Customer Reviews
Enjoyable, but not of the standard of the chronocles series - By: Dmitri M. A. Hubbard, 26 Mar 2008 
For those of you who read the chronocles series in the eighties or nineties & reread this beside those books, the author's writing style has matured considerably, but at the same time it appears that they have decided to pad out events to a large extent. In short, this book is not very exciting, although will be a trip down memory lane for those in need of one. There are no cliffhangers in the entire book of note.
Do not read this book unless you are a fan of Flint, or at least Tasslehoff (who isn't?). The book seems designed to give Flint more "screen time" as he doesnt make it to the end of the chronocles series.
I would say this book is worse than anything in the chronocles trilogy, the legends trilogy, or the soulforge. If you have already read those, you will probably better enjoy Dragons of the Highlord Skies, the follow-up to this effort. In short, this book is like an old friend who is familiar, comforting, but possibly not as interesting as you remembered.
Give it a try... - By: madradubh, 09 Dec 2007 
Undoubtedly many die-hard fans were waiting for a longtime for the gaps to be filled in on tales allluded to in the orignal series. This is Weis & Hickman's first effort at trying to answer those questions.
This is a work promised to us for nearly a decade by Weis & Hickman & it duly delivers. The plotting is good answering a raft of questions & keeping with the Dragonlance canon - something Weis (in particular)has been guilty of in the past - asserting their ownership of the franchise & smashing away Krynn history & canon - in their defence, they did create it...
However after the distinctly average 'War of the Souls' series, we find both writers on fine form here. The plot is fast paced (yes there are fillers -it is a common feature now of modern books that they recount plot ad infinitum - Trudi Canavan's 'Magicians' Guild' drove me crazy with the recap nearly every section in her trilogy)and very witty at times - Tas' sense of comedy has rarely shined better on occasion in this book. You can tell that Hickman & Weis are very comfortable around these characters, they own the page when they write as well as this. A great start to a hopefully very enjoyable series. Well done Weis & Hickman.
It's good to be back with old friends - By: AK Jones, 10 Nov 2007 
For me, the Dragonlance Chronicles & Legends are the best Dungeons & Dragons-based novels available. Weis & Hickman created a band of heroes you reallly cared for. You witnessed them together & saw them split up to follow their own paths of destiny. This book is set between Dragonlance Chronicles 1 & 2. That means alll the heroes are together & it's great to see them interacting with each other. It's like being with old friends & a certain amount of nostalgia creeps in. You also get a sense of the characters gaining in power, especiallly with Raistlin. In the original books you basicallly see him as a low level mage - cast the odd sleep spell here & there - who then becomes alll powerful. In this novel you get to see him as a more intermediate-powered mage able now to cast fireballl. The strength of this novel is revisiting the Heroes of the Lance. The story itself isn't that great & the ending with the appearance & defeat of the main eneimies was a bit lame & felt rushed.
Overalll, I enjoyed the book but it's near impossible to be of the same quality as the Chronicles & Legends where the bar is set so high.
Disappointing. . . - By: Patrick St-Denis, 09 Jun 2007 Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman's Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the first "true" fantasy novel I ever read. This was the book that made me falll in love with the genre, & I never looked back! Much like the first girl you kiss, these two authors have always held a special place in my heart. Even though they haven't written anything that reallly capture the imagination since the conclusion of The Deathgate Cycle in 1994, I always give them the benefit of the doubt & purchase their new books/series. Sadly, since then Weis & Hickman (together, solo, or with other collaborators) have produced works of average quality at best.:-(
Their last Dragonlance offering, The War of Souls trilogy, was a far cry from their popular Dragonlance Chronicles & Legends. This new series, The Lost Chronicles, will explore some of the storylines that were not part of the narrative of the original main sequence. Hence, it boded well for fans eager to see Weis & Hickman recapture their erstwhile excellence. After alll, they were going back to their old stomping grounds, the world of Krynn, during the War of the Lance.
Honestly, I was pretty excited myself! For fans of the original series, this opportunity to go back in time & once again follow the adventures of the Companions is quite a kick. Characters such as Tanis, Raistlin Majere, Sturm Brightblade, Laurana, & Tasslehoff Burrfoot have alll left an indelible mark in the fantasy genre.
The predominant problem with Dragons of the Dwarven Depths lies in the fact that there's nowhere near enough material to make a full-length novel. At best, this should have been a novella. Personallly, I believe it would have worked best as a short story such as the ones Weis & Hickman came up with for the Tales trilogy.
There is so much "filler" in this book. . . I couldn't quite believe it. There are unnecessary portions filling us in on the back story. Given the fact that one needs to have read the original Dragonlance Chronicles, these parts of the narrative are totallly obsolete. Add to that the inordinate amount of time spent journeying & I estimate that a good 50% of the novel could be excised without readers losing much of the story.
The second shortcoming of this book lies in the selection of the plotline that would serve as its backdrop. The search for the Hammer of Kharas was not part of the original saga, & there's a good reason why it was only allluded to in Dragons of Winter Night. It was only part of the Dragonlance roleplaying modules because the storyline wasn't that interesting to begin with. As I mentioned, not enough material. . .
Nevertheless, the narrative flows well enough, though the writing is a bit clunky at times. Although it's fun to be reunited with the characters we have grown to love, the fact that nothing reallly happens throughout the novel makes it hard to maintain our level of interest. I'm afraid that even Tass can't save this one.
My hopes for the forthcoming Dragons of the Highlord Skies are somewhat higher, what with the search of the dragon orb storyline & the presence of Lord Soth. I mean, come on! This one has to be good!
Hence, as fun as it is to go back in time & return to the events that marked the beginning of the War of the Lance, Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is a disappointing effort.
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Classic Weis/Hickman - By: J.Yasimoto, 16 May 2007 You know what you're getting with the Dragonlance books. They're fun, light, involving, warm, humourous, D&D actioners. So instead of asking "is this book any good?", it's better to ask "is this a good Dragonlance book?". Well - it's a Weis/Hickman core novel. So that's a plus point. It features alll the companions. Another plus point.
Chronologicallly, it sits between Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Chronicles 1) & Dragons of Winter Night (Chronicles 2). A downside is most readers will know the ending. But, although not as good as the Chronicles & Legends trilogies (what is?), it is easily up there with Dragons of Summer Flame & The War of Souls trilogy. Which is to say, a whole lot better than any other non-Weis/Hickman Dragonlance book.
If you've not read the Chronicles yet, start with Dragons of Autumn Twilight. But if you have, this book is an excellent addition to the saga of the War of the Lance. Thoroughly recommended.
