Dragonlance: The Second Generation

Written by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

A collection of previously released novellas is quite a different read than the usual epic trilogies written in this saga, but in a way it was just as satisfying.  I am unsure what came first, the short stories about the children of the Heroes of the Lance or the idea behind Dragons of Summer Flame, the added fourth volume in the Chronicles series, but either way it serves it’s position as a bridge quite well.

There are five stories in the collection and each of them are worthy of inclusion for one reason or another and they certainly add a nice layer to an already rich tapestry of the world of Krynn.

So we’ll take it tale by tale:

Kitiara’s Son

The first tale is definitely told as if Summer Flame was already in planning.  The tale bridges the past with the then current Krynn very well.  Establishing a Knights of Takhisis to combat the Knights of Solamnia, while certainly the secondary portion of the story is very important in Volume 4, as is the leading character.  We learn that Steel Brightblade, is the son of Kitiara and Sturm who went off together during the five years prior to the War of the Lance.  Now that is hard to accept if only because Sturm’s greatest strength was his ability to know right from wrong and his nobility.  Now this has been questioned twice…but I do think that instead of weakening Sturm, it has made his character even more real.

The question is…is Steel?  I believe the character is well drawn and indeed the perfect combination of Sturm and Kit, the nobility of his father with the darkness of his mother.  His sojourn with Caramon and Tanis to his father’s resting place served well as an emotional journey, making his decision to stay with the Knights an even more tragic one, although noble one…much like his parentage.

B+

The Legacy

The first of two tales involving the sons of Caramon Majere.  Most importantly, Palin Majere, the youngest who’s talents have run to magic, to the chagrin of his father who sees a lot of Raistlin in him.  Knowing that Caramon would smother his son and never truly let him take the test of High Sorcery, the Conclave trick Caramon into allowing it to happen.  Brothers Tanin and Sturm Majere act as companions briefly and we get a good look into what is a new companionship.

Given that the story also looks into the fate of Raistlin himself, it is certainly the most interesting tale of the book.  It seems that Raistlin can still affect Krynn in someways, but I won’t spoil it.  It is clever and powerful.

A

Wanna Bet?

The most whimsical tale of the book, it’s importance would not be known until Summer Flame.  On the surface it seems like just another adventure story to set up the relationship between the three Majere brothers.   Further on it also shows that Paladine isn’t the only one with a mortal avatar in Fizban.  We learn that Reorx has his own identity in Dougan Redhammer…not so subtly done to be honest.

The Graygem is what’s important to the story, but again you don’t realize it til much later.  Overall though this makes it by far the least important of the collection, but in no way less amusing.

B

Raistlin’s Daughter

SPOILER ALERT – This tale is disproven during Summer Flame which greatly cheapens it.  I think it was a mistake to go this route at all as really it’s damned if you do damned if you don’t.  The fact was described in Legends as Raistlin having too much willpower to succumb to desire, and to have him have done so was pretty unbelievable in the first place.

Then to later disprove it as Weis & Hickman do in Summer Flame makes it even worse as in reality….what’s the point?   It’s not a bad read, and the introduction of the Irda does make for an important revelation, but overall I think that if they were going to even explore this route, they should have committed to it.

C+

The Sacrifice

I am torn by this novella.  On the surface I think it’s phenomenal.  Politics galore, we learn that the smothered, sickly son of Tanis and Laurana named Gilthas is a pawn to be used by obstinate elves wanting to remain isolated from the rest of the world definitively if not even between Qualinost and Silvanost.  The depiction is great, realistic in this world, and very powerful.

So why was I bored then?  I don’t know, but it just seemed overlong, overwrought, and..ho hum.  I couldn’t get worked up over anyone, save maybe Alhana Starbreeze.  I don’t know as I wanted to love it, I wanted to enjoy it…I just couldn’t.

C

Overall it was a great collection, and Krynn has it’s share of great collections which I will venture into eventually.  But I say this is still a must read in the saga as it sets up a ton of the rest of the saga.

B