Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Book Three in the Dragonlance Chronicles.

I have completed three books for the Once Upon a Time Challenge! Go me! Last year, that would not have been a big deal, but for this year it is a great thing. It means I am sort of reading again, so hopefully I can start to really tackle my TBR pile. It would be a great thing.

Anyways, the reason I read this book was because Deslily is reading this trilogy and another Weis and Hickman trilogy for the Once Upon a Time Challenge. It got me thinking it had been a while since I read any of the Dragonlance books, so I decided to make at least one of them a part of this challenge. I was looking at some of the others I own, and I would like to read another one soon, but I don't like setting rules for reading. It tends to just make me want to read the book less.

The war against the dragon minions of Queen Takhisis rages on. Armed with the mysterious, magical dragon orbs and the shining, silver dragonlance, the
companions bring hope to the world. But now, in the dawn of a new day, the dark
secrets that have long shadowed the hearts of the friends come to the light.
Betrayal, treachery, frailty, and weakness will nearly destroy all that they
have accomplished.The greatest battle they have left to fight is within each of
them. Yet, in the end, they will be heroes.

This is not a book that you should read at work, let me tell you. I am sure that people think I am crazy because there were some scenes where I was sitting here laughing my head off. Tas and Flint are such a wonderful literary pairing. They compliment each other so well that you cannot help loving both of them. Tas is the fun-loving kender and Flint is the gruff, old dwarf. When you put the two of them together, laughter is not usually far behind. One of the main reasons that I love this trilogy so much is for these two, so you know I had to mention them first. They are more than enough reason to crack open a volume and enjoy a good story.

One of the things I like about this trilogy is that Weis and Hickman recap what happened in the previous books, but they do not shove it in your face. Sometimes trilogies spend too much time refreshing your memory and little time actually developing the story. Weis and Hickman insert information in such a way that it is not obvious that they are filling you, and the story is progressing at the same time. They do not waste their words, and I like that. I hate long, drawn out descriptions. They just tend to bore me. Lyrical writing is fine and everything, but sometimes writers waste too much time explaining the littlest thing and really should just work on getting the story on to the next chapter. I am not always a patient person.

This book in essence cleans up all the loose ends left over from the first two books. The characters reconnect in some ways, but other ways drift apart. There are many instances in this book where you honestly fear that a main character is going to die. Some authors refuse to kill central characters, but Weis and Hickman do not worry about things like that. That's another reason why these books are not great to read at work. They also will bring you to a cliff-hanger and then start talking about other characters, so then you have to wait several chapters to find out their fate. That is probably a good thing, but since I am also supposed to be working too, it is annoying to have to put down the book to work and then have to wait forever to find out what happened! After three books you sort of get attached to the characters, so it is not the best feeling in the world when you have to be parted from them.

Anyways, this book has a lot going on. I think it was a great third book, a third book that for many years was the end. There is a sort of fourth book, but it is not a necessary read. Most people don't really consider it when they talk about the books. I plan to read it one of these days, but I think this original trilogy will always be my favourite. I can see rereads in my future because I will need to visit with Tas and all the other characters that make this series so great. I want to read more in the series before I start rereads, though.

I strongly recommend this trilogy. It is a fun series, and I am sorry that I waited so long to read it! People have been recommending it to me for years, I was just too slow to get around to it. I am glad to have remedied that and I strongly recommend others do the same!

Just Checking In

So, I have been reading, but I am not really in a reviewing mood. I might come back later tonight and post a review for my second Once Upon a Time Challenge book, though. Yes, you read that right, the second one! I just have a bit left and I will be done, so I am happy. I decided to read The Golden Rose by Kathleen Bryan. It is the sequel to my first book for the challenge. I am enjoying it. The second book in a trilogy is always a risky under-taking, but this one is pretty good. Provided nothing drastic happens I will be reading book three when it comes out. That means I have to wait, though, which is the worst thing about a trilogy. I do recommend it, though.

Tomorrow I am going to my hometown for three days. One of my friends is home from out west, so I want to be able to see her. I also have other friends down there and family, so it will be nice to see some people. I either have one of two things happen when I am there, either I am bored out of my mind because it is a really small town and there is not a lot happening or I have too many things planned and never accomplish everything. What I wish is that I had a book on CD to listen to on the drive down, but I don't. So, if I vanish off the blogosphere, that would be why. Not that I have really been posting lately anyways, but I have been doing a bit better and I have been making an effort to comment on peoples' posts. Hopefully it is noticed...

Anyways, I just mostly wanted to say I am alive. I might be back later with a book review, but if not, have a good week folks!

The Serpent and the Rose by Kathleen Bryan

I finished my first book for the Once Upon a Time Challenge! Yay! Life has been in the way lately, but I am determined to reclaim my reading time, so hopefully this is the start of my reading year. The Once Upon a Time Challenge is the perfect chance to reclaim my reading because it is a genre that I love and that I would normally be reading anyways. So, one book down, at least four more to go.

The Serpent and the Rose by Kathleen Bryan
Completed March 22, 2008

Reason for Reading: Once Upon a Time Challenge.
Reason for Buying: The cover caught my attention.

Purchased in 2008.

Synopsis:

The beautiful Averil is heir to the Duchy of Quitaine, in the Kingdom of
Lys.She is a powerful mage, trained by the Ladies of the Isle, but when her
father calls her home to take up her duties, she must leave that life behind.In
her city of Fontevrai, she meets Gereint, raised as a common villager but
greatly gifted in magic, a novice of the magical order of the Knights of the
Rose. The Knights and their sister order, the Ladies of the Isle, defend a great
secret: the means and location of the Serpent's imprisonment a thousand years
ago by the Young God in whose name their order was founded. Quitaine is under
subtle attack by the King of Lys, who has secretly become an adept of the hidden
order of the Serpent, and he will let nothing and no one stand in the way of his
quest to discover how to free his God.But the Knights of the Rose, and the
Ladies of the Isle believe that if the Serpent is freed, the world will be
enslaved to chaos:humanity will destroy itself, and all that man has made will
be corrupted. The War of the Rose and Serpent has begun again.

When I went to Ontario about a year ago, I saw this book at the bookstore and I had planned to look it up when I got home, but I forgot to. The other day I was in the bookstore and it caught my eye again, so this time I picked it up and brought it home with me. After paying, of course. I have not really been reading, so I was looking for something a bit different to capture my attention and hopefully rewake the reading mojo. I read this book in a day, so hopefully that is a good sign! I am a sucker for fantasy novels, which I am sure that most people know, but especially for ones that have a bit of a historical fiction feel to them. This one harkens back to medieval times, so it was just what I needed.

The Serpent and the Rose is the first book in The War of the Rose trilogy. It is not necessarily a new book concept. There is magic, forbidden love, a kingdom in trouble, and a heroine and hero that are setting up to save the day. These are ideas that you will find in most fantasy novels, but I believe that Bryan did it in such a way that she presented readers with a fresh storyline. It was an enjoyable read. Averil is the lead female character. She is not a damsel in distress by any regards. Her father had sent her away to the Ladies of the Isle, but he needs her back in the dukedom. She has been away her entire life, so it takes some getting used to and she does not exactly have the time to stop and catch her breath. The world is changing and she is soon going to find herself caught up in it.

The other main character is Gereint. He was raised by a mother that did not believe in magic, but he was becoming a very strong mage, so he eventually had to take matters in his own hands and travel down a road that would bring him and Averil together. They are connected by something so old that it has been forgotten. Until now, when they have reawoke it and brought it back into focus. They are joined together in a fight that still has two more books to come to fruitation.

I liked this book. It was not the best book I have ever read, but it captured my attention and held it. I am actually really interested in what is going to happen next. I think this is a very good first book in a trilogy, and I am very glad that I impulsively bought it. I look forward to book two!

I think Kathleen Bryan is Judith Tarr. Now, that is interesting... I wouldn't know from the book itself it I hadn't glanced at the copyright page to see what year this book came out in. So, Judith Tarr fans take notice!

Once Upon a Time Challenge II

Okay, so I am hardly reading, but I really need to get reacquainted with my books. This means that I am of course joining the Once Upon a Time Challenge! I read a lot of books for it last year, was finished it really fast, etc. This year I will be lucky to complete it, but I am trying anyways! I am going to do Quest the First. This means that I likely will not make a list. I will just try and do this amazing thing known as reading and count the ones that fit! I have to read five, which I can do, so let's hope I accomplish it. It would be nice if this could be the beginning of a better reading year than I am having currently, but life is hectic right now!

Quest the First
Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once
Upon a Time II criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales,
or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four
genres.

Wish me luck!

My List:

The Serpent and the Rose by Kathleen Bryan
Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume III)
The Golden Rose by Kathleen Bryan

My Days Off....

So, I just had a nice mini-break from work. Three whole days off in a row! I guess my hours are getting cut back for a couple months, so I have to enjoy my days off while I have the money to do things. Normally I hate more than a couple days off at a time because I get bored without work. Pretty pathetic, huh? I can be a bit of a workaholic. These passed three days off were great, though! On Saturday, me and one of my friends went on a day trip to a town about an hour away. We pretty much just puttered around and then turned around and drove back. We picked someone else up, and then we ended up at the movies. We saw The Other Boelyn Girl and I hated it! People are really surprised about that, but I could not wait for it to get over and I will never watch it again. The other two people I was with enjoyed it, so all the power to them! The rest of Saturday night was spent with a friend doing nothing special, or at least, nothing that I can easily recall.

Sunday was an interesting day. My friend bought a crockpot. He was going to try it out on Sunday, but he didn't think he would have the time to get everything going in the morning. So, I volunteered. This might not seem like a big deal, but I hate to cook, so volunteering to come to his aid was a very big deal for me. I am so proud of myself, though, because the food turned out awesome! I think I like this slow-cooking thing, and can see myself actually cooking with it. It was just pork, potatoes, and carrots. The sauce was barbecue sauce. It was simple, but really good. I will be enjoying that claim to fame for a while. Sunday night I went to karaoke with the same friend. He sings, I don't. They were trying to get me to sing, and once in a while they do succeed, but I just enjoyed watching. He is an amazing singer! He is very nice and lets me pick one of his songs. Then, it is 'my song' for a while, and he will sing it for me even when I am not there. The current song of choice is 'Three Dressed Up As A Nine' by Trooper. His version is much better than the original. He just sang it for fun one night and now he is stuck with it. I imagine I will need a new song soon.

Monday was another day trip. We went to this big park about an hour from here. We have had some rain lately, and then it got cold again, so everything was a big sheet of ice. I was wearing sneakers, of all things, and my friends coat. I have this thing with the first sign of nice wearing changing my winter coat for a spring one. I was really not dressed for the adventure, but it was fun. I almost fell a million times, but my friend has good reflexes and was wearing shoes with a grip, so they came to my aid. One time I slipped and caused them to slip and it would have been very bad if they hadn't caught their balance because they would have went over the side of a very big hill. The stupid things that I do, I sometimes wonder how my friends put up with me! But, I was laughing at myself and there was a girl in front of us that kept falling. She has a good set of lungs on her, which, of course, just made me laugh more. I promise I am mostly sane.

Anyways, it was an interesting three days off. Right now I am at work, I took a quick moment to at least update, and my weekend is what is on my mind. I did read a bit, so hopefully I will be back in the reviewing mood soon.

I honestly wish there were more hours in the day! I feel like I have dropped off the face of the planet in so many ways so far this year! I am slowly getting back into my reading groove, but so far this year I have hardly read anything at all. I am just really busy, and half the time when the week is over I really could not put a finger on just what it is that took up so much time. I guess I am just trying to live a little before I figure out what the next major chapter in my life is. I actually finished a book today, Fire Study by Maria Snyder. I might even review it sometime in this century! What I really want is to find time to read, because even though I am enjoying other aspects of my life; I miss reading.

Anyways, so I am alive. My banner has vanished off my blog, and of course I cannot seem to find it on my computer, so I guess I am bannerless! I might have to just scrap the current design and find something else, but no idea when I will get the time to do that! Very annoying that it vanished on me, and I know I saved it, but I guess I am having a Murphy's Law moment.

I hope that everyone is well. I still have to wrap up the Four-Legged Friends challenge, but I am at work and do not really have the time. I just wanted to pop in and say hi to everyone! I am neglecting blogs and the whole literature world badly, so hopefully things will balance out soon so that I can be around more often!

Any books that anyone recommends? I am sort of behind on the whole blog-reading, so you know, I have hardly bought a book all year! But, I do enjoy ordering from Amazon and getting the books in the mail... Sometime I might even read them!