Dragons of Autumn Twilight

I'm (re)reading across the big fantasy works of the 1980s, so Dragonlance is on the list. All the standard jokes about fantasy are here: you can hear the dice rolling, etc... I'd almost want marginalia tracking their strength and energy. But isn't that really the point of it too? If it's not replicating the D&D experience, it's not Dragonlance.

The writing is exactly what you'd expect, and the book is very slow to start, but even this tells us something. They all really love their local bar. They're all old friends coming together for one more adventure. They have a couple of newbies who have to learn as they go. It is, in this, everything fun about D&D as a social phenomenon. I think this is actually its greatest appeal. Perhaps show more unintentionally, you find there's a character behind each character. They all start off pretty cardboard-like: a warrior, a Mage, a thief, and elf, &c. Slowly they start making jokes with each other, and after a while they're friends having fun together. The book slowly evolves to mirror that experience of playing. I suspect that's why it still has a loyal fan base, despite their recognizing the obvious problems. The problems with Dragonlance as a novel are part of its appeal. show less

I had a friend say he could hear the dice rolling in the background of this novel. To an extent, he's right. You can tell this is coming from the game.

But the part that is really wonderful does not come from the game at all: the characters. Even in the first pages of this three-volume novel, you fall in love with the characters. That's what keeps me coming back to these books. I want to follow each one as far as I can. Merely mentioning their names (especially Tasslehoff) puts a smile on my face. It is for them that you should read this book.

The plot is good and interesting. I enjoyed it very much. But the action is weak at times, and too dependent on the D&D dice systems. But it doesn't matter. A few weaker scenes cannot diminish my show more love for the novel. show less

A friend recommended this. I thought it was okay, not great. Maybe if I had read it back in the mid-80s when it came out I would have rated it higher. I realize it's based on D&D and I'm a regular player. But this just seemed so derivative.

So many cliches ...All dwarves are stubborn, all kender are chaotic nuisances, half-elves are full of angst, paladins lack humor ... I found all the characters to be rather two-dimensional.

The plot was decent and would make a great D&D campaign. I never played any of the Dragonlance modules, so maybe that's what this already is, a novelization of a campaign. But I'm sorely disappointed in it.

I have all three books in this trilogy, and since a friend recommended these, I suppose I'll read them all. show more But so far, this isn't a keeper. show less

I picked this book up as part of a Humble Bundle of Dragonlance books. A slightly risky gamble to buy 26 books on spec, because what if I didn’t like them? But I’ve been immersing myself in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and the Dragonlance series in particular is part of the inspiration for the world of Altheya, the setting of Campaign 3 for my favourite D&D actual-play show, High Rollers, so I figured why not. And I ended up enjoying this book a fair bit.

This book is the first in the reading order recommended by the Dragonlance Nexus, and it’s a good one to start with. It’s an easy read, good pacing, and interesting backstory. One of the characters has a broken oath, and another nearly died while acquiring their magical show more powers. It’s especially fun to read the story and imagine it playing out as a D&D campaign, because that is in fact how the main characters were fleshed out. (I heard somewhere that Raistlin’s character is the way it is because the players rolled for their stats and his player rolled exceptionally low on constitution, which makes his wizard powers even more interesting.)

My primary gripe is that the Tika/Caramon relationship is written a bit cringily, but this was originally published in 1984 so perhaps par for the course (and it could have been a lot worse). I will continue at least with this trilogy. show less

This is a book that reads like a series of cliches strung together, and did even back in the 80's when it was first released, but it's just done extremely, extremely well to the point where you don't care. Legitimate classic novel by itself, and sets up a story and setting that eventually resulted in the legitimately unique Twins trilogy.
Comfort food book.

The first book in a trilogy that made one of the major shared universe settings of the last few decades go mainstream- the Dragonlance cycle- this book also marks the first collaboration between Weiss and Hickman, a staple team in the modern fantasy corpus.

This book, more than the others, really feels like what it is- the novelization of a AD&D campaign, but executed by skilled writers. For a pure reader, it has several unusual features- no single main character, an unusually large band of mains, multiple quest sections, highly varied cultures living cheek by jowls, a background of war but with a focused quest format- it certainly does not read like any other thing I am aware of. One of the most effective characters is low-grade evil, show more the characters are together because of pre-existing relationships, and it is not without strain.

For the tabletop gamer, it reads like an ideal game, with identifiable critical failures and successes.

The plot arc structure is unusual (it's a series of encounters under an overarching quest format, not a standard rising and falling arc), overall it's written with believable characters, approachable dialogue, with a full fantasy setting. Not for you if you cannot handle "classic" or "traditional" fantasy, but otherwise, I recommend giving this a try. show less

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Dragonlance holds a special place in my heart. Dragons of Autumn Twilight introduced me to the world of high fantasy, and I was hooked from then on with the fantasy genre. I finally decided it was time to reread this series and give each book a proper review.

Years ago, the companions went their separate ways, vowing to return to their home of Solace with stories of their adventures. But the Solace they return to is not the one they left. A war brews on the horizon and Hederick the Theocrat has taken over the town. As the companions gather at the Inn of the Last Home, they will find the town filled with tension and dread. But they will also find a chance show more encounter with a woman from the plains, that will forever change their paths in life. And they just may change the fate of Krynn as well.

There is such a wide cast of characters in this novel, and each of them helps create the range of emotions readers will feel as they embark on their quest. Flint and Tas will keep readers laughing as they banter back and forth. Raistlin will cast a serious and foreboding mood, making readers question motives and intent. Sturm will fill readers with the stern and honorable thoughts of the Solamnic Knight order, while Tanis is conflicted and trying to discover who he is. And the list goes on. But despite having such a wide cast of characters, it’s easy to stay on track and the authors do a wonderful job balancing their time on the page.

When I first read Dragons of Autumn Twilight, I was amazed at the world-building. Mind you this was way before I even knew what world-building was! (Think late 90’s early 2000’s). But I became enamored with the lore of Krynn. Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman weave into the story so many different aspects of the world such as heroes from the ancient past, tales of Gods and Goddesses, as well as multiple races and cultures. There is so much to the Dragonlance world and Dragons of Autumn Twilight paved the way for so many stories based in this beautiful world.

I highly encourage fans of the high fantasy genre to dive into Dragons of Autumn Twilight. While you won’t find long drawn out battles, or heavy political influences like some of the more modern-day high fantasy, it is such a fun read! And if you want to know anything about the world or certain characters, there is a wealth of information in other series/books in the Dragonlance world. show less