevant and out of keeping with the book. ( )

The Sovereign Stone Trilogy from the masters of fantasy and creators of the Dragonlance world starts off with this first novel, Well of Darkness. Tells the story of a whipping boy and his prince as they grow up and grow into the evil that is called the Void. This trilogy is really very well self-contained. There is no real cliffhanger, most all the themes have a clear resolution and the conclusion actually leaves you in doubt of where the next book in the trilogy will continue on.

This is much darker than Dragonlance and in fact feels to be more adult and less of the the young adult type of fantasy. And it is refreshing to see the elves in the story as siding more with the evil than is typical (except of course the Drow in the Forgotten Realms world).

While not a novel that I would consider in the running for my read of the year, it was enjoyable and I look forward to seeing where the next book leads. ( )