Dragonlance: Lost Chronicles [1] Dragons of the Dwarven Depths (2006)

Going into this new trilogy, I didn't know what to expect. I've read some of the Weis and Hickman's other works (notably The Death Gate Cycle) and while that was decent, some of their other stuff I found to be average. For them to come back to a beloved series some 20 years later to fill in the gaps... sometimes that doesn't always work out and tarnishes the legacy of the original series.

In this case, however—it works. I really enjoyed this book. I've always wanted to read about the quest to find the Hammer of Kharas and it didn't disappoint.

Before You Continue

This blog is part of my Dragonlance Retrospective
See this blog post for an overview of the Retrospective
These blogs are not plot recaps—they are most effective in conjunction with your own re-read of the series
Warning: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES

Something New

While this is part of a retrospective, I haven't read this trilogy before. So no nostalgia in these posts, just my thoughts and impressions.

As I mentioned in my post for Test of the Twins, I didn't want the story to end, so I immediately went into this series after finishing that one. I read it in eBook format, which definitely was different. But as I've probably mentioned before, I rarely buy physical books anymore, I'm all about eBooks (because most books I don't re-read).

Probably the most enjoyable part of this book for me was the fact that all our favorite characters from Chronicles are back. It's like they never left. Weis and Hickman slide right back into the characters' shoes without missing a beat. I thought they did a really good job. The writing didn't feel all that different to me, going straight into it after finishing Legends.

There are clearly issues with the narrative, particularly with things happening that are never mentioned in Chronicles but which you think would be (like Sturm and the enchanted helm, you know they would've teased him about that later). Of course, there's not much you can do about that, when you come back to a story 20 years later.

The Draconians

One thing that stood out about this book, was the amount of screen time the draconians got. None of the previous books had a major POV draconian character. In this one we have Dray-yan, an Aurak, as well as Grag, a Bozak, who take over Highlord Verminaard's dragonarmies after their defeat at the end of Autumn Twilight by impersonating Verminaard himself (by a spell on Dray-yan). They are the main antagonists through the book.

You'd think the draconians would be wildly different in demeanor and personality than other races, but they're not. They're basically just like any other human solider. They drink, they complain and don't want to work, they talk and think much the same. So to be honest, because of this book, they don't feel unique to me much longer. They're like the clones in Star Wars, I suppose.

The Cover

The cover art for this book (and the entire trilogy) is by Matt Stawicki. I've never heard of him by name, but looking at the gallery on his website, I recognize some of his work. (Most notably the cover for Robert Heinlein's Time Enough for Love.)

This cover features Tanis, Flint, and Tasslehoff, with a red dragon in the background. Expected, though it might have been cool to have something focusing on Flint, Arman, and Tas while in the floating Tomb of Kharas. But this one works well enough and I have no complaints.

I like Stawicki's style, which has a smoother look than other artists. It also looks like he pays attention to detail (as in, reading the descriptions of characters in the text), which is not something that can be said about most cover artists. If you want to see more, check out his website. For some reason, this particular cover is not featured in his gallery.

Flint

If you've read through the retrospective so far, you'll know that I haven't been a fan of Flint Fireforge. He seemed too much like Gimli from The Lord of the Rings and really didn't do a lot besides grumble and complain before ultimately dying. However, after reading this book, I've changed my mind.

I have a greater appreciation for Flint now. This is basically his book and even though he complained a bit too much at the beginning, he's given plenty of room to shine once they finally get to Thorbardin. Tas is still there, of course, the puppet master that makes the real choices that dictate the narrative, but the focus is mostly on Flint in the second half of the book. You get to see things through his eyes for more than you did in the entire Chronicles.

I don't have much else to say about it, other than well done, Weis and Hickman. You surprised me with this.

Other Thoughts

Just a few other things I want to mention... given this is my first time reading the book, I probably should've taken some notes so I'd remember. Oh well!

The plotline involving the refugees, led by Riverwind, was not boring to read, but it wasn't exciting. It was nice to get the complete picture, though.
The drama between the different dwarven clans was fun, even if they were the standard types you'd find in fantasy. There was nothing surprising or that original there, but then, if it's entertaining (which it was), what does it matter?
I wasn't a fan of the Lord-Verminaard-isn't-dead plot, that went on way too long.

Reading Order

After finishing this book, I wondered how well it would work if you read it between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night. It seems to slot in there perfectly. It's really too bad this couldn't have been part of the original books.

I won't be able to answer this fully until I read all of the Lost Chronicles, but I'm wondering if you can overlap these books with Chronicles and be satisfied. I definitely don't recommend reading these without at least reading Chronicles first—beyond the context of the larger series, they don't work as standalones.