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Ages ago, sorcerers of unmatched power sundered a world into four realms--sky, stone, fire, and water--then vanished. Over time, magicians learned to work spells only in their own realms and forgot the others. Now only the few who have survived the Labyrinth and crossed the Death Gate know of the presence of all four realms--and even they have yet to unravel the mysteries of their severed world. . . . In Arianus, Realm of Sky, humans, elves, and dwarves battle for control of precious water--traversing a world of airborne islands on currents of elven magic and the backs of mammoth dragons. But soon great magical forces will begin to rend the fabric of this delicate land. An assassin will be hired to kill a royal prince--by the king himself. A dwarf will challenge the beliefs of his people--and lead them in rebellion. And a sinister wizard will enact his plan to rule Arianus--a plan that may be felt far beyond the Realm of Sky and into the Death Gate itself.… (more)
User reviews
There are no Sartan to be seen, but the harsh environment nearly does for Haplo, he crashlands at the very bottom of the world where the gegs (Dwarfs) slave for their Eleven and human masters who live on floating islands above.
TBC
Reading one of the books that inspired it was a grand experience.
The style of writing is a bit monotonous, repetitive. The action is great, the plot complex, descriptions not particularly thorough, but sufficient.
The peak action passages
The world is a set of islands floating in the air. The "science" (more like magic) that describes the various phenomena is a nice touch.
Overall, an excellent book describing an original fantasy world.
Book one of seven: Dragon Wing, where to start.
Well, let it be known that I am not a reader of DragonLance novels. The fantasy genre just isn't my cup of tea, there are some authors I have enjoyed, but fantasy tends to be more miss than hit when I am concerned.
My reading experience:
- It took me two months+ to slog through through three hundred and forty pages
- Even with access to appendices, I wanted to strangle Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The number of concepts and words that were unexplained drove me bonkers.
- I very nearly lit this book on fire and peed on it's ashes. My deal with Rich was the only thing that pushed me to completion.
- I still do not know what the root words for 'Kicksey-Winsey' are, even though Managers, etc all became clear.
- The big protagonist (cheekily named the Sinistrad) and culmination of plot were a huge let down, approx four pages all wrapped in a bow? Exaggeration, yes, but not much of one.
- The Gegs (Dwarves). They are as annoying as Jar Jar Binks.
With all that said, it turned out pretty good... What's that? Well, yeah, my reviews are always honest and in this case the first three quarters made my soul bleed, where the last hundred pages were quite good. I sailed through them pretty quickly. Most of my questions were answered. Characters solidified, story became understandable, and it clicked. After all that pain it clicked. I would never read this book twice (you couldn't pay me), but I do feel confident that my frame of reference is now large enough to enjoy book two. I will read the remainder of the Death Gate Cycle series, much to my own surprise.
Reblurb - this novel undoubtably required a new blurb as the Publisher's description is a waste, an absolute waste in all aspects. Are they selling this purely off the fact that the authors are apparent novel writing machines?
"The Sartans are well intentioned meddlers, attempting to help those on earth by imposing their will on the planet as a whole, each time they meddle, something gets worse. Before they disappeared completely, the Earth was shattered into several crippled pieces.
Hugh the Hand, an assassin, has been hired by the king of the mid-realm. The war between the Elves and Humans is in a lull, and the King is cleaning house, starting with the death of his own son. Hugh is hired to murder the Prince and blame it on the elves.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, nothing in the realms is simple, leading Hugh, the prince, and various others into the world of the Gegs, a revolution, and a battle for their own survival.
Readers of the DragonLance series pay special attention as preeminent storytellers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman continue to redefine epic fantasy."
Publisher's Description:
"Preeminent storytellers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have redefined epic fantasy. Since the publication of their Dragonlance series, millions of readers have enjoyed their imaginative world-building, rich characterization, and intricate storylines. Now these bestselling authors bring their talents to one of the most innovative fantasy creations ever in Dragon Wing, the first volume in The Death Gate Cycle.
Jump forward 35+ year later and a friend is cleaning out his house and offers the complete set of The Death Gate series. Well, if I were still 14, I probably would have really enjoyed this. Now that I'm not, this really didn't do it for me. The writing is simple and basic. The characters are just not that interesting (two of the principle characters are named Sinistrad and Bane...hmm, I wonder if they're the good guys?).
There are allusions to a great battle and chaos in the past, causing the current separations of the various realms in the sky. I imagine this will be covered in the next bunch of books. I'll never know...