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Dragonlance Universe #2
The Players of Gilean
Across the ages roams an immortal troupe of actors, gifted with fantastical powers and led by a mysterious artiste with a penchant for meddling. Wherever they roam, they encounter magic and monsters and evil that requires taming.
This is the first anthology based on characters from the extraordinary novella "The Travelling Players of Gilean," by Margaret Weis and Aron Eisenberg, which was featured in The Best of Tales, Volume One. This new anthology also features novellas by best-selling Dragonlance authors Douglas Niles, Richard A. Knaak, Paul B. Thompson, and a new collaboration by Jean Rabe and Aron Eisenberg.
Contents
"Command Performance" by Douglas Niles
"Papilla" by Fergus Ryan
"Enter, a Ghost" by Paul B. Thompson
"Perfect" by Donald J. Bingle
"A Matter of Honor" by Richard A. Knaak
"Rewrites" by Aron Eisenberg and Jean Rabe
This is the first anthology based on characters from the extraordinary novella "The Travelling Players of Gilean," by Margaret Weis and Aron Eisenberg, which was featured in The Best of Tales, Volume One. This new anthology also features novellas by best-selling Dragonlance authors Douglas Niles, Richard A. Knaak, Paul B. Thompson, and a new collaboration by Jean Rabe and Aron Eisenberg.
Contents
"Command Performance" by Douglas Niles
"Papilla" by Fergus Ryan
"Enter, a Ghost" by Paul B. Thompson
"Perfect" by Donald J. Bingle
"A Matter of Honor" by Richard A. Knaak
"Rewrites" by Aron Eisenberg and Jean Rabe
340 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2003
4 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
677 books5,868 followersMargaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 20, 2017
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This takes place in the world of Dragonlance and it is an anthology. It isn't your usual anthology that is found in this world as there are a few number of stories with the page count being about fifty pages. The time setting varies too as it covers different eras. This collection follows an acting troupe that puts on plays with the help of magic. This troupe is varied with its characters as we see all kinds ranging from minotaurs to kender.
This book actually surprised me. As per usual with an anthology there are some very good stories and some that are not. I liked the idea of the one constant thru the different times is the manager of the troupe. It gives an air of mystery of whether he is a god or not. All the other characters are just used once. This troupe puts on plays that seem innocuous but have a hidden message to either an actor or someone in the audience. This message ends up affecting that one particular person and really hits home.
This is one of the better anthologies that exist in this universe. The first story by Douglas Niles was terrific and easily on my top ten list for short stories for this world. That story alone is worth picking up this book.
This takes place in the world of Dragonlance and it is an anthology. It isn't your usual anthology that is found in this world as there are a few number of stories with the page count being about fifty pages. The time setting varies too as it covers different eras. This collection follows an acting troupe that puts on plays with the help of magic. This troupe is varied with its characters as we see all kinds ranging from minotaurs to kender.
This book actually surprised me. As per usual with an anthology there are some very good stories and some that are not. I liked the idea of the one constant thru the different times is the manager of the troupe. It gives an air of mystery of whether he is a god or not. All the other characters are just used once. This troupe puts on plays that seem innocuous but have a hidden message to either an actor or someone in the audience. This message ends up affecting that one particular person and really hits home.
This is one of the better anthologies that exist in this universe. The first story by Douglas Niles was terrific and easily on my top ten list for short stories for this world. That story alone is worth picking up this book.
May 1, 2017
I love the epic tales of Dragonlance where a group of heroes goes up against impossible foes, but I also like these little vignettes were we see how life is for the mundane person of Krynn. How do the country folk of some backwater burg that's never even seen a dwarf fare when there's some traveling group in town performing tales from the War of the Lance?
In that vein, this little collection of novellas (calling them "short stories" would be wrong since all of them clock in for at least 50 pages long) was really fun and delivered on nerdy fantasy lit.
Based off a short story from a previous Dragonlance collection, The Players of Gilean tells of a mysterious troupe of players lead by a doughy old but cunning man (or traveling god depending on interpretation) named Sebastius, and wherever he leads them, the power of the theater manages to right whatever wrongs need to be vanquished. Sometimes they stop two armies from fighting or exorcise a lingering spirit, or sometimes they do something as simple as punish two very awful little boys who were terrorizing a town of like 50 people or perform a very boring play for a wedding.
Basically the question you have to ask yourself is this: Do you like the idea of reading about kender, minotaurs, elves, dwarves, and occasionally centaurs and gully dwarves act out in plays or fuss around with stages and costumes? Do you like the idea of the stage being the climax of a story? If so, then these stories will delight.
What I really liked about the traveling trope of actors was that they weren't sleazy, thieving, or scheming carnies that were renowned for tricking entire towns with their guile - something I came into this book expecting knowing the track record of Weis and Hickman-written traveling performers - but they were incredibly professional in their performances and took their jobs very seriously. Some of these players, like the gully dwarf who is their sound effect guy, are astonishingly good. I think if they were con artists, this wouldn't be as fun.
Even though the stories were very enjoyable, There were some minor problems, and I think it was because there were different authors involved with these novellas involving the same troupe. The first problem was that, save for Sebastius, the leader of this enchanted brigade of performing artists, none of the players appeared in more than one story. This didn't bother me too badly, even if one of the stories felt like build-up to a warlord giving up his life of war and commanding armies to be a performer, because every short story had decent protagonists, but the loss of continuity was noted.
The second problem was minor inconsistencies could be spotted in-between the stories. Now, despite the different authors, these stories all take place within the same universe. For instance, they have an illusionist who can conjure up entire sets in one story, making the descriptions of the other plays in the other stories seem out of place. One story has dwarves play gully dwarves because the Aghar clan is seen as unreliable with theater work (and this is one of the better scenes in the book because the dwarves are described as being as unhappy as wet cats about this), only for a gully dwarf to appear literally in the next story.
Finally, the third problem was the level of ambiguity involving the troupe and how the different writers tackled it. It was sort of weird reading three stories where these players have a reputation about them to the point where some of their escapades become legends, but no one outright says anything about it and they just look like really smart traveling performers...and then suddenly run right into the fourth story that flat out says that all the performers get a magical tattoo that prevents them from aging or growing old and that Sebastius is rumored to be a god.
Out of the short stories, I ended up liking Enter, A Ghost the most because, in a way, it was the story I was expecting the most when I picked up the book and read the little cover blurb. We have traveling performers, we have an evil ghost draining a town of its vitality, and the ghost is finally defeated on the stage while the audience thinks its just a part of the play. Cliche and goofy, yes, but it did it in an earnest, fun way.
In the grand scheme of Dragonlance, this is a very throwaway extra-curricular assignment that doesn't really expand on the Dragonlance universe so much as give you more of what you love, and I will admit all of these stories are blanketed with an enjoyable level of fantasy novel cheese, but I was delighted by all the stories I read in this. Like any good play, it made for a fun little diversion.
In that vein, this little collection of novellas (calling them "short stories" would be wrong since all of them clock in for at least 50 pages long) was really fun and delivered on nerdy fantasy lit.
Based off a short story from a previous Dragonlance collection, The Players of Gilean tells of a mysterious troupe of players lead by a doughy old but cunning man (or traveling god depending on interpretation) named Sebastius, and wherever he leads them, the power of the theater manages to right whatever wrongs need to be vanquished. Sometimes they stop two armies from fighting or exorcise a lingering spirit, or sometimes they do something as simple as punish two very awful little boys who were terrorizing a town of like 50 people or perform a very boring play for a wedding.
Basically the question you have to ask yourself is this: Do you like the idea of reading about kender, minotaurs, elves, dwarves, and occasionally centaurs and gully dwarves act out in plays or fuss around with stages and costumes? Do you like the idea of the stage being the climax of a story? If so, then these stories will delight.
What I really liked about the traveling trope of actors was that they weren't sleazy, thieving, or scheming carnies that were renowned for tricking entire towns with their guile - something I came into this book expecting knowing the track record of Weis and Hickman-written traveling performers - but they were incredibly professional in their performances and took their jobs very seriously. Some of these players, like the gully dwarf who is their sound effect guy, are astonishingly good. I think if they were con artists, this wouldn't be as fun.
Even though the stories were very enjoyable, There were some minor problems, and I think it was because there were different authors involved with these novellas involving the same troupe. The first problem was that, save for Sebastius, the leader of this enchanted brigade of performing artists, none of the players appeared in more than one story. This didn't bother me too badly, even if one of the stories felt like build-up to a warlord giving up his life of war and commanding armies to be a performer, because every short story had decent protagonists, but the loss of continuity was noted.
The second problem was minor inconsistencies could be spotted in-between the stories. Now, despite the different authors, these stories all take place within the same universe. For instance, they have an illusionist who can conjure up entire sets in one story, making the descriptions of the other plays in the other stories seem out of place. One story has dwarves play gully dwarves because the Aghar clan is seen as unreliable with theater work (and this is one of the better scenes in the book because the dwarves are described as being as unhappy as wet cats about this), only for a gully dwarf to appear literally in the next story.
Finally, the third problem was the level of ambiguity involving the troupe and how the different writers tackled it. It was sort of weird reading three stories where these players have a reputation about them to the point where some of their escapades become legends, but no one outright says anything about it and they just look like really smart traveling performers...and then suddenly run right into the fourth story that flat out says that all the performers get a magical tattoo that prevents them from aging or growing old and that Sebastius is rumored to be a god.
Out of the short stories, I ended up liking Enter, A Ghost the most because, in a way, it was the story I was expecting the most when I picked up the book and read the little cover blurb. We have traveling performers, we have an evil ghost draining a town of its vitality, and the ghost is finally defeated on the stage while the audience thinks its just a part of the play. Cliche and goofy, yes, but it did it in an earnest, fun way.
In the grand scheme of Dragonlance, this is a very throwaway extra-curricular assignment that doesn't really expand on the Dragonlance universe so much as give you more of what you love, and I will admit all of these stories are blanketed with an enjoyable level of fantasy novel cheese, but I was delighted by all the stories I read in this. Like any good play, it made for a fun little diversion.
October 22, 2021
I wanted to read Dragonlance but take a slight break from big, extended adventures, so I picked this up. The original idea of the Traveling Players came from a story by Aron Eisenberg and Margaret Weis; the theater troupe travels Ansalon, performing plays and changing lives and perspectives along the way. I enjoyed this collection overall because I rather like Dragonlance stories where the stakes are low.
Command Performance by Douglas Niles: Two armies halt before battle to enjoy a variety show. As I read more books by Niles, I find myself really liking his writing style.
Papilla by Fergus Ryan: This very vaguely reminded me of Something Wicked This Way Comes as two boys plan mischief towards their sister when the Players arrive in town. Some of the writing felt muddy to me, but in general I enjoyed it.
Enter, A Ghost by Paul B. Thompson: This one showed that the players themselves could learn from their travels and surroundings. I like a good ghost story, and this was a fun read.
Perfect by Donald J. Bingle: This involved several storylines. I particularly enjoyed Zefta, the elf mage. And Fornarius the Solamnic echoed some aspects of Sturm and his adherence to the Oath and the Measure.
A Matter of Honor by Richard Knaak: Of course, we find minotaur in Knaak’s story. I’m not sure why, but this was one of my favorite pieces of writing of his. Minotaur honor and heroism wrapped up in a touching story.
Rewrites by Aron Eisenberg and Jean Rabe: Since Eisenberg originated the idea, I assume this is the closest to his intentions than the other stories. I liked that he really focused on the theatrical aspect of the story, with writing and rehearsing very important to the tale.
All in all, I wish I could travel to Krynn and see the Players of Gilean perform!
Command Performance by Douglas Niles: Two armies halt before battle to enjoy a variety show. As I read more books by Niles, I find myself really liking his writing style.
Papilla by Fergus Ryan: This very vaguely reminded me of Something Wicked This Way Comes as two boys plan mischief towards their sister when the Players arrive in town. Some of the writing felt muddy to me, but in general I enjoyed it.
Enter, A Ghost by Paul B. Thompson: This one showed that the players themselves could learn from their travels and surroundings. I like a good ghost story, and this was a fun read.
Perfect by Donald J. Bingle: This involved several storylines. I particularly enjoyed Zefta, the elf mage. And Fornarius the Solamnic echoed some aspects of Sturm and his adherence to the Oath and the Measure.
A Matter of Honor by Richard Knaak: Of course, we find minotaur in Knaak’s story. I’m not sure why, but this was one of my favorite pieces of writing of his. Minotaur honor and heroism wrapped up in a touching story.
Rewrites by Aron Eisenberg and Jean Rabe: Since Eisenberg originated the idea, I assume this is the closest to his intentions than the other stories. I liked that he really focused on the theatrical aspect of the story, with writing and rehearsing very important to the tale.
All in all, I wish I could travel to Krynn and see the Players of Gilean perform!
April 30, 2024
Epic World building, great humour from the outset, adventure and action! :D
April 11, 2009
This is a collection of six short stories from various authors, set in the Dragonlance universe, about a traveling troupe of actors and their mysterious leader, Sebastius. Think Dragonlance meets Fantasy Island, with Sebastius as Mr. Roarke, and you get the idea behind the stories. Not a bad read, but pretty much a throw-away book.
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August 28, 2012Yes, I have a story in this Dragonlance anthology.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews