Dragonlance Dragonlance: Dragons of Deceit Review

Dragonlance is back, and not just with the RPG adventure book Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen (I expect a release date announcement on August 18). Dragonlance: Dragons of Deceit is a new novel by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman and the start of the Dragonlance Destinies trilogy.

Of course, Dragonlance has never really gone away. Even after Weis & Hickman left TSR and other authors were hired to write Krynn novels, the original duo have regularly returned to their fan-favorite series in addition to some novels written by Weis alone. Still, the last completely new novel by the pair was 2009's Dragons of the Hourglass Mage so it's been a long time.

If you're a Dragonlance fan, you'll be happy with DDoD. Weis & Hickman are still at the top of their game, and while this is a new story, familiar faces make an appearance with even more named. Prior knowledge of Dragonlance isn't necessary, but if you are a fan, you'll immediately recognize a lot of references.

Destina Rosethorn, daughter of a Solamnic knight, has been raised to follow The Measure, care for her hereditary lands, and maintain Castle Rosethorn as a line of defense against the forces of evil. Even when tragedy strikes her family, Destina continues as she was taught – until another loss strikes and upends everything she expected from life. Destina decides the solution is to go back in time, using the Device of Time Journeying, to save her father during the War of the Lance.

While I think Dragonlance fans (and I've always considered myself one) will enjoy or even love this book, that last sentence is part of the reason why I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I expected. I've been a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy, and grew up on Star Trek time-space continuum shenanigans and Doctor Who, so time travel is not a deal breaker for me.

But...

Even in a world where dragons and magic exist, I trip over Destina's leap in logic. Citizens of Krynn have experienced magic, lived through the return of the gods and clerics, and likely have seen dragons fly overhead, but time travel is beyond rare. People view Tasslehoff Burrfoot's stories of his time-travel adventures as Kender exaggerations. I understand Destina's desperation, but that's quite the leap. Maybe it's just that Destina sometimes comes across to me as more immature than I expect from the Destina depicted in the early chapters.

Or maybe my tastes have changed since I originally read Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Both books open with a location description, but DDoAT focuses on Tika and her thoughts while also describing The Inn of the Last Home, whereas DDoD begins with a several paragraphs description of Castle Rosethorn before Lord Gregory even appears. It wasn't exactly a grabber.

I'm used to Tasslehoff being flighty, but his refusal to accept the truth of a plot-point, even after it's been repeatedly explained just rubs me wrong. There's a difference between being trusting and denying evidence.

Worse, I didn't feel an emotional connection to the characters or Destina's dilemma. I enjoyed DDoD, was interested in the plot, and I'm curious about the rest of the trilogy, but I didn't feel any tension or emotion like I did while reading Drew Hayes' NPCs or Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes. Yet when I compare DDoD to Weis & Hickman's earlier Dragonlance novels they all fit together, so the disconnect is mine.

Also, time travel trilogies can be tricky to accurately evaluate while incomplete. I might look back when it's over and love this book. I hope so.

The hardcover is nicely made with end-papers that show the map of Ansalon. If you prefer audiobooks, reader Kirsten Potter is very good. Whether voicing Destina, her parents, Tika, Caramon, Tas, Dalamar, or others, Potter changes her voice so you know exactly who is speaking before you get to the attribution. Most fiction audiobook readers try to do that, but don't accomplish it nearly as well as Potter does.

If you love Dragonlance, Dragons of Deceit will likely be an A or an A+ for you even though for me, it's currently a solid B to B+. Fan of epic fantasy but new to Dragonlance? It'll be somewhere between a B and an A+, depending upon your exact tastes. And despite my hesitation, I am interested in the next book, Dragons of Fate, and I think that's a truer sign of my Dragons of Deceit review than a letter grade.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The reviewer gives the book a "B" rating. How does that sound awful? @brimmels points out things that she likes about the book, and things she doesn't. She also makes it clear that, in her opinion, if you are a long-time Dragonlance fan, you're likely to enjoy this book even more than she did.

Nah. It does become more clear through the story that the macguffin (Graygem) has a mind of its own. But how much this is affecting Destina and those around her isn't clear. Which is okay, we're only on book one. But this is hardly "key info" the OP review leaves out.

This isn't W&H's best work, in or outside of Dragonlance. This isn't a "must-read" novel, unless you're a big-time Dragonlance fan. This is solid middle-grade fantasy fiction . . . which is okay. It's a fun and enjoyable read, especially if you love Dragonlance and W&H's earlier stories within it.

It seems obvious to me that it's shaping events around her, not so much directly controlling her, but rather creating a series of events to leads her down a certain path say we say. Partly it's also the whole slippery slop an idealist makes one small more compromise, followed by a second one, then another bigger one, and its all amplied by the need for all the moral compromises to to be for something. Plus the other major mcgriffin gives her a kind of moral get out of jail card potentially. I don't think I need to spoil anything for you to know what I mean.

 

[Dire Bare]

It seems obvious to me that it's shaping events around her, not so much directly controlling her, but rather creating a series of events to leads her down a certain path say we say. Partly it's also the whole slippery slop an idealist makes one small more compromise, followed by a second one, then another bigger one, and its all amplied by the need for all the moral compromises to to be for something. Plus the other major mcgriffin gives her a kind of moral get out of jail card potentially. I don't think I need to spoil anything for you to know what I mean.

Eh, I don't fully get what you mean.

Certainly, Destina's arc begins as a moral person who cares for her family and her people (her father's feudal tenants) more than her own happiness . . . and slides into making morally corrupt decisions based on her loss, pain, and . . . stubbornness and naivete.

The two macguffins she quests for grease the wheels of her slide, yes. The one is somewhat sentient and definitely affecting how magic works around Destina . . . . but doesn't explain or excuse the novel's shortcomings in plot, character, or writing. I also don't see how either macguffin gives Destina a get-out-of-jail-free card over her choices and actions.

Destina is going to have to redeem herself by beginning to make better decisions that are not selfish and don't put others in danger. I'm sure we'll see at least some of that in book two.

 

[bedir than]

I feel curiosity about if WotC may allow oficially and within the canon the idea of alternate timelines.

the official position is that every table plays its own reality.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I’m about a 3rd through it and I love it.

Haven’t been this happy with a book in a while.

 

[Reynard]

Life is too short for "it's fine" books.

 

[jasper]

Finished Today. FANS ONLY Three stars. As the OP mentions time travel novels are hard to do. I hoped why reading first part of the book, we would get new characters who would go on great adventures with a few call backs. Some interesting things could have done with the new lore. Think, gawds now exist but been under a decade since they came back. After her dad dies, life goes on and interesting things happen but she starts doing the Victorian Thing of Lots of Mourning. Then she learns about time twisting blue box thingy.
So instead, being smart and going back in time for a few copies of the will she decides to go back save daddy. Which she will nearly repeat to anyone.
The introduction of some of old characters was done okay for some of them but Tas was being stupid for plot reason.
TLDR. New Characters were interesting, but most were stock or toss aside. Some great scenes with bit players. But once the quest begins and old characters arrive in the three act, it becomes standard popcorn fantasy.
Next year I will have to borrow a copy.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Bit of a mixed bag for me really. While I'm excited that Dragonlance fans are getting new W&H content, and this will be exciting for many or most of them, I'm sad that it's a miss for me personally. Time travel has been done to death in Dragonlance in my opinion, and time travel + Tasslehoff is just too much of a rehash of concept.

Curious what the campaign setting and adventure may bring ...

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Two points-

1. Never go full time-travel.

2. Do we grade D&D books on a curve? It definitely seems that way! In other words ...
a. Is this a good book? Compared to other good books that a person would read?
b. Is this a good fantasy genre book? If someone wanted to read a really good fantasy book, is this good?
c. Is this a good D&D book? D&D has put out a lot of books (approximately 3,497 Forgotten Realms books, of which 2/3 feature Drizzt ... my numbers are approximate, yet also completely accurate) ... is this "good for a D&D book?"
d. Is this a good Dragonlance book?

All of those are different ... and I get the suspicion reading the review (and some of the comments) that people are being really forgiving to the book. Which I get ... after all, if you're a fan of DL, you want new material from the creators! But ... maybe be very explicit about the review. I somehow doubt that this is a "B" book compared to most modern fantasy that gets published.

(If I am incorrect, and this is truly a remarkable book, let me know!)

 

[rooneg]

I somehow doubt that this is a "B" book compared to most modern fantasy that gets published.

I'd say it's more like a C, with the caveat that it's hard to evaluate this sort of thing independent of the rest of the trilogy.

Agreed though, that it's hard not to grade this sort of stuff on a curve, simply based on its connection to the rest of the hobby and the general Nostalgia Colored Glasses one looks through when evaluating things with a connection to your childhood (as this does for me).

 

[Morrus]

I finished it. Definitely an easy/fast read. You definitely need to be familiar with the Chronicles and Legends, as it ties into those a lot.