Stormblade Book

Whilst the other two volumes in the first heroes series forge new and interesting paths for Dragonlance literature in a scaring and exciting post Weis & Hickman world. Stormblade chooses to play things considerably safer; safer to the extent of going back to the D&D template of band of misfits coming together, forming a party to stave off a threat; safer in centering the narrative on a hunt for an important artefact to hunt for; safer in the familiar setting of the War of the Lance as the refugees are freed from Pax Tharkas. I don't consider this to be a bad thing, I'd simply argue that Nancy Berberick's outing is trying to fulfil a slightly different function, and therefore the biggest negative is that it doesn't sit next to its brethren quite so excitingly.

It's a mostly good romp with some entertaining situations, letdown by a lackluster ending and a coda that sets up a sequel which never happened. The frustrating irony is that this book so desperately wanted to copy the Chronicles and to be a sweeping, epic trilogy (written, presumably, before this was the standard format for D&D fiction), and I felt that the only way we'd fall in love with Stanach, Tyorl and Kelida and Lamin is by spending a little more time with the gang on a few more extended adventures and building up to the final confrontation between the evil dwarf Realgar whom we never quite come to loathe. Or maybe I wanted a trilogy precisely because I saw potential here in some of the scenarios that go places the chronicles never quite did. The Forging sequence at the beginning is full of power, the depravity the Dwarves stoop to in torturing a main character is almost Fleming-like whilst elsewhere the Kender character is used wonderfully as a comic bridge between old and new, dead and alive.(I'm not yet bored with kender, even if they are all Tasslehof clones)

If the main band of characters didn't stand out and fell a little flat, it's also true that it never quite pushes the stakes narratively either. Stormblade is constantly hinting at murky political waters in Thorbardin that never get interesting. There are rivalries between Highlord Verminaard, Dragonwing and Realger that never take off and some difficulties around housing the refugees (oh, so topical and one of the more potentially intriguing aspects of the book that also end up being glossed over. With lots of little points of detail it's a shame that there's little pay off and I put the book down disappointed that my surge to the end had became slight disinterest.

A solid 3 star outing nonetheless and another success in the heroes series, nonetheless. I enjoyed the time I spent with Stormblade. It's a nice window into a part of the war that glossed over and I anticipate more of these. I just wish there were a bit more guts and a bit more background to this standard romp.