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Dragonlance Universe #3
A Hero's Justice
A Hero's Justice
The Ergoth Empire trembles from a double invasion: reptilian bakali plunge straight into the heartland, while bands of human nomads ravage the eastern frontier. Army after army, warlord after warlord fails to stop the invaders. Voices whisper, "Where is Tol of Juramona? Only he can save us!"
A mad emperor will not heed the calls for Tol's return, so powerful forces align to deliver the champion of Ergoth back home. A wizard and a general, an empress and a queen - all take up the quest. Despite their efforts, though, Tol alone must decide whether to give up the peace and serenity of exile and save the empire that dishonored him.
The Ergoth Empire trembles from a double invasion: reptilian bakali plunge straight into the heartland, while bands of human nomads ravage the eastern frontier. Army after army, warlord after warlord fails to stop the invaders. Voices whisper, "Where is Tol of Juramona? Only he can save us!"
A mad emperor will not heed the calls for Tol's return, so powerful forces align to deliver the champion of Ergoth back home. A wizard and a general, an empress and a queen - all take up the quest. Despite their efforts, though, Tol alone must decide whether to give up the peace and serenity of exile and save the empire that dishonored him.
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 30, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 10, 2016
This is part of the Dragonlance world and is the third book of a trilogy. The other two must be read before this one. In this book, Tol has been banished. During his banishment, the Ergoth empire has gone down the drain. It seems like Tol is the only one who can bring back Ergoth back to its glory days.
Let me first say that the first two books of this trilogy was excellent. I am enjoying the characters and the whole atmosphere as it gives an early Roman empire feel to it. I was really looking forward to this book as we get the final confrontation between Tol and the newly crowned emperor. But this book did not live up to its expectations. I missed the insight to the main character as this one concentrated more on the action. I understand why the author did this as he needed a way for Tol to be on equal grounds with the emperor for their battle. I think Tol is better served when he is showing his character rather how he is an excellent warrior. I was more interested in the minor characters than Tol and I thought I would have never said that after the first two novels. And don't get me started on the ending. A big letdown that actually put a black mark on this whole trilogy.
The author has carved out a beautiful section of this world and I was so interested in this section. After I was done reading I was left with a feeling of it being unfulfilled. Maybe I my expectations were too high and I was asking too much from this book.
Let me first say that the first two books of this trilogy was excellent. I am enjoying the characters and the whole atmosphere as it gives an early Roman empire feel to it. I was really looking forward to this book as we get the final confrontation between Tol and the newly crowned emperor. But this book did not live up to its expectations. I missed the insight to the main character as this one concentrated more on the action. I understand why the author did this as he needed a way for Tol to be on equal grounds with the emperor for their battle. I think Tol is better served when he is showing his character rather how he is an excellent warrior. I was more interested in the minor characters than Tol and I thought I would have never said that after the first two novels. And don't get me started on the ending. A big letdown that actually put a black mark on this whole trilogy.
The author has carved out a beautiful section of this world and I was so interested in this section. After I was done reading I was left with a feeling of it being unfulfilled. Maybe I my expectations were too high and I was asking too much from this book.
August 18, 2016
Wow a splendid series, love the way Thompson writes and Tol is a great character a real hero not only brave but honourable to the very last. He was not swayed by power or money and greed but stood by his friends till the last and in the end showed that nothing and no one could sway him from his honourable path, not even love!! The farmer's son returns to his roots and finally finds peace!!
February 20, 2021
I really enjoyed the first 2 books in the trilogy and was enjoying this one up until the end. Tol finally defeats the emporer, and I understand why he didn't kill him when he was helpless and that Val had changed and wasn't right for him anymore. But just because Val had changed, he just walks away? He spent the whole book saying he was saving the empire and its people, and then he just abandoned them to their fate, let the empire crumble and fall into civil war, and left Val to be imprisoned for the rest of her life, none of them deserved that. Tol didn't get his 'prize' so he sulked and ran off. What the hell? What then was the point of everything that happened throughout the trilogy? I gave 3 stars because most of the book is very good, but the ending drags it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2020
A little anticlimactic but a fitting end for Tol.
February 7, 2020
First, I really enjoyed the three books. I think Paul Thompson is a great writer and keeps a reader of my age interested from start to finish. But I only want to comment on somewhat of a letdown when I got to the end. First, it seemed strange to me that a relationship that was developing and put on hold, back and forth through most of three books, what just cast aside at the end for what seemed almost selfish reasons. Similarly, a hatred and desire for justice against a person that deserved to be put down, also unfulfilled with a sudden lack of interest. Maybe I'm not deep thinking enough, but I just didn't see 20 or so years of a quest for these goals to be so carelessly cast aside as if it never meant much to begin with. I think the Emporer at least deserved to be finished off if only to save the many people that suffered under his rule any more suffering, and the girl that was the driving force in everything that the main character fought for deserved a little more attention than "not feeling any love" in a brief encounter in the closing scene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2011
"The emperor's weapon was no flimsy ceremonial blade, but a standard cavalry saber, deeply curved and well-oiled. Only the ornate golden hilt and egg-sized ruby in the pommel distinguished it from an ordinary sword.
"Down you worthless dogs!" Ackal bellowed, and the Wolves kicked the prisoner's legs out from under them. The hooded men fell hard to the ancient mosaic pavement. At the emperor's command, the hoods were removed..."By the law of my illustrious predecessor, Ackal Dermount, I sentence you all to death," the emperor said. "You abandoned your men and your honor on the field of battle. For that, your heads will dry on the city wall!""
A Hero's Justice written by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast is a novel that explores the history of the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and accompanying line of novels.
The story takes place within the historical nation of Ergoth hundreds of years before the events of the current Fifth Age or even those of the War of the Lance.
The hero is one Lord Tolandruth, a former famed General of the nation's armies who now lives in exile deep within the confines of a frontier forest among people deemed as 'barbarians' by the more patriotic and civilized folk of Ergoth.
The novel uses Tolandruth as it's focal character to tell of the beginnings of the downfall of this once great Empire. Ruled by a despotic and brutally tyrannical Emperor - Ackal V - the Empire is rocked by a series of invasions by two separate enemies. Legions of warlike lizardmen, known as bakali, are marauding their way into the heartland of the empire sacking towns and cities, murdering whole populations, and massacring the Empire's armies at every meeting. Nomadic tribespeople who once called regions upon the empire's borders their homelands have been displaced by the invasions and pushed into the heartland of the Empire. They too, run amok bringing further war and turmoil.
Unknown to Emperor Ackal, a scheme is hatched within the imperial capital to bring back Lord Tolandruth from exile as the only hope for leading the Empire to victory against these two unstoppable foes. Lo and behold, when the former general's hometown is sacked and ruined he does just that.
Gathering the survivors together into a rag-tag militia to strike back against an overwhelmingly superior enemy armed only with righteous anger and his infamous military genius. The novel progresses through a series of battle scenes until Lord Tolandruth is able not only to confront the enemy from without but also the true enemy - Emperor Ackal himself.
Thompson and Cook are no strangers to the Dragonlance Campaign Setting this being their eleventh novel together for the line. Indeed a look at their past novels which include the Elven Nations and Barbarians trilogies and the Preludes novels Darkness and Light and Riverwind the Plainsman shows that the authors have made a name for themselves exploring the history of the world - a task that could not be accomplished without a solid understanding of the Dragonlance world itself.
A Hero's Justice is priced at US$6.99 and at 377 pages is good value for a paperback novel from Wizards of the Coast.
The Empress is perhaps the novels most compelling character. Married to a brutal husband who is steadily bringing about the Empire's (and hence her own) downfall, she is a woman trapped by the society in which she lives, scheming and plotting ways to maintain her own status, wealth and influence as Empress but without the dangerous inconvenience of being shackled to her husband. The Empress is written with an interesting moral ambiguity that lends an additional level of intrigue to the more obvious struggles of the other characters.
Thompson and Cook do not pull punches in the telling of their tale. This is an epic struggle for the fate of an Empire, with thousands dying by the paragraph in massive pitched battles. It would be too much to expect that the major players escape unscathed through such traumatic times of violent change - and they will not by the novels conclusion.
Although the concluding book of a trilogy A Hero's Justice may be enjoyed just as thoroughly as a stand alone novel, with or without any prior knowledge of the Dragonlance setting.
The characters in the book are each well realized but do not break any real new ground. Lord Tolandruth is a military genius, a well-respected hero of the people and enemy of the state. He is in many ways the quintessential reluctant hero. Emperor Ackal is (albeit well-written) a despicable, violently brutal dictator.
There are few real surprises or twists in the novel, as a historical novel the main events are likely to be known to fans of the Dragonlance novels anyway, but even to a more casual reader it is not difficult to see which way the plot is headed, especially if you've already seen the film Gladiator.
A Hero's Justice is sure to be considered a hit by most fans of the Dragonlance novel line. To other, more casual readers, the book offers a solid read of a military campaign against overwhelming odds with a reasonably interesting cast of primary characters. To be sure, the novel focuses more upon the battles and warfare than upon character development but the whole cast is well-rounded with intriguing motivations and individual personalities.
Buy this book if you (a) Enjoyed the previous two books in the Ergoth Trilogy (b) are a fan of the novels of Paul B. Thompson & Tonya C. Cook or those of Douglas Niles; or (c) enjoy novels of military conquest and warfare.
Final Grade: B+
"Down you worthless dogs!" Ackal bellowed, and the Wolves kicked the prisoner's legs out from under them. The hooded men fell hard to the ancient mosaic pavement. At the emperor's command, the hoods were removed..."By the law of my illustrious predecessor, Ackal Dermount, I sentence you all to death," the emperor said. "You abandoned your men and your honor on the field of battle. For that, your heads will dry on the city wall!""
A Hero's Justice written by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya C. Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast is a novel that explores the history of the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and accompanying line of novels.
The story takes place within the historical nation of Ergoth hundreds of years before the events of the current Fifth Age or even those of the War of the Lance.
The hero is one Lord Tolandruth, a former famed General of the nation's armies who now lives in exile deep within the confines of a frontier forest among people deemed as 'barbarians' by the more patriotic and civilized folk of Ergoth.
The novel uses Tolandruth as it's focal character to tell of the beginnings of the downfall of this once great Empire. Ruled by a despotic and brutally tyrannical Emperor - Ackal V - the Empire is rocked by a series of invasions by two separate enemies. Legions of warlike lizardmen, known as bakali, are marauding their way into the heartland of the empire sacking towns and cities, murdering whole populations, and massacring the Empire's armies at every meeting. Nomadic tribespeople who once called regions upon the empire's borders their homelands have been displaced by the invasions and pushed into the heartland of the Empire. They too, run amok bringing further war and turmoil.
Unknown to Emperor Ackal, a scheme is hatched within the imperial capital to bring back Lord Tolandruth from exile as the only hope for leading the Empire to victory against these two unstoppable foes. Lo and behold, when the former general's hometown is sacked and ruined he does just that.
Gathering the survivors together into a rag-tag militia to strike back against an overwhelmingly superior enemy armed only with righteous anger and his infamous military genius. The novel progresses through a series of battle scenes until Lord Tolandruth is able not only to confront the enemy from without but also the true enemy - Emperor Ackal himself.
Thompson and Cook are no strangers to the Dragonlance Campaign Setting this being their eleventh novel together for the line. Indeed a look at their past novels which include the Elven Nations and Barbarians trilogies and the Preludes novels Darkness and Light and Riverwind the Plainsman shows that the authors have made a name for themselves exploring the history of the world - a task that could not be accomplished without a solid understanding of the Dragonlance world itself.
A Hero's Justice is priced at US$6.99 and at 377 pages is good value for a paperback novel from Wizards of the Coast.
The Empress is perhaps the novels most compelling character. Married to a brutal husband who is steadily bringing about the Empire's (and hence her own) downfall, she is a woman trapped by the society in which she lives, scheming and plotting ways to maintain her own status, wealth and influence as Empress but without the dangerous inconvenience of being shackled to her husband. The Empress is written with an interesting moral ambiguity that lends an additional level of intrigue to the more obvious struggles of the other characters.
Thompson and Cook do not pull punches in the telling of their tale. This is an epic struggle for the fate of an Empire, with thousands dying by the paragraph in massive pitched battles. It would be too much to expect that the major players escape unscathed through such traumatic times of violent change - and they will not by the novels conclusion.
Although the concluding book of a trilogy A Hero's Justice may be enjoyed just as thoroughly as a stand alone novel, with or without any prior knowledge of the Dragonlance setting.
The characters in the book are each well realized but do not break any real new ground. Lord Tolandruth is a military genius, a well-respected hero of the people and enemy of the state. He is in many ways the quintessential reluctant hero. Emperor Ackal is (albeit well-written) a despicable, violently brutal dictator.
There are few real surprises or twists in the novel, as a historical novel the main events are likely to be known to fans of the Dragonlance novels anyway, but even to a more casual reader it is not difficult to see which way the plot is headed, especially if you've already seen the film Gladiator.
A Hero's Justice is sure to be considered a hit by most fans of the Dragonlance novel line. To other, more casual readers, the book offers a solid read of a military campaign against overwhelming odds with a reasonably interesting cast of primary characters. To be sure, the novel focuses more upon the battles and warfare than upon character development but the whole cast is well-rounded with intriguing motivations and individual personalities.
Buy this book if you (a) Enjoyed the previous two books in the Ergoth Trilogy (b) are a fan of the novels of Paul B. Thompson & Tonya C. Cook or those of Douglas Niles; or (c) enjoy novels of military conquest and warfare.
Final Grade: B+
September 10, 2023
Well worth reading the entire trilogy. The first two books were written excellently and the third was just as beautiful and continued the fascinating life of a true hero of Krynn (though not as well known as the Heroes of the Lance). My only criticism was the ending. It was very anticlimactic and the build up that three full novels were working towards were completely squandered. It could have been both rewarding for the reader and still have the same ending and tell the same tale the author wanted with at least some of the reckoning needed between Tol and Naz.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2024
Just as I expected, this book has the same exact plot as the previous two, except for the copout ending
Easily the most unimaginative trilogy I've ever read, it's so cardboard cutout that it recycles itself again and again
Easily the most unimaginative trilogy I've ever read, it's so cardboard cutout that it recycles itself again and again
May 14, 2024
Such a disappointing ending. Tol still being the Mary Sue that he is. It was all for not. Made no difference and made no great changes to the world. Congratulations sir you existed and made me read about you.
January 18, 2020
Definitely the best book of the trilogy, I didn't care for portions of the other 2. It didn't end how I thought it would, but I'm glad it ended the way it did.
May 4, 2023
A satisfying conclusion and manages to not fall into the familiar fantasy conclusion tropes.
October 23, 2015
Not as good as the second book. The antagonist wasn't as great a threat and the "war" between the opposing sides was diluted by fence sitters. The pay off was weak since Val took it into her own hands anyway.
December 22, 2012
Nice finish to the series, and a real pleasure to read.
August 28, 2015
The epic rise of the farm boy Tol to the heights of the Ergothan Palace concludes.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews