Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Dragons of Autumn Twilight

It’s been a long-held perception that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Dragonlance novels are superior to all different Dungeons & Dragons novels. Although I’ve regularly admitted being an even bigger fan of the Forgotten Realms books rising up, upon re-reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight for the primary time in 30+ years, I lastly perceive the hype.

Not that any of the earlier 10 books I’ve learn for this column have been masterpieces—and Autumn Twilight isn’t both—however Weis and Hickman’s inaugural novel within the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy completely kicks their butts. In the final D&D&N assessment, I referred to as Shadowdale the e-book that lastly felt like an precise novel as an alternative of a transcript of a recreation session (which is attention-grabbing as a result of the Dragonlance e-book was based mostly on a game session). However, Autumn Twilight is superior on each stage: description, dialogue, characters, plotting, and so forth. It doesn’t make Shadowdale appear to be whole rubbish, nevertheless it’s positively superior.

If you’ll recall, I’ve learn one Dragonlance novel beforehand for D&D&N, that being the non-Weis and Hickman-written Legend of Huma. The mediocre e-book chronicled the titular knight’s battle in opposition to the evil goddess Takhisis (aka the Dragonqueen) by means of the usage of the paranormal Dragonlances—that are like common lances which are super-good at killing dragons, particularly when carried by folks using on different dragons. The knight managed to banish Takhisis and her evil dragons to a different dimension however died within the course of.

The Legend of Huma is ready thus far in Dragons of Autumn Twilight’s previous that each Huma and the Dragonlances are real legends. The ongoing concern is the Cataclysm—a comet that crashed into the world of Krynn 300 years in the past—triggered folks to desert the religion of the outdated gods solely, which suggests no clerical magic has existed for fairly some time. That’s particularly unhealthy information when Takhisis and her evil dragons abruptly present again up, in fact. The folks of Krynn are going to want the facility of those gods, particularly the goddess of therapeutic Mishakal, to defeat the Dragonqueen once more. Does the destiny of the world relaxation within the palms of an unlikely group of heroes? You comprehend it does. Let’s undergo the adventuring social gathering, lets? It’s a giant one!

• Tanis—A bastard (within the technical sense) half-elf who doesn’t really belong on the earth of both race; he’s a succesful chief of the group though he’s usually stricken by self-doubt. He left Qualinesti, a land of elves, as a result of their chief’s daughter Laurana was in love with him and her father was having none of it. He’s at present in love with a swordswoman named Kitiara, who’s the half-sister of Caramon and Raistlin.
• Goldmoon—A barbarian and de facto chieftain of the Que-Shu tribe. She’s a priest of Mishakal, which makes her the primary cleric because the Cataclysm. She bears the Blue Crystal Staff, which provides her the primary therapeutic powers in 300 years, too. She’s arguably an important character within the sequence, as her need to satisfy her goddess’ behest drives a lot of the story.
• Riverwind—An everyday barbarian who loves Goldmoon. Goldmoon’s father despatched him to discover a magical artifact in hopes that Riverwind would die on the journey. Instead, he got here again with the Blue Crystal Staff and PTSD. Both he and Goldmoon then left the tribe collectively to find the origin of the workers.
• Sturm Brightblade—A Knight of Solamnia, very like Huma, besides the Knights at the moment are despised as a result of they couldn’t cease the Cataclysm from occurring, which appears fairly unfair. This is likely to be why Sturm is regularly depressed, typically to the purpose he’s practically catatonic. Been there, Sturm!
• Raistlin—The breakout character of the primary Dragonlance sequence. He’s a red-robed wizard, which marks him as impartial (black robes are evil, white robes are good, natch) though everybody besides his brother mistrusts him. Everyone else continuously assumes he’s secretly planning one thing evil, though he by no means does something evil in Autumn Twilight. He’s very caustic and solitary, which is kind of comprehensible for my part.
• Caramon—Raistlin’s twin brother. He’s sturdy, beefy, and never notably shiny. He does love Raistlin unequivocally, which is nice as a result of nobody else does.
• Flint Fireforge—An extraordinarily grumpy dwarf who’s successfully the surly grandfather of the group. As required by fantasy regulation, his folks have been run out of their ancestral mountain dwelling, however fortunately this doesn’t determine in in any respect.
• Tasslehoff Burrfoot— A kender, a race specific to the Dragonlance setting which are hobbit-sized however not curious about creature comforts and Elevensies. Instead, they’re innately curious, playful to the occasional level of meanness, and customarily so happy-go-lucky they genuinely don’t really feel worry. They’re additionally uniformly kleptomaniacs.

Obviously, this function name accommodates just one feminine essential character, however I don’t imagine there’s been a stronger, extra competent, and extra developed feminine character I’ve encountered since D&D&N began than Goldmoon. (Although the addition of two different ladies to the social gathering later within the e-book are, definitely.) Honestly, all of the characters within the novel really feel extraordinarily fleshed out. They have flaws, they’ve doubts, they’ve difficult and typically even fraught relationships with one another. Weis and Hickman have the flexibility to put in writing them as in the event that they’ve genuinely been companions for years. The downside is, in making an attempt to make these relationships multi-dimensional and to point out these characters aren’t simply archetypal heroes, typically Weis and Hickman go overboard with these flaws, particularly the difficulties between the social gathering members. Because regardless of all of the moments the place they present true comradeship, these heroes appear to regularly hate one another’s guts.

Everyone’s aggravated with everybody else at a number of factors. Tanis will get massively irritated with Tasslehoff’s free spirit, Flint’s everlasting grumpiness and complaining, and Sturm’s frequent despair. Riverwind is livid that by some means, whereas he was on his years-long quest to seek out the workers, Goldmoon’s persona modified though it was a results of her forcibly turning into the chief of their tribe. Tanis additionally believes regardless of their lengthy historical past collectively Caramon would unquestionably kill all of them in protection of his brother Raistlin if it got here right down to it.

The largest—and weirdest—downside is Raistlin himself. Again, everybody besides Caramon treats Raistlin like absolute shit, though he constantly saves their lives. There appears to be no foundation for any of this hate aside from he’s not notably sociable. I bear in mind pondering this was weird whilst a child as a result of it felt just like the heroes have been genuinely making an attempt to show Raistlin evil. There’s one scene the place there’s some proof for everybody’s worry and distrust of the mage, nevertheless it’s completely weird. During a heated dialog with Tanis, Raistlin screams, “Someday all of you will call me master!” It’s out of nowhere, however even when Raistlin is secretly evil that is an unfathomable factor for a villain to say out loud to folks, and once more, this need to overcome his teammates isn’t supported by the rest within the e-book—different than how all of them deal with Raistlin like he’s pure evil. (I actually can’t stress this sufficient.)

But there’s just one factor about Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and by extension the world of Dragonlance, that actually sucks, they usually’re gully dwarves. You understand how Drow, the darkish elves, are (nearly) all alleged to be uniformly evil? Well, gully dwarves even have a monogenic trait, however it’s stupidity. It’s simply actually bizarre and gross and I don’t actually need to get into the function they play within the story however relaxation assured I’m glad for the umpteenth time that Wizards of the Coast is engaged on enhancing this form of factor.

I do know this appears like lots of negativity, nevertheless it’s a testomony to how good Dragons of Autumn Twilight is that, regardless of these flaws, it’s nonetheless far and away the perfect Dungeons & Dragons novel I’ve learn thus far. The characters are advanced sufficient to really feel actual, and the scope of the novel makes Krynn really feel like a residing world. Stories are going that the primary characters may need by no means recognized about had they not chanced upon them, which makes the world of Dragonlance really feel epic in a manner the Forgotten Realms novels haven’t managed, a minimum of thus far. So it’s going to roll an 18 on its 1d20, however at a -2 penalty as a result of the gully dwarves actually are that horrible, with the results of 16. On the opposite hand, Dragons of Autumn Twilight was so good I’m genuinely desperate to learn the subsequent e-book within the sequence. I’ve determined to shake issues up and go straight to the sequel, Dragons of Winter Night, for the subsequent installment of D&D&N as a result of I actually need to hold studying the Dragonlance Chronicles and discover out what occurs subsequent. See you then!

Assorted Musings:

• A Gandalf/Merlin-type aged wizard named Fizban joins the social gathering for some time. He hides his intelligence underneath a façade of senility—I feel? At the very least he’s so dedicated to the half that he has a number of arguments with timber. He additionally dies whereas making an attempt to solid featherfall on himself whereas he’s plummeting to the bottom. He manages to say “featherf—” after which *splat*. It’s, uh, fairly wild.
• The pupils of Raistlin’s eyes are formed like hourglasses, which suggests he can solely see demise. Everything he appears at appears prefer it’s getting old, falling aside, rotting, or dying. It’s fairly metallic.
• Also, Raistlin is carrying the workers of Magius, Huma’s outdated frenemy, which performed an essential albeit silly function in The Legend of Huma. It’s not essential right here within the slightest.
• Dragonlances usually are not talked about till very late within the e-book, after which solely briefly, and nobody comes near seeing one. Not a judgment, simply an statement.
• There are pegasi, and they’re racist. It’s bizarre.
• So there’s was a straight-to-DVD animated adaptation of the e-book launched in 2007 that appears prefer it was made in 1997 or so. The 2D animation appears just like the outdated X-Men cartoon, and the CG appears like a later PlayStation recreation. Also, the one issues that appear to be CG are the unhealthy guys? Enjoy the trailer, in case you dare.

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