One of the better novels from the Dragonlance series. This novel takes place just a few years before the Great Cataclysm when the gods razed the lands, punishing man for wanting the power to become a god. Pierson does a wonderful job in this novel playing around with the power struggles in the clerical heirarchy. How the religious leaders in the most powerful religous empire can be corrupted in their attempts to gain power. It parallels some historical events in this manner and lends an amount of realism to the story. The main figure of this story is the Lightbringer who is a pure hearted monk gifted with extraodinary powers from his god. The first novel follows his rise to power as the Kingpriest of Istar (the largest realm in the world). I think the best part of this novel is his character development. At first Pierson presents the Lightbringer as a very one dimensional divine character. As the Lightbringer journeys to Istar, different events and his reaction to them keep hinting at alot more. By the end of the novel, the Lightbringer appears different with a hint of aggresive features coming out and maybe even a touch of madness. The novel ends with the Lightbringer gaining his crown and declaring war against evil which while innocent will lead to larger repurcussions down the road as the balance between good and evil shifts considerably.
I recommend this novel to all fans of Dragonlance. If you're into the Dragonlance universe this novel is in the MUST OWN group. However for the uninitiated, I doubt the story will be that easy to follow.
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