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Dragonlance: Elven Nations #1
Firstborn
Silvanos, the august founder of the united elven nation known as Silvanesti, is dead and buried in a crystal tomb. The leadership of the clans and households has fallen to his son, Sithel, who is himself father of twin sons. The princes Sithas and Kith-Kanan represent emerging factions among these elves: Kith-Kanan is the leader of the Wildrunners, a group of elves that stirs tension by forging contacts and trade with the humans of Ergoth; Sithas closely allies himself with the court in the elven capitol. The rivalry between kin climaxes with their father's mysterious death.
When Kith-Kanas is vaguely implicated, Sithas, the firstborn twin, is enthroned.
When Kith-Kanas is vaguely implicated, Sithas, the firstborn twin, is enthroned.
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
September 26, 2017
Not terrible as the series goes (I liked very few except the ones written by Weis & Hickman) but overly long and with too many long descriptive passages, and kind of overdramatic and soapy with all the betrayals and cries of anguish. I did read the rest of the series, I'm pretty sure, but only because I'd bought all three. Never reread them and am donating them to the library along with most of my other thousand Dragonlance books.
April 9, 2016
Shades of G R Martin in Hermathya's turn from brat to outright manipulator. Her scenes with Kith in the garden and Sithas in the temple were well contrasted and give her a believable if hurried arc. The temple scene is particularly tense and atmospheric. Kith's turn as statesman is a bit mary-sue but forgivable in light of his foreshadowed role and the well wrought reactions of the other characters. The procession of the Wildrunners was a powerful moment marrying the tension between the twins (another Dragonlance theme) to the politicking of the ambassadors. Mackeli's comic relief is a bit hamfisted (...and makes Kith come off as a bit naive about ladies) but not over much. Good set up for the finish.
...and the finish is pretty strong. In a few terse, tense pages we see an assassination, the contrast between the new speaker and the last, as well as the reconfiguration of Kith-Kanan...in fact, all three leads - Sithas, Hermathya, and Kith are left wounded...all of them turning away from the good in their lives and preparing for war....Sithas from his brother, Hermathya from her husband, Kith from his idyllic time in the forest...and this last is the most devastating as the good, simple life that Kith had was believable and recognizable. To have him dismiss it as the innocence of youth...something to be shrugged off in favour of cold duty and bloodshed, is heartbreaking.
The finale is a direct parallel of the introduction but it is inverted: Kith is flying away from home rather than towards it, he is burdened rather than carefree, he is the Prince and not the man. I think we are meant to see how much he's lost and wonder if it can be regained...but only the next two volumes can say if it's a journey worth taking.
Keep or Toss: Keep (for now )
...and the finish is pretty strong. In a few terse, tense pages we see an assassination, the contrast between the new speaker and the last, as well as the reconfiguration of Kith-Kanan...in fact, all three leads - Sithas, Hermathya, and Kith are left wounded...all of them turning away from the good in their lives and preparing for war....Sithas from his brother, Hermathya from her husband, Kith from his idyllic time in the forest...and this last is the most devastating as the good, simple life that Kith had was believable and recognizable. To have him dismiss it as the innocence of youth...something to be shrugged off in favour of cold duty and bloodshed, is heartbreaking.
The finale is a direct parallel of the introduction but it is inverted: Kith is flying away from home rather than towards it, he is burdened rather than carefree, he is the Prince and not the man. I think we are meant to see how much he's lost and wonder if it can be regained...but only the next two volumes can say if it's a journey worth taking.
Keep or Toss: Keep (for now )
March 18, 2021
3.5
This is book 1 of 3 in Elven Nations trilogy and, for good or bad, in the classic Dragonlance style all three books really ought to be read as a single book. I consider this really to be Part I of III.
That said, the first book really is essentially a build up to the second book. We do however have quality character development and an clear plot to follow. The downside is that there are chapters where the plot is jumpy and somewhat out of sync with the overall pacing of the story, at times seemingly jumping ahead. Another pitfall with early Dragonlance stories is that some chapters can seem like "encounter of the week".
I would give this book a 3 but, again in the classic Dragonlance style, there are some of the most beautiful scenes in fantasy writing a person will ever read that exist in these books. Not only once, but twice, did this book prove to be a tear jerker. That is something very difficult to accomplish.
I await to see how the next two parts of this story unfold.
This is book 1 of 3 in Elven Nations trilogy and, for good or bad, in the classic Dragonlance style all three books really ought to be read as a single book. I consider this really to be Part I of III.
That said, the first book really is essentially a build up to the second book. We do however have quality character development and an clear plot to follow. The downside is that there are chapters where the plot is jumpy and somewhat out of sync with the overall pacing of the story, at times seemingly jumping ahead. Another pitfall with early Dragonlance stories is that some chapters can seem like "encounter of the week".
I would give this book a 3 but, again in the classic Dragonlance style, there are some of the most beautiful scenes in fantasy writing a person will ever read that exist in these books. Not only once, but twice, did this book prove to be a tear jerker. That is something very difficult to accomplish.
I await to see how the next two parts of this story unfold.
May 30, 2017
The unicorn did this in for me. Could not take it seriously after that
December 7, 2023
I enjoyed this book! I hadn't read a Dragonlance novel in a while, and I missed it. I found the second book in this series at a local used bookstore, so I bought it, and I picked up this first copy through Thrift Books to start the series.
I have to say, first, the back is VERY misleading. None of what it says happens in this book until the very, very end. I had no idea what to expect because of that, but I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. Kith-Kanan and Sithas are sort of Raistlin/Caramon-y. After all, they are twins and very different, if not physically like Raist and Caramon, certainly in experience and personality. The beginning is very strong and surprising and moves quickly. Then, when the twins are separated, I enjoyed reading both their stories, but I preferred Kith's from the start. The book has very sad moments, and I was surprised by the emotion. I also laughed, especially with Mackeli, and I really liked the conflict and the undercurrents of the unrest and the way that Sithel never really knew how to manage the raiders and the displaced elves, half-elves, and humans. You could see the drama building because of his lack of decisiveness one way or the other.
Why this book, then, is only three stars for me is that the main conflicts really are at the beginning and the end. I'm sure that tidbits from the bulk of the book will come back up in the series, but I felt like I read about three different books in one because, while everything moves smoothly and flows, so much happens that nothing is really developed.
Overall, I liked reading this book and being back in Krynn, one of my favorite worlds, and I'm definitely going to read book 2. I am reading a Net Galley book first to make sure I get it read and reviewed as soon as possible, but then, I'll dive right back into this series. I'm curious about what comes next for the brothers now that everything has come to a head, especially with that ending conversation between Sith and his wife. There will definitely be intrigue.
I recommend this book to fantasy lovers and Dragonlance fans. The book doesn't connect to anything else I've read in the DL world other than in a broad sense, so you could read this first and not lose anything.
I have to say, first, the back is VERY misleading. None of what it says happens in this book until the very, very end. I had no idea what to expect because of that, but I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. Kith-Kanan and Sithas are sort of Raistlin/Caramon-y. After all, they are twins and very different, if not physically like Raist and Caramon, certainly in experience and personality. The beginning is very strong and surprising and moves quickly. Then, when the twins are separated, I enjoyed reading both their stories, but I preferred Kith's from the start. The book has very sad moments, and I was surprised by the emotion. I also laughed, especially with Mackeli, and I really liked the conflict and the undercurrents of the unrest and the way that Sithel never really knew how to manage the raiders and the displaced elves, half-elves, and humans. You could see the drama building because of his lack of decisiveness one way or the other.
Why this book, then, is only three stars for me is that the main conflicts really are at the beginning and the end. I'm sure that tidbits from the bulk of the book will come back up in the series, but I felt like I read about three different books in one because, while everything moves smoothly and flows, so much happens that nothing is really developed.
Overall, I liked reading this book and being back in Krynn, one of my favorite worlds, and I'm definitely going to read book 2. I am reading a Net Galley book first to make sure I get it read and reviewed as soon as possible, but then, I'll dive right back into this series. I'm curious about what comes next for the brothers now that everything has come to a head, especially with that ending conversation between Sith and his wife. There will definitely be intrigue.
I recommend this book to fantasy lovers and Dragonlance fans. The book doesn't connect to anything else I've read in the DL world other than in a broad sense, so you could read this first and not lose anything.
May 29, 2012
I read a lot of Dragonlance titles in Middle/High school, and this was the series that I remembered as being one of my favorites. I was, unfortunately, disappointed in revisiting this title.
The best parts of the book take place in the wild forests, but the action in the cities is so soap opera-ish that it was hard to take.
I may read the rest of the series, but I might prefer to hold my memories of these books being good and not ruin the rest.
The best parts of the book take place in the wild forests, but the action in the cities is so soap opera-ish that it was hard to take.
I may read the rest of the series, but I might prefer to hold my memories of these books being good and not ruin the rest.
August 30, 2024
A great look at what led up to the fated Kinslayer Wars. The writing here is good, but I do feel like the story drags just a bit at times. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
September 24, 2025
"First Born" is the first book of the Elven Nations trilogy. This novel, as with the rest of the trilogy, is passably solid. The trilogy is an entertaining, even-keel story about an important time in the history of Krynn. It avoids annoying D&D cliches and even incorporates some squarely adult themes.
The characters, though, are a tad bland: Kith-Kanan, the Silvanesti prince cum Qualinesti founder is about as interesting as a paper bag, though it's probably more accurate to say a paper bag with a penis, since this dude is constantly swooning and obsessing over chicks. Upon his return to Silvanost after a formative, coming-of-age experience off the grid with the some crunchy wild elves (one of whom he bangs before she turns into a tree), he sees his ex-girlfriend, now brother's wife, and is like "oh gosh she's so, so beautiful. Do NOT bang her. DO NOT BANG HER." Well, he does. Another time when he's about to be run through by General Giarda after getting his ass pummeled by him (like fucking *pummeled*), Suzine, a human he's been randomly crushing on even though he doesn't know her at all and is literally the enemy general's wife, crashes a mirror down on Giarda's skull in a bid to distract him from murdering Kith. Kith-Kanan's immediate response, as glass shards go flying and Giarda's skull crunches with blood sluicing out, is not like "oh, fuck! What was that?!?!", but "oh my gosh I want to bang her so badly". Literally his first thought, which is just unbelievable. Which, he does, resulting in two half-human-half-elf heirs to the Qualinesti throne that he basically neglects once his human wife gets too old and decrepit to reliably bang anymore (remember, elves on Krynn live for thousands of years). Ulvian, the Prince, is destined for cosmic-level douchebaggery.
While "First Born" is generally occupied with Kith's sylvan frolic, it sets the stage for conflict between the elves of Silvanesti and the humans of Ergoth. These battles, recorded in book 2, "The Kinslayer Wars", are grand. Who doesn't dig surprise-routing a standing force of fifty thousand soldiers with hundreds of shrieking, diving griffons ridden by elves firing arrows, sending horses and men into panicked flight. With the dwarves attacking from the south, the much-outnumbered elves are able to keep the Ergothians at bay, filling 10 ft-deep trenches with human corpses.
Though there is generous gore, greater effort could have been paid towards the geopolitical aspects of this conflict, which, as they stand, are patently unsophisticated: Ergothians want land that is de jure Silvanesti, but is in reality a smattering of remote villages isolated economically and culturally from Silvanost. One element of all this is never really elaborated: why are millions of people getting killed in a war spanning 40 years to occupy a basically barren, unremarkable plain?
"Kinslayer" ends with the formation of Qualinesti (the nation of relatively free-spirited and tolerant elves, half-elves, and humans), which seems to lack a decisive moment in the text. It seems almost an afterthought, an assumption that Kith and his not-totally-but-just-a-little-racist elven comrades will basically peaceably form a new nation. There isn't a spate or bad blood per se, beyond a moral mismatch over slavery and the importance of racial purity: Kith thinks one or two slaves is grand, but jesus christ not 10 for fuck's sake. But basically the Silvanesti are high fantasy Nazis, obsessed with protecting bloodlines from perversion by wild elves and humans, insular more than genocidal, though imperialistic to a fault (remember the empty plain that simply must retain or else).
The weakest novel of the trilogy is number 3, "The Qualinesti", which finds itself occupied for what seems like too much time on trivial subplots, like Verhanna tracking elusive slavers and carousing with a herd of depraved, alcoholic centaurs; or the pursuit of the evil wizard Dru by the royal guard and Kith-Kanan himself. Dru morphs into a wyvern (a fucking wyvern, not a dragon mind you, which is a nice treat): and what's the difference between a wyvern and a dragon you ask? A wyvern has no arms, just two legs and two wings. Does wyvern Dru have no arms? No, he has two fucking arms and two fucking legs and wings and so is just an ordinary dragon. He's massive, 20 feet tall with a eyes as large as a human but a head small enough to be cloven and hoisted by a man. Hard to square all that visually.
In any case, much of these plot points are to introduce us to Greenhands, whose birth as a full grown adult literally out of a split tree that was once Kith's wife Anaya is pretty fantastic. We can see the writing on the wall pretty early here, as Greenhands as the first-born son will slip into place ahead of Prince Ulvian in the line of succession, but Ulvian has other ideas. I won't elaborate on these, other than to say that whenever a skull is devastated by way of hefty dwarven hammer, I'm here for the long haul.
The characters, though, are a tad bland: Kith-Kanan, the Silvanesti prince cum Qualinesti founder is about as interesting as a paper bag, though it's probably more accurate to say a paper bag with a penis, since this dude is constantly swooning and obsessing over chicks. Upon his return to Silvanost after a formative, coming-of-age experience off the grid with the some crunchy wild elves (one of whom he bangs before she turns into a tree), he sees his ex-girlfriend, now brother's wife, and is like "oh gosh she's so, so beautiful. Do NOT bang her. DO NOT BANG HER." Well, he does. Another time when he's about to be run through by General Giarda after getting his ass pummeled by him (like fucking *pummeled*), Suzine, a human he's been randomly crushing on even though he doesn't know her at all and is literally the enemy general's wife, crashes a mirror down on Giarda's skull in a bid to distract him from murdering Kith. Kith-Kanan's immediate response, as glass shards go flying and Giarda's skull crunches with blood sluicing out, is not like "oh, fuck! What was that?!?!", but "oh my gosh I want to bang her so badly". Literally his first thought, which is just unbelievable. Which, he does, resulting in two half-human-half-elf heirs to the Qualinesti throne that he basically neglects once his human wife gets too old and decrepit to reliably bang anymore (remember, elves on Krynn live for thousands of years). Ulvian, the Prince, is destined for cosmic-level douchebaggery.
While "First Born" is generally occupied with Kith's sylvan frolic, it sets the stage for conflict between the elves of Silvanesti and the humans of Ergoth. These battles, recorded in book 2, "The Kinslayer Wars", are grand. Who doesn't dig surprise-routing a standing force of fifty thousand soldiers with hundreds of shrieking, diving griffons ridden by elves firing arrows, sending horses and men into panicked flight. With the dwarves attacking from the south, the much-outnumbered elves are able to keep the Ergothians at bay, filling 10 ft-deep trenches with human corpses.
Though there is generous gore, greater effort could have been paid towards the geopolitical aspects of this conflict, which, as they stand, are patently unsophisticated: Ergothians want land that is de jure Silvanesti, but is in reality a smattering of remote villages isolated economically and culturally from Silvanost. One element of all this is never really elaborated: why are millions of people getting killed in a war spanning 40 years to occupy a basically barren, unremarkable plain?
"Kinslayer" ends with the formation of Qualinesti (the nation of relatively free-spirited and tolerant elves, half-elves, and humans), which seems to lack a decisive moment in the text. It seems almost an afterthought, an assumption that Kith and his not-totally-but-just-a-little-racist elven comrades will basically peaceably form a new nation. There isn't a spate or bad blood per se, beyond a moral mismatch over slavery and the importance of racial purity: Kith thinks one or two slaves is grand, but jesus christ not 10 for fuck's sake. But basically the Silvanesti are high fantasy Nazis, obsessed with protecting bloodlines from perversion by wild elves and humans, insular more than genocidal, though imperialistic to a fault (remember the empty plain that simply must retain or else).
The weakest novel of the trilogy is number 3, "The Qualinesti", which finds itself occupied for what seems like too much time on trivial subplots, like Verhanna tracking elusive slavers and carousing with a herd of depraved, alcoholic centaurs; or the pursuit of the evil wizard Dru by the royal guard and Kith-Kanan himself. Dru morphs into a wyvern (a fucking wyvern, not a dragon mind you, which is a nice treat): and what's the difference between a wyvern and a dragon you ask? A wyvern has no arms, just two legs and two wings. Does wyvern Dru have no arms? No, he has two fucking arms and two fucking legs and wings and so is just an ordinary dragon. He's massive, 20 feet tall with a eyes as large as a human but a head small enough to be cloven and hoisted by a man. Hard to square all that visually.
In any case, much of these plot points are to introduce us to Greenhands, whose birth as a full grown adult literally out of a split tree that was once Kith's wife Anaya is pretty fantastic. We can see the writing on the wall pretty early here, as Greenhands as the first-born son will slip into place ahead of Prince Ulvian in the line of succession, but Ulvian has other ideas. I won't elaborate on these, other than to say that whenever a skull is devastated by way of hefty dwarven hammer, I'm here for the long haul.
August 7, 2025
It's been a while since I read any Dragonlance books, and this was a good re-entry. It felt very stand-alone and not connected to any other series I remember, which I mean as a positive. It was nice not having to do homework to enjoy a book. This introduced characters and told a story that would be in place in any fantasy setting, so it could have used a little more DL-specific feel, but overall a fine entry in its own right.
April 27, 2008
The story of the twin sons of the Speaker of the Stars in Silvanesti begins with a prophecy - a prophecy that they will both wear crowns which seems impossible, since there's only one crown available in Silvanesti.
The story takes off when the Speaker announces that the eldest of the twins are ready for marriage - and as his future wife chooses the younger twin's lover. This causes the younger twin to make a scene at court and ultimately, to disappear from the city and go to live in the woods where he meets new friends and learns about life outside the sheltered walls of Silvanesti.
Even though the twins stay closely connected, this is the beginning of them slowly growing appart - especially when it comes to view on outsiders: halfbreeds, humans and Kagonesti elves. The Silvanesti elves must remain pureblooded, is the old attitude and the one held by the elder twin, and it's an disgrace and against the law for a Silvanesti elf to marry into another race. The younger sees it differently after being out and about and as such, the book is sadly relevant today when so many people look with mistrust at outsiders, even those fleeing from war, terror and other tragedies.
Only thing I have against this book is the back cover which actually gives something away that doesn't happen until page 296 (10 pages before the book ends!) and also, has gotten important parts of the story wrong... Lousy editing!
The story takes off when the Speaker announces that the eldest of the twins are ready for marriage - and as his future wife chooses the younger twin's lover. This causes the younger twin to make a scene at court and ultimately, to disappear from the city and go to live in the woods where he meets new friends and learns about life outside the sheltered walls of Silvanesti.
Even though the twins stay closely connected, this is the beginning of them slowly growing appart - especially when it comes to view on outsiders: halfbreeds, humans and Kagonesti elves. The Silvanesti elves must remain pureblooded, is the old attitude and the one held by the elder twin, and it's an disgrace and against the law for a Silvanesti elf to marry into another race. The younger sees it differently after being out and about and as such, the book is sadly relevant today when so many people look with mistrust at outsiders, even those fleeing from war, terror and other tragedies.
Only thing I have against this book is the back cover which actually gives something away that doesn't happen until page 296 (10 pages before the book ends!) and also, has gotten important parts of the story wrong... Lousy editing!
October 27, 2017
A frustrating book. As one of the books right at the beginning of the Dragonlance timeline, there’s a genuine attempt to make this trilogy more serious and emotionally affecting, whereas Dragonlance books I’ve enjoyed up to this date have a streak of humour and easygoingness which accounts for a large part of their charm (even Legend of Huma, the other more serious historical offering). The authors rightly want to use the trilogy format to stretch their legs a bit, but I think in this case they’ve scrimped on interesting events for the sake of showing how Kith-Kanan lives a life separate from his brother in the forest … all very well intentioned but quite dramatically dull, despite the fact that he fights a few people.
This is really not a bad book and it does do a good job of setting up a broader conflict that works on a political and personal level - although I never quite got engaged with all the diplomacy and treaty-making, which felt very forced and Sithas deciding to war with all humans because a human killed his father feels hurried and unbelievable.
The next two books of the trilogy are going to have to count to justify this slightly stale feeling entry. I hate judging setup before I’m done with the payoff. Nevertheless, book 1 has to be intriguing enough to make one continue with book 2. I’m doing that, so maybe Firstborn did its job?
This is really not a bad book and it does do a good job of setting up a broader conflict that works on a political and personal level - although I never quite got engaged with all the diplomacy and treaty-making, which felt very forced and Sithas deciding to war with all humans because a human killed his father feels hurried and unbelievable.
The next two books of the trilogy are going to have to count to justify this slightly stale feeling entry. I hate judging setup before I’m done with the payoff. Nevertheless, book 1 has to be intriguing enough to make one continue with book 2. I’m doing that, so maybe Firstborn did its job?
March 8, 2018
The main charachters in this book are Kith-Kanan, Sithas, Sithel (the speaker of the stars), Anaya, and Makeli. One main thing is that Kith-Kanan leaves because he breaks a law so he leaves to the forest. After he decides to live in the forest he starts to realize it isn't a normal forest. So he makes some friends to help him in the forest. His family starts to worry because he is gone.
The way to get band from the kingdom is to first break the law, second anger the royal family, and last leave in a rage. In the book Kith-Kanan takes a sword to a place where it is illegal to draw a weapon, that is the first thing you need to do. If that doesn't anger your family, the royal family, do what Kith-Kanan did and try to disturb the piece even farther by yelling that the person who is about to get married loves you instead. Lastly storm off out of the room embarrassing your whole family and leave angrily in or on some sort of transportation like a griffon.
I really liked this book it is really focused on Kith-Kanan who is my favorite character in the book. It is also not just action like fight, fight, fight, over and over. But there is still action which a lot of people I know love. They're some sad parts in this though. I really liked this book over all and it is a really good book.
The way to get band from the kingdom is to first break the law, second anger the royal family, and last leave in a rage. In the book Kith-Kanan takes a sword to a place where it is illegal to draw a weapon, that is the first thing you need to do. If that doesn't anger your family, the royal family, do what Kith-Kanan did and try to disturb the piece even farther by yelling that the person who is about to get married loves you instead. Lastly storm off out of the room embarrassing your whole family and leave angrily in or on some sort of transportation like a griffon.
I really liked this book it is really focused on Kith-Kanan who is my favorite character in the book. It is also not just action like fight, fight, fight, over and over. But there is still action which a lot of people I know love. They're some sad parts in this though. I really liked this book over all and it is a really good book.
January 3, 2025
Somewhere between 2.5 - 3 stars.
The story: centuries before the events of the original Dragonlance trilogy, the Speaker of the Stars, the leader of the Silvanesti elves, has twin sons, brothers who are devoted to each other but are split when the love of the younger son, Kith-Kanan, is chosen to be married to Sithas, the older son. As she refuses to leave the elven city with him, Kith-Kanan storms off and has a few adventures out in the wilderness while Sithas deals with politics and family issues.
It's okay, just a bit boring. The elves are dealing with some serious issues, but it feels kind of small, particularly on Kith-Kanan's side. It's clearly all set up for its sequel, and as I have the trilogy on my shelves I'll be reading that immediately, so I guess it's done it's job.
The story: centuries before the events of the original Dragonlance trilogy, the Speaker of the Stars, the leader of the Silvanesti elves, has twin sons, brothers who are devoted to each other but are split when the love of the younger son, Kith-Kanan, is chosen to be married to Sithas, the older son. As she refuses to leave the elven city with him, Kith-Kanan storms off and has a few adventures out in the wilderness while Sithas deals with politics and family issues.
It's okay, just a bit boring. The elves are dealing with some serious issues, but it feels kind of small, particularly on Kith-Kanan's side. It's clearly all set up for its sequel, and as I have the trilogy on my shelves I'll be reading that immediately, so I guess it's done it's job.
April 10, 2016
enjoyed every line in this book, love the way Paul Thompson writes about the elves as I love elves and the way their lives are so close to nature!! Enjoyed reading about kith-kanan, he is a very lovable character and his griffon arcuballis is awesome but am not very keen on his twin and his love for war!! pity its the twin who becomes the next speaker of the stars and not kith-kanan. His adventure in the wildwoods, his meeting with Anaya and the boy and the friendship, love and respect for one another definitely helped kith-kanan to become more tolerant of the different types of elves including those living in the wild like Anaya!! there is also a lot of sadness in this book but this is true of all life!! look forward to reading more from Paul Thompson.
July 28, 2011
copy-pasted from my Librarything account: Reads quite smoothly. Great to see how two brothers are separated, each leading a different life: one out in the forest, learning to surive and be one with nature; the other surrounded by rules, regulations, family, servants, richness and more. The sheer contrast alone is makes this a very fine story. Also how to deal with other nations, how to find an agreement and so on. This book has it all: love, friendship, deceit, politics, justice, ... One remark, though: here and there a lack of full stops, commas, and so on, which makes reading a bit 'difficult'. Editing error?
October 15, 2021
This is my first "Dragonlance" novel which, judging by other reviews, is sort of a thing of its own.
Rather than a large plot and climax, this feels like the beginning of a story...it even in the middle. So far all we saw were mini-conflicts (in the grand scheme of things) and the foreshadowing of conflict to come.
But it's a nice world building with some very touching moments and pretty solid character development... But this development felt both rushed and slow at the same time.
Looking forward to the next one and continuing to get to know the characters. And see where all this foreshadowing takes us. :)
Rather than a large plot and climax, this feels like the beginning of a story...it even in the middle. So far all we saw were mini-conflicts (in the grand scheme of things) and the foreshadowing of conflict to come.
But it's a nice world building with some very touching moments and pretty solid character development... But this development felt both rushed and slow at the same time.
Looking forward to the next one and continuing to get to know the characters. And see where all this foreshadowing takes us. :)
January 16, 2013
This is the first book in a trilogy set in the world of Dragonlance. Being a first book, it deals with mostly development of the characters and the plot. There are not many action scenes and the book's pace is a little slow. That being said, the author's have done a fantastic job with the plot theme and the characters. I can see one of the main characters (Kith-Kanan) becoming a favorite of mine in this realm. I did not expect the surprise at the end and the cliffhanger will leave you wanting to jump into the next book. If you enjoy fantasy, this book deserves to be read.
August 3, 2008
If you have read the first two Dragonlance trilogies (and even if you haven't), you have to pick up this first book of the Elven Nations Trilogy. One of the original species on the world of Krynn and also one of the longest living, the elves have a long and interesting history. Get carried into the world of the elves in this trilogy. It will be a journey well worth the time spent in the forest nation.
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May 21, 2013At the point in time where I read the Dragonlance books I believe it was more important that I read something than what I more specifically happened to read. These books, including this one, aren't very good and I'm sure I'd hate to reread them today; but they were entertaining enough at that point to have a young teenage boy decide to spend a lot of time reading. This fact makes it hard for me to dislike them, even though if I were to reread them now I'd probably think they're crap.
February 23, 2023
The book is really fun to read mostly all the way through. Some is a drag because sithas is so restricted. I feel like many details were omitted that might have been better. They didn't give Keli a good send off before his death. Also the ending was kind of abrupt. I know it's a trilogy but just seems like it should have been a longer book. Really liked it though. One star off for lack of extra details and side stories. They included extra details about the dwarf but not keli.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2016
Questo genere di fantasy non lo scrivono più, purtroppo.
Ho amato il libro, nonostante la mia antipatia verso la razza elfica e la sua arroganza e altezzosità.
L'unica pecca è che i volumi di Dragonlance sono difficili da reperire, quindi non posso neanche soddisfare la mia curiosità con il prossimo libro
Ho amato il libro, nonostante la mia antipatia verso la razza elfica e la sua arroganza e altezzosità.
L'unica pecca è che i volumi di Dragonlance sono difficili da reperire, quindi non posso neanche soddisfare la mia curiosità con il prossimo libro
October 7, 2019
My wife wanted to read a "D&D Novel", she has played before, but never read a novel based in a D&D world. We got to about page 100 before I pulled the plug. The elves weren't majestic or mysterious, really no different from humans. The story overall seemed kind of "young adult" and we've been reading a lot of gritty, adult fantasy lately so it just seemed really slow and juvenile.
February 25, 2021
This is is the first book in the Elven nations trilogy for Dragonlance. It has a few spelling and grammar errors, but the overall book is good. The story is well told and its compelling enough to read that you’ll find yourself enjoying the story. I reread it for the first time in decades and still found it to be an enjoyable book.
June 13, 2021
Definitely not a book for me.
I listened through Audible. The narration was good. The story was okay. I really didn't enjoy this tale. Too much descriptions about everything so the story doesn't move along. The characters were commonplace for this type of story. It was not very interesting not was it engaging. I'll pass on the next book.
I listened through Audible. The narration was good. The story was okay. I really didn't enjoy this tale. Too much descriptions about everything so the story doesn't move along. The characters were commonplace for this type of story. It was not very interesting not was it engaging. I'll pass on the next book.
March 28, 2023
Second time I tried to read this book after first attempt many years ago when it first came out.
What a page turner! Although you can almost hear the D&D mechanics as you read the book, it still is nevertheless a good book, especially for fans of the Dragonlance series. It brings up issues relevant today.
What a page turner! Although you can almost hear the D&D mechanics as you read the book, it still is nevertheless a good book, especially for fans of the Dragonlance series. It brings up issues relevant today.
March 5, 2009
The elves are supposed to be so much better than humans and other creatures of Krynn, but we all know they are just as if not more flawed because of their self-proclaimed perfection. A father dies and brothers battle for the right to reign, but the elves are who really suffer in the end.
abandoned
April 20, 2010I think I'm giving up on this book. 120 pages in and the characters and plot just aren't interesting me. And given it's a trilogy, I can't see myself going the entire distance. I'm only clicking "Read" to differentiate it from "currently reading." Wish there was a "stopped reading" button.
March 9, 2013
The first in a series of books that shows how the various elven nations were divided by what comes down to a sibling rivalry and disagreement. A good book for those interested in the elves of DragonLance.
April 1, 2022
This book was okay. Seemed more of a plot builder towards the later stories in the trilogy then anything really significant happening is this first book. Very reminiscent of the Ergoth trilogy also by the same author.
November 12, 2023
great book!
I really was reading this book because I ran out of Dragonlance books with the main characters, but I quickly got attached to Kith Kanan. great storyline. can't wait to see book Two.
I really was reading this book because I ran out of Dragonlance books with the main characters, but I quickly got attached to Kith Kanan. great storyline. can't wait to see book Two.
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