Long-held belief has been that Margaret Weis' and Tracy Hickmans Dragonlance novels outperform all other Dungeons and Dragons novels. I have always admitted to being a fan of Forgotten Realms books as a child, but after rereading Dragons of Autumn Twilight for 30+ years, I now understand why the hype.AdvertisementAlthough none of the 10 previous books I've read for this column were masterpieces, Autumn Twilight is not. However, Weis and Hickman's first novel in the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy really kicks their butts. Shadowdale was the first book I reviewed in D&D&N. It felt more like a novel than a transcript from a game session, which is an interesting thing considering that the Dragonlance book was also based on a session. Autumn Twilight is better on all levels: dialogue, plotting and characters, description, plotting, plotting, and so forth. Although it doesn't make Shadowdale look trashy, it is definitely better.You may recall that I have only read one Dragonlance novel for D&D&N before, the non-Weis- and Hickman-written Legend of Huma. The book was mediocre and chronicled the battle of the titular knight against Takhisis, the Dragonqueen. They used the mystical Dragonlances which are regular lances but are extremely effective at killing dragons when carried by other dragon riders. The knight defeated Takhisis and her evil dragons, but he died.The Legend of Huma was set in Dragons of Autumn Twilights of the past so that both Huma, and the Dragonlances, are true legends. There is still concern about the Cataclysma Comet, which crashed into Krynn's world 300 years ago. This caused people to abandon their faith in the old gods completely. It also means that there has been no clerical magic for quite some time. This is especially true when Takhisis, and her evil dragons, suddenly appear. To defeat the Dragonqueen, the people of Krynn will need the help of these gods, particularly the goddess of healing Mishakal. Is the fate of the entire world in the hands of a small group of unlikely heroes? It does, you know. Let's take a look at the adventuring party. It's a huge one!Tanis is a half-elf (in technical terms) who is a bastard. He doesn't belong in either race's world. He is able to lead the group, but he has a lot of self-doubt. Qualinesti was a land of Elfs, and he left it because his father refused to accept him. He is currently in a relationship with Kitiara, a swordswoman who is half-sister to Caramon and Raistlin.Bastard is a half-elf (in technical terms) who doesn't belong in either race's world. He is a capable leader, but he often struggles with self-doubt. Qualinesti was a land of Elfs, and he left it because his father refused to accept him. He is currently in a relationship with Kitiara, a swordswoman who is half-sister to Caramon and Raistlin. Goldmoon A barbarian, and the de facto chieftain for the Que-Shu tribe. She is a Priest of Mishakal, making her the first cleric to be born since the Cataclysm. The Blue Crystal Staff is her first in 300 years of healing power. As her quest to fulfill her goddess desires drives the majority of the story, she is undoubtedly the most important character.Barbararian and chieftain de facto of the Que-Shu tribe. She is a Priest of Mishakal, making her the first cleric to be born since the Cataclysm. The Blue Crystal Staff is her first in 300 years of healing power. As her desire to please her goddess behest, she is undoubtedly the most important character of the series. Riverwind A regular barbarian who is in love with Goldmoon. In the hope that Riverwind would survive, Goldmoon's father sent him to search for a magical artifact. He returned with the Blue Crystal Staff, and PTSD. He and Goldmoon left the tribe to find the origin of the staff.A regular barbarian who is passionate about Goldmoon. In the hope that Riverwind would not die, Goldmoon's father sent him to search for a magical artifact. He returned with the Blue Crystal Staff, and PTSD. He and Goldmoon left the tribe to find the source of the staff. Sturm Brightblade Knight of Solamnia. This is a similar story to Huma except that the Knights couldn't stop the Cataclysm happening. It seems quite unfair. This could be why Sturm is often depressed to the point that he's almost catatonic. Sturm, you've been there!A Knight of Solamnia is a Knight like Huma. However, the Knights are now disregarded because they couldn't stop the Cataclysm happening. This seems quite unfair. This could be why Sturm can become almost catatonic at times. Sturm, you've been there! Raistlin This is the main character in the Dragonlance series. He is a red-robed wizard which makes him neutral (black robes can be evil, but white robes can be good). However, everyone, except his brother, mistrusts him. Everybody assumes that he is secretly plotting something evil, even though nothing bad has ever happened in Autumn Twilight. I find him to be very solitary and caustic, which is understandable.He was the main character in the first Dragonlance series. He is a red-robed wizard which makes him neutral (black robes can be evil, but white robes can be good). However, everyone, except his brother, mistrusts him. Everybody assumes that he is secretly plotting something evil, even though nothing bad has ever happened in Autumn Twilight. I find him to be very solitary and caustic, which I think is understandable. Caramon Raistlins twin brother. He is strong, beefy and not very bright. Raistlin is his only love, and he does so unapologetically.Raistlins twin brother. He is strong, beefy and not very bright. Raistlin is his only love, and he does so unapologetically. Flint Fireforge A very grumpy dwarf, who is effectively the surly grandfather of his group. His people were forced to leave their mountain home by fantasy law. Thankfully, this is not a factor.A very grumpy dwarf, who is effectively the surly grandfather of his group. His people were forced to leave their mountain home by fantasy law. Thankfully, this does not appear in the story. Tasslehoff Buffoot A kender is a race that is unique to Dragonlance and which is hobbit-sizedThis role call only has one main female character. However, I don't believe I have ever seen a stronger, more competent or more developed female character since D&D&N began. (Though the addition of two additional women to the party in the book is, definitely. The novel's characters feel very fleshed out. They all have flaws and doubts. They also have complex, sometimes even difficult relationships with one another. Hickman and Weis can write these characters as if they have been friends for many years. Hickman and Weis sometimes go too far with the flaws of their characters, particularly the differences between them. These heroes, despite showing true comradeship at times, seem to hate each other's guts.AdvertisementAt times, everyone gets annoyed at each other. Tanis is constantly annoyed by Tasslehoffs devilish spirit, Flints constant complaining and grumpiness, and Sturms often-depressed state. Riverwind is furious at the fact that Goldmoon's personality changed while he was searching for the staff over the years, even though she was forced to become the leader of their tribe. Tanis believes that despite their long relationship, Caramon would kill them all to defend his brother Raistlin.Raistlin is the biggest and most bizarre problem. Everyone, except Caramon, treats Raistlin as a complete shite, even though he saves lives every time. This hatred seems to have no foundation other than the fact that he isn't very social. This was something I thought was strange, even as a child. It felt like the heroes were trying to make Raistlin evil. One scene is where everyone has some evidence to support their fear and mistrust towards the mage. But it's absolutely bizarre. Raistlin shouts at Tanis during a heated conversation. This is something I cannot stress enough.AdvertisementDragons of Autumn Twilight and the entire world of Dragonlance have one problem. They are gully dwarfs. Do you know that Drow, the dark-elves, are almost all said to be equally evil? The monogenic trait that gully dwarfs have is stupidity. It's really gross and weird. I don't want to get into the story, but Wizards of the Coast has made it clear that they are working hard on this.This may sound negative, but it is a testimony to the quality of Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Despite its flaws, it remains one of my favorite Dungeons & Dragons novels. Krynn feels like she is living in a world thanks to the complexity of the characters. The stories are so epic that the main characters may not have known of them if they hadn't stumbled upon them. This makes Dragonlance feel vast in a way that the Forgotten Realms novels can't. It will roll an 18 on its 1d20. However, it will be penalized by a -2 penalty for the fact that the gully dwarfs are so horrible. The result is 16. Dragons of Autumn Twilight was a great book and I'm eager to get the next one. Because I want to continue reading the Dragonlance Chronicles, I've decided to change things up and jump straight to Dragons of Winter Night for the next installment of D&D&N. We'll see you there!AdvertisementAssorted Musings:Fizban trees for elderly wizards of Fizban, Gandalf/Merlin typeRaistlin's pupils look like hourglasses. This means that he only can see death. Everything he sees looks old, decaying, or dying. Its quite metal.Raistlin also carries the staff of Magius. This is Huma's old frenemy who played an important, albeit silly, role in The Legend of Huma. It is not necessary here.The Dragonlances are only mentioned in the last part of the book. Even then, it is not very often. And no one ever gets close to seeing one. This is not a judgement, but an observation.Pegasi are racist. It's bizarre.The animated version of the book was released straight to DVD in 2007. It looks almost like it was created in 1997. The 2D animation is reminiscent of the old X-Men cartoon and the CG seems to be from a later PlayStation 2 game. The only thing that appears to be CG is the bad guys. Enjoy the trailerAdvertisementAre you curious about where our RSS feed went. The new one can be found here.
