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Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Dragonlance: Chronicles, Book 1

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Dragons of Autumn Twilight

By: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
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Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world.

No one expected them to be heroes.

Least of all, them.

©1984 TSR, Inc., Cover Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast LLC (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Action & Adventure Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Mythology Heartfelt Dragons
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Would you try another book written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman or narrated by Paul Boehmer?

I would certainly try another book written by Margaret Weis and/or Tracy Hickman.

What other book might you compare Dragons of Autumn Twilight to, and why?

This book is basically a Dungeons & Dragons adventure turned into a novel. Imagine the best D&D game you've had, but written down as a novel.

Would you be willing to try another one of Paul Boehmer’s performances?

Probably not. I have a problem with his delivery. His intonation and pacing is often wrong. My main issue is the way he reads the comma after dialogue as a full stop.

e.g. "Take hold of the staff!", Raistlin said.

is read by the narrator as:

"Take hold of the staff!". Raistlin said.

He intones upwards instead of down in these situations , after too great a pause and it grates on me somewhat.

Could you see Dragons of Autumn Twilight being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

It would make a very good TV series.

Any additional comments?

Its a shame Michael Kramer didn't get the job of reading this story.

Great story but there are issues with narration

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I loved these books when they first came out, at the time I would have recommended them to anybody interested in the genre in a heartbeat though now I'd probably caveat that just a little. Firstly though, what's great about them? In essence, what Weis and Hickman did was take their much loved D&D characters and adventures and use them as a basis for their fantasy series. And that shows positively as their affection for the characters beams out at the reader from early on. Just a quick example. Back in her college days, I lent these books to my then-girlfriend who loved them. Later on in the series, there is one extremely sad moment, I won't say when or what but if you read them you will know it when you come to it I promise you. One evening she phoned me and mentioned she would read for a while before turning in, knowing where she was I simply said, "Ok, I'll stay up and talk to you later". She was puzzled but an hour later the phone rang with her in floods of tears . . . It's oddly one of my favourite ever moments from reading fiction even though I wasn't reading at the time! I would say any story that can do that to a pretty intelligent person must have something going for it. It's those lovely characters that will get you and I'll always treasure that moment.

So why would I caveat it now? Well, only for the reason that since those days fantasy has become much more sophisticated and if someone released this now they would likely encounter some criticism. This is very much what I would term classic fantasy which I still love but those brought up with the superbly complex character detailing of say an Abercrombie or the genuinely fine-detailed epic world-detailing of Sanderson might not be so happy with this due to its relative innocence and naivete. Me, I love both, but I could understand some not developing quite the same attachment to these books. Tastes do of course vary and things have moved on in recent decades.

The biggest issue most people seem to have has is with the narration. I do tend to be more forgiving than most I think so bear that in mind but while I agree that Paul Boehmer is no Steven Pacey, RC. Bray or Jonathan Keeble I didn't think he was that bad at all. Give the sample a quick listen, see what you think.

So, wonderful for me to relive this adventure of my youth and I'd love to see these books gaining a bigger audience but mileage will vary depending on what you expect from your fantasy. To me, Weiss and Hickman gave me some special memories and I even used to use these characters in a few stories I told my daughter when she was little. Not sure I can ask much more than that from 'mere' books!

The Warmest of Warm Fantasy!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I've always adored the Dragonlance series since they were first written. Based on one game of Dungeons and Dragons, who knew what a stunningly realistic set of characters would be created and how deeply loved they would become across the world! "...not the stuff of heroes..." the group battle tragedy, personal loss, injury, dragons and gods whilst discovering their true inner selves - some good, some not so good and some so touching and heart warming I dare you to keep a dry eye!

The narrator is very good and my only criticism here is that his portrayal of some of the dialogue and voices is not how I have heard them whilst reading the books, but he's one man and has just one voice so let's be fair here! He did a brilliant job reading and playing an entire cast of extremely diverse characters, human and otherwise.

Who was your favorite character and why?

So many to chose from but like so many others I know, I just love the story of Raistlin and his journey as it progresses through Chronicles and Legends. His relationship with his brother Caramon, the rare glimpse of caring Raistlin has for the sorry creature Bupu and his insatiable lust for power that eventually drives him to seek Godhood!

What does Paul Boehmer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Paul Boehmer brought a new vision to the story, pronunciation of names and places which must have been done with the writers and a whole new way of looking at the characters. I loved his portrayal of Tasselhof and Fizban in particular and how he treated all of the characters with respect and attention to detail.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

All of the above. Dragonlance will make me laugh (Tasselhof and Fizban), cry (Flint in particular at one point) and feel so many other emotions as the group matures and so do their relationships and interactions.

Any additional comments?

This is a grandly scoped story of good versus evil where gods are real and everything is at stake for an entire world. You will laugh, cry and fall deeply in love with a band of extremely complex characters whose battle will affect the lives of millions in their world. They love, they argue and bicker amongst themselves, they come to blows. Some live happily ever after, some die, none are left unaffected. I defy anyone to not love these books.

Now an established classic as far as I'm concerned

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The ratings given to this narrator have gone a little too far. I know he’s got some punctuation problems but that doesn’t mean it’s unpleasant or simply “bad” in any way. I don’t see anyone recognising the quality of his characterisation and voices: he does lender, old wizard, creepy wizard, woman and many more easily and although I wouldn’t rate him 5*, I’m doing it to compensate for the 1 or 2* I’ve seen here from other listeners.

Not as bad as others say

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Great story. Narrator provides good portral of characters but the remaining narration comes over stilted/fragmented, which I found irritating.

Narrative could be better

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