Will I like Dragonlance books?

[Klaus]

Y'know, I kind of liked the comic book adaptations of the first two Chronicles better than the novels.

The comic book adaptation for Dragons of Spring Dawning is still forthcoming.

 

[Mycanid]

Y'know, I kind of liked the comic book adaptations of the first two Chronicles better than the novels.

The comic book adaptation for Dragons of Spring Dawning is still forthcoming.

Hmm ... here's an idea. I haven't heard of these.... Can you give us a brief review/summary Klaus?

Maybe these would be better to start with for the OP if he is crunched for time?

 

[Steel_Wind]

Dragons of Autumn Twilight has been described by its own authors as "not their best work" and "rather obviously their first novel". The book is so close to a gaming session you can almost hear the dice clatter on the table.

The subsequent novels are far superior to the first. The first you kind of have to just....get by.

 

[jonesy]

Blanket statements like "they all go downhill after" or "everything not by W&H sucks" are really really horrible. :\

I own about a 130 of them, and there's some very good stuff there, better than what W&H have written.

Try the ones by Knaak (Huma, Kaz and generally anything about minotaurs), Pierson (the Taladas and Kingpriest trilogies) and Kirchoff (Defenders of Magic). They even write in such a way that you don't really need to know anything about the place beforehand.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Blanket statements like "they all go downhill after" or "everything not by W&H sucks" are really really horrible. :\

I own about a 130 of them, and there's some very good stuff there, better than what W&H have written.

Try the ones by Knaak (Huma, Kaz and generally anything about minotaurs), Pierson (the Taladas and Kingpriest trilogies) and Kirchoff (Defenders of Magic). They even write in such a way that you don't really need to know anything about the place beforehand.

I agree 110%.

 

[Mallus]

I found his characters to be navel gazers of the worst sort.

I more or less loved them, especially Achamian. I think what you're calling navel gazing I'd call 'fleshing out wonderfully human characters who also happen to be epic level monks and sorcerers'.

All they do is have the same arguements over and over again and move the plot forward once every hundred pages.

That's a gross misrepresentation of the novels. More so than any recent fantasy they have a beginning, middle, and end. It is the story of the Crusade, from the political machinations at it's inception to the eventual siege of the Holy City, plus the gradual revelation of connections to several more ancient conflicts. A lot happens.

Besides, it's also Nietzsche Christ Überstar... that has to count for something.

As for Dragonlance, I believe that Raistlin Majere (one of the main characters) is one of my top five favorite fantasy characters ever...

Raistlin is a good character. Good enough that he survived Weiss and Hickman's attempts at portraying him.

If you liked him, you should check out C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy for the character of Gerrald Tarrant. I think you'd like them. Friedman's another author whose prose does nothing for me, but manages to spin a good yarn any way.

 

[Storm Raven]

I do not find the writing in any DL book really bad. I can not understand why so many people claim it is bad.

Because compared to the very good fantasy books out there, it is pretty bad. There are literally dozens of fantasy books I would read (and have read) before getting around to bothering with any Dragonlance novels. Books by Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Andre Norton, H. Warner Munn, Fritz Lieber, Michael Moocock, Guy Gavriel Kay, Larry Niven, Orson Scott Card, Poul Anderson, Lois McMaster Bujold, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lin Carter, C.J. Cherryh, China Mieville, and on and on. Heck, I'd even read some Piers Anthony before I worried about the Dragonlance stuff.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

If you haven't read George R.R. Martin, do so. It is slightly different fantasy (less fantastic, more realistic, more gritty), but I personally think it is the best modern fantasy since Tolkein.

Storm Raven's list of authors is also excellent.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I do not think I will ever convince you heathens that Dragonlance is like holy ambrosia.

I think you are correct, there.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I would also like to add that Thompson & Cook are great DL authors too!