Product Description

Magic and Murder

When Flint Fireforge, dwarf and metalsmith, receives a wondrous summons from the Speaker of the Sun, he journeys to the fabled elven city of Qualinost. There he meets Tanis, a thoughtful youth born of a tragic union between elf and man. Tanis and Flint, each a misfit in his own way, find themselves unlikely friends.

But a pompous elf lord is mysteriously slain, and another elf soon meets the same fate. Tanis stands accused, and if his innocence cannot be proven, the half-elf will be banished forever. Solving the mystery will be a perilous task. Time is on the murder's side, and he is not finished yet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #640213 in Books
• Published on: 1991-04-01
• Released on: 1991-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 307 pages

Customer Reviews

A must have!
First off, let me say that the synopsis mentioned above isn't exactly correct. Second off, keep in mind that this *is* a mystery-type novel. Very well done, too might I add, lol. The story of how Tanis and Flint (he's as grumpy as ever!)came together is told here, alas evil is afoot. Someone is killing off elves, and circumstances are just right for Tanis to be accused. Flint has to find evidence of Tanis' innocence or he (Tanis) will be banished... a fate worse than death for elves...

This story also follows many childhood years of Gilthanis, Porthios, and Laurana... touches on the love exsisting (or not) between Tanis and Laurana. Many well written clues are given in the novel, and yet (for DL fans) it's easy enough to get so engrossed in the tale that you miss them until the killer is revealed! Once I read who it was, I slapped my forehead and grumbled to myself that I should've known ;) The suspects that are created through the writing are plenty... nearly everyone...

Only one complaint though... the final battle was too short, too conveniant, too 'of all the luck'... but this setback doesn't really cut into the enjoyabilty of the novel.

Well Written, But Flawed
Anyone familiare with the original Heroes of the Lance will want to pick up a copy of Kindered Spirits. This first installment of the "Meetings" series tells the story of the early years shared by Flint and Tanis. The authors spend most of their time with Tanis as a youth and Flint as a veteran dwarf. Fans expecting to see lots of interaction between Tanis and Laurana will be disappointed, however. I had hoped to see a little bit more of their early life as a young lovers, but that's not the case here. Largely the events of this book detail Flint and Tanis's relationship, and their fight to prove Tanis innocent of murder. For the most part, the plot and story are sound. The events in this book fall nicely into place with Weiss and Hickman's original outlines of these characters pasts. However, I feel the book ended too abruptly, failing to explain a good deal of the character's motivations. Furthermore, There was no aftermath following the climax of the story. The story just ended, then transplanted the characters out of the setting months later. While the guts of this book are fairly thorough, the ending was rushed, and left me unsatisfied.

good book
This is the first book in the Meetings Sextet and occurs prior to Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Flint Fireforge happily settled in the elven land of Qualinost - who would ever believe this? He meets the young half-elf Tanis, and this is where their life-long friendship begins. This is also the start of the collaborative work of the companions of the Chronicles series, and tells part of the story of Flint and Tanis' younger years. I would recommend this book to anyone who really enjoyed the main characters in the Chronicles. The story shares some insights into these two notorious characters.