Test of the Twins

I found some of the characterization in this series to be rather melodramatic. Tanis Half-Elven is responsible for much of the bathetic dialogue, but at least he sometimes gets called out on it. His response to one such rebuke could well be his motto: "Damn right, I'm overwrought!" And to think that his creed is supposedly "Self-control is true strength."

Although he has a more compelling character arc than Tanis does, the dark mage Raistlin Majere is a bit of an author's pet. In the Russian musical inspired by Dragonlance, he has the memorable and Tanis-worthy line "Good and evil alike look forward to my funeral!" In the backstory, however, Dalamar, Raistlin's dark elf apprentice, seeks help from the cleric Elistan even though it is show more painful for evil-aligned characters to go to a good-aligned temple. Elistan presumably faces similar opposition when he goes to the dark tower to assist Raistlin, who is gravely ill. (I did find Dalamar's gratitude and concern for Elistan to be surprisingly moving.) The other characters' obsession with a supposedly hated person makes Raistlin seem like a black hole sue

On the other hand, perhaps the authors were aware of the possible issues with the dark mage's characterization. Like a dark star consuming a planet, Raistlin's quest for power leads to the destruction of all life except for himself. When he becomes aware of the desolate alternate timeline where his plan to overthrow the gods succeeded, Raistlin sacrifices himself to save the world. I guess he still counts as a hero, even if the only evil overlord he defeated was himself. (And Ariakas. And Fistandantilus.) Okay, maybe he does have some redeeming qualities, such as the ability to inspire power metal songs and epic Russian musicals. show less

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Test of the Twins

Using Crysania as his shield, Raistlin enters the abyss in search of the Dark Queen. Heedless of the wounds Crysania takes in his stead, Raistlin’s only goal is to kill Takhisis and ascend to Godhood. Meanwhile, Tas and Caramon have traveled forward in time and lay witness to the devastation left behind. But as they journey back to save the world, they will find it isn’t only Raistlin at fault. Kitara has once again taken up the mantle of Highlord, eager to earn her piece of power.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have shown readers the damage codependency can create when one side no longer needs the other. Readers have witnessed Caramon at his darkest moments, show more battling to reclaim his life. And while he has come a long way since Time of the Twins, the struggle is far from over. Pitted against one another, Raistlin and Caramon will engulf the readers in a tension filled storyline, rife with action and heartbreak.

Raistlin’s character has always fascinated me. He can be so cruel, yet he will perform small acts of kindness for those who are looked down on. Throughout Test of the Twins, as he makes darker and darker decisions, you keep hoping there is something left behind of the character you once knew. He wraps the reader around his finger, bringing to life a conflict of emotions. I found myself questioning why I was drawn to Raistlin. And yet still as I read, a part of me hoped he would find what he was looking for, even if it meant the end of the world.

And amongst all the tension and conflict, lighter moments are thrown in to draw the reader back from the edge. Tasslehoff has a more prominent presence in Test of the Twins. And you can always count on good old Tas to bring humor. He has a heart of gold and does everything he can to help his friends. His antics will win you over from the moment he steps on the page.

Revisiting this trilogy was such a delight. The characters are wonderfully crafted. And the storyline is filled to the brim with complex relationships, swords and sorcery, as well as timeless world-building. If you haven't given Dragonlance a try yet, what are you waiting for? show less

A very satisfying end to the Twins Trilogy. And great character development for both twins.

Raistlin will always, always be my favorite character in any D&D novel. Period. I keep thinking about who I'd cast as him in a blockbuster adaptation. He has to be super scrawny, sickly, sneering (but super charming) master manipulator. So confident that he can do anything, including walk into the Abyss, kill the Dark Goddess, and take her place? Loki, go away. You aren't good enough for this role. :) You need to be as smart as Moriarty, as ruthless as that jerk from 24, and as confident as Thanos. Who do we have that could fit that bill, anyway? I can't even imagine!

Back to the novel and the capstone of this trilogy...

Test of the Twins is super show more fascinating, but it's not without its flaws. Or the flaws that I think they are, anyway. I never cared much for Tanis. He gets a lot of facetime here. On the other hand, I absolutely adore the hulking brute of Raistlin's brother now and the smart alec kinder has grown on me. Especially since they did so much time traveling.

The best part is the multiple futures and all the branching paths that had to be corrected. A lot of tragedy, but also a lot of excellent adventure. Dragons galore! Undead! Wizards! Destroyed worlds! Immense magical battles, and tons of mindf***ery. :)

This deserves to be in the fantasy hall of fame. For real. It still remains a good sight better than most of the fantasy that keeps churning out today. That's saying a lot because I think a lot of modern fantasy beats the old stuff. By a lot. :) And weirdly enough, I can count this as a classic despite my prejudice against franchise fiction. It's worth reading, period, if you like fantasy. show less

This was the last true Dragonlance book in my opinion. It seems after that they got watered down, generic and just bleh. Sooooo much material was being put out that it became generic, as it usually does with good franchises. This book highlights the final confrontation between the two brothers and brings them both face to face with the final fallout of Raistlin's Greed and hunger for power. A great book.

Even though everything that bugged me about this series remained present here: out-of-place humour that isn't really that funny, emotional arcs for characters that don't make sense of play out realistically, and a confusion of theme and tone... is this about temptation, forgiveness, or just a struggle between good and evil?

(The authors play it vague between all of these and none of them really pay off, at least in ways that make sense. They have plot signposts that signify the dramatic moment, but they don't actually earn it.)

Even though all of that is still present, I found this book and this series to be very readable. Moreso than some other D&D or other game-universe novelizations out there. The plot moves along briskly and in that show more respect a lot of the problems feel less so, because you're not dwelling in them long enough to be truly bothered. There is an epic scope here, and even if the book doesn't really make the best use of it, it does gesture at it enough that you can fill it out in your head... which is probably exactly what made these books so magical for teenagers. (Who also didn't yet have the emotional literacy to sense how bland the emotional arcs of these characters truly are.)

This might be why Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is so difficult for me... it has a rolling plot, but instead of moving briskly through its repetitive writing tics and one-note characters, it dwells on them... you're stuck in these moments for much longer. (One Wheel of Time book is as long as this entire trilogy.) show less

This final installment of the trilogy was mostly about Caramon’s final development as a human being (he began the first book as a belligerent drunk), and Raistlin’s final descent into darkness as he faces the Queen of Darkness (one of three gods in this universe), hoping to become a god himself through her defeat. I admit I teared up a little bit there at the end, having against all reason become a bit attached to awful old Raistlin. I would suggest reading all six books (Chronicles and Legends) all through in one go; putting years between them kind of made things confusing for me, especially when Tanis showed up out of nowhere and I’d pretty much completely forgotten his story. But all the same, it’s a fun universe with show more interesting characters, and I am not surprised at its long-standing popularity among fantasy fans. I am sure to revisit Krynn one day. show less

A suitably climatic ends to a brilliant trilogy. That support is really the chronicles themselves. This was a character study of the twins Majere, and the story arc came to an end in this book. How it ends and what happens I will not reveal, but I’m pleased to see that old friends make an appearance and the ending may not be what you may expect. are sensitive, emotional, character, driven, narrative makes this a satisfying ends to the trilogy