Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Weis and Hickman Do It Again
I won't plague this review with spoilers but the only part that sucks is I have to wait for the next installment.

Can't wait for the 3rd book after reading this one
This book is much improved over the first. Although I did enjoy the first, this one felt like it had more "meat" to it. This series definately has the makings of EPICness. READ THIS BOOK!!

A view about Weis&Hickman's Dragonships of Vindras
After reading Weis & Hickman's novels for many years, this is one of series which I'm looking forward to. Although the first book did not quite meet many fan's expectations, the plot in the second book thickens quite considerably. Or should I say, a bit too much actually. There was very little explaination about the gods in this series and it leaves many readers wondering what kind of gods Weis and Hickman is trying to impress us on. While book two explains more about these gods and their occasion appearence, I myself find it either too sudden or else the way these gods make their entrance without causing any excitment for the readers. I used to recall the Death gate or Darksword series where there was always a climax or thrilling section where a character does something or meets someone. Obviously Weis and Hickman lost a bit of that touch in here.

Overall, without spoiling any of this novel's contents, I would say that if you'r a big fan of these authors, you will feel somewhat disappointed but the enjoyment is still there, just not that epic. For new readers out there, it is still worth your time reading this.

The 2nd Book is always better...


Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman continue their "Bones of the Dragon" series in an excellent entry, "Secret of the Dragon."Like the first book, Tor/Forge gives readers a kickass cover that screams BUY ME!(So I did).

The second is much improved over the first.With an increased familiarity with Skylan, the plot of Dragon is far more interesting and twisted.We have the power of the old gods led by Torval challenged by those led by Aelon.When 'gods' fade, others take their place and the Gods of Raj step up to the altar.Not willing to take their loss of worship easily, they search for the Five Bones of the Vektia Dragons.The Sinorians and the land of ogres are known holders of two, but three are missing.

Meanwhile back on the 'earth', Skylan Ivorson (crew and Bone Goddess Treia) are betrayed by Raegar into the hands of Lord Acronis via the slave trade.Raegar, over time, discovers that Acronis is not whom he thought, and he realizes that he needs the help of the gods and Dragon King Kahg!

This is a fantastic series that is a little off the beaten path, but experienced guides Weis and Hickman, the paths become something else.Dragonships is one of those series (6 books) that will become legendary as their previous works. Reading this, part of me wants to join the crew...

Secret of the Dragon
I have just started reading this book, but it seems good. I liked the first part either. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (22)

second in the trilogy
I purchased all three of these books together because I hate reading out of order.I was surprised in the sense that usually in books like this, one son is evil and one is good.This did not follow the usual pattern.I like the touches of humor, intentional (and sometimes unintentional) and the ending was a bit of a surprise.I would be very interested to follow up with the Dragon's Son and see where he winds up.Not the best I've ever read, but held my attention well and I went straight through all three books.

Perhaps workable for young adults...
I'm pretty critical of this novel, but I'm an adult.If you're a young reader you very well may get a lot from the series (I like Weis/Hickman books as a teen) so I'd take my review for a grain of salt if you're under around 20.

For the rest of us:

Right from the beginning... where abysmal 1980's era synthesizer music played in the background of the recording for what seemed like forever... I didn't think this book was for me.I actually had to jump forward in the playback to make sure that the music stopped... because if it had continued there'd have been no way I could have sloughed through the book.

Luckily the music stopped, but the story never really captured me.Characters were VERY cookie cutter, with actions that could be predicted by the plot direction far better than by the character description provided in the text.It left me with a feeling that characters were schizophrenic, saying one thing but doing another.6 year old kids acted and spoke like adults.16 year old young men are described as intelligent but everything they do establishes that they're complete idiots.I think the author wants us to believe that a 16 year old boy can be so besotted by a pretty girl that his mind shuts off.Well... it might for a short while... but after she denigrates him and berates him he WILL smarten up... her characters never do... which means they never grow.They're as dumb at 16 when the book ends as they were at 6 when the book started.Then there's absolutely baffling behavior that is so conflicted with the characters developed personality that it makes the text come off as just silly.In the same paragraph one character behaves so gullibly toward one character that only a 70 IQ could explain it... yet he turns around and acts like a 60 year old hardcore cynic to another.The unkind part of me sees the pattern of a silly romance in the plot... it's the only thing that could explain some of the crazier plot points and character behaviors.

The whole book comes off as... disheveled.The one thing I actually liked about the book was unintentional on the authors part.I didn't read the first book of the series, so I learned about characters as I went... and it gave the book a certain amount of growth just by virtue of the fact that information was hidden.Sadly... the more I got to know the characters, the more distracting their insane behavior became.

I will not read or listen to the other books in the series.

BEST EVER!!!!!
I LOVE THE BOOK I LOVE THE BOOK!! lolz, I truly do to. I had the original 1st book hanging around my room for forever--. rad maybe the 1st chapter and that's it. but one day i was bored and I was just stuck in the book. And shortly realizing OMG! theirs still 2 more books out their to this one! so i had to of coarse buy this book. Hands down the best trilogy book set ever written next to Harry Potter series! I would LOVE to see thies books to become a movie series.
The book it self was in really good condition for being used. And dilvery was awesome THANK YOU!!!!

I was somewhat dissapointed
Um....a "bad" twin and a "good" twin, now where have I seen that story before?

Great
I enjoyed this book very much. It was received in great condition and in a timely manner. This is a great continuation of the first. ... Read more

Product Description
Preeminent storytellers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have redefined epic fantasy. Since the publication of their Dragonlance series, millions of readers have enjoyed their imaginative world-building, rich characterization, and intricate storylines. Now these bestsellingauthors bring their talents to one of the most innovative fantasy creations ever in Dragon Wing, the first volume in The Death Gate Cycle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (142)

Typo Wing
Like other people have posted, the Kindle version is full of very distracting typos. If the Kindle is meant to help immerse people in their reading, more quality control should be exercised on the content to keep it from negatively affecting that result.

One of the best series out there
I bought this series when it first came out and was not that excited about but I bought all the books. Since then I have re-read it straight through several times over the years and it is now one of my favorites. If you havent read it or read them back to back, do yourself a favor and read them. Its a great story and the pace is somewhat brisk.

Not their best work
While giving credit for obviously a large amount of thought and work going into this series I found it fairly boring with poor characters I could not get into, unlike their Forgotten Realms books which I adored each and every character.

Warning, reading this series will make every other fantasy novel you ever read a slight disapointment
Ok, when one thinks of fantasy The Lord of the Rings is usually their first thought. Personally, I think of the Death Gate Cycle. This being the first book in the highly unique series introduces the main characters. This book takes place in the first amazing world of the series. These are almost the best written series I have ever read.

Great Book, Terrible Editing
I read this book many years ago and am reading it again now as a Kindle book.It's just as good as I remember it being except for the editing.I've found an error every few pages including slight misspellings, random characters, strange typographic issues, and missing words.I'd recommend reading this book, but don't buy the Kindle version unless you're not at all bothered by errors.Its's hard to enjoy the story when every few minutes you notice another error and wonder why they didn't have anyone proofread this. ... Read more

Product Description
/Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Wielding the powerful, magic-absorbing Darksword, Joram returns to Merilon to win revenge and claim his birthright. Here he will test Bishop Vanya and his fierce army of Duuk-tsarith in a battle unlike any their world has known. From the bestselling authors of the Dragonlance series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Return To Merilon
Joram, Saryon, Mosiah and Simkin enter the enchanting and magical city of Merilon. They have left the technologists, and Blachloch's corpse, behind.

En route, the dead man, the suffering catalyst, the devoted companion and the baffling magician are diverted to the enemy kingdom of Sharakan where they meet, befriend, rest and train with Prince Garald and his handpicked Cardinal Radisovik. It is here that we are given a glimpse at the true power of the darksword and the real nature of Simkin.

Returning - for some a first visit - to Merilon where Joram hopes to discover and claim his birthright is the bona fide beginning of the story the first part of which is the serendipitous meeting of Joram and Gwendolyn at the gates of the capital city. Matters, however, seem to be falling apart almost as soon as they appear to be improving. Much is revealed in discussions, investigations, at the castle and at Bishop Vanya's surreptitious hall where he passes judgment. Many positions are weakened and many others' seem to be lost forever.

As an aside, shrewd readers might have noticed several similarities between this land and earth. While names like Gwen, Lord Samuels and Maria or plants like dahlia and honeysuckle might be easy giveaways, the mention of an ancient history crammed with weaponry and a medical reference to Hippocrates are also clues to the same.Elsewhere, a discussion of salvation through divine grace versus as a reward for deeds, which occurs early in the Volume, hints at the personal beliefs of co-author Tracy Hickman. He is, of course, not only one of the fantasy genre's leading authors, but also a devout follower of LDS.

With much explained and the story moving fast the reader is left with a cliffhanger sure to be resolved in the customary third book of a fantasy trilogy. Triumph of the Darksword (Darksword Trilogy, The) will impart how the balance of power will be apportioned.

Almost good
Great condition, except for the page with a rather large chunk missing from it. Not a huge deal, however, and I am satisfied for the price.

couldnt put down
i literally could not put this book down!! i started out with an undying love for dragonlance and was kind of skeptical about trying anything else. but if you pick up anything by margaret weis i guarantee its worth your time!! and this trilogy is no exception.

Excellent Trilogy!!!
I had read Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends and loved them both and that's why when I saw this trilogy, I decided to buy it. And I liked it as much as the Dragonlance series. The story was excellent and I really liked Joram and Saryon. Definitely worth buying.

Great Early Work of Weis
This is a second book in a trilogy (most recently a fourth one was added... but it's not technically part of the series). Anywho~ It further develops the story. I would say it is appropriate for ages 10+. It's fun-loving and easy fantasy reading. I have read the series three times. Margaret Weis's books got me "into" fantasy several years ago. The flow of the story is smooth and the new twists and characters are excellent. If you haven't read the first of the series, you'll be a little lost, so go find yourself Forging the DarkSword.=)If you're looking for a taste of early Margaret Weis, this series is it. Might I also recommend The Rose of the Prophet series... ... Read more

Product Description
Welcome to the Dragonvarld...

In Mistress of Dragons we are introduced to a world where political deception, greed, and avarice have lead to a violation of the "hands off" policy of the Parliament of Dragons concerning the affairs of men.

Indeed that violation threatens more than policy and order it threatens the freedoms and survival of the entire human race.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Mistress of Dragons
I didn't like this book. It's not because of the lesbianism and it's not because of the non-unique plot. I was actually really enjoying myself for the first half of the book. I couldn't wait to find out who the traitor dragon was, and what was going to happen in the monastery, and how long it would take the king to find out about the dragon man. Unfortunately, it turned into a story about a whiny irritating woman and a fawning unfaithful king traveling across the country to fulfill a strange solution to the evil dragon problem. It all started when the main character's lover decided to believe a very untrustworthy character. It irritates me that someone that supposedly loves the main character will believe the crap someone makes up, just like that. It only got worse from there. The plot disintegrated and become non-plausible. Everything was pretty much hanging on traveling to the new land over the mountains to discover how the evil dragon was doing things. So when they made it there a little over halfway through the book, there wasn't much left to talk about. I loved the dragonlance series and I'm really hoping to enjoy other books written by Weis and Hickman, but so far it has not gone well (Mistress of Dragons and Well of Darkness).

on audio
Mistress of Dragons is an interesting story with some likable heroes and and excellent villains. The heroes are the humans and their dragon allies, but the humans don't realize that dragons are their friends because the villians are a couple of dragons gone bad. Very bad. The good dragons concoct a plot which uses humans to conquer the bad dragons. Mistress ends with an unexpected plot twist.

This story is well-told except for that annoying conjunction ommission problem that bugs me. For example, on a few consecutive pages, we find these constructions:

"She closed her eyes, shut out the sight of them."
"Melisande raised her head slightly, cast him a furtive glance."
"She'd been planning to slip away, try to go back to her people."
"Draconas poked and prodded, found no other injuries."

That drives me insane (especially when it's done as often as Margaret Weis does it). But if that doesn't bug you, and you don't mind a rape scene and a lesbian love affair, you'll probably enjoy this book. I listened to it on audiobook and it was read well and the story is compelling enough that I've ordered the second one in audiobook format, too. I'm going to give it a chance, but I'm not so hooked that I can't drop it in the middle if it doesn't keep me entertained.--FanLit.net

Simplistic writing, gratuitous homosexuality, rape & violence
Lesbian themes introduced early in the book add nothing to a lackluster plotline. It should be made more obvious by the publisher that there is sexual lesbianism in this book. I am all for anyone's right to choose their sexual affiliation. But I didn't appreciate the surprise of it and fear many readers, parents included, will be unpleasantly shocked. Not suitable for young adults under fourteen. The rape scene was horrible and the violence was overly graphic, but none of it fit into the plotline well. It didn't work.
The ending was disappointing - I hate books that end on a cliffhanger forcing you to buy the next book in the series so they can make money.I was looking forward to reading this book, but was disappointed and wasted my money.

A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
I had high expectations for this book. I have read many of the dragonlance series. It possessed none of the "magic" that made the dragonlance books great. The characters were shallow. None of them touched me. I was "sick" of several of them by the time I could drag myself to the end of the book. There were no redeeming qualities at all. My advice...Don't waste your time.

Weis is Fun, Entertainment, Sci- Fi ý
During the summer Months when I'm not in school, I look forward to Entertainment ýreading something that's Sci- Fi and action packed; I feel that Margaret Weis has done ýthis in her Dragonvarld Trilogy. She captivated me with Mistress of the Dragons and kept ýme with Dragon's Son, and left me wanting more similar reading with the last Master of ýthe Dragons. (She is a real entertainment break from regular graduate school work, lol)ý

... Read more

Product Description
The Seventh Gate is the thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. In this tale of treachery, power, and heroism, Alfred, Haplo, and Marit embark on a journey of death and discovery as they seek to enter the dreaded Seventh Gate. Encountering enemies both old and new, they unleash a magic no power can control, damning themselves to an apocalypse of unimagined proportion in a final struggle between good and evil. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

Typos Abound
I loved the series.However I was sorely disappointed in the Kindle version due to the enormous amount of typos.How does this happen?This is not a reflection on the authors, but the publishers.I have enjoyed many, many paper based novels from Tracy and Margaret and will again in the future.I will probably not buy anymore Kindle books because of this.
Steve Shulze

One word: Disappointing
There's really no need to go into a lengthy review with this one.Lots of other people said it well.There were a lot of inconsistencies with the last few books of this series.A big one that annoyed me was the Labyrinth and how small it seemed... even though it's suppose to take generations to escape... it just seemed really small.But really, I can over look that.

The final book in this series gives you a lot of suspense.Xar is still an idiot unfortunately who refuses to see truths that are staring him in the face - the same holds true with the Sartan leader, BUT despite a few inconsistencies and things that make you go, "huh", it's a pretty decent book for the most part.Unfortunately the ending is not at all what I was either expecting or hoping for.Take whatever you think the ending should be and throw that out the window, because it's not happening.Things do get resolved just not in a very fulfilling way.

Overall, the end of a journey is important and an ending that doesn't feel right can kinda tarnish your view on the whole adventure.I don't think this is Weis and Hickman's greatest work.I still think their greatest masterpiece was the War of Souls Trilogy, as well as the original Dragonlance Chronicles.But still...

This book: 3 Stars
The series as a whole: 4 Stars

The Death Gate Comes To A Close

The Seventh Gate is the conclusion to the Death Gate series, the masterworks of fantasy authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. After seven books, four worlds, two races of demi-gods, three of Mensch and a myriad of originality book seven has the unenviable task of bringing it all together and seaming the tale into a satisfactory ending. In that regard, it only about half succeeds.

Bringing the fantasy books into one was never going to be a simple task, especially given the incredibly successful first few books where new and original worlds of water, air, fire and stone are rendered. The last few books had already seen failures in logic and rational continuity, yet The Seventh Gate falls particularly short in several respects. Granted, using words like 'logic' and 'rational' in the context of such fantasy will never win this reviewer accolades, but nevertheless one would have expected a little more due to the astonishing lift-off of the series.
Part problems are the weakness of the Patryn and Sartan races both in physical and mental arenas when it is most called for, the blindness of their leaders despite sheer evidence, puzzling failure on the part of evil and, the worst offender, a relatively short book where the ending seems to have been rushed and carelessly woven together - despite the presence of a useful epilogue. Even there, many questions are left unanswered using a 'no one wanted to explain' device.

Nevertheless, The Seventh Gate is both an important book in the context of the series and a good book overall and does answer many questions as well as binds the series to its end. It does end on a customary happy note, yet leaves enough suspense on the table to remain credible with the continued existence of evil, the serpents, the labyrinth and much suspense regarding the future of the Mensch races, elves, humans and dwarves.

The authors - or rather the Mormon Tracy Hickman - manages to insert a not so subtle 'we are all potential gods' yarn into the ending of the story in line with his LDS religious beliefs, but the conclusion also instills enough trust and regard for the lower races to nullify such overt superstitions.

The Seventh Gate is the ending of one of the better fantasy series out there and along with the preceding six books an imperative read for fantasy buffs and a recommended read for non-fiction enthusiasts.

Wow
As this entire series ties in together and reads almost as a continual book, I'll only review the final one.

The series is about a young Patryn named Haplo, a man from a race of demi-gods that were cast into a magical prison by their counterparts, the Sartan.Haplo and a few hundred of his race have escaped their prison, the Labyrinth, and are seeking revenge on the ancient enemy.He is ordered by his lord to go and explore the four worlds of the universe, reporting back all he finds and watching for signs of the Sartan's presence.

This is the way the story begins, but along the way, Haplo is subjected to hard questions about morality and prejudice that he was not expecting.

While each of the books offer a good read on their own, the series must be read from beginning to end to fully appreciate it, as the strength of the series is the changes that Haplo goes through along his journeys.When he sets out in book one, he is leaning towards being the bad guy of the series.There is a cliche wizard who wants to take over the world to fill that role in book one, but we see that Haplo is a man without pity who looks down on the "mensch" races - human, elves, and dwarves - as lesser beings of little import.

As he travels, his position changes.It is written beautifully and handled realistically.Haplo is reluctant to change, but after being locked up onboard a ship with a handful of mensch and being saved by others, he can no longer write them off.He begins to care about their individual personalities and their fate, and we see a gradual softening of a man who was hardened by hate.

More than that, these books deal with learned hatred and old prejudices between the Sartan and the Patryns.We are shown how easily our own ideas are influenced.In the beginning, Weis and Hickman introduce the Sartan as the good guys and the Patryns as the bad guys.As the story progresses, we also learn to see them as individuals and judge them according to their actions.

Each book offers new intriguing characters, who are all brought together in what is really a three-book climax.

I found this entire series to be a wonderful read, thought-provoking, funny is some places, sad in others, and filled with a sense of adventure.

Many reviewers have complained about the lack of magic in the Labyrinth, stating that the Patryns lives could be easier.I respectfully disagree.We are shown in Fire Sea that their magic is not unlimited.Haplo even explains to Hugh the Hand that as it is a land of constant danger, they have to reserve their power for things like staying alive.

My only complaint is a love story between Haplo and the Patryn woman Merit.After putting so much work into writing a beautiful story about hatred and healing, I felt that Merit was a character who exhibited absolutely no good qualities and learns nothing, just suddenly changes her mind when she realizes she still loves Haplo.

All in all, it is a worth-while read, and I strongly suggest that anyone who picks up this series starts with book one to enjoy the ride.

Great series
One of the great book series available. I am a DL fan, but this series is better and short and sweet with 7 books.All the books were good without other authors to ruin anything like in DL.I read this series about 8 years ago, time to read it again, it is one I will reread every 10 years for sure. ... Read more

Product Description

Once a dedicated soldier of the Knights Templar, Derek de Molay was betrayed and killed. So instead of an eternity in Heaven, he has decided to battle the Dark Angels of Hell. But as the war between good and evil rages, he is summoned back to the mortal realm to protect a woman standing too close to the edge of darkness.

Customer Reviews (18)

Such High Hopes, Such Low Results
Like mentioned before, the synopsis makes the book sound great.It's execution is, however, bland and boring.With the hero being a former Templar knight, I expected some fast paced action but got none.Instead, we have a knight who is (wait for it) a doorman.The hero opens the door then closes it and let's not forget the high drama of the hero walking the cat.

If you like dull and predictable, with all plot twists easily determinable within the first two chapters, then this book is for you.

Worst book I have ever read. Disappointing!
The book sounded really interesting. It started off great but then nothing came together. She is sleeping with another man while he hero is around which made me lose respect for the herione. Doing illegal things. Hated this book! I do not have a top ten list of worst books. But if I did this would be number one.

Great concept but there's nothing driving it
I had high hopes that this would be a fun read, but alas, it was not meant to be. Derek was described with sandy blond hair and blue eyes, but the book cover featured a black-haired hero. Hmm...I thought the cover depicted the character better. I couldn't picture a younger Daniel Craig as the warrior angel...The plot was lame. The dark angels could have chosen a grander scheme...I know that Lizz Weis is a financial expert, but come on, I didn't feel the sense of urgency to fight the baddies on this one. I'm glad I don't own this book.

Chivalry
If someone in Heaven allowed a demon fiend to kill your guardian angel, wouldn't you like to have a former Knight Templar assigned to check into the situation? For Rachel Duncan, a self-made broker at The Merc in Chicago, she doesn't just get a holy warrior angel working her case, she gets a hot & hunky holy warrior angel. The problem is she already has a boyfriend and, well, that holy warrier angel has some rather limiting rules to work within during this mission.

The mother-daughter team of Margaret and Lizz Weis has put together a satisfying romance that offers more than a typical sappy "boy-chases-girl" story would. Even with the pleasing reminder that humans get to make their own choices in the individual battles of the spiritual warfare around us, none of the scenes in the book get didactic or overbearing. Heck, the angels seem to have as much trouble obeying the rules as the humans...sometimes quite humorously. Sometimes with dire consequences.

Any reader looking for a paranormal romance to whisk him or her out of reality and into the supernatural for an afternoon will enjoy Warrior Angel. I recommend it.

From Sandy Lender, "Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

Laughably bad
I bailed on this dreadfully dull cliche riddled tome before the halfway point.

Cardboard characters and a blundered go at romance, without any of the so-bad-it's-good horridness that keeps me reading paranormals, left me tossing this one straight into the trade bag.

Ms. Weis needs to go back to regular fantasy and stay where she's good. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Absolutely Horrifying
This book wasn't just bad... it was horrifying.Characters were completely unbelievable, the story trite and not even well done trite.Bad.Really bad.I rarely get rid of books, but this one's going back to the used book store.

On a good note, the author can spell.Sentence structure and grammar were above average.As odd as that sounds, that's actually unusual these days.

The Star of the Guardians series: The Lost King, Kings Test and King Sacrifice
One of my all time favorite 3 book series.The Lost King, Kings Test and Kings Sacrifice are the books in the Star of the Guardians series.The character development is excellent.I think what I like best about the characters is that they are all flawed and that makes them more real.

Not worth it
Maybe you'll enjoy this book, but I certainly didn't.

I got it at a used book sale for a quarter, and I wouldn't buy it again. It feels like a blatant Star Wars rip off that's poorly executed. My housemates and I passed it around and laughed at how bad it was.

I picked it up because I've enjoyed other work by Weis, but I couldn't even finish this one.

Folks have different tastes. If you're thinking of buying this book, read the first few pages on the "Look Inside" feature. Had I taken the time to do that at the bookstore, I'd have saved a quarter. If those pages grab you though, it might be a good bet for you.

Book One of the Greatest Trilogy I've Ever Read!
Derek Sagan, Dion Starfire, and Maigrey Morianna are three of a group of compelling characters in this incredible tale. As I always say on panels at Science Fiction conventions, this is the greatest story I've ever read. Set in a different time and place, the Guardians, an elite group of royal servants, protect a young king while he matures to assume the role he was always destined to fulfill. Dion Starfire, mentored for years by a peace loving poet, finds himself thrown into the world of WarLord Derek Sagan, the ruthless leader of the Guardians in a kingdom thrown into ruins by a malevolent revolution.

Sagan wants the boy for his own designs. Lady Maigrey wants to protect young Dion. A host of magnificently designed characters come into focus as the tale moves forward. Some of them want the throne. Others want the young king dead. Only the combined efforts of the Guardians, or the descendants of the Guardians can protect Dion. As he grows into manhood, the tempestuous teenager rebels against everyone, and even against his own desire to be king.

This book will grab you from the first paragraph, I promise you. Just an awesome, awesome story!

Kevin Gerard

Conor and the Crossworlds: Breaking the Barrier
Conor and the Crossworlds, Book Two: Peril in the Corridors

The Lost King
The Lost King is an excellent read!There is a little of everything in it, good versus evil, betrayal, hope and of course stuff blowing up.If you like David Web's Honor Harrington series you will also like Margaret Weis. ... Read more

Product Description
The spellbinding conclusion to the star-spanning saga of adventure and intrigue. At the end of King's Test, Sagan--the man who overthrew Dion's father--pledged his allegiance to Dion as the new king. Now, Dion battles alien and human enemies, and must give up both his lover and one of his men as he learns what it truly means to be king. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Star of the Guardians Keeps Getting Better!
Sorry, I can't tell you why, but I bawled like a baby when I read this book. That never happened to me before. Oh, yes, I cry all the time in movie theaters, it embarrasses the heck out of my wife. But a book? C'mon.

King's Sacrifice brings the Star of the Guardians series to a cataclysmic conclusion. You have a good idea what's going to happen, you think, and then all of a sudden you get hit broadside. You better be sitting down when this one wraps up. Sagan, Maigrey, Dion, Tusk, all the wonderful friends you've enjoyed for during the story, they end up in the most surprising circumstances. And yes, it will make you sob your heart out.

Kevin Gerard

Conor and the Crossworlds: Breaking the Barrier
Conor and the Crossworlds, Book Two: Peril in the Corridors

King' Sacrafice will move you!
King's Sacrafice takes us back to the galaxy with Dion, Sagan and Maigrey.This novel picks up right where the prequel lets off......it is high paced, and leaves you on the edge of your seat.Scenes with Abdiel arevery intense, and entertaining.I loved this novel due to the influx ofnew intriguing characters.See who will finally control the galaxy! Willit be Dion?Or Sagan?Or Maigrey?Or a combination of all three?

Mieux que Star War
Moi qui n'aime pas la science fiction, me voila plongé dans un univers prénant ou chaque personnage doté d'une psychologie differente vous fait vibrer. Tout s'y retrouve dans un savoureux cocktail: action, suspense,aventure, amour et sacrifice!Un grand livre qui m'a arraché autant derires que de larmes... A deguster sans modèration!

One of the best books I have read
I am not a usual fantasy or sci-fi reader, but a friend convinced me to read The Star of the Guardians series. In fact, the only fantasy I had read before this were The Lord of the Rings. I became addicted to The Star ofthe Guardians as soon as I picked them up! King's Sacrifice stuck out in mymind as the best one in the series though (I cried more than I did in GoneWith the Wind and The Man in the Iron Mask(the book) combined). The bestpart about this book was the inexorable destinies of Lady Maigrey and LordSagan, and their romantic interactions with one another.Now don't get mewrong! It isn't all mush, it is very quick-paced! The mush just got to methe most. The only thing about this book is that the writing is good, butnot excellent like Ray Bradbury or Margaret Atwood...in other words, it'snot what you might call a contemporary classic. From a well read person, Ithink you would like it.

It will move even the most iron-hearted reader!!!!
This book, which was intended to be the conclusion of the Star of the Guardians series, is just about as different from the usual mass-marketable science fiction as you can get. Not only will you be alternativelymesmerized, horrified and deliriously excited by the graphic action, butyour heart will truly go out to the main characters. You will marvel attheir choices, rejoice at the outcomes or mourne their fates... do notthink you will escape the conclusion dry-eyed.

And at the end, like thelegions of Margaret Weis' fans, you will also want to raise a bloodsword tothe courage of Lady Maigrey, Lord Sagan and Dion Starfire!! ... Read more

Product Description
While the Lord of the Nexus orders his servant Haplo and Bane, the human child, to further their master's work on Arianus, the resurrected assassin Hugh the Hand seeks to complete his mission. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

PS Incase you didn't know, Xar is an idiot
This book was wonderfully entertaining.But before I get into that...

Dear Xar,

I don't understand - you survived the Labyrinth, and you continue to go back in and do battle to save more of your race.You obviously are wise and insightful - when that Haplo character started being not entirely truthful with you, you were onto him from the start.But now when some creepy, red eyed Patryns who obviously aren't Patryns, come up to you and feed you lies, you're completely in the dark.Come on!You didn't survive so long just by letting your guard down around people who appear to kiss your ass.

All the best,
A random mensch


Okay and now unto the review.

This book is just fascinating.You've got several assassination plots going on, people coming back from the dead, and of course, serpents at every turn, spreading the chaos for which this book is named.My only complaint is I think Xar is too trusting of the serpents.Just because he wants to believe that these serpents are around to make his life easier, lessons from his past should have taught him better.No matter though - still an awesome book.

5 stars

Back On Arianus... Evil Slithers
In book five of The Death Gate Cycle series for the first time the reader peaks into all four worlds of a sundered world. The hatred within humans, elves, dwarves, Patryn and Sartan has fed the evil that has spread across the four worlds. There is war and malevolence everyone and, worse, for the first time it is free to spread its fangs with the barrier placed by the Sartan unwittingly gone. Evil can be defeated if the races can vanquish their fear and hatred, but old habits, time and the serpents are strong. The elves are divided, the human rulers maintain a dangerous game and the dwarves - lead by a bespectacled revolutionary leader with communalist slogans - have discovered aggression and resentment at the worst possible time. The Hand Of Chaos sheds light on the races past, origins and histories and wonders whether it is all too much for distrust to be surmounted.

Much of the action is back on the world of air Arianus, previously visited at the dawn of the series, given how for the first time in the cycle the book has not moved on to a new world. Chelestra, world of water, is the source of the unleashed hate, but the fomented doom is focused in the realms of sky.
Zifnab is back referencing ancient earth culture and now revealed as a powerful Sartan magus. Xar, the lord of the Patryn, is in Abarrach to learn necromancy and has dispatched Haplo to Arianus on a fool's errand that is meant to cost the latter man's life. Alfred is absent having offered no resistance to the missteps of his Sartan brethren. Hugh The Hand belongs to the Brotherhood and is a changed man. Prince Bane and his Mysteriarch mother are pivotal characters. Iridal does what no mother wants to do.

The Hand Of Chaos is the continuation of Serpent Mage (The Death Gate Cycle, Vol 4) and followed by the sixth book of the series of seven, Into the Labyrinth (Death Gate Cycle). The action is unremitting and the travellers faced with tension wherever they go. Yet, it is the treachery and odium that engulf the book. Everything rests on whether the species can rise above ancient enmities.

Great series
One of the great book series available. I am a DL fan, but this series is better and short and sweet with 7 books.All the books were good without other authors to ruin anything like in DL.

The Hand of Chaos - clever title now that I think about it....
The Hand of Chaos - Book Five of Seven in the Death Gate Cycle series. This book is another excellent addition to the series, and also necessary to read, no matter what other people say. It is very action packed, and brings back some of my favorite characters (Ex: Bane, Hugh the Hand (shocker...I know!)and Iridal). The book does have its shortcomings, but otherwise it is very good.

This installment starts off right where Serpent Mage ended, with Haplo trapped in the room and the water starting to flood the Sartan City. Haplo escapes (without magic) and heads through Death's Gate, but not before finding out that the evil dragon-snakes have also headed through. He heads to the Nexus, but is beaten there by the Dragon-Snakes, who have already found Xar and pledged their allegience to him. Xar says he is happy to have them on his side. Haplo comes and tries to convince Xar that they are evil, but Xar doesn't believe him. Haplo leaves for a walk as Bane (remember him from Dragon Wing?) walks in and begins chatting to his adopted "grandfather". Meanwhile, as Haplo accidentally meanders infront of the Final Gate, Zifnab comes. Zifnab, while rambling, tells Haplo that he is Sartan, and that his "wife" never died and is still in the Labyrinth, with his child. Haplo is startled by this news, but what is even more startling is that Bane overheard this all.He reports back to Xar, who tells Bane that he is sending him to Arianus with Haplo to continue stirring up unrest and to activate the Kicksey-Winsey. As soon as this task is accomplished, he is to kill Haplo. Bane agrees, and the both of them leave.

Thus the plot is set for The Hand of Chaos, along the way, Hugh the Hand comes back from the dead, We learn a LOT more about the Brotherhood of the Hand, and more about King Stephan's empire. This is a very good book, with only one major shortcoming, Alfred's disappearance. At the end of Serpent Mage, Alfred was being cast into the Labyrinth, yet in "Chaos", we have no news of what is going on with him. This is the only real shortcoming of the book, and it is an excellent, fast paced read. Pick up and read it now!

Totally not necessary
First, I will tell you how to get the most enjoyment out of this series.Start with going to the library and renting all of these books.Do not buy them as they are not worth it.Then read books 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 without reading the footnotes or the appendixes.You have the option of reading books 2 and 5 if you are really enjoying the series, but they are only filler and do not even need to be skimmed.Finally, accept the fact that Weis and Hickman may only be one hit wonders and move on.

Second, I write reviews for those who seek good fantasy and not for the zealots who hang on every Weis and Hickman word.You would think from some of the reviews of this series that these books were greater than War and Peace and written by Bronte and Conrad.In reality, this series is not very good.I am not trying to trash Weis and Hickman, I found the Dragon Lance series to be extremely enjoyable and would give at least the first two series of that line four stars.This series deserves no more than 2 stars.The books are incomplete thoughts that may have been much better had the authors taken more time to flesh out the story.Beware of fantasy books that contain footnotes and appendixes.Usually, these are the telltale signs of poor writing.Having said that, I did manage to read most of these seven books and here are some thoughts.

Many reviewers have made a lot of the fact that Xar is actually tsar or czar.I fail to see the significance here.Xar is a ruler and a tsar is a ruler.So what?What I found to be much more interesting and ultimately distracting was the use, by the authors, of the word mensch.Mensch is a Hebrew word.It is not close to a Hebrew word, it is a Hebrew word.If you look it up, mensch means a person of integrity and honor.What are the authors trying to say here?That all people without ambition or power are full of integrity and honor.I read all seven books trying to understand the use of this word to no avail.

Not surprising considering the books are filled with errors and inconsistencies.Some of these errors and inconsistencies are no doubt addressed in the footnotes and appendixes, but it would take an additional seven books to address all the problems.I believe that most of these problems occurred because the authors did not take the time to complete their work. Perhaps they were pressured by their publisher.

Most of the characters are thinly veiled shadows of those characters from the Dragon Lance series.Only, these characters are not as interesting or as engaging.Part of the problem is that Weis and Hickman never determine where they want the story to go.They blur the line between good and evil, then they erase the line, then they re-draw the line in bold.In Dragon Lance, it was intriguing to see how the characters dealt with the discovery of the duality of their own nature.In this book it is just confusing. ... Read more

Product Description
/Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Joram and his wife, Gwendolyn, return from beyond the Border to reclaim their rightful place in Merilon. Rejoined by Saryon, Mosiah and Simkin, Joram must confront the evil sorcerer, Menju, and his army of Technologists in a final apocalyptic battle to fulfill the ancient prophecy of the Darksword--to either save the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Paperback Book
Not all that great and clearly not up to a lot of the DragonLance books but if you don't have anything else pressing to read and enjoy this type of book its worth a read.Not good but not quite lame either.

good times
as expected of a company this product came on time and in great condition. thanks much for the business and i'll be ordering again soon!

Sorcery & Magic - Tanks & Planes, Oh My!
The Prophecy is fulfilled, the prophecy is modified, evil battles good and the sides become blurred, emperors fall and old ones come back, but what no one expected - or very likely wanted - is the resolution of a mystery of the beyond through the introduction of modern technology. Why do the authors attempt such a story line? Likely as a forced means of originality. Either way, the resulting twist is full of potholes, is uncomfortable and a letdown not only in the Darksword series, but also in the body of work of these two leading authors.

Of course, by now, most know Thimhallan is earth. If the introduction of a modern weaponry did not suffice references to Waterloo, Napoleon or Robin Hood would. Yet, did we need this genre purpose-defying surprise? Did we need these forces to arrive coincidentally at the exact same time as the board war? Did we really need the other world to have a sorcerer who cannot recall the Bishop, while the Bishop remembers the minor magician? Simkin will have one of his fainting spells.

Other fantasy books have attempted opening conduits to modern times The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1), but never so awkwardly and never as disappointingly as Triumph Of The Darksword. Fans should keep reading, of course, to reach the conclusion and find out all about the surprises, but the authors have and will do much better writing and telling than this.

Excellent Trilogy!!!
I had read Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends and loved them both and that's why when I saw this trilogy, I decided to buy it. And I liked it as much as the Dragonlance series. The story was excellent and I really liked Joram and Saryon. Definitely worth buying.

Happy with purchase, small hicup, conditions were all listed though, fast delivery.
The hicup: I tried to purchase all three books of the trilogy from the same company, they said they had all three, I paid for all three, a few days later I got an e-mail that said they didn't have the third one, recieved full refund but was annoyed. ... Read more

Product Description
/Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman In the enchanted realm of Merilon, magic is life. Born without magical abilities, Joram is left for dead but grows to manhood with the help of his constant vigilance and sleight-of-hand skills. When he meets the scholarly catalyst Saryon, the two join forces, attempting to forge the powerful magic-absorbing Darksword and ov. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Forging the Darksword
I wasn't going to write a review on this book since I had a negative experience with it, but after a look at the other negative reviews I felt the need to give an educated opinion on Forging the Darksword. The sequence of events in the beginning of the novel is a bit hard to get into, but I enjoyed the events being presented, so I continued reading. Though I usually don't like books that start when an ending and then go back in time, I continued with this one because it wasn't really the ending, but the middle that the novel started with. Even after the way the novel opened, the plot was interesting. The magic system was explained, and an interesting character was described. I lost a bit of interest when the book changed point of view to the child Joram. His upbringing was of little consequence and lasted far to long for me. My interest was lost completely when fairies were thrown into the equation. Strange babbling Simkin and the outlaw camp plot was extremely boring to me. The evil mage felt flat, he was certainly evil, but when the time came for him to do something bad I was so uninterested that it hardly phased me. I knew that a sword would be created, and that it would be evil. The war that was hinted at a few times did not seem important, and it didn't really seem to involve the characters of the story either, so I see no reason to continue this series. All of the events that occur in this novel are summarized on the jacket, and I feel that nothing special was added by reading it. Another disappointing Weis/Hickman read.

DragonLance this is NOT!
So, I finished my first book in the original DragonLance saga, and I had this one ready to go; and go it went - into a pile of books to trade for better books. What in the frig is going on in the first 50 pages? It was like reading a chapter in the life of someone, and then for no reason other than to jump ahead, find that person years later doing something else just as mundane just to find out what happened those past whatever years. I was interested in the beginning, I truly was. I tried, dear Lord did I try, but I could not make my way through the rubbish that this book had within its cover. I did everything that I could to get through this book. I re-read pages to make sure that I didn't miss something, I would stop and go back and make sure that I did not miss a connection. This seems like a life-less, sense-less, and point-less novel, that is anything but entertaining. The Weis/Hickman bug has not bitten me yet. I say Pass on this. Dragon's of Autumn Twilight, sure, but not this one.

The Unlikely Duo Of Fantasy Forge The Improbable Pairing Of Another
Believing the unbelievable and suspending disbelief are par for the course with the fantasy genre of books. That witches and goblins, dragons and unicorn or sky and netherworld all appear and disappear in books like The Darksword Trilogy is a given. We, the fans, expect it.

The same courtesy cannot be extended to poor character development and even poorer logical outcomes. That is Forging The Darksword's failure.

To be clear and upfront, the book is a great read and has all the elements one expects from the sub-genre of books and, more importantly from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the authors of the unsurpassable Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle, Book 1) series.

In a land where magic reigns and death is defined as a lack of these powers, the interplay of church and state, magic and technology and good and evil swirls into an unexpected set of events that quickly seem to spin out of control. The bishop connives, the young prince is sent away to die and the sorceress is not the mother many think she is. This is where one finds a catalyst acting beyond his belief or capability, a dark magus who hears and knows everything not only failing to do so, but also not heeding warnings and a good country boy following a bad, strange one. So, what gives? A still readable book that - despite all the action - is really setting the groundwork for its follow-up.

Another good read from Weis/Hickman

Read this book just for the antics of Simkin. What a wonderful character, and a very creative way of presenting him. The owner of the darksword seems rather sullen for most of the book, but that is purposeful, I believe. As he learns his lessons and discovers the true power of the darksword, his character emerges and his mood lightens considerably. I love the peculiar invasion of the "iron wars" machinery, I always love when someone ties society into a fantasy book. Well done!

Kevin Gerard
Conor and the Crossworlds: Breaking the Barrier
Conor and the Crossworlds, Book Two: Peril in the Corridors

Excellent Trilogy!!!
I had read Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends and loved them both and that's why when I saw this trilogy, I decided to buy it. And I liked it as much as the Dragonlance series. The story was excellent and I really liked Joram and Saryon. Definitely worth buying. ... Read more

Product Description
Pursued by assassins, Haplo, the only one who knows the location of the mysterious Seventh Gate, and his old companion, Alfred, seek refuge in the Labyrinth, a lethal prison maze whose inhabitants are condemned to death. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

In The Labyrinth... Mysteries Are Created And Many Are Resolved

Into The Labyrinth is the sixth book of the Death Gate series. It follows book five The Hand of Chaos (Death Gate Cycle, Book 5), and precedes the conclusion to the epic series The Seventh Gate (The Death Gate Cycle). The book whose main story line is revealed in its obvious title is a fun read, has many of the elements that fans love about the series and the genre, produces fascinating characters and has a few twists to boot. Having said that, it does lose a couple of notches for reasons of logic and consistency. Where to begin?
Patryns are demigods and have powers and magic to match, but have trouble crossing a plank or guiding/assisting others to even in the direst of times.
The same powerful beings that have had to evade the worst menaces of the labyrinth and have partly found their way out are blinded by the most obvious of trickery. Even Lord Xar, the self-styled Patryn leader, cannot see the obvious dangers lurking beneath the scale of the dragon snakes. This, even after one dragon snake commandeer's the Patryns' ship and people. None of the Patryn left onboard notice the fake runes or detects the impostor.
Patryns cannot break through Sartan runes even in the absence of an active defense by the Sartan. Xar needs humans or an amulet carried by an unaware dwarf to gain access to a rune-inscribed ship. The Patryn cannot even duplicate weapons or food.
Vasu, the semi-demigod, sees the red glow of the final gate while residing at the mouth of the labyrinth.
And so on.

Thankfully, Zifnab and his dragon provide much entertainment (and benevolence) as they battle for the lesser races and the fate of the worlds. In the same context, each of the lesser races demonstrates higher logic and reasoning than the higher races. Admittedly, this is a deliberate design of Weis and Hickman. As well, the tytans' mystery is partly resolved.
Adding to the lost opportunity, however, is the battle between Samah and Xar that never was. The book could have, and should have, taken up the opportunity to cast the meeting of the two most powerful representatives of their races as a grand battle of sorcery and might. Alas, the still unexplained magic-nullifying water pours cold water on that notion.

Into The Labyrinth is still a fine book. It is good in its own right and indispensable as part of the series. Haplo's (a Patryn) dog is beautiful and fascinating. Alfred (a Sartan) is revealed as Coren and much more, Marit (another Patryn) regains her love and her senses and a furious battle takes place, albeit in an unlikely setting. It is just that the book could have done so much more and made so much more sense.

A great book
The entire Death Gate Cycle series is great. I would say this book is my favorite in the series though. If your in to fantasy books you won't be disapointed with this book or any other in the series. In my opinion this book and the rest in the series is better then Lord of the Rings and that is saying a lot cause I love Lord of the Rings novels. As much as I would love to go in to the details of what goes on in this book, I don't want to spoil the story for anyone.

Great series
One of the great book series available. I am a DL fan, but this series is better and short and sweet with 7 books.All the books were good without other authors to ruin anything like in DL.

Death Gate Cycle
This is the 6th book in the Death Gate Cycle series.If you haven't read the previous ones, this book does do a good job of catching you up.However, for full understanding you should read them in order.The authors do a great job on character development and plot.I could not put this series down.

Into the Labyrinth
Into the Labyrinth
The book Into the Labyrinth by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman was an amazing book. It is the seventh in the Death Gate series. In this book Haplo, Alfred, Marit, and Hugh the Hand are thrown back into the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is the prison created by the Sartan to hold the Patryn but something went wrong and the magical prison started to use its magic to try to kill any and all who wished to escape. Using evil magic, creatures, and the forces of nature it tries to kill all inside of it. While in the prison the heroes discover a Patryn city inside the Labyrinth, something unheard of for the Patryns because they are constantly moving on hoping to reach freedom. While in the city they make another astonishing discovery -read the book to find out what it is.

The book was incredibly exciting to read because there were a ton of cool battles between good and evil. The battles were so exciting to read because the author made up so many new creatures to fight against, like the Chaodyn, an insect-like creature that if it is not stabbed in the heart and killed instantly any drop of blood shed will make another Chaodyn. You were definitely able to feel like you were in the book because the author brings you into a new world and puts so much detail into everything. You can picture every thing happening because of the amazing descriptions. The main conflict did interest me because it was the classic good vs. evil but with a new twist where good and evil have been given actual beings that try to persuade people to do good or evil. That makes the book a lot more interesting too. Most of the characters seemed realistic, except they had magic powers or weren't human, because they had real emotions and the author was very good at describing them. Instead of saying "they were happy" the author would say "they felt boundless joy." The books' ending was pretty satisfying but it did leave a lot to be answered in the next one.

The author's voice is generally first person except when they might explain some of the history. The author uses a simple vocabulary but mixes in made up words like Sartan and Patryn. Some things that make the authors unique are that they made up an entirely new world, one where there is four worlds not one. They have gone above and beyond to create this world. They made a history of all the races and the actual worlds.They have made up new creatures to inhabit this world, like Wolfen and Snogg, and they even went as far as to not create one history for all for worlds but every world has its own unique story. The author used dialogue to move the story along, explain things, and let you know the characters better. The author was very descriptive of everything be it a person, place, or other. The overall tone of the book was we must save the world. I really like the way the author writes because I love fantasy and they have made a great fantasy series for all those who enjoy reading. It is new, unique, and an original story line.

I would give this book a nine and a half out of ten because I like the way the author was detailed about everything, the battles were amazing, and the story made you not want to put it down but it did leave a bit unanswered. I hope you read it. ... Read more

Product Description
The dramatic conclusion to the Lost Chronicles series!

The War of the Lance is nearing its end—for good or ill. The wizard Raistlin Majere travels to Neraka, the lord city of the Dark Queen. Raistlin ostensibly plans to work for her, though in reality he means to further his own quest for power. The Dark Queen plans to destroy the gods of magic on the Night of the Eye, when all the wizards will congregate. Raistlin has to find a way to thwart the plot, even though this means doing battle with his own sister, the Dragon Highlord Kitiara, and her terrifying ally, the death knight, Lord Soth. And still he must overcome his final foe: the archmagus Fistandantilus, who seeks to kill Raistlin and steal his soul.

The creators of the Dragonlance® world return with their iconic characters, the Companions of he Lance, to show fans the rest of what really happened in the epic battle that determined the fate of the world of Krynn. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Your imagination will fill in the holes between the Chronicles better than this book
Pretty disappointed with the plotline and writing in this book. The manuscript -while still delayed from its initial date- seems to have been rushed by the writers and the Wizards of the Coast to meet business minded deadlines. It felt like it was written more to cash in on the popularity of Raistlin and the Heroes of the Lance, rather than having anything more to say about the characters. A lot of the story is filler that leads nowhere (Hidden Light anyone?) and the interaction between the characters and Gods feels inconsistent, forced, and confusing. The whole "third act" of the novel was a let down, and felt like it was trying to tie up loose ends for Dragons of Spring Dawning.I have a problem with these Lost Chronicles in general, and their insistence to retrograde Chronicle storylines. (SPOILER!) Why does every character have to be secretly present for events in the Chronicles!?

Not so - Superbookdeals
Still waiting to receive.Was emailed that it shipped.After two weeks, emailed Superbookdeals to advise lack of receipt.They said they would re-ship.Still waiting 5 weeks later still.

Well worth the wait
I had been waiting for this to come out in paperback for so long.
Was sad to see the hard-bound cheaper then the paperback but I guess that is the way it goes sometimes.
Awesome book and series and well worth the wait.

Very Satisfied
I love this series of books and these are no exception. What a great writer to keep you so engrossed for so many books in a series.
The delivery of this item was very good. Thank you

Beautifully written and Amazing book
This is a book for Dragonlance fans that love the character, Raistlin. It's also one for those that just want to know what happens behind the scenes before Takhisis's entry. Not recommended for those that never read the series. But, it's great for those that are die hard fans. Weis and Hickman have done a great job with Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. ... Read more

Product Description
On steamy Pryan, never-ending sunlight and plentiful rain have created a jungle so vast that humans and elves dwell high in the trees and only dwarves live anywhere near the ground. From the treetops the aristocratic elves sell weapons to the other races, whose incessant warfare sends a steady steam of profits and essential resources skyward. Now, generations of dissent and race hatred will not heal -- not even under the threat of annihilation at the hands of legendary Titans. Armed with little more than their wits and prophecy, an elf, a human, and a dwarf must unite to try to save the world from destruction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (54)

Elven Star - slow start but worth it in the end
This book is a fantastic bit of world building, as was the first book in the Death Gate Cycle.The pacing in the beginning is a bit slow.Did I say, a bit slow?Dull and tedious explain the first almost 50 pages very well.It doesn't grab you right from the beginning and not let go.It doesn't start becoming a page turner until around page 100, so if you're not a patient reader and wants lots of action and suspense right from the beginning this book isn't for you.However, if you're reading this book it's probably because you liked Dragon Wing, and if that's the case you're hooked and will have to read this book and the rest of the series.

Luckily, even though this story starts off slow, after the first 100 pages the tension and sense of urgency really starts to grow.This book get's pretty dark.It's not some happy go lucky tale where everything turns out rosy in the end.This is probably the reason why the authors drop in a whimsical bit of comic relief that fans of their Dragonlance novels will get a real kick out of - everyone else will be completely in the dark.I don't often laugh when reading, even if something is meant to be funny - I'll understand that it's humorous but not to the point of laughing.This book had me randomly laughing out loud, followed by chuckling to myself afterwards.

Overall the writing in this book is really superb.The world is unique.The story, the immediate story and how it fits in place with the larger story, is a work of art - I found it both thought provoking and insightful.As I said, it's slow but if you give it a chance it will turn into a real delight to read.

Four stars.

In Pryan... The Saga Takes Flight
Elven Star is the second volume in the series of seven that comprise The Death Gate Cycle. It follows Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle, Book 1), which takes place in the realm of air and precedes Fire Sea: The Death Gate Cycle, Volume 3 (A Death Gate Novel), which takes place on the realm of stone. Oddly, the cover of Volume 1, the realm of air, was red, while Eleven Star of the realm of fire has blue artwork.

Pryan, realm of fire, has four suns, which corresponds to the four realms the Sartan fashioned. The suns shine constantly. It is thick with vegetation and a surface rarely seen or visited. On this sundered world the plot initially revolves around the elves, but ultimately the humans and dwarves and their joint interactions becomes the essence of the story. Haplo, a powerful Patryn, is here and seeking clues and fomenting despair. The equally powerful Sartan have gone missing. Adding to the mystery is the human wizard Zifnab whose accompanying dragon is a puzzling catalyst to the story. The races, characters and species with whom fantasy buffs are so familiar take on new forms and complex narratives. The action is never lacking. The reader is also given a more detailed explanation of the Labyrinth and the Nexus and the tribulations of the Patryn.

Several points of interest particular to this volume:
-Apparently, discerning who is a Patryn is not as complex as the prequel, Dragon Wing, wanted us to believe. There is a particular hair characteristic that Alfred, the Sartan, missed in that book. Identifying the Satryn is apparently so easy as well that even an elven maiden could figure it out.
-Adding to the richness is the aforementioned old wizard Zifnab who is incredibly powerful and constantly refers to the olden days of human technology and quotes from The Lord Of The Rings. Zifnab is shrewd enough to know that Haplo is coming. Zifnab's dragon is pivotal in the story too and supplies some comic relief.
-Lenthan Quindiniar is the patriarch of the elven family. He seeks his beloved dead wife and tugs at the heart with his romanticism. His desire to ascend to the stars to be with his wife has religious overtones courtesy of the authors. Then again, he is a mad man.
-Lenthan's daughter Calandra has taken over the family's business of selling weapons to all sides. Unmarried, she is willing to die for the family business. "What are men, after all, but creatures who spend your money and interfere in your life," she reckons. The elves live in a matriarchal society.

Haplo comes close to solving the puzzles of Pryan. He will report back to his Lord before preparing to journey to Abarrach.

Volume two is exciting, rich and textured. It comes with the typically detailed fantasy artwork and sets one up for the next chapter.

Better than the last one for sure
This was much better Dragon wing, but I got bored.The wizard character was the most entertaining and I'd like to see a series based on his character.I feel no desire to keep going with the series.

Hilarious Work!
This book was hilarious!Zifnab?Oh, come on!It's freaking Fizban for crying out loud.Weis is a Goddess.She can write some of the funniest awesome.Zifnab (Fizban) and his easily offended dragon made the book.I actually had to buy this one, ya'll.

Great series
One of the great book series available. I am a DL fan, but this series is better and short and sweet with 7 books.All were good without other authors to ruin anything. ... Read more

Product Description
The novels that introduced the Dragonlance line, collected in an annotated paperback.

This annotated version of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning contains extensive notes by New York Times bestselling authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, as well as commentary from the original members of the Dragonlance conceptual team. These collected titles launched what has become a flagship line of Wizards of the Coast book publishing.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (79)

Great insight...
I've read the Chronicles books more times than I care to remember, but now you've got notes and insight from the writers themselves about various aspects of the characters, etc.
A fun read, but also very distracting.Trying to read both the book text and the author notes might leave you sidetracked if you're on a roll...

Just as good the 5th time reading it
I bought this mostly for collection purposes, but I found myself reading it not 15 minutes after I got home. This is probably my favorite fantasy series and this is definately the best trilogy in the series.

Whether your a newcomer to Krynn or an old friend just coming back to visit, this annotated version will entertain you even more than the trilogy. With background on the setting and a look into the minds of the authors, you'll turn page after page.

This was my fifth time reading it and I think it actually was better this time around.

the annotated chronicales ( dragonlance chronicales )
From start to finish it draws you in and doesent let you go ...A great read

Great Story; Uneven Notes
Be warned. This is not a review of the Dragonlance Chronicles series. This is a review of the "Annotated Chronicles." While the notes are often interesting, especially as Weiss and Hickman explain how they created the novels despite the modules and various RPG components, the notes are often tedious and nothing more than advertisements for other Dragonlance books. Some of the notes are interesting-Weiss having a hard time understanding Tanis; the decision to split the companions up; why Elistan seems to vanish after the first book; even how Hickman's Mormon background shaped the world of Krynn. A good number of them offer almost no insight into much of anything. Every time Raistlin or Caramon say they can not discuss the Test at the Tower of High Sorcery, a note is on the side plugging the books where you can find out more. That was charming the first few times; by the end of the book it was annoying. Even worse, Weiss and Hickman seem to have lost interest in the notes as the book went on. While "Autumn Twilight" is full of notes, "Spring Dawning" is not. It is an uneven, even choppy series of notes and a large number of them are from other people besides Weiss and Hickman from the poet Michael Williams (whose literary influences are explained-fascinating to see how Browning shaped a Dragonlance poem) to game designer Jeff Grubb. A large number of these notes only serve to tell the reader to buy other Dragonlance books. That is disappointing to say the least but some of the insights that Weiss and Hickman offer make this edition tolerable but, if you already have the books, do not bother to go out and buy this edition.

Annotations...
Story itself is great.I lost track of time when I read this, making my sleeping hours go by without noticing it.As this Chronicles series start out everything in Dragonlance, I was looking forward to reading rest of the series in Dragonlance.(Not beyond Lost Chronicles, however, because of some reasons that 1. they're somewhat new and different from the original series, 2. not so good reviews, 3. have other better rated books to read.)

That said... the annotations.I didn't buy the books separately before this Annotated Chronicles or read them before this.It's partially my fault.I thought it could give me some insight of the authors while they were writing this and somewhat related.Yes, some are included.However, the annotations usually give out what's going to happen in the future of the book, and I remember cursing myself for reading them.For that reason, I don't suggest this book to first time readers of Dragonlance.Now, unless you're a true fan of Dragonlance, you wouldn't want to waste money on this book just for some annotations of authors.

If you're planning to collect Dragonlance series, the gift set is far better than collecting these annotated books.Gift sets of Chronicles, Legends, and War of Souls.There is a Lost Chronicles series which fills the gap of Chronicle series (2 out already, Dragon of the Dwarven Depths and Dragon of the Highlord Skies, and 1 being published in Summer of 2009, Dragons of the Hourglass Mage.)I'm not sure if there will be a gift set of this as well, but it would be great.I am personally going to collect Chronicles, Legends, Lost Chronicles series, and Raistlin Chronicles.The Second Generation and Summer Flames are almost new to the Dragonlance series... so I'm stopping there. ... Read more

Product Description
The Dark Disciple's story, now complete!

In this paperback edition of the concluding volume of the Dark Disciple trilogy, Mina learns the truth about herself and the terrible knowledge drives her insane. Rhys, the monk of Majere, accompanied by his dog Atta and the kender Nightshade, is given the dangerous assignment of guarding the crazed god, escorting her on a long, strange journey to the mysterious place known as Godshome, where Mina hopes to find the answer to the riddle of her existence. Their path is fraught with peril, for the undead Beloved want to make Mina their leader, even as the death knight Krell wants to seize her and Galdar tries to deliver Mina to her most hated enemy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Dragonlance
This is the 134th book in the series I have read and I thought it was a good book.

Not her best.
Please note: this is more of a review of the whole set of books and not just this particular book.

I'd like start start out by saying that this series is not Ms. Weis' best work.

In the first book there is the standard introduction of characters and obstacles to be overcome. But it is also in the first book that the first trouble I have with the series is shown: there seems to be a shift in how the power of the gods are used. Before there were instances of gods using their power but it was grander in scope. I know there is a struggle with the gods but it seems like all conventions previously used have been tossed aside for the sake of the plot.

The second book starts a theme that carries through the book and the next. There are a bunch of times I feel that the Deus Ex Machina technique was used. For instance the group needs to go somewhere and then on the next page, they're there. Other times they need to find something and think they'll never find it and then they do. I can understand if this was used if the space to write the book was limited or to hurry the plot but the frequency makes the story seem disjointed and lacking a good sense of flow.

The third book is quite lacking. First its quite hurried and then it also introduces a character(The Walking God) in his entirety in one book while also making him crucial. This is more of a preference but if the character is so important, why spend little time going over his life and works? This is also use of the aforementioned Deux Ex technique and the great cop-out that was the ending. It seems that when we get to the end of the story that there is indecision on what to do with Mina. Then she makes her choice and that choice itself is really a letdown.

During the story other continents that weren't mentioned much(if at all)before are mentioned(why?), other sets of gods(once, again, why?) and other dimensions(once, why?). All of this just adds to a crammed and rushed story. I don't know why the set tried to cover so much ground and cover it such a disjointed and flow-lacking way.

Oh and my main gripe(as if there aren't enough already): if you're going to make the story about Mina, make sure she's the most interesting and integral character! At times she's neither. Maybe Tracy Hickman was needed in this one but maybe not.

Positives: The idea behind the set: extending the story of Mina.

Negatives: The pacing, plot devices and uneven depth.

Overall: Buy it if you see it used or in a collection. If you can't, try not to.

Another disappointed reader
I feel kind of like a bonehead writing a review here as I could care less about a typo - I'm just a dumb reader in it for the entertainment value of the story.Previous to a couple of months ago, I have never heard of the Dragonlance books.At this point, Amber & Blood was my 17th book read from the series.

Margaret Weis has impressed me with her storytelling and fleshing out characters who are interesting and heroes in their own way.This work was kind of disappointing.

It's challenging to write a review without giving away too many details.I also have never reviewed a book prior to this attempt.However, something had to be said in case it's valuable for future reference!

It's hard to beat Tanis the half-elven and Raistlin Majere as characters.However, considering the influence this series has on Krynn, it's kinda disappointing that the series turned into - Rhys the Babysitter Chronicles.The characters were less than "heroes" like in the other books, the gods were simply non-awe inspiring (and quite less powerful than one would expect) and Mina...in this book...I just wanted to say, "Are you kidding me?"

I like the dog which was by far the most powerful presence in the book.She bit everything and lived.Rhys, who obviously reminds us of a Shaolin Monk, could have been so much more fun to put into action.That is if he didn't bounce his head off everything and then get touched better.Mina....(head shake).

Did I mention I like the dog?

The Uneventful Journey of the New God of Krynn
I can't quite decide how I feel about this last novel, and maybe that speaks volumes in itself.I kept picking it up, reading it, and putting it down to read something else.It felt as if Weis wanted to wrap up events and storylines on a short deadline, and because of this she took out everything that would have built up the climax of events surrounding Mina journey. In the end it felt anticlimactic, and though I'd attached myself to the characters of this book, it was primarily due to the first two books. I loved when Mina stripped Krell of his Death Knight powers in Book Two, very melodramatic.His subsequent transformation to a Bone Acolyte and what followed...not so much...

I'm on the fence about this one...overall, would I recommend the The Dark Disciple Trilogy? Only to the hardcore Dragonlance fan or role-playing campaigner. While I initially found the storyline captivating, it failed to maintain the potency of its characters and events. Whereas I've now read the `War of the Souls' trilogy twice now, you won't find me picking up this series for a re-read.It simply lacks the literary credence to find a permanent place on my shelves...

The Dark Disciple Finale
I have to admit I enjoyed the book though the only reason I didn't give 5 stars was for it being a little flat after the suspense and action filled previous books. Yes it was a great plot twist which I didn't expect (sorry readers not going to spoil it for ya) but in doing so kind of left a feeling of 'is this it?'. Margaret Weiss will always be one of my favourite authors but maybe she should have used this plot idea earlier or in another book. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of the best Dragonlance short stories from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

This anthology showcases 20 years of storytelling in the Dragonlance world by gathering into a single volume the most popular stories written by the New York Times best-selling authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Their tales have defined the entire Dragonlance saga from inception to the present day, from the Chronicles to the War of Souls and beyond. Drawn from various Dragonlance anthologies published over the last two decades, each classic story now features an introduction from a Dragonlance author. Each introduction will be different and will share that author's perspective on the past 20 years of Dragonlance tales. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Okay
This is a good way to get the Weis/Hickman short stories without having to buy a dozen short story collections, or back issues of Dragon magazine.It is incomplete however, and if you love Weis and Hickman, you may still want to go out and get the rest of their short story work that was not deemed good enough for this best of edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Arriving in a land where humans, elves, and dwarves have learned to live in peace, Alfred and Haplo the Patryn realize that they have a much more powerful enemy than each other. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Buy in Paperback and Save Yourself a Headache
Before I go into the negative, I'd like to mention that I would give the novel itself five stars, hands down.Like the rest of the series, it is well written, complex, and an absolutely phenomenal read.

That being said, the Kindle download of this book was shot to hell.With obvious (and sometimes confusing) typos in just about every single freaking paragraph, it was obvious that there was no attempt to review or edit after the translation to digital.I am ashamed to have paid money for this garbage, and am definitely buying the rest of the books in paperback to save myself the frustration of trying to figure out what what the authors had actually written.I've come to accept a certain amount of errors in my Kindle downloads and can ignore them for the most part, but this was absolutely unacceptable.

100 pages of I don't care.
During the last book, Fire Sea, the authors gave us a first person perspective of what was going on through the journal of a necromancer named Balthazar.It wasn't what I was expecting but I must admit, it was very well done.It helped suck you into the plight of the Sartans living on Abarrach and really gave you a feel for what was going on and what was at stake.The authors tried a similar trick in this book.The book is littered with journal entries from a dwarf named Grundle.Unfornately, these journal entries are a bore to read.At least they were for me.

This book is another slow read.I recognize that it's world building, and if I hadn't read Fire Sea I would be 100% understanding.But in Fire Sea, Weis and Hickman proved that you can have world building and yet also a fast paced, suspense driven adventure from page 1.Things don't need to be slow to start.

Just like Elven Star though, when this book finally decides to wake up and take off, it doesn't let you go.This book really starts to unravel the mysteries of the Sartan.And many things will shock and surprise you.You get to experience more of Haplo's inner struggle.You get to experience Alfred continuing to bumble around but also hints of him developing a backbone and gaining some selfconfidence.Despite the start, this book finishes strongly and propells you head first into the next book.

4 Stars.

In Chelestra... Gods, Demi-Gods, Mortal And The Immortal Encounter

Book four of The Death Gate Cycle series introduces the final of the four worlds created by powerful Sartan in the Sundering. It is a world of water... water with magical properties that - unplanned by the Sartan - nullifies magic, acts as air and harbour and introduces powerful and ancient evil which materialize as dragon-snakes.
The powerful and ancient enemies, Sartan and Patryn, come face to face and mingle with humans, dwarves and elves, but a bigger and more ancient enemy is also present. Will aeons of distrust and condescension be overcome or will the feuding be the end of all? Notwithstanding that, the two protagonists also come closer than ever to each other as a shocking surprise is exposed.

Following Fire Sea: The Death Gate Cycle, Volume 3 (A Death Gate Novel) and preceding book five The Hand of Chaos (Death Gate Cycle, Book 5), Serpent Mage adds much to the history and mystery of the Sartan and Patryn and their interactions. Where Haplo, the travelling Patryn, sought to sow the seeds of dissent and disunity elsewhere, in Chelestra his objective is the reverse. It takes young members of the lesser species, however, to stand for sanity and logic in a world where everything is coming undone.

With all the action, reaction and revelation comes several shortcomings too. Notwithstanding a trifling of an explanation in the appendices, the reason behind the magic-quashing properties of the water remains unexplained. The aged and ancient Sartan - save two - prove extraordinarily ignorant and resilient to even the most elementary of evidence and logic. The ever faithful, and nameless, dog too remains much of a mystery despite one Sartan's (Alfred Montbank) hints.

Serpent Mage pushes the saga forth and brings much to light. The characterizations are vivid and the pace of action breathtaking. The book, however, also sets up the rest of the series for a conclusion that is yet to unfold.

Best in the series
Dragonlance doesn't hold a candle to this series. And Serpent Mage is the best book in the 6 part series (or is it 7?) Ironically, they don't reprint Serpent Mage, so you have to buy it used. (or so I've been told by the major booksellers). Anyway, I highly recommended this series, and especially this book.

Part of one of the greatest series of fantasy books every written
In this sequel to Fire Sea, Haplo moves on to the fourth of the four worlds created by the Sartan, Chelestra, the world of water. But, Alfred the Sartan has arrived at the same time as Haplo, and together they trigger a chain of events that may just bring about the end of all the worlds. There is a powerful race of dragon-snakes on Chelestra that have their own agenda, and it might just bring about the deaths of both Haplo and Alfred.

This is another excellent book, part four of one of the greatest series of fantasy books every written. I first read this book when it came out in 1992, and every few years I read it again - it's that good! I love books that include elves, dwarves and wizards, but this series takes that genre and moves it in a direction you might have never expected. I love the fascinating worlds that the authors created, and also the interesting characters and institutions that fill them.

Overall, I think that this is one of the greatest series of fantasy books, if not the greatest. I highly recommend this book, and the other six that make up the series. Believe me, they are well worth your time! ... Read more