Join me as I review Flight of the Fallen by Mary H. Herbert, live! Share your thoughts on this second novel in the Dragonlance: Linsha Trilogy released on September 1, 2004 by Wizards of the Coast. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/416zoAa
About Flight of the Fallen
The second title in a trilogy that explores the south of the Dragonlance world after the War of Souls.
Flight of the Fallen is the second title in a trilogy that centers around Linsha Majere, the grandchild of one of the central characters of the entire Dragonlance saga. This trilogy continues to advance the story of post-War of Souls events in the Dragonlance world and introduces a major new villain to the setting.
Review
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Misham, Yurthgreen the 13th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my Spoiler review of Flight of the Fallen by Mary H. Herbert. 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 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 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.
Diving into this novel is exactly like the one before it. There is a lot of time taken explaining what happened in the preceding novel, before ever getting to what happens in this novel. For example, I am one third of the way through this novel and two events have occurred. Crucible the Bronze Dragon that was helping Linsha returned to Sanction, and the Scorpion Wadi, the location where the Legionnaires, Solamnic Knights, Gal Trakalas Militia and citizens fled to from the Tarmac, was raided and everyone was captured. Nine chapters in and only two events have occurred. I suppose you could argue that three events actually occurred, but the third was Linsha and the knights falling for a Tarmac trap and getting captured as well, so I rolled that into the second.
I am not complaining about Mary’s style of writing, just the amount of time going over what happened in two previous novels rather than what is going to happen in this novel. It makes me want to rip out those pages and only read this novel, and I am listening to it! And yet, I get that there are people who read these novels out of order, but that’s on them, I shouldn’t have to retread old ground on the off chance some rando who doesn’t understand the novel’s order is reading it. All that being said, I do enjoy what I am reading in this novel.
With Crucible gone, the Tarmak have no reason not to capture and enslave the Knights and militia who fought them. It makes perfect sense. We are presented with a fighting force and culture that is alien to most readers, and showcasing them like this is a great way to hammer home their threat to Ansalon, or the Plains of Dust at the very least. The General, the Tarmak leader, is unforgiving and direct, I really appreciate that in a bad guy. Linsha is really flighty in this novel, but it’s earned due to the events of the preceding novels. We understand why she acts and thinks the way she does, and when she exchanged verbal blows with Sir Remmik, I wanted to be standing behind her goading her on. She puts herself in dangerous situations because she doesn’t think the situations through.
For example, they return to the Labyrinth in Mirage because a wounded enemy warrior told them the Tarmak were returning the dragon eggs there. This is clearly an ambush, and Linsha realizes it too late. If they just would have looked before leaping, they wouldn’t be chained up at the moment. I also like that Crucible left, as he was a protective barrier to the story. He was Linsha’s shield so nothing could harm her. The novel opens with her running from mercenaries and intentionally jumping off a cliff into the sea to escape them, knowing she could call on Crucible to save her, which he did. Now that he is gone, she has to actually consider actions and not simply rely on those stronger than her to save her ass.
Ultimately this initial third was frustrating for the retreading of old ground, and overly simple with only two events occurring in nine chapters. Here’s hoping the rest is more focused. I am pleased to report that it did become more focused. Not only is there a primary story, but a nice B plot is developing with some continued love interest, the remaining traitor in the Solamnic midsts, and Ian the ghost from Clandestine Circle Novel is still around helping Linsha in her dreams.
As Linsha is a prisoner, the remaining escaped Legionnaires and Knights are plotting on how to rescue those captured by the Tarmak. This is not going to be a simple task, as the Tarmak seems to always be one step ahead. Veria, Linshas owl returned to Sanction once again to ask Crucible to come back, and Crucible relayed that he believes Takhiss is back in Krynn, hiding. This grounds the timeline to the beginning of the War of Souls. I really appreciate that they are working in this timeline and truly clarifying world events as they unfold. Varia relays her concern to Crucible who then flies off to rescue Linsha, but this is exactly what the Tarmak want. They are using Linsha as bait for Crucible, and as soon as he shows up, they attack, striking him with a bolt, shaped from the Abyssal Lance.
The Tarmak general, Akad-Uhr, tells Crucible that he will have the dart kill him and Linsha if he doesn’t cooperate in helping the Tarmak dominate all of the Plains of Dust. With no real choice, he becomes their prisoner. The free knights are approached by two parties. First are Kirath elves from Silvanesti, relaying information about Mina dropping the shield around Silvanesti, and that they hope to enlist Iesta’s help to get rid of the Dark Knights who are in control of Silvanost. When they realize Iesta was killed, a plainsman rides in to tell them that Beryl is killed and there are elves migrating from Qualinesti to Silvanesti. The Kirath leave to see for themselves. Again, this places the events of this trilogy in perfect clarity with the rest of the world much more than has been done thus far.
The knights decide it is time to break out Linsha and the other captives and as they go in, they are able to get many of them out, but we are presented with continued suspicions of traitors. Akad-Uhr has drinks with the unnamed traitor who devises a plan to get Linsha back after Akad-Uhr had already put a bounty on Linsha. Akad-Uhr told Lord Remmik that he will be released with three knights to tell Duntollik of the Tarmak’s coming invasion and to give up rather than fight. Also he tells him that Linsha was the one who has been working as his spy. This infuriates Lord Remmick, and he agrees to deliver the message. We are assuming he will try to kill Linsha if he finds her.
Now that Linsha and some of the captives are free, the remaining Knights break up into three groups and ride to different sections of the Plains of Dust to warn the tribes of the Tarmak threat, and gather them for an offensive, I assume will be at Duntollik. I am excited to see where this story goes as I am now two thirds the way through the novel. Now that I am finished with the novel, I have to say, what a fantastic ending! It really made up for the first third of this novel. Linsha meets up with many of the tribes at a great Vallenwood tree and they all prepare for battle. Lord Remmick arrives with the Akad-Uhr’s terms of surrender and they refuse. He then meets up with Linsha and we are finally shown him as a Knight of Solamnia. He has considered the lies told to him, and he refuses to believe that Linsha is a traitor. However, his meeting with her was ambushed by the Tarmak, and they are once again prisoners. They are taken back to the Tarmak advancing military and the Akad-Uhr and Sir Remmick duel for their freedom.
Sir Remmick kills the general Akad-Uhr and the traitor and second in command is revealed as Lanther. He is now known as Akad-Dar, and has Sir Remmick beheaded as Linhsa watches. Sir Remmick salutes her before he is killed. Linsha is placed in a cage as the Tarmak conquer eastern Plains of Dust, eventually capturing all of Duntollik. Linsha is rescued by the centaurs and Legion, and she reveals Panther for the traitor he is to everyone else, and those lost in their recapture. She is taken to Crucible and works her magic to get the barb out of his back. He is revealed to be Lord Bight, or more appropriately, Lord Bight is Crucible, and Linsha loses it. Every man in her life that she has grown fond of has lied to her or betrayed her.
She saves Crucible’s life, and sends him to the rear, and then… she is once again recaptured. The Akad-Dar needs reinforcements to continue conquering the Plains of Dust, and plans to return to Ithincarthia to inform the emperor of their victory. He propositions Linsha to be his wife and she naturally refuses. He then puts her with the slaves for months, and eventually, she is cleaned up and made the same offer. This time, knowing it is her only chance at life, she accepts for a price, she wants the dragon eggs taken from Iesta.
That ends the novel, and we are left with so much devastation and questions. Did Crucible make it out? Will Veria live? Are there any survivors at all from the Tarmak onslaught of Duntollik? There are hundreds of slaves being taken to their island, are there friends among them? This was a wonderful story that exploits the character of Linsha and showcases her ‘type’. She falls for evil men. The dead sapping magic from those who try to use it was a great touch for the timeline as well, and it seems at least the Akhad-Dar knows the one god is Takhisis.
If you enjoy Linsha or the War of Souls timeline, you will definitely enjoy this book, and more than the last novel, I do suggest this one be read. It’s almost an Empire Strikes Back style ending, with the bad guys dominating the land, and the heroes left devastated. I am really looking forward to the final novel.
Outro
But that’s it for my review of Flight of the Fallen by Mary H. Herbert. Did you enjoy the setting of Gal Trakalas? Do you wish they would have explained more about Thunder and his relationship with the Tarmak? You can email me at info@dlsaga.com or comment below.
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