Has the writing style gone to *bleep* in all of the DL novels, or just that one?
Oggie
Has the writing style gone to *bleep* in all of the DL novels, or just that one?
Like every book ever written, OGAM, Saving Solace has people who read it and love it, and people who read it and don't. I've heard more people say they like it than those that say they don't like it, which only goes to show it's not the writing but the reader.
Cheers,
Cam
Is the book worth picking up?
That question is the whole point of this discussion. Some people say yes, some don't. The only way that you will know if it's worth it is if you buy it.
Cheers,
Cam
I can't say much more without getting into spoiler territory, except to say that the great mystery was actually very easy to figure out.
So far, Wizards' Conclave is much better.
Oggie
So far, Wizards' Conclave is much better.
I'm a bit surprised to hear this, but pleasantly so. I've heard a lot of negative feedback about Wizards' Conclave, though I enjoyed it immensely myself.
That question is the whole point of this discussion. Some people say yes, some don't. The only way that you will know if it's worth it is if you buy it.
Cheers,
Cam
Why would I want to waste 7 bucks on a book that isnt any good?
Why would I want to waste 7 bucks on a book that isnt any good?
Are you going to believe the people who like the book, or the people who don't?
Cheers,
Cam
-TRRW
I reccomend it.
Why would I want to waste 7 bucks on a book that isnt any good?
you could also ... *gasp* go to your local library ... see if interlibrary loan is available
Oggie
I loved Wizard's Conclave though. Coryn was a great character IMO. I know a lot of people despise her, but I like the character.
And as a minor point, this is the first DL novel I've seen that treats magic as if it was in the cast-it-and-you-lose-it system. I remeber Raistlin and Fizban webbing up trees practicing and still being ready for the day in Chronicles. The magic system in the game works, but does not work in a storytelling environ.
And the writing style was.....a bit bland.
They mention Dalamar being a handsome man, even though in Souls he is listed as being prematurly aged due to a draining spell during the Choas war (or something).
So what you're saying is that old folks can't be handsome? :D I hope you guys participated in the book club discussions about Saving Solace over at the Dragonlance boards. Some interesting points of view in that one.
Ravenmantle
Thanks...
Uh guys, for spoilers, can you atleast change color or put *Spoiler Warning* before giving it out? Like info in Wizards Conclave, which Im yet to read?
Thanks...
Spoilers? The only spoilers I see are from Dragons of a Summer Flame, which I assume at least a few of you are aware of.
And as a minor point, this is the first DL novel I've seen that treats magic as if it was in the cast-it-and-you-lose-it system. I remeber Raistlin and Fizban webbing up trees practicing and still being ready for the day in Chronicles. The magic system in the game works, but does not work in a storytelling environ.
That's odd, because I'm rereading Chronicles right now and I've seen several places where they discuss how tired Raistlin is, how wizards need to sleep and study nightly because they lose it once they use it. Fizban doesn't count, being not-a-mortal and all, but all the magi are described as having to re-learn their spells daily. It's even offered several times as the main reason the Magi left the towers rather than fight the mobs in the immediate pre-cataclysm.
That's odd, because I'm rereading Chronicles right now and I've seen several places where they discuss how tired Raistlin is, how wizards need to sleep and study nightly because they lose it once they use it. Fizban doesn't count, being not-a-mortal and all, but all the magi are described as having to re-learn their spells daily. It's even offered several times as the main reason the Magi left the towers rather than fight the mobs in the immediate pre-cataclysm.
They lose it nightly, but they never seem to worry about their resources during the day. As for Raistlin getting tired, Curse of the Magi. And Fizban does count, he might be a god, but he's a god who still has wizard levels. That wizards have to preapre their spells is not under contention from me, but the fact that a character would cast, say, fireball and no longer know it. Raist *AND* Fizban have no problem practicing their web spells in Chronicles, a feat that would use up all the magic resources of a in-game mage. And that's the way to have them in a story, that's all.
They mention Dalamar being a handsome man, even though in Souls he is listed as being prematurly aged due to a draining spell during the Choas war (or something).
First thing to remember is that dalamar is an ELF! He could be prematurely aged for a full decade and most humans would not even realize the difference. And of course as Ravenmantle points out, old folks can be handsome too. Have you ever heard the saying "Men become more distinguished as they get older." Of course this is not true for all men, but it does apply in some cases. I simply prefer to remember that Dalamar is an Elf.
As far as for Dalamar whining that he was never head of the orders, while this is technically untrue he was head for what a year, maybe 3 before the summer of chaos. He took overas the head of the orders after the assault on Storm tower, so he might have been temporarily the head because so few wizards came back from the assault and he was never officially the head of the orders. More sorta like a temporary commander in a battle.
Originally posted by Ares
First thing to remember is that dalamar is an ELF! He could be prematurely aged for a full decade and most humans would not even realize the difference. And of course as Ravenmantle points out, old folks can be handsome too. Have you ever heard the saying "Men become more distinguished as they get older." Of course this is not true for all men, but it does apply in some cases. I simply prefer to remember that Dalamar is an Elf.
Second thing to remember is that Dalamar was described as being emaciated with age, elves don't age badly, in fact, they look pretty good no matter what age they are. That's what it means to be an elf. Dalamar was unnaturally wrecked thanks to magic. There is no looking disinguished with that kind of aging.
As far as for Dalamar whining that he was never head of the orders, while this is technically untrue he was head for what a year, maybe 3 before the summer of chaos. He took overas the head of the orders after the assault on Storm tower, so he might have been temporarily the head because so few wizards came back from the assault and he was never officially the head of the orders. More sorta like a temporary commander in a battle.
Don't fanwank. He was comfortably the head of the orders in the short time that he was. He wasn't a temp, especially considering his election was only a cast spell away.
The book had major continuity problems, deal with it.
As for Raistlin getting tired, Curse of the Magi.
The Curse of the Magi was Dragonlance fiction's way of explaining why mages run out of spells every day. They get tired and exhausted, and as they get more experienced, they can manage more of them, until the archmages are capable of casting a lot of spells each day before getting wiped out.
Translation: as they go up in level, they can cast more spells per day.
Cheers,
Cam
Second thing to remember is that Dalamar was described as being emaciated with age, elves don't age badly, in fact, they look pretty good no matter what age they are. That's what it means to be an elf. Dalamar was unnaturally wrecked thanks to magic. There is no looking disinguished with that kind of aging.
Actually Elves do get to the point of where one would say they look really old. Loralon looked like an old man, with wrinkles, age spots, and even a bit of a beard.
Actually Elves do get to the point of where one would say they look really old. Loralon looked like an old man, with wrinkles, age spots, and even a bit of a beard.
And if you look at the pics of Solostaran in Tales of the Lance or the recent dragonlance chronicles graphic novel, he was as fresh as a daisy till the day he died. If you want to know about how elves age, read the....oh what the bloody hell was it called....the races of the wild er something...
er....anyway.....
I went out and bought it last week and it was okay. There were some great inconsistencies in the book though. If I remember correctly, hadnt Odilia been a member of the Order of the Sword? Also, when did Gerard NOT participate in the War of Souls? These things I did not like.
They covered both of those topics in the book. When Odila was faced against the evil in herself courtesy of Tak & Mina, it made her re-evaluate her lot in life, so she became a priestess of Mishakal. A point they discussed at least twice in the novel. As for Gerard, they never said he didn't participate in the War of Souls. He did complain about being assigned what he considered to be joke positions within the Solamnic order, due to his father's insistence on keeping him away from battle and danger. When he interacted with Samuval for the first time, Samuval remembered him from the war, and Gerard's punishment after losing the game to him was to be stripped of his clothes. That was Samuval's revenge for Gerard fooling Samuval into thinking Gerard was a Knight of Neraka in order to safely escort Odila through Nerakan territory.
As for the topic of the book itself, I've enjoyed reading this one immensely. Finally a book that can take place with a few known characters and not be a story arc that affects an entire continent or race the way alot of contemporary Dragonlance books have. I actually want to see more books like Saving Solace myself. The food and toilet humor parts were not that disruptive to the story, just added a little personality to it IMHO. It was nice having a little humor laced into the story without having to result to it being the antics of Kender or Gnomes (even though they were in there as well). This was a fun read, and a nice reprieve from the norm of books of late.