Customer Reviews

Dragons of Autumn Twilight: Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume I

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I first read the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy when I was about 14 or 15 years old and I really enjoyed it for the exciting adventures and for the battle scenes. I'm now 23 and I just finished reading it again for the second time. All I can say is that I loved it even more this time around, mainly for the superb character development. Chronicles succeeds on so many levels because Weis and Hickman take you deep into the main character's psyches. Thus, although the story is epic and sweeping in its scope (good vs. evil with the fate of the world in the balance), it is also imbued with a deeply human and personal quality which makes you (or at least made me) laugh at, get angry at, cry with, and sympathize with the main the characters. You walk away from this series really feeling that, whether you like them or dislike them in the end, you actually know the characters. Personally, I was furious at Tanis during the last part of Dragons of Winter Night and almost all of Dragons of Spring Dawning, but in the end you really see that Tanis is a man with flaws like us all. In the process of reading, I would have preferred that he forget Kitiara and give himself to return Laurana's love way back at the begining of Drag. of Winter Night, but he had to have a wrestle with his own demons before he could choose which woman he was going to give his heart to. At the end of the story, Tanis is a much more real and substantial character for the whole mess in the middle. I give this example because it is character development such as this (for good or for evil) that elevates the Dragonlance Chronicles far above most fantasy novels, and indeed even above the clichés inherent in its own storyline. If you want to read one superb and compelling fantasy series, you'd be hard-pressed to find one that is superior to Dragonlance Chronicles (and then read Dragonlance Legends as well, its just as good). Start, of course, with Drag. of Autumn Twilight, and after that I don't think you'll have any hesitation about reading the second and third volumes. (One comment concering comparing DL Chronicles to Tolkien: Let's let Tolkien be what he is- the father and pioneer and architect of the epic fantasy novel, and let's let Weis and Hickman be what they are- those who are masterfully building on the foundation that Tolkien laid. Personally, I enjoy both Tolkien's writings and those of Weis and Hickman equally as much, but for different reasons.)

While all fantasy books with elves, dwarves, halflings and whatnot ARE imitations of Tolkien, the Dragonlance series is a pretty good rip-off. Ever since I picked up this book, I was sucked into the whole Dragonlance world.

The quality of writing is not extremely mind-blowing, but there are many good parts, and I especially appreciated the characterizations of the twins Caramon and Raistlin. While I thought Raistlin was a pretty original character (well, you have to remember this was a book first published 20 years ago when the badass wizard didn't appear in every two fantasies you read), I actually adored Caramon's devotion. I found Tanis's divided loyalties a pretty well-written struggle as well.

This I definitely regard one of the fantasy 'bibles'. I believe the first book of Dragonlance is much more original than Brooks' Shannara series or Salvatore's Icewind Dale.

I was glad to see the DragonLance Chronicles re-issued in hard cover--they are classics, after all. They are very enjoyable stories (the fact that the world abides by the rules of AD&D is a bit annoying, but once you get past that, it's fine :-).

The problem I have with this edition is the abysmal editing job--if indeed any editing occured. You will encounter typos ever few pages, sometimes 2 or 3 on a page, in ALL THREE VOLUMES. It gets very tiresome. Wizards of the Coast seems to not have an editorial staff, as their edition of Salvatore's _Dark Elf_ has the same problem.

Please, Wizards of the Coast, hire some editors before you publish books! Weis and Hickman should be outraged that their work was so defaced!

This book was the first novel that I ever read - way back in 1989, at 9 years old. It hooked me into the world of Krynn and inspired me to start playing D&D. Throughout the series I laughed outloud, I shed tears at a few key deaths, and I read these books instead of doing homework.

Granted that was 14 years ago. I just reread the book, and I was sorely disappointed. The characters maintain their vitality and intrigue, which is definitely the book's strong-suit. The locations are interesting to imagine, and the history of the world feels robust and realistically layered and complex. But the writing itself leaves a lot to be desired. I couldn't help but cringe at the repeatedly overused adjectives and the painful moments of unabashed silliness.

Also, upon reading it again I have now realized how much of it is allegory for much Mormon lore! I won't go into details, but it's pretty thinly veiled. I grew up Mormon, and the religion has left a bad taste in my mouth ever since I left it 10 years ago, so finding such things in this book makes it less enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to people who don't roll their eyes easily, or are young and easily impressed, or are looking for simple and easily digestible escapist fiction. It truly is a great story and a fascination world, despite all the flaws.

Definitely a great fantasy epic and one of my personal favorites, The Chronicles Trilogy- Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning, brings to life the ultimate battle between Good and Evil in the World of Krynn. The books are so incredibly well written that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. The authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have truly outdone themselves and have presented us with a masterpiece of literature the likes of which we have seen only in JRR Tolkien's work and RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies. A GREAT trilogy indeed and a "must read" along with Margaret Weis' Legends trilogy! Duty, honor, bravery, magic, dragons and heroes are all about. One should seriously start thinking about maybe turning them into movies...

I'm usually wary about female writers who write fantasy. I always though dragonlance would involve too much romance and very little action. Boy, was I wrong! This series has me hooked. The wonderful thing is, especially, if you are a roleplayer, you get to follow a group of people through their adventures just like in roleplaying games.
This book though a part of a trilogy, can be considered a complete story. Nowadays many writers prefer to leave you hanging in the end of their books, wanting you wait for the next one, which is always frustrating. But not this one. If you don't want to get into dragonlance, which I doubt will happen after reading this one, you can stop right after this book and call it a good story.
The world of Krynn is in peril. The evil dragons under the control fo the god, the Dark Queen, have begun their invasion. But the good gods of old have not forgotten their people even if they have been pushed aside. This is where we begin to follow 6 adventurers - an elf ranger, a mage, a thief, a knight, a cleric, and barbarian- unwillingly pulled into this conflict but believe in honor and sacrifice and love.
Get this book. You will enjoy it.

it's amazing how Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman could write a book so grate as this, being the first in the chronicles series it makes you want to keep reading the second and third book, because of this three books I became a fan of dragonlance.

I waited 10 years to read this book and the best thing I can say about this book is that I finished it. None of the characters made me like them or want to know more about them. I wondered why the draconians were all so easy to kill. With an army monsters that weak, I wonder what all the fuss was about.

This book and the whole Chronicles trilogy was my first introduction to fantasy. I remember reading these babies back when I was in elementary school. I must admit that when I came back and read them they weren't quite as good as I remember but I suppose that was inevitable. Fantasy now seems to be more sophisticated, more mature like Kushiel's Dart and other titles. Still, there is a place for simple fantasy. After all, if I want to read stories with people banging I'll pick up a romance novel. On the other hand if I I am in the mood for fantasy then this story and other like it fill the void nicely. Cutting to the chase I would have to say that this is a definite grab for fans of old school fantasy but those of you with a taste for more adult reading will likely want to try George R.R. Martin's Game of thrones with it's fleshed out charcters, intricate storylines(and much, ahem, banging).

P.S. Raistlin is one of the coolest charaters of all time.

The first time I read this book was about 14 years ago (I was 12 years old) and I remember being completely drawn into the Dragonlance universe. So much so, that I ended up reading many other books about the world of Krynn. Recently, I picked up a copy of this book and got ready to be immersed in a world of fantasy once again. But, this time around, I was very disappointed.

My first disappointment was encountering how very poorly written this book is. And, it is not just this book, but many others in the Dragonlance universe share the same fate. The descriptive words and conversations become a long a string of clichés and overused adjectives. The word "smile" is at least found two or three times on every page, often preceded by the words "crooked" or "half". Weis and Hickman's descriptions often become repetitive; the conversations many times leave the reader feeling diluted or lacking, rarely is there a middle ground. The authors' poor use of language becomes a burden on anyone who can read at a junior high level; so much that it becomes more aggravating to read rather then enjoyable.

The characters are not enjoyable to read about and impossible to connect with on any level. They are stereotypical creations of the D&D gaming world, bound by the limitations that are set in the rules of the game instead of their own personal traits. They quickly become dry and stale and very rarely show any type of personality. The authors' try to paint pretty pictures of emotion and character depth in this book, but more often then not, this attempt fails and is quickly forgotten about.

The plot is actually the only redeeming factor about this series but is quickly brought to its knees by other faults. The world of Krynn has the potential to be a well-developed world, which has depth, detail, and could captivate any reader. Unfortunately, what it doesn't have is authors who know how to write it.

Overall, the book is probably better suited to younger readers, probably no older then 15. The characters often act like teenagers, which is what probably drew me in to the Dragonlace world many years ago. The maturity of the characters was something I could relate to. I would rate this book 1 star, but since it entertained me once, it should get another for effort.