Dragons of a Fallen Sun

Dragons of a Fallen Sun (pt. 1 War of Souls)

Author(s): Margret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Published: April 2000

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So I've finally gotten around to updated this blog as Yockbo has so persistently reminded me that I should be doing. With being on hiatus from school for the current half term I was able to finally sit down and finish this book.

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A few months back I had started reading this book but put it down repeatedly (mostly due to my Trigger-like attention span). A few weeks after picking it up I found a trilogy compendium of the entire War of Souls which I picked up for the low price of just a little more than your standard paper back. I have been an avid reader of Weis and Hickman since my youth, and I've been reading this through their DragonLance series with much interest over the last year. If you haven't read any of this series, I'd recommend starting at the beginning as it's a very good read. The entire original trilogy can be found in this omnibus: DragonLance Chronicles.

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This new trilogy picks up after Dragons of the Summer Flame several years after The Chaos war. We find that many years have passed in world that was left behind when the gods left along with chaos as per the compact made between them at the end of the prior book. The world however is far from a pleasant place and the vying factions left behind continue to battle and war with each other for dominance. The knights of Solomnia still battle for 'good' in contrast to the knights of Neraka (the new name for the knights of Takhissis in her absence) for dominance. In additional great dragons have come to the lands of Krynn and laid claim or protection over various regions.

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This book sees the return of longtime favorite of the series: Tasslehoff the Kender, who as with many of the previous books becomes the unwitting driver of several of the plot lines. Palin Majere also returns as a main character though he is quite unrecognizable from the glorious mage we were left with at the end of the prior book. Laurana and Cameron also make a reappearance in this book, but more as supporting rolls.

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The main impetus of the book appears to be the return of a god to the world, though it does not appear to be any of the gods who once were part of it. This new god has sent an envoy to the world, a young woman 'Mina' of maybe 18, who through a series of miracles, both of war and healing creates an every stronger movement for 'the One god, who shall remain nameless'. The fervor that she creates, and the devotion in those who had forsaken any thing with the 'abandonment' of the prior gods is a well written story, leaving me interested to know how all the lines of the web that have been presented in this book will be resolved and connected in the end.

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This book seems and feels to follow the same formula that Weis and Hickman have become known for. As this is the first book in the series, it feels like much of the book is spent spinning the setting and creating a strong image of the world and the metaphorical precipice that those in the story stand within and over. The end usually comes to us with a betrayal and a cliffhanger worthy of the name leaving you wanting more. Luckily I'm reading these long after they've been published and I can begin the next book without delay.

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Overall, I'd give this book a very strong recommendation to anyone who is a fan of Fantasy.