Nancy Varian Berberick

El talento para la magia discurre como fuego por la sangre de Dalamar Argénteo. Pero este no es más que un sirviente en la mansión de un noble elfo, alguien indigno del Supremo Arte de la Hechicería, y, por lo tanto, a quien se le niega toda enseñanza, excepto los rudimentos más esenciales. No obstante, cuando la guerra empieza a desencadenarse en las fronteras de Silvanesti, Dalamar encontrará un modo de aprender su arte, y esa búsqueda lo conducirá por largos y tenebrosos senderos hacia un destino pasmoso.… (mer)

I visited the world of Dragonlance last in December 2016 with [b:The Siege of Mt. Nevermind|72780|The Siege of Mt. Nevermind (Dragonlance Chaos War, #5)|Fergus Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388378646s/72780.jpg|70452], which I didn't finish for various reasons, explained in my review. I then decided to visit Krynn in small doses.

'Dalamar the Dark' is a stand-alone novel about a Silvanesti-elf who has found a purpose in life: to become a dark mage, devoted to Nuitari. His people, however, are followers of the Light, aka the god Paladine. Dalamar Argent, later Nightson, earns his living at first as a servant, before properly going for his quest.

He soon is found worthy enough, despite still not being Tested (which occurs later, though he seems to get out unharmed - or is he?), to help defend the land against the attacks of the armies of the Queen of Darkness, the goddess Takhisis. Dragonlord Phair Caron is a serious threat. As you can imagine, Dalamar's plan of illusion succeeds. But as is found out that he follows the path of darkness, he's cast out of Silvanos, erased from all records, except the archives, of course.

And so, he must leave the country and find a new home. Ladonna, of the Black robes, has a plan to use him to get rid of a dangerous dwarf, despite that dwarf also working for Takhisis. Well, more for his personal gain. And so, one more important task must be fulfilled by Dalamar.

All this takes place before the Chronicles and Legends and before Dalamar meets Raistlin Majere (one of the Heroes of the Lance, later having exchanged his red robes for black ones and becoming the most powerful mage of all) to become his student.

Dalamar is a dark elf, but comes across as a friendly, normal guy. Contradiction? What also bothered me in the last part of the story: practically out of magical power, he can still conjure certain spells to eliminate an opponent or even travel back whence he came or elsewhere. But it's fantasy and Dragonlance, right?

The writing wasn't that great, although it was entertaining to some extent; Mrs. Berberick has written better DL-stories.

All in all, I did find it pleasant to revisit the world of Dragonlance and will continue to do so. The TBR-pile with DL-novels is still large enough for that.… (mer)

Mixed feelings about this one. Not just is the quest of the stones important here, but also the aspect of love between Crysania and her advisor/mage Valin. Like before, it's a story about love, friendship, trust, betrayal, greed, perseverance, faith, ...

The gods are indeed battling each other, or rather, Chaos, the god of all and nothing. Therefore they don't have time to deal with the peoples' pleas, wishes, and worries. All of Ansalon is hot, burning hot. Rivers and streams are drying up or have dried up, crops are lost because of the heat, and so on. The forces of darkness and evil have gathered to conquer the continent.

And that heat is very much present. The number of times this is written is unbelievable. Repetition is vital here, apparently, also for other elements. To make sure you can easily follow the story, the events.

Mixed feelings because the first part (say 1/3 or so) is ok, but not very good. But I decided to read on. It does get better, more exciting, but then the curve drops again a little, and so the flow goes a bit up and a bit down, until there are fights, for example. Then things become more interesting again and you want to read on.

Also, I didn't know Crysania was... well, I thought she would be more daring somehow. Then again, it has been many years since I last read the "Legends" trilogy. On the other hand, considering what she's been through, and how strongly she relies on Paladine, it's understandable. Also, in a way, kudos to Valin for showing his love in such a way and taking the risk.

I was also a bit surprised to see Tanis being featured, knowing he is no longer among the living. But then I checked the dates on dragonlancenexus.com and it seems "Dragons Of Summer Flame" and "Tears Of The Night Sky" are set in the year and sort of overlap each other, as they recount what happened via different viewpoints and events.

The ending is rather mellow, bland, ... And somehow predictable, though not in those details. On the other hand, considering the importance of the aspect relationship in the story, it makes more sense.

All in all, an entertaining story. A little better, I thought, than "The Last Thane".… (mer)

Sometimes it's tough to read a backstory of a well-established character. You know they aren't gong to die because they appear later in the series. Even having to tick some boxes as far as Dalamar's past, this was an enjoyable read. It was really two stories with a montage in the middle to tie them together. I really enjoyed Nancy Varian Berberick's contributions to several of the anthologies, and the first novel of hers that I read did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more of her books.… (mer)