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jasmyn9's review against another edition
3.0
Back to the world of Krynn in the first book of the Preludes Trilogy. The series follows the main characters from the DragonLance Chronicles trilogy in the years before the series starts. Darkness & Light follows Kitiara, the fiesty female mercenary, and Sturm Brightblade, the honorable Solamnic knight, as they set off on an adventure to find Sturm's home and family. A home which was ravaged and burnd when we was a small child, a family that has scattered to the winds. Along the way they run into an interesting group of gnomes and their flying ship. The flying ship, a gnomish invention that actually works, whisks them off and up even better and further than anyone suspected it could....right up to one of the moons. The moon, called Lunitari, is full of surprises and its own brand of magic. As the group tries to find its way home, they are put to the test physically and mentally.
This story could have been fantastic. It's all there. The crazy storyline and the unique characters should have been a slam dunk of a book. Unfortunately it wasn't. The writing style was a little choppy, with lots of action happening far too quickly and down time that seems stragely out of place. The conflicts between the characters are almost comical at times, but it lacked a serious side that I had become used to in the series.
2.5/5
This story could have been fantastic. It's all there. The crazy storyline and the unique characters should have been a slam dunk of a book. Unfortunately it wasn't. The writing style was a little choppy, with lots of action happening far too quickly and down time that seems stragely out of place. The conflicts between the characters are almost comical at times, but it lacked a serious side that I had become used to in the series.
2.5/5
rabbithops's review against another edition
3.0
The hidden years between Sturm and Kitiara that for much of my time reading the Dragonlance stories I had no idea about, only secretive hints from other books. The setting was a bit more suddenly far-fetched than many another book, but perhaps that just helps play into the whole reason for these years being much more hidden than other hero's five years apart.
poisonenvy's review against another edition
2.0
I have to say, I'm disappointed. I've rather enjoyed the other Thompson and Cook Dragonlance stories that I've read. The Elven Nations and the Ergoth Trilogy were great, and the Barbarians trilogy is one of my favourite non-Weis and Hickman Dragonlance series.
But this book wasn't great. The intro chapter with the companions was fine; it was simply written but the banter was fun. But then we get to the Tirolaiat part of the story, which sets up some mysteries about him and his crew and then is completely ignored in favour of a flying gnome ship that has too many crew members to remember. They wind up on one of the moons, which is silly but not unexpected for some Dragonlance novels.
The main villain isn't introduced until the last 3rd of the book, and doesn't really show up until the last 20 or 30 pages of the novel. Stuff set up in his introduction are never explored (who was the wizard who will die by fire? What the hell was the point of that?).
Kit and Sturm's relationship was a bit of a disappointment too. They're two sides to the same coin - both with knightish fathers that they're searching for, though they, like their father's, are complete opposites, and this was barely explored at all. I'll admit that I was expecting the conception of Steel here, but I guess that he hadn't been conceived of as a character when this book was written so that's forgiven.
Most egregiously is that the book seems to forget the lore of its own universe. Why are there so many clerics running around when the gods are still supposed to be gone, and why does no one bat an eye about the fact that they're everywhere? Why is there healing magic? Magic can't heal.
I've read worse Deagonlance books before and probably will again, but overall, this was a huge disappointment.
But this book wasn't great. The intro chapter with the companions was fine; it was simply written but the banter was fun. But then we get to the Tirolaiat part of the story, which sets up some mysteries about him and his crew and then is completely ignored in favour of a flying gnome ship that has too many crew members to remember. They wind up on one of the moons, which is silly but not unexpected for some Dragonlance novels.
The main villain isn't introduced until the last 3rd of the book, and doesn't really show up until the last 20 or 30 pages of the novel. Stuff set up in his introduction are never explored (who was the wizard who will die by fire? What the hell was the point of that?).
Kit and Sturm's relationship was a bit of a disappointment too. They're two sides to the same coin - both with knightish fathers that they're searching for, though they, like their father's, are complete opposites, and this was barely explored at all. I'll admit that I was expecting the conception of Steel here, but I guess that he hadn't been conceived of as a character when this book was written so that's forgiven.
Most egregiously is that the book seems to forget the lore of its own universe. Why are there so many clerics running around when the gods are still supposed to be gone, and why does no one bat an eye about the fact that they're everywhere? Why is there healing magic? Magic can't heal.
I've read worse Deagonlance books before and probably will again, but overall, this was a huge disappointment.
dafttom's review against another edition
2.0
This is fan fic from a person who was given only a brief character description of sturm, kit, and gnomes. They know next to nothing of Krynn. The story is wild and fantastical but far beyond anything that should have happened to sturm. And there are so many missed opportunities in this book. And continuity is an unknown concept in this book. I am Disappointed.
vaderbird's review against another edition
2.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
nimrodiel's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time getting into this one. Not because of the writing, it was a fantastic dragonlance story, and the setting was great (I've always wondered about the red moon Lunitari), however I think it is because the two main characters are ones that I did't really care for much from the original trilogy. Sturm Brightblade always seemed so stuffy, and was even more so in this book. I did enjoy reading how he found his father's armor and legacy. Kitiara I had trouble believing. Most likely because I'm so used to her after she becomes a leader of the dragon queen's army and on the side of evil. Here she was not the girl who left Solace to look for her father and his people, but well on her way to turning down the path of evil.
The book was enjoyable, though not the best Dragonlance tale I've read... Now to dig up the next book in the Preludes trilogy!
The book was enjoyable, though not the best Dragonlance tale I've read... Now to dig up the next book in the Preludes trilogy!
jpbehrens's review against another edition
3.0
Not horrible, but ignores a lot of details mentioned in Chronicles.
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