This is the Silmarillion of Dragonlance. It provides the backstory for the better known Chronicles and Legends, but also provides a new perspective on the familiar tales. The style of writing is completely different from anything else on Krynn, and the choice may be intentional. The refined tone and leisurely descriptions of pre-cataclysm Istar give a sense of a lost world. There is none of the slapstick humor of the other series. No kender, gnomes or gully dwarfs are to be found in Istar, to the extent that elves are apparently considered exotic in the insular lordcity. With the possible except of Cathan, the characters are more difficult to relate to than the heroes of the lance.

That said, the language is really only complex compared to the rest of the Dragonlance books, which makes the vocabulary about par for the course for an epic fantasy novel. The pacing was also a pleasant surprise. The descriptive passages at the beginning made me think this was going to be a slog, but it was actually fast-paced and tightly plotted. Instead of the random encounters of a typical dungeon crawl, each obstacle faced by Beldyn and his companions follows logically from the machinations of the other characters and fits into the greater history of Krynn. If the next two books are anything like this, the Kingpriest Trilogy might contain some of the best-written tales of Ansalon. ( )

Prachtig geschreven, alsook dat je je kunt inleven in de personages, je je bepaalde gebeurtenissen goed kunt voorstellen. Van deze serie kan zeker een film gemaakt worden. Geen twijfel mogelijk.

Istar komt, voor zover ik mij herinner, ook voor in 'Chronicles' (met Tas en Flint?), en dan is de streek al verwoest. En in Kingpriest Trilogy krijg je meer info daaromtrent (Cataclysm? ).

Wel jammer dat lady Ilista al in het eerste boek uit het verhaal 'verdwijnt' (lees: gedood wordt). Ik dacht echt dat ze nog een belangrijke rol ging spelen in het verdere verloop. Maar ze (haar geest) komt even kort terug in Sacred Fire.

Wat ik niet snap, is waarom Cathan niet geloofde dat hij de 'Chosen Of The Gods' was, toen hij de miceram vond en daar ook de geest van een ex- of wannabe kingpriest ontmoette. Maar doorheen het verhaal heb ik wel altijd aangenomen dat Cathan de rechtmatige 'ruler' was.

Toen Beldyn/Beldinas wat te fanatiek bezig was met het uitroeien van evil, was ik wel wat bezorgd. Veel wizards verdienden het ook niet, daar heb ik mij toch even kwaad gemaakt op Beldinas. Fistandantilus bezorgde mij meestal koude rillingen, hoewel ik in Sacred Fire enige sympathie voor hem voelde, ook omdat hij Cathan hielp te ontsnappen.

Ik had nooit gedacht dat Cathan daadwerkelijk die bloodblossom olie in Beldinas zou 'spuiten', gezien ze toch een goeie vriendschap hadden. Nuja, op het laatst toen Bron bijna vermoord werd door lokale inwoners, toen hij even tot Paladine bad, had ik zo'n gevoel van "tiens, toch wel een redelijk grote gelijkenis met de huidige wereld"



The Kingpriest Trilogy is niet zomaar een derderangsserietje, maar belangrijk om bepaalde dingen/gebeurtenissen te kennen als de streek ter sprake komt in latere boeken (Legends, Tales, ...). ( )

This is an interesting one. Published toward the very end of TSR's license, this trilogy is one of the best from the entire Dragonlance run, but is extremely hard to get one's hands on. In terms of writing style and technical execution, it is superior to the Twins trilogy; in terms of an insight into pre-Cataclysm Ansalon, it is superior to the Wayward Knights; there's no comparison except perhaps to the Reign of Ishtar short story collection. It is tragic for fans of Dragonlance that this particular series is so rare- it makes the Kingpriest sympathetic, puts a new perspective on the devotion to free will that is fundamental to the philosophy of Krynn, and is generally what our British friends call a "corking read." ( )

After reading the rest of the series, my opinion of this book has gone up quite a bit. It really sets the stage for the story of Cathan and Beldyn. If you've ever read any of the Dragonlance series, you've most likely heard about the Kingpriest and the fiery mountain that was dropped onto Istar as punishment for his demands upon the gods. Well, this is the series that fleshes that out and its probably one of the best crafted of the Dragonlance series. Chris Pierson incorporates elements of gaming into his stories while also reconciling those elements with the DL folklore (which sometimes varies a great deal from traditional D&D). He also breathes life into characters that have become almost goofy caricatures... Fistandantilus and Beldinas, the Kingpriest. Here we see why Beldinas was so awe-inspiring - and you wonder how it all goes so wrong. We also see that Fistandantilus was cruel, powerful, and calculating wizard... Pierson doesn't shy away from gore that you normally don't find in DL books. But the best character, by far, is Cathan, a young man who throws away his faith when his family is almost completely wiped out by disease and he must resort to life as a bandit. Cathan's role in the story of Istar is much larger than you would ever suspect.I really enjoyed this series and was actually a little surprised at it. The opening is definitely dry... maybe a little too much description of the opulence of Istar and the fabulous feasts for me. But as things get moving and we see how Beldyn came into power, the story will start to grab you. This was, for me, the weakest of the trilogy, but it was still a good book. ( )