Revisiting Dragonlance

[Lorna Smithers]

I first read the Dragonlance books (the Chronicles trilogy and Twins trilogy and some of the surrounding novels) when I was at high school twenty years ago. I've recently returned to them and found the first one, Dragons of Autumn Twilight almost unreadable because the plot was so cheesey and action based with way too much goblin head bashing and appallingly flat villains. However the second book, Dragons of Winter Night, picked up part way through with Lorac's Nightmare and the tension between the characters beginning to build. I really enjoyed the development of the plot surrounding the twins, Raistlin and Caramon, and Tanis's conflict about his relationships with Laurana and Kitiara and loved Tas as a character. The ending of the third book, Dragons of Spring Dawning, was epic.

I'm now well into the 'Twins' trilogy and absolutely hooked on Raistlin-becoming-Fistandantilus and his conflict with Caramon. I really like Dalamar and wish he had a bigger part rather than minor characters such as the clerics in Istar and the dwarves of Thorbardin who I didn't feel much for at all.

I'm wondering if anyone else read the Dragonlance books when they were younger and has paid them a revisit and what they think of them now?

 

[kjbartolotta]

I haven't revisited them in some time, but, looking back, it's occurs to me these novels are both extremely cheesy and immensely satisfying, like all Weis and Hickman. I kind of view my love of them as an old shame, but man they got me through some rough times.

In an slight aside, I came to these novels because of a kid I knew at the campgrounds who was so obsessed with them he thought Raistlin was somehow in contact with him and everything in the books was going to 100% come to pass. Kid had a tough life, and needed to lean deeply into fantasy to get himself through it, so I don't even especially think he was particularly deluded or had trouble telling fantasy from reality (plus there was some typical kid over-exaggeration at work). Like me, those books did a lot to get him through adolescence, so whatever adult judgement I may have about those books I think I'll always view them with a healthy respect. Fantasy can save lives!

 

[Lorna Smithers]

I haven't revisited them in some time, but, looking back, it's occurs to me these novels are both extremely cheesy and immensely satisfying, like all Weis and Hickman. I kind of view my love of them as an old shame, but man they got me through some rough times.

In an slight aside, I came to these novels because of a kid I knew at the campgrounds who was so obsessed with them he thought Raistlin was somehow in contact with him and everything in the books was going to 100% come to pass. Kid had a tough life, and needed to lean deeply into fantasy to get himself through it, so I don't even especially think he was particularly deluded or had trouble telling fantasy from reality (plus there was some typical kid over-exaggeration at work). Like me, those books did a lot to get him through adolescence, so whatever adult judgement I may have about those books I think I'll always view them with a healthy respect. Fantasy can save lives!

Thanks for your reply. They got me through some toughish times too. I hated high school and didn't fit in and my solace at dinnertime was avoiding all the other kids by hiding in a corner of the library reading Dragonlance!

It's really fascinating what you say about the kid thinking Raistlin was in contact with him and thinking everything in the books was going to come to pass. Whilst I was re-reading the Twins books I had a really intense dream when Raistlin appeared on a black horse with the three moons above him and I knew he was going to destroy the world and I had to go and find Dalamar to draw on his knowledge to enter the Abyss to go and face him (!).

Coincidentally I have been working on an essay about how Raistlin killing Takhisis and the other gods, and this leading to the destruction of the Krynn, is analogous to the way we, in our world, have killed the gods, and consequently are heading toward an apocalyptic future with hurricanes and wildfires raging across the earth much like the one Caramon and Tasslehoff accidentally stumbled into. Only in our age of the Anthropocene the only constellation left will be Man rather than Raistlin's Hourglass...

That story is so full of mythic depth. Let's hope it doesn't come to pass!

 

[kjbartolotta]

Considering that Weis and Hickman revisit After the End and Second World tropes in their other books fairly often, I don't think this young man was too off the rails in his thinking. Also, his other main series of interest was Shannara (and I am precisely dating myself with these references), so he might just have been conflating them to some extent.

I think there's something about Raistlin that gets into people heads. He's just got that power. And that essay sounds great!

 

[neodoering]

kjbartolla, I agree with you that Raistlin get into your head. I liked him best, because he knew the gods were biased, and he turned from them and did his own thing. He was an evil bastard, too, which seemed interesting until he killed the good-guy gnome (I forget his name). Great books for a teen.

 

[Lorna Smithers]

kjbartolla, I agree with you that Raistlin get into your head. I liked him best, because he knew the gods were biased, and he turned from them and did his own thing. He was an evil bastard, too, which seemed interesting until he killed the good-guy gnome (I forget his name). Great books for a teen.

That was my breaking point too! The gnome was called Gnimsh (I think!).

 

[Lorna Smithers]

Considering that Weis and Hickman revisit After the End and Second World tropes in their other books fairly often, I don't think this young man was too off the rails in his thinking. Also, his other main series of interest was Shannara (and I am precisely dating myself with these references), so he might just have been conflating them to some extent.

I think there's something about Raistlin that gets into people heads. He's just got that power. And that essay sounds great!

If you're interested in reading my essay I've just published it on my blog here - If Someone Came Back From Time