My Experience with Elven Star by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Continuing my re-read of The Deathgate Cycle was an easy decision to make. I was fascinated by how much I remembered, what I’d forgotten, and how this series has ultimately influenced my own writing. Whether it be Weis & Hickman’s alluring storytelling or my urge to take another trip into nostalgic bliss, my journey continues.
Elven Star introduces us to Pyran, the realm of fire. Like the previous realm, the races do not live in harmony, and the geopolitical landscape is only civil by fragile trade relations. But there is a new and horrific race terrorizing the land: the Titans. Caught in the warpath of the violent giants, a dwarf, an elf, and a couple of humans must work together to survive the coming slaughter.
Pyran isn’t what you expect. It’s not a realm made out of fire, but what it lacks in flame it makes up for with quirky and eccentric characters. While many of the new players we meet in this story are humorous in their own way, none are as curious as Zifnab and his pet dragon. His wandering mind and curious ability to confuse the timelines of his and other worlds (especially the Star Wars and Middle Earth universes) are quite amusing.
The worldbuilding of Pyran is shrouded in mystery for the vast majority of the novel, and the pacing of the story’s beginning is slower than I’d like. I was perhaps about halfway through the novel before I didn’t want to put it down, and that’s not ideal. I didn’t put Elvan Star down a couple of decades ago when I first read it, but I do wonder if I would have now.
Like the previous novel, the footnotes are still a bit distracting, but for whatever reason, they didn’t feel as intrusive. Perhaps there are fewer of them or perhaps I’ve re-adapted to the convention Weis & Hickman have established. And also like the previous novel, I love the additional worldbuilding and sheet music at the end of the novel that flesh out the magic system and culture and kept me thinking about this world for some time after I closed its cover.
I can say confidently that if you enjoyed Dragon Wing, you should give Elven Star a try. In my opinion, Dragon Wing is a better novel overall because of the stronger dramatic reveals, but I know that it picks up again due to my gift of hindsight.
And if you had the gift of foresight, you’d know that you should give The Continua Chronicles a try.
If you love epic fantasy stories like The Death Gate Cycle, this series could be perfect for you.
And your first adventure is free!
