Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis

The strongest part of all the old Dragonlance books has always seemed to be character development. In Test of the Twins, this is taken to the extreme. It is a great conclusion to the story that, in my opinion is the best story in all the Dragonlance works (of which there are many). This trilogy in particular is very incomplete with just one book, as each one either ends or starts with more information needed from the other two. It is unlike the Chronicles in that respect, as each of those books is a story within itself. However, as a whole, the Legends trilogy is great (perhaps better than the Chronicles), despite the whole "time-travel" thing being too much of the plot. The plot is better than average, and the characters and action of the trilogy are marvelous. If you enjoyed The Dragonlance Chronicles, and especially if you liked Raistlin Majere, then the Legends trilogy is a must-read.

(Dragonlance Legends, Book 3)Now, although there is more action in this book than the first two in the series, that doesn't mean the intensive character development is gone. The action serves to emphasize this development. When forced to make choices in battle, we see what motivates the characters into the decisions they make. All three of the major players in this book (Caramon, Tanis, and Tasslehoff) all have to make life altering decisions in the midst of battle. We also get a glimpse into the heart of Raistlin during his quest. Flashbacks to previous periods in his life give us insight into what made him into the person he is today. We begin to question what we've been led to believe in the previous two books: Is Raistlin truly evil or is there a spark of goodness within him? The ambiguity of this answer makes for a fascinating read...I could never decide whether to root for him or despise him. Weis and Hickman have used this series to flesh out some of the most interesting characters from the DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES trilogy. They were especially effective in making Tasslehoff into a more three dimensional character. We see that he isn't the lighthearted, devil-may-care person we all thought he was in the first trilogy. I think they need to write another series like this one and give us a view of the other characters as well: Laurana, Goldmoon, Flint (in the past, of course). The reason this and CHRONICLES are so compelling is that the authors make you care for the characters, especially the tragic ones.