Theros Ironfeld

Dragonlance: The Warriors #4

by Don Perrin

A young boy stood on the dock of his fishing village and watched the minotaur war barge approach. It would change his life from a lad who would have grown to follow in the footsteps of his father, to the greatest weapons-smith in the history of Krynn.

As a young boy, Theros Ironfeld was captured and pressed to service under the minotaurs. As a man, he first fought draconians to a standstill in Solace, and later, by mysterious means, acquired a silver arm. And when the evil dragons came to conquer, he was the only man who could forge the fabled dragonlances necessary to defeat them.

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

315 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to give more Dragonlance novels a shot, and this one both exceeded my expectations, but was also kneecapped by my biggest frustration with the Dragonlance line in general.

Overall, this is the story of Theros, a human who voluntarily chooses slavery with minotaurs as a child, and is raised as a weaponsmith, and who then sets out on his own. He encounters pitfalls and wonders, as you would expect in a fantasy novel, and the book is largely about someone creating their own moral compass in a fantasy world. I quite enjoyed it overall.

The biggest drawback is the unnecessary inclusion of characters from the Legends series. Since this novel takes place (for a while) during the War of the Lance, we OF COURSE have to have cameos from most (all?) of the Companions. I do not care. Enough with those damn characters! It wasn't needed, and only detracted, and I skipped all the sections that were them. I feel like that was forced upon Perrin to include, and it shows. Sadly, this means I skipped most of the final few chapters entirely, BUT thankfully there is a coda of sorts to the book that is ... man, I honestly teared up. Since it's at the end, I can't say much about it lest I spoil it, but I think it is a gorgeous answer to the moral question posed by the book.

[Gregory · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good story, but not the story of Theros Ironfeld.
This story is a story of fan fiction from a fan that didn’t really read the original material. Even though Theros’s backstory wasn’t fully fleshed out in any of the previous Dragonlance novels or gaming material, he did have a basic stated backstory in the Campaign setting that was released several years before this novel. It’s a shame. The author had a decent story that would have been great for some other unrelated character to the main storyline, but instead he wanted to bank on people trying to find more on Theros’s to sell his story.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Theros story and how he came about his views of honor. He is a rough character that over time and through many challenges becomes the creator of the new dragon lances. Theros becomes a slave willingly at the age of 8, learns to smith from the minotaurs, gains his freedom by saving a minotaur's life, then learning to live as a free man with other humans. These are just a few of the things that shape him.

[Jeff Granger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting backstory of a relatively minor character, with just enough references to the main story to remind you why you’re reading this book in the first place. Good ending that dovetails nicely into the big adventure.

[Tom Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story and character growth. A great character that could have been easily overlooked

[Mikaël · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating life Theros has led. I'd say he's earned his rest, but it would seem his legacy is only beginning!

[J.C. Cauthon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this book generated a certain amount of excitement. As a lover of history, finally getting the opportunity to read the history of the dragonlances was a big deal. However, this book was mediocre at best.

It explained how he got his silver arm, and it got around to telling about the making of the lances, but it never got into the "meat" of the person, Theros Ironfeld. The book focused on what I would call the "low points" of his life, and most of it felt trivial, at best.

I want to see a sequel to this book to tell me what happened in the rest of his life, but I do not know of one, as of yet. Apparently, once he made the lances, Theros disappeared into history.

So, read this book if you want to go on a typical Dragonlance adventure or if you simply have to be a completionist and read them all. But if you are reading this for his life story, you may be left wanting more, and the writers of Dragonlance just won't deliver.

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

My actual rating is 3.5 stars.

A novel set in the world of Dragonlance. This tells the story of Theros Ironfeld who created the dragonlances in the original trilogy. This novel tells his life from the age of 8 up to where we meet him in the trilogy.

I liked this book as the author did a fantastic job depicting several different lifestyles. The reader was given a nice perspective of differences between humans, elves, and minotaurs. The action scenes were well portrayed and one could get the feel of the battle. The main character isn't the most lovable character but I enjoyed his journey from slave to one who forges weapons. Throughout the novel there is serious character development for the character which was a nice touch. Fans of Dragonlance will enjoy this novel as it relates to the original trilogy and the easter eggs that were present.

This was a nice fantasy read that wasn't epic in its journey but was a pleasant supplement to the original trilogy.