Mary Kirchoff

This isn't a great fantasy novel, with a plot that feels familiar and some clunky dialogue. What makes it work is the presence of Tasslehoff Burrfoot, one of the best fantasy characters ever, who injects energy into every scene in which he appears. He makes up for a lot of the books shortcomings.

The Second book in the Preludes series, a recounting of the actions of the main characters from the Saga 5 years before its events. This book follows Tasselhoff Burrfoot, the kender with a nose for trouble. He is taken by a bounty hunter to fulfil his homeland’s marriage tradition and to free his uncle being held as ransom. He travels great distances, meeting gnomes, half-orcs, dwarves and minotaur. The book ends with his foiling the Dark Queen attempts to enter the material realm and show more saving his city from destruction and disaster. The pace of the text was slow, even during the action parts. It was something of an odd feeling, as it seemed hard to plow through at times, despite its light nature. Like the volume before it and many of the spin-offs, the material doesn’t seem to live up to the nature of the original. The characterization of the principals, the settings, and races seem to be alright but the way they are taken for these original works seems like a step too far, like each author is trying to pack more and more into their texts than the last. At times, it seems to contradict some of the original text insofar as the amount of experience and travel seen in these preludes would prevent some of the major events of the main series from occurring. While it is not bad, it is an awkward read. show less

Het valt op hoe verschillend W&H ertegenaan kijken vergeleken met hoe Mary Kirchoff en Steve Winter Tas portretteren.

In Wanderlust toont hij enorm veel intelligentie, vooral als speurder voor vallen, verborgen gangen, en meer (zie laatste deel van het boek). Voor W&H is hij grappiger, ietsje dommer in z'n acties, ... Hier is het precies een wat volwassener Tas en dat vergt wel een gewenning. Centraal draait het om een toekomstvoorspellende armband, voor de troonopvolger van de Dargonesti show more elven, ofte de zee-elven. Flint moest 'm maken, 't was een geheime opdracht. Tas, in een typische Kenderbui, heeft die 'toevallig' in z'n bezit, maar geeft 'm dan door aan anderen - in de hoop goed te doen en hem zo terug bij Flint te bezorgen -, waardoor ie na verloop van tijd in de verkeerde/evil handen terechtkomt. En zo trekken de 3 (Tas, Flint en Tanis) samen met Selena (die de armband liet maken) op avontuur.

Soms komt het verhaal wat kinderachtig/simplistisch over, maar algemeen gezien is het zeker de moeite waard om te weten hoe Tas bij Tanis en Flint is verzeild geraakt en hoe de groep beetje bij beetje uitbreidt per boek. show less

Tasselhoof Burrfoot was a brilliant creation of Weis and Hickman. A loveable, adorable cleptomaniac that grabs your heart strings and makes you laugh. And, he is much better suited as a secondary character not the main protagonist. This novel, while fun at times, was mostly fluff. If you collect Dragonlance you'll want it. If you're just looking for a good story in the Dragonlance world, there are better titles.