Time to continue the story of the Majere twins with War of the Twins, book two of Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Having successfully traveled through time, again, the Twins and Crysania find themselves in the tower of Palanthas protected by the Shoikan grove a hundred years after the cataclysm. Determined to still enter the portal to battle Takhisis, Raistlin is devastated to discover that the portal in question is not in the tower but in the fortress called Zhaman. He decides to head south to the fortress after convincing Caramon that may be their only way home. After being attacked by bandits on the way the Twins manage to unintentionally gather themselves an army that will travel south with them to attack Thorbardin, the dwarven neighbor of Zhaman. This worries Raistlin as he realizes that means he has replaced Fistandantilus in the history he is familiar with and that tells him both him and Caramon will die in the attempt. He searches desperately for a way to change the past but becomes convinced it is impossible without the help of the kender, Tasslehoff, who is stuck in the abyss after the cataclysm.
This book was a bit of a doozy to read because of the implications associated with the idea of time travel. It was beyond weird to read about how the fact they time traveled created a situation where they were stuck playing out a history they already knew but were unable to change. While the story was really great it was also beyond bizarre because of that lurking in the background. It also created this certain tension that was continually present throughout the story even if some characters felt it more than others. The story also felt a lot more serious than some of the other Dragonlance books written by these authors. I don’t mean that as a bad thing either as this story definitely needed to be more serious than the others. It was interesting to see how this continual conflict between the twins was also reflected in their own internal conflicts as well which in turn fueled their respective character growth. Specifically with Caramon as I feel like he is finally coming into his own and really discovering his own strengths, independent of his brother. This is something that he has really needed and it makes me curious about how he will continue to grow in the final book of the trilogy. The story is rather interesting as well as the characters are essentially playing out events from their own history so we as readers get to see a firsthand glimpse of that past and the history of Krynn. In all honesty, the only thing I would have liked to see was to see more of Tas but that is just because he is such a funny character. At the same time I acknowledge that this story needed to be more serious. I just really like that character. Either way I am happy giving it four out of five stars.
This book is a good example of fantasy so if you happen to enjoy that you might consider it. I would recommend reading the previous book in the series before reading this one or you will be confused. However reading other Dragonlance books would be optional before doing so. The book and series is aimed at adult readers but outside of the violence it should be suitable for older teenagers as well. It could be read by readers as young as about fourteen and it should be fine. If it sounds interesting I hope you will try it and consider sharing your thoughts in the comments if you do.