Book Review - Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

At last, after almost two months I've finished the Dragonlance Legends trilogy. The last book did not disappoint, even though it was the shortest of the three (by almost 100 pages). There is still plenty that can happen in the world, but the conflict around and between the twins, Caramon and Raistlin has been resolved. It was a story about loyalty, love, and peace. Not that is was a flower-power book - not by any means. The characters continued to behave like you would expect and while the descriptions stopped on the last page, the story goes on.

Plot: Raistlin has positioned himself to achieve his ultimate triumph and has made it clear to Caramon that he is not needed anymore. The book starts with them parting ways, but Caramon is not taken back to his time with Tas but rather hurtled forward, past his time into the future. He and Tas see first hand what the world holds should his twin succeed in his desperate plot. He sees what awaits should his brother not be stopped and now know what Raistlin is capable of. He also knows that he is the only one that can stop him. However, Raistlin's plans and plots are not the only ones taking place. Katiara, the half-sister of Caramon and Raistlin, is the commander of the largest army of evil creatures left in Krynn. While we didn't see much of her in the first books of the trilogy, she is set to support Raistlin in his plans - anticipating that he will reward her. But she, in turn, is being manipulated by a fierce undead knight, Lord Soth (who is considered by many Dragonlance fans as the ultimate villain). So there are plots within plots wrapped about plans. Good clerics must work with evil magi as the two brothers finally square off. And what of Crysania - the cleric that followed Raistlin and was integral to his plan. She still walks by his side, but the lessons she learns there will the hard learned and will leave their mark on her body and soul.

Personal favorites: The conclusion of the story was satisfying. The characters acted like real people and their motivations were strong. Tas was a delight, as always, particularly how his logic worked. It was good to see Tanis, one of the original companions from the first trilogy, again. The story dealt a lot with the love that people have for others, brother, wife, friends, ect. It was not extreme or sappy, but rather very understanding and believable. I was glad to see a resolution with Caramon and Tika (his wife) as well. It did a good job of tying up loose ends and completing the story while still building the world.

Considerations: Like the other books, there was fantasy related violence, but again, there were no graphic descriptions. Beyond that, I can't think of anything else.

I'm tempted to get a few more Dragonlance books after this triology - they can be quite enjoyable. As usual the world is rich and well established with good characters and exciting plots. Test of the Twins could have gone either way at the end and I would have found myself satisfied. I'm glad it went the way it did. The total length was 322 pages.