Legacy of the Darksword (Darksword #4)

It is twenty years since the once-magical land of Thimhallan was shattered by the forging of the Darksword.  The survivors of that catastrophe now live on Earth, bereft of magic and hope, forbidden to return home.

Only Joram remains behind on the world ravaged by his Darksword.  Although the magic weapon has been destroyed—and with it, Joram's power—rumors have risen that Joram has forged a second Darksword.

Now, as a merciless alien race threatens Earth with annihilation, Earth's desperate leaders look to Joram as their only hope.  But even as his old friend Saryon begins the perilous journey to seek his aid, the embittered Joram has his own plans for the weapon.

And Joram is not the only one.  Soon a new menace looms, foreshadowing betrayal, enslavement, and death to humans and Thimhallans alike.

Returning to one of their best-loved fantasy series, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman bring alive a sweeping tale of intrigue and magic.

Publishers Weekly

Hard as Weis and Hickman try to resuscitate their popular Darksword series (Darksword Adventures, 1988, etc.), this tired rehash never springs to life. Ruthless aliens, the unpronounceable Hch'nyv, are menacing both a near-future Earth dominated by military-industrial Technomancers and the extraterrestrial magical realm of Thimhallen, laid waste by the destruction of the original Darksword. As told by Rueven, a mute amanuensis to the aged wizard Saryon, parties all too familiar to fantasy quests gather to combat the Hch'nyv threat by discovering another Darksword. Newly forged by Prince Joram on Thimhallan and interminably juggled thereafter by nearly everyone else (Queen-in-waiting Eliza; her female knight, Scylla; renegade Enforcer Mosiah), the new Darksword is the target of Chief Technomancer Kevon Smythe, a tool of the Hch'nyv and a villain as insipid as his name. To guard the new Darksword, Weis and Hickman manage to create a realistic and tingle-inducing Dragon of the Night, but not even that great beast can breathe heat or life into this novel's trite characters and moribund plot. (June)

Dragonlance originators Tracy and Laura Hickman have been publishing game designs and stories together for over 25 years. A New York Times best selling author, with Margaret Weis, of many Dragonlance novels including the original Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragonlance Legends, Rose of the Prophet, The Darksword Trilogies, and the seven-book Deathgate Cycle. Tracy and Laura live in St. George, Utah. Their Web site is: www.bronzecanticles.com.