Dragons of Winter Night

By: Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

Now the people know that the dragon minions of Takhisis, Queen of Dragons, have returned. The people of all nations prepare to fight to save their homes, their lives, and their freedom. But the races have long been divided by hatred and prejudice. Elven warriors and human knights fight among themselves. It seems the battle has been lost before it begins.

The companions are separated, torn apart by war. A full season will pass before they meet again - if they meet again. As the darkness deepens, a disgraced knight, a pampered elf maiden, and a rattle-brained kender stand alone in the pale winter sunlight.

Not much in the way of heroes.

©1985 TSR, Inc., Cover Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast LLC (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

so....many....dramatic.....pauses

the narrator needs to learn when to pause for emphasis. that was ridiculous. great book.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

An old story well told

A story I read when I was a teenager just as good as I remember. An okay performance and a good Series of books.Worth a listen when all the Great stories run out or if your just stuck as to what you'll read next.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Not Pleased with new reader.

First of all I absolutely love this series. The Chronicles Series from the Dragonlance world contains so many fun charecter. This book definately takes you from the first book running through the progression of the War.

I started listening to this series with Ax Norman, and then audible switched to the reading by Paul Boehmer. Mr. Boehmer reads alot like a text to speech program meets William Shatner. He puts voices to some charecters but only a few and not consistently.

14 of 19 people found this review helpful

Still a monotone narration

Really a shame that Audible picked a narrator that reads in such a deliberate monotone that it is almost impossible to tell if it is computer narration or a person.

Better than book one because the authors learned writing on the fly as they wrote this series and were better at righting but book two.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Poor narrator.

Where does Dragons of Winter Night rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Average for a recreational read.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Misplaced dramatics and emphasis. Mispronunciations. Pauses where they didn't belong and not where they did belong. Character voices mixed up.

It was a good story or I wouldn't have put up with the annoying narrator.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book. Poor performance.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The book was great. The BOOK. It was great when I first read it back in the 80s. This audio performance, not so much.

What did you like best about this story?

The book, itself, is fantastic. You get a variety of characters and personalities and the scope is epic.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's attempt to add more drama is a failure. The pauses and stops make the story choppy. If it were a boat ride, I'd be sea-sick. He mispronounces half the names in the books.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The BOOK is fantastic. The audio performance, not so much

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fun, But the Flaws Still Show

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Numerous things:

1. Too much happens off-page. Major plot-related events are talked about but go unseen. I understand the authors have since written more about these unseen events more recently, but it's still distracting.

2. The prose is, well, stilted, and it's hard to get past sometimes.

3. Sometimes, the characters make decisions that are not only dumb, but that are dumber than the characters making them.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The "dream sequence", while not entirely crucial at times, was entertaining. Having half the characters waste time by making themselves traveling performers... not so much. The book's highlight is the climax, where there are real repercussions to characters' actions, and the consequences are dire.

What aspect of Paul Boehmer’s performance would you have changed?

Boehmer has a tendency to add drama where subtlety would work better. He throws in long pauses, and it probably added a couple of hours to the audiobook.

Do you think Dragons of Winter Night needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I mean, it's Book II of a trilogy, and Book III is already out, so yes. The story isn't done, and I'll stick to the end of it. I've put too much time in now, and there are still some fun moments.

Any additional comments?

Dragons of Winter Night is the Empire Strikes Back of the Dragonlance Chronicles. It's a smidgen better than its predecessor, but it doesn't even try to stand alone. Even though there are plenty of issues with the prose, and there are some aspects of the writing that feel dated, it's got a sense of adventure that still manages to be contagious.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing! Just what I hoped for!

this book was amazing! I was definitely not disappointed. The narration was amazing and the story was as well!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

One of my favorite fantasy series. Chronicles - all 4 books are worth a read or a listen! :)

One of my favorite fantasy series. Chronicles - all 4 books are worth a read or a listen! :)

Great story

A great story with many touching and humorous parts. Although the narrator sounded a bit like the brain, from pinky and the brain.

Terrible narration spoils excellent story

Such a shame this excellent story is spoiled by the rubbish narrator. The narrator expends so much effort pronouncing the words ever so clearly that he totally ignores intonation, punctuation and pacing. It is like listening to an android droning away. I actively avoid any audio books narrated by this guy. I can only hope they re-record these Dragons books with someone good doing the narration..

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Still a fantastic story, narrator is a bit off

Would you listen to Dragons of Winter Night again? Why?

Yes I would, repeatedly. I LOVE the Dragonlance Chronicles, it was my first proper reading experience with a true d&d book, and it will remain with me forever as the best books I have read in this genre.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragons of Winter Night?

The entry into the nightmare forest of Lorac... wow that was powerful writing throughout that entire episode of the book. Unforgettable atmosphere and character interraction, I felt I was actually "in there" with them.

Did Paul Boehmer do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

Ah... yes he did, attempting a fair change of accent for each of the major characters, and even "warming" to a few of them. Paul is Shakespearean trained and it shows, but I find the diction and pace a little too "perfect" outside of the individual character portrayals. As the narrator he could have been a little warmer with a less formal approach to the reading.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was thoroughly gripped by the Lorac episode, feeling the pains and elations of each character as the story progressed. The style of writing had the desired effect at each stage of the episode, both crying with despair at the tragedy of the characters, and laughing with relief when the nightmare ended. This, to me, was the most emotional and most powerfully written part of the book.

Any additional comments?

I can't express how much I really like these Chronicles, they hold a special place in my heart and I will always go back to them when I need to lose myself in a world of both endless despair and eternal hope. The depth of this book is vast and I would place it on a par with Middle Earth in it's complexity and history.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful