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Dragonlance: Raistlin Chronicles #2
Brothers in Arms
The Innocence of Youth Lost in War
In the fiery siege of the ciy of Hope's End the young mage Raistlin must leave behind his ideals to save himself and his brother. Yet as Raistlin and Caramon train as mercenaries, far away another soul is forged in the heat of battle. Another path is chosen, and a future dragon highlord begins her rise to power.
She is Kitiara Uth Matar, the twins' half sister.
Brothers in Arms is the much-anticipated squel to The Soulforge , the 1998 best-selling Dragonlance novel.
In the fiery siege of the ciy of Hope's End the young mage Raistlin must leave behind his ideals to save himself and his brother. Yet as Raistlin and Caramon train as mercenaries, far away another soul is forged in the heat of battle. Another path is chosen, and a future dragon highlord begins her rise to power.
She is Kitiara Uth Matar, the twins' half sister.
Brothers in Arms is the much-anticipated squel to The Soulforge , the 1998 best-selling Dragonlance novel.
476 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
114 people are currently reading
2335 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
677 books5,867 followersMargaret 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
June 26, 2020
This book begins to show bits of Dragons of Autumn Twilight without giving to much away. I feel like if you have read the series these would be most fun read before the Chronicles trilogy.
Maybe on my next re-read I will give it a whirl.
💚💚💚 I do love this set of prequels surrounding Raislin 💚💚💚
Maybe on my next re-read I will give it a whirl.
💚💚💚 I do love this set of prequels surrounding Raislin 💚💚💚
October 23, 2023
A more fitting title would have been "Siblings in Arms" seeing as a lot of the focus was actually on the Twins' ne'er-do-well older half-sister Kitiara but I guess that's not poetic enough? Anyway Kit gets up to her usual dubious hijinks on behalf of the Forces of Darkness, and her biplay with the odious Red Dragon Immolatus is one of the highlights of the book for me.
Image credit to Greendera Art on FB
Raistlin is actually not as much of a dickhead in this one as I'd come to expect, largely owing to the positive influence of his temporary boss in the world of mercenary-ness, the crude but straight-shooting war wizard Horkin.
Caramon, on the other hand, is even more of a lunkhead than usual, I almost felt as exasperated as his sickly twin half the time he opened his mouth.
There's also a fairly forgettable and unprecedented "Half-Kender" character named Scrounger, of all things, included in lieu of Tasselhoff and to provide some comic relief via his wheeling and dealing.
All told, lesser Dragonlance but worth reading to spend a little more time with these beloved characters.
Image credit to Greendera Art on FBRaistlin is actually not as much of a dickhead in this one as I'd come to expect, largely owing to the positive influence of his temporary boss in the world of mercenary-ness, the crude but straight-shooting war wizard Horkin.
Caramon, on the other hand, is even more of a lunkhead than usual, I almost felt as exasperated as his sickly twin half the time he opened his mouth.
There's also a fairly forgettable and unprecedented "Half-Kender" character named Scrounger, of all things, included in lieu of Tasselhoff and to provide some comic relief via his wheeling and dealing.
All told, lesser Dragonlance but worth reading to spend a little more time with these beloved characters.
February 6, 2019
So it has started. Thus we begin the long journey into darkness...
October 31, 2015
Volume Two of the Raistlin Chronicles
This book takes place about four years before the War of the Lance and soon after Raistlin takes the test.
The story not only follows Raistlin and Caramon as they join a mercenary army (The Mad Baron) but also their half sister Kitiara as she starts her climb up the ranks of the soon to be Dragon armies.
It's a stand alone book (and the only reason I didn't rate this as five star).
If you've read Dragonlance then you'll understand how much I loved coming back to this world, having new adventures with these "old friends".
World building, plot, characters development, action, description, plotting - it's all great.
And Raistlin is my favorite character in all of fiction.
Dragonlance isn't for everyone but I love it and this was a really good addition.
This book takes place about four years before the War of the Lance and soon after Raistlin takes the test.
The story not only follows Raistlin and Caramon as they join a mercenary army (The Mad Baron) but also their half sister Kitiara as she starts her climb up the ranks of the soon to be Dragon armies.
It's a stand alone book (and the only reason I didn't rate this as five star).
If you've read Dragonlance then you'll understand how much I loved coming back to this world, having new adventures with these "old friends".
World building, plot, characters development, action, description, plotting - it's all great.
And Raistlin is my favorite character in all of fiction.
Dragonlance isn't for everyone but I love it and this was a really good addition.
August 11, 2022
Non credo sia il romanzo di Dragonlance migliore che abbia letto finora, ma è stato comunque piacevole. Le parti di Kitiara (soprattutto le prime) sono state difficili da sopportare perché il personaggio di Kit non mi è esattamente simpatico, in compenso peró ci sono stati altri personaggi che hanno catturato la mia attenzione e mi dispiace sinceramente che siano rimasti confinati a questo libro - o quantomeno credo che sia cosí. Sto parlando di Scrounger, il mezzo kender, Ivor di Langtree, il Barone Pazzo e Horkin, il mago guerriero. Questo romanzo apre le porte alle Cronache, dando i primi segnali nascosti di una guerra globale imminente, un po' come Lo Hobbit per Il Signore degli Anelli, in un certo senso. Essendo anche questo libro molto incentrato su Raistlin ho apprezzato molto il fatto di essere potuta andare ancora piú a fondo nei suoi pensieri, nelle sue paure, nei suoi tormenti e di aver potuto di nuovo sorridere per il suo onnipresente sarcasmo quando si rivolge a Caramon. Meno interessante del precedente, a parer mio, ma comunque molto valido.
June 2, 2014
This story both fills in the 5 years prior to the scheduled reunion of the companions for both the Majere Brothers and Kitiara. The story for the brothers is a little weak, but the story helps to understand the transformation of their sister.
One of the things that disappoints me about the tales, preludes and other works added to the very successful Dragonlance universe is that they filled in the gaps with every little thing that ever came close to the heroes had deep significance and provided the basis for a story. When you put all of that back story into place against the original work, it seems much less driven by the characters actions and decisions than it originally did. I mean, EVERYTHING had some special substance to it and the characters are just bouncing around between all of that. While the Raistlin Chronicles hasn't been so bad in this regard, I was a bit disappointed to have had Kit involved in finding and stealing the metalic dragon eggs and the rise of the draconians, though this isn't explicitly mentioned as an eventual consequence in this work. It is still possible to read the book in chronological order without spoilers.
Overall, it was an ok story, but lacked the polish of the first in this series.
One of the things that disappoints me about the tales, preludes and other works added to the very successful Dragonlance universe is that they filled in the gaps with every little thing that ever came close to the heroes had deep significance and provided the basis for a story. When you put all of that back story into place against the original work, it seems much less driven by the characters actions and decisions than it originally did. I mean, EVERYTHING had some special substance to it and the characters are just bouncing around between all of that. While the Raistlin Chronicles hasn't been so bad in this regard, I was a bit disappointed to have had Kit involved in finding and stealing the metalic dragon eggs and the rise of the draconians, though this isn't explicitly mentioned as an eventual consequence in this work. It is still possible to read the book in chronological order without spoilers.
Overall, it was an ok story, but lacked the polish of the first in this series.
August 3, 2012
This rating may seem a little harsh, but it's mainly in comparison to the other Dragonlance books I've read - which I have really enjoyed - and also because I feel like this book failed to live up to both my own expectations and its own potential.
I expected a series of adventures with Caramon and Raistlin, wherein we would cover the five years between Raistlin's test and the meeting of the companions at the beginning of the Chronicles series. Instead, we get only the beginning of their adventures as mercenaries, in an overly (and rather dully) drawn out conflict which is constantly interrupted with the much less interesting story of Kitiara's quest for power in the newly formed Dragon Armies.
And Weiss gives us another annoying kender character, who I guess is a little better than Tasslehoff, but.... WHY. I don't care about a half-kender, I care about my angsty bros! I mean, this series is called "The Raistlin Chronicles," and I found myself actually skimming at some points for even a mention of the titular character. That's not a good sign.
So, unfortunately, I can sum up my feelings for this book in one word: disappointing.
I expected a series of adventures with Caramon and Raistlin, wherein we would cover the five years between Raistlin's test and the meeting of the companions at the beginning of the Chronicles series. Instead, we get only the beginning of their adventures as mercenaries, in an overly (and rather dully) drawn out conflict which is constantly interrupted with the much less interesting story of Kitiara's quest for power in the newly formed Dragon Armies.
And Weiss gives us another annoying kender character, who I guess is a little better than Tasslehoff, but.... WHY. I don't care about a half-kender, I care about my angsty bros! I mean, this series is called "The Raistlin Chronicles," and I found myself actually skimming at some points for even a mention of the titular character. That's not a good sign.
So, unfortunately, I can sum up my feelings for this book in one word: disappointing.
September 29, 2012
The second book of The Raistlin Chronicles in the Dragonlance realm. This book is about the first real adventure of Raistlin and Caramon after Raistlin took the test. This book also devotes a good amount to Kitiara, their half-sister. This is a must read if you are a dragonlance fan. I liked how the authors portrayed the characters development before the original books. The reader gets a deeper insight how Raistlin develops and his growth in power of magic. I really enjoyed Kitiara's story in this book and have come to enjoy her character more because of this book. Although you do not need to read the original core book or the first book in The Raistlin Chronicles, I would recommend it for a better understanding.
March 29, 2023
A fairly straight forward story of Caramon and Raistlin Majere joining a bunch of mercenaries. Both warrior and mage learn a lot of valuable lessons that start to shape them into the people we know in Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I really enjoyed this one but it's not particularly important as a series of events. I enjoyed the Kitiara Uth Matar bits much more (and I didn't dislike the Caramon and Raistlin bits). Though I will say I don't like her involvement in the theft of the dragon eggs. As awful as Kitiara is, I don't see her as capable of something like this.
September 29, 2010
You cannot lose if you read anything containing this Raistlin fellow!
May 4, 2017
This one teeters on the 2 to three star range. There is some good creativity and parts to this book, and it is certainly interesting to those familiar with Chronicles and Legends. Nonetheless, it is a bit of an orphan book. Weis writes the story with another author, and I assume that is where all the military detail stems from. This book is heavy on the training of troops and other military insights, as that is what the brothers and their half sister Kitiara are engaged in. Really I would call this the Majere Chronicles, if it weren't for the inconvenient fact that their sister goes by a different surname. The book gives a very interesting and ironic look at how both brothers and Kitiara follow a similar, and yet completely different path. It really is a look at their first years apart. As I mentioned in the review related to that book, the first book in the Raistlin Chronicles I would call the prelude book to Chronicles, this one is more of a stand-alone story that fills in some of the detail in the 5 years the companions are apart. Weis gave her stamp on it since she is big on Raistlin, but I don't feel that she had as much of an influence on this book, and it really doesn't belong in the same grouping as the first book (which I think was originally conceived as a stand-alone novel). This is probably part of the reason why there are only two novels in this odd Raistlin series. Still, it is interesting for fans of the series and whets one's appetite to reread the original trilogies in the DragonLance series.
October 27, 2011
Two stars seems harsh - but compared to the other Dragonlance books, this one really dropped the ball. Yes, I liked it, I guess. I was kinda bored. I just re-read the Chronicles Triology, and they blew my mind. Then I re-read the Legends Trilogy and discovered new twists and understanding and emotions, and it was great. But The Soulforge and Brothers in Arms are let downs compared to the original six. I mean, the War of Lance is a world wide war, with lots of twists. Both of these books are just childhood back stories.
Naturally, one person's childhood should not be as exciting as a world war, so I didn't want to judge The Soulforge too harshly. But Brothers in Arms was the prequel to the war. It was the warm up. It had the potential to be more. The plot was basic, the characters were painfully predictable. In Chronicles, they surprised me. In Legends, I was excited to see what they would do. In BiA, I was bored. It should have been shorter and condensed, and they maybe I'd give it a better rating. But the longwinded prose that said too much was just bad.
Naturally, one person's childhood should not be as exciting as a world war, so I didn't want to judge The Soulforge too harshly. But Brothers in Arms was the prequel to the war. It was the warm up. It had the potential to be more. The plot was basic, the characters were painfully predictable. In Chronicles, they surprised me. In Legends, I was excited to see what they would do. In BiA, I was bored. It should have been shorter and condensed, and they maybe I'd give it a better rating. But the longwinded prose that said too much was just bad.
April 13, 2011
Truly the tragedy of two brothers could not be more epitomized by any other novel more than this one. Raistlin is, for lack of better terminology, a badass who doesn't care about anyone but himself and accomplishes all his goals while his brother Caramon turns into one fighting for the good of everything bearing the griefs brought on by his brother. Raistlin ultimately doesn't shame the bond of brotherhood but for the longest time you are smiling while he does appalling act after act. You grin as he destroys the hopes of person after person. Humor, brilliance, and action are combined for a tripod of a glorious nature. Read it. Love it. Read it again.
November 8, 2007
I'm confused here...wasn't this series supposed to be about Raistlin and Caramon? Why is there a large portion of it devoted to their sister? This book was a big dissapointment for me, especially since I enjoyed The Soulforge so much. Ms. Weis writes better on her own than she does with Perrin. Honestly, I'd rather see the series left hanging if they're going to keep following Kitiara, rather than the twins.
January 5, 2012
This was a nice addition to Raistlin's Saga. Unfortunally there were only two books in it because I could figure Margaret Weis writing more adventures about Caramon and Raistlin.
In this book we learn more of how Raistlin turn to be a warmage. How he fought in the mercenary company and such. Unfortunally being written after the Dragonlance chronicles the writers (Don Perrin and Weis) were tied up a little bit.
Nevertheless... Excelent.
In this book we learn more of how Raistlin turn to be a warmage. How he fought in the mercenary company and such. Unfortunally being written after the Dragonlance chronicles the writers (Don Perrin and Weis) were tied up a little bit.
Nevertheless... Excelent.
June 6, 2008
I'd say I recommended this for Majere completists, but honestly nothing significant happens that we haven't already learned about in previous installments. Sure there are more details here but they are mainly lard. Why bother throwing in some new, half-developed characters and other filler elements? Probably just because the authors new it would sell and make them an easy buck.
January 9, 2016
Awesome to go back and read this knowing whats gonna happen. Dragonlance was my first literary love and I love it still.
October 26, 2017
Me visiting a Dragonlance fan: 'ok, give me everything you have about Raistlin' :-)
Turns out he has it's own chronicles, yes!!
I really really really enjoyed it! Just a fun and relaxing read.
Turns out he has it's own chronicles, yes!!
I really really really enjoyed it! Just a fun and relaxing read.
July 27, 2023
Just a good, solid fantasy read. Nothing earth shattering in this one, but really helped give some background into the characters.
July 16, 2018
Wait, wait! There's a quote for this one. The difference between fiction and reality: fiction has to make sense. (Wilde, I think?)
Everything happens (((don't say-) for a reason) no), everything happens.
Looking closer, I realized this was fresh off the press the last time I read it. Seeing "chronicles," I hoped, briefly, for an unread volume, but no luck there. Misleading term for two books, methinks.
But the book. I remember that temple. (I loved it.) The military markers ring as iron bells to the mind, comforting and reliable. Someone knew what they were talking about. Kit and Raist, so much in common, yet so far apart... She has an enviable confidence, but how much of that is facade? Is our Raistlin more relatable because we are permitted to share his fears, his circumstantial isolaton? Is it odd to find Horkin an ideal mentor?
This book is better now than when I first read it, or so it seems from the now.
Everything happens (((don't say-) for a reason) no), everything happens.
Looking closer, I realized this was fresh off the press the last time I read it. Seeing "chronicles," I hoped, briefly, for an unread volume, but no luck there. Misleading term for two books, methinks.
But the book. I remember that temple. (I loved it.) The military markers ring as iron bells to the mind, comforting and reliable. Someone knew what they were talking about. Kit and Raist, so much in common, yet so far apart... She has an enviable confidence, but how much of that is facade? Is our Raistlin more relatable because we are permitted to share his fears, his circumstantial isolaton? Is it odd to find Horkin an ideal mentor?
This book is better now than when I first read it, or so it seems from the now.
July 10, 2008
As a continuation of Soulforge, Brothers in Arms is only slightly disappointing: the changed dynamic between the twins following Raistlin's test in the tower of high sorcery is an important part of the Dragonlance mythos, and here it at times falls apart. The addition of a half kender character that isn't too reminiscent of the famous Tasslehoff Burrfoot works fairly well, and the lives of the twins as well as their absent sibling Kitiara are nicely interwoven. Those unfamiliar with the Dragonlance series will find nothing in a book like this to compel them to explore the rest of the saga, but for those of us already caught up in the myths of Raistlin it's nice to fill in some of the gaps with a far better installment than the better forgotten Brothers Magere volume from an earlier attempt at a preludes series.
November 28, 2018
Easy review: Weis is one of the best ever in the world of fantasy writing, and deserves to be ranked up there with Tolkien and Jordan. What a shame those clowns at Wizards aren't publishing any new Dragonlance material, the story needs to continue! I would LOVE to see more of the adventures of Caramon and Raistlin in their younger days. Only drawback to this book was the story ended, I wanted it to keep going and going.
Worth noting: Weis introduced one of her greatest second fiddle characters here with Scrounger, the half-human/half kender. He's a riot, God bless the kender and their light-fingered ways!
Worth noting: Weis introduced one of her greatest second fiddle characters here with Scrounger, the half-human/half kender. He's a riot, God bless the kender and their light-fingered ways!
February 25, 2012
A deeper look into my favorite character, Raistlin Majere, after taking the Test in the Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth. This is an excellent book that shows how Raistlin came to find out some of the secrets that his Staff of Magius held and how Caramon progressed from a farm hand to a mercenary soldier. This book details the twins joining the mercenary army of the Mad Baron, Baron Ivor of Langtree. An excellent read if you are looking to find out more about the twins and their half sister, Kitiara.
May 12, 2012
After taking the test at the Tower of High Sorcery, Raistlin and Caramon set out to Langtree to become mercenaries. Caramon is trained as a warrior, and Raistlin is trained as a battle mage by a brown robed wizard Horkin. when their training is complete the army is given marching orders to go to the city of Hope's End to quell a rebellion. Meanwhile Kitiara is in Sanction, rising through the ranks of the dragon army.
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December 16, 2020Really enjoyed it, Margaret Weis and Don Perrin did an excellent job of even introducing readers to war techniques!
It had several plot lines, twists and turns that came all together nicely at the end !
It had several plot lines, twists and turns that came all together nicely at the end !
June 30, 2020
Enjoyed this. Always love hearing about Raistlin.
May 16, 2023
Zzzzzzzzzzz
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June 26, 2025bu kitabı tahmin ettiğimden daha fazla sevdim. evlatlarım büyümüşler de yuvadan uçmuşlar :')
im a proud mama gerçekten.
im a proud mama gerçekten.
February 4, 2013
I enjoyed this book more than I did the first one. It had less Raistlin and his extremely annoying attitude. This book featured more of the other main characters we meet in the first book. I enjoyed seeing Kitiara more and learning about what she was going through. This book has a very strong cast and I enjoy reading about all of them. I will read the other books in the series, but I really hope they don't feature Raistlin as much.
March 13, 2016
By far the most readable of the Dragonlance books. All of the main characters had compelling storylines, the dialogue was well-written, there was no filler, and best yet, there were no annoying NPCs. The half-Kender character was actually more sensible than the humans at times, and the only chaotic stupid character was a dragon antagonist whose constant sabotage of his companions was portrayed as odious rather than amusing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews