In this thread over at the Dragonlance Forums, there is a discussion going on about The Gargoyle King. Beware of spoilers!
The reviews are a little mixed, but since I have not read it yet, I will refrain from any comments at this time. However, it seems like The Gargoyle King will be the last Drago nlance book I will ever buy, so any which way I look at it, this book will be a little special.
I liked the other books in the Ogre Titans trilogy, so hopefully Dragonlance will go out with a bang.
I have never been a huge fan of 5th Age Dragonlance. After finishing Dragons of Summer Flame, I was left very disillusioned because I thought it was a huge waste to leave the world godless. I felt there was finally an opportunity to move the world forward without Raistlin and the other inn-fellows.
Fortunately, Dragons of Summer Flame prompted a friend of mine and me to rewrite Dragonlance the way we wanted to. The funny thing is, that we actually debated killing off Takhisis and Paladine.
Anyway, I pretty much left Dragonlance after reading Dawning of a New Age. I still kept in touch with what was going on in the community, but we never played in the 5th Age or bought any of the products that were released.
Years later, I am the only left of my old group, who has even the slightest interest in Dragonlance, or role playing games in general, and I see Dragons of a Fallen Sun released. Needless to say, the War of Souls trilogy brought me back to Dragonlance, and I even purchased some of the new rule books, the best ever made I might add.
See, I never even enjoyed the War of Souls. For me, it was a question of finishing up the series, so the world could move forward with the remaining gods, magic and everything else that make up the Dragonlance setting I enjoy. This is also the reason why I never reread the War of Souls trilogy, unlike every other Dragonlance series I have bought. Until now that is.
Honestly, Dragons of a Fallen Sun is still not my favorite. I don’t get that familiar Dragonlance feeling when I read it, which I got when I read Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. However, I do enjoy reading it this time around.
I guess the 5th Age was a good thing for the setting, It presented a a much needed reboot of the setting, and it produced some of the best rule books ever made. Heck, we even got a kick-ass Taladas trilogy, that was the perfect backbone for a Taladas rule book. Alas, the license was never renewed thanks to Wizards of the Coast, and in a few short months, the novel line will end. In other words, Dragonlance will officially be dead as disco.
Of course, the passionate community will ensure that Dragonlance will never truly die, and maybe one day Raistlin will find our world, and bring us there.
I for one will go on reading Dragons of a Lost Star, and maybe even get around to finishing up the rewrite project I started during my Christmas break 1995.
Since I finished Hourglass Mage, The Legend of Huma and The Fire Rose, I have been looking for the right fix to cure my newly found Dragonlance addiction. The bad thing about having this addiction is, that Dragonlance is more or less dead. Before I nail the coffin totally shut, I know there are a very few releases planned, so if you feel more comfortable saying that those releases constitute actual life in the setting, do not let me ruin your day.
Anyway, I started The Second Generation, which I have always kinda enjoyed because it moved the setting forward. My favorite short story is of course The Legacy, which was originally featured in The Magic of Krynn. So, if you haven’t read this collection of short stories, go get it here.
The Dragonlance Forums have a thread about the Raistlin Chronicles. Now, don’t get too excited, because it is just a reprint of The Soulforge and Brothers in Arms.
The cool thing is the artwork, which, even though it is not entirely canon, is quite cool. At least I like it quite a bit, Weis does not, and some of the people over at the Forums do not either.
Check it out here.
By the way; did you sign up for the Wizards’ community?
Now that I am done with Dragons of the Hourglass Mage, I have stated reading The Legend of Huma for the umpteenth time. It is by far one of my favorite Dragonlance books, and it seems like a good choice to “come down” from the high of Hourglass Mage.
As I was looking through my book collection, I happend to find our charger for the digital camera, and I took some pictures of my bookshelves. I always enjoyed seeing other peoples stash, which I know is terribly dorky but what can you do?
The pictures are not really that good, because I can’t really fit the whole thing into one frame due to limited space in our home office. I will try to make a Photosynth at some point, but for now this is all I’ve got.
Well, I finished Dragons of the Hourglass Mage in less than 24 hours. The book is really excellent, and it does tie up a lot of loose ends.
I am taking a couple of days to digest it, but I will have a blog post about it up at some point.
Sad though, that is the last Dragonlance book…
With a little luck I might get my filthy hands on a copy of Dragons of the Hourglass Mage today. My sister’s boyfriend works close to my local book pusher, and he will get it for me – provided they have it in stock.
If I get it today, I expect to read it in a day or two, although I am going to try and savor it for as long as possible. However, knowing my track record I seriously doubt it.
Anyway, back to doing garden work…
Nuff said. I am getting it on Monday hopefully.
Did you pick up yours yet?
Thalintas over at the Dragonlanceforums just posted a review of Dragons of the Hourglass mage. He has an early release of the book, which means that it is still not in stores yet, but it does give him the opportunity to provide us with some insights into what the book is about.
The post is actually kind of sad, since he bids farewell to the original Dragonlance world created by Weiss and Hickman. I couldn’t agree more with Thalintas, so here’s a short excerpt form his post and a link.
…Dragonlance as a series may continue in some form or another. But Dragonlance as the child of Weis and Hickman, the novel series born in 1984 with a group of friends meeting up in an Inn–that series ends with Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. The novel takes 25 years of plot development and setting growth, and synthesizes it into the endcap to the Holy Six. With it, all questions, all loose threads, all storylines that stem from the Heroes of the Lance are finally complete. And if you can close that final page and put that book down without tears in your eyes, well sir, you’re a better man than me.
Source: Thalintas @ Dragonlanceforums
I hope the book reaches the northern shores soon, since I am itching to get my filthy hands on it. Of course, it will most likely be the last Dragonlance book I ever buy, so it is a bittersweet sensation. However, for the time being, I will focus on the positive side of things, and look forward to the most anticipated Dragonlance book ever, as far as I am concerned.
It has been a while since my last post, but considering how busy I am proclaiming the death of Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance in particular, it makes perfect sense :-).
Anyway, I was reading the Dragonlanceforums boards, when I found a link to Wizards’ home page, where they have posted the first chapter of Dragons of the Hourglass Mage.
There are also a couple of wallpapers for your PC or Mac, so I can really only add a link to this post and say: “Knock yourself out”.
Personally I really like the chapter, because it picks up right after Raistlin has discovered the truth about Fistandantilus. So basically we meet Raistlin before he becomes an über mage, and I assume we get to follow his rise to power between the time he leaves the Companions in the Blodsea of Istar till we see him as the black robed wizard in Neraka.
I almost forgot; there is also a the Illustrated Dragonlance Guide ready for your downloading pleasure. Have fun.
