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Dragonlance: Villains #3
Emperor of Ansalon
Ariakas Was Ambitious
Vast armies surge across Krynn, spreading shadows of evil dragonkind over the land. All these horrific forces follow the commands of one man. . .
Ariakas, the Emperor of Ansalon.
Warrior, priest, nobleman, king. . . he attains glory and power by climbing over the bodies of his enemies. And his rise is aided by Takhisis, his mighty mistress. Yet, when the ultimate victory of evil looms, Ariakas must master his own ambitions - or oppose the Dark Queen herself.
The Villians Series explores the corrupted origins of the malevolent minions of Takhisis, Queen of Darkness.
Vast armies surge across Krynn, spreading shadows of evil dragonkind over the land. All these horrific forces follow the commands of one man. . .
Ariakas, the Emperor of Ansalon.
Warrior, priest, nobleman, king. . . he attains glory and power by climbing over the bodies of his enemies. And his rise is aided by Takhisis, his mighty mistress. Yet, when the ultimate victory of evil looms, Ariakas must master his own ambitions - or oppose the Dark Queen herself.
The Villians Series explores the corrupted origins of the malevolent minions of Takhisis, Queen of Darkness.
308 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
20 people are currently reading
1392 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Niles
175 books235 followersDouglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game. He currently resides in Delavan, Wisconsin with his wife, Christine, and two Bouviets, Reggie and Stella. He enjoys playing his guitar, cooking, and visiting with family.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 16, 2024
Tenía pinta de truño, y truño es lo que es. Me lo he acabado por respeto a la saga Dragonlance que me ha dado muy buenos momentos, pero aunque es un universo que tiene como 200 libros, se confirma mi teoría que con leer siete u ocho específicos ya has leído lo mejor y el resto es paja. Especialmente si no lo han escrito Weis y Hickman, que tampoco son perfectos.
Emperador de Ansalon es el tercer volumen de una saga-precuela dedicada a los villanos del universo de fantasía épica de Dragonlance que ha llegado a mis manos por casualidad y que presuntamente nos contaría los orígenes de lord Duulket Ariakas, el famoso emperador de las tropas de Takhisis que Tanis y Raistlin derrotan al final de la trilogía de las Crónicas, concretamente, en La Reina de la Oscuridad.
Sólo que no acaba de convencer. Son tan sólo unos meses en la vida de un personaje tan plano y poco interesante como el típico machote con un espadón que es elegido por una diosa para ser un paladín del mal. Ni siquiera contaré el argumento porque hay muy poco, a Ariakas le van pasando cosas que deberían tener mucha trascendencia pero que no logran captarte, a pesar de que pasa de ser un mercenario sin oficio ni beneficio a un jinete de dragón con una espada con superpoderes.
Lo que más me chirría del libro es la atroz misoginia del autor. A pesar de que el libro está dedicado "Para Christine", sus personajes femeninos, que son CUATRO en total en toda la historia, sirven simplemente como instrumento al protagonista para su desarrollo, y todas desde una perspectiva violenta/sexualizada. Con la excepción de Takhisis, que es una diosa y por supuesto, hace su voluntad a su manera; los demás personajes femeninos reflejan el machismo de Niles. Tenemos a una kender a la que mata brutalmente; luego, la dama de la torre y la sacerdotisa del templo, que se acuestan con él para proporcionarle placer y luego mueren brutalmente (la dama de la torre a manos del mismo Ariakas). En todo momento, estas dos mujeres aparecen sexualizadas - de hecho, a la dama de la torre ni siquiera se le da un nombre - porque su función es servir sexualmente a Ariakas y luego morir. Él las olvida rápidamente. Y cuando las recuerda, sólo recuerda el buen sexo que tuvo con ellas. Incluso la forma en que las describe pone de relieve que no fueron más que cuerpos para él, ni siquiera personas.
Puede que todo eso tenga que ver con que la diosa le ha prometido que tendrá las mujeres que quiera, pero que, vete a saber por qué, todas TIENEN que morir en el plazo de un año. Por lo que sea. Lo cual, aparte de ser un horror, es una incongruencia, porque por las Crónicas sabemos que Kitiara Uth Matar también fue su amante, y ella no muere. Al menos, no por ser amante de Ariakas, ni mucho menos en el plazo de un año. Pero en fin, eso lo escribieron Weis y Hickman, y esto lo ha escrito Niles.
Christine, no sé quien eres, pero debes ser muy próxima a Niles para que te haya dedicado este libro tan machista. Red flag, hermana, sal de ahí. Me preocupas.
PS: Otra incongruencia. En las Crónicas Ariakas es descrito como mago además de guerrero, en contraste con Verminaard que sí era clérigo y no mago. Sin embargo, los poderes que se describen aquí, en este libro, que desarrolla Ariakas como premio de su diosa, son más de clérigo que de mago. ¿En qué quedamos señores? Dragonlance de nuevo contradiciéndose a sí mismo.
Emperador de Ansalon es el tercer volumen de una saga-precuela dedicada a los villanos del universo de fantasía épica de Dragonlance que ha llegado a mis manos por casualidad y que presuntamente nos contaría los orígenes de lord Duulket Ariakas, el famoso emperador de las tropas de Takhisis que Tanis y Raistlin derrotan al final de la trilogía de las Crónicas, concretamente, en La Reina de la Oscuridad.
Sólo que no acaba de convencer. Son tan sólo unos meses en la vida de un personaje tan plano y poco interesante como el típico machote con un espadón que es elegido por una diosa para ser un paladín del mal. Ni siquiera contaré el argumento porque hay muy poco, a Ariakas le van pasando cosas que deberían tener mucha trascendencia pero que no logran captarte, a pesar de que pasa de ser un mercenario sin oficio ni beneficio a un jinete de dragón con una espada con superpoderes.
Lo que más me chirría del libro es la atroz misoginia del autor. A pesar de que el libro está dedicado "Para Christine", sus personajes femeninos, que son CUATRO en total en toda la historia, sirven simplemente como instrumento al protagonista para su desarrollo, y todas desde una perspectiva violenta/sexualizada. Con la excepción de Takhisis, que es una diosa y por supuesto, hace su voluntad a su manera; los demás personajes femeninos reflejan el machismo de Niles. Tenemos a una kender a la que mata brutalmente; luego, la dama de la torre y la sacerdotisa del templo, que se acuestan con él para proporcionarle placer y luego mueren brutalmente (la dama de la torre a manos del mismo Ariakas). En todo momento, estas dos mujeres aparecen sexualizadas - de hecho, a la dama de la torre ni siquiera se le da un nombre - porque su función es servir sexualmente a Ariakas y luego morir. Él las olvida rápidamente. Y cuando las recuerda, sólo recuerda el buen sexo que tuvo con ellas. Incluso la forma en que las describe pone de relieve que no fueron más que cuerpos para él, ni siquiera personas.
Puede que todo eso tenga que ver con que la diosa le ha prometido que tendrá las mujeres que quiera, pero que, vete a saber por qué, todas TIENEN que morir en el plazo de un año. Por lo que sea. Lo cual, aparte de ser un horror, es una incongruencia, porque por las Crónicas sabemos que Kitiara Uth Matar también fue su amante, y ella no muere. Al menos, no por ser amante de Ariakas, ni mucho menos en el plazo de un año. Pero en fin, eso lo escribieron Weis y Hickman, y esto lo ha escrito Niles.
Christine, no sé quien eres, pero debes ser muy próxima a Niles para que te haya dedicado este libro tan machista. Red flag, hermana, sal de ahí. Me preocupas.
PS: Otra incongruencia. En las Crónicas Ariakas es descrito como mago además de guerrero, en contraste con Verminaard que sí era clérigo y no mago. Sin embargo, los poderes que se describen aquí, en este libro, que desarrolla Ariakas como premio de su diosa, son más de clérigo que de mago. ¿En qué quedamos señores? Dragonlance de nuevo contradiciéndose a sí mismo.
July 31, 2015
This book is part of the Dragonlance world. It is a prequel to the original trilogy. One doesn't need to read the original trilogy for this novel but it does help. This book tells the story of Ariakas and how he comes to be the leader of the Queen's army.
This was a decent book that had good parts and not so good parts. The beginning was terrific as it details Ariakas becoming in favor with the Queen. It was well done with a nice mix of action and cleverness. The ending was very good as this part strikes home with readers who have read the original trilogy. Unfortunately, the middle lagged. There were some action scenes but they were not captivating. The author tried to put the main character in perilous situations but there was never any doubt he would survive.
This author has contributed some terrific books for this world but this isn't one of them. It was readable and had some nice background information of how a character becomes a integral part of the original trilogy. If this character was fleshed out a little more I believe this book would have garnered a higher rating.
This was a decent book that had good parts and not so good parts. The beginning was terrific as it details Ariakas becoming in favor with the Queen. It was well done with a nice mix of action and cleverness. The ending was very good as this part strikes home with readers who have read the original trilogy. Unfortunately, the middle lagged. There were some action scenes but they were not captivating. The author tried to put the main character in perilous situations but there was never any doubt he would survive.
This author has contributed some terrific books for this world but this isn't one of them. It was readable and had some nice background information of how a character becomes a integral part of the original trilogy. If this character was fleshed out a little more I believe this book would have garnered a higher rating.
June 20, 2007
Emperor of Ansalon is the third book centered around the villains of The War of the Lance which is set in Dragonlance. This book is written by an excellent writer with a vast amount of experience in Dragonlance and in Forgotten Realms. The lead character is Lord Ariakas who is Takhisis’ champion who is seeking to re-enter the world of Krynn. The book is split up into two main parts that revolve around Ariakas before he becomes the leader of the Dark Queen’s army. The first section details an adventure where Ariakas tries to rescue a woman who is held prisoner by a group of ogres. Ariakas goes to rescue this woman from the ogre and ends up killing her at her request. It is then revealed that the woman is a test by Takhisis to make sure Ariakas will obey without question.
Check out my website to read the full review.
[http://www.thefantasyreview.com/2007/...]
Check out my website to read the full review.
[http://www.thefantasyreview.com/2007/...]
October 29, 2017
Very good recounting of the early rise of Ariakas, as he begins to serve the evil Queen of Darkness, Takhisis. A little slow at first, as he develops power it draws the reader in more and more. Niles is probably my favorite writer in the Dungeons and Dragons novels series; he really understands how to take the game play setting and make good stories from the material.
January 19, 2024
The best book I've read from Douglas Niles so far. Granted that's not saying much since I've loathed the other three, but here his penchant for slightly more colourful prose than other Dragonlance writers serves him well and despite the fact that this narrative could have ambled literally anywhere the author manages to keep it fairly focussed - granted there's little relation between the schoolboy adventure of part one (a bizarre romp in an ogre castle to save a damsel) and the far more interlinked events of Parts Two and Three.
Like other books in the villains series this one provides some nice backstory we didn't need, that leads in to the main Chronicles series. This time it's a little colour on how the Draconians were discovered and created by Ariakas and the mission he had to go on for this to happen. Psychology and politics are almost entirely lacking and it's weird to sometimes think that Ariakas seems like an Ok guy and have a sense of camaraderie about someone who was nice to him, and then for him to cruelly run someone through, or to not care that every woman he beds is doomed to die within a year. Takhisis is an odd mistress at times, it seems ...
There's a parallel universe where this book is pretty damn epic but that, sadly, wasn't to be. It's easy to forget that this was written in the 90s though, and politically charged fantasy was still an emerging prospect - shame, because I can see a more complex book about Ariakas subtly manoeuvring disparate parts of Krynn under his command until he's ready to strike out with his dragonarmy as providing some really good colour to the saga. I had some stupid fun with this little adventure, though, which was probably more than I was expecting.
Like other books in the villains series this one provides some nice backstory we didn't need, that leads in to the main Chronicles series. This time it's a little colour on how the Draconians were discovered and created by Ariakas and the mission he had to go on for this to happen. Psychology and politics are almost entirely lacking and it's weird to sometimes think that Ariakas seems like an Ok guy and have a sense of camaraderie about someone who was nice to him, and then for him to cruelly run someone through, or to not care that every woman he beds is doomed to die within a year. Takhisis is an odd mistress at times, it seems ...
There's a parallel universe where this book is pretty damn epic but that, sadly, wasn't to be. It's easy to forget that this was written in the 90s though, and politically charged fantasy was still an emerging prospect - shame, because I can see a more complex book about Ariakas subtly manoeuvring disparate parts of Krynn under his command until he's ready to strike out with his dragonarmy as providing some really good colour to the saga. I had some stupid fun with this little adventure, though, which was probably more than I was expecting.
February 8, 2016
I used to like villains with cool scary armor. Look at the guy on the cover of this book. Not only does he have cool armor - he has a scary helmet/mask and his hands are shooting lightning. So, yeah. That's what's going on here.
August 4, 2012
Fascinating and grim. Definitely fun dark fantasy. =)
June 6, 2024
This was a complete surprise as I have no experience with the series but this was legitimately a great time.
It's like the Villains Journey instead of the Heroes Journey and it was a lot of fun with some surprisingly good character work.
It's like the Villains Journey instead of the Heroes Journey and it was a lot of fun with some surprisingly good character work.
November 29, 2022
Excellent book filled with lots of adventure and fantasy. Fun enjoyable read.
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August 28, 2024I did not read this book. I have no idea what it is about.
February 9, 2025
The story was nice enough, but Ariakas as a character feels bland and shallow somehow, like he's just a horny teenager instead of a grizzled veteran
October 22, 2021
Just made it through this for the first time today. It tells the story of the rise of Ariakas, his arrival in Sanction, the creation of draconians, and his first step (or flight) as a highlord. I enjoyed the first part with him in the tower because it reminded me of allegorical King Arthur tales, but I thought the rest of the book spent just a little too much time on people wandering around in dark caverns and underground paths, although it was interesting to see Sanction pre-dragon armies. I also never felt a connection to Ariakas as the main character. He just lacked a little bit of charisma that would have made him more engaging. Since I always end up comparing Dragonlance books to others in the series, I felt a treatment of Ariakas that mirrored Knaak’s Golgren would have made me get invested in him as a character. But I just really like Golgren. Anyway, it was still a fun read that I would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews