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Dragonlance: The Lost Chronicles #2
Dragons of the Highlord Skies
Experience the War of the Lance as you’ve never experienced it before—from evil’s point of view—in this thrilling retelling of the events seen in Dragonlance Chronicles
In the captial city of Neraka, Kitiara uth Matar and Emperor Ariakas hatch a plan to retrieve a dragon orb and thereby destroy Solamnia and the Companions in one fell swoop. But when the guardian of the dragon orb, Highlord Feal-Thas, disagrees with this plan, Kitiara must go to Ice Wall to force him to accept Ariakas' will.
But her journey does not end there. Thrown out of favor, she conceives a daring plan to enlist the aid of the most feared beings on Krynn—Lord Soth and the Dark Queen. Meanwhile, Laurana and the Companions retrieve the dragon orb and take it back to Solamnia—not knowing that they bring their allies' doom with them.
A fascinating retelling of the famed War of the Lance, The Lost Chronicles series is a marvelous complement to the original Chronicles trilogy as well as an exicting, accessible read for those new to the Dragonlance universe.
In the captial city of Neraka, Kitiara uth Matar and Emperor Ariakas hatch a plan to retrieve a dragon orb and thereby destroy Solamnia and the Companions in one fell swoop. But when the guardian of the dragon orb, Highlord Feal-Thas, disagrees with this plan, Kitiara must go to Ice Wall to force him to accept Ariakas' will.
But her journey does not end there. Thrown out of favor, she conceives a daring plan to enlist the aid of the most feared beings on Krynn—Lord Soth and the Dark Queen. Meanwhile, Laurana and the Companions retrieve the dragon orb and take it back to Solamnia—not knowing that they bring their allies' doom with them.
A fascinating retelling of the famed War of the Lance, The Lost Chronicles series is a marvelous complement to the original Chronicles trilogy as well as an exicting, accessible read for those new to the Dragonlance universe.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Margaret Weis
682 books6,012 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 199 reviews
April 3, 2017
Another decent supplementary novel in the Dragonlance universe. This one deals with the tension between the various highlords as well as the Knights of Solamnia, with Kitiara Uth Matar as the main protagonist.
Strangely, Weis and Hickman's writing is better in these lost chronicles than the original ones. Unfortunately, the story is not as epic and thus it's more difficult to forget the series' flaws. Nevertheless, I am glad I chose to come back to this setting once more. It will probably happen again in the future.
Strangely, Weis and Hickman's writing is better in these lost chronicles than the original ones. Unfortunately, the story is not as epic and thus it's more difficult to forget the series' flaws. Nevertheless, I am glad I chose to come back to this setting once more. It will probably happen again in the future.
April 23, 2021
This is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone novel. This takes place between the first book and the second book of the original trilogy. I recommend reading the whole original trilogy first and then reading this one as it is an adventure contained within the whole original trilogy. In this one we explore Kitiara and her time as a Dragon Highlord. We also have a subplot where Derek and two fellow knights learn of an artifact that could help in the war and their journey for that item.
This is a reread for me and I enjoyed this one more this time than I did when I first read it. We see Kit obsess over Tanis and how her obsession gets in her way of being a Dragon Highlord. I have to admit that the main story of Kit was only a three star rating for me. I think Kit could be an amazing character but I never truly feel her impact in these books. This is ironic because I believe these authors have done some amazing things with characters like Raistlin who many consider a fantasy favorite. I believe the obsession with Tanis doesn't help her character and she suffers from it. Why the four star rating then? The minor sub plot with the knights was amazing. We get to see Derek (I hate him) and his pompous haughty nature and this serves in contrast with the beloved character of Sturm and his respectable humble nature. I absolutely love this contrast as we see how the knights are perceived in this world (Derek who I hate) and how the knights were intended to be in this world (Sturm). It also helps that the subplot interacts with some of the companions from the original trilogy. I love that these authors can bring out an emotion of hate toward a particular character like Derek. If I haven't mentioned it I hate him.
The parts with Kit I liked but it never really captured me. This is when I could put down this book. When I was reading the parts with the knights and their adventure I was totally in thrall with this book and I could not put it down. That is why I settled on the four star rating. I did think this one was a little bit of a step down from the first book of this series but still a very good time in this universe. I look forward to the next book and more time with Raistlin.
This is a reread for me and I enjoyed this one more this time than I did when I first read it. We see Kit obsess over Tanis and how her obsession gets in her way of being a Dragon Highlord. I have to admit that the main story of Kit was only a three star rating for me. I think Kit could be an amazing character but I never truly feel her impact in these books. This is ironic because I believe these authors have done some amazing things with characters like Raistlin who many consider a fantasy favorite. I believe the obsession with Tanis doesn't help her character and she suffers from it. Why the four star rating then? The minor sub plot with the knights was amazing. We get to see Derek (I hate him) and his pompous haughty nature and this serves in contrast with the beloved character of Sturm and his respectable humble nature. I absolutely love this contrast as we see how the knights are perceived in this world (Derek who I hate) and how the knights were intended to be in this world (Sturm). It also helps that the subplot interacts with some of the companions from the original trilogy. I love that these authors can bring out an emotion of hate toward a particular character like Derek. If I haven't mentioned it I hate him.
The parts with Kit I liked but it never really captured me. This is when I could put down this book. When I was reading the parts with the knights and their adventure I was totally in thrall with this book and I could not put it down. That is why I settled on the four star rating. I did think this one was a little bit of a step down from the first book of this series but still a very good time in this universe. I look forward to the next book and more time with Raistlin.
August 11, 2019
2023 thoughts:
The second time round with The Lost Chronicles we are inserting them into the books to line up with the story lines. This means switching back and forth between Dragons of Winter Night and this one several times. It was totally worth it; everything lined up much better and progressed the books much more organically. I think mixing the sections of The Lost Chronicles into the existing series is much better than altering full books.
Original Thoughts 2019:
These new(ish) books fill in the blanks on some very important moments...
This one was mostly about Kitiara.
I'm a big fan of Kitiara; she's a badass who takes no sh*t from anyone.
The second time round with The Lost Chronicles we are inserting them into the books to line up with the story lines. This means switching back and forth between Dragons of Winter Night and this one several times. It was totally worth it; everything lined up much better and progressed the books much more organically. I think mixing the sections of The Lost Chronicles into the existing series is much better than altering full books.
Original Thoughts 2019:
These new(ish) books fill in the blanks on some very important moments...
This one was mostly about Kitiara.
I'm a big fan of Kitiara; she's a badass who takes no sh*t from anyone.
July 28, 2011
copy-pasted from my Librarything account: Even more interesting, exciting and hard to put down than DOTDD. Reading how Kit acts as dragon highlord, how her missions are, how she gets intro trouble, and manages in the end to come out stronger than before (to find out in DOSD). Also how the others (Tanis and co.) travel to Ice Reach and fight the highlord there regarding the dragon orb. And how some Solamnic knights infiltrate in Tarsis and battle along in Ice Reach. -- My copy does have some typing errors, which were overlooked by the editing team. --
November 29, 2016
I’m finding myself breaking my no review policy towards books in a series left and right nowadays (I try to stick to stand alone novels) so I’m just going to ditch the policy. Obviously I can’t follow it right now.
This review aims to be spoiler free, but there are some minor plot points discussed. All of which are described on the back of the book, but if you wish to know zero details, consider yourself warned.
I genuinely enjoy the Dragonlance series, particularly the books by Weis and Hickman. I accept that for the most part they are not great books (though I would make an argument for The Soulforge) but they are consistently entertaining. I suspect that this may be strongly influenced by nostalgia. I read the original trilogy when I was ten or eleven years old (and quite proud of myself for reading such a “grown-up” book at the time) and I believe the series set me down the path of being an avid reader.
It is with great reluctance that I state that I simply do not like this book. The Lost Chronicles was an interesting idea from Weis and Hickman (though it does feel somewhat of a cash grab), as throughout the original series there were several “missing” chapters. Stories that characters mentioned but the reader never got the chance to experience. Going back and filling those gaps several years later seemed an interesting idea. I read the previous book Dragons of the Dwarven Depths when it first came out, and was rather unimpressed. It seemed to me that Weis and Hickman’s writing style was much simpler (as if they realized that a good portion of their audience was young adults, and thus decided to write more in that style). The characters also seemed somewhat off, which made sense given the gap in years since they had written the original Chronicles series. With all that said, I enjoyed it well enough and gave it 3 stars. It was an entertaining and very nostalgic read, but I didn’t bother reading the second book until now (and it has been almost 9 years now?).
The same flaws from the previous book remained, but again, this one filled me with some nostalgia. The world was the same one I remembered from a kid, and I have such detailed memories that I didn’t need to reread the older books to know where I was exactly in the timeline. Once more, I felt like I was visiting old friends… at least in the moments they were actually in the book.
Unlike Dwarven Depths, this one doesn’t focus on the original companions (who don’t even show up until about the halfway point, and then only a few stick around as side characters), it instead focuses on Kitiara (the twins’ half-sister) for half the novel and Derek Crownguard a side character from the original series for the other half. I’ve always found Kiriara worked best in small doses. She is an excellent side character, with some interesting schemes, but can’t really hold a story on her own. That is very accurate here, where she plays a less interesting character simply driven by jealousy, who seems to give up all her schemes just to try to get revenge on Laurana. While Kit always seemed the jealous type (slight understatement) this gets to the ridiculous point where she gets called out on it by other characters at how she seems to be throwing away all her well laid schemes. After a while it just got frustrating.
As for Derek Crownguard… I think I am not alone when I say that he is one of the most irritating characters in the original series. To have the book focus around him so largely is enough to make one lose their patience with the book quite quickly. He is still an annoying character who thinks he knows better than everyone and (unlike Raistlin who suffers from a bit of that as well) clearly demonstrates time and again that he knows nothing. He has two companions in this one who clearly sees that he is losing his mind, but pretty much shrug and go “That’s our Derek.” Cue laugh track and ignore his growing madness. It makes an already annoying character worse as they try to defend some of his actions despite saying that he is obliviously in the wrong.
Also, some of his actions make no sense from a plot standpoint. For example, early on he seeks out Tasslehoff so he can gain information on the Dragon Orbs. This makes sense as Tas has glasses that can translate any language, so sure, I’ll buy that. After Tas gives him the information, Derek is adamant that Tas needs to stay with him, going to great lengths to keep him with his group and becoming threatening any time he tries to leave.
…
Why? Tas gave him the information. After he retrieves Tas they speak to each other maybe six or seven more times in the novel, and it’s pretty much entirely Derek insulting him. While much of the comedy throughout the series relies on people annoyed with Tas, it doesn’t make sense for Derek to be so adamant to keep Tas with them for no other reason than to be annoyed by him (the subject of translating the book with information about Dragon Orbs doesn’t come up again and Tas doesn’t really discuss them afterwards). So what was the point of that?
Short answer: because they needed some of the old companions to be in the novel. They had to find a reason for Tas, Sturm and the others to travel with the knights. The Tas situation is introduced simply to get the two parties together. I get that the series is a D&D based book and sometimes a DM has to go to lengths to introduce characters into a situation, but this is lazy from a novel standpoint and makes little sense.
Enough complaining. Are there good things in the novel? Yeah, the scenes where Kit goes to meet Lord Soth are interesting and the highlight of the book. Sadly they last about 30 pages and the book is 597 pages long. So… that’s a very minor plus.
I’m giving the book two stars rather than one for three reasons. First off I reserve the one star for books I truly hate, and while I can’t say I liked this, hatred is way too strong of an emotion for it. Secondly, the above-mentioned Lord Soth section would have made an excellent short story (if expanded upon). Finally, nostalgia. As I stated at the start, I loved this series as a kid, and though I did not care for this volume, I still love the series as a whole now. It is one of those series that I’ll always love, that reminds me of a nerdish kid who was so proud of himself for reading such a big book.
There is a third book in the Lost Chronicles series. I will read it despite being only okay with the first book and disliking this one…. Because unlike these two, it answers one of the missing chapters I always wondered about as a kid. Whatever did Raistlin do during his missing time in the third novel? Hopefully that one will be not only a nostalgia kick, but also a fitting return to the world of Krynn.
This review aims to be spoiler free, but there are some minor plot points discussed. All of which are described on the back of the book, but if you wish to know zero details, consider yourself warned.
I genuinely enjoy the Dragonlance series, particularly the books by Weis and Hickman. I accept that for the most part they are not great books (though I would make an argument for The Soulforge) but they are consistently entertaining. I suspect that this may be strongly influenced by nostalgia. I read the original trilogy when I was ten or eleven years old (and quite proud of myself for reading such a “grown-up” book at the time) and I believe the series set me down the path of being an avid reader.
It is with great reluctance that I state that I simply do not like this book. The Lost Chronicles was an interesting idea from Weis and Hickman (though it does feel somewhat of a cash grab), as throughout the original series there were several “missing” chapters. Stories that characters mentioned but the reader never got the chance to experience. Going back and filling those gaps several years later seemed an interesting idea. I read the previous book Dragons of the Dwarven Depths when it first came out, and was rather unimpressed. It seemed to me that Weis and Hickman’s writing style was much simpler (as if they realized that a good portion of their audience was young adults, and thus decided to write more in that style). The characters also seemed somewhat off, which made sense given the gap in years since they had written the original Chronicles series. With all that said, I enjoyed it well enough and gave it 3 stars. It was an entertaining and very nostalgic read, but I didn’t bother reading the second book until now (and it has been almost 9 years now?).
The same flaws from the previous book remained, but again, this one filled me with some nostalgia. The world was the same one I remembered from a kid, and I have such detailed memories that I didn’t need to reread the older books to know where I was exactly in the timeline. Once more, I felt like I was visiting old friends… at least in the moments they were actually in the book.
Unlike Dwarven Depths, this one doesn’t focus on the original companions (who don’t even show up until about the halfway point, and then only a few stick around as side characters), it instead focuses on Kitiara (the twins’ half-sister) for half the novel and Derek Crownguard a side character from the original series for the other half. I’ve always found Kiriara worked best in small doses. She is an excellent side character, with some interesting schemes, but can’t really hold a story on her own. That is very accurate here, where she plays a less interesting character simply driven by jealousy, who seems to give up all her schemes just to try to get revenge on Laurana. While Kit always seemed the jealous type (slight understatement) this gets to the ridiculous point where she gets called out on it by other characters at how she seems to be throwing away all her well laid schemes. After a while it just got frustrating.
As for Derek Crownguard… I think I am not alone when I say that he is one of the most irritating characters in the original series. To have the book focus around him so largely is enough to make one lose their patience with the book quite quickly. He is still an annoying character who thinks he knows better than everyone and (unlike Raistlin who suffers from a bit of that as well) clearly demonstrates time and again that he knows nothing. He has two companions in this one who clearly sees that he is losing his mind, but pretty much shrug and go “That’s our Derek.” Cue laugh track and ignore his growing madness. It makes an already annoying character worse as they try to defend some of his actions despite saying that he is obliviously in the wrong.
Also, some of his actions make no sense from a plot standpoint. For example, early on he seeks out Tasslehoff so he can gain information on the Dragon Orbs. This makes sense as Tas has glasses that can translate any language, so sure, I’ll buy that. After Tas gives him the information, Derek is adamant that Tas needs to stay with him, going to great lengths to keep him with his group and becoming threatening any time he tries to leave.
…
Why? Tas gave him the information. After he retrieves Tas they speak to each other maybe six or seven more times in the novel, and it’s pretty much entirely Derek insulting him. While much of the comedy throughout the series relies on people annoyed with Tas, it doesn’t make sense for Derek to be so adamant to keep Tas with them for no other reason than to be annoyed by him (the subject of translating the book with information about Dragon Orbs doesn’t come up again and Tas doesn’t really discuss them afterwards). So what was the point of that?
Short answer: because they needed some of the old companions to be in the novel. They had to find a reason for Tas, Sturm and the others to travel with the knights. The Tas situation is introduced simply to get the two parties together. I get that the series is a D&D based book and sometimes a DM has to go to lengths to introduce characters into a situation, but this is lazy from a novel standpoint and makes little sense.
Enough complaining. Are there good things in the novel? Yeah, the scenes where Kit goes to meet Lord Soth are interesting and the highlight of the book. Sadly they last about 30 pages and the book is 597 pages long. So… that’s a very minor plus.
I’m giving the book two stars rather than one for three reasons. First off I reserve the one star for books I truly hate, and while I can’t say I liked this, hatred is way too strong of an emotion for it. Secondly, the above-mentioned Lord Soth section would have made an excellent short story (if expanded upon). Finally, nostalgia. As I stated at the start, I loved this series as a kid, and though I did not care for this volume, I still love the series as a whole now. It is one of those series that I’ll always love, that reminds me of a nerdish kid who was so proud of himself for reading such a big book.
There is a third book in the Lost Chronicles series. I will read it despite being only okay with the first book and disliking this one…. Because unlike these two, it answers one of the missing chapters I always wondered about as a kid. Whatever did Raistlin do during his missing time in the third novel? Hopefully that one will be not only a nostalgia kick, but also a fitting return to the world of Krynn.
January 21, 2017
I'm pleasantly surprised by this book because it mostly concerns Kitiara uth Matar, a character I never like in the Dragonlance Chronicles. However, Weiss and Hickman do a good job here of making Kit into a solid protagonist. Giving their readers insight to Kit's decisions and struggles is smart, considering that her actions are generally despicable. Being inside her world, though, the reader is able to understand her better and to appreciate the battles faced by "the other side." Kit is a strong woman, and she's admirable in many ways. She does things that no other character can or even will do. She's pretty cool, actually.
Feal-Thas, the dark elf mage, is another character I wouldn't expect to like. Seeing why he is so angry and sarcastic, so utterly selfish, allows the reader moments of, if not sympathy, understanding. I found him more interesting than other characters in the DL world.
The plot itself moves along well. The story builds at a good pace, and the book is full of action. The story lines are well-developed, and the repeat characters are true to their other manifestations in earlier DL novels. I actually found this book more exciting than Dragons of Dwarven Depths because the multiple plot lines kept my interest more. The subplots with Derek Crownguard and Laurana are slightly more boring because I can't stand Derek (a pompous and selfish "good guy" will always be worse to me than someone who openly claims she's evil and never tries to be anything else), and Laurana is mostly annoying. Still, these subplots shared more of the story with the reader and are still connected to the overarching story in a skillful way.
Overall, this is another solid book in the DL cannon. I'm looking forward to the last book in this Lost Chronicles trilogy.
Feal-Thas, the dark elf mage, is another character I wouldn't expect to like. Seeing why he is so angry and sarcastic, so utterly selfish, allows the reader moments of, if not sympathy, understanding. I found him more interesting than other characters in the DL world.
The plot itself moves along well. The story builds at a good pace, and the book is full of action. The story lines are well-developed, and the repeat characters are true to their other manifestations in earlier DL novels. I actually found this book more exciting than Dragons of Dwarven Depths because the multiple plot lines kept my interest more. The subplots with Derek Crownguard and Laurana are slightly more boring because I can't stand Derek (a pompous and selfish "good guy" will always be worse to me than someone who openly claims she's evil and never tries to be anything else), and Laurana is mostly annoying. Still, these subplots shared more of the story with the reader and are still connected to the overarching story in a skillful way.
Overall, this is another solid book in the DL cannon. I'm looking forward to the last book in this Lost Chronicles trilogy.
June 4, 2022
This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dragons of the Highlord Skies
The Lost Chronicles is an interesting approach to writing a trilogy. Instead of creating three stories that flow into one another, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have created stories to take place in between the original Chronicles. In this way, they allow readers the chance to see what happens to side characters involved in the war. Dragons of the Highlord Skies takes place between books one and two, telling the stories of Kitiara and Derek Crownguard.
Kitiara, the confident cruel woman readers have come to know in The Chronicles, is seen in a different light in this novel. While Kit is known as the Blue Lady, she wasn’t always an ally of Lord Soth and her rise to power is one strewn with many mishaps. Kit is tasked to set in motion a string of events that will lead to the downfall of Solamnia. She will have to travel to Icereach and work with the Highlord Feal-Thas. And though they may both be Highlords, there is no loyalty between them. Feal-Thas is loath to give up his dragon orb, even if it means the end of Solamnia. Never one to be told no, Kitiara does everything within her power to see that the plan is successful. And makes new enemies along the way.
As Kitiara’s story unfolds, readers are shown the emotional side of the Highlord. While she seems cool and confident as a secondary character, being allowed inside her mind opens readers up to a whole new Kitiara. I enjoyed witnessing her internal struggles and the mistakes she made as emotions overruled common sense. It brought a level of humanity to Kitara’s character that wasn’t present in the original novels. Seeing her vulnerability and the betrayal that leads her to Lord Soth explains how she can perform her later deeds in the Chronicles without remorse.
Derek Crownguard journeys to Icereach in search of the dragon orb. With it, he believes the Solamnic Knights will be able to gain an edge against the chromatic dragons. But his path is plagued by ambition and ego. Derek is a hard character to follow, as his skewed beliefs and prejudice do not make him a likable character. But he is an example of how the Oath and the Measure can be twisted. And as Sturm enters the picture when their paths inevitably cross, the vast difference between the characters is easily recognizable. While both claim to uphold the rules and morals of the Solamnic Knights, one is certainly more honorable than the other. And even Derek’s friends comment on how Derrick has changed due to the ongoing war. Moving farther and farther away from the person they once knew.
War and hardship take their toll on people in different ways. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have captured this concept throughout Dragons of the Highlord Skies with both Kitiara and Derek’s storylines. As a long-time fan of Dragonlance, it’s great hearing about the in-between tales. And while they may not focus on the original companions, they are still providing vital information about what’s been happening in the background.
The Lost Chronicles is an interesting approach to writing a trilogy. Instead of creating three stories that flow into one another, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have created stories to take place in between the original Chronicles. In this way, they allow readers the chance to see what happens to side characters involved in the war. Dragons of the Highlord Skies takes place between books one and two, telling the stories of Kitiara and Derek Crownguard.
Kitiara, the confident cruel woman readers have come to know in The Chronicles, is seen in a different light in this novel. While Kit is known as the Blue Lady, she wasn’t always an ally of Lord Soth and her rise to power is one strewn with many mishaps. Kit is tasked to set in motion a string of events that will lead to the downfall of Solamnia. She will have to travel to Icereach and work with the Highlord Feal-Thas. And though they may both be Highlords, there is no loyalty between them. Feal-Thas is loath to give up his dragon orb, even if it means the end of Solamnia. Never one to be told no, Kitiara does everything within her power to see that the plan is successful. And makes new enemies along the way.
As Kitiara’s story unfolds, readers are shown the emotional side of the Highlord. While she seems cool and confident as a secondary character, being allowed inside her mind opens readers up to a whole new Kitiara. I enjoyed witnessing her internal struggles and the mistakes she made as emotions overruled common sense. It brought a level of humanity to Kitara’s character that wasn’t present in the original novels. Seeing her vulnerability and the betrayal that leads her to Lord Soth explains how she can perform her later deeds in the Chronicles without remorse.
Derek Crownguard journeys to Icereach in search of the dragon orb. With it, he believes the Solamnic Knights will be able to gain an edge against the chromatic dragons. But his path is plagued by ambition and ego. Derek is a hard character to follow, as his skewed beliefs and prejudice do not make him a likable character. But he is an example of how the Oath and the Measure can be twisted. And as Sturm enters the picture when their paths inevitably cross, the vast difference between the characters is easily recognizable. While both claim to uphold the rules and morals of the Solamnic Knights, one is certainly more honorable than the other. And even Derek’s friends comment on how Derrick has changed due to the ongoing war. Moving farther and farther away from the person they once knew.
War and hardship take their toll on people in different ways. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have captured this concept throughout Dragons of the Highlord Skies with both Kitiara and Derek’s storylines. As a long-time fan of Dragonlance, it’s great hearing about the in-between tales. And while they may not focus on the original companions, they are still providing vital information about what’s been happening in the background.
June 18, 2023
Had this been just about Kit, it would’ve been much better. It turns out Laurana and co. storming the ice castle was actually boring as hell
August 23, 2022
This book, much like the other Lost Chronicles book, is a bit of an odd bag. It is filling the gaps the original Dragonlance series left decades previously. This creates some weird stuff, because we the reader sort of know where it is going, but the journey is where the suspense can come from.
At times Dragons of Highlord Skies really delivers. It focuses a lot on people who are more side characters in the main book. We get a lot of content from Kitara's perspective which was interesting, and some content focused on Derek Crownguard and his "friends" which gives some good insight into the knights of Solomania.
But between these segments is just some drudgery. I think the book as a whole could have easily been like 100 pages shorter and gotten to the point quicker.
It was ok as a big fan of Dragonlance, but it wasn't one I am dying to reread.
At times Dragons of Highlord Skies really delivers. It focuses a lot on people who are more side characters in the main book. We get a lot of content from Kitara's perspective which was interesting, and some content focused on Derek Crownguard and his "friends" which gives some good insight into the knights of Solomania.
But between these segments is just some drudgery. I think the book as a whole could have easily been like 100 pages shorter and gotten to the point quicker.
It was ok as a big fan of Dragonlance, but it wasn't one I am dying to reread.
August 11, 2020
Completado "El orbe de los dragones", segundo volumen de Las Crónicas Perdidas de Dragonlance. Fue difícil conseguir este ejemplar, aunque el primer volumen (El Mazo de Kharas) estaba disponible aquí en España, tanto este segundo como el tercero los he tenido que importar desde la otra punta del planeta - literalmente, han venido desde Argentina -. Y éste en particular estaba en condición de usado y era el último ejemplar disponible que he podido localizar en tapa dura. Parece que los libros de Dragonlance se están volviendo cada vez más raros, lo cual me apena, al menos mientras no se planteen hacer nuevas reediciones.
Este segundo volumen está dedicado a otra parte de la historia que tuvo que ser excluida en la trilogía original de las Crónicas: a saber, de cómo Laurana, Sturm, Flint, Tasslehoff y compañeros encontraron el Orbe de los Dragones en el Muro de Hielo y derrotaron al Señor del Dragón Feal-Thas que lo custodiaba. Esta parte está sintetizada en "La Tumba de Huma" (segundo volumen de las Crónicas) con un poema de Michael Williams y ya está; cuando retomamos la lectura, estos compañeros ya tienen el artefacto mágico en su poder y navegan hacia Sancrist para entregarlo a los Caballeros de Solamnia.
Sin embargo, aunque parece que se podría leer este volumen antes de leer La Tumba de Huma, en ningún caso debes de hacerlo. Es más, casi te sugeriría que terminaras las Crónicas completas antes de leer el volumen que ahora reseño, porque hay mucha información e historias paralelas que los autores dan por sentado que conoces. Es más, ni siquiera la mayor parte del libro está dedicado a Laurana y compañía - ¡gracias a los dioses! porque por más que lo intento, y os prometo que lo he intentado mucho, no consigo que Laurana me caiga bien, la pobre - sino que la protagonista estelar e indiscutible de este volumen es Kitiara Uth Matar.
¡Y en buena hora! Porque es lo mejor del libro, un personaje excelente, fantástico, a quien apenas se dedicó el tiempo que merecía tanto en las Crónicas originales, como en las espectaculares Leyendas. Kitiara, ex-compañera de los protagonistas y Señora del Dragón, es, junto con Raistlin, probablemente una de los mejores personajes que hay en este universo, aunque muy distinta de él, se entiende. No tan brillante ni lumbrera como el mago, Kitiara es, sin embargo, el arquetipo de mujer empoderada: valiente, resolutiva, sacrificada, atrevida, luchadora, no hay prácticamente nada que la doblegue, no se deja avasallar ni dominar por nadie, ni hombre ni mujer, ni monstruo ni mago, ni dragón ni dios. Claro que, ella realmente es un personaje que podrías calificar de villana, ya que elige luchar en el bando de los "malos", pues aspira a dominar y liderar las fuerzas militares al servicio de la Reina de la Oscuridad. Es también una mujer liberada, que está en pleno control de su propia sexualidad y que la usa, cuando quiere, en beneficio propio. ¿Qué no hay que admirar de ella? Su absoluta falta de moralidad y escrúpulos, su desprecio por el bienestar de cualquiera que no sea ella, del dolor y del sufrimiento ajeno, su crueldad y su indiferencia, y lo que es su mayor defecto, su tendencia a los accesos de ira y a dejarse llevar por caprichos, lo que acabará siendo, gradualmente, artífice de su propia destrucción.
En un momento en que se han puesto de moda las mujeres empoderadas, las villanas resolutivas y las luchadoras que se hacen a sí mismas, es una pena que el gran público y los lectores de fantasía actual se estén perdiendo a alguien como Kitiara.
Basta de rollos. Al tema. Aunque el libro se presenta como la historia de las dos mujeres amadas por Tanis - y a las que Tanis ama - como la vieja dicotomía maniquea del Bien y del Mal - Laurana la bondadosa, la casta; Kitiara la malvada, la promiscua - lo cierto es que Weis y Hickman han tenido la decencia de no repetir esta contraposición odiosa que hicieron en el pasado, centrando, como he dicho, la mayor parte del libro en Kitiara, en su lucha por hacerse con el control del Ala Azul del ejército y del ascenso a comandar las tropas en lugar del emperador Ariakas. Llevada por la fuerza a una situación insostenible que, dicho sea de paso, propicia un pasajero arrebato de celos y capricho que es su mayor defecto, Kitiara acabará pactando con la misma diosa Takhisis para salvar su vida y a cambio, reclutar a Lord Soth - otro personaje que se las trae - para la causa. Y en el proceso, tender una trampa a los cándidos Caballeros de Solamnia y entregarles en bandeja un artefacto que es puro veneno amasado: el Orbe de los Dragones, que, a semejanza del Anillo Único de Tolkien, ofrece una ilusión de poder a cambio de controlar brutalmente a su portador.
El libro es fantástico, trepidante, entretenido; un poco más lento y tedioso en las partes dedicadas a los caballeros y a Laurana - salvadas, por suerte, por el siempre encantador Tasslehoff - pero no llega a hacerse aburrido en ningún momento. El problema de leer esta historia es que se carga uno de los momentos más épicos de La Tumba de Huma, que era la revelación de Kitiara como personaje antagonista de los valientes compañeros: el momento en que da muerte a Sturm y, ante el cadáver del viejo amigo y amante, se saca el casco y revela por primera vez su identidad, ya que la armadura de Señor del Dragón es totalmente asexuada y no permite distinguir si lo lleva un hombre o una mujer. Ese momento es uno de los dos clímax más intensos de las Crónicas, en que compartimos la estupefacción de Laurana al descubrir que, en efecto, el Ala Azul de las tropas enemigas está comandada por una mujer - y como dice Ariakas en este mismo volumen que reseño, ¡qué mujer! -.
Por eso digo que es importante leer primero La Tumba de Huma como mínimo antes de abordar este volumen, porque se pierde el mágico efecto del instante revelador. Aparte, se han tomado decisiones en la narrativa con las que no estoy muy de acuerdo - como exponer a Kitiara demasiado a los celos por Tanis, cuando en las trilogías originales era una mujer bastante fría que controlaba sus emociones mucho mejor que lo hace en este libro - pero entiendo que lo han hecho para convertirla en algo más creíble, más humano; y para que disfrutemos viendo cómo ella misma salta sus propios baches y se las apaña para volver sus debilidades en fortalezas, para deshacer sus propios entuertos.
Nada más que decir, 5 de 5, estupenda lectura, muy recomendado para todos los fans de Dragonlance y especialmente para los fans de Kitiara. Doy gracias a los autores por dedicarle este volumen que falta le hacía, ya que su potencial estaba desaprovechado en las novelas originales. Personajes como ella, muchos intentan escribirlos, pero pocas veces han resultado tan creíbles como en este caso. Un ejemplo a seguir.
Este segundo volumen está dedicado a otra parte de la historia que tuvo que ser excluida en la trilogía original de las Crónicas: a saber, de cómo Laurana, Sturm, Flint, Tasslehoff y compañeros encontraron el Orbe de los Dragones en el Muro de Hielo y derrotaron al Señor del Dragón Feal-Thas que lo custodiaba. Esta parte está sintetizada en "La Tumba de Huma" (segundo volumen de las Crónicas) con un poema de Michael Williams y ya está; cuando retomamos la lectura, estos compañeros ya tienen el artefacto mágico en su poder y navegan hacia Sancrist para entregarlo a los Caballeros de Solamnia.
Sin embargo, aunque parece que se podría leer este volumen antes de leer La Tumba de Huma, en ningún caso debes de hacerlo. Es más, casi te sugeriría que terminaras las Crónicas completas antes de leer el volumen que ahora reseño, porque hay mucha información e historias paralelas que los autores dan por sentado que conoces. Es más, ni siquiera la mayor parte del libro está dedicado a Laurana y compañía - ¡gracias a los dioses! porque por más que lo intento, y os prometo que lo he intentado mucho, no consigo que Laurana me caiga bien, la pobre - sino que la protagonista estelar e indiscutible de este volumen es Kitiara Uth Matar.
¡Y en buena hora! Porque es lo mejor del libro, un personaje excelente, fantástico, a quien apenas se dedicó el tiempo que merecía tanto en las Crónicas originales, como en las espectaculares Leyendas. Kitiara, ex-compañera de los protagonistas y Señora del Dragón, es, junto con Raistlin, probablemente una de los mejores personajes que hay en este universo, aunque muy distinta de él, se entiende. No tan brillante ni lumbrera como el mago, Kitiara es, sin embargo, el arquetipo de mujer empoderada: valiente, resolutiva, sacrificada, atrevida, luchadora, no hay prácticamente nada que la doblegue, no se deja avasallar ni dominar por nadie, ni hombre ni mujer, ni monstruo ni mago, ni dragón ni dios. Claro que, ella realmente es un personaje que podrías calificar de villana, ya que elige luchar en el bando de los "malos", pues aspira a dominar y liderar las fuerzas militares al servicio de la Reina de la Oscuridad. Es también una mujer liberada, que está en pleno control de su propia sexualidad y que la usa, cuando quiere, en beneficio propio. ¿Qué no hay que admirar de ella? Su absoluta falta de moralidad y escrúpulos, su desprecio por el bienestar de cualquiera que no sea ella, del dolor y del sufrimiento ajeno, su crueldad y su indiferencia, y lo que es su mayor defecto, su tendencia a los accesos de ira y a dejarse llevar por caprichos, lo que acabará siendo, gradualmente, artífice de su propia destrucción.
En un momento en que se han puesto de moda las mujeres empoderadas, las villanas resolutivas y las luchadoras que se hacen a sí mismas, es una pena que el gran público y los lectores de fantasía actual se estén perdiendo a alguien como Kitiara.
Basta de rollos. Al tema. Aunque el libro se presenta como la historia de las dos mujeres amadas por Tanis - y a las que Tanis ama - como la vieja dicotomía maniquea del Bien y del Mal - Laurana la bondadosa, la casta; Kitiara la malvada, la promiscua - lo cierto es que Weis y Hickman han tenido la decencia de no repetir esta contraposición odiosa que hicieron en el pasado, centrando, como he dicho, la mayor parte del libro en Kitiara, en su lucha por hacerse con el control del Ala Azul del ejército y del ascenso a comandar las tropas en lugar del emperador Ariakas. Llevada por la fuerza a una situación insostenible que, dicho sea de paso, propicia un pasajero arrebato de celos y capricho que es su mayor defecto, Kitiara acabará pactando con la misma diosa Takhisis para salvar su vida y a cambio, reclutar a Lord Soth - otro personaje que se las trae - para la causa. Y en el proceso, tender una trampa a los cándidos Caballeros de Solamnia y entregarles en bandeja un artefacto que es puro veneno amasado: el Orbe de los Dragones, que, a semejanza del Anillo Único de Tolkien, ofrece una ilusión de poder a cambio de controlar brutalmente a su portador.
El libro es fantástico, trepidante, entretenido; un poco más lento y tedioso en las partes dedicadas a los caballeros y a Laurana - salvadas, por suerte, por el siempre encantador Tasslehoff - pero no llega a hacerse aburrido en ningún momento. El problema de leer esta historia es que se carga uno de los momentos más épicos de La Tumba de Huma, que era la revelación de Kitiara como personaje antagonista de los valientes compañeros: el momento en que da muerte a Sturm y, ante el cadáver del viejo amigo y amante, se saca el casco y revela por primera vez su identidad, ya que la armadura de Señor del Dragón es totalmente asexuada y no permite distinguir si lo lleva un hombre o una mujer. Ese momento es uno de los dos clímax más intensos de las Crónicas, en que compartimos la estupefacción de Laurana al descubrir que, en efecto, el Ala Azul de las tropas enemigas está comandada por una mujer - y como dice Ariakas en este mismo volumen que reseño, ¡qué mujer! -.
Por eso digo que es importante leer primero La Tumba de Huma como mínimo antes de abordar este volumen, porque se pierde el mágico efecto del instante revelador. Aparte, se han tomado decisiones en la narrativa con las que no estoy muy de acuerdo - como exponer a Kitiara demasiado a los celos por Tanis, cuando en las trilogías originales era una mujer bastante fría que controlaba sus emociones mucho mejor que lo hace en este libro - pero entiendo que lo han hecho para convertirla en algo más creíble, más humano; y para que disfrutemos viendo cómo ella misma salta sus propios baches y se las apaña para volver sus debilidades en fortalezas, para deshacer sus propios entuertos.
Nada más que decir, 5 de 5, estupenda lectura, muy recomendado para todos los fans de Dragonlance y especialmente para los fans de Kitiara. Doy gracias a los autores por dedicarle este volumen que falta le hacía, ya que su potencial estaba desaprovechado en las novelas originales. Personajes como ella, muchos intentan escribirlos, pero pocas veces han resultado tan creíbles como en este caso. Un ejemplo a seguir.
January 27, 2017
Dragons of the Highlord Skies is a really great tale catching up with events that take place during the Dragonlance Chronicles! :D The book fills in some areas that are lightly touched in the Dragonlance Chronicles but at the same time you no that a lot of the new characters are on a dangerous tight rope as to what happens to them! :D
It is great to see the characters back in action again with Flint, Tasselhoff, and Sturm doing what they do best and Kitiara starts her slide into getting in with Soth which we all no what happens there! :D
Dragons of the Highlord Skies is great catch up full of humour and adventure that is a roller coaster, action packed ride! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D
It is great to see the characters back in action again with Flint, Tasselhoff, and Sturm doing what they do best and Kitiara starts her slide into getting in with Soth which we all no what happens there! :D
Dragons of the Highlord Skies is great catch up full of humour and adventure that is a roller coaster, action packed ride! :D Brilliant and highly recommended! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2021
Weis and Hickman continue to impress with their storytelling and world building.
This Lost Chronicle dealt with Kitiara, who in my opinion, doesn't really carry the story fully nor alone. Although a truer to life character, she is devious, conniving, yet whiny in points. The chip on her shoulder must weight a ton. Nor am I a fan of the catty jealousy over Tanis, even though that structure supports the story line... I get it. Character motivation.
Luckily, we get some Sturm, Flint and Tas, along with Gil and Laurana, to fill in the gaps and bring the story to fulfillment. And the Knights used in this outing were well considered and made not liking Derek, believable and almost too easy.
I found it engaging to watch a battle where I know the outcome, from the opposite side of the battlefield. Didn't jump onto the Ariakas band wagon or anything, but enjoyed seeing the dissention in their ranks and how it developed/s. Feal-Thas and Iolanthe were intriguing in their villainous efforts as well.
Highly recommend this, and all of the other, War of the Lance Weis & Hickman books.
Thanks for reading.
This Lost Chronicle dealt with Kitiara, who in my opinion, doesn't really carry the story fully nor alone. Although a truer to life character, she is devious, conniving, yet whiny in points. The chip on her shoulder must weight a ton. Nor am I a fan of the catty jealousy over Tanis, even though that structure supports the story line... I get it. Character motivation.
Luckily, we get some Sturm, Flint and Tas, along with Gil and Laurana, to fill in the gaps and bring the story to fulfillment. And the Knights used in this outing were well considered and made not liking Derek, believable and almost too easy.
I found it engaging to watch a battle where I know the outcome, from the opposite side of the battlefield. Didn't jump onto the Ariakas band wagon or anything, but enjoyed seeing the dissention in their ranks and how it developed/s. Feal-Thas and Iolanthe were intriguing in their villainous efforts as well.
Highly recommend this, and all of the other, War of the Lance Weis & Hickman books.
Thanks for reading.
August 1, 2017
i finished this one while traveling and it was a perfect traveling book. i have read many books in the dragonlance series before and some have been awesome, some did not impress me that much. this one belongs to the first category. the story is gripping and keeps you attached to the book. there are times when you just cannot put it down. it was a great joy to have the kender for a quite big portion also in the book. our usual heroes are not the center of attention but they take part. all in all a great story, i was dismayed when i realised the end of the book is coming up. i must have read actually the follow up to that. weis obviously did not publish these in chronological order. i will have to refresh my memory on what happened afterwards!
November 1, 2007
This is an excellent supplement to the Chronicles trilogy. The story is wonderfully compelling. This book gives many of the characters features in the story so much more depth and interest than they was able to receive in the original trilogy, and brilliantly fills in blanks in the original story. I found the book almost as difficult to put down as the Chronicles. And while some may argue that the people receiving attention in this book are ancillary characters, I think it is the strength of Dragonlance that allows these secondary characters to have depth in ways the truly inform the story and affect the larger world.
April 19, 2026
Dragons of the Highlord Skies is a classic case of a book that deepens a beloved world without fully standing on its own. Set within the Dragonlance saga, it explores the events happening behind the scenes during the War of the Lance, with a particular focus on the Dragon Highlords and their strategies.
One of the strongest aspects of the novel is its world-building. The story adds layers to the Dragonlance universe, giving readers a broader understanding of the war and the forces at play. Seeing parts of the story unfold from the villains’ perspective is especially interesting, offering a darker and more strategic tone than some of the earlier books.
However, the novel struggles with character depth. Kitiara—who should be a powerful and complex figure—doesn’t always feel as compelling as expected, and her motivations can come across as repetitive or underdeveloped. This weakens the emotional impact of the story, especially for readers hoping for a strong character-driven narrative.
The pacing is also uneven. Some sections feel slow and overly detailed, while others move too quickly, making the story feel more like a bridge between bigger events rather than a fully satisfying novel on its own.
Overall, Dragons of the Highlord Skies is a worthwhile read for dedicated Dragonlance fans who want to explore more of the lore and fill in gaps in the timeline. For new readers, though, it’s not the best place to start. It’s more of a companion piece than a standout entry—interesting, but not essential.
One of the strongest aspects of the novel is its world-building. The story adds layers to the Dragonlance universe, giving readers a broader understanding of the war and the forces at play. Seeing parts of the story unfold from the villains’ perspective is especially interesting, offering a darker and more strategic tone than some of the earlier books.
However, the novel struggles with character depth. Kitiara—who should be a powerful and complex figure—doesn’t always feel as compelling as expected, and her motivations can come across as repetitive or underdeveloped. This weakens the emotional impact of the story, especially for readers hoping for a strong character-driven narrative.
The pacing is also uneven. Some sections feel slow and overly detailed, while others move too quickly, making the story feel more like a bridge between bigger events rather than a fully satisfying novel on its own.
Overall, Dragons of the Highlord Skies is a worthwhile read for dedicated Dragonlance fans who want to explore more of the lore and fill in gaps in the timeline. For new readers, though, it’s not the best place to start. It’s more of a companion piece than a standout entry—interesting, but not essential.
September 8, 2026
Kitiara è un personaggio che mi ha sempre affasciato, così come Derek mi è sempre sembrato una macchietta, quindi ho sentimenti contrastanti per questo libro. Alcune note:
- Feal-Thas è un ottimo personaggio, a cui è stato dedicato un intero modulo se non ricordo male, ma avrebbero potuto aggiungere qualcosa anche qui.
- Il combattimento contro il suddetto elfo è imbarazzante (arcimago che al primo round usa polimorfia e non può più lanciare incantesimi??)
- Tutta la parte centrale a Tarsis... Ma anche no grazie, è uguale a quanto visto nelle Cronache, ma qui più noiosa.
- La parte finale a Nightlund bellissima.
- Feal-Thas è un ottimo personaggio, a cui è stato dedicato un intero modulo se non ricordo male, ma avrebbero potuto aggiungere qualcosa anche qui.
- Il combattimento contro il suddetto elfo è imbarazzante (arcimago che al primo round usa polimorfia e non può più lanciare incantesimi??)
- Tutta la parte centrale a Tarsis... Ma anche no grazie, è uguale a quanto visto nelle Cronache, ma qui più noiosa.
- La parte finale a Nightlund bellissima.
September 28, 2021
Carino ma non straordinario. Ho preferito il volume precedente. Vedremo come è il prossimo.
December 11, 2019
Another book filling the gaps between the volumes of the original Chronicles. In this we can follow the adventures of Kitiara, Tanis and the others at the Ice Wall trying to get one of the legendary Dragon Orbs. Maybe the best of the `Lost Chronicles` trilogy.
December 14, 2011
Set after the events of book one of this trilogy (The Lost Chronicles), this books covers a number of adventures that were untold or just hinted at in book two of the original trilogy (Chronicles).
The first third of the book covers the initial story of Kitiara and her time in the evil army, after that until about half way through the book we here about the story of three Solamnic knights and their quest to recover the Dragon Orb in hopes of winning the war. The remainder of the book switches between to two groups at regular intervals.
Kit's story is very interesting she is sent on various missions by the Emperor. All the time she is sent dreams my her evil Goddess, who is trying to get Kit to spend one night in the castle of the Death Knight Lord Soth, so he will join them in the war. It was great to see Kit's character developed and to see she is not as evil or heartless as we once thought (she is still a bad ass though!) She has genuine thoughts and feelings. She is an interesting characters with a strong personality, the various twists she goes through keep her story interesting and you want to see her do well.
The other storyline is also interesting. Of the three knights one is very serious, traditional and follows "the Measure" to the letter, the other two are more fun loving and realistic. They are old friends but they do sometimes squabble and argue and at times their friendship seems threatened but they always come through for each other in the end.
The knights eventually team up with Flint, Tas, Sturm, Laurana and Giltnanas from the original books. The personalities of Flint and Tas are as fun and exciting as ever, and the dynamic between the two is fantastic. Sturm has a good showing too as he is plunged back into a Solamic life he thought he had lost and his secrets are revealed to his friends. Laurana's story is also interesting as she is in the process of changing from the childish, somewhat weak character she started of as in the original book and moving towards the adult, strong leader she eventually becomes.
Overall this was a great book and it was great to see some of the story that we missed out on. The characters are all excellent and the interactions they have is fantastic.
The first third of the book covers the initial story of Kitiara and her time in the evil army, after that until about half way through the book we here about the story of three Solamnic knights and their quest to recover the Dragon Orb in hopes of winning the war. The remainder of the book switches between to two groups at regular intervals.
Kit's story is very interesting she is sent on various missions by the Emperor. All the time she is sent dreams my her evil Goddess, who is trying to get Kit to spend one night in the castle of the Death Knight Lord Soth, so he will join them in the war. It was great to see Kit's character developed and to see she is not as evil or heartless as we once thought (she is still a bad ass though!) She has genuine thoughts and feelings. She is an interesting characters with a strong personality, the various twists she goes through keep her story interesting and you want to see her do well.
The other storyline is also interesting. Of the three knights one is very serious, traditional and follows "the Measure" to the letter, the other two are more fun loving and realistic. They are old friends but they do sometimes squabble and argue and at times their friendship seems threatened but they always come through for each other in the end.
The knights eventually team up with Flint, Tas, Sturm, Laurana and Giltnanas from the original books. The personalities of Flint and Tas are as fun and exciting as ever, and the dynamic between the two is fantastic. Sturm has a good showing too as he is plunged back into a Solamic life he thought he had lost and his secrets are revealed to his friends. Laurana's story is also interesting as she is in the process of changing from the childish, somewhat weak character she started of as in the original book and moving towards the adult, strong leader she eventually becomes.
Overall this was a great book and it was great to see some of the story that we missed out on. The characters are all excellent and the interactions they have is fantastic.
April 6, 2014
I'd say a 4.5/5 stars
This is more of the story of Kitiara, focusing on her more than Volume I (Dragons of the Dwarven Depths) did. She's sent by Ariakas to attempt to corrupt the Knights of Solamnia and opts to take a side trip to determine if the "assassins who killed Verminaard" are truly her former friends.
Ariakas also sends his witch lover Iolanthe to spy on Kit. And Kit's jealousy of Laurana goes into overdrive. Tanis has a very strong sense of loyalty and morality; he wouldn't just sleep with someone he formerly loved because he could. He wouldn't act as if he disliked someone and then secretly met with them. But that is where her worst fears bring her later on.
The group of Knights on the quest are led by Derek. His best fiend is Brian and the two have another friend in Aran, who is a joker and reminisces of their early days. Derek is like Sturm in that things must be followed by the Measure and his sense of humour is a bit lacking. Unlike Sturm, Derek wants to be a bit higher up and is very focused on finding the dragon orb. He also feels the means justify the ends, which Sturm--and other Knights--do not.
The Knights meet up with the Heroes in book II, and the stories collide. Tas is more snarky than usual, which threw me off. Derek goes on tirades about Sturm and his non-knighthood. Brian falls in love with Lillith (who I didn't trust at first, because of her name). They feel a "love at first sight" thing. It's a bit annoying, to be honest. I just don't like love at first sight.
The middle of III.5 - I have never seen the word "somnambulist" outside of this book. But I knew what it meant from the context. SAT word, anyone?
The dragon orb defiles the hearts of those it comes in contact with, even if not physically. The desolation in the last 100 pages of hearts, minds, and lives is depressing (yet written very well).
Laurana grows a lot, and seeing her change is good. It segues well with the time between novels in the original trilogy.
Book IV brings together a former novel's plot of Kit and Lord Soth; of elves and the Knights, and the dragon orb; of Takhisis and her evil.
This is more of the story of Kitiara, focusing on her more than Volume I (Dragons of the Dwarven Depths) did. She's sent by Ariakas to attempt to corrupt the Knights of Solamnia and opts to take a side trip to determine if the "assassins who killed Verminaard" are truly her former friends.
Ariakas also sends his witch lover Iolanthe to spy on Kit. And Kit's jealousy of Laurana goes into overdrive. Tanis has a very strong sense of loyalty and morality; he wouldn't just sleep with someone he formerly loved because he could. He wouldn't act as if he disliked someone and then secretly met with them. But that is where her worst fears bring her later on.
The group of Knights on the quest are led by Derek. His best fiend is Brian and the two have another friend in Aran, who is a joker and reminisces of their early days. Derek is like Sturm in that things must be followed by the Measure and his sense of humour is a bit lacking. Unlike Sturm, Derek wants to be a bit higher up and is very focused on finding the dragon orb. He also feels the means justify the ends, which Sturm--and other Knights--do not.
The Knights meet up with the Heroes in book II, and the stories collide. Tas is more snarky than usual, which threw me off. Derek goes on tirades about Sturm and his non-knighthood. Brian falls in love with Lillith (who I didn't trust at first, because of her name). They feel a "love at first sight" thing. It's a bit annoying, to be honest. I just don't like love at first sight.
The middle of III.5 - I have never seen the word "somnambulist" outside of this book. But I knew what it meant from the context. SAT word, anyone?
The dragon orb defiles the hearts of those it comes in contact with, even if not physically. The desolation in the last 100 pages of hearts, minds, and lives is depressing (yet written very well).
Laurana grows a lot, and seeing her change is good. It segues well with the time between novels in the original trilogy.
Book IV brings together a former novel's plot of Kit and Lord Soth; of elves and the Knights, and the dragon orb; of Takhisis and her evil.
July 11, 2019
An interesting read that fills in much of the story leading up to the acquisition of the Dragon Orb. Overall a great story.
February 8, 2010
Book 2 of the Lost Chronicles was rather disappointing. Rather disappointing coming off from reading book 1. Book 1 made me feel nostalgic; book 2 felt dragging at certain places and didn't make me feel like wanting to keep going.
The second book focuses primarily on Kitiara and Sturm I would say; the former of how she ended up with Lord Soth in her service and the latter of how he ended up with Derek Crownguard and the dragon orb.
I didn't particularly like Kitiara so my enthusiasm was already down. Sure, it was interesting to see her role within the dragon army - but too much was spent her trying to locate Tanis, and way way way too little spent on her locating (and winning over) Lord Soth. It almost felt like it was glossed over fairly quickly. Spend one night at Dargaard Keep? She just used an hour of it. Wasted potential I would say.
As for Sturm's side - well, I disliked Derek Crownguard. Having him so prominent made for rather difficult reading. Brian Donner's reflections and thoughts felt like attempts to excuse Derek's behaviour, but it just didn't click for me.
There are certainly gems to be found, such as filling in some details of the lead-up to Dragons of Winter Night; Laurana's side of the story when the Companions were split up were particularly interesting for me.
Still, I recommend this to those who read the Chronicles, if only to fill up the storyline gaps, especially for those who happen to like Sturm and/or Kitiara. Just don't get your hopes too high as per book 1.
The second book focuses primarily on Kitiara and Sturm I would say; the former of how she ended up with Lord Soth in her service and the latter of how he ended up with Derek Crownguard and the dragon orb.
I didn't particularly like Kitiara so my enthusiasm was already down. Sure, it was interesting to see her role within the dragon army - but too much was spent her trying to locate Tanis, and way way way too little spent on her locating (and winning over) Lord Soth. It almost felt like it was glossed over fairly quickly. Spend one night at Dargaard Keep? She just used an hour of it. Wasted potential I would say.
As for Sturm's side - well, I disliked Derek Crownguard. Having him so prominent made for rather difficult reading. Brian Donner's reflections and thoughts felt like attempts to excuse Derek's behaviour, but it just didn't click for me.
There are certainly gems to be found, such as filling in some details of the lead-up to Dragons of Winter Night; Laurana's side of the story when the Companions were split up were particularly interesting for me.
Still, I recommend this to those who read the Chronicles, if only to fill up the storyline gaps, especially for those who happen to like Sturm and/or Kitiara. Just don't get your hopes too high as per book 1.
September 20, 2017
the second book of lost chronicles begins when the first ended. it has three (and a small fourth) parts.
the first is about Kitiara and how he managed to find out about her friends the dragon orb and many more adventures, the second is about the three solamnic knights how they reached tarsis and why. the third is the actual lost chronicle where is depicted the icereach adventure part and what the second group of the companions did to get the orb. there are some nice parts where some scenes that we have read in dragons of winter night are viewed from a different perspective and in general we are informed about many side stories and background. the narration is better than the first book the stories are more intriguing and the book feels and looks like a dragonlance saga which the first didnt entirely. the trick part is how to read this book. i believe you can start it after the first lost chronicle book and then start dragons of winter night or (as i did) start the dragons of winter night until the second part (where the companions leave silvanesti) and before the third part where the companions (sturm tas laurana and gilthanas) had left icereach and then finish the dragons... bit complicated but the timeline is as complicated and there are parts in the two books that are parallel in time.
it is a great addition to the saga and after twenty years of experience, the authors had time to add more detail and more information about the saga and the world of Krynn.
the first is about Kitiara and how he managed to find out about her friends the dragon orb and many more adventures, the second is about the three solamnic knights how they reached tarsis and why. the third is the actual lost chronicle where is depicted the icereach adventure part and what the second group of the companions did to get the orb. there are some nice parts where some scenes that we have read in dragons of winter night are viewed from a different perspective and in general we are informed about many side stories and background. the narration is better than the first book the stories are more intriguing and the book feels and looks like a dragonlance saga which the first didnt entirely. the trick part is how to read this book. i believe you can start it after the first lost chronicle book and then start dragons of winter night or (as i did) start the dragons of winter night until the second part (where the companions leave silvanesti) and before the third part where the companions (sturm tas laurana and gilthanas) had left icereach and then finish the dragons... bit complicated but the timeline is as complicated and there are parts in the two books that are parallel in time.
it is a great addition to the saga and after twenty years of experience, the authors had time to add more detail and more information about the saga and the world of Krynn.
September 30, 2013
In Dragons of the Highlord Skies the focus is largely shifted from Tanis and his group of friends to Kitiara and some knights from Solamnia. Kitiara's directive is to lead the knights to a dragon orb so that the knights will return it to Solamnia and be overwhelmed by it's will much as Lorac of the elves was. This would effectively destroy Solamnia removing them as an obstacle. The knights are only too happy to oblige as news of a dragon orb inspires them to claim it as their own to ensure that humans take possession of it's power and not some other evil race. The orb however, is in the keep of a powerful Elven wizard who, though a dragon highlord himself, has no interest in parting with the orb. Kitiara must overcome the fearsome guardian if she's to make the orb accessible to the knights, and even then, there's no knowing that the Elven wizard will allow the knights to claim it. He doesn't seem so inclined.
This wouldn't necessarily be so bad if Kit's main goal wasn't to find her since lover Tanis and make him hers again. It becomes her obsession, and it's starting to make her loose favour with the Emperor. It might not be long before she's removed from her post if she continues to appear as a friend to the enemies her Dark Majesty. She may have to prove herself in ways most mortals could never endure.
This wouldn't necessarily be so bad if Kit's main goal wasn't to find her since lover Tanis and make him hers again. It becomes her obsession, and it's starting to make her loose favour with the Emperor. It might not be long before she's removed from her post if she continues to appear as a friend to the enemies her Dark Majesty. She may have to prove herself in ways most mortals could never endure.
March 12, 2010
Way back in the prologue this starts building tension towards what should be a meaty challenge wherein Kitiara tries to win over Lord Soth, one of the most powerful beings on Krynn, and convince him to join the war. There should be battles, riddles...maybe an uncomfortable meal at Lord Soth's table or something...
The stakes are high, Kit is fearless and lucky, Lord Soth is one of the most fascinating characters in all the books and everything is set for an amazing tale.
And it's all wasted in a quick, throw-away ending. Unbelievable. Not since The Historian has a book so lengthy (this one is 597 pages) been guilty of not spending enough time wrapping up the main story.
Even though the promised showdown takes place in frightful Dargaard Keep where people literally die from fright, anything is scarier and more of a battle of wills than this. Harry Potter (even when he's young), other parts in DragonLance, the odd Coraline, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, anything. What a disappointment.
The stakes are high, Kit is fearless and lucky, Lord Soth is one of the most fascinating characters in all the books and everything is set for an amazing tale.
And it's all wasted in a quick, throw-away ending. Unbelievable. Not since The Historian has a book so lengthy (this one is 597 pages) been guilty of not spending enough time wrapping up the main story.
Even though the promised showdown takes place in frightful Dargaard Keep where people literally die from fright, anything is scarier and more of a battle of wills than this. Harry Potter (even when he's young), other parts in DragonLance, the odd Coraline, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, anything. What a disappointment.
January 5, 2015
More Kitiara = more fun
Reading the second Lost Chronicle book is taking another trip to my youth: revisiting old friends and getting to know new places. I'm glad MW&TH decided to dedicate this book to Kitiara Uth Matar.
The good stuff: Kitiara, Lord Soth! (Obviously), Tasslehoff, Skye and the Ice Castle battle. The not-so-good: Laurana (boooring), the Knights, not-enough-Soth! (Obviously)
The story goes around the lives of Kitiara and Laurana, two women that are bound by love to the much beloved Tanis Half-elven (personally, I've always liked the Twins so-much-more). Although to be honest, the story is much more Kitiara than Laurana (thank the True Gods for that).
Kitiara is a cool and strong female protagonist, whereas Laurana has always stricken me as just another pretty face. I don't think I've ever read a good Laurana story (please let me know if there is one). On the other hand, this books left me wanting more Soth and more of the Kit - Sturm stuff that I know is in another book.
And Tas... you gotta hand it to MW&TH: they know how to make a nuisance (as all Kender are) into a compelling and very funny character. I actually liked Tas MORE after reading the two Lost Chronicle books.
Looking forward to reading Raistlin's book next.
Reading the second Lost Chronicle book is taking another trip to my youth: revisiting old friends and getting to know new places. I'm glad MW&TH decided to dedicate this book to Kitiara Uth Matar.
The good stuff: Kitiara, Lord Soth! (Obviously), Tasslehoff, Skye and the Ice Castle battle. The not-so-good: Laurana (boooring), the Knights, not-enough-Soth! (Obviously)
The story goes around the lives of Kitiara and Laurana, two women that are bound by love to the much beloved Tanis Half-elven (personally, I've always liked the Twins so-much-more). Although to be honest, the story is much more Kitiara than Laurana (thank the True Gods for that).
Kitiara is a cool and strong female protagonist, whereas Laurana has always stricken me as just another pretty face. I don't think I've ever read a good Laurana story (please let me know if there is one). On the other hand, this books left me wanting more Soth and more of the Kit - Sturm stuff that I know is in another book.
And Tas... you gotta hand it to MW&TH: they know how to make a nuisance (as all Kender are) into a compelling and very funny character. I actually liked Tas MORE after reading the two Lost Chronicle books.
Looking forward to reading Raistlin's book next.
July 2, 2018
Exciting further adventures of the Heroes of the Lance.
After reading some of the other reviews, I agree that the Kit/Soth thing was anticlimactic, but Kit wasn't my main reason for reading it anyway. It was the Heroes of the Lance that I wanted to follow. I mostly enjoyed the Kit parts anyway, but the big lead-up to spending a night in Dargaard Keep consisted of her fighting off some undead, exchanging a few exhausted blows with Soth (who appeared to just let her win, as if he had decided to join the war already anyway), and falling asleep next to the chandelier. Soth chivalrously covers her with his cloak so she can get some shut-eye and then tells the banshees to shut up for the night so Kit can sleep. I thought the screaming song of the elf-women was his punishment for all eternity and he can just tell them to can it anytime he wants?
Oh, and I wasn't that crazy about the addition of a "frame" story in this book, although I like Lillith and all of the references to libraries and librarians, as I am one!
Anyway, I give it 5 stars anyway because I love the Dragonlance world and I enjoyed the parts that involved my favorite characters.
After reading some of the other reviews, I agree that the Kit/Soth thing was anticlimactic, but Kit wasn't my main reason for reading it anyway. It was the Heroes of the Lance that I wanted to follow. I mostly enjoyed the Kit parts anyway, but the big lead-up to spending a night in Dargaard Keep consisted of her fighting off some undead, exchanging a few exhausted blows with Soth (who appeared to just let her win, as if he had decided to join the war already anyway), and falling asleep next to the chandelier. Soth chivalrously covers her with his cloak so she can get some shut-eye and then tells the banshees to shut up for the night so Kit can sleep. I thought the screaming song of the elf-women was his punishment for all eternity and he can just tell them to can it anytime he wants?
Oh, and I wasn't that crazy about the addition of a "frame" story in this book, although I like Lillith and all of the references to libraries and librarians, as I am one!
Anyway, I give it 5 stars anyway because I love the Dragonlance world and I enjoyed the parts that involved my favorite characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2017
In the original Dragonlance, Kitiara was introduced as an ambitious woman who single-handedly raised her younger twin brothers, and who, in the intervening 5 years, somehow was lured to join the forces of evil. We never got her backstory, other then the basics: she was Tanis' ex-lover, and now, a high-ranking Dragonlord. Kit's character and her motivations are more fully explained in this novel, and she turns out to be one of the more interesting characters in the Dragonlance series, who is largely motivated by ambition and jealously. Hers is a multi-faceted character, and I found myself unexpectedly sympathising with her in turns.
On the flipside, the readers are given a glimpse into a side quest involving the wholesome Laurana (a clear Mary-Sue); the principled Strum; and the ever-thieving kender, Tasslehoff. This was less interesting, with clearly delineated "good guys" and "bad guys", and which could have been cut completely without any loss.
On the whole, this was a very enjoyable additional to the Dragonlance canon.
On the flipside, the readers are given a glimpse into a side quest involving the wholesome Laurana (a clear Mary-Sue); the principled Strum; and the ever-thieving kender, Tasslehoff. This was less interesting, with clearly delineated "good guys" and "bad guys", and which could have been cut completely without any loss.
On the whole, this was a very enjoyable additional to the Dragonlance canon.
May 3, 2013
Once again, really nice to go back to Krynn at the time of the War of the Lance. I really wish I'd had these to read in between the original series when I started it way back when. This series is begging for a re-read. I feel like I'm forgetting/missing the puzzle pieces coming together (that I didn't realize were there while reading the original series). Raistlin has been my favorite character of the series, and I was disappointed he doesn't even play a role in this book. However, Kitiara proved to be an interesting and complex character to follow. Her emotional and occupational struggles, while interesting themselves, are increasingly interesting to me when you compare her to her half-brothers Raistlin and Caramon. (Really interesting that Caramon, while clearly the least intelligent and ambitious of the three siblings, ends up being the most happy.) Also, I looked ahead and was very happy to see that the final volume of the Forgotten Legends trilogy focuses entirely on Raistlin.
December 26, 2014
Having had some ten years or more pass since I'd read the original Dragonlance series, I'd forgotten just how much of the story of Tanis and co. left unsaid. After the burning of Tarsis in Dragons of Winter Night and the ordeal of the elven dragon orb, we rejoined Sturm, Flint and their party in bringing the Icewall orb to Solamnia. We had never heard the full story of just how the orb was attained... until now.
In addition, this tale focuses heavily on Kitiara and her power struggle within Takhesis' army, as well as her first meeting with the death knight Lord Soth. Recommended for those who loved the Chronicles trilogy, and who always wanted to know the stories that fill in the blanks in Dragonlance's tapestry.
In addition, this tale focuses heavily on Kitiara and her power struggle within Takhesis' army, as well as her first meeting with the death knight Lord Soth. Recommended for those who loved the Chronicles trilogy, and who always wanted to know the stories that fill in the blanks in Dragonlance's tapestry.
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