Bones of the Dragon (Dragonships of Vindras), by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

February 7, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, Fantasy, International bestseller, Margaret Weis, Science Fiction, Tracy Hickman 

Almost 25 years after their first Dragonlance book was published, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have started a new fantasy series entitled Dragonships of Vindras. Bones of the Dragon is the first of six volumes in the Dragonships of Vindras saga. Bones of the Dragon introduces a new creative world and a story full of with adventure, Bones of the Dragon, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickmanromance, misguided love, and conflicts between humans, dragons and ogres.

Fans of the fantasy genre know Weis and Hickman from their Dragonlance Chronicles, as well as other wonderful series such as The Deathgate Cycle, The Sovereign Stone Trilogy, and The Darksword Trilogy.

The hero of Bones of the Dragon is young Skylan Ivorson, a sea-raider of the Vindras, and a young warrior. Skylan is son to the Torgun chief—a small clan of the Vindras. He eventually, by means of the deceit of a cunning priestess, becomes the Chief of Chiefs of all the Vindras clans. This is an honor he truly feels he has deserved, by as we learn Skylan is a great fighter and courageous on the battle-field, but may not have all the other qualities desired of a great leader of the Vindras tribes.

The Vindras tribes, previously blessed by the gods, are going through a difficult period. They don’t exactly know why, but it seems their gods are no longer blessing them or answering their calls. And indeed, as it turns out, the gods are involved in a grand war themselves, that will influence and perhaps determine the fate of humanity. Skoval and the other ancient gods are under siege from a new generation of gods who are challenging them for the powers of creation. The only way to stop these brash interlopers seems to lie with the mysterious and hidden Five Bones of the Vektan Dragons.

To gather these bones is a task for the Vindras people, as the dragon-goddess’s champions. In order to have a fighting chance, they must recover all five dragon bones. However, the bones have been scattered throughout the land and their location is unknown. Yet they must be found. The fate both of the Gods and of humanity is at stake.

Weis and Hickman, who are real masters of the trade, do a wonderful job of painting a picture for the readers to understand this new world. However, since so much time is spent on world-building, it takes a while for Bones of the Dragon to build up to the adventures and developing an understanding for the story and what the series is about. The characters are multi-dimensional and interesting – some endearing, some you hate immediately, some mean, some mystical, and some many of these things. And the plot picked up considerably at the end. I found Bones of the Dragon to be an intriguing and highly entertaining book to read. And knowing Weis and Hickman, I am sure the other books in this new series will be stunning!

Order Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman’s Bones of the Dragon (Dragonships of Vindras) from amazon US, or order from amazon UK: Bones of the Dragon (Dragonships).

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