| Dragons of Autumn Twilight | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover |
|
| Author | Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman |
| Cover artist | Larry Elmore |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dragonlance Chronicles |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy Novel |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publication date | November, 1984 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 448 pp |
| ISBN | 0-88038-173-6 |
| OCLC Number | 11540577 |
| Followed by | Dragons of Winter Night |
Dragons of Autumn Twilight is a fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on a Dungeons & Dragons game session[1] Written in 1984, Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the first Dragonlance novel, and first in the Chronicles trilogy, which, along with the Dragonlance Legends trilogy, are generally regarded as the core novels of the Dragonlance world. The Chronicles trilogy came about because the designers wanted novels to tell the story of the game world they were creating, something to which TSR only reluctantly agreed.[2] Dragons of Autumn Twilight details the meeting of the Companions and the early days of The War of the Lance. This novel corresponds with the first two Dragonlance game modules, DL1 Dragons of Despair and DL2 Dragons of Flame, but the novel has a different ending from the modules.[3] The novel introduces many of the characters that are the subject of many other novels and short stories.
The title Dragons of Autumn Twilight follows a pattern with the other novels in the series, Dragons of Winter Night and Dragons of Spring Dawning, as they all start with Dragons, followed by a series of seasons, Autumn, Winter, and Spring, as well as a series of time, Twilight, Night, and Dawning.
Margaret Weis includes allusions to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, one of her favorite stories. References include But there was something disquieting about him—secret, silent, self-contained, and solitary as an oyster[4] and The fate of mankind is my business, turning the quote from meaning good to meaning harm.[5]
Contents |
Plot summary
The book begins with the return of a group of friends consisting of Tanis Half-Elven, Sturm Brightblade, Caramon Majere, Raistlin Majere, Flint Fireforge, Tasslehoff Burrfoot. Kitiara Uth Matar, the half sister of the twins Caramon and Raistlin, was supposed to be there as well, but for reasons unexplained at the time could only send a mysterious note. They had separated five years previously to pursue their own quests.
On the eve of their reunion, the Companions discover that the village they meet in has been taken over by a religious order called the Seekers. They are collaborating with the Dragon Highlords who are preparing for the conquest of the continent of Ansalon.
The Companions soon discover that the Seekers are searching for a Blue Crystal Staff. When Goldmoon, a plains-woman in the same pub as the companions, heals a Seeker with her Blue Crystal Staff, the Companions are forced to flee the village. Unknown to them at the time, this pulls the Companions into a great struggle against the evil goddess Takhisis.
The next day, the group is attacked by Draconians, reptilian creatures serving as footsoldiers in Takhisis' army. The Companions are driven into the woods where they are attacked by undead and rescued by centaur. The group is charged to go to the ruined city of Xak Tsaroth, to retrieve the Disks of Mishakal, containing the teaching of the True Gods and instrumental for the restoration of the faith in the True Gods.
After a lengthy trip on the backs of pegasi and several encounters with the forces of darkness, the companions enter Xak Tsaroth and eventually meet some gully dwarves, diminutive and stupid creatures. One of the dwarves, Bupu, leads them to the dragon Khisanth, who is killed by the holy power of the blue crystal staff. When this happens, Goldmoon is consumed by its flame and presumed dead. However, they find her later resting at the foot of a statue of Mishakal, which now bears the Blue Crystal Staff, having blessed Goldmoon with true clerical powers. The Companions leave with the Disks of Mishakal and Bupu also gives an ancient spellbook (formerly belonging to the archmage Fistandantilus), to Raistlin. After returning to the village to regroup and finding it occupied, the Companions are captured by the evil armies and, along with an elf named Gilthanas, the son of the leader of the elven nation of Qualinesti, are captured and chained in a slave caravan.
The group is freed by Gilthanas's brother. They return to Qualinesti and decide to lead an attack on the slave-mine Pax Tharkas to free the slaves of the local "Dragon Highlord"'s control. The Companions journey through a secret passage underground to Pax Tharkas and devise a plan to free the slaves. They also heal Elistan, a dying Seeker, and convert him to the faith of the true gods. He becomes the first cleric of Paladine, and Goldmoon turns the Disks of Mishakal over to him. They are then attacked by the Dragon Highlord and his dragon, prevailing due to the interference of another, insane dragon. A mysterious figure called "The Everman”, who will come into play in later books, would later appear at a celebration following the slaves' freeing, but he fled after being spotted. According to Tracy Hickman, "The restoration of truth and faith are... to a great extent, the theme of this first book in the series."[6]
Characters
Heroes of the Lance
- Tanis Half-Elven, a half-elf and de facto leader of the companions.
- Sturm Brightblade, a squire to the Knights of Solamnia and deeply honorable man.
- Goldmoon, daughter of the chief of the Que-Shu tribe, bearer of the Blue Crystal Staff, and first true cleric of good since the Cataclysm.
- Riverwind, bodyguard and romantic interest of Goldmoon. Outcast of their tribe.
- Caramon Majere, huge, muscular, sometimes slow-thinking warrior, with a deep affection for his brother, Raistlin.
- Raistlin Majere, a powerful, sarcastic, cynical, frail mage of the Red Robes, and the twin brother of Caramon.
- Flint Fireforge, a gruff old dwarf and old friend of Tanis.
- Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a happy-go-lucky, not-so-innocent, and genial kender.
Other major characters
- Laurana Kanan, an elven princess and romantic interest of Tanis.
- Fizban, a muddled old wizard.
- Tika Waylan, a red-haired beauty and barmaid.
Adaptations
Comic
Devil's Due Publishing adapted the novel into comic format. A tradepaper collecting the issues was released in May 2006 where it was ranked 33 in the top 100 Graphic Novels in sales with an estimated preorder quantity of 2,634.[7]
Movie
A movie adaptation of the novel was released on 15 January 2008. It is the first direct-to-video movie release based on the Dragonlance campaign setting of Dungeons & Dragons. The screenplay adaptation was handled by George Strayton, with creative assistance by Weis and Hickman, and Will Meugniot directed. The movie used both 2d and 3d animation, and was made by Paramount Pictures.[8]
Importance to Dragonlance
The storyline of the whole original Dragonlance series had been plotted and outlined before either the novel trilogy or the games were written.[9] Dragons of Autumn Twilight is important to the Dragonlance World because it is the first novel of the entire Dragonlance series. It was based upon a Dungeons & Dragons session played by the authors, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, as well as some of their friends, some of whom became Dragonlance writers themselves. The novel was written after the first Dragonlance game modules the book was based on were completed. Weis and Hickman felt this was constraining and made the novel feel too episodic, so they reversed the process for the next books and completed the novels before the related modules were written.[10]
This book sets up many of the most important characters, The Heroes of the Lance. According to the Dragonlance Nexus, the Chronicles Trilogy is essential to setting up the foundation for the rest of the novels.[11] It was stated in a Wizards of The Coast interview that Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis make a good team because Hickman is better at writing about good characters, and that Weis is better at writing about dark characters, evident by her love of Raistlin.[12] Dragons of Autumn Twilight was the debut novel for both Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
See also
Release details
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ; poetry by Michael Williams ; interior art by Denis Beauvais. (1984) (Paperback). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: TSR. ISBN 0-88038-173-6.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ; poetry by Michael Williams ; illustrations by Denis Beauvais. (1986) (Paperback). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United Kingdom: TSR. ISBN 0-14-008718-4.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ; poetry by Michael Williams ; interior art by Denis Beauvais. (March 1990) (Paperback). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: TSR. ISBN 0880381736.
- (Library Binding) Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: Rebound by Sagebrush. October 1999. ISBN 0-8335-3164-6.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ; poetry by Michael Williams ; cover art by Matt Stawicki ; interior art by Valerie Valusek. (2000-02-01) (Paperback). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1574-9.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ; poetry by Michael Williams ; interior art by Denis Beauvais. (2003-04-01) (Hardcover). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3064-0.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ; adaptation by Andrew Dabb ; edited by Mark Powers. (2006-05-05) (Paperback). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: Devil's Due Publishing. ISBN 1-932796-50-9.
- writers, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Andrew Dabb ; artists, Steve Kurth, Stefano Raffaele. (2006-07-26) (Hardcover). Dragons of Autumn Twilight. United States: Devil's Due Publishing. ISBN 1-932796-70-3.
References
- ^ Margaret Weis (2003) [1998]. "Forward". The Soulforge (1st ed.). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1314-2.
- ^ Archer, Peter (2004), "Dragonlance", in Peter Archer (editor), 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, 64, ISBN 0-7869-3498-0.
- ^ Dobson, Michael (1985). Dragons of Mystery. TSR. p. 5. ISBN 0-88038-090-X.
- ^ Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2002) [1999]. "Book 2, volume 1, chapter 5, The riot. Tas disappears. Alhana Starbreeze.". The Annotated Chronicles (1st ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 529. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dlant/887780000. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
- ^ Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2002) [1999]. "Book 2, volume 1, chapter 8, Escape from Tarsis. The story of the Dragon Orbs.". The Annotated Chronicles (1st ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 572. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dlant/887780000. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
- ^ Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2002) [1999]. "Book 1, chapter 16, A bitter choice. The greatest gift.". The Annotated Chronicles (1st ed.). Wizards of the Coast. p. 197. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dlant/887780000. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
- ^ "Top 100 Graphic Novels Actual--May 2006". icv2.com. http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/8856.html. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- ^ Winkelspecht, Dean (13 January 2008). "Review of DragonLance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight on DVD". DVDTOWN.com. http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/dvd-dragonlance-dragons-of-autumn-twilight/5522. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- ^ Tracey Hickman quoted in "Chronicles: a novel idea". Dragon #91 (TSR) IX (6): 44–45. November 1984. ISSN 0279-6848.
- ^ "Interview: Screenwriter, George Strayton". Dragonlance movie site. 2007-02-22. http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/news/show_news.asp?id=12. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
- ^ "Recommended Dragonlance Reading List". http://dlnexus.com/products/reading.aspx. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ "Dragons of the Dwarven Depths Chat Transcript". http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Wizards/?doc=dl_dwarvendepthschat2006. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
Other Books
- Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). The Annotated Chronicles. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1609-5. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0786916095/.
External links
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
