For those of you who have thus far managed to escape my gushing: the Dragonlance Chronicles was my gateway to adult fantasy. They have everything I look for in a book of any genre: excellent world building, engrossing writing, and absolutely incredible characters.
Growing up, I was one of those kids who thrived on fairy tales. I never wanted the dragon to be defeated (because dragons are cool!), but I loved the adventure aspect, and the acceptance of the impossible. As I got older, books like St. George’s Dragon, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon, gave way to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, Jane Yolen’s A Diversity of Dragons, and Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles. They scratched an itch, but were more of a next step than a new beginning.
I’ve always been an advanced reader and around fifth grade or so, those books were replaced with things like Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Grey. I had no idea that fantasy books- the kind I liked- existed for adults too.
I stumbled across the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman when I was in sixth grade. Those amazing books with dragons, dwarves, mages, kender, and adventure aplenty, complete with complex, flawed characters. I immediately fell in love. I read those books to death.
One of the many wonderful things about the Dragonlance series is it’s huge. There are the Chronicles, where I started. Then the Legends, and (at this point) upwards of one hundred other books written by several separate authors. The world is built so incredibly well that there are more stories to be told, and more characters to follow on adventures. The world of Krynn is fully developed. It’s so easy to insert yourself into those books and feel like you’re battling the Dark Queen, your own darkness, or even grasping for power.
These incredible books rekindled in me my love of the fantasy genre. I read Tolkien, Tad Williams, David Gemmell, Sean Russell, R.A. Salvatore, Patrick Rothfuss, and so many others. I loved them all. The rest, as they say, is history.
I reread the Dragonlance Chronicles and the Legends at least once a year, and I’ve done so for the last twenty years. I could probably recite them from memory by now. There’s something comforting about opening a book you love and know almost by heart. It’s like seeing old friends again. When I’m having a bad day, or just need a bit of a break from things (I’m looking at you, 2020), I pick these books back up.
The news that Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman will be returning to Krynn with new novels soon naturally necessitated a huge amount of geekery on my part. What better way to celebrate the great news than to have a Dragonlance Week on my blog? Some amazing authors, youtubers, and bookbloggers have been more than generous with their time, making this week an awesome love letter to Dragonlance. There are opinion pieces, character profiles, giveaways, a Dragonlance roleplaying session, and an interview with author Margaret Weis herself. Grab your pack, watch out for draconicans, and let’s go on an adventure!
—————–Giveaway!!—————–
Two people will win physical copies of the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy. The giveaway is international.To enter, comment below. And if you’ve already read the books, will you tell me who your favorite character is? I’m curious. Winners will be announced on Sunday, April 11th.
Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub 
This was also my fantasy gateway, I’m really looking forward to all the dragonlance content! My favourite character is Flint, I love any dwarf character!
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I love Flint!
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I’ve already downloaded the first book because of the chatter on twitter when you were doing the readalong. How wonderful that the authors are writing new books!
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I’m so glad you downloaded it! Enjoy (and good luck with the giveaway)!
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Awesome post! I have been excited for Dragon Lance week and it’s finally here, it might be time for a re read as well. Anyway my favourite character has got to be Sturm BrightBlade, I have a soft spot for knightly honourable characters and Sturm has an amazing cause throughout the trilogy.
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Isn’t his story arc genius?
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Absolutely wonderful, a great story arc and one of the best in my opinion.
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Actually, he was the first fantasy character I ever read who had depression.
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So awesome when you find authors, a series and books that you love enough to read again. I have not read this series and I am not sure it is for me, but I think my son would love it!
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That’s great! I really hope he gives them a go.
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Great Introduction post, Jodie! I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the world of Krynn since you introduced me to it!
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Thank you! I’m so glad! I’ve loved getting to know you!
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I’ve never read any of the Dragonlance novels, though perhaps I should give one a try. Do you have any recommendations or pointers as to how they may be different or appeal to people with slightly different leanings?
I, too, don’t want the dragon defeated! Dragons are cool, and I love dragons, and they ought to be good! A few of Anne MacAffrey’s Pern novels were the first ones I got to read with good dragons in them, but, to be honest, some of those were among the earlier novels I read.
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These are a read and reread for me!
Raistlin… gotta be the best ever.
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I love Raistlin so, so much!
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I LOVED these books back in middle school. I remember being fascinated with Raistlin. Looking forward to all the Dragonlance talk!
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Thanks! Raistlin was the beginning of my fascination with morally grey characters.
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I look forward to this week to see what you have, esp. the interview with Margaret. Amazingly, I have never read the series, despite my love for the genre and basically growing up playing D&D. All my friends did, and I must have just absorbed everything about Krynn via osmosis. Still, I look forward to seeing what you have for us this week.
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You most definitely need to read them. I think you’d love them!
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You know I am here for a Dragonlance week! 🙂
Raistlin was my favorite. For one, he was a mage. He was a bit sarcastic (as I was, or am) and he wasn’t straight forward. While I didn’t dislike them, Sturm and Laurana were my least favorite (moreso at the beginning).
Will you be saying who your favorite character is this week?
Looking forward to the interview with Margaret, too.
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Yay for Raistlin love! I’ll explain more in depth throughout the week but my favorites are Raistlin and Laurana. Raistlin is so incredibly complex and fascinating, and Laurana’s character development is incredible.
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Laurana for my favorite. She is everything a hero should be.
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She’s one of my favorites too! I agree with you on that.
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I’ve thought about this question for years and I continue to debate Sturm and Raistlin. Sturm was a role model for honor and chivalry when I was growing up and his death on the High Clerist Tower makes me sad and proud each time I’ve read that chapter. Raistlin on the hand represents the darker side of humanity, but his growth as a character over The Chronicles and Legends continues to intrigue me even after finishing Legends for the first time 25+ years ago.
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I can’t pick just one either. I’ve got a two-way tie. I appreciate Sturm a lot more as an adult.
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My 5th grade teacher gave me his softcover copy of Autumn Twilight back in the early 90s. I devoured anything Dragonlance, and a lifelong love of fantasy. Raistlin is easily my fav.
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He’s the reason I love morally grey characters.
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I haven’t read Dragonlance yet, but this is diffidently on my short list for the next book I will start.
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I know you’ll love them
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Dragonlance books were my gateway to enthusiastic reading. The amount of times I got away with writing the book report based off of the movie was ridiculous. Anyway, Raistlin will always be my favorite because of his dark mysterious nature, existential dillemas, unquenchable thirst for power and his soft spot for innocent creatures.
In second place goes Tas for his ability to push stories in unpredictable directions.
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I love Raistlin so much!
I agree that Tas moves the story in surprising ways.
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I would say Rastlin is my favorite anti-hero in the novels. Although from the Chronicles through the Lost Souls trilogy I think Tasselhoff’s character became the most endearing of the heros.
My favorite villan would definitely be Lord Soth. The story of his fall from honor, the torment of his curse, his eventual defiance of the dark queen and ultimate redemption is one of the best subplots of the saga. Plus, his aesthetic is awesome.
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Did you read the Lord Soth Ravenloft Ravenloft crossovers?
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