Test of the Twins (Dragonlance: Dragonlance Legends)

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Test of the Twins

Using Crysania as his shield, Raistlin enters the abyss in search of the Dark Queen. Heedless of the wounds Crysania takes in his stead, Raistlin's only goal is to kill Takhisis and ascend to Godhood. Meanwhile, Tas and Caramon have traveled forward in time and lay witness to the devastation left behind. But as they journey back to save the world, they will find it isn't only Raistlin at fault. Kitara has once again taken up the mantle of Highlord, eager to earn her piece of power.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have shown readers the damage codependency can create when one side no longer needs the other. Readers have witnessed Caramon at his darkest moments, battling to reclaim his life. And while he has come a long way since Time of the Twins, the struggle is far from over. Pitted against one another, Raistlin and Caramon will engulf the readers in a tension filled storyline, rife with action and heartbreak.

Raistlin's character has always fascinated me. He can be so cruel, yet he will perform small acts of kindness for those who are looked down on. Throughout Test of the Twins, as he makes darker and darker decisions, you keep hoping there is something left behind of the character you once knew. He wraps the reader around his finger, bringing to life a conflict of emotions. I found myself questioning why I was drawn to Raistlin. And yet still as I read, a part of me hoped he would find what he was looking for, even if it meant the end of the world.

And amongst all the tension and conflict, lighter moments are thrown in to draw the reader back from the edge. Tasslehoff has a more prominent presence in Test of the Twins. And you can always count on good old Tas to bring humor. He has a heart of gold and does everything he can to help his friends. His antics will win you over from the moment he steps on the page.

Revisiting this trilogy was such a delight. The characters are wonderfully crafted. And the storyline is filled to the brim with complex relationships, swords and sorcery, as well as timeless world-building. If you haven't given Dragonlance a try yet, what are you waiting for?