Serpent Mage-Death Gate Cycle 04-3/5

By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Out of fear, enemies are born.

2016-08-04_DGC 04-Serpent Mage.jpg

Haplo returns full of doubts, and confesses all to his lord, who purifies Haplo through pain. Cold once more, Haplo is sent on to Chelestra, the last world; where he finds a vast ocean, where “sea moons” float in bubbles of air.

The story quickly switches to the mensch (dwarves, elves, and humans), who have managed to form a lasting peace. They are about to migrate to a new sea moon, until a new enemy appears, demanding a sacrifice to stay their hand.

The story continues the transition that began in Fire Sea, humanizing Haplo through a series of quick subplots as he struggles to reconcile who he is with who he thinks he should be. This brings the characters much closer, but also serves as a stalling tactic, postponing the main conflict until other plots have a chance to catch up. The story manages to create some touching moments, but ultimately proves anti-climactic, leaving characters and audiences waiting for the next installment.

+Strong Characters
+Strong Setting
*Weak main plot, strong subplots
*Some interesting ideas
-Anticlimactic Ending

3/5

Next Time…
Hand of Chaos-DGC 05
2016/08/11

One thought on “Serpent Mage-Death Gate Cycle 04-3/5

  1. Pingback: Fire Sea-Death Gate Cycle 03-3.5/5 | Write Thoughts

Leave a Reply