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Dragonlance: The War of Souls #2

by Margaret Weis, Петър Тушков (преводач), Tracy Hickman

Една загадъчна сила е решена да покорири Крин.
Млада жена, защитавана от своята армия черни рицари, призовава мощта на непознат бог, който да й помага, докато редиците на войската й покоряват земите на континента Ансалон. Душите на мъртвите ограбват
магията на живите. Могъщ дракон планира да завладее най-скъпото за елфите - тяхната земя.

В настъпилия хаос група храбри и самоотвержени герои се борят срещу
безсмъртното присъствие, което се оказва на пътя на всичките им планове. А пълзящият мрак заплашва да погълне надеждата, вярата и
светлината.

Войната на душите е в разгара си.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragonlance, Fiction, Dragons, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons

586 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Margaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

This is the second book of a series and this picks up the action from the first book. In this one, we get to see more of Mina and her servitude of the One God. Meanwhile we also see Goldmoon and her quest to see why she is young again. There is also a third plot as the elves of Qualinesti prepare for war against the massive green dragon and her troops.

I thought this was a step down from the opening book of the series but still enjoyable. I am binging these books from these authors. With this binge I can see the difference in the writing from the earlier books. The writing is more mature, crisper, and tighter. What stood out for me in this book with the writing is the developed relationships between characters. This was easily a highlight for me. I enjoyed these crafted relationships and the interaction between characters. I believe why I thought this book was a step down was this book suffered from middle book syndrome. For some of the book it seemed like there was very little progress in the story. It never felt like filler but it wasn't exactly gripping either. Not like the finale which was terrific. I think for the last seventy pages I did not take a breath as I was enthralled with the proceedings and the action.

This isn't my favorite Dragonlance novel. That being said I still enjoyed my time in this universe. What this novel accomplished was it changed this universe while at the same time remaining the same. I do look forward to the final book and seeing the conclusion to this series.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad this book picked up. I was thinking it would be three stars for a while, but then, the story became so much stronger, and the plot rushed forward in great ways. I'm still not a Mina fan, but the ending gave her more depth than I initially saw in her, which I really like. This book gave a lot of answers to earlier plot points in this series but also in Jean Rabe's series. I still feel like Weis and Hickman kind of disrespected Rabe by dismissing most of her plot points, like the dragons from beyond Krynn, the wild magic, and heart healing, which really bothers me, but I appreciate what they built of their own in their return to Krynn.

The beginning of this book dragged for me, especially with Mina and Silvanoshei's scenes, but I was glad to see much less of them in the latter half of the book. I especially enjoyed Marshal Medan and Laurana's plot line, but I also liked Tas's, as always (I'm a big kender fan), and I really liked Gilthas's story and how his character developed over the course of the series so far. Some of the deaths in this novel saddened me as well. Mostly, though, I enjoyed seeing things come together. I'm really curious about book three now, especially after some of the deaths and the big revelation at the end of the story (which wasn't a big revelation to me since I looked up Mina's story and found out who the One God is, but only because I was so bored with Mina's plot in the first book and just wanted to know what the big deal was). Still, I think the revelation is important and makes a lot of connections though I really dislike that Weis and Hickman took Rabe's wild magic and heart healing and made them gifts from Takhisis to the people of Krynn--why did they do her like that, for real??.

Anyway, I recommend this series to Krynn lovers. It continues plot lines from earlier series, and it still involves some beloved characters. It's worth the read if you're already invested. I'm not sure someone new to DL would enjoy this?

[Ugur]

A decent book by Weis and Hickman. The story is not so attractive, but it is enjoyable to read.
I will start reading next And the third book this night, hope to finish it before .

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. Like I said when I reviewed Book 1 of this series, it's probably best to just go back and read some of the 80s Dragonlance books. Read some of the ones you haven't read, like the Twins stories or even some other authors. These books are kind of like The Godfather Part III - best not made.

[Connie53 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima tweede deel, dat niet als een tussendeel aanvoelt, zoals wel vaker het geval is, maar het verhaal op een spannende manier voortzet. Met nieuwe personages die allemaal wel iets aantrekkelijks hebben. Niks als voordelen dus.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mina continues to do her best to take over various parts of Krynn. She follows the "One God" - a god who, like in most fantasy, is a very skewed version of the God that monotheistic religions follow.
Because, yes, any god would enjoy having souls stay on the world to "worship" it instead of departing in a final peace. Yup.

Goldmoon plays a role here, being in her youth's body but with her present mind. She follows the ghosts, ignores the tax on her mind and soul, and begins to tilt towards the One True God. The question on everyone's mind (incluinng hers) is of course- what happened?

Tas and Palin meet up with Dalamar. I love Tas, and I'm a little sad that he and Palin aren't the big main characters. And yet it's okay, because Tas' time especially is from the past.

Yet there is enough of Tasslehoff that we can continue to see the impact that having human friendships has had on him. He talks of logic, feels fear, and has grown a lot as a kender and a oompanion.

The focus though is more on the elven nations and Mina's takeover without a battle with the elves. And some even follow her lead, especially when Silvanoshei truly falls in love with her.

It does make me sad that everyone thinks that kender lie. You'd think they'd realize kender don't NEED to lie (to the extreme others think they do). They may embellish a bit or lie about not having something to save their hides, but to them, any adventure they have is story enough.

The army of souls was quite terrifying. For while souls can't physically harm, the weapons of fear and despair are much worse.

OHHHH durh, the One God....I should have realized that. No surprise.
I didn't enjoy the deaths, but as I said: this is about the next generation(s). The deaths, while sad, make sense.

[Christina Stind · Rating 5 out of 5]

As stated in my review of the first volume in this series, this is the second time I'm reading this trilogy and I didn't remember much about it, just that I felt rather impressed by the scope of the story.
This volume focuses on the elves of Krynn - Mina is continuing her conquest of Krynn and in pursuit of this, she enters Silvanost and helps young king Gilthas to lower the shield. At the same time, the dragon overlord Beryl decides to attack Qualinest and both elven races are facing more hardship than ever before.
Meanwhile, Palin and Dalamar is trying to figure out Tas' role and Goldmoon follows the dead, trying to figure out what happened and why the dead are sucking magic from the living.
And the War of the Souls begins...
Excellent book - it don't have the same feel as especially the original chronicles, but I still enjoyed it immensely and the scope and importance of this story in relation to the development of Krynn.

[Bret Praxmarer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been in love with the Dragonlance books since I was in middle school. The War of the Souls Trilogy has given me the chance to revisit my favorite fantasy world and meet some of my favorite characters again. I love spending time in this world and with these characters.

This is the middle entry of the trilogy and has the Empire Strikes Back feeling as the book closes - things are dark for the characters.

One of the great things about these fantasy novels is that they feel more light-hearted than a lot of current fantasy. There is still the threat of evil and horrible things happening, but it somehow feels less dark than other stories.

I love getting to spend more time with Tas. He is a delight.

[Dipa Raditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reading speed is getting slower when it comes to high fantasy long novels.

[Taylor Foxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic continuation of the War of Souls trilogy. The beginning really kicked the story in high gear. It was very hard for me to put the novel down once I would get into it

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent book in the series, with the trademark humor, compelling characters and rich story you'd expect from Weis and Hickman. I enjoyed the plots, twists and turns and the funny engagement in the story. If you like fantasy and dragonlance you'll like this book.

[Martin Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read a Dragonlance book by Weis & Hickman you know you're getting the good stuff. Not the rambling prattle of a Brandon Sanderson book, or the mediocre "I'm going to reuse the same word 52 times in one book" of John Gwynne. Good stuff. The type of book that ACTUALLY deserves praise; unlike the overrated Sanderson & Gwynne twerps.

Now that we've filtered out the zealot sandersonite & Gwynnian sheep let's talk about this book.

It's incredible. If you've read book one, or any other Dragonlance book by Weis & Hickman you already know that. What this book does is give us more of the same, but better. Whereas the first book in this trilogy was dominated through the first half with resetting the lore of the Dragonlance world after their hiatus; this book firmly marchers forward through its series of events.

Having re-read the main line series these last several months; the events leading up to this series are fresh in my mind. Long time characters are referenced, but not necessarily integral to the plot, so newcomers need not be wary. However, someone like me who has recently been traversing this story since the beginning of Chronicles; it is exhilarating to see the passage of time, and how the world has changed.

Our cast of characters are inexorably drawn forward as the landscape of Krynn is changed for the better, or for the worse. My one gripe is Silvanoshei's arc. His being smitten with Mina, and how it negatively affects his entire kingdom & people. Annoying as all get out. Other than that I don't have any complaints about the story.

Dragonlance will never be considered dark and/or grim fantasy, but there are definitely some violent, and/or grim moments here. Particularly the showdown with the massive dragon Beryl in the later chapters.

Read this book, and this entire trilogy. If you haven't read the books leading up to this then go back [after finishing this trilogy], and get more context. Trust me you will not be disappointed.

[Arjun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than Volume 1

I liked the pace of the narrative,and that the key events were very well written. Great follow up to the first book

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

.
This is definitely a worthwhile, fantasy, adventure that I enjoyed very much.

Would recommend!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally read the second book. Solidly the same type of story you expect from the fantasy duo.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The central book in the War of Souls trilogy is a rare thing, a middle book that is the highlight of the series. Dragons of a Lost Star took me to my happy place. I read it in two days. Everything about it reminded me of why the original Dragonlance books were so good. Continuing where Fallen Sun left off, Mina continues her march across the continent, defeating everyone in her path. The dead, too, follow Mina, and Palin and Dalamar busy themselves with uncovering the mystery of their disappearing magic and Tasslehof's sudden reappearance. Goldmoon, too, follows the flow of the dead and these paths all meet at Dalamar's tower for a finale full of revelations and explanations. The connection between Goldmoon, Mina and the One God, is very neatly done - it's an excellent reinterpretation of the misteps produced by the previous Fifth Age trilogy. The book suffers some of the faults of the first in the trilogy - long world building descriptions that experienced Dragonlance readers can skip over, the inconsistencies of Tasslehof's character - but I ignored those things in honour of a higher enjoyment. The relationship between Odila and Gerard is nicely done and the ending provides a brilliant moment of "in-the-know" when Dalamar tells Palin to remember the significance of the gnome and he cannot remember. As a geeky Dragonlance lover in my youth, I knew exactly what the significance of the gnome was and chuckled along with smug narrative satisfaction.

Just as the gnome incident cleverly mirrors past events and folds them over each other, so the high point of this middle book echoes the middle of the original Chronicles. The Qualinesti scenes are simply magnificent, a imagining of elven beauty and despair that only Tolkien has previously managed. Marshal Medan's relationship to Laurana is perfectly portrayed and I would rank him up there with the very best of Weis and Hickman's characters. Like their best - Tanis, Raistlin, Laurana and many more - you get the feeling that the authors really love their characters. They give them sadness and tragedy but they give them moments of deeper meaning too. Even the two elven brothers, one of whom is a traitor, manage to raise themselves from the rather obvious narrative ploys. Gilthas becomes Tanis's welcome heir. Importantly, the authors take what was good about the Rabe books and build on it. Beryl, the great green dragon threatening Qualinesti, is described with such gory, mad terror that it redeems the decision Rabe made to bring these monstrous invaders to the world of Dragonlance. What follows is a ending to rival the High Clerist Tower, full of past echoes and future woes. Laurana gets the ending she deserved and the world of the elves is changed beyond recognition.

Looking back to the original books from this point, I felt genuinely moved. And jealous. I've imagined many fantasy worlds, thought up thousands of stories. I'd never have the patience and skill to manifest them in such a way. This is a highlight Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance books, a contended for one of there best. After nine books in the main series that's quite an achievement.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

1/4/2021 - 5/10

I'm still trucking through (most of) the Dragonlance books. This one continued where the first left off. It was a bit mysterious and kept me reading despite character and plot flaws. I did think that the scenes in Qualinesti were well done, I liked the Laurana scenes, and the Medan stuff was decent. It kept me reading but the plotting was a bit dumb at times. It really fell apart for me at the end with Mina and Goldmoon and the One God reveal. Mina's character did a complete about face and suddenly became immature and pining for Goldmoon with terrible motivations.

Some passages I liked:
Page: 170
Without doubters, there would be no miracles.

Page: 370
You will have to tell those who come to you for answers that all you have are questions. You will have to tell the despairing that you have hope, when despair is heavy in your own heart. You will bid the terrified to have courage when inside you are shivering with fear.

Page: 370
“You are the child of imperfect parents, my son. You will stumble and fall to your knees and lie bruised in the dust, as we did. You will only truly fail if you remain lying in the dust. If you regain your feet and continue, you will make of that failure a success.”

Page: 374
It was all two people could ever be to each other, he supposed. Alone. Together. For the dreams and secrets of our heart may be spoken, but words are poor handmaidens. Words can never fully say what we want them to say, for they fumble, stammer, and break the best porcelain. The best one can hope for is to find along the way someone to share the path, content to walk in silence, for the heart communes best when it does not try to speak.

Page: 501
Yet at the end, we are all of us alone, she reminded herself. Those I have loved held my hand on the long journey, but when we came to the final parting, I released them, and they walked forward, leaving me behind. Now, it is my turn to walk forward. To walk alone.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not easy to judge the middle part of a trilogy, and by their nature fantasy blockbusters do have a tendency to slow to a crawl at times - yet I'm still asking myself what exactly the purpose of this volume was, other than to set up the big reveal at the end, which, whilst not entirely unpredictable, did key into the larger Dragonlance saga that Weis and Hickman have created in an altogether satisfying manner. Less, satisfying, though, was just about everything else. Story threads seemed to be there just in order to stall the narrative. Laurana, for instance, who plays a big part in the original Chronicles through having an arc despite initially being a minor character, here is placed front and centre but doesn't really have an arc. Elsewhere concepts still tantalise, Goldmoon's youth and Tas's impending will-he won't-he have to kill himself, but they aren't really advanced in this volume in meaningful ways. Instead we get a story about Solamnus being attacked and Qualinost being attacked which would have made thrilling backdrop in another volume but can't take the weight here.

I've reassessed Weis and Hickman trilogies on completion before, so hopefully things will become clearer once the direction of the final volume becomes clear. Or hopefully, at least, it'll make good on the promise of being a barnstorming romp ... trouble is, I'm not really in love with these heroes at the moment and they've already had 1000 pages to convince me to be.

[Ross Kitson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in the final Dragonlance trilogy by Weis and Hickman (at least until the new one this year) continues the War of Souls storyline.
Mia carries on her divine mission much to the consternation of the Knights of Neraka's elite. The path interweaves with our other plot strands- the two elf nations, Tas and Palin, and Sir Gerard. We start to get a better idea of where the story is heading, with some old 'friends' popping up, and the huge Dragon Highlords making bloated appearances.
The writing is competent enough, although some dialogue is rather staid and weak. The characters are likeable and create enough interest, although naturally I gravitated towards the old favourites, like Tas.
You get the sense that the authors were trying to sort out the mess that some perceived Dragonlance to have become, and essentially doing a renovation with a sledgehammer. They go for deaths as a dramatic tool, but (as with Tanis a number of books ago) it feels a bit clumsy at times, especially when used in quick succession. I compare it to Sturm's death in Winter Night, which still resonates with me over thirty years later.
All told, it's a good story delivered well, but definitely a main set up for the third book. You know by now if you like Weis/Hickman and their style. Worth a read.

[Erik Akre · Rating 4 out of 5]

How satisfying to read a sequel that lives up to the standards of the previous book in the series! This story is just as compelling and gripping as the first book in War of Souls, and it drives the plot forward without a hitch. I can say little here beyond what I said for Fallen Sun; the pace moves fluidly while not failing to capture the nuances of setting and character. Best of all, the end of Lost Star gives a thrilling, game-changing revelation--a proper ending to book 2 that sends us headlong into book 3.

Weis and Hickman weave an intricate story with many strands. The tapestry is complex and brilliant, especially for a cheap paperback fantasy, for which admittedly the bar is often set low. I am continually surprised and impressed by this story. I have already moved well into the third book, and I already anticipate a disappointment at the series being over. There's an addiction to it.

I'll end with a warning: Don't read these books out of sequence. The reward for going start to finish is too great to miss. For its genre, the series is exceptional to say the least.

[Geoff Battle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost Star, the second in the War of the Souls trilogy entertains from start to end. There's plenty of suspense, a little intrigue and a killer finale, something that usually lacks in the middle part of trilogies. The characters, already well established from the first entry continue to fight for survival, Weis & Hickman show no fear in making the lives of our heroes uncomfortable and miserable. The tone of Lost Star is dark, making for a great third book in which the good fight must come to an end. Lots of small encounters keep up the pace although there is a fair amount of padding at times. Definitely worth reading, thankfully the authors have offered more than just as a tease to the final book.

[Morgan (Turbo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its been a long time since I read Dragonlance, so when I found this book for free, I thought, “eh, why not?” I think now though it was a mistake. There were many mentions of characters and events of past books that were referenced that I didn’t know and then didn’t look up on the Internet. Additionally, the main mystery was pretty obvious. I guessed it about a third into the book.

On the other hand, I am a big fantasy fan so just reading the book was fun. I loved the perspective of the dragons in the world of Dragonlance, too bad those types of chapters where every 150 pages or so. Learning about Kender customs was fun too. I also really liked the epic showdown at the end.

Overall, I would not recommend this book unless you have read many others in the series.

[João Batista · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*, actually.
And the world is about to change... once more. A war of dragons, each one more cunning than the other. And the elf king Silvanoshei enamored of Mina may end in tragedy; although this One God has unimaginable powers, even to turn elves into fanatics... Now we understand the "Lost Star" of the title. How can that have survived? Is Mina really Human? One silver dragon ('blind guardian') might understand/find the truth about the Song of Death of the Storm that had brought forth Mina. And thus, as I suspected, this One True God is revealed...

"Come to me. Come to the One God."
"Yet at the end, we are all of us alone."

[Marco Hoogh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book probably deserves more. Weis, Hickman; my humblest apologies for this slight. The truth is that I had different expectations compared to where the book took me. I wanted the Disney experience and I fully admit that. So, really, this rating is more out of spite. You deserve 3 1/2 stars, at least.
On a more critical level, I felt that some of the plot was forced, and the whole storyline was not as emotionally engaging as the simpler tale in Cronicles. I felt that characters weren't as deep. But maybe that has something to do with the fact that these characters were the children of...

[Domien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weis & Hickman writing Dragonlance has never disappointed me. This was the 14th book I read in the series and once again, I loved it. That in itself is very special.
Dragons of a Lost Star did suffer a little bit from "middle book syndrome" in my opinion. The middle part was a bit of a slump, but only slightly. Then towards the end it picked up and ... wow... I did not see all of THAT coming. I'm still a bit shocked by how dark the ending was.

I wish more people would discover Dragonlance and see it for the amazing sample of pure fantasy it is.

[Danny Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is compelling, the characters are growing on me and the magic is still gone. This is not the Krynn that I grew up with but I hope that things are going to head back that way. The characters are not as epic as the original band. They are more flawed and some I just don’t like at all (Silvanoshei….). The stage is set for something big to happen in the final book of the trilogy but there haven’t yet been any indication of what that might be.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent 2nd book, couldn't put it down. The characters' dialogue and tale flow so well I found myself zooming right on through this one any time I had a chance to read. I love fantasy, I love dragons, and this tale is crafted so well into this existing world that it paints a beautiful picture in your head. While this series is my first foray into the Dragonlance books, I'm immensely enjoying them and would definitely read another of the trilogies. Highly recommend for the fantasy lover!❤️

[Eva Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What steals stars from this book is the extremely slow moving plot. I'll also admit I suspect I'm suffering from some Dragonlance fatigue, in spite of this, the third star is mostly given out of loyalty to my teenage self. I miss my old friends (not you Tanis), and the new characters in the series just doesn't cut it. It seems like for me the magic is gone from Krynn, but I'll finish this trilogy, for old times sake.

[E J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished it. Either I doubt I have enough interest to continue onto the last book, or I'm gonna need a long break from the story. So bland and workmanlike storytelling. At least it was a fast read.

Goldmoon's death (or so it seems) got the justice and gravitas she deserves here. Like, considerably so compared to Rabe's categorically woeful telling in Day of the Tempest.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Requires having read Dragons of Summer Flame and some Tales shorts to make sense. Feels like an alternate timeline for Dragonlance. Didn't like the pacing or the characters, who mostly felt like bit parts.