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Dragonlance: Destinies #1
Dragons of Deceit
The first new Dragonlance novel from Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman in over a decade, and featuring fan-favorite characters from the iconic first two trilogies, Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends--books that brought a generation of readers into the fantasy fold.
Destina Rosethorn—as her name implies—believes herself to be a favored child of destiny. But when her father dies in the War of the Lance, she watches her carefully constructed world come crashing down. She loses not only her beloved father but also the legacy he has left the family lands and castle. To save her father, she hatches a bold plan—to go back in time and prevent his death.
First, she has to secure the Device of Time Journeying, last known to be in the possession of the spirited kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot. But to change time, she’ll need another magical artifact—the most powerful and dangerous artifact ever created. Destina’s quest takes her from the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to the town of Solace and beyond, setting in motion a chain of disastrous events that threaten to divert the course of the River of Time, alter the past, and forever change the future.
Destina Rosethorn—as her name implies—believes herself to be a favored child of destiny. But when her father dies in the War of the Lance, she watches her carefully constructed world come crashing down. She loses not only her beloved father but also the legacy he has left the family lands and castle. To save her father, she hatches a bold plan—to go back in time and prevent his death.
First, she has to secure the Device of Time Journeying, last known to be in the possession of the spirited kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot. But to change time, she’ll need another magical artifact—the most powerful and dangerous artifact ever created. Destina’s quest takes her from the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to the town of Solace and beyond, setting in motion a chain of disastrous events that threaten to divert the course of the River of Time, alter the past, and forever change the future.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2022
528 people are currently reading
7319 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
676 books5,829 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 385 reviews
August 30, 2022
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
After many, many years the original writers of this universe have returned with the beginning of a new trilogy. In this one, Destina is a daughter of a Solamnic knight. She loses her father in a famous battle for this universe and she devises a plan to get him back. This book originally starts between the authors already penned books but there is time traveling involved so we see different time eras.
Dragonlance was my first fantasy foray as a teenager many, many years ago and I have a special place in my heart for this world. I was so apprehensive about a new book in this world. Will it hold up and stay true to this world and can it rekindle my feelings for this world? I will say for the most part this book does. It does start off slow. I believe part of that is even though this is an established world there is a lot of world building in this book. The authors were probably trying to paint a picture for new readers. And I am not totally sold on the main character. She is naive because of her age which is kind of the point and her decision making reflects this. I knew she would be a tough sell in a universe that has so many amazing characters. I did think a lot of this book was fan service as there seemed to be a lot of name dropping and it seemed like the authors were saying "We are back in Krynn". I didn't mind this but I wasn't blown away by it. That is how I felt about this book until the time traveling aspect started. I loved this part. I think I actually gasped with the first reveal. And where we left off. Great cliffhanger.
This was a likeable beginning of a trilogy. It wasn't my favorite from this world. But I am back in this universe and that is what truly matters. I will say even with it not being my favorite I loved the final pages and it makes me want to jump into the next book. Let's face it. I was going to do that anyways but I am counting down the days until its release. I want it now.
After many, many years the original writers of this universe have returned with the beginning of a new trilogy. In this one, Destina is a daughter of a Solamnic knight. She loses her father in a famous battle for this universe and she devises a plan to get him back. This book originally starts between the authors already penned books but there is time traveling involved so we see different time eras.
Dragonlance was my first fantasy foray as a teenager many, many years ago and I have a special place in my heart for this world. I was so apprehensive about a new book in this world. Will it hold up and stay true to this world and can it rekindle my feelings for this world? I will say for the most part this book does. It does start off slow. I believe part of that is even though this is an established world there is a lot of world building in this book. The authors were probably trying to paint a picture for new readers. And I am not totally sold on the main character. She is naive because of her age which is kind of the point and her decision making reflects this. I knew she would be a tough sell in a universe that has so many amazing characters. I did think a lot of this book was fan service as there seemed to be a lot of name dropping and it seemed like the authors were saying "We are back in Krynn". I didn't mind this but I wasn't blown away by it. That is how I felt about this book until the time traveling aspect started. I loved this part. I think I actually gasped with the first reveal. And where we left off. Great cliffhanger.
This was a likeable beginning of a trilogy. It wasn't my favorite from this world. But I am back in this universe and that is what truly matters. I will say even with it not being my favorite I loved the final pages and it makes me want to jump into the next book. Let's face it. I was going to do that anyways but I am counting down the days until its release. I want it now.
August 11, 2022
This is a difficult book for me to review. Dragonlance was my favorite series for so much of my youth. The main stories and characters hold a sacred place in my heart. The best parts of Dragons of Deceit are when we see these classic characters or references to the wider world and people. It just felt awesome to be back in this universe.
Sadly, there are a lot of issues outside of that nostalgia factor:
First, the book has way too many typos. There was at least half a dozen that stuck out. That is way too many for a finished, edited book. It almost felt like an ARC.
Second, there is a lot of repetition in this book. I am not even talking about the repetitive nature of this being a time travel story with Tas. Certain phrases and descriptions are repeated several times over throughout the story. I have a problem with those types of things when it feels like the author thinks the reader is dumb. That is not the case here. It just felt like the editors did not catch that these descriptions had been done prior and could be cut from the text. It brought down the overall quality of the writing.
Lastly, the main character is so annoying and wishy washy. The way her personhood is described in the beginning seems to fly in the face of her actions at the end. It was frustrating. Not to mention Tas being a large part of the book. He always makes me anxious and frustrated.
I do not want to end this on a sour note. The tension in the third part of the book is incredible. It had me on the edge of my seat. And it leaves things in an interesting place for the second book of the trilogy (this is definitely one of those books that is setting up the next more than giving a complete story on its own). I will definitely pick up the rest of the series despite the flaws. But that is because of my fandom. This is not a good book for someone to start in Dragonlance. Possibly not a good book at all. I cannot really tell. And I guess I do want to end this on a sour note.
Sadly, there are a lot of issues outside of that nostalgia factor:
First, the book has way too many typos. There was at least half a dozen that stuck out. That is way too many for a finished, edited book. It almost felt like an ARC.
Second, there is a lot of repetition in this book. I am not even talking about the repetitive nature of this being a time travel story with Tas. Certain phrases and descriptions are repeated several times over throughout the story. I have a problem with those types of things when it feels like the author thinks the reader is dumb. That is not the case here. It just felt like the editors did not catch that these descriptions had been done prior and could be cut from the text. It brought down the overall quality of the writing.
Lastly, the main character is so annoying and wishy washy. The way her personhood is described in the beginning seems to fly in the face of her actions at the end. It was frustrating. Not to mention Tas being a large part of the book. He always makes me anxious and frustrated.
I do not want to end this on a sour note. The tension in the third part of the book is incredible. It had me on the edge of my seat. And it leaves things in an interesting place for the second book of the trilogy (this is definitely one of those books that is setting up the next more than giving a complete story on its own). I will definitely pick up the rest of the series despite the flaws. But that is because of my fandom. This is not a good book for someone to start in Dragonlance. Possibly not a good book at all. I cannot really tell. And I guess I do want to end this on a sour note.
August 12, 2022
DNF 50%
Paladine, guide me through the new roads of Krynn. Show me the light show me the way. Amen.
My prayers were not answered.
When I saw this was coming out I re read Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
I was surprised at how poorly written it was. Made to 20% and stopped. I understand it was written like a module so I was hoping her writing matured.
This was a big disappointment. The story telling was just too simple for my taste. A plot written by a middle school girl in a summer fantasy workshop.
The writing had a YA feel to it. The characters lacked personality.
Where was the flamboyance of Jarlaxle, the evil of Cersie Lannister or the humor of Rubeus Hagrid.
Destina walked into a pawn shop to look for a time travel artifact that will send her back in time to save her father. Dumb.
Then she went to the library to research how the artifact works. Dumber!
Then Destina married Tass. Dumberer!
That's When I gave up. R.A. Salvatore's writing has evolved Margaret Weiss hasn't.
Goodbye to the land of Krynn. Sad to see you go but the good times will be remembered.
P.S. Editor to the land of Krynn. Stat!
Paladine, guide me through the new roads of Krynn. Show me the light show me the way. Amen.
My prayers were not answered.
When I saw this was coming out I re read Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
I was surprised at how poorly written it was. Made to 20% and stopped. I understand it was written like a module so I was hoping her writing matured.
This was a big disappointment. The story telling was just too simple for my taste. A plot written by a middle school girl in a summer fantasy workshop.
The writing had a YA feel to it. The characters lacked personality.
Where was the flamboyance of Jarlaxle, the evil of Cersie Lannister or the humor of Rubeus Hagrid.
Destina walked into a pawn shop to look for a time travel artifact that will send her back in time to save her father. Dumb.
Then she went to the library to research how the artifact works. Dumber!
Then Destina married Tass. Dumberer!
That's When I gave up. R.A. Salvatore's writing has evolved Margaret Weiss hasn't.
Goodbye to the land of Krynn. Sad to see you go but the good times will be remembered.
P.S. Editor to the land of Krynn. Stat!
August 6, 2022
https://booknest.eu/reviews/charles/2...
DRAGONS OF DECEIT by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the best Dragonlance book since THE SECOND GENERATION. Unfortunately, that's saying quite a bit since that includes DRAGONS OF A SUMMER FLAME, THE WAR OF SOULS, and THE DARK DISCIPLE books. I haven't read THE LOST CHRONICLES yet, but I feel like it is hard to capture the magic of THE DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES and DRAGONLANCE LEGENDS.
Anyway, Destina Rosethorn, my one complaint being her name sounds like it came from Harry Potter fanfic, is a young Solamnic Knight's daughter during the War of the Lance. Her father doesn't believe in the gods, but her mother does. After a series of unfortunate events result in Destina losing her father, castle, fiance, and self-respect, she proceeds to hatch upon a plan to use the Device of Time Journeying ot save her father from death at the High Clerist's Tower.
Much of the book's humor derives from the fact that Destina's plan is utterly insane and incredibly ill-considered from beginning to end. It is also hypocritical as she spends a lot of the book talking about her disdain for magic and wizards while depending on a device that is unquestionably magic. The fact she chooses to involve the Graygem in this, which many book fans will know from Dragons of Summer Flame, is another layer of stupidity on a stupid sandwich.
This isn't a complaint about the book because Destina's plan is actually somewhat endearing. We've all lost someone and would love to see them return if we had the right magic to do so. Watching her blunder forward with not one, but two of the most powerful mystical artifacts in existence is even more humorous than Tasslehoff Burrfoot ever was. Especially when she starts mucking with the timeline like if Rosencratz and Guildenstern decided to tell Hamlet's mother that her current husband murdered her late husband.
Speaking of Tasslehoff, much of the book is about how Destina can't outwit him. Which is hard to really summarize the full meaning of that sentence. She.cannot.outwit.Tasslehoff. I love Destina and she's a wonderfully fun girl but while she may have an INT score of 12 or 13, she absolutely must have either the lowest WIS score on Krynn or is consistently rolling 1's on her Diplomacy or Sense Motive checks. Tasslehoff runs rings around her and that, honestly, is the best evidence I can think of that a character is a complete moron.
How bad is she at this? I mean, beyond trying to alter time and space with an object the gods can't control to save her father versus, I dunno, calling her father's ghost up to contest his will or finding Elistan or Crysania to resurrect him? Asking Astinus to confirm that her father left her keep to her rather than his evil nephew? Straight up murdering her evil cousin and his wife? I mean, still incredibly extreme measures but a little less insane is all I'm saying. Well, Tasslehoff and she end up married. No, I'm not going to explain the circumstances.
Dragons of Summer Flame ended the Dragonlance epic in many fan's eyes with the assumption being that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman were attempting to wrap it all up before WOTC took it away from. Mostly because they've been trying to undo the changes to the setting for the past couple of decades. Many fans are assuming this trilogy is going to be yet another attempt and be a bit like DC's FLASHPOINT PARADOX.
Is Dragons of Deceit going to do that? Honestly, I don't know, but it's heavily implied that the Second Cataclysm is something everyone wants to avert. The fact Dalamar and the other High Sorcery mages see it coming as well as desire to stop it is an argument by itself. They certainly didn't know about it in the original timeline. It's also described not in "oh, humanity finally can make its own way!" terms but, "Oh my god, a world without gods and magic after we just got them back? That is monstrous!" Which, honestly, I think is how they would react so no complaints from me there.
I love this book. I love Destina, who feels real both because and despite the fact she is the dumbest person in Krynn. We have way too many incredibly clever protagonists. Dungeons and Dragons was founded on people who see the Necronomicon and forget the magic words to use it safely. There's even a nod to this when the Hand of Vecna is sold to some gullible Black Robe mages with instructions to chop parts off themselves. Yet, I felt her pain and her very real-life problems that were relatable to all of us that struggled after the death of a loved one. Plus, some old favorites may or may not be back from the dead.
DRAGONS OF DECEIT by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the best Dragonlance book since THE SECOND GENERATION. Unfortunately, that's saying quite a bit since that includes DRAGONS OF A SUMMER FLAME, THE WAR OF SOULS, and THE DARK DISCIPLE books. I haven't read THE LOST CHRONICLES yet, but I feel like it is hard to capture the magic of THE DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES and DRAGONLANCE LEGENDS.
Anyway, Destina Rosethorn, my one complaint being her name sounds like it came from Harry Potter fanfic, is a young Solamnic Knight's daughter during the War of the Lance. Her father doesn't believe in the gods, but her mother does. After a series of unfortunate events result in Destina losing her father, castle, fiance, and self-respect, she proceeds to hatch upon a plan to use the Device of Time Journeying ot save her father from death at the High Clerist's Tower.
Much of the book's humor derives from the fact that Destina's plan is utterly insane and incredibly ill-considered from beginning to end. It is also hypocritical as she spends a lot of the book talking about her disdain for magic and wizards while depending on a device that is unquestionably magic. The fact she chooses to involve the Graygem in this, which many book fans will know from Dragons of Summer Flame, is another layer of stupidity on a stupid sandwich.
This isn't a complaint about the book because Destina's plan is actually somewhat endearing. We've all lost someone and would love to see them return if we had the right magic to do so. Watching her blunder forward with not one, but two of the most powerful mystical artifacts in existence is even more humorous than Tasslehoff Burrfoot ever was. Especially when she starts mucking with the timeline like if Rosencratz and Guildenstern decided to tell Hamlet's mother that her current husband murdered her late husband.
Speaking of Tasslehoff, much of the book is about how Destina can't outwit him. Which is hard to really summarize the full meaning of that sentence. She.cannot.outwit.Tasslehoff. I love Destina and she's a wonderfully fun girl but while she may have an INT score of 12 or 13, she absolutely must have either the lowest WIS score on Krynn or is consistently rolling 1's on her Diplomacy or Sense Motive checks. Tasslehoff runs rings around her and that, honestly, is the best evidence I can think of that a character is a complete moron.
How bad is she at this? I mean, beyond trying to alter time and space with an object the gods can't control to save her father versus, I dunno, calling her father's ghost up to contest his will or finding Elistan or Crysania to resurrect him? Asking Astinus to confirm that her father left her keep to her rather than his evil nephew? Straight up murdering her evil cousin and his wife? I mean, still incredibly extreme measures but a little less insane is all I'm saying. Well, Tasslehoff and she end up married. No, I'm not going to explain the circumstances.
Dragons of Summer Flame ended the Dragonlance epic in many fan's eyes with the assumption being that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman were attempting to wrap it all up before WOTC took it away from. Mostly because they've been trying to undo the changes to the setting for the past couple of decades. Many fans are assuming this trilogy is going to be yet another attempt and be a bit like DC's FLASHPOINT PARADOX.
Is Dragons of Deceit going to do that? Honestly, I don't know, but it's heavily implied that the Second Cataclysm is something everyone wants to avert. The fact Dalamar and the other High Sorcery mages see it coming as well as desire to stop it is an argument by itself. They certainly didn't know about it in the original timeline. It's also described not in "oh, humanity finally can make its own way!" terms but, "Oh my god, a world without gods and magic after we just got them back? That is monstrous!" Which, honestly, I think is how they would react so no complaints from me there.
I love this book. I love Destina, who feels real both because and despite the fact she is the dumbest person in Krynn. We have way too many incredibly clever protagonists. Dungeons and Dragons was founded on people who see the Necronomicon and forget the magic words to use it safely. There's even a nod to this when the Hand of Vecna is sold to some gullible Black Robe mages with instructions to chop parts off themselves. Yet, I felt her pain and her very real-life problems that were relatable to all of us that struggled after the death of a loved one. Plus, some old favorites may or may not be back from the dead.
May 2, 2023
Hoo boy. This novel *feels* like the subject of a lawsuit. It's kind of a mess.
Tl;dr - As wild as it is to be reading new Tanis Half-Elven dialogue in 2022, that nostalgia isn't enough for this book to overcome its fundamental flaws and divided focus. (Light spoilers ahead)
Like a lot of others, I have fond memories of the Chronicles trilogy, and I was looking forward to a new Weis/Hickman DL trilogy. Even knowing that their last two (War of Souls, Lost Chronicles) weren't particularly good. Even knowing that modern fantasy fiction is in a very different place than it was in the 1980s. Even knowing that, as publicity for this book rolled out, it seemed like we might be heading for a "Kelvin timeline" reboot of DL. Even knowing that I'm not 12 years old anymore and it's unfair to expect any book to make me feel like I am.
Even accepting all of that...this just isn't a good story.
The publication of "Dragons of Deceit" was the subject of a lawsuit between Weis/Hickman and Wizards of the Coast, following "multiple alterations and rewrites." (https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/19/21...) I believe that latter part, because "Dragons of Deceit" is wildly uneven.
There are two distinct stories being told here. The first half of the book takes its time to establish an all-new character, Destina, and show everyday (ish) life in Solamnia. The Heroes of the Lance are just names the average person doesn't know, and their acts are second or thirdhand news. It's a slow start, even by the standards of other DL books, but I liked the attempt to show the wider world outside of the Companions.
The second half of the book rushes between events and appearances by Heroes of the Lance at a breakneck pace. It ignores (or, worse, sometimes contradicts) all the character work done on Destina to instead pack the pages full of Tasslehoff Burrfoot capers and internal monologues.
These halves correspond to what feels like conflicting objectives for this book. One is to try to establish Krynn as a living (and diverse!) world beyond the Companions, a place where new stories can be told. The other is the opposite, to get just a little more time with the Heroes--to the point of devising an arcane (literally) way to have more screen time with two dead ones. There may have been some way to mesh these two goals in one book, but what we got was two stories stapled together in the middle.
This divided focus is the sort of thing that multiple rewrites and lawsuits are born from. I don't know which objective the authors upheld, and which Wizards corporate wanted, but I can guess. The second half feels like the book Weis and Hickman wanted to write, and the first half was the one they were told to write.
I wanted to like this novel for what it was. Instead, I'm more convinced than ever that the only chance for Dragonlance to have a future is to find a way to tell stories that don't revisit the same 10 characters--or their creators.
A final word for anyone who might see this as an entry-level Dragonlance book, or a kind of reboot or relaunch: it really isn't. Most of the narrative comprehension, and all of the emotional impact (what there is) requires having read the Chronicles and Legends trilogies. I'm not sure whether Dragons of Summer Flame would help, or just tangle a newer reader in already complicated, decades-old canon. Still, six books is a ton of pre-reading, and may explain why the cover bears a "Classic Dragonlance" trade dress
Tl;dr - As wild as it is to be reading new Tanis Half-Elven dialogue in 2022, that nostalgia isn't enough for this book to overcome its fundamental flaws and divided focus. (Light spoilers ahead)
Like a lot of others, I have fond memories of the Chronicles trilogy, and I was looking forward to a new Weis/Hickman DL trilogy. Even knowing that their last two (War of Souls, Lost Chronicles) weren't particularly good. Even knowing that modern fantasy fiction is in a very different place than it was in the 1980s. Even knowing that, as publicity for this book rolled out, it seemed like we might be heading for a "Kelvin timeline" reboot of DL. Even knowing that I'm not 12 years old anymore and it's unfair to expect any book to make me feel like I am.
Even accepting all of that...this just isn't a good story.
The publication of "Dragons of Deceit" was the subject of a lawsuit between Weis/Hickman and Wizards of the Coast, following "multiple alterations and rewrites." (https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/19/21...) I believe that latter part, because "Dragons of Deceit" is wildly uneven.
There are two distinct stories being told here. The first half of the book takes its time to establish an all-new character, Destina, and show everyday (ish) life in Solamnia. The Heroes of the Lance are just names the average person doesn't know, and their acts are second or thirdhand news. It's a slow start, even by the standards of other DL books, but I liked the attempt to show the wider world outside of the Companions.
The second half of the book rushes between events and appearances by Heroes of the Lance at a breakneck pace. It ignores (or, worse, sometimes contradicts) all the character work done on Destina to instead pack the pages full of Tasslehoff Burrfoot capers and internal monologues.
These halves correspond to what feels like conflicting objectives for this book. One is to try to establish Krynn as a living (and diverse!) world beyond the Companions, a place where new stories can be told. The other is the opposite, to get just a little more time with the Heroes--to the point of devising an arcane (literally) way to have more screen time with two dead ones. There may have been some way to mesh these two goals in one book, but what we got was two stories stapled together in the middle.
This divided focus is the sort of thing that multiple rewrites and lawsuits are born from. I don't know which objective the authors upheld, and which Wizards corporate wanted, but I can guess. The second half feels like the book Weis and Hickman wanted to write, and the first half was the one they were told to write.
I wanted to like this novel for what it was. Instead, I'm more convinced than ever that the only chance for Dragonlance to have a future is to find a way to tell stories that don't revisit the same 10 characters--or their creators.
A final word for anyone who might see this as an entry-level Dragonlance book, or a kind of reboot or relaunch: it really isn't. Most of the narrative comprehension, and all of the emotional impact (what there is) requires having read the Chronicles and Legends trilogies. I'm not sure whether Dragons of Summer Flame would help, or just tangle a newer reader in already complicated, decades-old canon. Still, six books is a ton of pre-reading, and may explain why the cover bears a "Classic Dragonlance" trade dress
August 6, 2022
I don't know if it was the Dragonlance book I was expecting but it was, absolutely, the Dragonlance book enjoyed and needed.
Weis and Hickman took ME back in time and I am ever grateful for those few hours I got to spend back on Krynn.
Weis and Hickman took ME back in time and I am ever grateful for those few hours I got to spend back on Krynn.
December 23, 2022
You can read this book without having read previous books in world; however, it is a better story with knowledge of the 6 core books {Chronicles and Legends} and The Legend of Huma. Side note, I listened to the audio and the narrator pronounces an awful lot of the name differently than I have been doing in my head cannon for years. I'm sure my way is 'right'.
April 2, 2025
The driest writing I have ever read. It's truly a shame and a disgrace.
There was absolutely no emotion or character study in this book. And I could forgive a book with no depth if it had exciting plot and adventures or interesting lore, but this book had none of that either.
The language and the sentence structure was overly simple - seemingly important plot points would be mentioned in a single sentence and then never revisited again.
In the second half of the book a character is introduced who feels like at least some care and thought was put into when writing, but unfortunately this character and their parts in the story are not strong enough to carry this book.
For a book of nearly 400 pages, it often made me wonder what even was in those pages? Because it wasn't characters with strong and distinct personalities, or intricate world building, or emotionally charged prose, or exciting plot.
There was absolutely no emotion or character study in this book. And I could forgive a book with no depth if it had exciting plot and adventures or interesting lore, but this book had none of that either.
The language and the sentence structure was overly simple - seemingly important plot points would be mentioned in a single sentence and then never revisited again.
In the second half of the book a character is introduced who feels like at least some care and thought was put into when writing, but unfortunately this character and their parts in the story are not strong enough to carry this book.
For a book of nearly 400 pages, it often made me wonder what even was in those pages? Because it wasn't characters with strong and distinct personalities, or intricate world building, or emotionally charged prose, or exciting plot.
April 26, 2023
“I Draghi dell’Inganno” è il libro primo della nuova trilogia ambientata nel mondo di Dragonlance, scritta da Margaret Weis e Tracy Hickman.
Ringrazio infinitamente @fanuccieditore per avermi inviato la copia in digitale!
Destina Rosethorn ha perso il padre nella Guerra delle Lance e la propria eredità.
Per salvarlo e risollevare il nome della famiglia escogiterà un piano, trovare il Congegno per Viaggiare nel Tempo e cambiare il suo destino per sempre.
Fin da subito si percepisce che si tratta del primo libro di una saga per cui la prima metà è molto introduttiva e mi ha messa un po’ in difficoltà.
Per fortuna nella seconda parte si risolleva considerevolmente, si entra nel vivo della storia e inizia la parte legata all’avventura.
La protagonista è molto testarda, continua ad alimentare le sue convinzioni nonostante tutti intorno a lei urlino che ha torto.
Si può considerare un personaggio quasi grigio perché ad un certo punto inizia a mettere a repentaglio tutti i rapporti che ha creato con chi le sta vicino.
Per questo ci sono stati momenti molto frustranti 😂 ma, nonostante ciò, devo dire che mi ha pienamente ammaliata.
Anche i personaggi che incontrerà durante il viaggio sono molto particolari e anch’essi presentano una forte distinzione caratteriale.
La cosa che mi ha colpita di più è la scrittura, anche se all’inizio si fatica un po’ a prendere il via, dopo inizia ad essere scorrevole.
Per tutto il tempo ho avuto ben in mente l’immagine precisa delle battaglie, dei luoghi e delle creature come se stessi guardando un film.
Dunque se siete amanti degli epic fantasy non potete farvelo scappare!
Ringrazio infinitamente @fanuccieditore per avermi inviato la copia in digitale!
Destina Rosethorn ha perso il padre nella Guerra delle Lance e la propria eredità.
Per salvarlo e risollevare il nome della famiglia escogiterà un piano, trovare il Congegno per Viaggiare nel Tempo e cambiare il suo destino per sempre.
Fin da subito si percepisce che si tratta del primo libro di una saga per cui la prima metà è molto introduttiva e mi ha messa un po’ in difficoltà.
Per fortuna nella seconda parte si risolleva considerevolmente, si entra nel vivo della storia e inizia la parte legata all’avventura.
La protagonista è molto testarda, continua ad alimentare le sue convinzioni nonostante tutti intorno a lei urlino che ha torto.
Si può considerare un personaggio quasi grigio perché ad un certo punto inizia a mettere a repentaglio tutti i rapporti che ha creato con chi le sta vicino.
Per questo ci sono stati momenti molto frustranti 😂 ma, nonostante ciò, devo dire che mi ha pienamente ammaliata.
Anche i personaggi che incontrerà durante il viaggio sono molto particolari e anch’essi presentano una forte distinzione caratteriale.
La cosa che mi ha colpita di più è la scrittura, anche se all’inizio si fatica un po’ a prendere il via, dopo inizia ad essere scorrevole.
Per tutto il tempo ho avuto ben in mente l’immagine precisa delle battaglie, dei luoghi e delle creature come se stessi guardando un film.
Dunque se siete amanti degli epic fantasy non potete farvelo scappare!
March 7, 2023
I’m not sure I like the idea of changing the history
August 14, 2022
A nice trip down nostalgia lane for readers of Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragonlance Legends, Second Generation, Lost Chronicles.
- the main dragon here a young copper male named Saber is extraordinarily chatty
- A Malay word - Tercinta - popped up randomly as being of the language of Destina's mother Atieno. I've noticed in past Dragonlance books that some of Raistlin's spells are entirely in Malay too
- with the time travel, some of the well known paradoxes are being discussed in a rather hand waving fashion
- nice to see the old crew again though the nasty way Raistlin treats Caramon or how Tasslehoff and the kenders are regarded seems quite prejudiced and unkind. Also, why is Tika doing all the work? Would have liked to see more of Flint.
- Dalamar the Dark seems more interesting than any of those self-righteous Solamnic knights
- Journeying around Thorbardin, Palanthas and Ansalon fun
- ending is paving the way for Dragonlance Destinies #2
- the main dragon here a young copper male named Saber is extraordinarily chatty
- A Malay word - Tercinta - popped up randomly as being of the language of Destina's mother Atieno. I've noticed in past Dragonlance books that some of Raistlin's spells are entirely in Malay too
- with the time travel, some of the well known paradoxes are being discussed in a rather hand waving fashion
- nice to see the old crew again though the nasty way Raistlin treats Caramon or how Tasslehoff and the kenders are regarded seems quite prejudiced and unkind. Also, why is Tika doing all the work? Would have liked to see more of Flint.
- Dalamar the Dark seems more interesting than any of those self-righteous Solamnic knights
- Journeying around Thorbardin, Palanthas and Ansalon fun
- ending is paving the way for Dragonlance Destinies #2
August 22, 2022
I listened to this novel as an audio book and I enjoyed returning to the Dragonlance saga. I had forgotten how much I would smile and laugh when Tasselhoff was in a scene. The new main character, Destina, has a name that's a little on the nose and she makes some unfortunate decisions, but it's all part of the adventure. Before you dive into this book, you should know it's only book one of a trilogy; don't expect a full conclusion just yet. It sets up what's sure to be a really exciting book two.
I recommend this book to fans of not only Dragonlance, but also fans of adventure-based fantasy in general. The start of this one is rather grounded and feels like it eases the reader into the setting, allowing newer readers to join in, though once it hits its stride there are plenty of callbacks and familiar faces showing up.
It's possible my feelings of nostalgia have bumped up my rating a half-star or more, but I feel like these authors, and the return to this series, deserves it.
I recommend this book to fans of not only Dragonlance, but also fans of adventure-based fantasy in general. The start of this one is rather grounded and feels like it eases the reader into the setting, allowing newer readers to join in, though once it hits its stride there are plenty of callbacks and familiar faces showing up.
It's possible my feelings of nostalgia have bumped up my rating a half-star or more, but I feel like these authors, and the return to this series, deserves it.
August 10, 2022
It's a quick read, but reads like poorly written fan fiction. Maybe it was meant for kids? I wasn't expecting anything as good as the OG, but this was like new Star Wars trilogy level bad... if the new trilogy was done on a SyFy channel budget.
August 24, 2022
I first read the Dragonlance novels (those that were out at the time - the first 2 trilogies) in the summer of '86. Years later, I did a full reread including the third & fourth trilogies.
The main thing I remember from both of these experiences, was how the writing grew from the slow 1st book into the later ones (& even more in the amazing third trilogy).
Well...
This book, sadly, is even slower than the very first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's all just an incredibly long intro - 'hey, there's going to be some books about _______, & here's how we get into _______... with hundreds of pages that don't really do anything at all except get you to the starting point!'
One new major character to actually care about. One new minor character to hope will grow into more. And... yeah, that's really it. All set up.
Very disappointed. Can't believe it's currently rated higher than DoAT.
The main thing I remember from both of these experiences, was how the writing grew from the slow 1st book into the later ones (& even more in the amazing third trilogy).
Well...
This book, sadly, is even slower than the very first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's all just an incredibly long intro - 'hey, there's going to be some books about _______, & here's how we get into _______... with hundreds of pages that don't really do anything at all except get you to the starting point!'
One new major character to actually care about. One new minor character to hope will grow into more. And... yeah, that's really it. All set up.
Very disappointed. Can't believe it's currently rated higher than DoAT.
December 23, 2022
Extremely popular authors eventually reach a point where they're so guaranteed to sell that publishers will publish anything they hand in, no matter how bad. It happened to Stephen King. It happened to Anne Rice. It happened to George R. R. Martin, and now it's happened to Weis and Hickman.
It's hard to overstate just how bad this book is, and how disappointing compared to their earlier work. It is boring, repetitive, and unoriginal. It doesn't move the characters or the world forward or introduce anything new. It just repeats the same tropes in the same storyline that some of us have been reading for almost 40 years now. And it doesn't even do it competently. The protagonist Destina seems to change almost from page to page, as if the two authors couldn't decide or agree on how old she is, how much she knows, or what her personality is. Had a new author submitted this manuscript to an agent, the first reader wouldn't have made it past page two before sending a form rejection; but because this comes from known authors in a known series it's on store shelves now.
Publishing one bad book is no guarantee that a writer has lost it. It happens to everyone. Rice produced some excellent work after a few stinkers. King has always been erratic from book to book. Martin one hopes will come back to form after he stops publishing his notes and releases actual stories. And perhaps Weis and Hickman can still write some fun fantasy adventure stories. But this time they just didn't.
It's hard to overstate just how bad this book is, and how disappointing compared to their earlier work. It is boring, repetitive, and unoriginal. It doesn't move the characters or the world forward or introduce anything new. It just repeats the same tropes in the same storyline that some of us have been reading for almost 40 years now. And it doesn't even do it competently. The protagonist Destina seems to change almost from page to page, as if the two authors couldn't decide or agree on how old she is, how much she knows, or what her personality is. Had a new author submitted this manuscript to an agent, the first reader wouldn't have made it past page two before sending a form rejection; but because this comes from known authors in a known series it's on store shelves now.
Publishing one bad book is no guarantee that a writer has lost it. It happens to everyone. Rice produced some excellent work after a few stinkers. King has always been erratic from book to book. Martin one hopes will come back to form after he stops publishing his notes and releases actual stories. And perhaps Weis and Hickman can still write some fun fantasy adventure stories. But this time they just didn't.
August 11, 2022
3.5 stars. It’s an okay YA story resting heavily on nostalgia and an ambitious “reboot” of the timeline (it’s set pre-Summer Flame). The amount of random name dropping, often with minimal relevance, reminded me of a Ready Player One-style of fan service. The main character has potential but became somewhat tedious and lacking development and depth in the latter half of the book.
It was still a fun read for what it was. It was relaxing to revisit familiar characters and places. Those who have not read the original six in a long time will likely enjoy it (and the heavy fan service references) the most — as well as those that disliked Summer Flame. No one should read this expecting the next great fantasy novel, but I expect most DL fans will enjoy it for what it is.
I do think it ends on an interesting note and the remainder of the trilogy has potential. There was a lot of space devoted to trying to make the reboot make sense, but with that out of the way the second book should have a lot more freedom.
It was still a fun read for what it was. It was relaxing to revisit familiar characters and places. Those who have not read the original six in a long time will likely enjoy it (and the heavy fan service references) the most — as well as those that disliked Summer Flame. No one should read this expecting the next great fantasy novel, but I expect most DL fans will enjoy it for what it is.
I do think it ends on an interesting note and the remainder of the trilogy has potential. There was a lot of space devoted to trying to make the reboot make sense, but with that out of the way the second book should have a lot more freedom.
August 15, 2022
I was pretty hopeful heading into this book but pretty early on my immersion was shattered by info dumps. This trend continued throughout, I'd start getting into things, then another info dump would land.
I understand the need to cater to newcomers who might not know all the varied history of Dragonlance but for me, these info dumps were made worse by the fact it was all information I was already very familiar with.
In the end, they became paired with enough repetition and typos to lead me to skim read through most of the last half of the book.
I'm hoping that further books will improve, but I really doubt it. The quality of the writing is far inferior to the original two trilogies (the other series in this setting also didn't match them for me either) and I get a feeling of a very rushed project being pushed though due to the release of the setting for D&D later this year.
I will still read the subsequent books, but that is more for my love of the setting than the story being told.
I understand the need to cater to newcomers who might not know all the varied history of Dragonlance but for me, these info dumps were made worse by the fact it was all information I was already very familiar with.
In the end, they became paired with enough repetition and typos to lead me to skim read through most of the last half of the book.
I'm hoping that further books will improve, but I really doubt it. The quality of the writing is far inferior to the original two trilogies (the other series in this setting also didn't match them for me either) and I get a feeling of a very rushed project being pushed though due to the release of the setting for D&D later this year.
I will still read the subsequent books, but that is more for my love of the setting than the story being told.
December 25, 2022
This only gets a second star because now I wanna know what Raistlin does. And I actually like Tas this story. He's a character I typically quickly grow extremely weary of. He actually made me chuckle a few times. Though this could be because his antics actually made more sense than anything the new supposed star of the book did or said or thought. Two thirds of the book could be summed with: Dumb daughter whose actions demonstrate she never loved her mother or father lies to everyone including herself and terrorizes and jeopardizes every being mortal and immortal because she's selfish.
August 11, 2022
Returning to Dragonlance after so long, I didn't know what entirely to expect. The authors have had decades to refine their craft. But the world has also changed since the 80s. Dragons of Deceit spends more time building its story than the breakneck pace of the original trilogy. But there are also parts that show the age of the worldbuilding, that made me cringe. Still, reading new Dragonlance is like sitting down at a comfortable, well-worn and familiar desk.
June 27, 2023
Okay, so when I first started this book, I was both appalled and heartbroken - it was absolutely fucking terrible. All the more so because I loved DragonLance (and Darksword, and Rose of the Prophet) so much, they were favourite comfort reads for years.
Spoilers ahead….
No really, many spoilers….
The first half of this book is absolutely dreadful. Grindingly monotonous cadence, little variance in sentence length, not an ounce of real passion or feeling. Endless ‘let's just spend two pages explaining’ tediously hardcore info dumping (yet brand new Gods with no explanation whatsoever). Set-up was yawningly predictable and WAY too long, and then the whole thing disintegrated into utter nonsense - so many plotholes I was keeping a list, plus all that badly added-in, ramblingly explanatory rubbish as the Graygem is crammed into the narrative.
First and biggest problem (aside from how badly it's written) - how are Destina and everyone she meets SO BLINDINGLY FUCKING STUPID as to believe that taking a notedly dangerous, self-aware Chaos gem back in TIME will not make shit go immediately sideways? How can the supporting characters trust someone as totally clueless as Destina with two such significant and portentous artefacts?? Despite the constant recitations of the ‘pebble in a river’ thing, this so disbelievingly, eye-wateringly huge that it completely destroyed the credibility of the set-up.
But there’s more. Why did Destina just… go and try and buy the Time device without doing her research in the Great Library first? When she’d had a library at home and her father was a reader? She’s supposed to be strong and noble, if a bit idealistic and naive, but she just seems to lack two brain cells to run together, coming up with batshit lunacy instead, albeit very driven. Why didn’t Sabre the Dragon chase bad cousin Anthony away? Or cough up his hoard to buy the castle (sudden ‘oh it’s worthless’ explanation was a bit bloody thin). How was he oiling his own saddle and gear, with sodding great big dragon paws? Why did Mom just up and bugger off, abandoning her family with no word of love or regret, no backward glance? And why did her daughter not even care, or give her another thought (and when she was so upset about her father)? Why the fuck would the King of the Dwarves let a dubiously motivated and connected human, who’s already lied to him once, into his home and confidence (and ‘Life Tree’ is a pretty fucking stupid name for a Dwarven stalactite), particularly when it’s Wolfstone who later suggests the plot point of using her? And she’s so RUDE to him, presumptuous cow!
But then, we get to the weird thing, right. Page 239, the beginning of Part Three, we go back to Tika and Caramon and the Inn (which is where the book should have actually started) and SUDDENLY we have better prose, genuine dialogue, real characters. Humour, credibility (though was impressed that Caramon could quote Shakespeare). The story takes off, it has energy and spontaneity, old friends that we know and love. Not to mention Destina undergoing a distinct shift in personality as well as appearance, and suddenly becoming - well, believable - and the narrative getting nicely tangled, all by itself, without feeling forced. It all surged forwards with the cheerfully heater-skelter innocence with which Tas does everything, which is always very charming.
As a final comment, I’m always dubious about time travel stories as they tend to feel like a cop-out. But the ending of this was so gloriously bonkers that I guess we’ll have to see!
Were I to lay a wager, I would say that the first half of the book was either added later, or heavily expanded/rewritten from a previous draft, or had the joy and life edited out of it by someone who knew jack shit about the setting (and apparently didn’t care). Maybe it was put through ChatGPT, it was honestly that bad. This would have been a much, MUCH better read without all the opening faff and foolishness.
One star for the first half, five for the legends, and the authors, that we know and love.
Spoilers ahead….
No really, many spoilers….
The first half of this book is absolutely dreadful. Grindingly monotonous cadence, little variance in sentence length, not an ounce of real passion or feeling. Endless ‘let's just spend two pages explaining’ tediously hardcore info dumping (yet brand new Gods with no explanation whatsoever). Set-up was yawningly predictable and WAY too long, and then the whole thing disintegrated into utter nonsense - so many plotholes I was keeping a list, plus all that badly added-in, ramblingly explanatory rubbish as the Graygem is crammed into the narrative.
First and biggest problem (aside from how badly it's written) - how are Destina and everyone she meets SO BLINDINGLY FUCKING STUPID as to believe that taking a notedly dangerous, self-aware Chaos gem back in TIME will not make shit go immediately sideways? How can the supporting characters trust someone as totally clueless as Destina with two such significant and portentous artefacts?? Despite the constant recitations of the ‘pebble in a river’ thing, this so disbelievingly, eye-wateringly huge that it completely destroyed the credibility of the set-up.
But there’s more. Why did Destina just… go and try and buy the Time device without doing her research in the Great Library first? When she’d had a library at home and her father was a reader? She’s supposed to be strong and noble, if a bit idealistic and naive, but she just seems to lack two brain cells to run together, coming up with batshit lunacy instead, albeit very driven. Why didn’t Sabre the Dragon chase bad cousin Anthony away? Or cough up his hoard to buy the castle (sudden ‘oh it’s worthless’ explanation was a bit bloody thin). How was he oiling his own saddle and gear, with sodding great big dragon paws? Why did Mom just up and bugger off, abandoning her family with no word of love or regret, no backward glance? And why did her daughter not even care, or give her another thought (and when she was so upset about her father)? Why the fuck would the King of the Dwarves let a dubiously motivated and connected human, who’s already lied to him once, into his home and confidence (and ‘Life Tree’ is a pretty fucking stupid name for a Dwarven stalactite), particularly when it’s Wolfstone who later suggests the plot point of using her? And she’s so RUDE to him, presumptuous cow!
But then, we get to the weird thing, right. Page 239, the beginning of Part Three, we go back to Tika and Caramon and the Inn (which is where the book should have actually started) and SUDDENLY we have better prose, genuine dialogue, real characters. Humour, credibility (though was impressed that Caramon could quote Shakespeare). The story takes off, it has energy and spontaneity, old friends that we know and love. Not to mention Destina undergoing a distinct shift in personality as well as appearance, and suddenly becoming - well, believable - and the narrative getting nicely tangled, all by itself, without feeling forced. It all surged forwards with the cheerfully heater-skelter innocence with which Tas does everything, which is always very charming.
As a final comment, I’m always dubious about time travel stories as they tend to feel like a cop-out. But the ending of this was so gloriously bonkers that I guess we’ll have to see!
Were I to lay a wager, I would say that the first half of the book was either added later, or heavily expanded/rewritten from a previous draft, or had the joy and life edited out of it by someone who knew jack shit about the setting (and apparently didn’t care). Maybe it was put through ChatGPT, it was honestly that bad. This would have been a much, MUCH better read without all the opening faff and foolishness.
One star for the first half, five for the legends, and the authors, that we know and love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2025
The Tome that should never have been written!
Why write this one and destroy all the wonderful adventures, ending up with Test of the Twins, the concluded the Chronicles and Legends series 36 years ago.
I am sad - really sad. All the Destines series can do, is to wreak havoc, and try to fix it again, as if nothing of this ever has happened.
Why write this one and destroy all the wonderful adventures, ending up with Test of the Twins, the concluded the Chronicles and Legends series 36 years ago.
I am sad - really sad. All the Destines series can do, is to wreak havoc, and try to fix it again, as if nothing of this ever has happened.
January 10, 2023
Look... Its a dragonlance book. I am a sucker for these. This is an interesting way to "reboot" the series for a new generation of young dorkuses but if you are like me and have read the original 6 over and over again, you will still get something out of it. That said... its still a Dragonlance book so you know... you probably know what you are getting when you crack this bad boy open.
August 23, 2022
My first 1-star rating ever. . . =(
Oh man. . . Took me about a week to finally sit down and write this review. There's no way to sugarcoat this. Dragons of Deceit is by far the weakest Dragonlance offering from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Dragonlance Chronicles were my gateway into the fantasy genre. It was my first year of junior high and I was twelve years old. Reading the original trilogy changed my life, so to speak. Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the first "true" fantasy novel I ever read. This was the book that made me fall in love with the genre, and I never looked back! Hence, these two authors will always hold a special place in my heart. Even though they haven't written anything that really captured my imagination since the conclusion of The Deathgate Cycle in 1994, I always give them the benefit of the doubt and give their new material a shot. Unfortunately, since then Weis and Hickman (together, solo, or with other collaborators) have often produced works of average quality at best.
The War of Souls trilogy was a far cry, both in quality and originality, from their popular Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends. That series was followed by The Lost Chronicles a few years later. It was a trilogy that would explore some of the storylines that were not part of the narrative of the original main sequence. Which boded well for fans eager to see Weis and Hickman recapture their erstwhile excellence. After all, they were going back to their old stomping grounds, the world of Krynn, during the War of the Lance. Alas, all three installments were mostly filler and no killer, and the whole series was disappointing.
The premise for Dragons of Deceit was quite similar and got fans (myself included) excited once more. After all, it was Weis and Hickman's first Dragonlance novel to be released in over a decade. Then came the whole fiasco, what with the publisher trying to shelf the project and prevent its publication. In retrospect, I have to wonder if the inherent quality (or lack thereof) of the books had anything to do with that decision. Because simply put, this is probably Weis and Hickman's worst novel to date.
Here's the blurb:
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman return to the unforgettable world of the New York Times bestselling Dragonlance series as a new heroine—desperate to restore her beloved father to life—sets off on a quest to change time.
Destina Rosethorn—as her name implies—believes herself to be a favored child of destiny. But when her father dies in the War of the Lance, she watches her carefully constructed world come crashing down. She loses not only her beloved father but also the legacy he has left her: the family lands and castle. To save her father, she hatches a bold plan—to go back in time and prevent his death.
First, she has to secure the Device of Time Journeying, last known to be in the possession of the spirited kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot. But to change time, she’ll need another magical artifact—the most powerful and dangerous artifact ever created. Destina’s quest takes her from the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to the town of Solace and beyond, setting in motion a chain of disastrous events that threaten to divert the course of the River of Time, alter the past, and forever change the future.
The first part of the novel sets up Destina Rosethorn as the main protagonist. It spans her early years prior to the coming of the dragons, the bloody conflict and the return of the gods, and the aftermath of the War of the Lance. As many other reviewers pointed out, though slow and at times a little boring, it's the first time that readers get a chance to experience a slice of life on Krynn. It adds layers to the tale and gives this small corner of Solamnia a more lived in sort of atmosphere. It's following Destina's father's death and the end of the war that the girl's world comes crashing down and then this books goes down the proverbial crapper. From that point on, the story is all over the place and almost nothing makes sense.
Characterization has always been Weis and Hickman's bread and butter. Over the years, these two have created a variety of memorable characters. One only has to think about the Heroes of the Lance; Raistlin, Caramon, Tanis, Sturm, Tasslehoff, Lauranna, and the rest of the gang. The original Dragonlance series also featured a number of great secondary characters such as Lord Soth, Dalamar, and Kitiara. The Darksword trilogy had Joram, Saryon, Simkin, and Mosiah. The Rose of the Prophet had Matthew, Khardan, and Zohra. The Death Gate Cycle featured Haplo, Alfred, Hugh the Hand, Xar, Marit, Zifnab, and more. These characters are the main reason why millions of readers kept coming back, begging for more stories from these two bestselling authors.
Unfortunately, Destina will never join the ranks of these unforgettable characters. Indeed, she could well be the dumbest protagonist in the franchise's history. Having lost my mother last year, it's easy to understand her pain and feel for her. But then to see her blundering around in a clueless yet hypocritical way, as she quotes the Measure at every opportunity and claims to hate magic at every turn, and yet her crazy plan requires the aid of various magical artifacts, it just makes you want to throw the book across the room. Initially, I hoped that the appearance of Tasslehoff and other familiar faces would help the plot. Alas, though he has always been silly in a good-hearted fashion, the kender's silliness takes a turn that stretches credulity to its breaking point. Add to that the time-travel aspect and you end up with a recipe for disaster. Literally.
True, hardcore Dragonlance fans will buy Dragons of Deceit no matter what people say about it. And I guess that in the end, this is what helped settle the lawsuit. But I have to wonder how an editor (the same one who edited GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire) could let such an uninspired addition to the Dragonlance franchise be released as it was. There were seeds of a very good story in this book. Yet it feels as though Weis and Hickman didn't even try to make them work. That they're simply going through the motions, never trying to accomplish anything worthwhile.
Another things that needs to be said is that they're not writing for teenagers anymore. Most Dragonlance fans are in their 30s, 40s, even their 50s. We have grown older and our tastes in books have evolved. It's the same with the Star Wars franchise. For once, just for once, I'd like for the powers that be to remember that and offer us material that we can enjoy and relate to as adults. Perhaps, if I was still fourteen, I would have loved this novel and would have overlooked all its flagrant flaws. But as an adult?
It's just plain bad. . .
For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
Oh man. . . Took me about a week to finally sit down and write this review. There's no way to sugarcoat this. Dragons of Deceit is by far the weakest Dragonlance offering from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Dragonlance Chronicles were my gateway into the fantasy genre. It was my first year of junior high and I was twelve years old. Reading the original trilogy changed my life, so to speak. Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the first "true" fantasy novel I ever read. This was the book that made me fall in love with the genre, and I never looked back! Hence, these two authors will always hold a special place in my heart. Even though they haven't written anything that really captured my imagination since the conclusion of The Deathgate Cycle in 1994, I always give them the benefit of the doubt and give their new material a shot. Unfortunately, since then Weis and Hickman (together, solo, or with other collaborators) have often produced works of average quality at best.
The War of Souls trilogy was a far cry, both in quality and originality, from their popular Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends. That series was followed by The Lost Chronicles a few years later. It was a trilogy that would explore some of the storylines that were not part of the narrative of the original main sequence. Which boded well for fans eager to see Weis and Hickman recapture their erstwhile excellence. After all, they were going back to their old stomping grounds, the world of Krynn, during the War of the Lance. Alas, all three installments were mostly filler and no killer, and the whole series was disappointing.
The premise for Dragons of Deceit was quite similar and got fans (myself included) excited once more. After all, it was Weis and Hickman's first Dragonlance novel to be released in over a decade. Then came the whole fiasco, what with the publisher trying to shelf the project and prevent its publication. In retrospect, I have to wonder if the inherent quality (or lack thereof) of the books had anything to do with that decision. Because simply put, this is probably Weis and Hickman's worst novel to date.
Here's the blurb:
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman return to the unforgettable world of the New York Times bestselling Dragonlance series as a new heroine—desperate to restore her beloved father to life—sets off on a quest to change time.
Destina Rosethorn—as her name implies—believes herself to be a favored child of destiny. But when her father dies in the War of the Lance, she watches her carefully constructed world come crashing down. She loses not only her beloved father but also the legacy he has left her: the family lands and castle. To save her father, she hatches a bold plan—to go back in time and prevent his death.
First, she has to secure the Device of Time Journeying, last known to be in the possession of the spirited kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot. But to change time, she’ll need another magical artifact—the most powerful and dangerous artifact ever created. Destina’s quest takes her from the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to the town of Solace and beyond, setting in motion a chain of disastrous events that threaten to divert the course of the River of Time, alter the past, and forever change the future.
The first part of the novel sets up Destina Rosethorn as the main protagonist. It spans her early years prior to the coming of the dragons, the bloody conflict and the return of the gods, and the aftermath of the War of the Lance. As many other reviewers pointed out, though slow and at times a little boring, it's the first time that readers get a chance to experience a slice of life on Krynn. It adds layers to the tale and gives this small corner of Solamnia a more lived in sort of atmosphere. It's following Destina's father's death and the end of the war that the girl's world comes crashing down and then this books goes down the proverbial crapper. From that point on, the story is all over the place and almost nothing makes sense.
Characterization has always been Weis and Hickman's bread and butter. Over the years, these two have created a variety of memorable characters. One only has to think about the Heroes of the Lance; Raistlin, Caramon, Tanis, Sturm, Tasslehoff, Lauranna, and the rest of the gang. The original Dragonlance series also featured a number of great secondary characters such as Lord Soth, Dalamar, and Kitiara. The Darksword trilogy had Joram, Saryon, Simkin, and Mosiah. The Rose of the Prophet had Matthew, Khardan, and Zohra. The Death Gate Cycle featured Haplo, Alfred, Hugh the Hand, Xar, Marit, Zifnab, and more. These characters are the main reason why millions of readers kept coming back, begging for more stories from these two bestselling authors.
Unfortunately, Destina will never join the ranks of these unforgettable characters. Indeed, she could well be the dumbest protagonist in the franchise's history. Having lost my mother last year, it's easy to understand her pain and feel for her. But then to see her blundering around in a clueless yet hypocritical way, as she quotes the Measure at every opportunity and claims to hate magic at every turn, and yet her crazy plan requires the aid of various magical artifacts, it just makes you want to throw the book across the room. Initially, I hoped that the appearance of Tasslehoff and other familiar faces would help the plot. Alas, though he has always been silly in a good-hearted fashion, the kender's silliness takes a turn that stretches credulity to its breaking point. Add to that the time-travel aspect and you end up with a recipe for disaster. Literally.
True, hardcore Dragonlance fans will buy Dragons of Deceit no matter what people say about it. And I guess that in the end, this is what helped settle the lawsuit. But I have to wonder how an editor (the same one who edited GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire) could let such an uninspired addition to the Dragonlance franchise be released as it was. There were seeds of a very good story in this book. Yet it feels as though Weis and Hickman didn't even try to make them work. That they're simply going through the motions, never trying to accomplish anything worthwhile.
Another things that needs to be said is that they're not writing for teenagers anymore. Most Dragonlance fans are in their 30s, 40s, even their 50s. We have grown older and our tastes in books have evolved. It's the same with the Star Wars franchise. For once, just for once, I'd like for the powers that be to remember that and offer us material that we can enjoy and relate to as adults. Perhaps, if I was still fourteen, I would have loved this novel and would have overlooked all its flagrant flaws. But as an adult?
It's just plain bad. . .
For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
March 13, 2023
I finished reading Dragons of Deceit three days ago. I started reading Dragons of Deceit a month ago.
First, I must acknowledge that this is the first Dragonlance novel I have read, or even considered reading. In the past, I would have recognized that this was part of a decades-spanning series and immediately made the decision not to read it. With so many books in this series, and my limited reading time, I find it difficult to commit to such an undertaking—especially considering there are literally over a hundred books out there in the Dragonlance setting.
I must also acknowledge how much I loathe time travel stories. The only piece of media that I think got time travel right has been Back to the Future. Anytime time travel is used, I always feel like it is lazy and a cop out (Avengers: Endgame).
So, why did I decide to read this new book? The initial interest is, of course, due to my recent hobby of playing Dungeons and Dragons. I decided to do some light research and found that Dragons of Deceit is described as part of a new, standalone series and that there was no need to have read the previous entries. That was enough to encourage me to pick up this book when Barnes and Noble had their year-end, half-price sale on hardcovers. I was quite excited to start this book. After Wizards of the Coast “fixed” their major mistake, which was the OGL debacle of 2023, I was finally in a space to pick up Dragons of Deceit.
(Light spoilers ahead.)
Overall, Dragons of Deceit is a mess, much like its main protagonist, the unoriginally named Destina Rosethorn. The book is broken into three parts. The first part of the book is a boring slog of an info dump to establish the time, place, and context of the story, as well as introduce the main character and her motivations for the remainder of the story. This part of the book is like reading an overly in-depth summary of what happened over the course of six-ish years. While some of this information is important to the overall plot, the execution is bland and lacks inspiration. The whole time I was reading the first 80-something pages, I was thinking, “Why aren’t they just alluding to this over the course of regular conversations between characters?” It took nearly a third of the book for the main plot to start, which resulted in me regularly stopping for days at a time until I reached the second part.
My next issue with Dragons of Deceit is that I find the main character to be completely unlikable. From the way she treats here mother (“I love my white dad and hate my black mother”), to her flippant disregard for how her actions will negatively affect others (and even time itself), Destina is just a horrible person. I understand that this is the first installment of a trilogy, and there is obviously a lot of room for her to have some character building, but I feel like Destina lacks any redeeming qualities that endears her to the reader. I literally don’t care about what happens to her and am far more interested in some of the side characters.
Speaking of side characters, most were boring, one-dimensional, and obviously used for nostalgia. Even the copper dragon, Saber (another unoriginal name), was under-utilized. However, the real issue I take with the supporting cast is that they are all characters from the Chronicles and Legends trilogies from the 1980s. Remember when I said this book was marketed as a standalone? Well, it isn’t. It would help immensely to have read at least Chronicles and Legends (six books), and probably even more. How do I know this since I haven’t read any Dragonlance prior to this book? I watched a two-hour video on YouTube so I could understand what was going on. While there is some explanation as to who these characters are, it feels more like we are having them shoved down our throat because Weiss and Hickman can’t let go of the characters that made Classic Dragonlance so popular. Instead of pushing the series/setting into new territory, they relied upon established characters to win over the hearts of long-time fans. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work with the new readers. This is especially evident in the character of Tasslehoff.
The kender Tasslehoff Burfoot is right behind Destina for worst character in this book. I understand that he was a major character previously, and that a lot of people like him, but his schtick is exhausting. I’ve read other reviews that this version of Tas has been diminished compared to previous iterations, so I can’t speak to what he used to be like. However, I found myself in a constant state of being ready to move past his part of the story, only to be horrified to find that he will be in the next book.
Though most of the side characters were duds, I did like Dalamar the elven wizard, and Wolfstone the dwarf. I don’t think they were particularly well written, but they were more palatable than the rest. It was really a shame that Wolfstone wasn’t more prominent.
Though I was massively disappointed in this book, there were things that I did like, which is why I’m rating two stars instead of one. Mainly, I thought that the lore of Krynn was interesting. Anytime the gods were discussed, or the War of the Lance, I was invested.
In the end, this feels like the writers are trying to force a new narrative into an already dense timeline, as well as alter the timeline in a soft-reboot kind of way. While I will likely read the next installment, I can’t say that I’m at all excited for it. I am considering reading the “Holy Six” of the Classic Dragonlance novels (Chronicles and Legends), but after finishing Dragons of Deceit, and finding those books are only available in mass market paper back, I can’t say with certainty that I will. My perspective is that Weiss and Hickman, as well as Wizards of the Coast, lost out on a major opportunity to make Dragonlance a big deal again.
(sidenote)
I despise the cover art for Dragons of Deceit. While the background is truly lovely, the choice of this kind of lighting for characters in the foreground is a poor one. It is far too dark and difficult to see the interesting details that one would normally look at in a traditional cover illustrated like a heroic fantasy.
First, I must acknowledge that this is the first Dragonlance novel I have read, or even considered reading. In the past, I would have recognized that this was part of a decades-spanning series and immediately made the decision not to read it. With so many books in this series, and my limited reading time, I find it difficult to commit to such an undertaking—especially considering there are literally over a hundred books out there in the Dragonlance setting.
I must also acknowledge how much I loathe time travel stories. The only piece of media that I think got time travel right has been Back to the Future. Anytime time travel is used, I always feel like it is lazy and a cop out (Avengers: Endgame).
So, why did I decide to read this new book? The initial interest is, of course, due to my recent hobby of playing Dungeons and Dragons. I decided to do some light research and found that Dragons of Deceit is described as part of a new, standalone series and that there was no need to have read the previous entries. That was enough to encourage me to pick up this book when Barnes and Noble had their year-end, half-price sale on hardcovers. I was quite excited to start this book. After Wizards of the Coast “fixed” their major mistake, which was the OGL debacle of 2023, I was finally in a space to pick up Dragons of Deceit.
(Light spoilers ahead.)
Overall, Dragons of Deceit is a mess, much like its main protagonist, the unoriginally named Destina Rosethorn. The book is broken into three parts. The first part of the book is a boring slog of an info dump to establish the time, place, and context of the story, as well as introduce the main character and her motivations for the remainder of the story. This part of the book is like reading an overly in-depth summary of what happened over the course of six-ish years. While some of this information is important to the overall plot, the execution is bland and lacks inspiration. The whole time I was reading the first 80-something pages, I was thinking, “Why aren’t they just alluding to this over the course of regular conversations between characters?” It took nearly a third of the book for the main plot to start, which resulted in me regularly stopping for days at a time until I reached the second part.
My next issue with Dragons of Deceit is that I find the main character to be completely unlikable. From the way she treats here mother (“I love my white dad and hate my black mother”), to her flippant disregard for how her actions will negatively affect others (and even time itself), Destina is just a horrible person. I understand that this is the first installment of a trilogy, and there is obviously a lot of room for her to have some character building, but I feel like Destina lacks any redeeming qualities that endears her to the reader. I literally don’t care about what happens to her and am far more interested in some of the side characters.
Speaking of side characters, most were boring, one-dimensional, and obviously used for nostalgia. Even the copper dragon, Saber (another unoriginal name), was under-utilized. However, the real issue I take with the supporting cast is that they are all characters from the Chronicles and Legends trilogies from the 1980s. Remember when I said this book was marketed as a standalone? Well, it isn’t. It would help immensely to have read at least Chronicles and Legends (six books), and probably even more. How do I know this since I haven’t read any Dragonlance prior to this book? I watched a two-hour video on YouTube so I could understand what was going on. While there is some explanation as to who these characters are, it feels more like we are having them shoved down our throat because Weiss and Hickman can’t let go of the characters that made Classic Dragonlance so popular. Instead of pushing the series/setting into new territory, they relied upon established characters to win over the hearts of long-time fans. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work with the new readers. This is especially evident in the character of Tasslehoff.
The kender Tasslehoff Burfoot is right behind Destina for worst character in this book. I understand that he was a major character previously, and that a lot of people like him, but his schtick is exhausting. I’ve read other reviews that this version of Tas has been diminished compared to previous iterations, so I can’t speak to what he used to be like. However, I found myself in a constant state of being ready to move past his part of the story, only to be horrified to find that he will be in the next book.
Though most of the side characters were duds, I did like Dalamar the elven wizard, and Wolfstone the dwarf. I don’t think they were particularly well written, but they were more palatable than the rest. It was really a shame that Wolfstone wasn’t more prominent.
Though I was massively disappointed in this book, there were things that I did like, which is why I’m rating two stars instead of one. Mainly, I thought that the lore of Krynn was interesting. Anytime the gods were discussed, or the War of the Lance, I was invested.
In the end, this feels like the writers are trying to force a new narrative into an already dense timeline, as well as alter the timeline in a soft-reboot kind of way. While I will likely read the next installment, I can’t say that I’m at all excited for it. I am considering reading the “Holy Six” of the Classic Dragonlance novels (Chronicles and Legends), but after finishing Dragons of Deceit, and finding those books are only available in mass market paper back, I can’t say with certainty that I will. My perspective is that Weiss and Hickman, as well as Wizards of the Coast, lost out on a major opportunity to make Dragonlance a big deal again.
(sidenote)
I despise the cover art for Dragons of Deceit. While the background is truly lovely, the choice of this kind of lighting for characters in the foreground is a poor one. It is far too dark and difficult to see the interesting details that one would normally look at in a traditional cover illustrated like a heroic fantasy.
October 19, 2024
As a disclaimer, I've never read the original Dragonlance books, in fact, my only experience with this world and some of its characters comes from a Russian musical - it's great, go watch it on YouTube. The English subtitles are not perfect but good enough 😃
I was happy to see some familiar names, but couldn't quite connect to story in general. The main character, Destina, was so unlikeable, sometimes straight up annoying.
Her motives and reasoning throughout the majority of this book are extremely selfish. She only cares about herself, others are just necessary collateral.
Her arch also felt kind of...flat? First, she loses everything (aka sad backstory), then she supposedly turns into this "strong, independent woman" (she doesn't, she just becomes a major bitch).
Ok, enough Destina bashing.
Overall, I would say it was an ok/good book.
I liked the other characters, the plot line and worldbuilding were interesting and enjoyable, too. The plot line just suffered an unfortunate case of Destina-itis.
Destina's personality just, sadly, partially ruined my reading experience. But this might be just me
I was happy to see some familiar names, but couldn't quite connect to story in general. The main character, Destina, was so unlikeable, sometimes straight up annoying.
Her motives and reasoning throughout the majority of this book are extremely selfish. She only cares about herself, others are just necessary collateral.
Her arch also felt kind of...flat? First, she loses everything (aka sad backstory), then she supposedly turns into this "strong, independent woman" (she doesn't, she just becomes a major bitch).
Ok, enough Destina bashing.
Overall, I would say it was an ok/good book.
I liked the other characters, the plot line and worldbuilding were interesting and enjoyable, too. The plot line just suffered an unfortunate case of Destina-itis.
Destina's personality just, sadly, partially ruined my reading experience. But this might be just me
March 18, 2023
‘I draghi dell’ inganno’ pur avendo io familiarità solo superficiale con il resto della serie, mi ha colpito davvero molto.
Destina Rosethorne è una protagonista che impariamo a conoscere nei punti di forza e nelle debolezze , assistendo tra queste pagine sia alla sua ascesa che alla sua caduta dalla grazia. La disperazione che la porta ad abbracciare una missione impossibile per salvare ciò che le era caro risulta comprensibile anche nei momenti peggiori. Sullo sfondo un mondo affascinante in cui le gesta di uomini e dei, draghi e altre razze fantastiche di intrecciano durante una nuova e terribile guerra … l’atmosfera lascia al lettore la voglia di scoprire di più , e la penna elegante e pulita in cui la storia è scritta rende la lettura anche più piacevole. Da notare che questo volume si presenta come il prologo di una storia più ampia… la storia segue le peripezie di Destina mentre si prepara a un viaggio nel tempo che ha il potenziale di riscrivere la storia intera del suo mondo … le premesse per un ottima avventura ci sono tutte!
Destina Rosethorne è una protagonista che impariamo a conoscere nei punti di forza e nelle debolezze , assistendo tra queste pagine sia alla sua ascesa che alla sua caduta dalla grazia. La disperazione che la porta ad abbracciare una missione impossibile per salvare ciò che le era caro risulta comprensibile anche nei momenti peggiori. Sullo sfondo un mondo affascinante in cui le gesta di uomini e dei, draghi e altre razze fantastiche di intrecciano durante una nuova e terribile guerra … l’atmosfera lascia al lettore la voglia di scoprire di più , e la penna elegante e pulita in cui la storia è scritta rende la lettura anche più piacevole. Da notare che questo volume si presenta come il prologo di una storia più ampia… la storia segue le peripezie di Destina mentre si prepara a un viaggio nel tempo che ha il potenziale di riscrivere la storia intera del suo mondo … le premesse per un ottima avventura ci sono tutte!
August 12, 2022
I picked this book with eagerness because when I was 12, I read avidly the Chronicles and the Legends, so I was like "Another Dragonlance book! 20 years after!". I just really couldn't wait!
Pros:
+ C'mon! It's the Dragonlance! So many years since I read these familiar names: Palanthas, Takhisis, Neraka, etc. I found myself smiling and traveling to my youth.
+ The history is mostly Ok...
+ MW makes quick references to the old books to set the timeline.
Cons:
- The history is ok yes. But this is not as well written as the Chronicles or the Legends. The history is rushed. The main protagonist seems at times a little bipolar, changes her mood or opinion easily, making a not very believable character. I don't know, the whole history seems a little rushed sometimes. For example, the first third happen in Solamnia, before and along the War of the Lance, but there is no description of the lands or the people of that part of Solamnia. That's YA for you I suppose.
In general is enjoyable but it is not the best fantasy or dragonlance book I have ever read.
Pros:
+ C'mon! It's the Dragonlance! So many years since I read these familiar names: Palanthas, Takhisis, Neraka, etc. I found myself smiling and traveling to my youth.
+ The history is mostly Ok...
+ MW makes quick references to the old books to set the timeline.
Cons:
- The history is ok yes. But this is not as well written as the Chronicles or the Legends. The history is rushed. The main protagonist seems at times a little bipolar, changes her mood or opinion easily, making a not very believable character. I don't know, the whole history seems a little rushed sometimes. For example, the first third happen in Solamnia, before and along the War of the Lance, but there is no description of the lands or the people of that part of Solamnia. That's YA for you I suppose.
In general is enjoyable but it is not the best fantasy or dragonlance book I have ever read.
March 24, 2024
I grew up reading Dragonlance books. Loved them as a young teen.
I started to grow apart from them after not enjoying The War of Souls series.
I really wanted to read another Dragonlance series about a bunch of misfit, adventuring friends coming together like the original Chronicles series.
What I got in this... It wasn't it. I feel Weis and Hickman might be too old and they forgot what their stories were about, or perhaps I've become too naive.
I'm going to leave my Dragonlance memories in the past where they can stay golden.
I started to grow apart from them after not enjoying The War of Souls series.
I really wanted to read another Dragonlance series about a bunch of misfit, adventuring friends coming together like the original Chronicles series.
What I got in this... It wasn't it. I feel Weis and Hickman might be too old and they forgot what their stories were about, or perhaps I've become too naive.
I'm going to leave my Dragonlance memories in the past where they can stay golden.
June 8, 2023
The book was amazing! It was like returning home. If you're a fan of the originals, do yourself a favor and get.
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