C

The second novel of the DragonLance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman was an entertaining read, very comparable in enjoyment to the first. The first two novels of the DragonLance follow Tanis Half-Elven and his ever-growing band of followers, including the dwarf Flint, the kender Tas, the knight Strurm and the twin Caramon and Raistlin. As both stories progress it is common for characters to join and/or leave the group.

Overall, the series has been enjoyable, with the second being slightly more so than the first. Though the character set is a bit larger than in most fantasy novels, by the second, you have come to know and identify with the core group. The characters are really what holds the novels together. It is their loyalty to one another that is one of the central themes and gives them the courage to endure through arduous and dangerous adventures.

Unlike the first novel, the second actually sees the core group of characters split up. The split is difficult on the characters, but it allows some of the lesser characters to emerge as leaders. The split also made the novel a little more interesting as it allowed for multiple adventures to take place at one time.

One thing I didn’t like however was that after the split, the author(s) described in detail a very intense adventure had by one group, but only briefly summarized the other group’s what-would-have-been exciting endeavor in a couple pages. I couldn’t help but wonder,”>

I didn’t care for some of the decisions made by authors in the telling and their attempts at humor were abysmal, but, in the end, the novel was still pretty good. If you liked the first, then you will like the second too. The story is pretty interesting and the characters are engaging.