Dragons of the Highlord Skies

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dragons of the Highlord Skies

The Lost Chronicles is an interesting approach to writing a trilogy. Instead of creating three stories that flow into one another, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have created stories to take place in between the original Chronicles. In this way, they allow readers the chance to see what happens to side characters involved in the war. Dragons of the Highlord Skies takes place between books one and two, telling the stories of Kitiara and Derek Crownguard.

Kitiara, the confident cruel woman readers have come to know in The Chronicles, is seen in a different light in this novel. While Kit is known as the Blue Lady, she wasn’t always an ally of Lord Soth and her show more rise to power is one strewn with many mishaps. Kit is tasked to set in motion a string of events that will lead to the downfall of Solamnia. She will have to travel to Icereach and work with the Highlord Feal-Thas. And though they may both be Highlords, there is no loyalty between them. Feal-Thas is loath to give up his dragon orb, even if it means the end of Solamnia. Never one to be told no, Kitiara does everything within her power to see that the plan is successful. And makes new enemies along the way.

As Kitiara’s story unfolds, readers are shown the emotional side of the Highlord. While she seems cool and confident as a secondary character, being allowed inside her mind opens readers up to a whole new Kitiara. I enjoyed witnessing her internal struggles and the mistakes she made as emotions overruled common sense. It brought a level of humanity to Kitara’s character that wasn’t present in the original novels. Seeing her vulnerability and the betrayal that leads her to Lord Soth explains how she can perform her later deeds in the Chronicles without remorse.

Derek Crownguard journeys to Icereach in search of the dragon orb. With it, he believes the Solamnic Knights will be able to gain an edge against the chromatic dragons. But his path is plagued by ambition and ego. Derek is a hard character to follow, as his skewed beliefs and prejudice do not make him a likable character. But he is an example of how the Oath and the Measure can be twisted. And as Sturm enters the picture when their paths inevitably cross, the vast difference between the characters is easily recognizable. While both claim to uphold the rules and morals of the Solamnic Knights, one is certainly more honorable than the other. And even Derek’s friends comment on how Derrick has changed due to the ongoing war. Moving farther and farther away from the person they once knew.

War and hardship take their toll on people in different ways. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have captured this concept throughout Dragons of the Highlord Skies with both Kitiara and Derek’s storylines. As a long-time fan of Dragonlance, it’s great hearing about the in-between tales. And while they may not focus on the original companions, they are still providing vital information about what’s been happening in the background. show less

Dragons of the Highlord Skies details Kitiara Uth Matar's rise within the ranks of the Dragon Army, and Laurana's struggle to accept the loss of Tanis whilst helping a trio of Solamnic Knights search for a second Dragon Orb.

I was a little disappointed after finishing the first book of the Chronicles, Dragons Of The Dwarven Depths. The characters felt a little "off". While Dragons of the Highlord Skies did a better job of recapturing the personalities of beloved characters, I felt Weis and Hickman spent a little too much time on characters introduced in this novel whereas I would have preferred to see more depth imparted to the relationships we already care about thanks to the original trilogy. Considering what happens in Dragons of show more Winter Night, I would have loved more interaction between Laurana and Sturm.

Though I didn't enjoy Dragons of the Highlord Skies as much as the original novels, it's a pretty satisfying read, and I enjoyed learning more about what Kitiara was up to whilst the Companions were traipsing around Krynn in the Chronicles. However, I'll freely admit to being sorely disappointed by the much anticipated meeting of Kitiara and Lord Soth. Instead of spending chapters detailing Kitara's journey to Dargaard Keep, I'd have preferred reading about the meeting itself, rather that being fobbed off with what felt like a summary.

Notwithstanding the Kitiara/Lord Soth letdown, I am really looking forward to Dragons of the Hourglass Mage as Weis and Hickman seem to be getting back into their groove, and Raistlin always was one of my favourite characters. show less

Another book filling the gaps between the volume of the original Chronicles. In this we can follow the adventures of Kitiara, Tanis and the others at the Ice Wall trying to get one of the legendary Dragon Orbs. Maybe the best of the `Lost Chronicles` trilogy.

The concept of revisiting one of the most loved fantasy campaigns in fiction is certainly an appealing one. The first volume offered a credible entry in to that mythos, however Highlord Skies misses that mark. It presents a plot following Kitiara and her plans for revenge upon a member of the Heroes of the Lance. Revenge, a well used motive for plots in high fantasy is best used as a sub-plot, and although there is a weaker plot running parallel about a quest to retrieve a Dragon Orb, neither combine to offer any real substance. As a short story Weis & Hickman may have pulled this off, however as a lengthy novel is merely offers tedium. Definitely for the completist since the magic of the original series is absent.

Unlike the first book, this 2nd book does not actually fill in any key missing parts of the original Dragonlance series. The 'missing' part of the quest to Icereach is a small part of the plot. The minor characters of the tale are given too much time here. Otherwise, this is usual Weiss and Hickman, well written, just not quite enough plot or action.

Second part of a new continuation of our old companions' adventures. Better than the first, it still fails to capture the spirit of the original saga. A good remedy for nostalgics.

Dragons of the Highlord Skies is the second novel in the Lost Chronicles trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The first book in this trilogy is Dragons of the Dwarven Depths (Dragonlance: The Lost Chronicles, Vol. 1) and tells of tale if the companions as they attempt to recover the lost hammer of Kharas. This book focuses mostly on the journey Kitiara takes as she rises in the ranks of the Dragon Army, it also tells of the tale of Laurana as she slowly emerges into what she becomes in the later books of the Dragonlance Chronicles. Fans of the Dragonlance Chronicles will no doubt find this novel very interesting. However, if you have not yet experienced the Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy Gift Set and are thinking of reading this show more book, I would highly suggest that you read the Chronicles first. I say this simply because some of the events that happen in this book will be so much more clear after reading the firs trilogy.

The plot of this books fills in a major gap of events that occurred during Dragons of Winter Twilight, and a little into Dragons of Spring Dawning. The plot of this book is a little different than most Weis and Hickman books. In that it is a very involved plot and has several shifts in perspective and following main characters. Some of the plot points in this book are things such as Kitiara's rise through the dragon Army, her interactions with Highlord Ariakas, Sturm's interacting with Derek Crownguard, the battle of the Ice Wall, and several other things. This book is chalk full of plot points and story arc points. Fans of the original Chronicles will appreciate the depth that this story is explored and the answers it gives for how characters behave later in books and stories. Weis and Hickman have obviously had this story idea in their heads for a long time. It's great to see that this story has finally seen the printed page.

The characters in this book will be largely familiar to fans of the original chronicles. There are a few additions, but for the most part all the `big players' will be known to readers. Unlike the first Lost Chronicles book, Dragons of the Dwarven Depths, there is a substantial amount of character development in this novel. Almost every one of the major characters has some level of development. Kitiaria, Laurana, Derek Crownguard, and several other characters all grow as characters in this book. It seems that Weis and Hickman put more thought behind developing the characters in this book than they did in the first. It was very refreshing to see.

My main point of contention with the first Lost Chronicles book was that the character dialog seemed `off' ad wrong at times. I am very pleased to say that that issue seems to be completely resolved. The dialog in this book is exactly what I read in the first chronicles. Sturm, Tasselhoff, Derek, Laurana, and Kitiara all have spot on dialog and hold true to the characters I came to love more than twenty years ago. After the last book, I was slightly worried that those things would be repeated, I was very pleased to see they were not.

This novel fits nicely into the stories that have come before it. Reading this novel was like putting on an old pair of shoes. It was comforting and I knew just what I was getting myself into. I can't say enough good things about the original Chronicles and now I have another book to add to that saga. Fans of the Chronicles will fall in love with the companions all over again. Hopefully, this also brings more readers to the original Chronicles and allows others to discover the wonderful books I grew up with.

The last book in the Lost Chronicles is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2008, and is titled Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. This is certainly a book I am looking forward to. In regards to this book, I have no doubt I will find myself recommending it to countless Dragonlance fans. It truly was a great read. show less