Margaret Weis and David Baldwin HarperPrism Fiction, YA? Fantasy/Novelty Books Themes: Dragons, Shapeshifters ***
Description
During the Black Plague that swept England, Sir Justinian Sterling has watched everything he loves die. Even his beloved wife Gwendolyn lies lost to
delirium and disfigurement, fading away to a hideous demise. In this, his darkest hour, after prayers to countless gods and demons had been unanswered,
Justinian sees a strange face in the mirror. The glowing-eyed creature introduces itself as the last Western Dragon. It asks only that he swear his life
to its service, and it will grant him immortality. From that day forward, he becomes the Wyrm, capable of transforming into a savage half-dragon being
in the service of his dark Master. He hunts down those who seek out the Dragons Beyond, the dragons that will challenge not only the one True Dragon
Justinian serves, but humanity itself for domination of the earth.
This illustrated novel tells three tales of the Wyrm's exploits, from ancient Loch Ness to modern-day Chicago, and the lonely life of darkness Justinian
leads in the Dragon's service. Also included are Sir Justinian's own sketches and notes on what it means to become the Wyrm and serve his master.
Review
I have no idea what, if anything, Margaret Weis had to do with this "illustrated novel." She didn't write any of the stories, all three of which are by
different authors, nor did she (as near as I can tell) do the in-between "filler info" sections. Maybe she just came up with the idea and lent her name to
it in hopes of boosting sales. If she was supervising this project in any way, she should've seen several major flaws, the most glaring of which is that
these stories are presented in the wrong order. The best and most climactic tale (A Brother To Dragons) comes first, even though it takes place in
near-modern times, well after the other two entries. The remainder of the book reads like poor fanfic in its wake, with lackluster writing to boot. After
the events of A Brother To Dragons and how they change Sterling's relations with the Dragon, it seems redundant to read of his earlier adventures
as the Wyrm. It would've been far more interesting to see where he went after that story rather than retread old ground. This could've been the start of a
good, dark novel, but it wasn't allowed to be. As with Mirror World, the illustrated novel by Tad Williams, I felt that this book lacked a sense of
conclusion, hinting at greater story arcs that were never dealt with here. Had it not been at Half Price Books, I never would've bothered with this book,
and it eventually found its way back there.
Incidentally, I found this in the Children's/Young Adult section of Half Price Books. I think it was misfiled, personally, unless that's where all graphic
novels go in bookstores.
Ages ago, a war of unimaginable power and destruction was waged between two great races of wizards: the Sartans and the Patryns. The Sartans won,
and attempted to create the perfect, ordered world by splitting it into seven realms, all connected through the Death Gate. Humans, elves, and
dwarves, the lesser races or "mensch," would reside in four: Arainus, world of air; Pryan, world of fire; Abarrach, world of stone; and Chelestra,
world of water. The fifth was the Labyrinth, a magical prison where the Patryn were to be held and "rehabilitated," until they progressed to the sixth
realm, the Nexus, which lay at the end. The seventh was the chamber where the others were created. Now, the Sartan have vanished, the Patryns are
emerging from a prison gone mad by the absence of its keepers, the mensch are living in ignorance of the other worlds in realms that were left
imperfect by their lost creators, and the stage is set for a major catastrophe.
Lord Xar, undisputed ruler of the Nexus and the free Patryns residing there, has come through the magical prison not rehabilitated, as the Sartan might
have hoped, but embittered and vengeful, determined to wrest control of the realms away from his people's ancestral enemies and rule them with an iron
fist. To this end, he sends Haplo, a Labyrinth-hardned Patryn and his most faithful servant, to investigate the realms of the Death Gate and prepare
the mensch for Patryn rule.
Haplo's first stop is the air world Arainus, a realm of floating islands, where wars are waged over precious water drawn from the perpetual Maelstrom
below the realm. This is done through a fantastic machine, the Kicksey-Winsey, which is maintained faithfully by the dwarves who live among its gears -
dwarves convinced, through ages of deception, that the elves are gods, while humans must either steal water or rely on the meager harvest of trees.
Though there is no sign of the Sartan, Haplo finds trouble brewing nonetheless. A human mysteriarch - member of an elite order of wizards living in
the rarified atmosphere of the very highest floating island - is plotting to rule Arainus through his changeling son Bane, while a rebellious dwarf who
questions his people's ways is inadvertently sparking rebellion. The human assassin Hugh the Hand, hired to murder the charmed boy Bane, finds himself
drawn into far deeper troubles when Haplo's arrival, Bane's guardian Alfred's secret past, the mysteriarch's plans, and dwarven discontent all come
together in events that will change Arainus forever.
Review
For some reason, Arainus just didn't grab me like it should have. It had dragons, floating islands, hints of intrigue, and healthy doses of magic, but
despite the wonderful setup, it didn't come alive for me. There were some nice concepts and interesting characters, but things played just a little too
cliché and predictable. Enough intrigued me to continue reading this series.
Haplo has arrived at Pryan, world of fire. It is a place of perpetual daylight, where elves and humans live and fight in the towering treetops and
few have ever seen the ground. He hardly needs to spread seeds of chaos here, as the world is already saturated in hatred and prejudice. The mensch
races fight tooth and nail, and have done so for generations. Their infighting has left them ripe for disaster when an ancient, long-forgotten threat
from the days of the Sartans returns. The elves Paithan and Aletha, heirs to a great weaponry fortune, must unite with the lone dwarf Drugar and the
human arms-dealers Roland and Rega when the danger comes to their neck of the woods. To further complicate things, the legendary dragons of the lower
levels are on the move, and a mad human wizard named Zifnab seems to be the only one who can do anything about them.
Review
This one clicked a little better for me. I did get a little sick of the various twentieth-century Earth references made by the mad wizard Zifnab (who,
incidentally, is actually a fugitive from Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance saga - why they felt compelled to throw him into this story, I don't
know, as the Death Gate cycle should've been able to stand on its own two feet.) This is supposed to be an independent world, or one so far in the future
that obscure references to space shuttles and Anne McCaffrey would no longer be viable; even if he is a great wizard from a separate literary creation,
how and why he spouts such pointless gibberish neither author seems inclined to answer. Aside from that, I liked this book. It was fun and fairly quick,
and if the races and characters weren't startlingly original, that's a flaw one learns to live with.
Abarrach, realm of stone is a dying world, but is home to the last known population of Sartans. They have forgotten about the Patryns, and even the
long-deceased mensch of their world, struggling just to survive in the increasingly noxious atmosphere as their ancient powers slowly fade. They have
taken to raising their dead to serve them as slaves, a travesty which may not only doom themselves, but the rest of their race.
Searching for the child Bane, long since taken from the air world Arainus by Haplo, the boy's former guardian and Sartan-in-hiding Alfred stumbles onto
the Nexus just as Haplo is leaving for Abarrach. When the stone realm proves a danger to both offworlders, the two become reluctant allies in a world
saturated with death.
Review
Again, I found myself liking this book. Alfred and Haplo make an interesting team, and Haplo comes closer to realizing that Xar's ways aren't going to
bring order, but more death and chaos to already-suffering realms. There were some religious overtones that I found unnecessary and a trifle heavy-handed
at times, but otherwise it was good.
In Chelestra, world of water, the three lesser races have learned to work together in peace, the only such coexistence in all the worlds of Death
Gate. Chelestra also holds a population of dark serpents, agents of evil and chaos who have been reawakened by the shifting of the world's underwater
sun. Also reawakened are some of the last Sartan wizards left in all the realms. Unlike those in Abarrach, they remember full well the tale of Death
Gate and the Labyrinth... because Samah, the man who devised the Sundering and banished the Patryns to the Labyrinth, is their leader. Now, he is
ready to continue his plans to rule the lesser races and perfect the realms, despite what the mortal inhabitants of Chelestra may think of his
leadership.
Review
Another good world. I found it refreshing that the three lesser races could indeed work together without outside intervention; the constant prejudice
and conflict of the other realms grew a bit tiresome, as it reminded me all too much of our current inabilities to work things out. The cultures and
characters really came alive here, as did the intriguingly unique water world of Chelestra; people live on floating spheres surrounded by air pockets,
drifting about near a submerged sun and traveling by magic-powered submarines. Things are truly set into high gear for the last three installments of the
Death Gate saga.
The shapeshifting serpents of chaos have escaped Chelestra and spread through the Death Gate to the other worlds. Back in the air realm Arainus,
they create trouble in a world still torn by the fallout of dwarven rebellion and other conflicts. Now, a primary target of their evil plans
is the House of Souls, where elven souls are kept to serve their race after death. The human assassin Hugh the Hand, restored to life by magical
means, has a dark task to complete before he can rest, and Haplo must decide whether to side with his master and savior Xar or with peace.
Review
Once more, Arainus didn't grab me as it should have, but the story was more interesting for some reason, maybe because the three intervening books
built up enough characterization and momentum to carry me through the inexplicable dullness of the air world. The subplot with Bane fizzled out
disappointingly, but otherwise it was interesting.
Haplo is now on Xar's hit-list, having at last broken with his old master. The old Patryn leader has gained access to Abarrach, and from the undead
inhabitants has learned of the mysterious Seventh Gate, key to controlling all worlds. It seems that the only sanctuary left for Haplo and his
companions is in the Labyrinth, the twisted, deadly magical maze that has imprisoned his people for generations and leads ultimately to the Nexus. The
only problem is, nobody has ever passed through the Labyrinth in one lifetime.
Review
We finally get a peek inside the Labyrinth, the prison we've only seen in flashbacks. Interestingly enough, it's both more and less horrific than I'd
anticipated. Even Haplo is surprised at what he finds when he enters the beginning of the Labyrinth, where certain members of his race decided long ago
to stop fighting through to the nexus and establish a new home. The plot thickens and moves forward at a satisfying pace, heading for a cataclysmic
conclusion.
Led by Haplo and Alfred, the Sartan and Patryn races must unite against a greater evil, one which threatens all worlds of Death Gate. Still, Xar and
his Patryn followers, and Samah and his Sartan disciples, resist this necessary alliance. Their infighting may allow the serpents of chaos to succeed in
their quest to destroy all peace and order in the realms of the Death Gate.
Review
This was a nice conclusion, leaving just enough open for future exploration in case the authors wish to revisit any of their worlds. I thought it
could've been a little better and maybe a book shorter, personally, but it wasn't half bad. Taken all together, the Death Gate cycle is a very ambitious
undertaking that, for the most part, pays off.
Long ago, the great Cataclysm nearly destroyed the world of Krynn. In the days since, the many races of the land - dwarfs, elves, men, trolls,
kenders, hobgoblins, and others - have slowly rebuilt their respective civilizations, but without the gods whom many feel turned their back on the
land. In recent years, a group of Seekers have risen among humans, claiming to seek out the wisdom of the old gods but turning instead into corrupt
rulers. Now war looms on the horizon, as legendary dragons return to the land and the Queen of Darkness, goddess of destruction and chaos, stands
poised to finish the destruction started by the Cataclysm... but there may yet be hope in a band of adventurers, a powerful artifact from a healing
goddess, and legends of the long-lost Dragonlance, weapon of the ancient hero Huma.
Review
The publisher, TSR, is best known for the venerable Dungeons & Dragons® role-playing game series, which is about all you need to
know about the characters. Every one of them boils down to an RPG Race and Class description. They love, live, laugh, and fight almost entirely based
on clichés: the half-elf is constantly tormented by his dual ancestry, the honorable knight of the discredited order broods over the glories of
the past, the men are tall and heroic or short and comical (save the obligatory scrawny mage, who paid a Terrible Price for his Great and Unknowable
Power), and the women are gorgeous in ways that make everyone admire their beauty while causing a specific one of the tall and heroic men fall
hopelessly and helplessly in love with them at first sight. Their adventures in such obligatory settings as the Lost City, the Mysterious Woods, the
Elven Sanctuary, and the Enemy Stronghold of Ancient Construction display no more originality than the average role-playing game, either. The world of
Krynn itself draws heavily on Tolkienesque images and histories, complete with a long-standing feud between dwarfs and elves, lots of Ancient Engineering
Projects (to borrow from Diana Wynne Jones’ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland) scattered across the landscape, and the villain’s peculiar habit
of first sending his most incompetent and easily-bamboozled minions after the good guys before slowly and steadily scaling up to the big boys. (Okay,
this last one isn’t quite Tolkien, but you get the idea.) Most readers who are even casually familiar with fantasy will find little to surprise them in
the world, the characters, or the plotline. I'm sure it would make a great basis for a game, but I generally want more out of a book than that. By the
end, having abandoned all hope of finding anything original or absorbing, I started enjoying it a bit, but I won't bother reading the rest of the trilogy
unless I find them deeply discounted. (Once more, an ulterior motive prompted me to read this now: there are rumors of a DragonLance animated
movie series in the works - which, evidently, went straight to DVD. If this book is any indication, I don't expect I'll bother renting it.)
