There’s an element of making all the violence and occasional sex chaste and family friendly, but given what I recall about the 80s, that’s not surprising. I’ve read complaints that the writing is juvenile, but I don’t see it. There’s a plot to hold to, but the next novels really open up. The second and third novels develop much differently, feeling less constrained and more organic. But, as an introductory novel, it sets events in motion without giving anything away. The downside is, the first novel does feel like a bunch of people wandering all over the place before finally landing on the plot. Everyone is specifically “good” or “evil” or, my favorite, “neutral.” It’s actually comical at times to hear something described as evil when it sounds pretty innocuous – “The herring was evil!” (Just kidding, the herring was chaotic neutral.) Adding to the fun are the constraints of the actual role-playing game. Granted, sometimes it’s a little over the top – everything effects everyone’s very soul or they survive impending death solely because of love – but every major character in the story, and there are a few, is incredibly distinct. Since the best stories are character-based (that’s a fact, you can’t argue with me, I win), this works well in favor of the novel. That might sound bad, but the best role-players make decisions based on their characters. Born under the TSR name (long before Wizards came around), the first novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, has the distinct feeling of a group of friends sitting around a table with character sheets, dice, and no idea what they are doing. Like Athena from Zeus’s head, Dragonlance sprouted from the Dungeons and Dragons adventure modules of the time. They all have their merits, but only one was obviously meant for the role-playing geeks of the 80’s and is, therefore, superior in every way. A lot of people say The Lord of the Rings, some say The Sword of Shannara, and some even say Raymond Feist’s Riftwar saga. The Dragonlance Chronicles was my first foray into the world of fantasy. A small group of companions are all that stand in the way of darkness. The dragons have returned, creating the way for the coming of Takhisis, Queen of Darkness into the world. Three hundred years ago a great cataclysm sundered the world of Krynn. There are a lot more book after these three…