Destiny (The Elven Exiles) [Mass Market Paperback]

It's been quite a while since I've waited for a book to come out like this one, and my expectations were extremely high. I'm happy to say it exceeded them.

I would rate this trilogy was one of my top ten overall in the Dragonlance Novels. Both Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook are extremely talented writers and paint a colorful picture as well as give me reasons to care what happens to the characters which is something I always look for in a novel.

I look forward to read what the future holds for the battle in Qualinesti as well as the development of the new Elven nation in Inath-Wakenti.

Destiny by Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook is the third, and final, book in the Elven Exiles trilogy set in the Dragonlance world. The first book is titled Sanctuary (Dragonlance: Elven Exiles, Vol. 1) and the second book is titled Alliances (Dragonlance: Elven Exiles, Vol. 2). First and foremost if you are a fan of the Dragonlance world and are considering reading this book, you first need to read the other two books. This is strictly so that all the events, hints, and such present in this book make more sense, than they would if you simply started with this book.

The plot of this novel carries over right from the end of Aliances. The elves are in the valley of Inath-Wakenti. Adala, the plainswoman is still plotting against the elves, and the town of Khuri-Khan has its own problems. The main plot line of this book is how the elves adapt to the valley and staying alive long enough to thrive there. There are several obstacles that they must face in order to do so. There is also a smaller plot involving a wizard and his interest in the valley, and actions that he pursues in the valley. Overall, this is a solid plot and one that is well laid out. Mr. Thompson and Ms. Cook once again prove that they work very well together. There are, however, a couple points where this novel seems to dramatically slow down and become bogged down in needless conversations and redundancies in making sure the readers understand plot points. This only happened a couple of times and doesn't affect the story as a whole, but it was enough of an issue that I noticed it.

The characters in this book are all the familiar names from the first two books, well, those who have survived the first two books anyway. Characters such as; Gilthas, Kerianseray, Porthios, alhan etc., all make appearances in this book. From book two, we know that Gilthas is suffering from a very serious malady, this holds true for this novel as well. Porthios is his normal self in this novel, crass and demeaning to those around him. I do need to point out that about halfway through the novel I was beginning to worry that character development would be thrown out the window. There didn't seem to be much, if any, emphasis on character development. However, the last half of the book, there is a great deal of character development that takes place. While I appreciate the character development that does occur, at times it seems a little forced as well as being too much at one time. I can see how some fans may be confused, or maybe even put off by how things happen in this novel. If you look at it as a complete piece, and not the sum of its parts, there is a fair amount of character development and the development that does occur makes sense.

I do have a couple of criticisms about this novel. One of which is a little bit of a spoiler so be warned.

First, as I mentioned above, the middle of the book seems to get bogged down with unnecessary repeating of plot points and, what I considered, unnecessary conversations between a couple of characters.

Secondly, the plot pint involving the wizard didn't seem to fit together very well with the rest of the three novels. In the first two books it wasn't in the forefront as much as it was in this novel. When the perspective switched to this plot piece it almost felt like I was reading a different book. It just felt, odd to me.

*** SPOILER***

Lastly, there comes a point in the story where Porthios takes a group of elves to try and take back Qualinesti. That is a very important part of this book as the elves that are together now split into two groups. However, once he leaves there is no further mention of him at all. It's almost like he disappeared completely. I thought they could of at least mentioned something about him and his group. If it will be a further story/series, the least they could have done was having the group outside of Qualinesti ready to enter the forest.

***End of SPOILERS***

With all that said, I did enjoy this book. For the most part it was a fitting conclusion to he trilogy and wrapped up several plot points throughout the entire trilogy. As well as raising a few more that can be used at a later time to keep the stories going. I really like where the elves ended up with this trilogy. As I said in the review of the first book, I was not a fan of the Dragonlance elves before this trilogy. However, now that I have finished it, I am more of a fan and there are several characters that I would not mind reading more about later.

Fans of the Dragonlance world should certainly read this trilogy. I also think that most fantasy fans in general will also appreciate parts of this entire trilogy. Readers looking to break into the fantasy genre may find things they enjoy as well, however, I would suggest starting with the Dragonlance Chronicles if you are looking into Dragonlance books. Then bridging out from there. This is certainly a series I will be recommending to many people as I quite enjoyed it.

Destiny is the third and final installment in the Elven Exile trilogy. Overall I thought that it was a good, but not a great, book. It was an enjoyable read, but I personally think that the second book (Alliances) was the best of the trilogy. The plot seemed to drag a little bit and was almost repetitive at points, but the characters were still entertaining. The plot was left with some open-ends at the conclusion of the story, leaving it open for possible sequels. I hope that the authors decide to continue the elves' story, and I will keep my eyes open for any follow up works. I would recommend this book to any Dragonlance fans or any fantasy fans in general.

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