The Messenger

Dragonlance: Icewall #1

by Douglas Niles

Exiled in disgrace to the harsh land called the Icereach, Kerrick, a Silvanesti elf, encounters a group of barbarian villagers that is making a determined stand against the encroachment of the remnants of a powerful ogre empire that is out to seize control of the frozen world. Original.

Genres: Dragonlance, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Science Fiction Fantasy, Turkish, Dragons

310 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Douglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game. He currently resides in Delavan, Wisconsin with his wife, Christine, and two Bouviets, Reggie and Stella. He enjoys playing his guitar, cooking, and visiting with family.

Reviews

[audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to think of 2020 as the year that taught us all to knit with the good yarn first. In my case, that means that if you remember a book fondly, there's no shame in re-reading it. I do in fact, remember this trilogy fondly, as some of the first D&D books I read, about uh, 30 years ago. And remarkably, they have held up. This first one in particular is just an all-out tumult of an adventure, with three interesting protagonists and more plot than a cemetery. There is ice and snow and ocean and dudes getting to know the best friends of the object of their affections and opting for being the better person. And it was all such a delightful relief.

[Ronnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Messenger is a great read. It's hardly high-minded and the vocabulary is simple, but it's well structured, and the main villain, Grimwar, is surprisingly nuanced (which isn't something you see very often with ogre villains in the Dragonlance series). Niles does a great job of circling around to use things he's mentioned earlier in the book for plot reasons, even calling back to a playful snowball fight between a couple of the characters in a more serious scene (which is something that all books *should* do, but some of the weaker Dragonlance books don't do at all). Coraltop is intriguing, and I'm torn between predicting whether he's a ghost or a god. I'm very much looking forward to finishing the trilogy.

This is only the fifth Douglas Niles Dragonlance book that I've read, but I think that it's one of my favourites from him so far.

[Bruce Dinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pulled this off my bookshelf for a re-read. I used to be heavy into Dungeons and Dragons. The Dragonlance series was written with the gamer in mind. My problem with this one was reading 4 threads and trying to keep everybody straight up to the climax. It was definitely a twisted ending that leaves me looking for the rest of the story which is exactly what people writing a lengthy series due to keep us coming back. But look at this cast: 1 elf outcast, 1 dwarf traitor, lots of ogres trying to kill off or enslave all the humans in the Ice Reach range. For the rest, you need to get this book.

[Dragon Slayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was a little slow, but halfway through the book really picked up all the way to the end. A lot happened in this book, and I'm not sure how there's enough storyline left for two more books, but I'm still planning to read the rest of the trilogy to see what's in store. If you like fantasy and survival/adventure, I recommend reading through this book.

[Adam Dorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elves, ogres, highlander humans; nicely fantasized and easy to read. Felt a little rushed, though. Also quite a few grammar and spelling mistakes which were hard for me to ignore.
Still a good read and recommended, despite the minor flaws

[Miss Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first dragon lance book that I've picked up in years and it was a nice way to ease back into it! I adore Moreen, and each of the characters stand out in ways that I'm excited to see them develop over the next two books.

[Samuel Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great 1st book of the series gives a real insight into relationship between humans, elves and Orges in pre-cataclysm Krynn.

[Tugbadursun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elfler, ogreler ve insanlar arasında geçen bir kitap. Bana Yüzüklerin Efendisi'ni hatırlattı, hatta yüzük detayı bile var. Sürükleyici olması güzeldi ve Moreen karakterini sevdim.

[Todd R · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK read in the Dragonlance world. Not the best, not the worst...Kerrick is a good character. The Icewall Trilogy really should have been condensed into one novel; In 3 it's a bit of a bore.

[Zidaya Blackheart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Algo denso, pero merece la pena

[Tom Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic story with expert story telling.

[Mikaël · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a promising start to the trilogy, consider me intrigued to see what comes next!

Also, where is that damn kender?

[Manuel Baraja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Destaca por encima de la media gracias a personajes bastante bien desarrollados (en ambos bandos) y una trama entretenida que mantiene su ritmo sin decaer demasiado en ningún momento.

Queda por ver cómo evoluciona en las entregas siguientes, pero hasta ahora, cumple satisfactoriamente.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is part of the Dragonlance world. This is the first book of a trilogy. This book follows a group of humans who live in Icereach. Icereach is desolate, icy, and cold. These humans are suddenly attacked by ogres and their home is destroyed.

This book was a decent read. It started off slow but by the end there is a huge battle. I believe the beginning was slow as the author is setting up his characters and describing their environment. He does a terrific job with this aspect and I especially liked his detail of Icereach as the reader gets a good sense of this world. When all the pieces are finally lined up the pace does pick up and the finale was terrific. This book does have a conclusion but he leaves open several story lines that will entice the reader into jumping into the second book of this trilogy.

You don't have to have any prior knowledge of Dragonlance as this book can be read as a stand alone. All fans of fantasy can enjoy this novel as it details a tribe's survival in a harsh environment and it has a variety of different creatures like elves, ogres, and kender. I look forward to the second book of this trilogy.

[TL Jeffcoat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing trilogy, I'm going to rate and review all three books the exact same, because they were one of the best D&D based stories I ever read. I love Douglas Niles work at putting this story together, and the character development and growth was amazing. The richness of the setting, and the adrenaline of the action was astounding. I loved the protagonist and the antagonist.

[Michael Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first fantasy novel I read in my life. It left a strong impression on me due to the landscape descriptions and the way the different societies were portrayed. I come back to read this series every once in a while for the content and nostalgia. Even through repeated readings the characters and plot still keep me engaged.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic start to this trilogy. I can't wait to see how it progresses. Moreen is a tough woman and I'm hoping she gets her tribe through what obviously will be a future ogre attack. I'm not sure what's up with the kender thinking he's a god watching over Kerrick. Again great start!

[Fumphwoog, Lady of all Sorrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman of course, but still very enjoyable.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was one of the best of the series I've read in a long time. Storytelling was gripping and moved along at the pace of the original series.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a long time for this one to get going... Hopefully the next one gets going faster!

[Kyle K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silvanesti Elf Kerrick is exiled from his home and travels south and into the Ice Reach and into a conflict between tribal humans and ogres.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! This took place in a part of the Dragonlance universe I’d not read too much about before and was really well done. Can’t wait to continue the trilogy.