This is another book from the “Chaos War” series, delving into the massive changes to Dwarf society during that world-shattering conflict. Coming into the book, I was a bit concerned that I would find it boring. While the Dragonlance saga is known for its level of detail, particularly in fleshing out some of the archetypes of the fantasy genre, some of the peoples of Ansalon are better in small doses.
The previous novel I reviewed (“The Puppet King”) was written by the same author, covering the effect of the Chaos War on the elven nations, and I liked how the hints and allegations in “Dragons of Summer Flame” were given scope. I had no recollection of any description of the effects on Thorbardin or the dwarves as a whole, so there were fewer expectations. That might have helped me enjoy the novel more than I would have otherwise.
Still, one requirement of any such book is that it must stand on its own merits. The story needs to be complete and compelling on its own. “The Puppet King” managed to pull it off, but I’m not sure this book would meet that mark. If this hadn’t been a Dragonlance book, there would have been little interest in the topic or the events depicted. Even so, I found myself struggling in the beginning, because I simply didn’t care about the fate of the dwarves.
In the end, the story moved quickly enough to make it worth the time, but this is not one of the better novels in the saga. Using the designations I mentioned in the review for “The Puppet King”, I would call this a mediocre second-tier novel. There’s nothing vital about it, but it does expand on the fate of one major population during this particular period. For those looking for more from the Chaos War, this was worth a quick read. Otherwise, there’s much better supplementary material on the shelves.
Rating: 6/10
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