Reviews for Dragonlance: Time of the Twins (Legends #1)

The average rating for Dragonlance: Time of the Twins (Legends #1) based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-04-10 00:00:00 Kim Costantini "It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it." That line is unfortunately not from this book, nor even from this universe. However, in addition to being a favourite of mine, it describes this book perfectly. The War of the Lance is over. The Queen of Darkness and her Dragon Highlords have been defeated against all odds. But Krynn is devastated by the conflict, and new dangers lurk in the shadows. In solitude in the Tower of High Sorcery, a familiar wizard is setting his master plan into motion… With the beginning of the second trilogy of DragonLance novels, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman take the leap from classical, cliché-ridden, D&D fantasy, to something much more interesting. Time of the Twins is the first real step on the path to this universe getting an identity of its own. In some ways, this is more of the same. In others, it's a vast improvement. Characterisation has changed a lot. For the better. But the setting and storylines are similar to what we see in the first trilogy. Overall however, this is definitely my favourite DragonLance book so far. And look, it even has good writing! "It is easy to have hope in the spring, warrior, when the weather is warm and the vallenwoods are green. It is easy to have hope in the summer, when the vallenwoods glitter with gold. It is easy to have hope in the fall when the vallenwoods are as red as living blood. But in the winter, when the air is sharp and bitter and the skies are gray, does the vallenwood die, warrior?" "Who spoke?" Caramon cried, staring around wildly, clutching his sword in his trembling hand. "What does the vallenwood do in the winter, warrior, when all is dark and even the ground is frozen? It digs deep, warrior. It sends its roots down, down, into the soil, down to the warm heart of the world. There, deep within, the vallenwood finds nourishment to help it survive the darkness and the cold, so that it may bloom again in the spring." "So?" Caramon asked suspiciously, backing up a step and looking around. "So you stand in the darkest winter of your life, warrior. And so you must dig deep to find the warmth and the strength that will help you survive the bitter cold and the terrible darkness. No longer do you have the bloom of spring or the vigor of summer. You must find the strength you need in your heart, in your soul. Then, like the vallenwoods, you will grow once more."

Review # 2 was written on 2019-07-15 00:00:00 Mike Davis I feel kinda bad that it has taken me thirty years to finally get around to reading this second main Dragonlance trilogy. I mean, sure, it took me fifteen years to read the first Dragonlance trilogy and that was AFTER I had been playing D&D for years. Oops? Ah, but never mind that. I discovered something awesome. This reads BETTER than the first trilogy. A lot more fun, more interesting, better characters (and not just Tolkien ripoffs), and a much more twisted story. No, this isn't a classic fantasy in most cases... but then... maybe it IS. Raistlin has that VIBE. Originally a dark hero master magician, like Elric from Moorcock's series, Raistlin is, in some ways, a lot more interesting, evil, and sympathetic than Elric. Awesomely powerful by the end of the original Trilogy, he's insufferably cocky and sure he could take over the world in a single day in this one. So he gets more ambitious. As in taking out the Dark Goddess to become a God, himself. In the meantime, his twin brother, a brawny, broken oaf of a warrior and pretty much Raistlin's opposite, has his own redemption arc going on because he let himself go to seed. Big time. And then we get a full corruption of a good cleric, time travel, Kinder mischief, and a big return to the awesomely big cataclysm from the Dragonlance's ancient past. And we get to see it from the ringside seats. Awesome? I think so. Let me be clear, however. I have only a little patience for money-grubbing franchises and the D&D series as a whole definitely qualifies. I had some issues with the original trilogy, but somehow this book kinda pushes all my reservations aside. I had FUN. A lot of fun. And the writing is not bad at all. :) I can't wait to see the big, big events I've already been spoiled on by old friends back years ago. :)