I have posted about my re-read of this series a few times. But I’m going to go through them book by book with some little mini-posts.
As you can tell I’m not using a stock photo of the book, that one is probably my second (or third) copy. The first one(s) having been loaned out and never returned. But it is an early one so it has followed me around for a long time.
I have recently been re-reading the DragonLance books, starting with the earliest of them written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Turn back the clock to 1985 when Dungeons and Dragons was a thing but not a massive thing, it was still on the growth swing.
These books were developed to basically be a DND party going through their adventures. They weren’t the lowest-level characters, but they weren’t the high-level ones they would become in later novels.
The books were, simply put amazing. I was 13 when they came out and starting to get to bookstores on my own (and still do but my wife won’t let me go alone anymore).
The first book Dragons of Autumn Twilight honestly begins with a bang. A group of friends return for a reunion and discover their peaceful meeting place had been taken over. They return to find war is about to break out and somehow, they end up meeting two barbarians who hold one of the objects that could cause the start of that war.
What I find fascinating about the book, and the author’s style is that it is compelling, I really want to turn pages as fast as I can, not sleeping until I am done. I remember when I first picked this book up in 1985 only two books in the series were available. I shot through them in a week, my dad shot through them in a weekend. It was the first book we really read together and talked about that you could tell my dad would have read without doing so for his kid.
Now, at the age of 40 something (ok late 40 something) I am re-reading them. I am instantly transported back into the land of Krynn and have a new, and different experience with them. Is it better? I certainly appreciate it more, and I also find that I strive to become a better writer myself as a result of the hard work that went into these novels.
Remember at this stage there were three books planned, so the reader knows the story is going to grow. The author has to set that hook in a way that gets you to come back for story 2 and 3, and in the case of DragonLance for many many more to come. This book achieves that goal in a huge way. It has the right level of detail without going nuts (I love George RR Martin but come on…his books can get dense).
Highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t read them to pick these books up and read them as quickly as you can. I don’t write in this genre but I can’t say that they haven’t influenced me. The way the authors intertwine the action and adventure sequences with the human story is amazing, and something many more authors should strive to do regardless of genre, for it is that human struggle that compels me to turn pages. The action matters, but the human side of the story turns a good book into a great book.
While you are here go click on the books page and check out some of my work. Have a great day! Thanks for visitin.
