Kevin Stein (1) (1965–)

Shortly after passing the Test at the Tower of High Sorcery, Raistlin, Caramon, and a kender, Earwig Lockpicker, find themselves wandering fairly aimlessly, their bankroll desperately low. A sign posted to tree offering 10,000 pieces of steel was too much temptation for them to skip, although they would later wish they had never seen the sign. The bizarre city of Mereklar had problems - bigger than anyone imagined. And the city wasn't the only one with problems. As the twins quickly found show more out, very few people were interested in having the twins assist the beleaguered city. From the City council that wanted them gone, to the assassins trying to dispatch them at every turn, to the cat-like beast roaming the city, to the populace, looking at Raistlin with a mixture of hatred and fear. The only one who appeared to want them in Mereklar is the city Councillor, the regal Shavas who seems to offer each of the companions what they most truly desire. Shavas is not what she seems, however...

In my opinion, this volume was by far and away the best of the Preludes series. The backdrop of the story was a little weird (Mereklar having been built by the gods of neutrality, having been tricked by the gods of darkness, but influenced by the gods of light... weird stuff), but the story itself was consistent with what we know about Krynn. One of the more interesting components was the introduction of a demi-god; the first one I'd encountered in the DragonLance realm. I was also impressed by Raistlin's compassionate gestures towards Caramon - I wish it was in his nature to be more like that...

Read 10/2007 show less

Raistlin is my favorite character from the original trilogies. So, I was delighted to find this "prequel" of an adventure before the Chronicles took place. The brothers future issues with each other can be seen, even in this time, and it lays a foundation for what we know to come. This is a simple adventure the two embark on, but it reveals more about their years before they become heroes.

More of a Primer than a guide - the text is large, with frequent though not plentiful illustrations. 180 pages, but probably closer to 50 or 60 if it had standard-sized font. It provides a basic summary of species and technologies of Known Space as well as those of the Ringworld proper.

It doesn't go into great detail on any specific subject, but is a handy (if basic) reference on the subjects covered.

The art is composed of simple black & white drawings, of a style which would serve equally show more well in an RPG handbook of the late 80s / early 90s era. show less

Es terrible, pero al menos es mejor que los libros de Tanis y Tas. Sólo tiene dos estrellas por eso, porque este lo he podido terminar.

Empezó muy bien. Caramon no era tan tonto ni Raistlin tan... Raistlin como en los demás libros y eso me gustaba, pero no sé en qué punto comenzó a ir todo cuesta abajo y acabó siendo una parodia de sí mismo. Todos los personajes conocidos eran OOC y los nuevos eran absurdos. El supuesto misterio del libro no era misterio ninguno y el modo de llevar show more la trama demasiado cuestionable y soporífero.

Lo describen todo al más mínimo detalle, se ve que para rellenar espacio, porque luego todo eso no tiene propósito ninguno. Tres páginas describiendo cómo Raistlin hace una poción; una y media diciendo cómo el kender y Caramon abren una tapa. Diálogos estúpidos, vocabulario aún más estúpido, y calidad literaria bastante, bastante abajo.

Me ha parecido más un fanfic que un libro de la Dragonlance. show less