Join me as I review Dragons of Summer Flame, live! Share your thoughts on this divisive novel that propelled Dragonlance from the Fourth Age to the Fifth Age with the Summer of Chaos. I share my thoughts on the novel after nearly 20 years of distance.
You can pick up Dragons of Summer Flame here: https://amzn.to/3lB0g8z
Review
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. It is Misham, Reapember 16th, my name is Adam and today I am going to give you my Spoiler review of Dragons of Summer Flame. I will be spoiling the story, so if you don’t want to know it, stop watching now! I would like to take a moment and thank my collaborator patrons, the Heroes of the Lance, and invite you to consider becoming a patron or member of this channel by visiting the links 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.
Book One presents the Irda being visited by the Knights of Takhisis. The Irda transformed themselves into cro magnon humans and the Knights scouts ended up leaving the island. The Irda Decider felt that the Knights would inevitably return and must do something to protect themselves. You see, the Irda captured the Greystone after Reorx lost it at the end of the story “Wanna’ Bet?”. They have been hiding it from Reorx, keeping it safe. Now that they see the threat of the Knights of Takhisis, certain of their future domination of Ansalon and ultimate return to the Irda’s home, they plan on breaking the Greystone and using it’s powerful trapped magic to shield them from the world. They are worried about the adopted human girl Usha, and order the Protector, her adopted father, to send her away to Palanthas. The Protector sends her with a note for Dalamar the Dark, explaining what the Irda Decider is going to do with the Greystone, and includes the Irda’s unaltered history of the world. Usha has been spoiled since she was brought to the island as an infant and uses her emotions to get what she wants. When she is sent away she tries to throw a tantrum in order to stay, and when she realizes it won’t work, accepts her fate and even looks forward to the adventure of Palanthas.
The Decider cracks open the Greystone as Reorx lands on the island in search of it. The Father of all and Nothing was trapped inside the Greystone and breaks out, murdering the Decider, sets fire to the island, murdering all the Irda on it, and tells Reorx to warn the Gods that he is going to destroy all of the life they created.
Book Two is a big one. It starts with the Knights of Takhisis having just defeated a Knights of Solamnia platoon. Tanin and Sturm Majere were killed and Palin Majere was captured. He is being sent to the Tower of Wayreth for ransom by Steel Uth Matar Brightblade, who volunteered to repay a debt of honor to Caramon Majere. I am really bothered that we are introduced to the brothers Sturm and Tanin, then they are immediately killed. I would have liked to get to know them a bit more. We are meant to feel a closer connection to Palin through it, but it rings just a bit hollow for me. They arrive at The Inn of the Last Home when Porthios and Alhana are there in secret with Tanis Half-Elven. Alhana is pregnant and giving birth. They are outcast Dark elves now so they must remain in hiding. Caramon and Tika deal with the loss of their two sons and Palin decides the best bet to open a portal is in the Tower of Palanthas, as he is hearing his uncle, Raistlin Majere’s voice in his head.
They stay the night and leave for Palanthis. Usha arrives in Palantus and knows nothing of civilized culture. She steals food and is arrested where she meets Tasslehoff Burrfoot in jail. She tells the guard that she’s looking for Dalamar the Dark, and they send for Jenna, his mistress. She arrives, and by now Tasslehoff has already told Usha about Raistlin Majere and how she looks like him, due to her golden eyes. Usha claims the name for herself after seeing its effect on people, and Jenna takes them to the Tower to meet Dalamar. Dalamar is not buying the Raistlin lineage, but knows there is something off. He reads the letter and is immediately concerned about the Irda’s plan of cracking open the Greystone. He travels to a conclave, locking up Usha and Tas. Steel and Palin arrive at the tower and enter shoikan grove, fighting their way through it, as Tas and Usha break out of the room. They meet at the base of the tower and travel up to the portal room, which is unlocked. Palin and Tas enter and the door locks. Steel is met by Dalamar and Jenna and is taken to communicate with his commander. He is recalled to battle and set to be executed after they have claimed the High Clerist Tower and Palanthus for having lost his prisoner Palin.
Usha disappears from Jenna and the tower and meets Dougan Redhammer, who enrolls her into the thieves guild for a special mission. Tas uncovers the portal in Raistlin’s office, and we end the book.
Book Three is all about the fall of Steel and the High Clerist Tower. Tanis was given a choice to leave and return home when Dalamar relayed the Knights of Takhisis’ plans to the Knights of Solamnia, but since Laurana was offered a chance to return to Qualinesti, even knowing it was a trap, she left, so Tanis had no home to return to. He had a vision of Sturm asking him to save his son Steel, which when the Knights of Takhisis attacked the tower and breached her gates, Tanis met Steel in battle, stopping to save him and was killed by one of the Tarmak Brutes. Tanis died saving his friend’s son, and it brings me to tears reading it. A lot of people thought this was a worthless death, but if you know Tanis as a character, if you knew what Sturm meant to him as a friend, the love they had as brothers and respect as warriors and peers, I think saving his son was a perfect end to one of my favorite characters.
Palin entered the abyss and was let by Rasitlin to eavesdrop on the gods talking about Chaos. This story merged the All Father with Chaos, which is different from some of the past versions of the gods, and Takhisis offers a unified front to combat Chaos through her Knights of Takhisis, as the races are all at odds right now, also due to her machinations. Gilean agrees so Paladine relents and removes the dragons from the conflict, allowing the Knights of Takhisis to take the High Clerist Tower, Palanthas and turn their eyes to Qualinesti.
Kitiara attacks Palin in the Abyss and nearly kills him, forcing Raistlin to defend Palin and drag him out of the Abyss. There are two points about this that bother me. Raistlin said since he never died in the mortal plane his body would exist if he stepped through the portal but he would lose his magic. This makes zero sense, since he died in the Abyss, sacrificing himself, and was granted peace. This was all reneged and now he can wake up and come back? Also, Kitiara was given to Lord Soth, so how is her spirit or body in the Abyss, when her body and Soul are with Lord Soth in Dargaard Keep? It’s all very convoluted. Anyway Raistlin returns to the tower, telling Palin a month has passed and that they need to leave.
Steel gives himself into custody after the battle to suffer the judgement of Death for having lost Palin, his charge, and the Nightlord explains that he has to die to save the Knighthood, since he saw a vision of Steel and Palin and lightning hitting a tower, destroying the knighthood. Steel accepts his fate but doesn’t believe the vision.
Book Four is the longest and the end of the novel. Raistlin appears to Usha in the Thieves Guild Hall after the Knights of Takhisis took control of Palanthas. This is confusing as he had already sent Palin there by way of magic, and yet Raistlin got there first. He dispels the rumor that he is Usha’s father, and tells her to look for Palin. Palin arrives in Palanthas and while looking for Usha recalled she met Jenna, so he headed to her store, only to find a knight guarding it. Jenna arrived late, snuck them into the basement where she conveyed that the Knights were looking for him, and that she had a messenger looking for Usha. Tasslehoff arrives, and takes Palin to Usha, who is working as a barmaid. They see Dougan Redhammer who tells them he has plans and starts a fight to get them out of the bar. They go through the thieves’ underground tunnels, or sewers, and are met by other thieves sneaking a Solamnic Knight’s wife out of the city. They get to the library and are informed that Raistlin will be meeting them. Palin decides to leave to the High Clerists tower to save Steel from dying and Usha and Tas go after him.
Steel is about to be killed when Palin arrives and tells Ariakan about Chaos. Ariakan doesn’t yet believe him and orders Palin to prison. The head of the Grey robes tells Palin he is bait for Steel, who met up with Usha and Tas and is headed to question Palin. They are caught seemingly red handed, and the tower is struck by lightning twice. The war has begun! The grey robe is tripped by the Staff of Magius she had seemingly claimed and is pierced by a falling steel gate. Palin reclaims the staff and leaves with Usha and Tas, as Steel returns to his Wing.
Raistlin arrives and tells them to travel to the Isle of the Irda as the War has begun. They travel to Palanthas for Usha’s boat, take it to the isle, and meet Dougan who tells them about the broken Greystone, and the Guardians. Tas confronts the guardians, Palin goes after him and Usha sneaks up and steals the Greystone. Dougan shares the plan to defeat chaos, and Raistlin arrives, giving Palin the spellbook of Magius to do just that.
Ariakan is confronted by Takhisis who tells him to keep a wing out of battle so they can mop up the world and take control after Chaos is defeated. Steel’s wing is held back, but the High Clerists tower falls to Chaos, and Steel is confronted by his mother Kitiara who tells him Takhisis has fled and that he needs to come too, only having to remove the star jewel. He refuses and Sturm arrives telling him to take dragonlances on dragon back and fight Chaos. Steel is told that dragonlances appear in the tomb of his father, and silver and blue dragons are here. Solamnic Knight prisoners offer their aid, and they all fly to the chasm in the north to face Chaos in the Abyss.
They pick up Palin and confront Chaos. Palin casts a spell that blinds chaos, Steel wounds him in the shoulder with the Brightblade, and Usha moves under Chaos to catch a drop of blood. When Chaos moves to crush Usha, Tasselhoff takes Rabbitslayer, and pushes Usha out of the way, stabbing Chaos, which allows a drop of blood to fall into half of the greystone. Tas is crushed by chaos, and Usha closes the greystone, which rises into the sky, explodes revealing a new starlit sky, single moon and sun. Fizban and Raistlin meet up with Palin and Usha who are mourning Steel and Tasslehoff, and are told this is the beginning of a new age, an Age of Mortals, and that magic as they knew it is gone, but a new magic can be discovered.
It ends with Flint waiting for Tas at Reorx’s forge. They meet up and decide to stay near the forge for a while before meeting up with their friends. I cried through the last three chapters of this damned book. The novel was supposed to be a trilogy, but TSR changed it to a single novel and thus we get this rushed volume. Even though it skips over a ton of meaningful world events in which Silvanesti, Qualinesti and Thorbardin fight for survival, it did a great job of focusing on the main characters that lead into the Age of Mortals like Palin and Dalamar.
I am immensely confused about Raistlin. He was ‘asleep’ and woken by Dalamar during Palin’s test. He had his magic in the Abyss, but Takhisis stripped it from him when he entered Krynn, yet he performed magic on numerous occasions throughout the book. I don’t know if this was an oversight or a convenient ploy but it bothered me. Other than that, I was taken back to when this book was released, enjoyed a wonderful catharsis and remembered why the Fifth Age felt like it had to be different from regular Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. They were in a whole new world with new rules!
I would highly recommend any fan of Dragonlance who has read the Chronicles and Legends trilogy to read this and enjoy it. It was the beginning of an entirely new and divisive time for fans, and for me, one I enjoyed because it was completely unknown!
Outro
And that’s it for my review of Dragons of Summer Flame. Have you read the novel? What did you think of the transition from the Fourth to the Fifth Age? Do you enjoy the reviews I am putting out there? Feel free to email me at info@dragonlance-saga.com or comment below.
I would like to once again invite you to consider becoming a patron or member of this channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link, all of which are in the description below.
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).
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