Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is volume one of the Lost Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It is a companion series to the Dragonlance Chronicles and takes place just after the events of Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Having killed the dragonlord Verminaard the heroes are working to find a place for the refugees to be safe through the winter, both from the winter itself and from the continuing war with the forces of the dark queen Takhisis. Realizing that they are near to the Dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, Tanis Half-elven suggests they request asylum from the dwarves. Flint is rather insistent that they won’t grant it even if they are able to find the hidden kingdom in the first place. Tanis and Flint still end up setting out to try and find the kingdom. However, Raistlin seems to think they won’t be able to and convinces Caramon and Sturm to travel to the local abandoned fortress known as Skullcap as he believes they will find something there that will lead them to the entrance to Thorbardin. Goldmoon and Riverwind are left in charge of the remaining refugees as they work on finding a safe place from the remaining draconian forces.
I rather enjoyed this particular story as it seems to have filled in some of the blanks left in the original Dragonlance Chronicles, something I had commented on in my reviews for that series. The story does a rather admirable job of filling in some of those blanks and works on creating a more fully fleshed out picture of what exactly happened during the war of the lance, something I rather appreciate. While the plot may have been hinted at in the original books there is a lot more that happens than what they referenced. Specifically in terms of the politics that are explained for the region as it fills in more background on the different kingdoms, races and forces present in Krynn which helps to flesh out the world and setting in which the story takes place. It also adds more to the backstory of some of the characters, specifically Flint in this case. I often felt like not enough backstory was provided for him before so I enjoyed getting to know more about his own past and what led him to where he is at now. He is a fascinating character and he had a rather surprisingly large role in this addition to the growing story. The book was every bit as good as I was expecting based on the previous books. The new elements and layers provided by this book add a lot of new elements and layers to the overall story which only deepens the richness of this world. I have a feeling this companion series is a valuable addition to the world of Krynn and the story of the war of the lance and the heroes who fought that war. Overall a really good story so I am happy to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This book is a great example of a fantasy novel so if that is your preferred genre than I recommend you consider trying it, especially if you prefer the sword and sorcery type of fantasy. While this book is technically the first book in the Lost Chronicles it would be helpful if you read the first book in the Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, before you read this one in order to better understand the ongoing war. This series is probably aimed at adult readers and I can understand that but there is little content that would make me uncomfortable with also recommending it to older teens or young adults. While there is violence there are very few if any references to other mature or adult content so it should be suitable for readers older than about fifteen if they are interested in trying it. If you do try this one out remember to share your thoughts in the comments.