The Measure and the Truth: Dragonlance: Rise of Solamnia, Book 3

Dragonlance: Rise of Solamnia #3

by Douglas Niles

A new Solamnic Empire rises from the ashes of war. It is ruled by one a knight, a warrior, a virtual dictator driven by ambitions that trample the lives of all who aid them.

An old enemy, mightier than ever, rises to challenge him. And there are other dangers - mortal and magical - closer to home. The man who would be emperor must face the gravest threats in his long and violent life.

Genres: Dragonlance, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Douglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game. He currently resides in Delavan, Wisconsin with his wife, Christine, and two Bouviets, Reggie and Stella. He enjoys playing his guitar, cooking, and visiting with family.

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 2.5 stars.

This is the third book of a trilogy and the others must be read before this one. Ankhar is still loose and holding a grudge against Solamnia. Also, James is the emperor of Solamnia and there are residents that are not happy with his rule.

I didn't think this was the best trilogy from this universe and this final book was the weakest. Once again the positive is the battle scenes as the author does an amazing job with these scenes. The descriptions were vivid and I had a real sense of the action. This aspect was a joy to read. Once again I did not enjoy the characters especially the main character. It is an interesting choice to make the main character so unlikable. I kept on reading wondering when something redeemable would surface. This portrayal of the main character also lent itself to the portrayal of the knighthood and I found myself disliking them. I never found a reason to cheer anyone. I also disliked how the author left some issues unresolved. I don't know if there were plans for more books but these issues will forever go unanswered.

The saving grace for this trilogy was the battles. The action was terrific. I need a little more than this though. I need a good story and a rooting interest for a character and I never discovered either. There are better trilogies in this universe and I would recommend those before this one.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niles really wrapped everything up well. I think the best part of this trilogy is that while they follow Jaymes Markham, he is not a standard hero. I felt like the story was more about everyone else who gets sucked into his world. Also, I appreciated that when Niles describes Jaymes as a great military strategist, he then shows us Jaymes making pretty decent military strategies—unlike other books where the warplans are “march in straight lines at the enemy.” Anyway, I expected to enjoy this trilogy because it involved Solamnics. My only complaint was there was perhaps one too many teleportations, but it wasn’t a major issue.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good conclusion to this trilogy. What I really liked about it is the explanation at the beginning so you could pick up this book and read it and know what's going on all on its own, you wouldn't necessarily have to read the first two except you'd be missing out on all that extra adventure. I'm a little disappointed Jaymes let becoming the emperor go to his head and started having the world's largest ego. I love Dram, by far my favorite character in this little trilogy. Overall awesome!

[Joshua Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the last book of the series. It started off as if the main character Jaymes, was in a lot of trouble. Being the Emperor, he people were supposed to love him. He was loved he was a battle hero. But the people thought he was to strict. It seemed as if he was the bad guy in a way. The best part for me was the ending. In finally resolved this three book story. I thought it was very good. It sure was filled with battle and drama.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final book in the knight series... good ending to a good series. May read more of his books in the future.

[Debra collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

good finish to the triology