Join me as I review Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, live! Share your thoughts on this first novel in the Dragonlance Destinies trilogy. You can pick up Dragons of Deceit here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602557/dragons-of-deceit-by-margaret-weis-and-tracy-hickman/
About Dragons of Deceit
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman return to the unforgettable world of the New York Times bestselling Dragonlance series as a new heroine—desperate to restore her beloved father to life—sets off on a quest to change time.
“I love Dragonlance and I love Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Plain and simple. Their books are my favorite fantasy series of all time.”—Joe Manganiello
Destina Rosethorn—as her name implies—believes herself to be a favored child of destiny. But when her father dies in the War of the Lance, she watches her carefully constructed world come crashing down. She loses not only her beloved father but also the legacy he has left her: the family lands and castle. To save her father, she hatches a bold plan—to go back in time and prevent his death.
First, she has to secure the Device of Time Journeying, last known to be in the possession of the spirited kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot. But to change time, she’ll need another magical artifact—the most powerful and dangerous artifact ever created. Destina’s quest takes her from the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin to the town of Solace and beyond, setting in motion a chain of disastrous events that threaten to divert the course of the River of Time, alter the past, and forever change the future.
Review
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Palast, Paleswelt the 8th, my name is Adam and today I am going to give you my Spoiler review of Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I will be spoiling the story, so if you don’t want to know anything, stop watching now! I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this YouTube channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.
The story opens with Destina Rosethorn’s birthday. Her father, Gregory Rosethorn, Knight of the Crown and Lord of Castle Rosethorn, goes to collect his daughter and discuss her future. A young man’s parents, the Mayor of Ironwood, a wealthy merchant, has asked for his son, Berthal Berthalboch, Destina’s childhood friend, to marry her. This would be mutually advantageous, and in truth Destina, knowing their estate was dwindling, offered the union. They came to terms that when she was twenty-one, she would inherit the castle, so that she would maintain control over her life, then she could marry Berthel. Destina agreed and joined her mother Atieno, an Ergoth warrior of the Ackal, for a private birthday gift giving. She was given a gold chain after the old god Chislev, and her father gave her a chalice. After tasting wine for the first time in it, her mother read the dregs and saw a portent of doom, a dragon.
This is only one of the omens her mother would see, and told Destina that fate would show three signs of blood, sword and crown before Destina’s destiny began. Atieno also saw the doom of the High Clerist’s Tower, though it didn’t stop Lord Gregory from taking his men to defend it after failing to convince the knights of the coming danger with his friends Lord Marcus and Lord Reginalt at the previous Knight’s Grand Circle in Palanthas. As Lord Gregory was off fighting, a small contingent of the Dragonarmy assaulted Castle Rosethorn. They ended up routing the goblin and Hobgoblin army, but the watch tower was destroyed by a blue dragon, and many were wounded and dead, including the captain of the guard, Captain Hull. Mina helped defend from the ramparts with the old warrior Rufus Gray. They both saved each other’s lives in the battle. Atieno defended successfully from the walls with her bow. After the battle and days of repair, a runner came to announce victory at The High Clerist’s Tower. Weeks later, John Peters a man-at-arms from their forces returned saying that when Lord Gregory saw the doom that was to come he was ready to leave but the army attacked first, and he died in the battle with a dragonlance killing dragons. His sword was delivered to Destina, fulfilling two of the three omens, and destina read a story about how Magius wanted to use the Device of Time Journeying to rescue his love, Huma’s sister, but Huma talked him out of it. Destina flagged the passage.
The following years saw Destina grow to be a true leader of Castle Rosethorn in her fathers stead and though the pain of his loss never left her, Atieno grieved and emotionally moved on, spending her time as a cleric of Chislev and aiding the locals. A young copper dragon was seen in the area named Saber, and with the locals fearing for their livestock, Destina visited him, making a friend and getting his guarantee to leave the livestock alone.
Destina’s uncle, Sir Vincent eventually passed away and his son Lord Anthony and his Wife Lady Emily arrived suddenly at Castle Rosethorn. They brought with them attorneys and a legal claim to the castle, as Lord Gregory’s will was destroyed in a goblin attack on his attorney, William Bolland, who was making a copy. With no proof of her fathers wishes, and the court backing Lord Anthony’s claim, Atieno lashed out at them, making them flee the castle temporarily. With no hope of regaining the castle, Destina sent Captain Peters on Saber’s back to Kalaman with a letter to her betrothed, saying that she is ready for marriage. The Berthelboch’s replied that without the castle, Destina was in breach of the marriage contract and Berthel was arranged to marry another. With nowhere to go save Palanthas to her fathers worn down home in Old City, and Atieno leaving her daughter to return to Ergoth, Destina made a plan to save her father. She only needed the Device of Time Journeying.
Justarius, head of the conclave of wizards of high sorcery, was visited by Dalamar the Dark about a possible renegade wizard named Ungar who acquired a relic called Ranniker’s Clock. The clock began at the year 283 and ended at the year 383 when Krynn was to be stolen away after the Summer of Chaos. Ungar was researching the Graygem and Dalamar feared with the portent of the future that Ungar would try to travel time to stop it. Justarius agreed to the danger and Dalamar left to interrogate Ungar more. Destina visited Ungar at his mage shop to buy a Device of Time Journeying, who was trying to figure out how he could collect the Graygem after failing to himself and being tortured by the Thiewar. He convinces Destina to get it for him and to try to collect the Device of Time Journeying from Tasslehoff Burrfoot in Solace. If she would bring them to him, he would send her back in time. She researched the artifacts at the library of Palanthas but came to accept that she needed Ungars help, so she left after becoming equipped with magic.
Destina traveled to Ironwood and then to find Saber. She arrived when Captain Peters was visiting and he shared the latest about Castle Rosethorn. The tower was deconstructed with plans to build a modern tower, but Lord Anthony decided to sell it, so Captain Peters is staying and taking care of it until a new buyer arrives. This devastates Destina, she would not just lose the castle, but the land and it would probably be renamed, erasing her fathers legacy. With even more resolve, she asked Saber to fly her to Thorbardin, and after learning how to ride dragonback, she was dropped off at Southgate. She sought council with King Hornfel, who was joined by the Chief Cleric of Reorx, Jajandar. They listened to Destinas plea to find and remove the Graygem to save her father. Hornfel then left to speak with his old Dwarfgate War veteran friend, Wolfstone. He tasked Wolfstone with finding the Graygem, as it is supposed to be in a ruined Thiewar temple, and they both have seen its gray light.
Wolfstone meets with Destina to verify her story and it turns out that he fought at the High Clerist’s Tower with her father, though he didn’t personally know him. Wolfstone is a Daergar dwarf, and welcome in Thiebardin, unlike the Hylar king. They travel to meet Subprelate Slasher, a thiewar of some note, and it turns out that after torturing Ungar, Slasher had claimed the Graygem, hoping to command it. The gem did nothing for him, so he acted like he would sell it, landing on fifty steel, but snatched the stone and tried to escape after claiming the money. Destina reclaimed it and after Slasher attacked Destina, the gem transported them somewhere in Thorbardin. Destina used the ring of Chislev to discover the exit, and it led to Dougan Redhammer’s place. It’s at this point we realize that Chaos is in much more control of itself and the gods are becoming involved to reclaim the stone. When Dougan offers to make a chain to contain the gem, Chaos used Reorx’s hammer to crack the gem, though only a tiny bit of chaos escaped. Dougan and Wolfstone created a dragon metal clasp to contain the crack and a necklace to hold it. They relent to allow Destina to have it, as if the gods discovered there was a crack, they would war in heaven to use chaos for their own means.
Destina woke back in Thorbardin and was paid by Wolfstone from the King for removing the Graystone. She returned to Saber who took her to Solace in search of Tasslehoff Burrfoot. Once there she went to the Inn of the Last Home and saw Tas, asking him to join her. Tas started telling her about his adventures in Time Traveling but Tika stopped him. Destina left trying to figure out a way to get Tas to tell her or better yet, give her the Device of Time Journeying. She ended up shapeshifting into a kender going by the name of Mari mariweather. She approached Tas with a ring of friendship she got from Ungar, and it ended up on Tas’ hand. Tas was convinced they were now married, as is supposedly Kender custom. As the shapeshifting spell was ending Mari ran into the woods and Tas followed only to be blinded by light and see Destina skulking in the trees. He asked her if she knew where Mari was, but Destina ran off. Tas went to tell Caramon and Tika about Mari vanishing and they grew truly suspicious about Mari and Destina. Mari returned the next day and told Tas she wanted the Device of Time Journeying but Tas said Astinus in Palanthas had it. Mari told Tas she had a dragon who could take them, and Tas agreed to go, but Saber demanded Destina come clean. To her credit, she tried but with the mix of Tas wanting to be with Mari and I believe the power of the Graygem, he refused to believe her. They flew to just outside Palanthas and Destina left Tas in the night. Tas followed her unknowingly.
Then we cut to Ungar who was taken by Dalamar the Dark’s apprentices to Shoikan Grove. Terrified for his life, the undead rise to claim him, only to be held off by Dalamar, who demands to know everything Ungar wanted with the Greystone. Ungar tells him that he was planning to save the world by hiding the graygem, then slips out about the Device of Time Journeying. Dalamar locks Ungar in a cell and travels to Solace. He talks to Caramon and Tika who reveal their suspicion of Destina and Mari, and that Tas left. Tika and Caramon decide to summon Tanis Half-Elven, and Dalar reflects how history repeats without the Graygems influence. Now that Dalamar knows they are headed to Astinus, he travels to his tower of High Sorcery to summon the gods of magic and tell them everything. They confirm after researching that Reorx cracked the stone but believes it’s sealed and gave it to Destina. Again, I believe Chaos aided in this decision, in an attempt to get out of the stone.
Destina arrives at Ungar’s mageware shop and is met by Dalamar’s Apprentices. She ends up fleeing from them, with Tas in pursuit. She arrives at the Great Library in Palanthas and tries to charm Brother Kairn into giving her the Device of Time Journeying. When he refuses, she uses the Graygem to break into the artifact room, and take the device. Just then, Tasslehoff appears after breaking in and Destina turns into Mari, begging Tas to take her to the High Crlerist tower. Tas instead chooses to go to the Inn of the Last Home when the companions first return after their five year journeys. Just as he is using the device, Astinus and Dalamar bolt in to see Kairn, Tas and Mari disappear. Dalamar informs Justarius, who tells him to say nothing to anyone.
Tika and Caramon are visited by the Keeper of Souls, claiming Sturm and Raistlin’s souls are missing. Tanis arrives and agrees to take a note to Astinus about the Keeper’s visit, and after three days, Brother Kael, arrives with a broken Device of Time Journeying. Dalamar is summoned to collect and repair it, Astinus calls them into his office as Tanis arrives with the letter, and Kairn shares the story of his travel in time. Tas took them to the past and introduced them to the Innfellows when Fizban was supposed to be there. Only he wasn’t and Mari attempted to put a potion in Sturm’s drink to make him a coward, but was caught by Raistln. He tried to grab the Graygem as Kairn was using the device to take them all back in time, and Tas took the Blue Crystal Staff and smacked Raistlins Staff of Magius to stop him from touching Mari. The power of the Graygem, The Staff of Magius, and the Blue Crystal Staff destroyed the Device of Time Traveling, sending Kairn back in time, and Sturm, Raistlin, Tas and Destina back to the Third Dragon War.
They see Huma and Magius hunting Goblins, and Destina has some gems from the destroyed Device. Back in modern time, the history includes Sturm and Raistlin fighting the Dark Queen’s forces with Magius and Huma at the High Clerist’s Tower. The end.
This cliffhanger is so exciting. Not only is it rewriting The Legend of Huma, but possibly the Chronicles and Legends era and everything after, though I honestly think that would be a petty thing to do by the authors if they left it all re-written. I loved this novel, it spent a book setting up the premise, the next book sent Destina after the Graygem and the third book was about her getting the device of time journeying and messing up time. I am so excited for the next novel, as the possibilities are endless. Dalamar can’t fix the device without all the pieces, and Destina has one, so he has to wait for time to catch up to the present to get them, and then go back in time to correct this nonsense. I loved how the graygem was in control the whole time, using Destina to get it’s way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Dragonlance, and especially to those who love Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s writing.
Outro
And that’s it for my Spoiler-Free review of Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. What did you think about the author’s return to Dragonlance? Are you excited for the next novel in the Dragonlance Destinies trilogy? You can email me at info@dlsaga.com or comment below.
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