Scan barcode
A review by poisonenvy
Darkness and Light by Paul B. Thompson
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.