Dragons Of A Vanished Moon (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
Let's get the ending out of the way first. There is a satisfactory ending to the series but suffice it to say, many questions are still left unanswered! I understand by doing so it gives the readers something to think about but this book is the end of the series! There should be closure! While this isn't really a deal breaker, it can irritate you for while because it deals with one of the main character in the series. You've read about her throughout the books and now at the end, you don't know what the heck happened to her. I don't want to spoil it but I'm sure you know who I'm talking about.Cast wise, I don't know if there is a single character I hate more from all the fantasy books I've read than Mina. Yes, I still don't like her and won't pretend that I do. After reading about her for three books now, she is absolutely the same as the first time around. Nothing has changed. Nothing! She is a vessel for Takhisis, the One God, and she does what she is told to do. That's it. Why do people think her interesting? She is loyal to her God and has mysterious amber eyes that seems to trap you if you look into them. The only one redeeming action she did that made me respect her somewhat is when she did battle with the big red dragon. Mina is not the only one with a somewhat boring personality. Many of the other casts suffer the same fate. For example, Silvan had some redeeming qualities until he saw Mina and thought it was love at first sight. He then started chasing after her throughout the series like a man possessed. The shift then goes to Gilthias whose struggling to deal with the exiled Qualinesti elves. Gerard is a fine and loyal Solamnic Knight. That's all you need to about him. Odilla was fun in the beginning but then became stale afterwards. Tas will always be Tas but he's starting to get on my nerves even though he's one of the more interesting characters. Palin and Dalamar are a shell of their former selves. That's all you need to know of them.The boring cast of characters could have been redeemed if only the story had a little more exciting parts to it. There's just this strange feeling that nothing much really happens. Throughout the series, one theme doesn't change and that is the amount of coincidences happening. There will be a lot, trust me. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation to all that what with time traveling, spirits and Gods in the picture but to me, it feels like the author didn't put too much effort into planning out everything. If you also read carefully, there are a lot of plot holes or things that doesn't quite make sense once you put your mind to it but I won't spoil that for you here. Hopefully you'll catch some of them while reading.All in all, the War of Souls trilogy is a average read if nothing more. However, this series is far below the previous works of these two great authors. The Chronicle series (the holy grail of them all) is miles and miles beyond the War of Souls trilogy. But I'm sure readers who are reading this series have already read it and you can easily see why. This book feels rushed in the end and there is no solid ending. Well, there is one if you choose to ignore all the unanswered questions. Suffice it say, it will be another long while before I return back to the Dragonlance universe. The good news is that there are a lot of books and stories to read from that are not part of a three-book series or more.
This book was the final in a trilogy. I liked it, but it was pretty wild. The first trilogy by these authors was one of the first books my friends and I read in middle school. This book had some original characters from those, but only because they traveled through time. My friend who read the originals got the first of this trilogy as a joke, but I had fun reading the first two, so I figured, "why not finish?"Only read this if you like fantasy, and complicating normal fantasy with things like: dragons of several different sizes, time traveling Kender (like hobbits), wizards who lost their magic, a evil Queen of darkness, mulitple gods...should I stop? I should stop. It's craziness.
What do You think about Dragons Of A Vanished Moon (2003)?
This was an intense end to Takhisis' attempt to overtake the world as the original heroes dabble with fate.Some of the writing was a bit monotonous and repetitive at times. In one paragraph I think I read the name "Gerard" 10-12 times. Towards the end, one paragraph ended like "The dead and the living stared in silence." The next one began "Galdar stared in silence." It was a bit confusing, as weird as that sounds. I had to reread some sections at times.My thoughts and review:Skie has been killed, for good. And it was in a mini-battle, so it wasn't a "wasted" death.Gilthas may not believe he is fit to be king, but his people want him and have faith in him. He's chosen as the true elven king.It may be weird, but I like Galdar. He is what I think minotaurs should be - headstrong, determined, and loyal to their thoughts. I especially enjoy seeing him question the One God…but not his loyalty to Mina. He's is even more awesome because he understands who the One God is, and that Takhisis is deceitful and selfish.I find the One God less of a mockery of monotheist God than I did before. After all, what god doesn't allow for questioning, laughter or joy? What kind of god binds their people instead of letting them feel free?Mina and Silvanoshei are kind of boring.Tas' adventure didn't affect too much, unlike in the other two novels in the series. I was less interested in his subplot than usual. Except this:“‘Stop talking nonsense,’ said Gerard in a decided tone. ‘Raistlin Majere is dead!’‘So am I,’ said Tasslehoff Burrfoot. He smiled up at Gerard. ‘You can’t let a little thing like that stop you.’” – pages 491-492I enjoyed Mirror and Razor's internal and verbal ponderings on whether or not to join with Takhisis & go against Malys. They are true dragons & while I don't agree with them, I can respect them.Dalamar really shows growth in that he recognizes his own self-hatred at the thought of abasing himself to Takhisis. I enjoyed Palin and Mirror's plan to hurt Takhisis via her totem.Even though a kender may destroy existence, the gods will allow him the choice to go back and die. Free will! The gods must always maintain balance, even if they don't want to. And they really are about free will. I love it. It was one of my favourite parts about the series.Mina's reaction to Takhisis' death was irritating, but that of a true follower. I was shocked at what Paladine and the other gods had agreed to.I'm sad Gerard and Odila didn't get together, but I do like there's always a possibility.“Those who follow the light must also acknowledge the darkness, or else there is no light.” – page 500
—Jaime
It has been a long journey through the land of Krynn in the world of Dragonlance. I have read 11 novels and this one continues in the legacy. It is a well written book and the suspense is high throughout the entire book. However, I admit that I found the climax/resolution/conclusion sort of disappointing. I won't reveal anything specifically but let's just say that I expected some more "closure". They probably left a lot of lose ends open because they wanted to create a never-ending universe into which novels can be continually added.With that said, it was still a fun and exciting read.
—Austin Miller
As it is revealed that the One God is in reality Takhisis, the protagonists react to this in various ways. But since she is the only god left in the world, many find it hard to stand up to her because, after all, she is a god!Even so, once again an somewhat unlikely band of heroes emerges in various parts of the world and creates new alliances - Mirror, the silver dragon and former guardian of the Citadel of Light, joins forces with Marshall Medan's former mount, the blue dragon Razor to prevent Takhisis from taking over power - and Mina slowly starts to unravel as her queen's plans starts to crumble.To save the world, even Raistlin Majere has to make a guest appearance to help the gods - and one god has to make an enormous sacrifice. But once again, the fate of the world rests in the hand of one kender - Tasslehoff Burrfoot.
—Christina
