Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Will truth and virtue triumph over the deadly darkness of an all-consuming evil?

The war against the dragon minions of Queen Takhisis rages on. Armed with the mysterious, magical Dragon Orbs and the shining, silver Dragonlance, the Companions of the Lance lead their people in a desperate final battle. Knight and barbarian, warrior and mage, dwarf and kender—no one has reckoned how high the price of defeat, or even victory, might be.

But now, in the dawn of a new day, the dark secrets that have long shadowed the hearts of the Companions come to light. If they are to truly defeat the five-headed dragon goddess, they must find a way to overcome their own personal conflicts and doubts. From betrayal and treachery to fragility and weakness, the greatest battle now lies within each of them.

Finally armed with dragonlances, a group of heroes, composed of a knight, barbarian, dwarf, and half-elf, faces a deadly showdown with the evil dragons and Takhisis, the Queen of Darkness.

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For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #6: Genre One: Set in Spring)

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The Reason

Rereading one of my favorite fantasy series.

The Quotes

“The darkness might conquer, but it could never extinguish hope. And though one candle, or many, might flicker and die, new candles would be lit from the old. Thus hope’s flame always burns, lighting the darkness until the coming of day.”

“Theros Ironfeld said once that—in all the years he had lived—he had never seen anything done out of love come to evil.”

“Flint snorted. The kender was beginning to make sence, a fact that caused the dwarf to shake his head and wonder if maybe he shouldn’t lie down somewhere out in the sun.”

The Narrator(s)

Paul Boehmer. Still perfect!

My Thoughts

This is the third book in the Dragonlance Chronicles and there are more books in the series but they happen after the events in the first three books, so this book is effectively the conclusion of the story that started in the first book. The thing that surprised me most with the series is how things get progressively darker and more serious with each book. In the first book, it felt like this would be a low-stakes, feel-good type of story, but by the third book I had lost all hope in everyone and everything. This series is actually a reread but the last time I read it was decades ago and I do not remember it being so bleak, I had such good memories of it that I probably blocked out the trauma.

There are so many things I want to say about the story and characters but I would need to go into detail and they would need to be spoilered. I may write a password-protected post with all the spoilers for these books if I can find time to do them before I forget the details! I still love it this time around though, it made me feel so many emotions, including disbelief, but oh, what a journey!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

With the return of the dragon minions of Takhisis, the Queen of Dragons, the land of Krynn has become more dangerous than ever. But as the nations of Krynn prepare to fight for their homes, their lives, and their freedom, longstanding hatreds and prejudices interfere. When fighting breaks out among the races, it seems the battle is lost before it even begins.

Meanwhile, the heroic Companions have been torn apart by war. A full season will pass before they meet again—if they meet again. Raistlin has made an ominous prediction, one that implies not all of the Companions will survive the fight. His warning, along with sinister dreams, haunt the friends as they search for the weapons that will stop the Dark Queen in her tracks: the mysterious Dragon Orbs and legendary Dragonlance.

Another riveting tale in the Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragons of Winter Night is an action-packed adventure in which the true value of love and friendship is measured against the backdrop of a catastrophic war between good and evil.

They won their first real battle in the war for Krynn, but the war has only just begun for the Companions! Friendships born in conflict will be torn apart. Hope will rest on the shoulders of a disgraced Knight and his two inexperienced companions. Worlds long divided by hatred and prejudice will either band together in a last struggle against darkness – or perish for all time.

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For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #9: Genre Four: Set in Winter)

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The Reason

Rereading one of my favorite fantasy series.

The Quotes

“If we deny love that is given to us, if we refuse to give love because we fear the pain of loss, then our lives will be empty, our loss greater.”

“Do not enter with defeat in your heart for that is the first victory of evil.”

“Why insult the door’s purpose by locking it?” is a favorite kender expression.”

“Be thankful you can feel pity and horror at the death of an enemy. The day we cease to care, even for our enemies, is the day we have lost this battle.”

The Narrator(s)

Paul Boehmer. Still perfect!

My Thoughts

This second book in the series was so much darker than the first one! It surprised me because there are two more books in the series and this seemed like a huge escalation from the first to second book as opposed to gradual escalation throughout the books. The stakes are higher now, and the Companions’ lives are very much in peril. I was very invested in everything that happened to them; I didn’t like the fact that they kept getting separated, and that there was so much internal conflict between themselves. There was some levity, as there always is with a kender in the mix, and that at least kept me sane! You know I love Tasslehoff!

As of this writing I haven’t started the next book yet, but right now I am completely devastated by the ending. I am hoping that we’ll get more clarity in the next books because I don’t see how we can move forward like this! I have forgotten everything about the books because it’s been decades since I read them but I am completely enthralled by the story once again and I’m excited to finish the series!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

This Dungeons & Dragons-inspired fantasy adventure is the first installment in the beloved Dragonlance Chronicles, set in the magical world of Krynn.

Once merely creatures of legend, the dragons have returned to Krynn. But with their arrival comes the departure of the old gods—and all healing magic. As war threatens to engulf the land, lifelong friends reunite for an adventure that will change their lives and shape their world forever . . .

When Tanis, Sturm, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint, and Tasslehoff see a woman use a blue crystal staff to heal a villager, they wonder if it’s a sign the gods have not abandoned them after all. Fueled by this glimmer of hope, the Companions band together to uncover the truth behind the gods’ absence—though they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the staff. The Seekers, a new religious order, wants the artifact for their own ends, believing it will help them replace the gods and overtake the continent of Ansalon. Now, the Companions must assume the unlikely roles of heroes if they hope to prevent the staff from falling into the hands of darkness.

Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world.

No one expected them to be heroes.

Least of all, them.

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For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #8: Genre Three: Set in Autumn)

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The Reason

Rereading one of my favorite fantasy series.

The Quotes

“Say that our lives are measured not by gain but by giving.”

“People want to believe in something—even if, deep inside, they know it is false.”

“He said kenders were small because we were meant to do small things. ‘If you look at all the big things in the world closely,’ he said, ‘you’ll see that they’re really made up of small things all joined together.’ That big dragon down there comes to nothing but tiny drops of blood, maybe. It’s the small things that make the difference.”

“We do not mourn the loss of those who die fulfilling their destinies.”

The Narrator(s)

Paul Boehmer. I really like his narration and the different voices he makes for the different characters; they really bring the characters to life!

My Thoughts

It was so nice to revisit this story and some of my favorite characters. Tasslehoff Burrfoot, the kender, I’m sure would be an annoying friend to have in real life, but he’s so funny and adorable in the book and I always look forward to scenes with him and his antics! Raistlin is another standout character; I don’t necessarily like him as a person, but he is the most fascinating character and I want to know more about him.

We also meet a couple of non-main characters in this book; Fizban, an absent-minded wizard, and Bupu, a sweet gully dwarf, that are hilarious and I love reading about them! The plot is also really good, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that the characters are the best part of the series. The first time I read this series was decades ago so I was more easily impressed and although the details of the story didn’t stay with me, the impression it made on me certainly did, and I’m glad to say I still love the story and the characters decades later!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?