Dragons of the Dwarven Depths

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Dragons of the Dwarven Depths

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths picks up right where Dragons of Autumn Twilight left off. The companions and escaped refugees are trying to survive in the valley. But danger is never far away. All it will take is a single dragon to fly over the valley to discover them and Winter is fast approaching. The group is left with the choice to stay, or attempt a journey to Thorbardin and plead with the dwarves under the mountain for help. As the companions split up to find safe passage for the refugees, they will encounter ancient magics, stubborn dwarves, and lost artifacts.

Back when I first read the Chronicles I always wondered what happened directly after Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I felt like a large piece of the story had been pushed to the side. And while I still may not know why the authors chose to skip a section of the adventure, I am glad to finally be able to read about it.

Journeying once again with the companions was a breath of fresh air. The writing style felt a bit more modernized and there was a better balance struck between characters. I enjoyed seeing Tika's point of view more often. She was portrayed as less of a damsel in distress, though her age did factor into decisions she made. However, she struck off on her own in this tale and began to realize as an individual what she was capable of.

The battle scenes flowed much better. The characters each had their time to shine and Raistlin's magic was used more often. I feel like now that the characters have been written about so many times, the ability to articulate their strengths in battle really came through. The dialogue also felt more on point and I'll always enjoy an adventure where Tas and Flint share quips back and forth.

Having read about the dwarves under the mountain, but never diving into the side stories surrounding the cataclysm or the dwarven kingdoms did not hinder my enjoyment of this book. I did feel like the history lesson on each clan was a bit much, but it all goes into the massive world-building that encompasses Dragonlance. Flint does have a large portion of this tale focus on him and Tas, and every moment is wonderful. The friendship they share (though Flint will adamantly refuse to admit their friends) is one of comical mishaps and witty banter.

I do advise you read the Chronicles and Legends trilogies before diving into this one. Knowing what's to come in the future adventures adds a depth of understanding to the plot and actions of the characters. I highly recommend this for fans of high fantasy tales. The lore of Krynn and the depth of complexity these characters hold is sure to keep you reading and rereading for years to come. I know it certainly has kept my attention for years.

Well, I wanted to like this one, I really did. I remember the “Dragonlance” books fondly from my younger years but the truth is...it's just not that good. As others have pointed out, this tale is placed between two of the original books so it's hard to get worried for the characters...we know they're going to survive, after all.

And the thing is full of bad writing...I ran across one paragraph where the word “had” appeared in every single sentence. Added to this were a ton of editorial mistakes. Missing words and instances where a spell check “fixed” things and nobody caught it. It's almost like nobody was trying.

Will I read the other books in the series? Difficult to say. The whim may very well hit me as it did with this one. My advice to someone new to the world of Krynn would be to go back and read the original series.

I haven't read any Dragonlance novels since high school, so I'm going to assume that my memory of them is probably skewed by my love for D&D and the fact that Dragonlance novels were some of the few fiction books that I actually enjoyed reading (the others mostly being Star Wars novels or the novelization of Spaceballs (High school me did not have the best taste in literature)). I doubt the Chronicles and Legends books are as good as I remember them being, so I wasn't expecting much out of Dragons of the Dwarven Depths.

The events of the novel take place in between the first two Chronicles books. The companions have liberated Pax Tharkas and are trying to find a safe haven for the refugees. The best option would seem to be Thorbardin, the closed-off kingdom of the Dwarves. So they first need to find the place (help which Flint reluctantly provides) and gain entrance into the kingdom (which comes courtesy of Raistlin and Sturm). Much of what happens in the novel might not be all that interesting for people who haven't read the Chronicles or Legends series. There are references to Huma, the Silver Arm, and Fistandatilus that could be interesting to those of us who've read other Dragonlance novels, but would probably be confusing to those who are just beginning to read into the series.

If you've read and enjoyed other Dragonlance novels, then Dwarven Depths is an interesting, if somewhat underwhelming, read. I liked the way it presented the shaky alliance between Raistlin and Sturm, highlighting the distrust/distaste they have for each other, while still demonstrating why such differing personalities are able to coexist so successfully. It also adds detail to Draconian society and their desired role in the armies of the Dark Queen. It's certainly not as good as I remember Chronicles or Legends (or even the Legend of Huma book) being, but it was a nice way to return to the stories of Krynn.

I haven't read any Dragonlance novels since high school, so I'm going to assume that my memory of them is probably skewed by my love for D&D and the fact that Dragonlance novels were some of the few fiction books that I actually enjoyed reading (the others mostly being Star Wars novels or the novelization of Spaceballs (High school me did not have the best taste in literature)). I doubt the Chronicles and Legends books are as good as I remember them being, so I wasn't expecting much out of Dragons of the Dwarven Depths.

The events of the novel take place in between the first two Chronicles books. The companions have liberated Pax Tharkas and are trying to find a safe haven for the refugees. The best option would seem to be Thorbardin, the closed-off kingdom of the Dwarves. So they first need to find the place (help which Flint reluctantly provides) and gain entrance into the kingdom (which comes courtesy of Raistlin and Sturm). Much of what happens in the novel might not be all that interesting for people who haven't read the Chronicles or Legends series. There are references to Huma, the Silver Arm, and Fistandatilus that could be interesting to those of us who've read other Dragonlance novels, but would probably be confusing to those who are just beginning to read into the series.

If you've read and enjoyed other Dragonlance novels, then Dwarven Depths is an interesting, if somewhat underwhelming, read. I liked the way it presented the shaky alliance between Raistlin and Sturm, highlighting the distrust/distaste they have for each other, while still demonstrating why such differing personalities are able to coexist so successfully. It also adds detail to Draconian society and their desired role in the armies of the Dark Queen. It's certainly not as good as I remember Chronicles or Legends (or even the Legend of Huma book) being, but it was a nice way to return to the stories of Krynn.

I'm so glad that the passage of the time did not diminish my enjoyment of this book. If anything, it was really really nostalgic and a very satisfying read.

All of the Companions are back again - it's like going back in time and remembering the time I was reading the Chronicles again. You find yourself falling in love with all the wonderful characters again.

The story tells of the events after their escape from Pax Tharkas at the end of book 1 of the Chronicles. It tells the story of how the refugees set out to seek refuge in Thorbardin, as well as the companions' adventures inside the dwarven kingdom.

Knowing what was to come in Chronicles book 2 (still the one book that evoke the strongest emotions from me) and 3, it was both endearing and sad to find out what happened in between.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoyed that wonderful trilogy written so many years ago.