6 reviews for:

Dragonlance Chronicles

Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman

4.58 AVERAGE

superturtle's review

5.0

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June 22, 2025; (Low 5/5) : Dragonlance Chronicles

 
I read this series in the form of one book which assembled the three together, so I will also review the series as a whole and my general thoughts. Firstly, I think its important to remember that this original trilogy created a world which has now been the setting for hundreds of stories, novels, series, and campaigns. That is an impressive feat in itself and I think lends credence to the world this series establishes. This series has been a world of fun, and I will definitely be re-entering this world at a later date (small side tangent, it was a massive pain trying to figure out what series I should read next in this world, as there are so many written by many different authors. Eventually I AI’d it and figured out that Dragonlance Legends is next so I will be reading that next). This series fills a great niche in the fantasy genre for cozy yet still interesting book series with a classic D&D esque setting. Continuing on the topic of setting some of the more magical elements of the story were not super clear for me. This could just be because I missed some details (which I am known to do) or it could be a conscious writing decision but either way I wish some elements were clearer.

For examples why Brem is the key to the dark queen’s downfall. I get that he like fell on her monument or something but that seems somewhat flimsy for a key element. Additionally, with Fizban, I feel like he doesn’t make sense as a character with the information I was offered. I understand he is a God and Paladine the god of good but that doesn’t explain why he’s a senile old man all the time. It also does not explain how many of the characters seem to know him, seeing as the gods have been gone since the cataclysm.

But in my opinion most of these things are relatively minor and don’t detract heavily from the experience. This is also not a super serious book in my opinion, which requires everything to be perfectly sensible. I also think that there is an interesting piece in this series which could delved into more detail by someone more experienced and professional than I on the interesting time jumps and skipped story explanations. For me I think it has its advantages and disadvantages, it can sometimes lead to confusion and give the feeling of being robbed from important character development. But it also allows the author to allow for lots of character development and plot development to happen without having to write all of it, potentially making the book bog down and be unnecessarily long. I think it works adequately in this case, and I would be curious to see it used in other books as it is the first time I have ever encountered this technique. One thing this series did well was developing the characters so that they feel changed by the adventurers they have undertaken. I feel this is a major mistake that some fantasy series encounter when the characters don’t change through a long series and many tribulations. In a series many of the characters should feel very different from the characters you encountered in the first book. You should still be able to see their root, and it should be done gradually as not to be jarring, but in the end when looking back to the first book there should be a realization that there has been dramatic change. This is done well in this serie

s, perfect Tanis is forced to accept his imperfections, Laurana learns maturity, Carammon learns to be his own person, And even the comic relief Tas experiences true sorrow and fear, emotions previously unknown to him.

This helps the world feel more real and alive as people are always changeable. Another great literary example of this is in The wheel of time which does this expertly. Throughout this massive 14 book series all the characters are constantly subtly changing due to their experiences in imperceptible ways, yet the characters you meet on the farm in book one are almost unrecognizable from the same characters in book 8, and those wildly different from book 14. The key is that it is done subtly and realistically while still maintaining the soul of the characters. While Dragonlance does not do it to that masterful degree, it is still done well and adds to the series. In general I am very excited to continue reading the main suite of series’ made by Hickman and Weis and seeing as this is just their first books and series, I am excited to see if their writing and storytelling can improve and potentially bring itself to the true classics and high 5/5’s. TLDR: A book series that I thoroughly enjoyed because of its cozy atmosphere, lovable characters and comfortable setting. While it may not be an all time best it is still a series I will most likely come back to and inspires me to continue reading in the Dragonlance world.
 

p3ngwyn's review

4.0

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jamxrunner's review

4.5

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jable's review

3.75

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

nolang's review

3.75

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

carms_k's review

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes