Runes of Autumn

Description

Something evil is stalking the small mountain village of Stridgenfel. Townspeople have been found savagely murdered, their hearts stolen from their bodies. Have the savage Ammak tribesmen returned? Or is there an even greater evil stalking the abandoned fields, feasting on human prey? Original.

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Customer Reviews

Mystery in a Fantasy Setting
The introduction begins with murder, like all mystery novels. The next 150 pages focus on the town's catchpole (police guy), as he unravels what happened. More murders happen. Rafik puts together clues, and sends away for his old army buddy for help. These pages are slow, full of logical deduction and eliminated alternatives. A huge contrast to normal D&D novels, with their tons of sorcery and mindless violence.

By page two hundred and twenty, the main characters put everything together, having figured out the lair of the creature(s) responsible, and set out to deal with it. At this point the story picks up and is genuinely suspenseful with action, as the initial two third of novel pays off.

Oddly after reading the novel, I don't know what the "Runes of Autumn" are. A better title might have been "The Amulet and the Plactogram." Doesn't sound as cool, but it actually describes the book.

Is the novel worth buying? Personally, I give the average TSR dungeons and dragons novel two stars, with a few exceptions (The Legend of Huma, Elaine Cunningham's works, Dragonlance by Weis&Hickman, Simon Hawke's work in the Dark Sun setting). The Runes of Autumn reminded me more of Tad William's epic the Dragonbone Chair than D&D, but it didn't have the oopmh to push above the average mass market non-D&D fantasy. The problem is Elmore keeps switching perspectives between characters, and doesn't develop emotions and personalities (or his fantasy town setting) enough.

If you enjoy traditional fantasy novels and love mysteries, you should absolutely buy. If you don't like mysteries, pass. Personally, I like fantasy and can tolerate mystery and I rate it three and a half stars. This novel was average for a mass market fantasy; the mystery sets it apart from the rest of it's genre.

2007-08-12 (Terre Haute In USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Excellent Offering
This was a well-written and enjoyable read, with excellent development of both characters and relationships, with a well thought-out adventure and plot. Though subtle traces of Tolkien and Dungeons and Dragons can be found in the telling, the book is much less mired down by the limits of formulaic fantasy than the majority of Wizards of the Coast and TSR books. It's an upright fantasy story, of an adult mentality but not sleazy in the least, and would serve as a better movie plot than alot of the made-for-TV bandwagon jumpers we've seen pop up on the screen in the last few years.

J. Lyon Layden
The Other Side of Yore

2007-03-12 | Author: The Other Side of Yore (Savannah, Georgia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Very nicely written
I really enjoyed this Fantasy book. It's got alot of suspence and a GREAT read!

1999-02-28 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Back to the Drawing Board: Fantasy Sketchbook

Description

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REFLECTIONS OF MYTH: The Larry Elmore Sketchbook, Volume One.

Description

64 pages of Larry Elmore's sketches, many of which became art published in fantasy publications.

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Snarfquest RPG World Book

Description

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The Art Of Dragon Magazine

Description

For 30 years, Dragon magazine has published genre-defining fantasy masterpieces. This beautiful treasury features classic pieces by undisputed masters such as Larry Elmore, Keith Parkinson, Jeff Easley, Wayne Reynolds, Brom, Todd Lockwood, Tony DiTerlizzi, Tim Hildebrandt, Daniel Horne, Denis Beauvais, Clyde Caldwell and more!

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Customer Reviews

SUPERB ART.
Art is wonderful. Was seeking more pics of dragons. Artists represented were a-one and have great imaginative skills.
Woth every penny, just for the quality of the art.

2009-01-07 | BIGTOTSWORLD (DEEP SOUTH) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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160 pages for 30 years of coolness?
I jumped when I first saw this, mainly because covers and artwork inserts from the magazines adorned my bedroom and office when I was younger. Larry Elmore was my favorite at the time, but then Todd Lockwood came along and changed everything.

I for one agreed with another reviewer: Not enough sauce. Dragon was a staple of RPG fandom for 30 years, and I felt the collection was a little light. Several of my more favorite artists were scarcely mentioned, and I thought a lot more attention was paid to the more recent 3rd edition art than earlier works from the 80s and 90s. For God's sake, add another hundred pages and give it some meat!

2008-03-11 | Nerd to your mother (St. Louis, MO United States) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 3

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Unexpected, and Highly Enjoyable for All Fans of Fantasy Art
I've always been impressed with the high quality of the artwork in my D&D books - especially with the new generation of artists, like Wayne Reynolds and Todd Lockwood. The Art of Dragon Magazine holds to that standard.

A nice retrospective of 30 years of Dragon magazine cover and interior art, The Art of Dragon Magazine includes work from Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell, Brom, and many others, chronicling not only how D&D fantasy artwork has ebbed and flowed over the years, but how tastes and interpretations of classic characters have changed. Also, this book is chock-full of art. Neatly separated into broad categories (such as "magic" and "dragons") you'll find artistic interpretations of daring rogues, fiendish liches, gruff dwarves, and many other characters and settings that will fire your imagination. All of the art is well reproduced and clear - not blurry, and the book is put together well.

There are only two items that I feel keep this book from getting a five-star rating: first, it is too brief; while there is a large selection of art, one can't help but feel there are more gems out there (I hope a second collection is in the works!). Second, some of my favorite artists (most notably Todd Lockwood) are not as well-represented as I might have liked. Overall, however, fans of D&D, as well as fantasy art enthusiasts in general (including those who enjoy the annual Spectrum collections) will be pleased to add this to their libraries.

2007-08-06 | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 4

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Good, but could be better.
While many of the picures within are visually stunning, I felt they left out some of the best artwork in favor of some rather crude ones. All in all I'd say I liked about 30% of the artwork in the book, and I wish the other 70% could have been exchanged for better works I've seen in past issues of Dragon. Maybe there will be a volume 2.

2007-05-06 | Baptor (Tennessee) | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 3

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Dragon Magazine
I bought this as a gift and my wife was very pleased. She was a avid reader of Dragon magazine and loved the art!

2007-03-12 | King (PA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Night of the Eye (Dragonlance Saga Novel: Defenders of the Magic Trilogy)

Description

Magic at its peak!

It will soon be the Night of the Eye, a rare time when all three moons align in high sanction over the lands of Krynn. On the eve of Guerrand DiThon's political marriage to a rival family, the young noble is visited by a strange, powerful mage who knows more about him than he does himself. Seduced by promises of wizardly might, Guerrand slips away beneath the triple moons and journeys for the Tower of Wayreth.

No one thinks he will survive the deadly trek to the tower, but he does. It's only then that Guerrand realizes that he has made many enemies in his journey. One of these foes would not only see Guerrand dead, but the three orders of sorcery destroyed with him.

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Customer Reviews

Decent Trilogy
I love the setting and style of the writing. Also, I love the political intrigue, as much as could be in a backwater castle, that encompasses the main plot of the story. Fans of the magic of Krynn should enjoy this series.

2009-10-14 | Dragonlance Warlord (Plattsburgh, NY) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Slow...but a decent finish...
When I first started this series, I was a little dissapointed. Not only was the dialogue boring and a little tedius to get through, but the characters weren't that likable from the start. BUT, as the book progressed, their were a few more things to keep it interesting. The end of the books was ok, a little abrubt. But, I can't say anything about it without giving away some of the story, so I will let the readers decide.

If 1)You are a fan of Dragonlance, 2) You are a fan of Mages in Dragonlance, then you should get this book. It takes place nearly 300 years after the Cataclysm, and really gives insight into the magical side of Krynn.

2003-04-02 (WA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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Great book, ....eh ending
I think of myself as a fairly avid fan of Dragonlance. And there are a couple of elements about the series that i like; like the fact that the some, 90+ books that have been written about the world of Krynn are, well, just that, about Krynn. What I mean is that the saga, once you're into it and familiar with the history, geography, etc, you can read a new story and things make sense. Another element that I like about the Dragonlance saga is the fantastic element (ie, dragons, chivalry of knights, and MAGIC). I like that fact that this book reassures me in both of those elements. The setting starts the book around the time slightly before the War of the Lance and the Companions, in a not-so-well known part of Krynn. And since the entire book is about magic and the study of it, it gives a very good look behind the every-day workings of magic, and insight into how and exactly what magic skills mean. Magic has always been such an elusive force in the Dragonlance world, where all they talk about is uttering of words and vague things like, "concentration" and "feeling of magic inside". This book really helps to change that.

This book was an excellent read for magic-lovers like myself, and had most of the elements that make a good Dragonlance book, like a good plot, a love interest, and and a well-developed, main character. If you like magic/Dragonlance/a good read, get this book. It may not be one of the VERY BEST DL books I've read, but it's still well worth the time, especially if you're a DL fan.

In fact, my only problem with this book was one aspect of the ending (if you haven't read the book, you may want to look away now...); Guerrand's sister is not addressed in the ending... She was perhaps my favorite character(i think it was because she seemed like such a helpless caged bird that tried so hard, and i'm really taken in for those "romantic"-type characters) in the book, and everything wraps up nicely except her... what happens to her? Why didn't she find out where Guerrand lived and ran away from home to Palanthas? Why didn't she just run away to begin with?? I know that the second book continues the story, so I'm hoping for the best....

2001-08-24 | yussel03 (NH.... NJ.... one of them) | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 4

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Night of the Eye
I liked this book a lot, since I'm a mage fan and this book is completly about mages. The author developed the charactors well, like Rand's terrible, (but rather funny) family. The climax was very good, it had me on the edge of my seat. Read the other two books too!

JUST BECAUSE I'M A KID DOESN'T MEAN THIS BOOK STINKS!!!!!!!!! :-) Have a nice day.

2001-08-05 (Denver, CO, USA,) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 5

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Comparision
I am in the process of reading this novel (half way done) and I came upon some ironic information. For any fan that read and enjoyed THE OATH AND THE MEASURE, I would strongly urgue you to buy NIGHT OF THE EYE. The two books both mention a 5 year period on which magic is at its peak. And while the plot of these books are different, it makes you kinda wonder about the timing of these novels. Both THE OATH AND THE MEASURE and NIGHT OF THE EYE are excellent novels to read at anytime.

2001-04-03 (woodbridge, virginia United States) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 5

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