Book Review: Dragons of Deceit
by: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Destina Rosethorn is the daughter of a Solomanic knight. All she wishes to do is to uphold his legacy, make him proud. Her love for her father is so strong that when she loses him and his legacy, she decides that she will do the impossible. She will find a way to go back in time to save him. Nothing will change her mind. Nothing will stand in her way. Traveling through time is always risky, and what happens if you change more than intended?
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s newest addition to the Dragonlance series, Dragons of Deceit, is like revisiting an old friend. The new and the familiar have mixed together to create something exciting to read and something to look forward to. As a longtime fan of Weis and Hickman’s Dragonlance series, I am so happy to have a chance to read a new story in the world of Krynn. Plus, there are several familiar faces that make it even better.
The strongest lure, for me and possibly for many others, is the fact that several characters from the Dragonlance Chronicles are back in this book. For those of you who have read that trilogy and liked the characters, you will be happy to find some of them in this brand-new adventure. I loved all of the main characters from the original trilogy, and they are just as good in this new addition. As many of you probably know from my previous Dragonlance related content, Tasslehoff Burfoot is one of my all-time favorite characters. I was so happy to see him again in this novel. I’m sure as the trilogy continues, he will be ready to help get his friends into more trouble.
I also really enjoyed returning to Weis and Hickman’s writing style. I have always felt that they have such a smooth and sophisticated writing style. Their third person omniscient point of view is always easy to follow and provides a lot of details about both the world and the characters. They develop a deep connection to those characters and effortlessly paints the picture of the world around them. If you like their writing style from the previous books, you will not be disappointed in it now. They haven’t lost their touch in the slightest.
Another thing that really stood out for me were the unexpected twists and turns that happen. There were many things that I would never have guessed would occur in this novel if you had asked me beforehand. Weis and Hickman have made a very fresh and new storyline with new things to discover and events that you would never see coming. I love that they still know how to surprise their readers and to take their characters on wild journeys. It will be exciting to see what they bring in the next novel.
One thing I did notice, this book starts off much slower than their other Dragonlance series. I felt like they were setting up Destina, her character, and her circumstances for the first half of the book before getting to the adventure and exciting parts. Though I don’t mind this set up, I was very ready to get to the adventure when it finally came around. So, I enjoyed reading the second half of the book more than the first half. I have confidence that this will not happen in the next two books since the story is now fully moving along.
As for Destina herself, as a main character, I find that I also need some more time with her to decide how I feel about her. I don’t think she is a bad character, or that I haven’t enjoyed reading about her role in this story. I just don’t have as strong of a connection to her as I do to the older characters that are returning for this story. This is likely because I am biased and already love the older characters, but I am hoping that as I spend more time with her in the future books I will come to like her just as much. She might have something spectacular coming up. I think this might be the case for a lot of readers of this book, but I do think she does fit in to the story and will continue to grow.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I think it is a great way to return to the amazing world of Krynn. There are a lot of new things happening by the originally characters as well as some new characters coming into their own. I am definitely looking forward to what will happen in the next book. Weis and Hickman always know where to leave the story to make you excited to come back for more. My only problem at this point is having to wait for the next book to be released.
If you like the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies, I would highly recommend that you check out this book. If you are new to the Dragonlance series, I would suggest reading the Chronicles and Legends trilogies before moving forward with this book. Not only do the characters carry over, the events of those books do as well. It will likely be confusing as to the timeline and references relating to those trilogies.
Pros:
- Great characters from previous books
- Amazing writing style
- Fun new Dragonlance Adventure
- Unexpected twists
Cons:
- Slower start than previous books
- Having to wait for the next book
Recommended for Readers Who Like:
- Other Dragonlance books (especially Chronicles and Legends)
- Third person Point of View
- Classic fantasy adventures
- Trilogies
- Dungeons and Dragons
Book Details:
- Published: August 2, 2022
- Series: Dragonlance Destinies
- Book Number: 1
- Pages: 400
- Publisher: Random House Worlds
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Margaret Weis’s Website: Click Here
Tracy Hickman’s Website: Click Here
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