Dragonlance There's A New Dragonlance Novel Coming

After all the legal drama between WotC, Margaret Weis, and Tracy Hickman recently, this probably won't surprise anybody. However, on Amazon, there is now a placeholder for a Dragonlance paperback novel set for a 29th July release this year.

The 2020 lawsuit referred to a trilogy - Dragons of Deceit, Dragons of Fate, and a third book.

As expected, it's by Weis and Hickman, and being published by Del Rey which is the sci-fi and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. It's 304 pages. And that's pretty much all we know!

After the lawsuit was dropped, Margaret Weis tweeted that exciting news was coming; it looks like this is that exciting news.

Dragonlance is a legacy D&D setting and best-selling novel series created in the mid-1980s by TSR, the then-owners of Dungeons & Dragons.

 

[SirGrotius]

I have conflicted feelings about this. Thus far, I have been very impressed with the quality and standards of the 5th edition WoTC materials, thus, publishing separately makes me wonder about the rigor and frankly likability of this new work. We shall see!

Hate to be a pessimist, but does this signal as well a lower degree of likelihood that WoTC will publish an official DL campaign setting this year?

 

[Morrus]

So, the whole lawsuit thing was a publicity stunt? Disappointed.

What an odd thing to say.

 

[DND_Reborn]

What an odd thing to say.

Not really if you think about it. Two factions go at it legally, creating news and rumors and publicity and such, and then gets resolved shortly before one party releases a "big news" thing...? What fortunate timing!!

 

[Alzrius]

Just last night my 7yo (to whom I have been reading the Chronicles as bedtime stories, and to whom I have described the overall arc of all Weis & Hickman DL novels) asked me "but what comes after the War of Souls?"

And now we will have the answer!

Actually, after the War of Souls came the Dark Disciple trilogy, beginning with Amber and Ashes.

 

[SirGrotius]

I thought the publicity-stunt comment was a joke.

 

[Waller]

Not really if you think about it. Two factions go at it legally, creating news and rumors and publicity and such, and then gets resolved shortly before one party releases a "big news" thing...? What fortunate timing!!

Clearly you're part of the conspiracy, hired by your fellow co-conspirators to stir up controversy!

 

[DND_Reborn]

I thought the publicity-stunt comment was a joke.

Nope. Completely serious. You think people/ companies haven't worked out such things in the past to their mutual benefit?

Clearly you're part of the conspiracy, hired by your fellow co-conspirators to stir up controversy!

LOL I wish I was! I could use the money.

 

[Waller]

LOL I wish I was! I could use the money.

That's what a conspirator would say.

 

[SirGrotius]

Sure, there's something to that, but it also risks damaging the brand image. Weis & Hickman can seem "rejected" and WoTC can seem overbearing or jettisoning their initial creatives, which does not bode well for attracting new talent, etc.

But anyway, it does interest me how the Chronicles and Legends seemed so formative and high quality and after the later works by Weis and Hickman still seemed good to me, but lacked that spark or energy. I wonder if this observation is more a function of the zeitgeist of the time, me changing as a reader, a slackening of the creative energy or a mélange of the above.

 

[DND_Reborn]

That's what a conspirator would say.

Sounds more like you might be one... because that's what a conspirator would say...