Dragons of the Dwarven Depths - Lost Chronicles - Volume One

Fantasy readers should not begrudge Weis and Hickman for returning to the story that started the Dragonlance franchise but they should have concerns. Far better writers have failed to recapture past magic when they returned to past subjects (for example, Hemingway's "The Dangerous Summer" simply can not live up to the same ground he covered before in "Death in the Afternoon"). Thankfully Weis and Hickman avoid the major pitfalls. This book does not take any luster off the original Dragonlance Chronicles.

"Dragons of Dwarven Depths" is a solid if unspectacular addition to the series. There is a certain joy in seeing beloved characters interact with one another and the writers send more than a few knowing winks the reader's way since we know more about the plot than the characters do at this point.

Some of the best parts of the Dragonlance series focused on the intimate moments; when the companions seemed more concerned with their own survival and what was in front of them than the epic wars for control of Krynn. Weis and Hickman are able to present some very good scenes when they can think small; when Tika and Tas face dangers; when Raistlin, Caramon and Sturm explore a dungeon; when Tanis and Flint look for a lost city. When Weis and Hickman try to show the bigger picture (for example, Riverwind leading an army of refugees or an in-depth take on dwarf tribal politics), the authors simply lose the narrative and the reader loses interest.

There remain some problems with the book. This book suffers from poor editing; poor copy editing and poor plot editing. One of the chief reasons Weis and Hickman split the Companions apart in "Dragons of Winter's Night" is they could not focus on character development when there are too many actors on the stage at once. That's a problem here since Tanis, Tas, Flint, Caramon, Raistlin, Laurana, Tika, Sturm, Riverwind, Goldmoon, Elistan, Gilthanas, even Hedrik the Theocrat. not to mention a host of new dwarven characters and villains, fight for page time. Tolstoy may have been able to pull the strings on so many puppets but Weis and Hickman simply are not up to that level. For example, the first part of the novel shows more focus and depth on Tika than almost any other part of the series. She's invisible the second half of the book. One has to also concede that the first half of the book is much more gripping than the second half-and no, that has nothing to do with Tika.

Despite these flaws, the authors are able to hold the book together through good characters and a decent enough plot. If Weiss and Hickman did nothing to take the series to greater heights in this book, they at least did not tarnish their previous glories.

I haven't read a Weis and Hickman Dragonlance novel that I liked since the Legends trilogy way back when. This one drew me in, kept me on the edge of my seat, and definitely reminded me of the glory days of "Chronicles" and "Legends." I give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. In the fast-paced action leading up to the climax, I think the authors cut come corners of logic to make all of the pieces fit together nicely. Namely, when the heroes were prisoners, they were left hardly guarded and allowed to roam freely when they escaped! Also, while collectively the heroes had a major impact, individually, I would have liked to see greater individual impact. There were also quite a few misspellings, which I would not expect from this publisher. But, with that aside, this was certainly a good read, and wonderful story, and adds to the depth of the characters. I highly recommend it and eagerly look forward to the next story in the series.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the first "true" fantasy novel I ever read. This was the book that made me fall in love with the genre, and I never looked back! Much like the first girl you kiss, these two authors have always held a special place in my heart. Even though they haven't written anything that really capture the imagination since the conclusion of The Deathgate Cycle in 1994, I always give them the benefit of the doubt and purchase their new books/series. Sadly, since then Weis and Hickman (together, solo, or with other collaborators) have produced works of average quality at best.:-(

Their last Dragonlance offering, The War of Souls trilogy, was a far cry from their popular Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends. This new series, The Lost Chronicles, will explore some of the storylines that were not part of the narrative of the original main sequence. Hence, it boded well for fans eager to see Weis and Hickman recapture their erstwhile excellence. After all, they were going back to their old stomping grounds, the world of Krynn, during the War of the Lance.

Honestly, I was pretty excited myself! For fans of the original series, this opportunity to go back in time and once again follow the adventures of the Companions is quite a kick. Characters such as Tanis, Raistlin Majere, Sturm Brightblade, Laurana, and Tasslehoff Burrfoot have all left an indelible mark in the fantasy genre.

The predominant problem with Dragons of the Dwarven Depths lies in the fact that there's nowhere near enough material to make a full-length novel. At best, this should have been a novella. Personally, I believe it would have worked best as a short story such as the ones Weis and Hickman came up with for the Tales trilogy.

There is so much "filler" in this book. . . I couldn't quite believe it. There are unnecessary portions filling us in on the back story. Given the fact that one needs to have read the original Dragonlance Chronicles, these parts of the narrative are totally obsolete. Add to that the inordinate amount of time spent journeying and I estimate that a good 50% of the novel could be excised without readers losing much of the story.

The second shortcoming of this book lies in the selection of the plotline that would serve as its backdrop. The search for the Hammer of Kharas was not part of the original saga, and there's a good reason why it was only alluded to in Dragons of Winter Night. It was only part of the Dragonlance roleplaying modules because the storyline wasn't that interesting to begin with. As I mentioned, not enough material. . .

Nevertheless, the narrative flows well enough, though the writing is a bit clunky at times. Although it's fun to be reunited with the characters we have grown to love, the fact that nothing really happens throughout the novel makes it hard to maintain our level of interest. I'm afraid that even Tass can't save this one.

My hopes for the forthcoming Dragons of the Highlord Skies are somewhat higher, what with the search of the dragon orb storyline and the presence of Lord Soth. I mean, come on! This one has to be good!

Hence, as fun as it is to go back in time and return to the events that marked the beginning of the War of the Lance, Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is a disappointing effort.

For those of you who read the chronocles series in the eighties or nineties and reread this beside those books, the author's writing style has matured considerably, but at the same time it appears that they have decided to pad out events to a large extent. In short, this book is not very exciting, although will be a trip down memory lane for those in need of one. There are no cliffhangers in the entire book of note.

Do not read this book unless you are a fan of Flint, or at least Tasslehoff (who isn't?). The book seems designed to give Flint more "screen time" as he doesnt make it to the end of the chronocles series.

I would say this book is worse than anything in the chronocles trilogy, the legends trilogy, or the soulforge. If you have already read those, you will probably better enjoy Dragons of the Highlord Skies, the follow-up to this effort. In short, this book is like an old friend who is familiar, comforting, but possibly not as interesting as you remembered.

Between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman left a huge gap in the story line, with only a poem or such to give us a hint to what the heck happened between the two Chronicles. But now we are fortunate enough to have Dragons of Dwarven Depths, which tells us of the companions' adventures between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night. But Dragons of Dwarven Depths is much different than the Chronicles...
In the Beginning it tells how the refugees from Pax Tharkas cannot spend the winter in the valley they currently occupy for various reasons, one of which is that their enemies have found the valley. In hopes to find shelter for the refugees, the companions journey to find the lost underground city of Thorbardin, all except for Sturm, Raistlin, and Caramon who head for Skullcap in search for a secret way into Thorbardin. Later on Tika and Tas join Sturm, Raistlin and Caramon. At Skullcap Sturm puts on a cursed helm and is convinced he is a former prince of Thorbardin, with the help of the former prince (Sturm), the adventurers meet up with their companions, and find their way in (at the expense of losing the "Gate" which is actually a huge door, off the side of the mountain). When in the mountain, Flint Fireforge meets with the god Reorx and learns he is destined to find the famed Hammer of Karas, which had been lost to the dwarven thanes for many, many, many years. Unfortunately the current prince of Thorbardin, Arman Karas, thinks himself the one chosen to find the hammer. Who will get the hammer in the end? I certainly can't tell you! But this is only half the story. Dray-yan, a draconian magic-user, has an idea, what if he pretended to be the Dragon Highlord Verminarrd? No one but him and a fellow draconian know the real Dragon Highlord is dead. He plans to be triumphant in what Verminarrd failed at. Winning the world for the Dark Queen. Through this plot he plans to win the favor of the Queen of Darkness, Takhisis', for his race. And that is all I can tell you with a summary.
But what I can tell you is that this book is different from any of the Chronicles. For one, the Chronicles always focus on all the characters. And although I did not mention him much in the earlier summary paragraph, Flint Fireforge is probably the main character of this book. It is because the whole outcome of the story is up to flint that I think this book focuses on mainly one character. Something that never happened in a single Chronicles book.
One of my favorite parts in this book is when Raistlin's questioning and study of the mushrooms of Thorbardin pays off when the Thanes of Thorbardin attempt to poison the companions' dinner by putting mushrooms only safe in ale in soup. Raistlin managed to tell the companions in time, but if he hadn't...let's just say that Dragons of Winter Night would be rather confusing. This part is a favorite because it shows that smarts can save your life where brute strength cannot.
This book is a real interesting, because it opens your eyes to what can happen between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night. And I would recommend it to any Dragonlance fan or otherwise.

I just finished reading the Dragonlance Chronicals. This book fits nicely into the series. The writing style is a little different. There are some oddities (How does Tas get rabbitslyer back?) but overall, the story was very enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone reading the Dragonlance stories. Maybe even in between the first 2 books to make it chronological. - not sure if the change in writing style affect anything.

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is about the time between Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night. In this book, the companions have the task of getting 800 Pax Tharkan refugees to safety from the Dragon Highlords. Tanis, Sturm, Raistlin, Caramon, Tika, Riverwind, Goldmoon, Flint, and, of course, Tasslehoff Burrfoot are looking for the Dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to house all the refugees. One problem, though. It's under a mountain.
Once in Thorbardin, though, they've already got enemies. At one time, only Raistlin's diligent study of Dwarven fungi saves them all from a terrible death by poison. Then Tanis, Sturm, Raistlin, and Caramon fake their deaths to capture their would-be murderers.
This is one of the best books I've ever read (or re-re-re-read). I would only recommend it if you've read the Dragonlance Chronicles, as it contains spoilers for Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the first novel in the Lost Chronicles trilogy. For fans of the Dragonlance universe, the Lost Chronicles represent time between the original Chronicles books. In this case, this book takes place between the events of Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Dawning. So, those readers who have read those two books will understand the story very well. Before I go further, if this book interests you at all, I think you should read the Dragonlance Chronicles before you read this book. Why? Well, for one those are he first stories involving these characters, but more importantly you will have a deeper understanding of some of the things that happen in this book.

The plot itself is typical Weis & Hickman. It's well laid out and concise with not a lot of extra stuff thrown in. I liken this book to putting on your favorite pair of old shoes. No matter when you last wore them, they still feel great when you put them on again. The story of the hammer of Kharas has long been talked about in Dragonlance circles and finally it has come to fruition. As I was reading this I could tell that Weis and Hickman had long thought about this plot line as it was just so well done and fleshed out.

The characters in this novel and exactly what Dragonlance fans would expect. All the familiar faces are present. In terms of character development there is not really a whole lot, except for Flint's character. This is for a couple reasons. It's had to develop characters that have been through several series and then come back to them at a point in the middle of the first trilogy and develop them a little without throwing something off down the road. So, I really wasn't expecting too much in this area, but what I got I was pleased with.

Now, I do have a bit of contention with the characters and this happened more than once. First, I need to say I am a huge fan of the Chronicles and the characters. I have read the Chronicles several times. Yet, when I was reading this book something felt `of' to me. It took me about fifty pages to realize what it was. There are several instances during this book where the dialog of the characters in no way matches how they spoke in previous books. I am not talking about little `oops' in dialog. I am talking whole sections that in no way fit what the characters have always sounded like and said. At times it was so glaring that it made me stop reading and I had to re-read the section to make sure I read it right. Now, some people may not think this is a big deal, but to the traditional Dragonlance fan will understand exactly what I mean when they read this book.

Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book, the dialog just really through me off at times. If you are a new fan to the Dragonlance universe and want the most `complete' experience. I may suggest reading the Dragonlance Chronicles book 1 first and then reading this book, followed by the Chronicles book 2. That would give you the complete story without having to `go back' so to speak.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am eagerly looking forward to the next one to be released in July, 2007. Fans of fantasy should all read the Chronicles books. They are truly a great story and one that has endured the test of time over and over again. I, for one, am happy to revisit the characters that I grew up with.

Note: This review is for the Audiobook version.

The Audiobook is a tragedy of ... everything. At first, I appreciated that the reader attempted to give a different voice to each character. Although, the first two speaking characters were draconians, and after 7 minutes of scratchy, guttural, and ssssssnakey dialogue, I was fairly annoyed. It really made me appreciate the reader for Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

But when she got to Tasslehoff, I had to stop. The reader's interpretation and presentation was quite cartoonish and ... I couldn't help but imagine a retarded gully dwarf clown.

If you loved the original Chronicles, you will love this too. It reads and feels like it was written at the same time as the originals. All your favorite characters are true. The plot is new and fills in the gaps between the first 2 books of the older trilogy. I am overjoyed that Weis and Hickman are doing this type of work and I look forward to the rest of the series.

On the other hand, if you are new to Dragonlance, pick up the Chronicles Series first. In my oipinion, it is the pinnacle derivative acheivement of basic fantasy writing that began with Tolkien. That is not meant as a negative comment. Rather, since all fantasy is basically derived from Tolkien, the Chronicles ranks as the best series based upon his concepts. Certainly Jordan and Goodkind are great also, but their work is a little too far removed from basic fantasy to compare with Dragnolance. Dragonlance is simpler, yet often more poignant, and all-in-all way fun and much more accessible for the times when you need something a little easier to read (in between a mammoth Wheel of Time or Sword of Truth epic).

Or so the old saying goes...The dynamic writing duo of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, proclaim otherwise, however, in their 'new' trilogy chronicling the 'lost'adventures of the Heroes of the Lance. Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is a great corollary off the original Chronicles storyline. The plot revolves around Flint's recovery of the Hammer of Kharas and Riverwind's evacuation of the Pax Tharkas slaves. Despite including the beloved Heroes, this book is really carried by the villians. The brilliant Draconian mage is exceptional in his role as primary villian in the story and I found myself reading on to see his reaction to certain situations despite the fact that I knew what the overall outcome was of the tale.

Weis and Hickman have done it again, they have created a great story populated with memorable characters!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had been awhile since I read a Dragonlance novel and it was quit refreshing to do so again. Its not heavy reading, but being thought out it has just enough to chew on intellectually to satisfy the desire for a fun read.

One of the ideas that popped out at me was how non-pagan the gods of Krynn seem to be (other than their multiplicity). I wonder if that is in part to Hickman being Mormon? The gods of Krynn produce a setting quite different from Forgotten Realms or many other modern fantasy novels (that I've read) since there is a morality based value system derived from Judeo-Christian theology that underlies the story

The main plot of the story places deontology against consequentialism. It asks the age old question, does the end justify the means? Can you commit a wrong to make a right? And with holding to Krynn's idealistic value system it answers it accordingly.

In a more Machiavellian world the end justifies the means, and its the strong that survive, and man is at the center of the universe existing for his own gratification at the expense of others. Which accurately describes Queen Takhisis and her minions, as well as Satan.

Of course our own world isnt quite that simple, and idealistic values dont work all the time. Still it's good to be inspired and shoot for the stars.

Reviews on this book have been rather harsh. I have just finished it and would rank it as entertaining and worth reading for those who have already discovered the original Chronicles Trilogy. I am reviewing this book from an interesting perspective. I initially read the original trilogy when it was first published and have read many (but no where near all of them) books set in this realm over the years. I picked up Dragons of the Dwarven Depths after recently rereading Dragons of Autumn Twilight in the The Annotated Chronicles (Dragonlance: Dragonlance Chronicles).

What you will find in this book is 20 years of growth and experience and it will stand out as being deeper and richer. I am not one to be distracted by the editing errors mentioned by other reviewers so I cannot confirm they are present (but I don't doubt they are either). The authors seem to understand that most readers haven't seen the Autumn Twilight in some time so there is some background there but it didn't seem as heavy as other reviewers had stated. I skipped the ends of a few paragraphs and probably a page that seemed to provide nothing new about Sturm.

However, I was delighted to find that this book is less like a good narrative of a game session and flowed richly like a smooth story from experienced writers. All the characters had individual depth, purpose and drive. The banter between these old friends brought you back and you seem to get a better glimpse of what is on their mind and what struggles they are really facing. All this made up for any other minor flaws mentioned or not.

My only real complaint is that some of the lines by the characters were out of place. The dialog shows so much improvement over the original trilogy but leaves these more "game table" quips to stand out as rather awkward. This seemed to be spread evenly about once every 3 chapters and usually from one of the Heroes of the Lance.

In summary, I am glad I read it and do feel as if I spent quality time with our favorite heroes once more.

Dragonlance fans are going to love this: After more than two decades and dozens of bestselling novels set in the Dragonlance universe, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are returning to where it all began -- the very first adventure. Dragons of the Dwarven Depths, the first novel in the Lost Chronicles trilogy, will fill in critical gaps in the original Chronicles saga (Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning), the classic trilogy that started the Dragonlance phenomenon in the mid-1980s.

With well over 100 novels, anthologies, reference guides, and role-playing games set in the Dragonlance realm, Krynn is arguably the most richly historied, well-traveled, and universally beloved fantasy world ever created. And like the three original Chronicles novels, Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is classic adventure fantasy: nonstop action, masterful characterization, meticulous world building, and bombshell plot twists around every corner. This is not only a must-read for longtime Dragonlance fans but also a perfect place for Dragonlance neophytes to begin their literary adventures.

Frankly, I was inspired to pen this review based on the average 4 star rating this book has received. The rating is incredibly misleading for anyone looking to purchase this book. I am a huge fan of the original series and the Dragonlance game world inspired by it for TSR's Dungeons and Dragons. The "Chronicles" books, though a pretty thorough Tolkien knock-off (well, most fantasy novels are), were hugely popular for a good reason. They told a very inspiring and engaging tale. Dragons of the Dwarven Depths does neither.

First, I'm really going under the assumption that Weiss and Hickman did not actually write this book. I'm doing so to protect my image of these once talented authors. With the number of pages each has churned out over their career, I would fully expect their craft to improve, not drop off a steep cliff of purely amateur tedium. The book is rife with typographical errors. In some cases words are missing completely from sentences, mangling the meaning. In other cases, incorrect words and improper verb tense is used. Sure, I understand this is an editor's job, but frankly the writer needs to take some pride in their work as well. If I were a professional writer, I'd be embarrassed if something like this came out with my name on it. The list is too great to present here, but a few gems: "At least Tika'd had..." "Gilthanas forget his complaints about the cold..." etc.

At one point, an entire portion of the story seems to have been left out. Granted, I was skimming after slogging through about 250 pages word for word so I may have missed something. But when the refugees leave the valley, one small group is determined to stay behind (Hederick was disappointed that "so few" chose to stay). However, when the valley is attacked, the other group is wondering how long before the attackers discover the valley is empty. Sure enough, the other group then rejoins the first. I suppose the omniscient author told them the other group had left the valley empty...

Second, reading this book I got the consistent feeling that I was simply reading some marginally talented writer's description of his previous night sitting at an RPG game table. This is fine and good for some, but I expect to see this on some buried webpage and not in a printed paperback from a respected publisher. The entire work is written from a completely omniscient point of view. Character's inner thoughts are mixed frequently with the dialog and the omniscient narrator even makes their OWN remarks within the text. The end result is an incredibly muddled point of view and one which completely destroys any sort of dramatic tension or intrigue.

The book liberally breaks an old writing maxim - "show don't tell". If you want to know what that means and why it is important, buy this book. You will completely understand why this is such a literary sin after the first 20 to 30 pages. The first 100 pages or more consists of jarring point of view shifts from one characters inner thoughts to the next. My only guess is this is to perform some sort of character description dump to provide an explanation for who these characters are instead of just teling the story and letting them reveal who they are in the process. At one point in the book, the story even shifts freely to the antagonists' point of view and describes precisely how the antagonist have plotted against the heroes. The very next chapter has the heroes "wondering if they are in a trap." Really? I'm on the edge of my seat here...

I have never read a book which tried to utilize this point of view and I even believe it has been utterly mis-applied in many cases in this work. It has a dry journalistic feel which again conjures images of some bored Dungeon Master giving a recap of the previous game's events to his buddies around a gaming table. As I mentioned, fine for some amateur's blog, but hardly worthy of a printed book.

The characters, as even many of those who incredulously gave this book 4 stars have noted, are all poor facsimiles of their former selves. The banter back and forth hardly fits each character in this well established series. The dry and monotonous explanations of their past and the constant mind probing "insights" for their behavior is just completely unnecessary and unwelcome. In most cases it also makes each character seem shallow and one-dimensional, which I gather is quite the opposite effect that was intended.

I gave the book two stars but only because I was a huge fan of the original series and the information within could be useful for background info in a Dragonlance RPG campaign. If you are just looking for a good read, spend your money elsewhere.

I judge this book not on typographical errors, nor the filler parts of the plot. But on its merit as a revisit to the world that turned me into a reader. The world which lit my imagination and the character therein. Krynn, and The Companions.

The book had plenty of character growth from the Autumn Twilight. Those who are reviewing it as having not are thinking with their metaplot knowledge in hand. Set that aside and look at the growing relationship between Caramon and Tika as well as the problems that will later plague their marriage in the Legends Trilogy, watch an evolution of the strain that is forming between Caramon and Raistlin, speaking of the Hourglass Mage, more hints into what occured in The Soulforge story as well as hints about his dual nature developed in the story. Some characters did not develop as much, flint most certainly did. Flint and the interaction with the jolly Dwarven Persona of Reorx )who was from the short stories in the book following Summer Flame whose name escapes me) was a great and enjoyable short conversation. The old dwarf learned a thing or two in the Dwarven Depths, about himself, about honor, about the god's and about the impending end of his life.

As for dialog I am still smiling about Tasslehoff's "Golden Wooly Mammoth", "No it was big, had wings, a tail, and it was a golden.....wooly mammoth".

I for one loved it. Its a gorgeous addition to the collection. And the fact that I am enjoying Highlord Skies as much leads me to smile wistfully.

If you don't mind I have a book to read.

GamerChick
*smiles*

Well, it goes like this ~ I'm happily spending my afternoon reading until I get to page 292 where I notice that pages 293 thru 340 are missing and 40 pages of a different novel, The Measure and the Truth, by Douglas Niles had been inserted.

At first I'm peeved and wondering how long it would take to get a 'corrected' book from the store. But being the impatient person I am, I decided not to ask for a new book and to just keep on reading knowing I could pick up the gist of the story as I went along.

Missing pages or not, I enjoy reading anything Weis & Hickman write.

I would have given more stars, but, well, there are the missing pages.

This is another great Dragon Chronicles novel which certainly explains some of the inbetween material we did not see in the origional Trilogy. Excellently written, always witty, and the characters are exactly like they were in the first three books. Excellent novel and highly recommended.

This is a great first book, however words are mis-spelled, in the wrong order, or just don't make sense. It is hard to read when you have to consistantly try to figure out the authors intent.

With that said, I found the story and characters well writen and enjoyable. Kindle or the publisher should lower the cost or fix the problems.

The number of spelling mistakes, typos, and grammatical errors in this book is off the charts. Literally, there is a glaring mistake every other page. For a major publishing house, WoC, this is unforgivable. For two authors who have been in the business for over 20 years, this is unforgivable.

Not to mention that Weis and Hickman have lost the "essence" of each of their characters. Raistlin and the crew are just cardboard cutouts of their former selves.

It's an easy read, and it does have its moments, so if you miss the world of Krynn, I suppose you could do worse.

This book lives up to the Dragonlance standard in my opinion. It portrays the events that took place between the first two book of the chronicles trilogy (after the escape for Pax Tharkas).

Definetly worth reading if you crave to know what convinced the dwarfs of Thorbadin to shelter 800 human refugees, or if you crave to know how a hammer that has been lost for over 300 years finally resurfaced.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman do a great job filling in the gaps between the first and second chronicles. To make sure I went back and began the series from book one. These books make me feel like that teenage boy again. Great job and hope they return to the world of Krynn agian.

Why O' why do we keep reading these dragonlance stories from Wies and Hickman? There is a reason those missing gaps, as they are called, are only mentioned upon in the novel and never gone over in detail. That's because there isn't anything more to tell us. To go back and try to micro manage a story to death doesn't leave anything to our imagination. After a while it just becomes a paycheck for the people writing these stories and it loses it creative appeal. Be content with the original Chronicles and Legends. There really isn't anything more to the story. Put your time into a different novel, something new.

IN MY OPINION WEISS AND HICKMAN DID IT AGAIN. ONLY THEY CAN CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORIES OF THE COMPANIONS WITH THE LOVE OF A PARENT RECOUNTING TALES OF THEIR CHILDREN. OTHER AUTHORS HAVE WRITTEN STORIES IN THIS SAGA BUT THEY WERE LACKING BY COMPARISON TO ANY OF THE BOOKS WRITTEN BY THE ORIGINAL TWO. I AM GLAD TO HAVE FINALLY READ OF THE STORY OF THOBARDIN AND AS ALWAYS TO AGAIN HEAR ABOUT THE BELOVED CHARACTERS. MAY THE STORIES BE TOLD ALWAYS. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND READING THE CHRONICLES AND LEGENDS SERIES FIRST AS THERE ARE MANY REFERENCES TO PREVIOUS TALES AS WELL AS IT TELLS OF THEIR EXPLOITS BETWEEN CHRONICLES DRAGONS OF AUTUMN TWIGHLIGHT AND DRAGONS OF WINTER NIGHT. AS THE TITLE OF THE REVIEW STATES, AWESOME!!!!

Really doesn't have the same feel as the original chronicles, the characters seem shades of themselves, the dialogue stilted, the story stretched to fill the book. Also as pointed out by other reviewers, a number of typos and grammatical errors are inexplicably found in the text, at least the kindle version. The whole book smacked of a quick cash making project. Somewhat entertaining, but disappointing.

I noticed many grammatical errors and can only wonder if that is just the e-book version or are they in all versions. But those errors do not detract from the core story that I had always wondered about that filled the gap between Autumn Twilight and Winter Night