4.0 out of 5 stars
Dalamar: the Early Years, Mar 29 2003
This review is from: Dalamar the Dark: Classics Series (Mass Market Paperback)
This Dragonlance Classics book tells the story of Dalamar's youth in Silvanesti and his eventual calling to the dark arts. He is cast out of his Elven home and left on his own to pursue his fate. He goes to the Tower to be tested, and is willingly used by the leadership of the Tower to complete a task that would allow more than one person the revenge they seek. Berberick's telling is good although her characterization of Dalamar falls slightly short of his personality from what we know of him from other stories. Her perspective of the fall of Silvanost and Lorac's Nightmare is insightful and well written, and ties well into the Chronicles storyline. This is a good book for someone who has already read the core books of the Dragonlance series.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A great addition to the Dragonlance line!, Dec 20 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Dalamar the Dark: Classics Series (Mass Market Paperback)
This is definitely one of Nancy Berberick's best -- which, as a longtime fan of her writing, is saying a lot. The evolutionary years of one of Dragonlance's most intriguing, disturbing characters are finally revealed, taking the reader through the tortuous process of shaping the man he will become. This book is pure delight, from start to finish, and sure to please the many fans of the Dragonlance line!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Misrepresents, Mar 6 2002
This review is from: Dalamar the Dark: Classics Series (Mass Market Paperback)
This story is intriquing and an interesting read if you enjoyt he character Dalamar however there are several flaws that I found to be distracting and disappointing. First of all, the portrayal of te Silvanesti elves was harsh to the point where you could hardly call them "good" at all. The author seems to make the assumption that if you fight the "bad" guys, in this case a number of evil wizards and a dragon Highlord that makes you "good," which is not true at all. The Chronicles series sets you up to realize that the Silvanesti are incredibly snooty and uptight, but not cold and unconcerned about themselves. Yes, they have avoided the outside world and show disinterest there but former authors of the series never through out the belief they walk over each other on a daily basis. It is an assumption i believe this author got wrong. Also, it describes Dalamar's path into darkness in a fairly unbelievable way. Dalamar is potrayed as in intelligent individual who suddenly turns to darkness for reasons that just come with living. Also, at times when Dalamar is portrayed at his darkest, you get the feeling you are reading about Raistlin and not him. In Legends and the Summer Flame, Dalamar has feelings, good ones. He is a dark elf mage not some power hungry warlord.
In short, this portrayal of Dalamar is only believable if you change the character we know as Dalamar from the other books and since you probably pick up this book because you liked the character in the other books, then it is probably not all that worthwhile. However it is not a bad read, just don't expect too much insight into the character in the title. As mentioned in other reviews, this has a lot more to do with events than the character Dalamar and when it does talk about Dalamar, it does so poorly.
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