Hey Jared,
In the original trilogy there were fairly large gaps in events of the world, some of them quite significant. So this trilogy helps fill in those gaps.
Title: Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
Series: Dragonlance Lost Chronicles; Vol. 1
Author: Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Medieval, Higher Magic, Dragons
Synopsis: Tanis and Flint seek out a haven in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin while Raistlin is strangely drawn to the haunted fortress known as Skullcap. Sturm seeks the legendary Hammer of Kharas, and Tika embarks on a perilous journey to rescue those she loves from certain death. But it is the Dwarf, Flint Fireforge, who faces the most crucial test. The heroes race against time to save the lives of those dependent on them and Flint is forced to make a difficult choice, one on which the future of mankind may rest.
Recommendation: Adult, maybe late teens. Any admirer of high fantasy should be familiar with this series.
I found the beginning to be the worst part. When the characters are described initially and how their attitudes are portrayed it felt a bit revisionist. Where the characters were at the end of Dragons of Autumn Twilight isn’t where the characters start at the beginning of this book even though one immediately follows the other. It’s the risk authors take going back and writing more something like 20 years later. That said, it was mostly the initial start of the book. Once it got going the characters settled nicely.
We get two major points that are broadened and expanded. First being the the draconians and the Dragon army. We get to see how they thing and operate and many of the little details that really brings them to life. The second, is the dwarfs. They were really glossed over in the original trilogy so it’s been great to get that depth to the race.
Flint features prominently in the book, which is only fitting. From an old curmudgeon to a person with a long and rich life.
The plot was good, both on its own but also in the broader context of the war and return of the gods. It’s got me all excited for the next one.
In summary, I might suggest for readers new to the series to read them in chronological order instead of order of publication like I’m doing. I chose this way so I understood them as they were when they originally published, but for entertainment purposes simple chronology might be better.
Robert
Links
- Margaret Weis Official Website
- Tracy Hickman’s Official Website
- Dragonlance Nexus – Unofficial Dragonlance Website
Reading Over The Shoulder 
I loved the original books. I’ll have to check these out.
I GMed so many Dragonlance campaigns that I sort of developed my own ideas around what happened. It’d be fun to go back and read these to see what the real deal was.
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Weis & Hickman are among the authors I always promised myself to explore, and never managed to – yet. So thank you very much for this intriguing reminder 🙂
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If I might butt in here. I’d really recommend their 7 book “Death Gate Cycle”. I’ve read that 2-3 times since highschool and own them as well 🙂
It is a great way to experience them as a writing duo.
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I’ve wanted to read the Death Gate Cycle for years, but just never seem to get to it. They’ve got a long history of working together, so there’s no shortage of work from them.
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*whisper*
…..read…..it….
*whisper*
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