Judith Tarr, writing as Kathleen Bryan, continues the adolescent struggles of Averil and Gereint a year after the ending of “The Serpent of the Rose” in “The Golden Rose.” The teens have spent that year apart, in contemplation and preparation for the adventures assured at the end of “Serpent,” and look forward to meeting again, even if Averil must leave to marry at the wish of her evil uncle, the king. There seems to be no escape from her duty as a royal, but the magic in Averil and Gereint, while strong individually, is practically unstoppable when united.

She is sixteen now, and he seventeen, and a year makes all the difference as they confront those who would use the hidden serpent evil to destroy her uncle’s enemies. Their maturity is evident as they search for ways to thwart the king, struggling to accept that sometimes, even with the magic they share, they need to ask for and graciously receive help from the adults in their lives.

The two continue to wrestle with their desire for each other, but Averil’s insistence that the social constraints surrounding her position make their union an impossibility, along with Gereint’s respect for her concerns, keeps their relationship pure without ignoring the physical aspects of their attraction for each other. Their kisses grow more passionate, and the frank discussion of their desires makes their frustration believable.

The romance is woven into the story so well that it remains a part of it without overwhelming the larger frame, the physical and mental fight against Averil’s power hungry uncle, the king of Lys, who will stop at nothing to rule the kingdoms around him, including Quitaine, left in her hands upon the death of her father, the king’s brother.

Averil and Gereint’s emotional journey echoes typical adolescent development; while they struggle against fantastic forces in a stunning medieval world, their insecurities are universal. The individual’s place and importance in the world, along with the necessity of careful trust in others and the notion that things aren’t always what they seem, were brought up in the first novel of the War of the Rose trilogy and are explored further in the second.

Readers who pick up "The Golden Rose" without the benefit of the background in “The Serpent and the Rose” may be a bit lost as they catch up over the first few chapters, primarily because of the complexity of some of the relationships between characters. The author’s attention to detail and elaborate description bring these relationships to life without overdoing it.

It is a sparkling, iridescent world she creates, but as a character driven piece, the novel stands out because of the careful consideration given to emotional and physical feelings. The cover art, courtesy of the award-winning Donato, echoes these details in a disturbing yet beautiful scene of loss from the story. While not marketed as a young adult novel, this trilogy would be appropriate and attractive to such an audience, while maintaining adult appeal. I look forward to following Averil and Gereint’s resolution of their personal and political problems in the conclusion of this engaging romantic fantasy.

Stirling is the author of the Nantucket series and Emberverse series of books that have now become collectively known as the Novels of the Change. Not having read those previous six books, I can only surmise, based on my reading of The Sunrise Lands, that “The Change” occurred in our world sometime around 1998 which somehow took away electrical power and nearly all other technology effectively negating the advances of the last two hundred or so years.


The Sunrise Lands begins twenty two years after the Change during which a generation of children have been born and raised, and are completely adapted to this new way of survival, of life. The United States is divided into several different political factions, each self-governed and quite unique. Most conspicuously, there is the Clan MacKenzie that harkens back to the ways of old Gaelic culture with their pagan religion, plaid kilts, and affected brogues. The Portland Protective Association, a society emulating seventeenth century England, a former Army officer now in command of his own sizeable military force seeking to reunite the United States and known as Mr. President, and the Church Universal and Triumphant, a religious cult with aims of uniting the country under the rule of their own Prophet.


A stranger arrives at Clan McKenzie in his search for the Sword of the Lady that he must bring back to Nantucket, a place of some unusual happenings. This sword turns out to actually be Rudi, the son of the clan's High Priestess. With a few trusted friend, Rudi sets off from Oregon to cross the country with this man, Ingolf Vogeleer.


One of Ingolf’s first impressions of Clan McKenzie:

From here, the novel explores the different societies that have emerged since the Change. A great deal of attention is given to how people have adapted to living without power, how they raise and gather food, how they arm and defend themselves, the cultural traditions and religions they observe. Much of the story telling is dedicated to describing the military powers and political strategies employed. However, my attention tended to wander during these parts as they read more like reference material. Stirling has quite the eye for detail, be it in the description of a late supper or the maneuvers of soldiers on the battlefield. But yet again, I often found these descriptive passages interrupted the flow of the story, and I tended to skim through these paragraphs to get back to the story.


Rudi’s half-sisters introducing themselves to General Thurston, also known as the President:




The Sunrise Lands starts off in an exciting flurry of mystery and action, then shifts down to a more leisurely pace as the group travels across the country. At the end, the status quo is once again shaken up, and just as my interest has been reignited, I’m left hanging without any resolution. It would seem that The Sunrise Lands is meant more as a stepping stone to bridge the gap between the books of the Nantucket and Emberverse series and the planned novels for the Change series.

From the back cover of the paperback book (blurb) -

Now the people know that the dragon minions of Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, have returned. But the races have long been divided by hatred and prejudice. It seems the battle has been lost before it begins.

The companions are separated, torn apart by war. A full season will pass before they meet again—if they meet again.

It is always a pleasant surprise to find out that book that you loved, got turned into a graphic novel. That said though, visiting a world that you know and love in graphic form, it has to live up to some healthy expectations for the reader. Devils Due and their team brought it to life, and everyone should be very pleased by their work. Dragons of Winter Night, has the dark feel one would think it should and it comes across in the artwork and layout.

I thought the artwork was beautiful, and where it really seemed to shine was in the outdoor scenes and the artwork of the dragons. The characters were also depicted well for my personal tastes, whether or not they live up to what you envisioned them to be is something you have to look at for yourself. My favorite representation though was Kitiara, you can feel the evil bubbling below the surface, in her facial expressions. I always thought she was a great anti-hero to the group, and I can feel that in the artwork. I also enjoyed the depiction of Fizban as well; the humor of the character still shines through in the drawings. Overall the artwork had pretty big shoes to fill, if you go by the covers of the books done by Larry Elmore, and I think for the medium (a graphic novel can not be of the level of a single piece of canvas) the team of Kurth, Ruffino, Narvasa, Bradley, Rauch and Crowley, did an excellent job. They put together the perfect graphical companion to Weis and Hickman’s novel.

The adaptation by Andrew Dabb stayed pretty faithful and the overall feel and storyline stayed where they needed to be due to the restraints of the graphic novel medium. I personally find the graphic novel to be a nice companion to the book, but it still needs to stand on its own if one has not read the book. It worked for me on both of these levels as I had read this sometime in the 1980’s I believe. It does not hold the same weight as the book, but I do not believe it is supposed to. There is no way they can include everything and I found it to be a fun visualization after reading the books. Even if you are not familiar with the books though it is still very enjoyable just not of the same level I believe as someone that has read the books.

DDP always brings us something new for the fantasy crowd looking to dip their toes in the graphic novel and comic market. I think once you feel the temperature you will want to dive right in. Dragons of Winter Night, the graphic novel, is a great piece to own; visually telling what I consider a classic story in the fantasy book market

We enter the story right in the middle of the action. Reiffen has made a choice to return to his evil captors, the Three Wizards, to learn the magic he has been promised. He leaves his friends, Avender and Ferris, without any explanation. We follow all three as they reach young adulthood, watching them try to come to grips with Reiffen’s decision.

Reiffen discovers that the study of magic under the Three involves blood, pain and sacrifice, many times given by unwilling subjects. His friends struggle with the king they see as usurping Reiffen’s rightful throne. To make things worse, the prince is madly in love with Ferris. Prince Brizen quietly and thoroughly pursues her hand in marriage. The storyline bounces back and forth, with Avender and Ferris proclaiming Reiffen’s innocence even as evidence of his traitorous acts accumulate. Events culminate in battle, and Reiffen leads the wizards’ armies against the very throne his friends are attempting to protect. All seems lost; the throne, their friendship, Ferris’ love for Reiffen, all destroyed in Reiffen’s relentless push to possess magic.

This is the second installment in the Stoneways Trilogy, begun by book one Reiffen’s Choice. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading Reiffen’s Choice yet, but I promise you I will. S.C. Butler has deftly woven a tapestry of mythical creatures that gleams in the sun. His dwarves are most definitely of the earth and their grasp of technology only makes them more unique and true. The nokken and the shape shifter, or Oeinnen, are reminiscent of figures from other cultures and add a pungent twist to Butler’s world.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the timeline. The next chapter might be the next day, next year, or even two to three years. Time passed in leaps and bounds, leaving me feeling bereft of a connection to the characters. Now, this may serve a purpose. Many are the books who bore their readers with minutiae, inconsequential details of unnecessary storyline. Butler easily avoids this pitfall. I wonder, though, if he was a bit too efficient in this. I like his characters, really. I wanted to spend more time with them, watching and listening to them struggle with their world.

Butler’s craft at creating characters is obvious, as he was able to capture my attention and keep my interest even though I have not read the first book. I would encourage other readers to experience Reiffen’s Choice first, though, if only for the introduction to the characters both good and evil. I enjoyed reading Queen Ferris from beginning to end. Readers young and old will relish this story, although some of the scenes in the wizard’s workroom are painfully explicit in the details. Be on watch for the third book in the series, tentatively named The Magician’s Daughter. Put S. C. Butler on your list of Need to Read!

The Northland is a cold place filled with tall, strong people who seem consumed with icy hatred for any Southlanders. Ellin, a Southlander by birth, is stuck in the Northland because her father is tending the mortally ill Northland king. All she sees around her are people who look down upon her because she is small and red-haired instead of tall and blond. What she doesn’t realize is just how different she really is.

Northlander is a great introduction to a potentially great series. The first book establishes Ellin as a character and introduces the conflict between Northlander and Southlander. We listen as Ellin presents her story from her point of view, and so we are privy to her private thoughts and musings. She is challenged to grow personally as she faces threats to her family and eventually her kingdom.

Magic is handled with a delicate touch in this story, as is the violence that typically happens when someone attempts to overthrow a king. I appreciate how real Meg Burden makes her characters - none of them are completely good or bad. Like most people, they face decisions and sometimes make the right one and sometimes don’t. The story doesn’t get deep into the decision-making process, though, and remains a fairly simple storyline. As such, it is perfect for young and developing readers. Most importantly, Meg Burden has the bard’s gift of stopping the tale at a point that only whets your appetite for more!

I look forward to the next story about Ellin, and I think this will develop into an interesting series. I encourage anyone with young readers in the house to look into Northlander and keep an eye out for the next installment of the Tales of the Borderlands.

A little boy with a gift for leadership and a desire for the good of his people runs afoul of those with a hunger for power. His skills in strategy and inspiration unwittingly threaten the position of the crown prince, who is himself incapable of the type of loyal following that Inda inspires. Inda’s downfall from grace marks a turning point in the story, and he must leave the life he knows and create a new existence at sea. Here the story widens its scope and readers begin to see that the fate of this one boy has affected his country on every level.

This is fantasy written in both broad sweeps of the pen and behind-the-scene details, bringing this world into three dimensional relief. Full of swashbuckling flourishes, mysterious spies, political machinations, and believable characters, this is a well-told story that has adroitly worked its way into my list of favorites. Although the main character is Indevan, the boy of the title, the book is truly about politics and powersharing among cultures sustained by war and trade.

Sherwood Smith has excelled at her craft, creating a society where men have granted women power within limits and women have quietly worked behind the scenes to control and ameliorate what men might do. The complex social structure, the assumption that small magics are a part of life, the slang of the characters all combine to convince the reader that the lives defined by this book are reality. What captivates me the most are the hints that Inda’s people may have come from some other world, dropped comments here and there that imply a larger scope to the story than just the pages in this book.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I like books that look at the bigger picture and authors who take the time to create the small details and flesh out their stories. Sherwood Smith has accomplished this with flair. She includes a short list of definitions in the back of the book to help with terms, but I could also have used a list of characters or a family tree.* I found myself backtracking a bit to remind myself who was who. She also ended the book with a whopping cliffhanger (blast her hide)! This means I need to run out and find The Fox, the next book in the series.

*Readers who would like more information about the Inda universe should check out Sherwood Smith’s website at www.sherwoodsmith.net

If you have yet to read the first two books in Kristen Britain’s Green Rider series, Green Rider and First Rider’s Call, then stop reading RIGHT NOW. Go immediately to the reviews written by amberdrake, which can be found on this illustrious website. Then promptly buy both books for yourself. Only after you have read them can you proceed with this review!

High King’s Tomb picks up at the end of book two, First Rider’s Call. The Rider Barracks have been destroyed. Rider Alton D’Yer is still attempting to heal the breach in the wall. King Zachary is still going to marry someone other than Karigan, his professed true love. The Riders are picking themselves up and trying to heal from the devastating battle of the previous summer. Even though the enemy was brought down, another is rising up to challenge the crown of Sacoridia and bring back an entity thought long gone - the Arcosian Empire.

This is a longer book, but Kristen Britain has added depth to the culture of Sacoridia and to her characters. I love how she creates and develops the people in her books. Karigan has matured, changed by her struggles and gathered scars. She has survived, but not unscathed. More than anything, this story illustrates the depth of commitment required to be a Green Rider and the sacrifices that must be made.

Readers will also learn more about the establishment of the kingdom, the mythology and religion, even the roots of the magic. The author introduces us to even more new characters, such as the captivating man that gentles and trains the amazing horses that agree to carry the riders. Because of this, I felt Ms. Britain was opening closets and overturning rocks to expose avenues for other storylines in the future. Instead of a culmination of the story about Karigan, I felt a bit baffled by the myriad details added to the book in general. The storyline gets complicated in the middle. The action is divided into the happenings along the D’Yer Wall, Karigan and her challenge to the Arcosian rebels, and another mysterious character called the Raven Mask.

By the end of the book, I felt I had more unanswered questions than when I started. This isn’t exactly a problem because I’m hoping it indicates another book is in the works! Fans of Ms. Britain’s writing will not be disappointed but, like me, they may walk away hungry and wanting more.

Exodus is book one of three of a Hellgate: London series based upon the video game of the same name. I generally stay away from discussing plot of the book in a review, but if one is going to read a book based upon a video game, they should know a bit about it. Unless of course they are reading it strictly because they are fans of the video game.

In 2020 London, the Knight’s Templar is alive and well, having staked out a large and advanced operation in the London Underground. Their duty is to train and be ready to defend the world from demons if and when they should attack the world. They have been vigilant for hundreds of years, and now they design and train with the most advanced weapons and armor that technology and magic can create.

The hero of our story is Simon Cross. After years of a life defined by training and living secretly in the London Underground, he decides that there is more to life than giving it over to some myths and legends that he no longer believed in. So he left London and went to South Africa, where he was a safari guide.

When news reports said that London had been overrun and decimated by aliens, Simon knew what had had happened and that the stories were real. He knew he had a duty to perform. He also knew that is father was still in London.

What would Simon find in London other than possibly a quick death?

I will reiterate that this book is based on a video game. I’m not familiar with this game but I imagine that it’s similar to Halo, Half-Life, Doom, Quake, or any of a host of first person shooters. The Knights are clad in high tech armor augmented with magic, and rely on weapons that are the same. There is much combat in this book. Scenes of combat, carnage, death, and destruction fill the book. There is nothing upbeat or cheery about the apocalyptic London landscape. In that regard it is a video game. If you don’t want a book that focuses this heavily on these elements this one won’t be for you.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some interesting characters. Simon became progressively more interesting as the story went on. There was also the development of a nemesis and possible villain for this series, as well as a couple mystery groups with unknown intentions in this world that is being newly re-written. I wouldn’t say there were any bombshell surprises but the story continued to build up and move along as the book progressed. Character concepts were not incredibly original but they worked well in this setting. I saw a lot of Raistlin in Warren, our rising villain, not that I minded. That said, the story was not dull. I did find myself rooting for the main character, and pitying the circumstances of the villain even as, through desperation and manipulation, he became increasingly more and more unlikable as the story went on.

I admit that I was dubious of reading a book based upon what looks like a first person shooter video game. The concept of demons overrunning London didn’t seem like a particularly appetizing plot to me. But the two main characters in the story were interesting enough to me that they overcame that. I think I would give the other two books that will be coming in this series a read to see how the saga ends. I’ll give this book a solid 7 on the ratings scale.

Mark. J. Ferrari's debut The Book of Joby is an inventive spin on Arthurian legend and the Biblical story of Job. As the book opens, God is offered a wager by Lucifer, with the fate of all Creation riding on the outcome. Should Lucifer win - God will be forced to unmake Creation and remake it under the guidance of Lucifer, to eliminate what Lucifer sees as flawed and corrupt including humanity itself.

The candidate personally chosen by God as the deciding factor in the wager is one Joby Peterson - a nine-year-old boy living happily unaware of the fate that rests on his shoulders and possessed of a vivid imagination fueled by a children's book of Arthurian tales.

Following a visit by God and Lucifer in his dreams, respectively disguised as King Arthur and Merlin, Joby is given to understand that he has been chosen by Arthur to "fight the devil". Unfortunately, Lucifer has stipulated that God and his angels cannot interfere with Joby's life directly or act to help him, while Lucifer is free to do whatever he likes in his attempt to push Joby over the edge, short of killing him. Thus begins Joby's transformation from a quintessential "golden boy" to a bitter and damaged man years later as Lucifer and his minions strive to win the wager in the time allotted. Joby's only hope may lie in the quiet seaside town of Taubolt on the California coast...

If The Book of Joby has a flaw, it's that a strong beginning draws the reader in quickly - depicting the wager between God and Lucifer and introducing Joby himself - a very likeable protagonist. His fantasy of being a Knight of the Round Table is touching and evokes nostalgia for the carefree days of childhood, which makes his eventual decline all the more saddening.

Ferrari's portrayal of Lucifer also provides some of the best moments of the book's first portion, as Lucifer gleefully directs his minions in various complicated schemes intended to bring about Joby's fall from grace while quarreling with God on various technicalities of the wager - which usually results in Lucifer being made to look like a buffoon.

Unfortunately, the middle portion of the book sags somewhat in comparison. The tension build-up and the charm of the first third has faded by the time Joby arrives in Taubolt, which leaves the story wanting at times. However, the final third of the book does manage to pick up the pace and concludes on a strong note.

With that said, Ferrari's attention to characters is excellent - Joby's rise and decline is expertly handled and the book is peopled with a number of other memorable characters, which does help keep the middle portion of the story a bit more interesting than it would be otherwise. The vivid detail put into the descriptions of Taubolt and surroundings is also very well-done and easily convinces one that Taubolt could be a real place.

It must also be said in Ferrari's defense that despite the subject matter, there isn't an attempt to shoehorn a religious message into the story. The religious theme is used more as a framework for the story and could have easily been interchanged with any number of mythological or wholly made-up archetypes of good and evil - and the Arthur legends interwoven with the larger story are a nice touch as well.

In conclusion, a very impressive debut that might have benefited from some further editing to cut down the length, but the prose and characterizations are outstanding otherwise.

As many fanboi will complain, Salvatore’s last few Drizzt books lost a step here or there. The story needed to move on though and sometimes that takes a few books. Here we have the culmination of those efforts in “The Orc King” with a new and exciting chapter in the life of our favorite dark elf, Drizzt.

Salvatore gives a glance at the future in the prologue and epilogue of the books. On one hand, maybe these peeks into the future give us too much information by allowing us to see who lives and who may die. On the other hand, I have been told that allowing us to see the ending allows us to focus on the story more. I personally disagree with the second statement and would have liked to see both the prologue and epilogue removed from the book to allow me more of an element of surprise. Regardless of this, Drizzt and his friends/enemies are back and the story they have to show us is magnificent and action packed. Salvatore is doing what he does best: action, sword fighting, and battle description. He brings you so close you can smell the blood and sweat and taste the dust. Salvatore can plop you in the middle of a raging battle you are brought in with a magnifying glass without ever losing the whole picture.

The setting this time focuses on the Spine of the World (Forgotten Realms). Bruenor is looking to hold on to his kingdom while King Obould Many-Arrows is trying to build a kingdom where the orc tribes can unite. Along the way, Bruenor is searching for Gauntlgrym, which is pretty much the dwarven version of Atlantis. The Forgotten Realms is as richly detailed in Salvatore’s hand as we have come to know; with the world changing events that take place and look to be coming, it is a great read.

The characters in the Orc King are some that we have loved for over 20 years, and Drizzt, Bruenor, Cattie-brie, Wulfgar, Regis and the rest of the gang show up in this corner of The Forgotten Realms for a wonderful romp in the Realm. Salvatore brings us a bunch of new secondary characters to flesh out the cast and move the story forward. For me there were two characters though that were not on the top of my list, one which will sure bring boos from a few of you. Minor Spoiler if you have not read previous books- Wulfgar should have stayed dead. He is on my list of I do not really like his current story, hopefully it goes somewhere when he finds his destination. Also, there is a lich wizard named Jack who is pulling the strings of a secret rogue clan of orcs, like the Wizard of Oz. He seems like an afterthought to push the story, nothing more at this point. I was a huge fan of the Orc/Ogre clan as they worked into the story well, giving our anti hero (or hero?) Obould some needed conflict outside of Mithral Hall.

Salvatore’s writing style stays true to previous books, with his weaving of battle scenes and fast paced action, like Elminster casting a spell. This is not a complex book, but it does not need to be as it is very action driven with a group of characters we are all very familiar with. Drizzt’s inner musings are always well written and give us even more depth to one of the most well known characters in the Wizards of the Coast franchise.

The Spellplague pokes its head up in the prologue and epilogue which are set 100 years in the future. This is a world changing event and we are given an appetizer, but we are all waiting for the full meal where we get this whole story, either in the form of a book or when the 4th Edition Rules come out. It is nice when an author gets to introduce some world changing events like the Orc Kingdom and then the Spellplague. We also get to see the beginning of the way that Salvatore addresses Cattie-brie’s injury and her new role in the group (which seems like it will only grow, and may solve an early death problem we are all worried about) and I loved it! The intriguing find in Gauntlgrym will lead to another twist in the story in the future I am sure. Salvatore steps up his game and his fans will be happy for it.

Dragons of the Highlord Skies is Volume II of the Lost Chronicles. Again it’s set between books 1 and 2 of the original DragonLance Chronicles. We get more of the viewpoint from Kitiara and the forces of Takhisis. Kitiara and Lord Soth occupy one sub-plot of the story, and a knightly quest occupies the other sub-plot.

We do get to see some of the Companions during the course of the book and that is always enjoyable since those characters are always the high point for me. I enjoyed the focus on the Solamnic Knights as well, and the interplay between three knightly friends and their differing interpretations of honor, duty, and even The Measure, by which they conducted themselves as Knights, was very well done. I often see depictions of knights that are one-dimensional. They’re honorable, loyal, duty bound, rigid and unyielding in their beliefs, and often stereotypically done. It was nice that to deviate from that in this book.

In Volume 2, Sturm was the Companion who stood out and shined for me. I was glad to see that, as I was disappointed with him in Volume I. That was addressed though. The character grew from that and was now more of the character that I remember him being in the originals. His nobility and honor shined through in this story.

The story did actually pick up where the previous story left off. So where I did expect to have to spend time acclimating to another snipped in time as we peered through the looking glass at a portion in time from the War of the Lance, I was able to get right back into the timeline of the story, since Volume I was still fresh on my mind. If it is for you too, that’s great. If it’s not, Weis and Hickman get you back up to speed in short order before they move on.

It took me maybe 20 pages to get into the story and get interested in the non-Kitiara characters. So maybe slow starting, but just long enough for the story to draw me in. I think maybe in the back of my mind some characters weren’t interesting right off the bat because in the back of my mind I knew how things were going to end. Their fates were sealed. But this series is more about the journey than the destination, since that destination was already written 20 years ago.

The one other thing I will note, just so I can review this book and not just say “Bravo! Bravo! Perfection! Write more books!” is this. I thought Kitiara’s climactic moment for this book built up wonderfully and dramatically throughout the book. Then right at the apex, boom it was over. I was surprised. I thought that could have played out for a couple more pages? “That’s it? Just like that?” I thought. I read it a second time to see if maybe I was just so sucked in and flipping pages at a furious pace that I just lost the overall sense of the build up and the payoff in the scene. I still had the same sense of abruptness the second time. But then maybe I’d build it up in my mind over the course of the book (because I really was sucked in. I like Lord Soth, what can I say) so however it played out couldn’t match my imagination. So maybe that scene was a bit of a victim of its own success. I’m not sure on that. But my feeling was “Great scene, could have been a couple pages longer in its resolution.”

The locations that we saw on Krynn were rich and vivid as they always have been. Weis and Hickman took great care in establishing the history of the world, and making it clear that there was a deeper history than the pieces that we were seeing at that moment. That creates depth, which makes the reader (or at least me) care more about what’s happening. You’re not just seeing a dusty library that the characters are walking into, will then use to suit their needs, then move on from. Or a generic icy castle, which must be taken because the heroes of light will defeat the villains of darkness.

It seemed to me that Weis and Hickman took great care to maintain continuity with the original series and to continue that same standard of excellence. I have too high of a regard for them to ever think that they’d just “mail it in” so to speak and let the DragonLance name alone sell books, but I suppose things like that have been done before. There was one thing at the end of the book that made me smile in regards to the level of attention that they paid. In the Author’s Notes (of the Advanced Reading Copy at least) they addressed a point from the previous book, which some readers have apparently been pointing to as a continuity error. They knew exactly what they were doing they said and the point noted was done deliberately. It was a catch that I admit that I didn’t make. But even in having readers catch that point, they’d intended to use that as a subtle plot point to make the reader learn a little something that they hadn’t known before. It’s almost as if they knew they’d be leaving us in suspense for 20 years then come back for an encore performance.

As an encore, I for one give it a standing ovation.

The next book will be Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. I don’t think I need to tell you who is central to that story. It will be a long year waiting for that book. But I sure hope it’s me who gets to review that one as well.

Good things are worth the wait. I’m very excited to be able to review this book. It’s been over 20 years since Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman began The DragonLance Chronicles. It’s been about 17 years since I read the series, which was the first fantasy series to take my breath away. It set the stage for all the fantasy and science fiction I have read since.

Over the past 17 years DragonLance has become a name brand, so we’ve had many stories, written by many authors, set on the world of Krynn. The quality of those other stories has varied, especially those written by other authors. This though is a reunion of Weiss and Hickman, and a return to the Heroes of the Lance, the “flagship” of the franchise.

The original Chronicles hold a special place in my heart so, while I was extremely excited to see it on the shelf at the bookstore, I also had a high level of expectation.

I did wonder how riveting the story would be since it is billed as a “untold tale from the War of the Lance”. Anyone who’s read the original knows ultimately how the tale will end. So how engaging could a story tucked in between Books I and II of the series be?

The answer is “very”. This novel captured the essence of the originals and captivated me in that same way, and it did it right from the beginning.

I thought this was the best DragonLance novel since the Legends series. What I always liked most about the Companions was that they all had flaws so they seemed complex and real. Many of them had their own agendas. Raistlin certainly wasn’t moved to save the world, or even travel with the Companions, for the pure purpose of saving the world. Still, heroism with an agenda is still heroism, and that’s intriguing. All those complex characters and interactions were back for this book.

I didn’t expect any bombshells in the story given its place within the DragonLance timeline. I very much enjoyed the character interaction, which I thought was at the forefront as there weren’t many action sequences for a book of this size. Tasselhoff Burrfoot played a very prominent role in the story, and any scene he is in will always be entertaining. I felt that he’d been used more as a plot device in some of the more recent stories in the DragonLance universe, so this was very refreshing.

While working within the confines of the established story, it still did a good job of supplying answers to a few questions within the story, and used the foreshadowing of established events as a driving force in the plot. That brought Flint Fireforge’s quest and motivation to locate the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin and the Lost Hammer of Kharas to the forefront.

If there was one thing that troubled me, it was the fact that Sturm Brightblade seemed to be portrayed as being more of a selfish character than an honorable character. He wanted to find the Hammer of Kharas as well, but he was more concerned with using it to restore his family’s lost honor. To use it to forge dragonlances seemed to be secondary. His portrayal didn’t seem to match what we had previously seen from the character. Tika Wayland’s role in the book was reduced to that of a lovelorn maiden, with one little bit of character development.

Those points aside, I still highly recommend this book to any DragonLance fans. It fits very well into the original Chronicles. Effectively it’s the fourth book that fills in the blanks. I’d rather read this than read about second and third generation characters in the ever expanding world of Krynn.

The Wanderer's tale was my pick in Jay Tomio’s Blind Desires: Fantasybookspot.com's 2007 Speculative Fiction Picks, based on magic, weapons, and the epic fantasy blurb that Tor put out in their catalog. By the end of the first chapter, I knew it was going to be a win for me. A quest to stop an ancient evil by a rag tag band of heroes seems cliché, but nevertheless, it worked on many different levels for me.

From the back of the book:

I hope whoever wrote that blurb got a bonus check because it was right on the money.

The title of the book makes it seem like a single character’s tale, but the band of adventurers includes many different individuals. This worked well as no one character in the heroes group stood out, while they all seemed interesting. It was also quite interesting to see how they played off one another, as one would think of a group of people thrown together with different ideals. The group takes from each end of the fantasy spectrum with warriors, sorcerers, priests, mercenaries, squires, and the like. What was great is that each one of the people in the party was given a side story, which fleshed them out quite nicely. The side stories themselves were quite interesting, and a pleasant diversion. Hopefully we will get to revisit their effect on the overall larger quest. A famous hero of legend in the world of Lindormyn even makes an appearance and we find out he was not up to the standards of the bards.

Nibulus, the leader of the group, was given that title after his father appointed him to that position. This was done so Nibulus could have an epic quest of his own. One thing I found quite interesting was how Nibulus realizes he does not have the experience of failure because all the campaigns he was on under his father were successful. We get to see behind the man that Nibulus is – a leader that seems real – by watching him lead with a host of emotions floating around him.

The secondary characters of The Wanderer's Tale were really top notch. David created unique characters ranging from giants, to fairies, to a band of roaming thieves that have enough magic weapons to be featured in an ancient elven armory. David gave this world enough fleshed out races to keep the characters fresh, as well as the secondary characters that he introduced. It was nice to be in a world that is filled with more than just humans.

One of David’s strong points was his ability to create a world that feels real and imaginative all at the same time. He did not disappoint as I was immediately drawn into this world from the first page and was gasping for breath to the very end. A great example is the town of Myst-Hakel. David really does a good job with describing this town on the edge of civilization and the characters that inhabited it. The smoke, the smells, the watching for things hiding in the shadows, I felt as if I were really there! Eotunlandt, which is a little cluster of old fey land hidden in the far reaches of the world, is also done wonderfully by David, with a sort of Jurassic Park feel. An epic fantasy needs a world that the reader can feel is real, descriptive, and fun to read about. It has to have a real history to it where one could imagine the life of a peasant all the way to that of a hero. David accomplished this.

The author’s writing style gives the reader a lot of information and description, but in a way that you could digest it and not let it take away from the swift pace. It gave a wonderful first hand view of the world he created. Plus, I am always a fan of an author that loves weapons and magic weapons. Some of my favorite scenes come later in the book when the group of heroes came in contact with a band of thieves with quite a weapons arsenal.

There are a few stumbling blocks to the story itself, one of them being the way that the group was brought together. It did not seem all that realistic, and it was glossed over in the beginning of the tale. There was a full group of hundreds of warriors that are asked to go on the quest, but when they all pretty much refuse, this small band still decides to go? Hmm. Another point, which is the polar opposite of some other reviewers, is I personally felt there were what I call “television transitions” in the story. What I mean is that we can go from one scene to the next without really knowing what happened. Ever see the end of an old Batman episode where he is tied up and the next episode the first thing you see is Batman with Robin and they are free and have the Riddler in jail? Like how did that happen? Well, I felt a little bit of that with this book. I will even go out on a limb and say I wish this book was enlarged to encompass two books so we could get a little more of the characters’s backgrounds, filled in some of the parts of the story, and not feel rushed through the book.

One might perceive an issue with this story in that it brings nothing new to the genre, but I am not one who believes this is necessary for a book to be good. There have been hundreds of thousands of love poems written, but that does not mean that a poet in our current year cannot write a classic love poem. It can be of the same subject material but have a new take on it. This is how The Wanderer's Tale pans out. Remember when old school meant it was something in the past that was actually good? This uses the same formula as old school sword and sorcery, and I really liked the ride.

Wayne Thomas Batson is a relatively new author whose first published work, The Door Within is the beginning of a trilogy set in another world known as The Realm. The teenaged protagonist, Aidan Thomas, finds himself rudely uprooted from his home and best friend, and moved with his parents across country to Colorado to care for his ailing grandfather.


Aidan has always felt himself to be an outcast, a bit overweight, and awkward. For reasons that even Aidan cannot fathom, Robby Pierson, a popular and talented athlete in school, befriended him back in Maryland and the two boys shared a close friendship and many adventures. But now Aidan is in Colorado, a place where he has no friends, his parents are busy with their jobs, and Grampin is like a stranger to Aidan.


However, while exploring the basement of the house, Aidan discovers a set of scrolls. The scrolls tell a story, one which includes how the king of Alleble sacrificed his life to save his people. But it is explained that although the king died “…it was merely the body that was slain by The Betrayer. King Eliam is far more than flesh. He is everlasting.“ So, with the scrolls to guide him and urgings from Grampin to believe, Aidan finds a way to open the door within to this other realm described in the scrolls.


The Door Within is an unabashed Christian allegory retelling the betrayal of Jesus Christ, his resurrection, and how service to Jesus will be rewarded with everlasting life.


The people of The Realm are known as Glimpses, and those who have placed their faith in King Eliam are easily distinguished by their ivory skin and eyes that glint blue.

Emphasis on their physical traits, “her skin was ghostly white”, “’You! Dark Skin!’ he ridiculed”, “And through the gaping hole, like a sea of black and red, poured the armies of Paragory” unfortunately brought to mind unsettling thoughts. Given the overall tone of the novel, I did not like the idea of being able to determine one's belief system based on something like eye color. It struck me as judging a person's character based on their physical attributes.


Mr. Batson earnestly endeavors to impart a positive message of salvation. The author’s zealousness to tell this story is evidenced by his stating to the reader why a character feels a certain way rather than allowing those feelings to be conveyed through character actions and discourse. Events are immediately explained leaving nothing to be discovered, eliminating any sense of mystery. There is no room in between the lines lest an interpretation be made that was not intended.


The Door Within may appeal to very young readers. But even with the inclusion of unicorns, flying dragons, and knights in shining armor, this didactic parable lacks charm and a sense of wonder.

This book, while probably intended to be marketed for teens is a book I would actually suggest for tween readers. The prose is simple and straightforward, which makes me think that it would also serve well as a book to be read aloud to a younger child. The reading difficulty is certainly less than any of the Harry Potter books.

It was an easy, quick read but there was nothing that struck me as particularly original or ground-breaking in the story. It was a pleasant, almost formulaic quest narrative that was easy to predict.

The book is centered on Kim, a twelve year-old boy who dreams his way into a fantasy realm in order to save his younger sister who has mysteriously fallen into a coma. Kim encounters the evil overlord who wants to conquer the entire realm of Magic Moon first, but manages to escape. He then journeys on to fulfill a prophecy in the hopes that he can save both Magic Moon and his sister.

In essence, the plot seemed like a synthesis of every Tolkeinesque quest fantasy that has ever involved a band of friends trying to save the world boiled down into a thin soup of a story that's both easily consumed and readily digested. It is, more than anything, a starter book. This is the kind of thing you read to a kid you know is going to love fantasy books as they grow up, but who isn't quite ready for the complexities of C.S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, or Lloyd Alexander. There are a few parts that might be a little intense for very small readers or listeners, but there aren't any real terror inducing moments. It's the sort of book where reassurances are readily offered, even if you haven't read it, because it's the kind of book where everything turns out okay in the end in a wonderfully neat, tidy little package.

"Magic Moon" is not a horrible book. It's not even a bad book. It wasn't a book I had to force myself through, but it also wasn't a book that surprised me. That in itself isn't a terrible thing. Sometimes, it's comforting to be able to read something that will, most certainly, end in a "happily ever after" mode that is satisfying (because that's really the only way the book could end) and doesn't leave room for an endless amount of pathetic sequels.

"Magic Moon" was a charming little fairy tale that was nice to use to pass the time. Definitely not a classic, but certainly worth a look if you've got a youngster around who will enjoy a fairy tale.