Rating: 
Summary: Superb...
Review: "Dragon Wing" is the first book in the seven-book DEATH GATE CYCLE, a story full of intrigue, romance, mystery, humor, action and a definite philosophical tone pervading the entire series. It adds up to give the reader one of the finest works of fantasy fiction to date.
The story chiefly concerns two characters, Alfred and Haplo, who belong to opposing races that are very hostile to each other. Yet, they forge a formidable friendship and set about saving the world.
Yes, the plot is decidedly generic, but the power of this cycle lies in the superb character development, and interesting side plots (each of the first four books contributes to the overriding plot, but mainly concern other stories), as well as the fluid and interesting writing. There are also several innovations made into their concept of fantasy, as well as a very, very well-developed world, showing the love and care the authors put into this story.
The entire series is very good, though I think the first five were the best, with the last two still being very good, but dropping off somewhat from the first five.
Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Will read the entire series!
Review: At first I was daunted when I looked at the map at the beginning of this book (it's quite involved and complicated) - but I read the the prologue anyway and was hooked. The characters are well developed (though some mystery is left to be unraveled, presumably in future installments) as is the world in which the book is set. The story flows well and includes an interesting blend of races in different societal settings. Normally even good books will have some trait that annoys me. I couldn't find one in this book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Rating:
Summary: Dragon Wing (Death Gate Cycle, Vol. 1)
Review: Bestselling fantasy authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (The Dragonlance Chronicles) have created an epic fantasy saga telling a compelling story of sundered worlds, magic, war and friendship, reminding readers, yound and old alike, the universal message of tolerance and its importance.Millenia ago, on earth, during an age of dust, long after the human race as we know it had dwindled and died out, human sorcerers with the powers of gods battled for control of the earth and the weaker Mensch races - elves, humans and dwarves. The Sartan, wizards of light, fought to keep the world from falling into the hands of their opponents, the ruthless and cruel Patryns. When all seemed lost, in a desperate attempt to create a new order, the Sartan sundered the old planet earth into four elemental worlds: Air, Fire, Stone and Water. Into these realms they have removed those Mensch people who have survived the cataclysmic sundering, in order to start a new life for everyone there forever. The Sartan have used their powers to imprison the Patryns in a deadly, ever-changing prison world: the Labyrinth. Then, they themselves have retired to live in the new worlds and watch over the Mensch races. Now, millenia afterwards, the Patryns have begun to break free of the Labyrinth. Xar, the mighty Patryn lord, was the first one to cross the Labyrinth's final gate into the twilight realm of the Nexus, a beautiful haven planned by the Sartan for the use of those Patryns "rehabilitated" by the Labyrinth. Xar promptly takes up the legacy of the Patryn race: the goal of world domination. The young Patryn Haplo is sent by his lord to tour each realm and report the situation of the worlds, while trying to further warring among the Mensch races. Haplo must also search for traces of the Sartan, whether they are still living in the four worlds, but he must not make it known to them that their ancient enemies are freed of their prison. The first realm is Arianus, realm of Air. A world of floating islands made of coral rock, where water is scarce and constant war is raged between humans and elves, while dwarves, living in the lower regions of the world, act as caretakes of an island-sized machine with a mysterious purpose, the wonderous Kicksey-winsey. In this world, Haplo and his faithful dog will meet Bane, the crafty ten-year-old human prince who is much more than he seems. Hugh the Hand, the assassin travelling with the prince, who was actually hired to murder the boy. Limbeck, the inquisitive, nearsighted dwarf who searches for the truth among the myths and ignorance of his people, slaving under an inoperative machine. Limbeck's fretful girlfriend, the dwarf-woman Jarre. And Alfred, Prince Bane's clumsy, apologetic chamberlain, whose constant fainting and bumbling about show him to be a weak old man... or is he?
Rating:
Summary: Great book BUT BE WARNED
Review: Having just finished the final book (the seventh Gate) i am extremely pleased with this book.
When you start this book you probably are just expecting a non chalant novel...BUT NO this book really goes deeper and deeper into a immense storyline that will instantly get you hooked.
when my friend showed me this book i was just like "oh yea i guess ill read it", by thre time i finished the first book i was begging him for the next one and the next one and on and on until i finished the whole series.
so all in all
if you dont want to get into immense stories that just are mind blowing and you dont have that much time for it then dont get it, otherwise enjoy this book to te fullest becauae it is so far the best i have read.
Rating:
Summary: You gotta read this one.
Review: I first read Dragon Wing when I was in high school, my first real fantasy novel second to the Hobbit. Since then, I've read Dragon Wing two additional times, and each time has been better than the first. This time around, now that I have the complete collection of all 7 Death Gate novels, I plan to read them straight through. What I have found very impressive with this book is that each time I read it, I have a better understanding of the world that has been created, and it makes more sense than the first or second time I read through it. Though I'm reluctant to compare anything to Tolkien, I would have to say that the Death Gate Cycle comes real close to being a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the story does tend to get a little choppy near its end with many a misspelled word and grammatical errors. Whereas that alone is not enough to kill a story, it does tend to draw away from it, sort of as if Weis and Hickman were getting edgy to hurry up and finish and move on to the next in the series. Still, definately worth a read (or two or three).
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I love this book soo much! I liked how the book sometimes changed character focus, it gave the REader some ide a of what everyone thought of situations. Haplo was my favorite character, he was portrayed in a way that made me really like him and want to know what happened with him (even though he's slightly evil). The new worlds that the authors made are spectacular! Very creative and interesting to read about. There are 4: Air, Water, Fire, and Stone. This book takes place in Arianus, the Air World.
Haplo is a "Patryn", a man of an ancient race who controls rune magic. He's sent to Arianus by his Lord, the Lord of the Nexus (also a Patryn), to wreak chaos there ... to pave the way for his Lord's world domination. He meets a Geg (a.k.a. dwarf) who's a rebel leader, an cunning but honorable assassin named Hugh the Hand, a manipulative "prince" named Bane, and Alfred - who Haplo later discovers has a big secret.
I found the middle through the end really really exciting, just in the way to make you want to pick up the next book as quickly as possible...parts of the beginning aren't as exciting, though some of it is. As a whole, Dragon Wing, has a certain je'ne se quoi (can't spell that: jeh-nuh-say-quaw).
It is a definite must-read. Readers will find that the books get even better as you get deeper in the series (I think there are seven) the next one is Elven Star.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant book, stand alone or as part of a series
Review: I read quite a bit of fantasy, but never felt a strong desire to read this one; I mistakenly thought it to be more Sci-fi than Fantasy. However, I came across Dragon Wing at a garage sale, it sat around the house for a while, and one day on a whim, I picked it up. Other than popping online to order the rest of the books and a couple of bathroom breaks, I do not think I quit reading until I had finished. The characters are amazingly rendered, and true to life. I enjoy a book like this that you can read and enjoy as a stand-alone title, but has sequels so if you cannot get enough there is more story! Highly recommended to all fantasy fans, I find this a slight cut above most current fantasy in this "POST-Harry Potter" world. The story is dramatic, action packed and a bit more REAL than most of the fluff I have read lately. 5/5
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant book, stand alone or as part of a series
Review: I read quite a bit of fantasy, but never felt a strong desire to read this one; I mistakenly thought it to be more Sci-fi than Fantasy. However, I came across Dragon Wing at a garage sale, it sat around the house for a while, and one day on a whim, I picked it up. Other than popping online to order the rest of the books and a couple of bathroom breaks, I do not think I quit reading until I had finished. The characters are amazingly rendered, and true to life. I enjoy a book like this that you can read and enjoy as a stand-alone title, but has sequels so if you cannot get enough there is more story! Highly recommended to all fantasy fans, I find this a slight cut above most current fantasy in this "POST-Harry Potter" world. The story is dramatic, action packed and a bit more REAL than most of the fluff I have read lately. 5/5
Rating: 
Summary: First Book in a Very Good Series
Review: In all probability, people who read the first of the Death Gate Cycle books and like it, are going to want to read all of the books in the series (regardless of any flucutation in the individual books' ratings). Ditto for the reverse: if people don't like the first book, then they're probably not going to want to read any of the other books in the series. Thus, instead of individual book ratings, I've rated the whole series and given a short blurb on any specifics for each book. Overall, this is a very good series. The authors were amazingly creative in coming up with this concept and the books are well-written, extremely interesting, and internally consistent (mostly -- see below for some exceptions). I highly recommend this series of books for everyone. My comments for the indidual books follow: Vol. 1 -- Dragon Wing: This book covers the exploration of Arianus: the realm of Air. It introduces us to the two main characters (Haplo and Alfred) and many of the recurring characters throughout the series. It's a well-paced, well-written book that's an excellent reresentation of what to expect in most of the rest of the series. Essentially, if you like this book, you'll like the other six books. If you don't like this book, then there's no sense in reading any of the others. Vol. 2 -- Elven Star: This book covers the exploration of Pryan: the realm of Fire. Alfred is entirely missing from this book, and Haplo isn't really the centerpiece. Instead, the book is mostly written from the perspective of the mensch and of the newly introduced (and recurring) Zifnab. The one possible weakness in the book is that Weis/Hickman wrote it such that the structure of Pryan itself is more of a mystery than Arianus was in the first book. Vol. 3 -- Fire Sea: This book covers the exploration of Abarrach: the realm of Stone. Once again, both Haplo and Alfred are present. The characters and areas presented in this book are key elements for the entire series. An interesting book, but not a very happy one at all. Vol. 4 -- Serpent Mage: This book covers the exploration of Chelestra: the realm of Water. Both Alfred and Haplo are on this world. But, for the most part, they follow separate plot lines. There's a lot of action taking place throughout the book and Weis/Hickman introduce some actual Sartan (besides Alfred). They also bring in an ancient evil to balance the ancient good introduced in the previous book. The most irritating thing about this book is that it ends in a cliff-hanger. The previous books tied up their worlds' activities fairly nicely. Not so in this book. It ends at a very inconvenient spot. Vol. 5 -- Hand of Chaos: This book returns Haplo to Arianus and the people he met there earlier. Whereas the first four books of the series cover the exploration of the four realms, this book starts the synthesis of the various threads from those books into a movement towards closure. It's a good book, but, unfortunately, it doesn't do anything with Alfred. The previous book left Alfred heading towards a bad end. This book doesn't do anything with that. So, while reading the book, you constantly have this little voice in the back of your mind going "what's happening with Alfred?" Irritating. Vol. 6 -- Into the Labyrinth: This book ranges across just about all of the worlds of the Death Gate. It brings all of the various threads from the other books to a head. Most importantly, it finally does something with Alfred. The unfortunate thing about this book is that it contains a lot of technical errors (or, more specifically, contradictions). For instance, in Dragon Wing, we're told that a person needs to be familiar with an area to use a transportation spell to get to that area. Yet, very close to the beginning of the book, one of the characters uses such a spell without ever having been to her target location. There are also several instances where the characters COULD have used such a spell, but don't. Likewise, there are problems with replication spells. In Fire Sea, Haplo and Alfred use such a spell to replicate enough food for a large group of people. Yet, in this book, no one seems to consider using a replication spell to produce more of some food. But, later on, those same people are using that same spell to replicate weapons. Plus, at one point, Xar uses a spell to just materialize both food and drink for a party. But, if such a thing is possible, why do the Patryns hunt and, apparently, farm in the Labyrinth? Also, the size of the Labyrinth seems wrong. From the previous books, it's taken hundreds (if not thousands) of years for various Patryns to traverse the hundreds of Gates in the Labryrinth. Yet, in this book, from the very beginning of the Labyrinth they can see the results of things happening at the Final Gate. There's also the problem of how people at the center of the Labyrinth would know anything about the Final Gate. Vol. 7 -- Seventh Gate: This is the conclusion of the Death Gate series. Unforunately, I didn't much care for it. Basically, it comes across as being pretty sappy. All of a sudden, Haplo and Alfred are best buds and want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Most of the various threads are tied up adequately (if not very satifyingly). But, the sudden push towards liberal "peace, love, and harmony" is trite. Of the seven books in this series, this one is the least good. Once again, I didn't much care for the tone of this book. But, since it adequatly ties up most everything that needed tying up, I'm not going to downgrade the whole series because of that.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning Novel: Be prepared to be blown away
Review: This book is absolutely amazing! I have been an avid fantasy and fiction reader since I was a child, and there are very few books that can compare to this novel. Margaret Wise and Tracy Hickman have done a wonderful job at writing the Dragonlance series and this series is equal, if not better, than the Dragonlance books. The plot is well developed and amazingly intricate, and everytime the reader begins to understand something, that supposed "truth" is swept from their grasp. It constantly makes you think and try to understand what is going on in the book. However, even better than the develpment of the plot is the development of the characters. The main character of the series is Haplo, a Patryn who is trying to secure the four worlds for his master. Haplo is an amazingly complicated character and the first book only begins to delve into his intricacy. However, Weis and Hickman use this character to display deep and meaningful truths about humankind. Haplo's race, the Patryns, have grown up in a place where what we consider vices have been switched to virtues in the battle to stay alive. Anger is used to fuel a body so that it may continue fighting to the bitter end; lust has taken the place of love because of the fact that your loved one may not survive until the morning; pride makes a person seek perfection so that he may live through the day. All these are viewed in a negative light to us readers, but in the Labrynth, these emotions are needed to survive. However, with Weis and Hickman's skilled writing, a sense of understanding rather than loathedness can be felt while reading about the Patryns. Why, though, can we feel good about what occurs in the Labrynth if all those virtues are horrible sins in our eyes? This is where the authors slip in their message: we cannot judge anyone because we can never and will never know the entire situation that they have gone through. Another charater used to portray a theme is the bumbling Alfred. The poor butler can never seem to make his body do his bidding, and he is always passing out at the first signs of danger. However, later in the book it is revealed that Alfred is part of a race like the Patryns. Both are a type of demi-god race with powers incomprehensible to the average human's mind. The Sartans, as his race is called, had been fighting the Patryns for centuries until the world was sundered into the four realms. The Sartans put the Patryns in a type of prison to help them become less evil (which later turned into the deadly Labrynth) and started to rule the four realms. However, the lesser beings, the dwarves humans and elves, did not respond kindly to even the unimposing rule of the Sartans. The elves and humans began to fight while the dwarves turned into a helpless race. The Sartans could not do anything to stop this chaos, for they had trouble of their own. They couldn't communicate with the other realms and decided to wait for a while for a message from the other realms. The went into an enchanted sleep and never awoke, except for Alfred. This is such a powerful message that every reader should be able to understand: we are not in ultimate control, no matter how strong we think we are. "The best laid plans of mice and men/Gang aft aglay."
|
