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Dragonlance Tales #1
The Magic of Krynn
Is Raistlin truly dead?
The answer lies in the new Dragonlance novella by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, which gazes into the future of Caramon and his mage-son, and into the dark nether-past of Raistlin.
Untold tales of Krynn.
Tales of sea monsters, dark elves, ice bears, hideous hydra-headed serpents, and loathsome draconian troops.
Further adventures of the kender Tas; the innkeepr Otic and young Tika; the dwarf Flint and Tanis, leader of the companions; Caramon and Raistlin, twon brothers, one, a genial warrior, the other, a sickly magician and scholar.
Nine short stories by superlative writers, plus an exciting new novella by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Dragonlance Saga goes on!
Contents:
* Riverwind and the Crystal Staff - Michael Williams
* The Blood Sea Monster - Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel
* A Stone's Throw Away - Roger E. Moore
* Dreams of Darkness, Dreams of Light - Warren B. Smith
* Love and Ale - Nick O'Donohoe
* Wayward Children - Richard A. Knaak
* The Test of the Twins - Margaret Weis
* Harvests - Nancy Varian Berberick
* Finding the Faith - Mary Kirchoff
* The Legacy - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
The answer lies in the new Dragonlance novella by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, which gazes into the future of Caramon and his mage-son, and into the dark nether-past of Raistlin.
Untold tales of Krynn.
Tales of sea monsters, dark elves, ice bears, hideous hydra-headed serpents, and loathsome draconian troops.
Further adventures of the kender Tas; the innkeepr Otic and young Tika; the dwarf Flint and Tanis, leader of the companions; Caramon and Raistlin, twon brothers, one, a genial warrior, the other, a sickly magician and scholar.
Nine short stories by superlative writers, plus an exciting new novella by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Dragonlance Saga goes on!
Contents:
* Riverwind and the Crystal Staff - Michael Williams
* The Blood Sea Monster - Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel
* A Stone's Throw Away - Roger E. Moore
* Dreams of Darkness, Dreams of Light - Warren B. Smith
* Love and Ale - Nick O'Donohoe
* Wayward Children - Richard A. Knaak
* The Test of the Twins - Margaret Weis
* Harvests - Nancy Varian Berberick
* Finding the Faith - Mary Kirchoff
* The Legacy - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
350 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1987
38 people are currently reading
2661 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
677 books5,830 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 76 reviews
June 26, 2017
This book is entertaining. The stories are okay, but they move quickly, and they fit well into the Dragonlance world. I reread "The Legacy" to refresh my memory in preparation for Dragons of Summer Flame, and I really enjoyed it. I'm glad TSR republished it in The Second Generation because it's a better story than this collection accounts for. I'm surprised it was published in this book first, but it's definitely the best and certainly the best representation of Krynnian Magic (if I may invent the phrase?). It's further proof, by direct comparison, that nobody writes DL like Weis and Hickman!
I recommend this only if you're a DL fan. You have to be really invested to read this. Still, I did enjoy the stories, especially those with Tas, Tanis, Flint, Caramon, and good ol' Raist.
I recommend this only if you're a DL fan. You have to be really invested to read this. Still, I did enjoy the stories, especially those with Tas, Tanis, Flint, Caramon, and good ol' Raist.
July 9, 2020
Terminada mi primera relectura de "La magia de Krynn", el primer volumen de la primera trilogía de los Cuentos de la Dragonlance, una colección de 6 volúmenes que - si no me equivoco - ocupa el puesto inmediato al que era y es la mejor trilogía de este universo, las Leyendas. Debe hacer muchos años desde la última vez que lo leí, porque a diferencia de lo que me ocurre con las Crónicas, las Leyendas, el Ocaso de los Dragones y la Forja de un Túnica Negra, los Cuentos nunca estuvieron en mi estantería y los leí de la biblioteca. Ahora sin embargo, ya están en casa.
¿Por qué a estas alturas me hago con ellos? ¿Nostalgia? Sí. ¿Que si por mí fuera, me haría con toda la enorme bibliografía de Dragonlance? También. Pero ante todo una cierta sospecha, quizá infundada, que se ha apoderado de mí desde que Dungeons and Dragons ha anunciado que va a reescribir sus libros publicados purgándolos de todos los elementos que considere racistas y sexistas; cosa que siempre es una mala idea, no porque el sexismo y el racismo estén bien - de eso nada - sino porque como dice la cita bíblica, quod scripsi scripsi. No tiene sentido a estas alturas, y aunque no tengo claro que esto vaya a afectar a Dragonlance - una subfranquicia de DnD - por si acaso, voy a hacerme con lo que me falta antes de que se les ocurra convertir a Flint en un arquero y que Raistlin vista la Túnica Gris como Gandalf - porque el color negro es racista ahora, al parecer -.
Basta de tonterías. Vamos con el volumen. No es una novela única sino, como toda la serie, una colección de cuentos pertenecientes al universo de Dragonlance y que desarrollan lore e historias paralelas (lo que ahora se llama spin-off) de los personajes ya conocidos. Y aunque el prólogo es de Weis y Hickman, tan sólo dos historias están escritas por ellos, perteneciento al resto a otros autores del universo Dragonlance. Aunque no están mal - alguna de hecho, está bastante bien - recuerdo que en su día me decepcionó un poco ya que se nota cuando Weis y Hickman escriben los Héroes de la Lanza y cuándo no. Eso no significa para nada que los Cuentos no valgan la pena, sólo que, comparado con el apoteósico final de las Leyendas, es normal que al abordar los cuentos, que no son una continuidad, se experimente cierto bajón.
Sin embargo, el volumen vale la pena por dos joyitas, en mi opinión. La primera es "La prueba de los gemelos", de Margaret Weis, que fue la primera versión corta de lo que sucedió a Caramon y Raistlin cuando éste último pasó la Prueba para ser mago reconocido. Una versión más completa, profunda y desarrollada se publicó después - creo - en La Forja de un Túnica Negra, siendo ésta última versión la que la autora considera canon y dejando la anterior - y otros flashbacks y menciones que se encuentran en las Crónicas y las Leyendas - como relatos incompletos y modificados por la leyenda, cosa que en lugar de añadir caos al tema, le añade realismo. Eso sí, aquí es una versión corta, seca y con un final abrupto, además de algunas pequeñas incongruencias con la versión completa posterior, pero vale la pena en cualquier caso.
Y la otra joya, muy superior, y que con razón se encuentra al final del volumen y estructurada en varios capítulos, es "El Legado", escrito conjuntamente por Weis y Hickman, y que narra la Prueba de Palin Majere, hijo de Caramon y sobrino de Raistlin. Sólo por esta historia el volumen entero vale la pena, y aunque luego fue re-publicado de nuevo en La Segunda Generación - cosa que no recordaba - está bien que apareciera en este volumen ya que la constante de esta primera colección de cuentos es el tema de la magia. Y que es una historia muy conmovedora y muy bien escrita. Lo dicho, nadie escribe a los gemelos Majere como estos dos autores. Por otra parte, aunque en el fondo siempre defenderé que debieron dejar a Raistlin donde se quedó al final de las Leyendas - muerto y desaparecido - no puedo negar que su vuelta de entre los muertos - real y no real - es muy conmovedora y no te deja indiferente. Aunque no me acabo de tragar a Palin. Ni a Dalamar. Dios, qué imbécil. Se merece todo lo que pase.
Por último, si no le doy las cinco estrellas, es por la calidad variada que hay entre unas historias y otras. "A tiro de piedra" es estupenda, pero "En busca de la fe" es horrible. El poema que narra cómo Riverwind encontró la Vara de Cristal Azul es ilegible - ¿o será cosa de la traducción al español? - pero el relato jocoso "El Último Hogar" en el que un kender tira un afrodisíaco en los barriles de cerveza de Otik no tiene precio. Depende mucho del autor que escribe el cuento. Por no mencionar que el teoría, este primer volumen se basa en el lore de la magia, pero no se desarrolla dicho lore en absoluto, quedando la magia como algo meramente anecdótico. Es el problema de Dragonlance: nunca se ha invertido tiempo en explicar cómo funciona la magia.
Por lo demás, recomiendo este libro a los fans de Dragonlance que se quedaran - como nos quedamos todos - hechos una piltrafa tras el devastador final de las Leyendas y necesitan alzar la cabeza del polvo. Pero que no se esperen nada parecido ni al mismo nivel. Vale la pena si quieres saber cómo siguen algunas tramas y saber más de algunos personajes queridos - particularmente Raistlin - pero en este punto yo ya siempre he dado por concluido lo imprescindible de la saga, que siempre serán las Crónicas y las Leyendas.
¿Por qué a estas alturas me hago con ellos? ¿Nostalgia? Sí. ¿Que si por mí fuera, me haría con toda la enorme bibliografía de Dragonlance? También. Pero ante todo una cierta sospecha, quizá infundada, que se ha apoderado de mí desde que Dungeons and Dragons ha anunciado que va a reescribir sus libros publicados purgándolos de todos los elementos que considere racistas y sexistas; cosa que siempre es una mala idea, no porque el sexismo y el racismo estén bien - de eso nada - sino porque como dice la cita bíblica, quod scripsi scripsi. No tiene sentido a estas alturas, y aunque no tengo claro que esto vaya a afectar a Dragonlance - una subfranquicia de DnD - por si acaso, voy a hacerme con lo que me falta antes de que se les ocurra convertir a Flint en un arquero y que Raistlin vista la Túnica Gris como Gandalf - porque el color negro es racista ahora, al parecer -.
Basta de tonterías. Vamos con el volumen. No es una novela única sino, como toda la serie, una colección de cuentos pertenecientes al universo de Dragonlance y que desarrollan lore e historias paralelas (lo que ahora se llama spin-off) de los personajes ya conocidos. Y aunque el prólogo es de Weis y Hickman, tan sólo dos historias están escritas por ellos, perteneciento al resto a otros autores del universo Dragonlance. Aunque no están mal - alguna de hecho, está bastante bien - recuerdo que en su día me decepcionó un poco ya que se nota cuando Weis y Hickman escriben los Héroes de la Lanza y cuándo no. Eso no significa para nada que los Cuentos no valgan la pena, sólo que, comparado con el apoteósico final de las Leyendas, es normal que al abordar los cuentos, que no son una continuidad, se experimente cierto bajón.
Sin embargo, el volumen vale la pena por dos joyitas, en mi opinión. La primera es "La prueba de los gemelos", de Margaret Weis, que fue la primera versión corta de lo que sucedió a Caramon y Raistlin cuando éste último pasó la Prueba para ser mago reconocido. Una versión más completa, profunda y desarrollada se publicó después - creo - en La Forja de un Túnica Negra, siendo ésta última versión la que la autora considera canon y dejando la anterior - y otros flashbacks y menciones que se encuentran en las Crónicas y las Leyendas - como relatos incompletos y modificados por la leyenda, cosa que en lugar de añadir caos al tema, le añade realismo. Eso sí, aquí es una versión corta, seca y con un final abrupto, además de algunas pequeñas incongruencias con la versión completa posterior, pero vale la pena en cualquier caso.
Y la otra joya, muy superior, y que con razón se encuentra al final del volumen y estructurada en varios capítulos, es "El Legado", escrito conjuntamente por Weis y Hickman, y que narra la Prueba de Palin Majere, hijo de Caramon y sobrino de Raistlin. Sólo por esta historia el volumen entero vale la pena, y aunque luego fue re-publicado de nuevo en La Segunda Generación - cosa que no recordaba - está bien que apareciera en este volumen ya que la constante de esta primera colección de cuentos es el tema de la magia. Y que es una historia muy conmovedora y muy bien escrita. Lo dicho, nadie escribe a los gemelos Majere como estos dos autores. Por otra parte, aunque en el fondo siempre defenderé que debieron dejar a Raistlin donde se quedó al final de las Leyendas - muerto y desaparecido - no puedo negar que su vuelta de entre los muertos - real y no real - es muy conmovedora y no te deja indiferente. Aunque no me acabo de tragar a Palin. Ni a Dalamar. Dios, qué imbécil. Se merece todo lo que pase.
Por último, si no le doy las cinco estrellas, es por la calidad variada que hay entre unas historias y otras. "A tiro de piedra" es estupenda, pero "En busca de la fe" es horrible. El poema que narra cómo Riverwind encontró la Vara de Cristal Azul es ilegible - ¿o será cosa de la traducción al español? - pero el relato jocoso "El Último Hogar" en el que un kender tira un afrodisíaco en los barriles de cerveza de Otik no tiene precio. Depende mucho del autor que escribe el cuento. Por no mencionar que el teoría, este primer volumen se basa en el lore de la magia, pero no se desarrolla dicho lore en absoluto, quedando la magia como algo meramente anecdótico. Es el problema de Dragonlance: nunca se ha invertido tiempo en explicar cómo funciona la magia.
Por lo demás, recomiendo este libro a los fans de Dragonlance que se quedaran - como nos quedamos todos - hechos una piltrafa tras el devastador final de las Leyendas y necesitan alzar la cabeza del polvo. Pero que no se esperen nada parecido ni al mismo nivel. Vale la pena si quieres saber cómo siguen algunas tramas y saber más de algunos personajes queridos - particularmente Raistlin - pero en este punto yo ya siempre he dado por concluido lo imprescindible de la saga, que siempre serán las Crónicas y las Leyendas.
December 27, 2024
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I think that takes care of my 2024 reading list! Looking forward to picking out some good stuff (hopefully) for next year.
July 25, 2021
The stories range from common adventures to really excellent storytelling. It's always a treat to go back to Krynn.
March 27, 2017
It’s hard to know if the Dragonlance Tales books are the beginning of the end, or the beginning of .. the beginning. Fandom certainly clings to the Chronicles and Legends trilogy alone as marks of fantasy greatness and only the Dragonlance diehards have time for anything else published under the banner, and yet the legacy is over 100 books that continued to sell for 20 years until the line was finally folded by Wizards of the Coast who have abandoned the once popular property, presumably after the animated movie failed to spark an interest in anyone.
I certainly don’t have time to read them all (but plan to get through some) but the Tales volumes certainly suggest that there’s something more to Dragonlance as a popular playground for cheap, easily consumable fantasy than it gets credit for and it’s equally fair to say that the Weis & Hickman novels are bigged up through nostalgic imagination - though it’s also fair to say that I think Weis & Hickman are extraordinarily adept at writing a certain brand of popular fantasy and the clever placing of some novellas by that duo alongside a bunch of weaker, but generally entertaining short stories only does a lot for their eventual reputation as *the* go-to Dragonlance authors.(Sadly they had greater ambition following the massive success of DL but their writing career never flourished in the public imagination outside of the DL brand. A shame, since I really liked the Death Gate cycle).
The Magic of Krynn is the first of three sets of short stories set on Krynn, not wedded to the original saga but more-often than not using it as a jumping off point, and more than occasionally featuring the original characters from the series. The assumption at the time was that people would want to read more about them and fill in the narrative gaps the Chronicles left wide-open, and they were not wrong. As you’d expect the stories have varying degrees of success and looking over the list of titles I’ve already forgotten some of them; mostly easy to pick up they are also easily put down and I consider that both a plus and a minus. Don’t come to any of these volumes expecting to make a friend for life, but do dip into them for a little light entertainment and you probably won’t be disappointed.
The standout in this collection is probably “A Stone’s Throw Away”, which is an amusing tale featuring our favourite Kender Tasslehof who ends up in thrall to a necromancer via his magic ring. It’s suitably light in tone, quite funny but also a little surprising in its conclusion and the concept is original; sadly these stories are mostly lacking that as much as they try to convince you otherwise. Weis and Hickman’s longish centrepiece “The Legacy” is also well worth a read. The estranged Father/Son conceit feels dull to read these days but the uncle-nephew relationship – yes, the possible return of Raistlin – is quite captivating and reading about Caramon’s sons is therefore not a chore. Likewise, more information surrounding the magic-users tests and why it’s such a strange and all-encompassing thing, is very welcome and I’m more and more finding it an entertaining conceit. Of course, ultimately it’s about Palin making a choice between light and dark – very classic Dragonlance. Finding the Faith is a wonderful little gap-filler, telling of the companions adventures in Icefall finding one of the dragon orbs. Not life-changing but I really enjoyed it both in its own right and as a nod back to the chronicles and the telling of a tale I wanted to read.
Elsewhere “Love and Ale” is a nice lighthearted tale of uncontrolled passions but it doesn’t really go anywhere. “Harvests” is Tanis related adventure that offers a suitable amount of bang for your buck, Wayward Children is one of the better conceits surrounding a Draconian Army and their enslavement of a village full of passive natives (I won’t spoil the excellent twist) and The Blood Sea Monster was a sadly wasted opportunity that started tense and interesting but was over a little too quickly. For some reason Weis and Hickman also provided a brief account of Raistlin’s own magic Test which I found peculiarly unsatisfying. Finally “Riverwind and the Crystal Staff” a narrative poem is an odd inclusion that’s badly written and not engaging.
I certainly don’t have time to read them all (but plan to get through some) but the Tales volumes certainly suggest that there’s something more to Dragonlance as a popular playground for cheap, easily consumable fantasy than it gets credit for and it’s equally fair to say that the Weis & Hickman novels are bigged up through nostalgic imagination - though it’s also fair to say that I think Weis & Hickman are extraordinarily adept at writing a certain brand of popular fantasy and the clever placing of some novellas by that duo alongside a bunch of weaker, but generally entertaining short stories only does a lot for their eventual reputation as *the* go-to Dragonlance authors.(Sadly they had greater ambition following the massive success of DL but their writing career never flourished in the public imagination outside of the DL brand. A shame, since I really liked the Death Gate cycle).
The Magic of Krynn is the first of three sets of short stories set on Krynn, not wedded to the original saga but more-often than not using it as a jumping off point, and more than occasionally featuring the original characters from the series. The assumption at the time was that people would want to read more about them and fill in the narrative gaps the Chronicles left wide-open, and they were not wrong. As you’d expect the stories have varying degrees of success and looking over the list of titles I’ve already forgotten some of them; mostly easy to pick up they are also easily put down and I consider that both a plus and a minus. Don’t come to any of these volumes expecting to make a friend for life, but do dip into them for a little light entertainment and you probably won’t be disappointed.
The standout in this collection is probably “A Stone’s Throw Away”, which is an amusing tale featuring our favourite Kender Tasslehof who ends up in thrall to a necromancer via his magic ring. It’s suitably light in tone, quite funny but also a little surprising in its conclusion and the concept is original; sadly these stories are mostly lacking that as much as they try to convince you otherwise. Weis and Hickman’s longish centrepiece “The Legacy” is also well worth a read. The estranged Father/Son conceit feels dull to read these days but the uncle-nephew relationship – yes, the possible return of Raistlin – is quite captivating and reading about Caramon’s sons is therefore not a chore. Likewise, more information surrounding the magic-users tests and why it’s such a strange and all-encompassing thing, is very welcome and I’m more and more finding it an entertaining conceit. Of course, ultimately it’s about Palin making a choice between light and dark – very classic Dragonlance. Finding the Faith is a wonderful little gap-filler, telling of the companions adventures in Icefall finding one of the dragon orbs. Not life-changing but I really enjoyed it both in its own right and as a nod back to the chronicles and the telling of a tale I wanted to read.
Elsewhere “Love and Ale” is a nice lighthearted tale of uncontrolled passions but it doesn’t really go anywhere. “Harvests” is Tanis related adventure that offers a suitable amount of bang for your buck, Wayward Children is one of the better conceits surrounding a Draconian Army and their enslavement of a village full of passive natives (I won’t spoil the excellent twist) and The Blood Sea Monster was a sadly wasted opportunity that started tense and interesting but was over a little too quickly. For some reason Weis and Hickman also provided a brief account of Raistlin’s own magic Test which I found peculiarly unsatisfying. Finally “Riverwind and the Crystal Staff” a narrative poem is an odd inclusion that’s badly written and not engaging.
December 10, 2023
Solid collection of short stories set in the DragonLance world. I find it interesting how different authors can play in the same "sandbox" and write other author's characters. The Weis and Hickman novella was the highlight, although I also enjoyed the contributions of Richard A. Knaak, Mary Kirchoff and others.
August 6, 2024
I've actually read this book ages ago, and re-read now it to see if it still holds up. I am happy to say that it (mostly) does!
It's a collection of short stories set in the world of Krynn, some (mostly the ones written by authors other than Margaret Weis) better than the others.
Riverwind and the Crystal Staff by Michael Williams - I couldn't finish this. I'm not particularly fond of any poetry, least of all bad one.
The Blood Sea Monster by Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel - A pretty good story, if not a good DragonLance story - change the name and this one could take place in any setting, as the titular monster is actually a personification of death/fate and not actually one of trademark DragonLance creatures. But it it very well-written, I found myself remembering it word-for-word as I re-read it, even after like 15+ years.
A Stone's Throw Away by Roger E. Moore - Great Tasslehoff story, great DragonLance story - great story in general. It actually impacted me so much that I've put dimension-hopping Tas in one of my D&D campaigns. My players loved it.
Dreams of Darkness, Dreams of Light by Warren B. Smith - Beautifully written and atmospheric, even if it doesn't add much to the lore.
Love and Ale by Nick O'Donohoe - I just loved this one. Pure chaos.
Wayward Children by Richard A. Knaak - Somber and sorrowful. Also good.
The Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis - Nothing here that we haven't already seen in the novels. Literally, it's the same text. I love the character of Raistlin and I would love to see him written by someone else, with, let's say, more talent.
Harvests by Nancy Varian Berberick - Nice one. It even has a twist and a point. This is how you do DragonLance adventures.
Finding the Faith by Mary Kirchoff - OMG it's the missing story from the second book, the one we only heard about! And it's... OK, I guess. Liked the setting, but the adventure itself is very humdrum.
The Legacy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Again, I love Raistlin, and this one has some fine imagery (the portal and the Abyss), but it's too long and meandering, even boring at points. Just let someone else a shot at writing him.
It's a collection of short stories set in the world of Krynn, some (mostly the ones written by authors other than Margaret Weis) better than the others.
Riverwind and the Crystal Staff by Michael Williams - I couldn't finish this. I'm not particularly fond of any poetry, least of all bad one.
The Blood Sea Monster by Barbara Siegel and Scott Siegel - A pretty good story, if not a good DragonLance story - change the name and this one could take place in any setting, as the titular monster is actually a personification of death/fate and not actually one of trademark DragonLance creatures. But it it very well-written, I found myself remembering it word-for-word as I re-read it, even after like 15+ years.
A Stone's Throw Away by Roger E. Moore - Great Tasslehoff story, great DragonLance story - great story in general. It actually impacted me so much that I've put dimension-hopping Tas in one of my D&D campaigns. My players loved it.
Dreams of Darkness, Dreams of Light by Warren B. Smith - Beautifully written and atmospheric, even if it doesn't add much to the lore.
Love and Ale by Nick O'Donohoe - I just loved this one. Pure chaos.
Wayward Children by Richard A. Knaak - Somber and sorrowful. Also good.
The Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis - Nothing here that we haven't already seen in the novels. Literally, it's the same text. I love the character of Raistlin and I would love to see him written by someone else, with, let's say, more talent.
Harvests by Nancy Varian Berberick - Nice one. It even has a twist and a point. This is how you do DragonLance adventures.
Finding the Faith by Mary Kirchoff - OMG it's the missing story from the second book, the one we only heard about! And it's... OK, I guess. Liked the setting, but the adventure itself is very humdrum.
The Legacy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Again, I love Raistlin, and this one has some fine imagery (the portal and the Abyss), but it's too long and meandering, even boring at points. Just let someone else a shot at writing him.
January 26, 2020
Like all anthologies, I liked some and disliked others. I really liked Finding the Faith and Harvests, as well as A Stones Throw Away. If you love Dragonlance, you'll probably like them overall.
June 15, 2022
.
i devoured all the Dragonlance Tales & Chronicles back when they were available at my local Public library, but was did not record a rating on them in a timey manner.
Anyone who enjoys magic, fantasy, adventure, and characters that jump from one book to another should enjoy this series in their own way.
I look forward to reading the entire series again in the future. I'm sure my perspectie may be a little different, but I cannot imagine I could possibly be disappointed.
.
i devoured all the Dragonlance Tales & Chronicles back when they were available at my local Public library, but was did not record a rating on them in a timey manner.
Anyone who enjoys magic, fantasy, adventure, and characters that jump from one book to another should enjoy this series in their own way.
I look forward to reading the entire series again in the future. I'm sure my perspectie may be a little different, but I cannot imagine I could possibly be disappointed.
.
April 13, 2024
Conjunto de relatos cortos con historias diversas cuyo aspecto en común es el uso de magia, ya sea para enamorar, para vengarse o para otorgar coraje. Los relatos, sin ser una maravilla, entretienen sin más, que es lo que yo ahora mismo necesito. Eso sí, el último relato, “El legado”, es el broche de oro a una antología de relatos que funciona genial si se deja pasar un tiempo desde Leyendas, y si se busca una lectura sencillita y ágil, para pasar el rato y sin más pretensiones. Los otros relatos que me han gustado especialmente son "El último hogar", "La prueba de los gemelos" y "En busca de la fe". Ojalá hubiese leído los Cuentos en su día (es la primera vez que leo estos libros).
En el prólogo, Weis y Hickman resumen de qué va cada relato; a continuación he añadido esas explicaciones en cursiva, ordenadas según aparición (por algún motivo el prólogo no sigue el mismo orden en que los relatos están presentados) y seguidas por mis anotaciones y la nota de cada relato (absolutamente subjetivas y con muchos spoilers, como siempre).
En el prólogo, Weis y Hickman resumen de qué va cada relato; a continuación he añadido esas explicaciones en cursiva, ordenadas según aparición (por algún motivo el prólogo no sigue el mismo orden en que los relatos están presentados) y seguidas por mis anotaciones y la nota de cada relato (absolutamente subjetivas y con muchos spoilers, como siempre).
October 31, 2024
A really fun collection of short stories that pair nicely with the core story. Some are certainly better than others, but none really overstay their welcome.
January 9, 2022
An excellent collection of stories in the world of Dragonlance! Absolutely mandatory for fans of the series particularly for the Weis & Hickman novella at the end about Caramon's mage son and Weis's original short story telling the tale of Raistlin's test.
January 6, 2016
"Is Rasitlin truly dead?"
If you have to ask, probably not...
I gotta' say, it has been a looooooooong time since I read me some Dragonlance. I loved the original trilogy as a kid because I was a full on, geeked out, D&D playin' lunatic! Then I discovered girls. And rock 'n' roll. Actually, there were several years of overlap. Thus my love for heavy metal. And swords. So it goes.
It was fun going back to Krynn and riding along with the characters from the Dragonlance books on other stories taking place both before and after the original series. All of the stories are well written and entertaining but the real stand out, for me, was Nancy Berberick's story, "Harvests." That was some serious story telling, folks. She's got the intensity and economy to drive a short story right into your face and MAKE you pay attention! Good stuff. I just might have to read some of her Dragonalance novels.
Not sure if this series would appeal to those who are not familiar with those first three Dragonalance books, considering the plentiful references in these stories to events that took place in those books but the writing's solid and enjoyable.
If you have to ask, probably not...
I gotta' say, it has been a looooooooong time since I read me some Dragonlance. I loved the original trilogy as a kid because I was a full on, geeked out, D&D playin' lunatic! Then I discovered girls. And rock 'n' roll. Actually, there were several years of overlap. Thus my love for heavy metal. And swords. So it goes.
It was fun going back to Krynn and riding along with the characters from the Dragonlance books on other stories taking place both before and after the original series. All of the stories are well written and entertaining but the real stand out, for me, was Nancy Berberick's story, "Harvests." That was some serious story telling, folks. She's got the intensity and economy to drive a short story right into your face and MAKE you pay attention! Good stuff. I just might have to read some of her Dragonalance novels.
Not sure if this series would appeal to those who are not familiar with those first three Dragonalance books, considering the plentiful references in these stories to events that took place in those books but the writing's solid and enjoyable.
February 8, 2017
I'm not a great fan of short stories, although I did enjoy one or two of these DragonLance-based tales. Surprisingly, in a couple of the offerings by other authors in this book, I found some contradiction of detail, in comparison with the original Chronicles. Personally, I would expect a writer to be completely familiar with the fundamental elements of another author's work before attempting a contribution.
May 24, 2016
This is a good follow-up to the Twins Trilogy. It was well written and consisted of a series of short stories including answering the question about Raistlin. We find out if he was still alive or if he was indeed dead. This is a must read for those of us who don't want to let Krynn go quite yet.
April 7, 2018
I gave the original series all 4s as I devoured them as a long-ago youth and Raistlin is one of my all-time memorable characters. These TALES are not as good (and I only kept #1 and #3 as pertinent to the Raistlin storyline.)
February 21, 2016
Some of the short stories were great but others were not that great.
April 26, 2025
Książka zaledwie poprawna, w której z dziesięciu tekstów do czegokolwiek nadają się może ze cztery. Wynika to stąd, że tak naprawdę jest to antologia wprawek literackich popełnionych przez autorów, którzy później na stałe związali się ze światem Dragonlance'a i co jakiś czas dostarczali pełnoprawne powieści, zresztą wydawane też i u nas. Na osłodę dorzucono najstarszy tekst literacki z Dragonlance'a, czyli "Próbę bliźniaków" Margaret Weis, a także coś, co wydawca humorystycznie nazwał powieścią (też na okładce!), czyli niespełna 90-stronicowe opowiadanie Weis i Hickmana - tym razem z Próbą (nazywaną w tekście jednak Testem) syna Caramona.
Najjaśniejszą stroną książki są "Odnaleźć wiarę" Marty Kirchoff o wyprawie po smoczą kulę, "Żniwa" Nancy Varian Berberick z Tanisem i Flintem udzielającymi pomocy zagubionemu w lesie dziewczęciu, wspomniana "Próba bliźniaków" oraz słaba literacko, ale nawet zabawna "Miłość i piwo" Nicka O'Donohoe, przedstawiająca czytelnikowi efekty zetknięcia się kendera z kadzią piwa. Od biedy ujdzie też ta nieszczęsna "powieść", czyli "Dziedzictwo", aczkolwiek jest ona przegadana i marna pod względem psychologii postaci.
O pozostałych pięciu tekstach, z których cztery - jak na złość - zostały umieszczone z przodu antologii, nie będę pisał, bo są zupełnie jałowe, a jeden z nich to w ogóle krótki poemat wierszem.
Najjaśniejszą stroną książki są "Odnaleźć wiarę" Marty Kirchoff o wyprawie po smoczą kulę, "Żniwa" Nancy Varian Berberick z Tanisem i Flintem udzielającymi pomocy zagubionemu w lesie dziewczęciu, wspomniana "Próba bliźniaków" oraz słaba literacko, ale nawet zabawna "Miłość i piwo" Nicka O'Donohoe, przedstawiająca czytelnikowi efekty zetknięcia się kendera z kadzią piwa. Od biedy ujdzie też ta nieszczęsna "powieść", czyli "Dziedzictwo", aczkolwiek jest ona przegadana i marna pod względem psychologii postaci.
O pozostałych pięciu tekstach, z których cztery - jak na złość - zostały umieszczone z przodu antologii, nie będę pisał, bo są zupełnie jałowe, a jeden z nich to w ogóle krótki poemat wierszem.
November 16, 2024
The first volume in the first Tales trilogy (there would be more Tales series), The Magic of Krynn is an anthology of short stories (and some longer ones), exploring the world of Krynn and often filling in gaps in the stories we already know while in other cases actually advancing the stories of some of the main characters we came to know and love.
The biggest attractions in this volume are the two tales told by the original Dragonlance novelists, with Margaret Weis contributing "The Test of the Twins" which, much as in a previous, lesser developed, Dragon Magazine short-story, tells us of Raistlin's test in the Tower of High Sorcery and the toll this took on himself and Caramon, his twin.
The longest tale in the volume is by Weis and Tracy Hickman who in "The Legacy" introduce us to "Dragonlance: The Next Generation" as the children of Caramon and Tika deal with their family history and we get to pick up on what happened to Raistlin and everyone after the Legends trilogy. Tales like "Finding the Faith" fill in gaps in the Chronicles trilogy and overall the other stories are generally entertaining if you are into the world of Krynn, which I certainly am.
The biggest attractions in this volume are the two tales told by the original Dragonlance novelists, with Margaret Weis contributing "The Test of the Twins" which, much as in a previous, lesser developed, Dragon Magazine short-story, tells us of Raistlin's test in the Tower of High Sorcery and the toll this took on himself and Caramon, his twin.
The longest tale in the volume is by Weis and Tracy Hickman who in "The Legacy" introduce us to "Dragonlance: The Next Generation" as the children of Caramon and Tika deal with their family history and we get to pick up on what happened to Raistlin and everyone after the Legends trilogy. Tales like "Finding the Faith" fill in gaps in the Chronicles trilogy and overall the other stories are generally entertaining if you are into the world of Krynn, which I certainly am.
December 15, 2024
The first trilogy of tales set in the Dragonlance world, Tales is not what i was expecting. The Magic of Krynn is a series of short stories that follows characters we have read about before, as well as some all new personalities. Whilst i was looking forward to a continuation of the story laid out in Chronicles and Legends, this novel did provide some padding for the likes of Tanis, Caramon, Raistlin, Sturm, Tas, Laurana and Tika with stories about their past and future.
The story that did grab my attention was one about Caramon and Raistlin, set in the future. Without spoiling what happens, the only question i will pose is, is Raistlin still alive after his encounter with the Dark Queen? This story is well told, spanning several chapters, and plants the seed for future stories set in the world of Krynn.
This was a fun interlude, and although i would have preferred a sequential trilogy, it begs the question – how will 5 more of books with short stories hold up, and will i be sick of them by the end of these two trilogies or wishing for more?
The story that did grab my attention was one about Caramon and Raistlin, set in the future. Without spoiling what happens, the only question i will pose is, is Raistlin still alive after his encounter with the Dark Queen? This story is well told, spanning several chapters, and plants the seed for future stories set in the world of Krynn.
This was a fun interlude, and although i would have preferred a sequential trilogy, it begs the question – how will 5 more of books with short stories hold up, and will i be sick of them by the end of these two trilogies or wishing for more?
May 20, 2023
The DragonLance Tales Volume 1: "The Magic of Krynn" provides a fun collection of 9 short stories and a novella that take place within the Dungeons and Dragon's DragonLance universe. The collection was edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, who together with Tracy's wife Laura Hickman created the DragonLance universe a few years previous. The short stories lead up to the novella that concludes the book, so there is some loose connection between the tales.
These are, of course, sort of hit or miss but none of them were bad and none particularly great. Still, I enjoyed the adventures from start to finish. There's some fun characters that are well developed. Where things are weakest is when they feel most like an RPG campaign, two of the longer tales "Harvests" and "Finding the Faith" were most difficult for me to complete due to losing interest.
I wouldn't recommend buying it, but I'd recommend reading it from the library.
These are, of course, sort of hit or miss but none of them were bad and none particularly great. Still, I enjoyed the adventures from start to finish. There's some fun characters that are well developed. Where things are weakest is when they feel most like an RPG campaign, two of the longer tales "Harvests" and "Finding the Faith" were most difficult for me to complete due to losing interest.
I wouldn't recommend buying it, but I'd recommend reading it from the library.
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March 31, 2020Not sure how to rate this, since it’s a collection of short stories (which I didn’t know when picking up this book). Some stories were very enjoyable, plot-/style-wise, others not so much. What was consistent throughout the German edition I own were the spelling and grammar mistakes-even names at times! That was pretty annoying...
Some stories had some rather weird elements in them, like one about that guy with a tavern in Solace (don’t know his English name though), where he kept saying his daughter is ready to get her own home or stuff like that and she’s a teenager still?
Also, some descriptions in the last story, about Palin, Caramons Son, and Raistlin, we’re freaking weird. I don’t know, they made me feel a bit squeamish?
Some stories had some rather weird elements in them, like one about that guy with a tavern in Solace (don’t know his English name though), where he kept saying his daughter is ready to get her own home or stuff like that and she’s a teenager still?
Also, some descriptions in the last story, about Palin, Caramons Son, and Raistlin, we’re freaking weird. I don’t know, they made me feel a bit squeamish?
June 15, 2017
It was nice to be able to return to a collection of stories I loved as a child. I was disappointed to find that I had outgrown the appeal of some of them, but it's still a pretty good collection. Also disappointing that this book is not currently available in Kindle format, so I had to settle for Audible audiobook, which is MUCH less satisfying to me than reading a physical or Kindle book. The narration is extremely well done, though, which is nice. My favorite story from the collection, "The Legacy," definitely does not have the impact and meaning that it once did for me.
October 23, 2020
My first trip into the dragonlance books. I am not disappointed and will read more books in this world. All together a bunch of great short stories that make you want to get the other books to read to see what else happened with these characters. Only one of the stories in this book I didn't care for but the rest were great. Characters are well written and you feel like you know them and want to know everything there is about them. Raistlin (if I spelled it right) might be one of my favorite characters behing tanis and flint.
September 25, 2022
Anthology of tales fleshing out TSR's Dragonlance world, including a few spotlights on minor characters from the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy, ending with a novella ("The Legacy") by original authors Weis and Hickman continuing the story from the Legends trilogy and which is worth the price of admission. The stories range from absolute slog ("Love and Ale") to delightful romp ("A Stone's Throw Away") to genuinely moving ("The Legacy"). Recommended to fans of the first two Dragonlance trilogies.
October 7, 2023
This is the first chapter book I remember taking out of and actually reading from the northeast regional library’s spinning rack of sci-fi/fantasy trade paperbacks. Most of the stories came back to me even after 25+ years. Crazy that this was my introduction to Dragonlance considering the main trilogies were already out. Now that I’ve read those and am revisiting the rest of the books I have a greater appreciation for this collection.
December 20, 2022
A book from my youth. Not as awe-inspiring as I remembered it, but still I appreciate the world-building in the Dragonlance universe. The Legacy in particular is a solid story, telling the tale of Caramon Majere’s son Palin, who is summoned to the Tower of High Sorcery to help determine if his uncle Raistlin is still alive…
November 24, 2023
Just re read this afdter over twenty years and I enjoyed it just as much. My favorite story is The Legacy bu Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman one last Raistlin story. But unlike many short story compilations there are only winners in this books. Reread it if it's an old favorite or read it for the first time you won't be disappointed.
August 13, 2025
The last time I read a Dragonlance book was more than 20 years ago. I decided to pick this natural succession of the Legends trilogy and I'm glad I did. I missed this writing style. This collection of stories brought me back to the past when I had read Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and then went deep into Dragonlance. I miss Tass already.
August 11, 2019
3.5 stars.
Meant for filling the gaps, complementing the big story with necessary side stories. But some tales need not to be explained, IMO. Some was good, but some was written in different style, and felt forced. The old characters were sometimes came out different than the original.
Meant for filling the gaps, complementing the big story with necessary side stories. But some tales need not to be explained, IMO. Some was good, but some was written in different style, and felt forced. The old characters were sometimes came out different than the original.
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