Justin's Notes
Jun. 2, 2025
My friend at work Meredith is a huge reader. So as we have talked books while working together over the years, she always asked me if I had read the Dragonlance Chronicles yet. It was the fantasy series she read when she was younger that made her love the genre. When I went to Nashville this last spring, she brought me the second and third of the trilogy, which gave me the excuse to grab the first and finally start it. I loved it. This story is fun, fast-paced, classic high-fantasy and I really enjoyed every moment of it.
Some background - the Dragonlance Chronicles was written after Weis and Hickman built the Dragonlance world for Dungeons & Dragons. There are parts of this story that literally were added to the book because of how their friends ended up playing the D&D campaign. It legitimately feels like D&D in the best way possible. I have only played D&D once, and it felt exactly as this story reads. Points of view switching all over the place, so many funny quips and interactions between characters, random events happening that you don't expect, yet somehow always feel like they happened just at the right time. There are moments in so many scenes of this story where it felt like a die had been rolled for a stat check to see if a character's action was successful or not. It made the story super engaging for me and often led to some pretty hilarious moments.
I also appreciated how classic this fantasy felt. After reading some more modern, darker fantasy, which I still enjoy, it was nice to take a break and read some fantasy that felt more lighthearted. While there are still moments of hardship and some darker themes, it felt like a much more clear good versus evil plot line to me, which is a nice change of pace. It felt good to be able to root for every member of the group, even while there is interpersonal turmoil and relational tension between them at times. I loved the characters as well, with Weis and Hickman doing a great job making a diverse, unique cast of characters banding together.
If you enjoy fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons, or if you just love role-playing games in general, I really do think you should read this story, and I think you will love it. If you have never read fantasy before, this is a great place to start. It simply is a joy to read.
