Power
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Just how bad is the "Sly One" ?
You should be able to discern that from this book. If you don't know the guy in the red robes, you are the biggest loser in the fantasy world (FYI: he is RAISTLIN MAJERE!). Learn how hard it was for him to be the greatest magi of his time. Nuff said
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Margaret Weis comes to the fore
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This is the first book I read by Margaret Weis without Hickman, and I was therefore interested to see the difference. Actually, the pace of the book is slower and more introspective than the Chronocles series. I would regard this book as "canon" and part of the essential story (along with Chronocles trilogy, Lost Chronocles trilogy, Legends trilogy, Second Generation, Dragons of A Summer Flame, and the War of Souls Trilogy).
FACT - Weis and Hickman are not literary geniuses. They flout several rules of good writing including their tendency to repeat ideas, recap plot points, tell you what to think (instead of showing you). However, there are few writers who can claim to have explored the depth of a character to the same extent as Weis does with Raistlin in this book. A great addition to the series.
If you want to go on and read Brothers in Arms, then do so, however, I would not consider it canon or essential to the story. However, it does give some of the background to the War of the Lance from the point of view of Kitiara, and is (reasonably) consistent with the storyline in the chronocles trilogy.
One point I would like to note - if you read dragons of autumn twilight straight after this, you will find that Raistlin's relationship with some of the other characters has "soured" somewhat, despite the fact the characters have supposedly not seen each other for five years. I found this a little unconvincing but this is a minor detail.
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*+* What Can I Say?? *+*
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What can a person say about a book as good as ths one? It really opens up doors about Raistlins and Caramons relationship, and why Raistlin is so secretive about his Test in the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth. It explains a lot about the twin relationship, and about Raiatlin slyness, wit and intelligence. Its one of the best dragonlance books ever made, and it is *+*A++++++++*+* all dragonlance fans should read this book. If you dont, you will find many things about Raistlin untold to you.
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A great read
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The original Dragonlance Chronicles were the first fantasy novels I ever read, and they affected me a great deal. Over the ten years since I've read plenty of other fantasy novels, often more original and better written than these. Yet to me few of them come close to the appeal of the Dragonlance books. I think its because they are so affectionate and heart-felt, and you can really feel that Weis and Hickman care about the characters. This is what I like most about Soulforge. Its obvious that Margaret Weis cares a great deal about Raistlin, and so the reader ends up caring too. The other great thing about the book is that anyone who has ever felt lonely, powerless or jealous of a sibling- in other words most of us- can identify with Raistlin. The scenes between Flint, Tasslehof, Tanis, Sturm, and the twins, are genuinly funny and affectionate, just as they are in Chronicles. To me its so much more enjoyable to read about heroes like these, who are ordinary people with ordinary beginnings, than to read about exotic, invincible heroes who you feel you would never encounter in "real life" and so can never quite believe in.
There are a few minor inconsistancies between this book and Chronicles- things like Sturm being described as having brown eyes in Chronicles and blue in Soulforge, and there are many more differences between Soulforge and the events descibed in the Meetings series, but this doesn't bother me. In tone and spirit Soulforge is a worthy prequel to Chronicles, and I would recommend it to all Dragonlance and fantasy fans. It may sound odd, but I'd also recommend it to people who like books like Anne of Green Gables or Emily of New Moon, because the theme in Soulforge of an unconventional character misunderstood by the people of a small town is so similar to the theme of these stories.
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Revealing
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Do you have to read this book to be able to follow the main series of Weiss & Hickmann (War of the Souls, ...)? No, you don't, but you would miss out on an excellent book! Not only is it as captivating as their other work, Weiss has succeeded in adding to the world of Kryn, she writes such that as soon as you finished this detailed history of Raistlin and Caramon, you want to reread all the other stories as well. This book gives you an insight to the mind of Raistlin and his brother and sister you'll find helpfull when you read about the War of the Lance or even War of the Souls.
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