Dragonlance

This is the edition I read,
and still own.

Lately I have been thinking about Dragonlance. Not sure if it's nostalgia (which it probably is) or just my literary love for the series. For those who don't know, Dragonlance was a setting created for D&D back in the early 80's. It was conceived based on the premise of wanting a setting that featured dragons very prominently, rather than just as powerful monsters that you could encounter.

The first modules were played by a group of employees at TSR. Among that group were Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. What came of those sessions and modules was a trilogy of novels by Weis and Hickman called The Drgonlance Chronicles, and it tells the story of a group of friends who become unwitting heroes in a massive war between good and evil.

I have read that trilogy four times in my life. And the sequel trilogy, Legends, twice. I have also read several other Dragonlance trilogies and stand-alone novels, adding up to about 25 book all together. Can you tell I really like the setting?

As I have gotten older, and expanded my circles of friends, I have realized that not everyone likes Dragonlance (GASP!). In fact some people deride the Chronicles as "juvenile" and poorly-written. Well, as these things go, it's all a matter of taste. But it makes me think sometimes about why I love the trilogy so much (and am currently contemplating reading it yet again).

Obviously, nostalgia does play a part. I first read them during my senior year in high school. Up to that point the extent of my fantasy reading was limited to the 12 Lancer/Ace Conan books, and a few odd books here and there. At that point I hadn't even read any of Tolkien's books (though I loved the animated movies). But when my friends Bill and Wes gave me their copy of the trilogy, I devoured them and wanted more.

The charm of the series, for me, was initially that it was like reading a D&D campaign being played. The authors did a very good job of translating some of the counter-intuitive rules of the game (mainly about magic) into something that made sense from a literary standpoint. I have to say that, after reading those books, I felt that I finally understood the Magic-User class enough to want to actually play one on occasion.

Sturm Brightblade

I also really like the characters. I obviously have my favorites, and there are some that I like less than others. But I don't actually hate any of the characters. Well, except the villains. But you're supposed to hate them, right? There are moments in the story that make me laugh, as well as some that still make me cry. But over all, I think it's the sense of adventure, the wide-spanning storytelling, and the accessible language that all combines to really do it for me.  I can even forgive the fact that the setting doesn't have Orcs!  Mainly because their place is taken by the Draconians, one of the coolest fantasy races ever.

If you enjoy Tolkien, and are willing to set aside your literary snobbery for a few moments, I think this little gem is a timeless read. And I think I really want to dig my copies out of storage again.

Friday!

Just thought I would wrap the week up with a general post of good feelings.

Yesterday was quite surprisingly cool.  And not just the temperature outside.  After getting phlebotomized, I found I had about an hour to kill before picking up my son.  Not enough to go back to the office for any appreciable reason.  So, I did what comes naturally, and hit up Half Price Books.  After about a half-hour of wandering and debating on some purchases (do I really need a 2nd Ed. copy of Changeling: The Dreaming?  Even if it's only $8?), I had decided I probably wasn't going to buy anything.  So, as is my wont, I made my way to the door via the Men's Adventure section, just to see what they had.  I was a little surprised to see that all of the older issues of The Executioner were gone from the shelf.  Then I looked up.

On top of the shelf were three large book bundles of Executioners.  Now, in the past, this store would wrap 8-10 books in plastic and sell the bundle for $3.  I never bought one, but always thought about it.  (I later found out that these bundles, if they don't sell after a while, are simply thrown in the trash.  I almost cried.)  Anyways, the three bundles I was looking at included The Executioner #'s 1-29, 30-55, and 56-87 respectively.  And each was priced at $5.  I immediately texted my wife and made sure $15 was ok for me blow, and she said "Go for it!"  So, for just under $16, I walked out with the first 87 Executioners.  SCORE!

When I got home, I started thinking about these books, and remembered that I had recently got a copy of the very first Executioner I had ever read, #59, Crude Kill.  And I had an idea.  I checked macbolan.com, and found the author of Crude Kill was Chet Cunningham.  A quick Google search found his website, and through that I emailed him and asked what it would take to get an autograph on my copy of the book.  He responded this morning, saying all I had to do was mail the book to him (in San Diego), and he would gladly autograph it and send it back.  How cool is that?

So, yeah, I'm pretty happy Mack Bolan geek today.

Tonight is the continuation of our D&D game, and I am really looking forward to that.  Next week, the wife and I hit the road for our first Mommy & Daddy vacation.  We're driving down to Alabama to hang out with Scott Oden and his wife Shannon.  I'm really looking forward to meeting them, and seeing the area.  And I'm really looking forward to getting away on a long road trip with my wife.  Just me and her in a car.  No whiny children, no dealing with the stresses of having a family.

I love being a dad, and I know I will miss my kids.  But, sometimes, parents need a break too.

Anyways, have a good weekend, folks!