Redemption [Hardcover]

Redemption is the last of a three-book series. I followed the series with as much eagerness as I pursued the War of Souls trilogy. Jean Rabe is a very promising author and the potential shows in her writing, making her works enjoyable of their own, but her style lacks that certain depth that marks the difference between a fantasy book, and a magical world which you live in vicariously as the story progresses. Redemption is a fantasy book. If this weren't a series, and if Jean hadn't written a series before this I would wonder if this was indeed a first novel.

Jean's overall style is swift and to-the-point. Succinct perhaps to a fault. She usually gives a brief description of the environs followed by thoughts and monologue from a given character. This gives you a sense of being in the character's head, which is interesting. The descriptions of the environs and of actions are all too brief and general, giving you the gist of it all, but rarely going into much real detail. This gives an unmistakable feeling that the book was rushed to meet a deadline and your mind has to work a little more to fill in the blanks. This is why Jean's style takes some getting used to at first, and why Weis and Hickman fans, being so used to the descriptive and full of depth style of the duo, are furious that Jean writes Dragonlance books.

Once you get used to the style, you'll find Redemption an enjoyable read, though there are some glaring inconsistencies. For example, at the end of one chapter Dhamon gives Maldred's great sword away, and Maldred spends the remainder of the chapter being angry about it. Apparently Dhamon must have forgotten that he gave the sword away for in the very next chapter he "hefts the great sword". The Fiona character is another example. I don't want to spoil anything, but as the story went on I wondered why she was even there. She seemed to be nothing but the token female presense in Dhamon's party, taking the place of the absent Rikali, and the constant diversion with her mad antics.

Despite all that, Redemption is a solid book. The story is interesting and full of twists, and Jean has a knack for making her characters come to life. She draws a constant tension between all the characters which is refreshing, though a bit overdone at times. I really cared what happened to the characters and their relations with each other. The only major disappointment had to be the ending. The story concludes with a bang, yes, but it's rather wanting. I found myself scratching my head and wondering "that was it?" On the optomistic side it does open the story up for future Jean Rabe books.

Overall, this is a Solid book and worth adding to your collection. A worthy addition to the Dragonlance world in it's own way. Just don't come here expecting Weis and Hickman. You'll be disappointed.

While reading this book you truly feel that you are in the story itself. The action never seems to slow down that much, but at the same time even with all the action going on the story is what really holds the book together. Plenty of plot twists. Not to mention Jean continues to let us see some of the lesser mentioned creatures of Krynn.

The ending will bring tears to the eyes of most that read it. All in all she ended the Dhamon Saga with a bang, and opens up for many of the characters in the end a new begining.

Hopefully even though this was the end of the Dhamon Saga, it will not be the end of Dhamons stories. Go out and buy this book, I doubt you'll have any complaints.(DL Archives rating = 5 Orbs!)