Join me as I review Bertrem’s Guide to the War of Souls: Vol. 1 by Jeff Crook, Mary H. Herbert, Nancy Varian Berberick, and John Grubber live! Share your thoughts on this second of three Bertrem’s Guides, released by Wizards of the Coast on September 1, 2001. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/3Qq7mQ6
About Bertrem’s Guide to the War of Souls: Vol. 1
The highways and byways of Ansalon are being ravaged by war.
As the War of Souls rages, vast armies and powerful wizards vie for control of Krynn. But despite the deeds of the mighty, it is the common people who must endure the great hardships of war.
Bertrem of the Order of Aesthetics, keeper of the Great Library of Palanthas, gathers accounts of everyday life in Ansalon as it is forever changed by the War of Souls.
Review
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Majetag, Fleurgreen the 19th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of Bertrem’s Guide to the War of Souls: Vol. 1 by Jeff Crook, Mary H. Herbert, Nancy Varian Berberick, and John Grubber. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members and Patreon patrons, and invite you to consider becoming a member or patron. You can even pick up Dragonlance media or get $10 by signing up to StartPlaying.Games using my affiliate links. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.
Review
Introduction by Bertrem
The introduction informs us that this is in the time when Mina was in charge of the Dark Knights and has already invaded Sivanesti. That is revealed by a dwarven messenger in the great library informing Bertrem of Qualinost’s fall and the elves’ migration by Gilthas. It’s necessary to understand the era these events are speaking to as the time before, during and after is what defines the War of Souls. This is during the war. Khellendros is still alive, and the world is in turmoil under the thumb of the one God.
Report compiled by Brother Jeff Crook
This was a great section. It began as a personal journal of a young Qualinesti elf in the years after the Chaos War. The Knights of Neraka have taken Qualinost and the dragon eventually come, but the journal is primarily about the occupation, paranoia, and revolt of the people through the characters’ eyes. I can’t help but make connections with Anne Frank or the concept of an occupied France in World War two. People go missing, people end up dead, rebellions are whispered about and prisoners, soldiers of resistance are cared for. We see the rise of Goldmoon’s Mysticism as the author’s father goes to Shalsea to learn from her. We hear of the author’s perception of Gilthas the puppet king, some of the Senthal Elish’s senators, Porthios and Alhana and even a mention of Gilthanas. It is a truly tumultuous time in Qualinesti that has been seen from the royal perspective but never from the commoner’s, as is presented in this story. There is also a great collection of poems. The author learned to enjoin them with missives for the rebels, even Gilthas recognised them. But when the author went missing the poems eventually appeared in the hands of Porthios. The entire story spans 2SC to 39SC.
Report compiled by Brother John Grubber
This section is set in 38sc and involves an aesthetic traveling in disguise to Abanasinia. He records the history of Solace as a town, and the general history of the area. There is also a brutal story of the occupation of Haven from the viewpoint of a man who lost his family in it, as he escaped and later hung himself in Solace. It continues discussing the region then changes to games played in the region. There are various games depicted and described, it makes me want to play them desperately. I hope I can find someone to do it with me. The rest of this section deals with the fate of Solace in the years leading up to the War of souls. After the fall of the Academy of Sorcery, Mystics magic began to falter. The refugee region of town began to rival Solace itself in scale, and then the plague hit. Families were torn apart, looting was rampant, and even murder became more common. This is an era of tyrants and strife for the common folk. It addresses Caramon’s death as well from two different people’s perspectives. It’s a quick note that he died, and that he was a hero from a war so long ago that younger people have no idea who he is. It seems the lead up to the War of Souls is as desperate as the post Chaos War to the Dragon Purge.
Report compiled by Sister Mary Herbert
This section is centered on Sanction. It begins with a detailed report from three expeditions examining the Lords of Doom. It details the types of flora and fauna found there, and the fact that they do not seem to be as active as they once had been. This is attributed to Lord Hogan Bight. Then it dives into different correspondence between a Knight of Solamnia and a potential lover that ends up marrying him. Then to a couple who are talking about the state of Sanction. How it dealt with the plague that hit Ansalon after the Dragon Purge. How Lord Bight has been taming the volcanoes and how the power of the heart has been diminishing. It speaks of Linsha Majere how she was probably a secret city guard and now is out as a Rose Knight visiting Lord Bight. This is a reference to the novel Clandestine Circle and the Linsha Majere Trilogy of novels. I have reviewed them all on this channel. It’s interesting to see how world events inform the commoners of the land in these different regions, and as it is through journals and letters, it feels like intimate portrayals of history. The true strength of this section for me is the messages from a knight to his deceased wife. He speaks of their love as he reports the going on in Sanction. Then after a time speaks of finding a new love. But that didn’t land as the Knights of Takhisis changed to the Dark Knights of Neraka and wanted Sanction back. They fought for a month or more, and then the news of Tika Majere’s death came. It was interesting how they frame her as a character. She was a hero of the Lance, mother to Knights of Solamnia and the last Wizard of high Sorcery. Palin is missing, taken by Berylinthranox in Qualinesti after the destruction of the Academy. It’s nice to hear the same events from different peoples perspectives in different regions of Ansalon. Then it moves to Lord Bight having the Knights of Solamnia join them in the defense of the city and the arrival of Mina. How she turned the tide of their route of the Dark Knights then left elsewhere. And that is where the section ends. I hope the story continues in Volume Two. I really enjoyed this one. It ended with the knight’s death, but the story could continue with another witness.
Report compiled by Sister Nancy Varian Berberick
This was the least interesting to me. It was from the journal of a young Silvanesti girl in House Cleric. She talked about her father, mother, friends, romances and such. Every once in a while we would get information about the shield that covers Silvanesti and eventually Silvanoshei the king who entered the shield amazingly. Then at the end it talks about Mina and the Dark Knights crossing the Thon Thalas River. Since Silvanesti is so isolated under the shield, they are not knowledgeable about the goings on in the world, so I don’t know what I expected. Ultimately it talks about people being sick and dying. Her fascination with the tree that generates the shield. How the massive storm that heralded the return of Mina, scarred the tree but that it grew back. Then when the most interesting bits were happening the journal was silent! No talk about Mina IN Silvanesti or killing Cyan or Silvanoshei’s obsession with Mina, nothing. Just that her mother dies from the sickness after those events. I understand that nothing is going to outweigh the intimate events of a family, but this is a story about a wider world. I was just bummed it was excluded intentionally by the author.
Afterword by Bertrem
The afterword was short and to the point, wrapping up the events that led to the War of Souls’ conclusion. I do hope the next volume is talking about the end of the war and what people did after it! This is a time where there isn’t a ton of information, so it would be nice to get an insider look into the common man’s life in these times.
Ultimately this was infinitely better than the first Bertrem’s Guide and I did enjoy it. It was a fast read too, so if you wanna give it a go, if you like the era of the Age of Mortals just before the War of Soul’s conclusion, I think you would enjoy this. Give it a shot!
Outro
And that’s it for my review of Bertrem’s Guide to the War of Souls: Vol. 1 by Jeff Crook, Mary H. Herbert, Nancy Varian Berberick, and John Grubber. What do you think of the War of Souls? Did you like the storyline that would bring Takhisis back to Krynn? And finally, would you like to have heard of any other events in this era? Feel free to email me at info@dlsaga.com or leave a comment below.
I would like to thank Creator Patrons Aaron Hardy & D. Robert Handy, Developer Patrons Chris Androu & Sam Ruiz, and all of the YouTube Members! I would also like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content.
This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).
