Dragons of Winter Night

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dragons of Winter Night

The world is more divided than ever, and evil is swiftly gaining ground. The dragon highlords continue their conquest to destroy any town that refuses to follow the Dark Queen. The companions will have to once again embark on a quest to bring light back into the world. But this time they must part ways, some never to see each other again. They will search for artifacts of the past that may give them the advantage they need. But to succeed they will have to overcome their own limitations and stay true to what they believe in. Even if that means making sacrifices.

Years ago, when I first read Dragons of Winter Night, the time jumps confused me. Some major events that propel the plot forward are summarized rather than written out in detail. Dragonlance is an immense world, and the stories that are skimmed over in this novel, are brought to light in full-fledged novels of their own. I appreciate the fact that the authors recognized the need to separate these stories. Of course, readers new to this series will undoubtedly stare at the pages and try to figure out what in the world they missed as I did. Hang in there, the story is well worth sticking around for.

With each addition to The Chronicles, the world of Krynn continues to grow. This time around readers will learn about the three magical orders and what governs them. Readers will also be introduced to the gnomes. I like to think of them as the engineers of Krynn. They are written in a unique way, and I found it fascinating how they think and talk. Trust me, read it and you will understand!

And then you have the Knights of Solamnia. Sturm has never been a favorite character of mine due to his viewpoints and attitude. But as readers learn more about the Knights, they will also come to understand why Sturm behaves as he does. And those who were not his biggest fan in the first novel will come to appreciate him and what he is willing to do for those he cares about. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman never fail to create remarkable characters.

There is always a healthy dose of tension and mystery surrounding the companions and their journey. Diving into the world of Dragonlance is ensuring that you will be entertained for many many books. Magic, dragons, romance, adventure, all this and more is contained within Dragons of Winter Night.