Page 1 of 8 Death Gate by Margaret Weis
Submitted by TIGERB8 
(Nov 18, 2005) What was I thinking? I waited this long to read this awesome journey. When my mother told me to read this book one day and I thought to myself, I don't like fantasy, it is not in the genre of reading material I am accustomed to, but what the heck. I sat down for about a 10 minute reading session and the next thing I knew, I was at the bookstore getting the following 6 masterpieces.
The characters are so magnetic, that I felt as if they were family. I was immediately drawn to all of the characters in this read. The worlds as they related to this day and time was incredible. They were some of the best characters in the books.
I am a true advocate for reading and continuing education through written words, but this was the first time I actually would create a soundtrack in my head for the worlds, the characters, and the plots. Becoming rarely bored, I started to realize that this would come to an end.
The recommendation for this was be my strongest as of yet. It puts all other fantasy in the minors of storytelling. Great job Weis and Hickman. Can't wait until the movie comes out.
Submitted by agent agape
(Oct 21, 2005)If there is a series that has touched my life in a magical way, then I would have to give the glory to The Death Gate Cycle. I was given this series by my friend and I told him I would get to it as soon as I could. Months later I started reading and now I can say that I have read this series through three times. For those of you who like an amazing read twice, pick up the adventures of Haplo and Alfred. This series will be better the second time and even more magical the third time around. Weis and Hickman truly have a gift for developing the most memorable characters in fantasy storytelling. With a unique style and a lot of wit, this writing team has conjured a world full of heroes and villians with hearts as large as life. From themes of selfless love between friends and terrifying ambition from the antagonists, The Death Gate Cycle allows you the reader to enjoy the very best in fastasy storytelling and finish the series with satisfaction. It's always great to know that you have read a story that comes straight from the heart of accomplished writers. I truly believe that if you were to ask which project meant the most to Weis and Hickman, they would say this series. It shows in the way the themes of friendship are so richly written. This is not a series of action and adventure only. This is a story of the heart. The central themes of these books are very richly woven into situations that we all face everyday. The magic is in the characters. By focusing on the series in this way you truly will see the series as a whole and not as book one,two,three,etc... Pick it up and let Weis and Hickman bring the human heart into a world of magic and fantasy.
Submitted by Irene 
(Mar 28, 2005)Well, great there's a place I can say something about all this thing. Well, nothing new - I agree with many previous speakers: the brilliant, brilliant, sheer brilliant starting of the cycle... and the complete loss of that brilliance to the end of it. The first four books are awesome. Though, unlike other people expressing similar views, I like the fifth one, too. But the sixth and especially the seventh books were... damn it, helpless. What's the matter? Nothing to write about? Nope, there are a lot of themes raised by the authors that never got their solution and ending in the cycle. Tired? No time to write profound novels? Necessity not to exceed the quantity of words prescribed in their contract? Never knew. Never will know. Never will want to know. I know only one thing: an unprecedented fantasy cycle, a cycle that could make its authors rival Tolkien and Ursula Le Guin as the King and the Queen of fantasy, was literally strangled to the end. I never understood why such a dull ending to the Hugh/Iridal and Alfred/Ola romances. Why such a refusal to work out the concept of the Higher Powers. Why everything is finished in some forgotten room in such a sorry way - no contacts with other realms, eternal internal struggle. Damn. Too bad.
And still - there are brilliant books starting the cycle! There are stunning concepts - the wave theory of magic, the using of runes, elves and men as 'lower' races, the merciless description of what 'a child's innocence' is in reality (never met such Banes? I did). The Dog as Haplo's soul, his true self. The brilliant humour by Zifnab (yeah, Fizban - but how he got into this other world? Don't tell me he's simply a Sartan who saw the Sundering himself...)
And then, there's that brilliant game. That is, for me the game was first. Perhaps that's why I liked its outcome much more: everything is decided not somewhere in the Seventh Gate, but in the Vortex, definitely in the center of all universe. And the result is not isolation, but on the opposite, the start of great work in all the available world. And - well, that's personal - I liked much more the idea that Edmund stayed alive! No Alfred in the game, though, what a pity. But what stunning layouts!
Submitted by Heresy
(Feb 27, 2005)The first four books were well developed in that they contained a wonderful new place with all sorts of creations, people and politics. If you're going to read anything of this series, the first 4 books are the ones to read. (Ignore the last 3 books as they are a tremendous let down to the remainder of the series.)
Though the books are subjected to the "RANDOM PLOT" motif that Weis and Hickman use throughout their novels, the first four books were filled with lots of interesting twists and turns. My main gripe about the series are the last three books.
In layman terms, sucked rocks.
Book 5 was a shadow of what the first four books were attempting. It encompassed a weak plot, characters that suddenly lost characterization in favour of shifting the "poor" plot, and lack of all description of the very worlds they had taken the painstaking trouble to create.
Book 6 and 7 were the worst. They were simply badly written filler to finish of a story the writers got tired of doing. It was as if they had ghostwriters or someone just as bad to finish off the last 3 books because they lacked all energy, all creativity that was included in the first 4 books. What was the point of putting all that effort in the first couple of books if only to lose all steam and completely screw up in the end.
I can barely remember what happened in Book 6 and Book 7 was so flat and unbelievable that I couldn't understand how this could have been published. The characters lost all sense of purpose and the two main races which Haplo and Albert hail from "SUDDENLY" forget their differences and join forces - JUST LIKE THAT. Argh, the unbelievability in which things happened just ruined the series for me.
The good vs. evil fight gets simplified so badly that the message the authors give is "Good will always conquer Evil". First four books are worth reading, but ignore the last 3.
Submitted by lorraineschmitt@yahoo.com
(Apr 05, 2004)Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman sure know how to write a book!! I started reading the series when I was 12. I was so involved in the story I finished a week and a half after starting the series ! I'm a fast reader, but I probably finished fast because they were just amazing.
I liked the way this book was different from all the others I've read by having Haplo, one of the 'bad guys' as the main character.I also liked the way many of the characters were described, but what I liked the most was the different worlds and the way the magic used was so different than any I have read about.
I definitely loved all of the seven books, although I have to admit I was kind of disappointed by the seemingly abrupt ending.
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(38 ratings)