Tag: Novels

DragonLance – Dragons of Autumn Twilight Chapters 18 & 19

Chapter 18

Fight at the lift.

Bupu’s cure for a cough.

The elevator we saw in order to get up and down without the use of modern day machinery uses the gully dwarves as weight to bring the Draconians up from far below in the ruined city. The result of this discovery is that there is a thrilling fight that takes place in a giant pot that is used as an elevator car.

It sways back and forth as weight gets thrown around inside, making things far more complex, it is a fight you just have to read. Fantastically written.

In the fight the group was temporarily separated resulting in two different melees taking place at once. It took some very innovative thinking on behalf of our companions to get out of this sticky situation.

A gully dwarf by the name of Bupu comes to the rescue and during a lull in the fight shows them another way to get down below.

Remember, the gully dwarves mean well but aren’t that smart. On top of that there is a fun loving Kender in the group, so their journey to the lower parts of the ruined city is…interesting.

Chapter 19

The broken city.

Highbulp Phudge I, The Great.

We get a little more backstory on what happened to Xak Tsaroth the night of the Cataclysm. Bupu leads the group along a pathway not taken by the Draconians for multiple reasons to go and see the leader of the gully dwarves, the Great Highbulp Phudge I.

It wasn’t the easiest path to traverse, but it did serve to avoid the Draconians.

One of the cool things in this chapter is that never before have I listened to a frustrated dragon complain. Now I have.

The gully dwarves lived in a part of the ruined city that neither the dragon, nor the draconian care about. Interestingly we learn more about the gully dwarves that will come back in future books. They are generally considered cowards, and will avoid a fight at all costs. However, when they are backed into a corner they are ferocious fighters.

Throughout the chapter we start to see questions arise. For instance, Sturm starts to ask questions about why Raistlin is so excited to have come to this destroyed city.

We find that the Great Phudge I does not like life with the dragons or the draconians and wants the companions to make them go away or kill them. He “knew” where the dragon lair is, and how to get there, but he is nervous that the companions are just here to steal from the dragon and run. So will he double cross them? We will find out in future chapters.

DragonLance Dragons of Autumn Twilight Chapter 6 & 7

Chapter 6

Night in a cave

Dissension. Tanis Decides.

I do love the simple sketches at the start of each chapter. It really sets the tone for what is to come.

As we continue into the book the personalities of our party of characters are really starting to come out. We can see how they compliment one another. Where one is strong another is weak. The interesting love of adventure and perhaps A.D.D. of Tasslehoff is one of those fantastic examples. We also are starting to get some of that backstory of the companions, but in small doses and only in ways that pertain to moving the story forward.

I feel one of the fantastic things that start to come forward is the motivations and fears of each of the characters. This is something that has influenced my own writing. I like to get inside a characters head so the reader (me or someone else) can really understand why they do what they do.

As a part of the story we learn that as our companions figure out how to get the Blue Crystal Staff to someone who can help them figure it out they will have to travel, but they are short on food and supplies. So this will be a tricky bit to deal with. But, in order to determine if the staff is a sign of the true gods, it could be totally worth the danger.

Chapter 7

The story of the staff

Strange clerics. Eerie Feelings.

The companions start to move out and try to figure out their order of march. They decide that sending Tasslehoff to scout ahead is the right choice, because no one will suspect a Kender traveling alone (they can be annoying to travel with), but they also tend to wander off and get distracted by whatever they find fun. So, risky but worth it.

It is revealed the Goldmoon is royalty in her tribe, and Riverwind is the exact opposite of that. But, they have been in love. They wanted to get married, but her father would not allow it unless he completed a quest. Her father attempted to find a quest he couldn’t possibly complete. He was to go find an object with holy properties that would prove the existence of ancient true gods.

When Riverwind returned with the staff they did not believe him. He was to be stoned to death for lying. Goldmoon got between him and those throwing the stones, and the staff saved them by transporting them far away.

As Riverwind is explaining all of this Tasslehoff returns from scouting and signaling danger! A party of eight clerics is coming this way, but not like any clerics the Kender has ever seen!

The clerics arrive. They are dressed strangely. Every square inch of skin is covered. They are looking for a blue crystal staff with healing powers.

Despite the possible danger Goldmoon rushes forward to help the injured Cleric with the staff!

Will she survive? Will she be hurt? We find out in the next chapter.

DragonLance Dragons of Autumn Twilight Chapter 4, 5

Chapter 4

The Open Door

Flight into Darkness

When we last saw the party in Chapter 3 they were running out the back door of the Inn of the Last Home.

Here they are fleeing into the night’s they try to answer questions about what is going on. Can they trust Goldmoon? Can they trust Riverwind?

Is she and the staff really able to hear people or is it all a trick?

Can the barbarians trust the party of friends?

As they find a place to hold up for the night as the town is being searched they try to answer some of these questions. Is the staff blessed by the gods? Is it a sign of the true gods everyone has been looking for?

All is going well until their hiding spot is found and the party may have to run again because they may have accidentally killed a few more guards. While we don’t get many answers in this chapter it does move fast and it does make us try to figure a lot out, and make us want to turn a lot more pages!

Chapter 5

Farewell to Flint!

Arrows fly. Message in the stars.

They have to flee again. This time they have to get out quickly but all of the roads are blocked by guards searching for whomever is hiding with the blue crystal staff.

The answer is to go across the lake in a boat…except Flint really doesn’t like boats. He has a crippling fear of them thanks to that time Caramon almost accidentally drowned him.

As they are trying to get in the boat, and argue with flint a group of Goblins find them. Arrows fly in both directions! Will Flint go or will he stand his ground and fight?

Raistlin shocks everyone when he casts a spell to solve the problem in one shot. As they finally find safety they look up, and notice something missing.

There are two constellations of stars that are no longer in the sky. That of the Queen of Darkness, and the Valiant Warrior. Have the gods of evil and good come to Krynn to fight for control?