I love this book- for the way it introduces a completely new set of characters and wraps your heart around them instantly, for the way it draws the different people from their homes and twines their lives together- but most of all for the brilliant, beautiful, and simply spectacular prolouge. It details the creation of a Masterblade, a process that so closely mirrors the creation of a story I was entranced. To quote, "As the bard hears, faint but clear, the elusive melody and secret harmonies of the song he was given his voice to sing, as the storyteller knows, deep within his bones, the words and silences of the tale he was born to tell…" Simply beautiful, don't you think? A must-read. ( )

This one touches on activities that happened in the first three books. We even see some of Tanis and Goldmoon as they negotiate their way into the dwarves city.
I enjoyed this book as it focuses on dwarves and their unique culture and history. Again the Dragonlance world is rich and exciting and certainly makes me yearn to play DnD again. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. A nice story with a good adventure. I wish there was a little more on each character, but I guess the point wasn't necessarily the party members but the mission/goal. Often times it seems Dragonlance books either have time travel or going to a different plane, but this one was all on Krynn. ( )

A king sword, named Stormblade, has been forged in the mountain kingdom of Thorbardin, home of the dwarves. The sword seems to come at a much needed time. War is quickly approaching the dwarves will not be able to hide behind their stone walls much longer. But in the midst of the excitement, betrayal brews, and Stormblade is stolen and removed from the dwarven kingdom.

Years later rumor emerge of a sword that fits the description of Stormblade trickle into the mountains. Two rival clans quickly send search teams to retrieve the blade for whoever hold Stormblade will rule in Thorbardin.

In the truest sense of an adventure, we find an unlikely group of "companions" that struggle to protect the blade and return it its rightful owner and keep it out of the hands of evil. We find a young dwarf blacksmith, a human warrior, an elven ranger, and of course, the barmaid turned warrior woman (of a sort).

While much of this sounds typical of a fantasy novel, the story is put together in an amazing way that makes what could have been very stereotypical characters to life. We have love, hate, friends turned rivals, and rivals turned friends. There is of course magic and dragons and battle galore. My only real complaint was the ending. It opens the story up for so much more, but no more is ever written (at least not that I have been able to find).

4/5 ( )

This volume tells the story of the Dwarven sword Stormblade; touched by Reorx, it is called a Kingsword and no Dwarven King can be crowned without a Kingsword. Stormblade is stolen and lost. When it is found, a young Dwarven apprentice smith is sent in search of the blade that was stolen on his watch. While searching for the sword, he befriends a motley crue: Humans, elves and kender. Together the race against the clock to recover the sword, return it to its rightful owners in Thorbardin, and do it all in record time.

The events related in this volume occur concurrently with the Chronicles. In fact, Tanis and crew have cameo roles this book mostly dealing with the flight of the 800 refugees from Pax Tharkas to Thorbardin and the thwarted revolution in Thorbardin. Mention is also made of the Dwarfgate wars - first told in the Legends Trilogy.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. There were no great shakes; no earth shattering plot twists and a little too much love on first site for my taste. And, eventually, the overconfidence that most of the Dragon Highlords have should get bred out of existance. It's one of those Austin Powers-type things: I only want to kill them with mean-tempered sea bass with lasers on their heads... No wonder they escape and save the day...

Read 10/2007

Read 9/2007 ( )