Wizard Books

This may get spoilerish:

I have so far really enjoyed the series with books 1 and 2. But half way through 3 I felt as if this should have been number 4. Everything that is going on is connected to a story that happens between book 2 and 3. A story that sounds like it should have gotten its own entire book. Another issue is that I am not sure that it is tied to the ending of book 2 where Dresden mentions that the events of 1 and 2 where the work of another force. Am I supposed to think that any of the numerous 'bad guys' ws this force trying to get him? It is not clear.

Some parts of the story jump or felt rushed to get to a plot point which leaves you a little confused until the exposition kicks in.

But do not get me wrong, the story was still good and feels like the kick off to some major events in the following books, but it suffered from pacing problems and information overload. Perhaps if this had been the 4th book and used the 3rd to flush out the events leading to this book and maybe put in the introduction of Dresden's god mother in that theoretical book, this one would have been more satisfying.

I hold out hope that book 4 doesn't have these issues when I begin reading it next week.

If your a fan of the Dresden files you will love this one, if your not you might like to try it. True it is a bit off the wall but it is also loaded with quick wit and humor and enough characterization to make you care about Dresdan and the people he works with and against. I loved it !
Penny

Now we have White Court (oh yeah), Bram Stokers Black Court, Red Court, Ghosts, Dragons and a Kight of the Cross. What could go wrong with this book. The plot is so deed. Much more twists and turns than I expected. Perhaps to much? Depends on the reader. Another great novel by Butcher. With every succeding book, Harry's Kowledge and power goes up a notch. This series is turning out to be great

Butcher writes as well as always, and that Harry was involved more with S.I. is awesome. In the first two books, Harry and S.I. work mainly on cases together, but this time cops are victims in the investigation. Its great! I recommend to anyone interested - just read Fool Moon and Storm Front first!

Harry Dresden, Chicago's favorite wizard, battles ghosts and vampires in this third renewal of Jim Butcher's excellent noir fantasy series. Some of the best points of GRAVE PERIL include an action-packed plot that can be read independently from the previous books and a new engaging character in the person of Harry's devout Christian friend, Michael Carpenter.

Michael is Harry's friend and partner in battling an outbreak of ghosts that is terrorizing Chicago. Given what seems to happen to Harry's friends, it's a miracle he has one left. Micheal's a doughty man, strong in his Faith, who wields a sword that contains a nail from the True Cross. He keeps trying to reform Harry in between battles with unearthly agents of evil. He tends to raise ethical questions that Harry doesn't want to answer such as Harry's failure to carry out an old bargain he made with Lea, his faerie godmother.

Michael and the issues he raises aside, the story in this book is similar to FOOL MOON, except we have vampires and sexual shenanigans instead of nice clean werewolves. The parallels are striking: even the season of the year is the same: autumn. Other plot elements repeat in differing degrees: Harry's troubles with the Law and his magical exhaustion. Less visible blood and more ectoplasm, vampire spit and other types of goo, that's the difference here. Also, there are so many bad guys (and gals) out to get Harry it's hard for any tension to build. Personally, I think vampires are getting cliched, but I really liked the ending.

Paradoxically, the strong points of this book are also its weak points. The action-packed plot prevents exploration of Harry's inner soul and there's only so many times Harry can deal with a) a demon possessed ghost, b) another attack by twin vampires or c) another ambush by the evil faerie godmother. Harry isn't the only one to be burned out by too much magic. One wonders what would happen if an ethical issue was allowed to play out naturally. Hum, now I'm curious about the next book...Jim Butcher, you sly devil, you did it again.

I'd give it more stars, as it does seem to have the best of 3.0 with some new (and older) ideas, but we really haven't started getting into it seriously with our game group quite yet to judge (we've been playing off and on with various groups on our own since the late 1970's, and remember the old 3 book core system...as in three little chapbooks and a set of LOW-impact dice. And yes, I AM a female gamer in real life...).

From what I've seen so far, though, there's nothing too different to make me go, "HEY! That sucks!" and quite a lot that I like (the lack of Class-Only skills being among them. Part of the "older ideas" was in folding such things back into the class as part of its description). When 3.5 was first released, I was annoyed that Hasbro seemed to change "only" 30 pages here, 40 pages there, 20 pages some other place (with some of that just new art...whoop-dee-doo) within the core books, thus necessitating purchasing three new books at hardback prices, just for those changes. We would've more quickly coughed up half that price to obtain those 20-40 new pages here and there as Addenda, Corrections, whatevers in paperback book (or downloadable PDF) form and been happy.

But with 4.0 coming out (and with all I've heard about that, I am in NO hurry to invest [literally] in that whatsoever; whatever that thing is, it is NOT D&D, AD&D, or anything resembling any permutation of it...maybe a video game, more likely), the 3.5 books are more reasonably priced now (as in, usually on sale everywhere), and were worth the cost. Not to mention, compatible with Paizo's excellent Pathfinder series!

Plus, the slipcase is cool. Unwieldy in a backpack, but still cool. ;->

The boxed core set is great. You get the main books you need to get started and at a great price. Well worth it.

I started D&D with this and it has helped me tremendously. Everyone I know-new and experienced refers to these three books all the time. They are the foundations of the D&D game. This 3 in 1 package is also a great deal, saving you money, and I also love the slipcase the books come in.

This is a really good set for those who enjoy Dungeons & Dragons game play.Although a little more involved than what I remeber from years ago when I played it last.Still very pleased with this set.All at a great price too.Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook Set (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying, Three Book Slipcased Set)

My 8 year old son found all of my old D&D stuff from 25 years ago. He really likes the game so I bought the 3.5 core rule set (I have the original AD&D books which are out of date). Buying the boxed set allows you to save a little money (as opposed to buying the three books individually). There have been a lot of changes to the core rules since I last played. The books are great. They contain lots of information, and they are very organized.

Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer first published Sorcery and Cecelia under that that title in 1988. In recent years, thanks to reprints with shiny new cover art by Scott M. Fischer in the case of the edition I read as well as two new sequels, this book has regained popularity and visibility. Aside from that, one of the most important things to know about this book is its alternate title: The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country.

Wrede and Stevermer wrote this book as a writing exercise of sorts called the Letter Game. Patricia C. Wrede wrote as Cecelia while Caroline Stevermer responded with Kate's letters. They did not plan the plot before they began writing.

Almost every review I have found online describes Sorcery and Cecelia as a cross between the books of Jane Austen and those of J. K. Rowling. The comparison does make sense, but I might venture to say I liked this book better than any of the Harry Potter series.

The year is 1817 in an England where magic is as much a part of life as letter writing. The latter is of particular importance to Kate and Cecelia as the cousins spend the novel in separate parts of England. While Kate and her more glamorous sister Georgina are in London enjoying a proper Season, Cecelia, much to her consternation, is left to languish in the country with her brother Oliver for company (at least until he's turned into a tree).

Problems begin for both cousins when Kate accidentally intercepts a rather nasty pot of chocolate in a London garden that was, apparently, meant for the eccentric Marquis of Schofield. If only he would explain exactly why.

Meanwhile, in the country, Cecelia finds herself following a shady figure spying on Cecy's new (and surprisingly popular!) friend Dorothea. When Cecelia repeatedly catches him in the act of spying, James Tarleton repeatedly refuses to offer any information.

As the girls learn more about these mysterious men, and the mysterious events, it becomes clear that something big is happening--big enough that evidence of the plan can be seen in both London and the country. The only question is what, exactly, is going on and if Kate and Cecelia can stop it in time.

Being an homage to Jane Austen, this novel has not one but two romances. Which couple is better has been a hot topic since the book came out. The librarian who recommended the book to me feels very strongly that the Mysterious Marquis and Kate are a more enjoyable match to observe. For my part, I preferred Cecelia and James.

This novel avoids all of the traps that can make an epistolary novel awful. There is no repetition, there is dialogue, the narrative reads like a, for lack of a better word, normal book in that the narrative flows in a fairly traditional way. There is neither too much information nor too little. And, most importantly, the novel is filled with suspense, action, humor and romance that shines through both Cecelia's and Kate's letters.

But then from two talented and well-known fantasy writers, what else can a reader expect but perfection?

Sorcery and Cecelia is the first in a series of books featuring Kate and Cecelia. Their stories continue in The Grand Tour (2004) and The Mislaid Magician of Ten Years After (2006).

This is the first of three fabulous books. Each filled with magic, adventure and romance. This won't disappoint. The story is fun and the characters are very likeable and fun. I love the historic and magical aspects woven together.

others have covered the storyline well so I just wanted to add a few more points.

This charming book is suggested for young adults but this 38 year old woman really enjoyed it. As an avid Regency Romance and Fantasy fan I was intrigued by the story's premise.

The way the story is presented -in a series of letters between the two cousins-was unique, but did, in my opinion, slow down the storyline. While the mixture of Regency Romance and Fantasy was inspired, I also found not enough of either to really "grab" the reader. Hence the four star rating.


I would still recommend the book to fans of Fantasy who dabble in Historical fiction, or vice versa, looking for a sweet, uncomplicated read.

4 stars.

I stumbled across this book at a science fiction conference. What a delightful find! I adore the English Regency period, and this book captures it very well, while including elements of magic. The fantasy angle is handled delicately and never overwhelms the situation or setting. If you enjoy Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer novels, this fits in beautifully. Although it's officially a YA book, I consider it suitable for all ages.

Even more interesting is the fact that the authors didn't preplot the story, but instead made it up as they went in sharing letters back and forth.

I tried plodding through the endless Regency fantasy, JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL, but I confess I found this smaller tale much more fun. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I purchased a hardcover edition as a keeper.

no matter what your age, if you enjoy jane austen, you will completely adore this book with it's wizardly twist! so well-written and smart with all the same early 19th century flavors, mannners, characters...enchanting, intriguing and a joy to read. i loved the device of the letters...and enjoyed even more finding out that was how it was written! i immediately ordered the next two in the series. more, i say, more!

This book was fairly informative and answered as well as brought up numerous questions. Of course, some of these answers can be found off the internet, this book provides historical references which greatly aid in furthering the knowledge of the entire Harry Potter Series.
I hope that a newer and even more updated version becomes available so that some other questions could be answered.

There are so many Harry Potter books out there that love nothing more than to dig ridiculously deep into the story and make things up. This book is refreshing in that it would rather explore the possible legends that may have inspired bits and pieces of Rowling's work (without pretending to predct anything). It's educational, simple, and well-researched.

After checking this book out from the library I am very glad that I did not waste my money on this book. This may be a decent guide book for those who have not read any others are are looking for a very basic introduction to the wonderful writing of J.K. Rowling. I had to force myself to read through the book to come across information that I had not read in other guide books or online. Fortunately, there was one section that triggered something and that was the comparison of Harry Joseph Campbell's "Hero With a Thousand Faces." However, the section could have been much more analytical than it was. Hopefully there is more analysis in the more recent version.

I bought this for my teen-aged daughter as a gift and have not given it to her yet. It looks to be an interesting book for Harry Potter fans.

I purchased this item for my pre-teen daughter. She is a very detail oriented person and she loves this book. It was shipped promptly in great condition.

The Brother's War is the first book in the Magic The Gathering novel series. Jeff Grubb, an absolutely brilliant fantasy author, wrote it. There is another magic the gathering series out there, but this particular set of books follows the card set releases. This book goes along with the Antiquities release, as well as part of the Urza's Saga release, at least the section from Argoth.

The system of time used is always in terms of Urza's Birth. Urza was born in year 1 A.R. (Argivian Reckoning) and this book takes place from 1 A.R. until 64 A.R..

My only complaint is that this 400-page novel spans a good 64 years of time. It would have been more than possible to have created three separate 300 page books in order to expand many of the ideas present, but I suppose that Jeff Grubb was supposed to launch the entire series in only one novel. This was a brilliant book regardless.

I'm sure many readers are familiar with what it is like to have a sibling. The Brother's War isn't simply an interesting new fantasy world to explore, but rather, a study of sibling relations. Urza, the elder by a year less a day, is cold, intelligent, and calculating. He prefers to study and has very little in the way of social skills. He is tall and blond and somewhat lanky. In stark contrast is his brother Mishra. Mishra is a hands on person and prefers digging up artifacts rather than studying them. He has dark hair, is well built, and has a quick and fiery temper. He makes friends easily and has always been a social buffer of sorts for Urza. As can be seen, the siblings represent a number of traits worthy of note, though not necessarily complete in and of themselves. Logic must be tempered by emotion. Emotion must be tempered by logic. Neither brother is complete without the other. Neither of them is particularly good, nor are they truly evil. Together, they could have created a world that prospered, but on opposite sides of the battlefield, complete destruction was inevitable.

Upon discovering the secret heart of the Thran, a fissure is created in their relationship. Literally, it exists in the crack down the once whole power stone, a part of which each brother has. Mishra holds the "Weakstone" capable of weakening artifacts and controlling some to a certain extent, much to Mishra's ire. Urza has the "Mightstone" capable of the opposite. These stones also represent the brother. The weakstone seeks to corrode, much like a man overcome by rage, while the Mightstone seeks to improve, much like a scholar. Both brothers want both stones; however, neither is capable of giving an inch. One is driven by fiery rage and the other by cold calculation. Though both are capable of thought and emotion, as is shown as the characters age, very little is capable of bringing them together.

*Spoilers*

In the climax of the book, the brothers almost destroy the world. It is only in this one chaotic moment that the extremes merge and create a being capable of understanding both Urza and Mishra, though somewhat mad. This is Urza Planeswalker.

'The Brothers' War' relates one of the most important (and well-known) events from the lore of MTG. The infamous brothers, Urza and Mishra, battle for dominance of Dominaria, creating enormous armies of extremely destructive artifacts and creatures, eventually leading to the cataclysmic final battle in which an entire continent of Terisiare is essentially destroyed. Jeff Grubb does an excellent job of relating this rather well-known story in a way that will keep you interested the whole time even though you know from the beginning what the final outcome will be. This is the longest MTG book (at least through 1998), and the story it tells is so epic that it really could have been divided into two or three individual books. A few of the scenes could have been expanded on, and Grubb was forced to skip years at a time in order to get the whole story in a single volume. It does make for an exciting read though, so I'm not complaining too much.

Many of the cards from the Antiquities expansion and the standard editions are used in the story, mainly the artifacts and artifact creatures. It doesn't seem forced however, with Grubb doing a great job of working them into the story in a way that seems believable and natural. Tawnos and Ashnod play major roles in the story and they, along with Mishra and Urza, are very well-developed characters with unique and consistent personalities. The most interesting aspect of the story to me was that you don't really have the good-vs-evil story found in most fantasy books. The war between Urza and Mishra results from fatalistic chances and misunderstandings rather than evil intentions by one side or the other. At some point during the book, Mishra does become the 'more evil' of the two, but both brothers are destroying land and lives to fight the other.

Bottom line, this is one of the best MTG books and tells one of the most important background stories of the MTG universe. The tale apparently continues in 'Planeswalker', which I look forward to reading.

It's a pretty good and quick read. There were a few moments in the book where you could tell the author was forced to add references to some of the cards in the M:TG card sets just for flavor, but if you can overlook them they don't hold you up too much. The heart of the story is very good in my opinion.

I would highly recommend this book and the series as a whole. I feel it greatly highlights the mythos of the MTG brand.

I loved this book and all the imagery. Jeff Grubb and J. Robert King are the best MTG writers hands down. The connection two brothers have and the possibility of a total fall out make this story plausible. I wish more could have been written, but this was a great story nonetheless.

Kale, the village slave for River Away, is nobody special--or so she believes. After discovering a minor dragon egg, the village elders send her to The Hall for training. But Paladin's servants send her on a different quest: to recover the meech egg Wizard Risto stole from Wizard Fenworth. One of the best aspects of this book was how the sentient races differ from the traditional elves, dwarves, etc. The doneels and kimens are particularly original.

The story starts with Kale as a young slave girl riding into her "destiny". But suddenly much changes pulling us into a battle. She soon discovers she is more than a slave girl; she has the ability to find dragon eggs. She is tasked to search for a stolen Meech dragon egg. When she eventually does with her companions she is much wiser. At one point she loses the egg and is sorrowful, but then finds it and proves her value.

Dragonspell was a good book. I would recommend it to everyone. If you like dragons or fantasy, you should read it.

A friend brought this one to my attention immediately after she read it, so I had to grab a copy and read it. About halfway through the book, I could see why she loved it.

Donita K. Paul has great characters, an exciting story line, and truth that applies to our lives today. I finished DragonSpell in record time and put it on my wish list. The rest of the series is just as good or better!

This is a great book with lots of adventure, mystery, and love. Join a thirteen year old on a quest for a race that is near death, known as Dragons. Laugh, sigh, exclaim, enjoy, and Love all the characters. Donita K. Paul has created a fantastic story for children and adults.

Summer Knight is a great addition to the Dresden files. Caught between the power struggles of Summer and Winter is not the place you want to be. Harry seems to have the knack at being in the wrong place at the wrong time. How he walks the fine line of being an unwilling champion of Winter and keeping on good terms with Summer at the same line is pure luck. Someone must be seriously after him to get him into these fixes or he has a guardian angel really looking out for him. Which is it? Well worth readying. I couldn't read it fast enough

After three books of battling evil wizards, ghosts, vampires and werewolves, Harry Dresden has a brand-new threat to the world on his plate -- warring faeries.

But worry not -- "Summer Knight" does not descend to drooling over benevolent Tolkienian elves or airy Victorian sprites. Instead, Jim Butcher crafts his fourth Dresden Files adventure-fantasy with plenty of solid action, intriguing characters, wizardly backstabbing, and a brewing supernatural war with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. It's clear that Butcher has hit his stride in this book, turning a merely solid urban fantasy series into one of the best.

It's been nine months since Harry's girlfriend was half-vampirized, and he's spent all that time trying to find a cure. Even worse, the White Council wizards are getting their butts kicked by the Red Court. Oh yes, and it's raining frogs.

The Council is hoping to hand him over to the Red Court in hopes of stopping the war, but he just accepted a case from Queen Mab -- find out who killed the Summer Knight, and stole his power. If he can solve the case, then the Council won't have him killed for peace. And as Harry prepares to do some major-league detective work, he finds an old friend is also involved -- Elaine, his first lover whom he thought he had killed as a teenager.

But Elaine isn't the most surprising thing about his new case -- he finds himself dealing with a little gang of half-fey, hostile wyldfae, pizza-loving sprites, and the various Sidhe royalty from the Summer and Winter Courts. And Harry and his friends are assaulted by some of the nastier creatures from the Nevernever, as he comes closer to finding who murdered the Summer Knight -- and who is trying to destabilize the entire world into eternal summer or winter.

Not many authors can handle the whole "faerie" thing. Most of them come across as twee, drippy, absurd, or just longing for an ethereally beautiful Legolas clone. No thank you.

Fortunately Jim Butcher is not one of those authors, and "Summer Knight" is what faerie-oriented urban fantasy should always be. He handles the world of the fey as adroitly as he previously handled werewolves and various kinds of vampires. Even better, he gives us a deeper look into the heretofore shadowy world of the wizards, by taking us straight into the White Council and introducing readers to its colorful -- and sometimes bizarre -- members.

Even better, this is where Butcher's series transformed from a solid fantasy-noir series to a brilliant fantasy-noir series. The seemingly straightforward mystery story blossoms out into a complex weave of conspiracies, lies, subplots and various potential enemies, all of which are neatly tied together at the end. He builds up a sense of suspense all the way to the grand finale, without losing his sense of humor -- it's pretty terrifying and bloodspattered, but Harry still has enough presence of mind to shriek, "I don't believe in faeries!"

Even Butcher's writing has grown more mature, adding in ethereal details and haunting atmosphere, and even a tinge of horror in some of the scenes. But he hasn't lost his knack for wacky humor ("Generous" TootToot and his little pizza-loving army, including the Star Jump, Loo Tender, Corpse Oral...). And it's dotted with some solid action scenes, where Harry gets beaten up by an ogre, and Murphy defends a Wal-mart from a plant fey... with a chainsaw. You gotta love that part.

Oh yes, and Butcher gets extra points for the Tolkien homage -- a kindly old man named Ronald Reuel, who is described as a "creator of worlds of imagination." Gotta love that, especially in a book with elves.

Harry is wracked with guilt and obsession when the story first begins, and the fact that his fellow wizards seem to hate him doesn't help. So it's nice to see him pulling himself out of his little misery hole, and struggling to overcome some of the nastier hands that fate has dealt him with the help of his werewolf and fey friends. Not to mention Murphy, who still has some nasty psychic scars of her own to deal with, and her own unspoken sorrows to overcome, and a gang of outcast half-fey who struggle to decide whether to be human or faerie.

"Summer Knight" is an intricate little mystery that delves into the beautiful, dark world of the fey, which has been ruined by many lesser urban fantasy authors. But Jim Butcher was just hitting his stride with the fourth Dresden Files novel -- and it only gets better after this.

Summer Knight is by far the best novel of the Dresden Files. Not only does it continue the overall plot of the series, but it has a fascinating and interesting plot within the novel. The war between the two fairy realms is interesting. I think this is the most creative work I have read by Jim Butcher. Gone are the hard to believe, out of nowhere scenarios. In this novel the actions are believable within the concepts of the novel. Bravo! I really enjoyed this novel. If you are a fan of the first three novels then I encourage you to read Summer Knight.

There has been a murder and a transfer of power is at hand. Whether the Winter or Summer fairies emerge victorious will determine if there is endless winter or endless summer on earth. It is my favorite novel of the series.

This book was full of suspense & humorous as well - very hard to put down. This is a modern fantasy for adults with knights, wizards, fairies, trolls, etc.

As this book opens, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only wizard, is deeply depressed. For months, he has struggled to find a cure for his girlfriend Susan, bitten by a vampire at the end of book 3 of the Dresden Files. He's let everything else go, including paying the rent and taking a shower, but he's no closer to finding a solution. Little does he know that life is about to get worse. It starts with a rain of toads in Lake Meadow Park south of the Loop and then, to cap off a really crummy day, the new client in Harry's office is Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie.

She wears a really hot power suit and moderately high heels.

Jim Butcher's the real wizard. From the White Council of Wizards meeting in the McCormick Convention Center to a deadly battle with a foul chlorofiend (plant monster) in the chain link enclosure at Walmart, Butcher enchants with the magical adventures of a wizard who, when the chips are down, taunts his foes with Roadrunner "beep, beep" noises.

Other than that, this is your typical noir, wise-cracking-detective-with-attitude murder mystery set in Chicago. Lots of violence and the occasional werewolf or changling assistant. This book is WICKED good fun.

I read this book for the first time while waiting for the release of the fourth Harry Potter book, looking for something to fill the empty space. To my surprise, I found a book that I would argue is at least as good as Harry Potter--and perhaps better.

The second book in Diane Duane's YOUNG WIZARDS series starts with middle school friends, Nita and Kit, on vacation together with Nita's family at the beach. They think it's going to be just another summer, but they couldn't be more mistaken. Nita and Kit are both wizards, and the forces of evil don't take vacations. The job of wizards is to fight the Lone Power, the one who created death and continually attempts to trick people into accepting it. Wizards work with spells learned from their wizards' manuals, and the use of the Speech, a language that all things, animate or inanimate, understand.

When Nita and Kit are summoned to help a whale wizard who's been wounded by whalers, they find out that things have not been going well in the Sea, and that if the wizards don't do something about it soon, the problems may spread to land in the form of earthquakes and tidal waves. The solution is to perform the Song of the Twelve in order to bind the Lone Power and keep It from wreaking havoc on the east coast. And in the case of these two young wizards, they have to do all this while keeping their powers secret from their parents, who are beginning to wonder what they spend their days doing.

The main characters are compelling, but the supporting cast is just as strong, consisting of equal numbers of whales and humans. Duane's portrayal of life under the sea, and the ways that humans can unknowingly affect it, is insightful and true. The tension rises throughout the story, so that every scene is more intense than the next.

I must have read this book ten times, and every time I get to the ending, I'm so caught up in it that I can't put it down until I'm done. The language of the story itself is beautifully descriptive, not just of the underwater world, but also of the characters' emotions. A story about friendship, duty, and sacrifice whose truth and beauty still amaze me, more than six years down the road.

Reviewed by: Candace Cunard

This book was so boring... It could have been a lot more effective if it was shorter and more to-the-point.

Duane has builds a world of magic which is governed by rules. Unlike Harry Potter, Nita and Kit do not get any exceptions to the rules. This is magic with a price. Moreover there is a real sense of continuity, The events from the first book have consequence which affect what happens in this one. It had me hooked, as with the first book of the series I was willing to sacrifice quite a bit of sleep to read more faster. Even then I stopped at a moment of such tension that sleep eluded me for quite some time and I was half tempted to get up and keep reading.

This is a great story with believable characters. Having said that There are one or two technical faults which I have been unable to overlook: Even though I was able to guess early on what the Nita had gotten herself into watching the same realization dawn on her was still nerve racking.

1) Unpronounceable Names. yes they are whales but I still need to be able to read there names and I have no Idea how to read something with an exclamation mark in the middle of it, or with odd capitalization. It's distracting.

2) Too much description. As others have noted some of the descriptions are also distracting and feel like the author showing off ... see I did my research I really know what the sea floor looks like off the cost of Long Island.

If not for these points I would have given the book five starts.

this series is reall good and great fun, rather on the lines of harry potter...I highly recomend, NOT just for kids.

Caution: the book itself really *is* magic -- when you finish it, you won't be the same person you were when you started it.

This is the book you give your kids because you know that not only will they be in good hands but also that they will become better people for having read it.

"Deep Wizardry" (written decades before Harry Potter) is one of those timeless books that will live in the hearts and minds of everyone who reads it.

For my daughter's first birthday, I wrote and illustrated a story for her about the day she was born. I'm no artist, mind you, but she loves it. (If you want to, I believe you can use the computer to make very simple sticker-like illustrations instead of drawing.) It was especially meaningful to her when her baby sister was born this last year. I am buying a new one for the little sister as well. I think it's a terrific idea for making a personalized keepsake FOR your child or grandchild.

The only drawback, you do have to be a little creative regarding the words per page limit.

This is such a great item and worth every penny. We'd love to do these every year and get duplicate copies for our families. This is a great way to capture the different stages of creativity in your children - and rewarding to them when they see their story "published" in a real book. Highly recommended for all ages!

I bought this book for my grandughter that is 10 years old and loves to write stores. It was a wise pick for me , as it is right at her age level. Easy to understand , Easy to follow directions . For any child that loves to write stores, or to encourage a child to write it is a great book.

Got this for my 6-yr old daughter's birthday. It was easy for us to do together. The great fun was getting the completed, hard-bound book back in the mail! She was so proud to be an author! She even took it to school to show her class. It's a great gift & a great keepsake.

We bought the first of these for our son when he was 3 1/2 and helped him create his first book. He loved it and would read it to us daily. He's five now and has 'created' 5 additional books (this time without our help). He loves this and has decided that he's going to become a writer when he grows up (after he becomes a pilot). As a result of creating the ILLUSTORY books, he's started keeping a journal (which we thought was a big endeavor for a 5 year old- but he's managing to write in it every day about the perils of kindergarten, of course!) Kudos to the makers of this product for keeping children educationally entertained!!

Of all the Dragon Lance books and even the movie that recently debuted, this is by far my favorite collection of books. If you're looking to introduce a friend to the art of Dungeons and Dragons and the world of Dragon Lance, this is one of the better books to buy. The annotations from both Authors are very fun to read, some even go into the rules of D&D spells and items, including Rabbit Slayer, the dagger carried by the lone hero Tas. I would highly recommend this book for any avid Dragon Lance fan.

The best parts of the Annotated Chronicles?? When Tracy Hickman writes a note about a particular item in the book, and then right below it, Margaret Weis also includes a note and basically contradicts with Tracy says! I love the playful rapport between them!

I am positively boggled as to how a book can be co-authored by two (or more) people in a collaborative, fictional linear-story setting, and this Annotated Chronicles really does shed a lot of light in the writing and thought process of creating and writing these epic books! I love behind the scenes stuff like that! It's like watching the "Making Of" extras in DVDs!

Warning: THE BOOK IS HEAVY. I've been using it as a commuting-on-the-train and a working-out-at-the-gym book and it really is an added burden! But I don't mind!

Also, if you have never read the books, the annotations on the sides will be VERY distracting, not to mention spoiler-y!

This was my first experience with the dragonlance series, and I am now hooked. The trilogy was excellent to read, although the writing level was not quite up to the standard of Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan, my other favorite fantasy authors.

The books receive 5 stars on merit, but this edition gets 4 stars because of the annotations. Many other reviewers have mentioned that some annotations are pointless and obvious, but those weren't the ones that bothered me. I enjoyed reading about the authors' mindset as they wrote a section of the book, or about character backgrounds. What I did NOT like, however, were the massive spoilers in the annotations. These spoilers really serve no purpose and have no context. Two that stand out in my mind are "***** is actually not a knight, as we discover later" and "******** is actually the dragon highlord" [names omitted for those who have not read the books]. The second example actually made me mad, as it ruined what would have been a big surprise at the very beginning of one of the books!

Many of the annotations are good, but the spoilers really overshadow the positive benefits. Read them seperately, IMO.

Before I actually review this book I would like to give a little background history of why I read it. Many years ago (I believe it was 1989) in my early teens, I began getting into Advanced Dungeons and Dragons' gaming system. I was happy, loving the game and all the rulebooks, even though there were few people around that played, (at least that I knew) and getting those few together was difficult. In need of some action, I soon found some satisfaction in TSR's line of gaming novels. Greyhawk was hard to find, and it seemed a bit outdated. Forgotten Realms was pretty cool but never really caught my full interest. But then there was Dragonlance. By the time I got to the series TSR was beginning to hit its spin-off phase pretty hard. Much like the huge line of Star Trek novels, there were a lot, and most of them not worth reading unless you were a Trekkie or an AD&D geek. Most of these novels were Dragonlance and I bought them all, and yes, I think I even read them all. There were even a few gems in the line, although most felt like filler material, trying with varying degrees of success to flesh out a semi-realized world.

Many years later, after not having read much in the way of fantasy for a long time, I had the urge to reread the Chronicles. And after a bit of looking around on the Internet, I found and thought I might read the Annotated Edition. As someone who enjoys writing I like to read about the evolution of a book and also pick up any little details that couldn't fit in the published novel. (For the best example of this check out Tolkien's Histories of Middle Earth, compiled and edited by his son Christopher.) So I ordered a copy, and at the same time getting a copy of the Annotated Legends, the direct sequel to Chronicles.

What I would like to do is a brief review of each book in the trilogy, as each one has a different feel, and rating each individually. Then I will write about the trilogy as a whole, and this edition in particular.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight-4stars
This is the best of the three, indeed I think it might be the best of the whole Dragonlance line. This one, above all others, feels like you're in an adventuresome AD&D game. It is an interesting cast of characters that is based on the game system's recommended party. You've got your half-elven ranger (Tanis), your cleric (Goldmoon), barbarian (Riverwind), thief (Tasselhoff Burrfoot), fighter (Caramon), wizard (Raistlin), dwarf (Flint), and your knight or paladin (Sturm Brightblade). Not much room for improvement there, at least from a role-playing standpoint. The storyline is something like this: 300 years ago the gods "abandoned" the world of Krynn, because mortals dared to believe they knew better than them. Oh yeah, and on their way out they left plenty of destruction that was called the Cataclysm. Like hurling a fiery mountain down upon the center of moral purity, Istar. Now we have a cleric who doesn't know she is heralding their return, and our merry band of adventurers must help her (although most of them are not doing it willingly,) to find some sort of holy relic in a ruined city that is very reminiscent of an AD&D dungeon. And guess what! Dragons are back. At least a black one is. They exiled themselves through mutual consent of both the good dragons (metallic- gold, bronze, silver, etc.), and the evil dragons (colored- black, red, green, etc.), close to a thousand years before. After that the companions attempt to figure out what is going on and trying to spread the news, both the good (the gods are returning!) and the bad (yet so are the dragons!). After some more adventures we see one of the elven capitals, meet the bumbling old wizard Fizban (one of my personal favorites), and a man with a large green gem stuck to his chest who seems to have a problem with not being able to die.

Dragons of Winter Night- 3stars
This book feels more like a novel and less like you're in the middle of a role-playing game. The companions are splitting up, trying to do their part in discovering what is going on and what they can do about it. The reason for three stars on this one is that the plots don't really seem to flow together that well. Most of the time you could care less when you skip to the next character off in a different place, as the suspense doesn't really seem to build up in between scenes. But there are some interesting things in this book. One of my favorites is when they are looking for the fabled port city of Tarsis. After the Cataclysm the oceans were moved around, and now they are faced with a landlocked city surrounded by rotting ships on a sea of sand, which of course upsets the party's plan quite thoroughly. We also see what happens when you walk into a forest kingdom that is ruled by an elf going mad from being controlled by a green dragon.

Dragons of Spring Dawning- 3stars
Well here we are, the last one, and it doesn't get much better than the last. Not bad mind you, but any excitement that you might expect from the ending is demolished by the fantastical, superhuman feats that are necessary for the companions to go through in order to save the world.
Although I will say that they do a nice bit about how love can conquer all. And I must admit that the aerial battles between dragons were done very well. In the end we are left with a world returning to brightness, and our heroes must now live up to the status Heroes of the Lance.

As far as the series as a whole, it is a fun read, especially if you have never read it before. If you have then it might leave you feeling slightly disappointed, although for me it wasn't nearly as much so as watching my old favorite 80's movies. Now for the annotated edition, it was ok. There were some interesting things that they made notations of, but most of it seemed like plugs for the other Dragonlance books. And the most annoying thing was that they would say almost the same thing over and over again in each book, like you had never read that particular note before. Maddening!
Anyhow, I am glad that I reread it. I just hope the experience is as good for you if you do decide to read this for the first, or even fifth time.

Have you ever wanted to get into the author's head just a little bit further? Or to rent them for a few hours and ask them questions? Well here you go...your wish had been granted...well sort of...well its the next best thing! The best description I can think of is this is like the DVD commentary option but better for its a book! =)
The Annotated Chronicles is chalk full of further detail of everything from plots, history, the why's and where's, who did whats, etc. In this wide margin addition of the Chronicle Margaret Weis (Author)and Tracy Hickman (Author) have invited us to the realms of their creation with lots of notes added in the margins.
So whether you are a seasoned vetrean or a first timmer I highly recommend The Annotated Chronicles version of the Dragonlance Chronicles!