Dalamar the Dark Review

Join me as I review Dalamar the Dark by Nancy Varian Berberick live! Share your thoughts on this first novel in the Dragonlance Classics series, released by Wizards of the Coast on January 1, 2000. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/4pVk32n https://youtube.com/live/k7cjbWY25Cg About Dalamar the Dark A talent for magic runs like fire through the blood of Dalamar Argent. Yet he is only a servant in the house of an elvish lord, not worthy of the High Art of Sorcery and denied all but the most grudging teaching. As war simmers on the borders of Silvanesti, Dalamar will find a way to learn his art. His quest will take him along dark paths toward an awesome destiny. Show Notes Intro Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Kirinor, Frostkolt the 24th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of Dalamar the Dark by Nancy Varian Berberick. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members and Patreon patrons, and invite you to consider becoming a member or patron. You can even pick up Dragonlance media using my affiliate links. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat. Review What a wonderful novel thus far. I wasn’t sure how much of the world would be involved in Dalamar’s tale, but it is thus far inextricably linked to the fall of Silvanesti. We start with Dalamar as the servant, as is normal in Silvanesti culture, to another servant, though he claims to be lord Eflid. He is upset with Dalamar, as Dalamar refuses to degrade himself to those whom he knows are not his betters, and Eflid is nothing close to equal. Finally having had enough, Eflid tells his Lord Ralan that he no longer wishes to maintain the young elf in his employ. Coincidentally enough a cleric of Eli named Lord Tellin has arrived to speak with lord Ralan. He is in love with Lady Lynntha, but he cannot propose as his house is lower than Lord Ralans, and the Woodshapers never marry out of their class. Lord Tellin gives a scroll of a song that Lady Lynntha enjoys singing to Lord Ralan to pass along, and he asks a favor of Tellin in return. To take on Dalamar as a servant. This strikes Telin as off, but he agrees. He immediately sends Dalamar to learn more magic, as he wants him to be as useful as possible. Silvanesti can only learn the White magic of Solinari, Red and Black are considered Blasphemous. Even though Dalamad secretly has volumes of black magic tomes secreted away that he studies as possible. Dalamar approached Lord Tellin about the state of the war in Silvanesti, suggesting he has a plan that may be more effective than what Lord Garan of House Protector is employing. This is shocking and a concern far beyond the scope of a meager servant like Dalamar, but the proposal is so brash that it just might work, and Lord Tellin agrees to present it to th eSpeaker. This is where we get a lot of background on Lorac Caladon and his daily life with Alhana Starbreeze, his daughter. She is clearly a devoted and loving daughter, and Lorac a troubled and tormented king. He wakes from a nightmare about the Dragon Orb, and tells Alhana how he rescued it from Istar when he took his Test of High Sorcery. Alhana even woke to see him streaming as if in a dream, clutching the Dragon orb, which called out to her as well. She ignored it and made sure her father was put to bed and resting. Lord Tellin and Dalamar arrive and are greeted by the Speaker of the Stars Lorak, Lady Ylle of house Mystic, and Lord Garan of House Protector. They all scoff at the notion that Lord Tellin has anything to offer and are taken aback in shock as Dalamar speaks to the Speaker himself and offers his plan. To Lorac’s credit, he was willing to hear the plan of using illusions to make the Dragon Army believe it is being flanked, then having the actual army flank it for real. This is again, near blasphemous, but the king wants to try it as their current tactics are failing. We get to know a lot about the Red Dragonarmy, led by Dragon Highlord Phair Caron at this time. She is a devoted highlord to Takhisis and hates elves for having had poor experiences with them as a whore in her youth. She is loved and respected by her troops as much as they fear her. She reminds me of Kitiara a great deal. She is supported by a mysterious mage Tramd o’ the Dark, who uses the dead to project himself into battle, not allowing anyone to see his true form. He discovers Dalamar’s spellbooks that he was hiding. The battle goes off as expected, but the Dragon Army soon discovers it’s all an illusion and their armies are killing each other. They locate the wizards projecting the spells and take them out, Dalamar is among them, but he is also among the survivors. Tellin is healing as he can, but fears the battle has turned and they must retreat. His continued attempt to bring Lynntha with him proved to be useless, the Dragonarmy routed the forces ...