Rating: 4 out of 5
3 Volumes:
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning
It’s not literature. The books will probably never be considered to be even close to a fantasy classic. It suffers from being a book created to market an RPG gaming product. Its characters are the usual types. It borrows most of its concepts and plot elements from The Lord of the Rings. Its dialogue is simple and even anachronistic at times. The story was probably aimed at teenaged RPG gamers back in the late 80s. It’s world-building, its characters and plot, though extensive and detailed, were not created solely by the authors but helped along by a whole team of RPG game designers. But having said that, when it came out back in 1984-1985, the story quickly became the favorite of many readers and its popularity just grew (it’s still being read today, although “serious” fantasy readers still avoid them). Its success has even spawned a sub-genre of fantasy, gaming-related novels and series.
The plot was typical Tolkienesque. A group of friends, composed of every prototypical character and race in fantasy, find themselves unwillingly involved in a fight against strange creatures that invade their homes. Soon, they find themselves running and along the way meet a beautiful woman bearing a strange and powerful treasure that might just be connected to their plight. This sends them on a quest where they discover that evil is awakening throughout their world and the gods have come down to prepare their forces for a war. Needless to say, the companions find out that they have been chosen to champion the cause of good and they must find other long-lost artefacts in order to combat the power that is trying to destroy everything they love. Sort of like, LOTR for High School...
Despite its pitfalls, what made Dragonlance Chronicles loved by many (including this reviewer)? Well, in the simple way the authors tell their story, they made the characters seem “real”. Most other characters from other stories up to this point seemed larger-than-life with very profound problems. The Companions (as they are to be called) are down-to-earth, have “real-life” problems like every other normal person. They quarrel with each other, joke around with each other, and love each other as friends. They have differences, but try to find a way around them. The characters grew because of each other. For that reason, the authors make it easier to relate to the characters and make people actually care for them. For the readers, the world being conquered by evil didn’t matter as much as what would happened to each individual character. (“Who cares what the Queen of Darkness does, I wanna know what happens to Raistlin!”) You laugh with them, you cry with them. You feel their wonder and horror. You live with them. You even die with them. (The story contains probably the most heart-wrenching and poignant death scene I have ever read in any novel in my life.)
It is through the characters that we are transported to the continent of Ansalon and see it through their eyes. And there lies the magic of Dragonlance Chronicles, a clichéd and flawed story but with wonderful and timeless characters that will live forever inside those of us who have been fortunate enough to get to know them.
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