Talking to Myself

The first time I saw this book, I was surprised that Dragonlance would publish a new line of stories for young adults. It seems that the publishers want to bring the world of Krynn to younger readers. The cover art looks cool. It reminds me of anime art and i think it is appealing to kids.

Temple of the Dragonslayer is the first of a series of young adult novels called "Dragonlance the New Adventures". The series focuses on a new group of heroes -- all of them young teenagers, banded together on a quest to save one of their own from an evil black robed wizard.

The events that happened in the novels happened shortly after the War of the Lance. The main protagonist of the novel, Nearra, is a young girl who has no memory of who she is or what she was doing wandering alone in a forest. She learns about a temple, where healers may be able to bring back her memory.

Nearra begins her journey and meets several new friends along the way. Among these friends are a fallen knight, a kender with wizardly powers, a bastard elf guide, and a ranger with a dark secret. The group then encounters several foes, ranging from pesky goblins, an ogre, to a sinister green dragon -- all of them seem to be out looking for Nearra.

I had a nice time reading the book, and revisiting the world of Kyrnn. Unlike the other Dragonlance novels, this novel has a simple plot, with young characters, and a PG-13 style of writing. It took me a day and a half to finish the book (not counting my work and travel time), which makes this a light read (at least for me).

My only main comment about the novel is how Nearra managed to acquire a band of faithful friends in a short span of time. I can accept the fact that two of her friends have ulterior motives for accompanying Nearra, but the other two simply decided to tag along (for a lack of anything else better to do).

Nevertheless, I find the novel engaging and interesting. The novel ends with a climatic battle and it does build up the tension/conflict which makes me (the reader) want to continue on reading the next book in the series.