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The Soulforge by Margaret Weiss

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Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
Raistlin and his twin brother Caramon live in a small tree village. Their lives are bound together. Raistlin cannot get through life without the physical help of Caramon, and Caramon cannot handle the intellectual demands of being independent. So they choose to stay close to each other, until Raistlin enters a school for mages, and Caramon tries his hand at farming. One day, Raistlin will take The Test to become a Mage, and when he does, he'll leave Caramon behind.

Category
Fantasy, D&D

Why I chose this book
Liked the series in the past

My personal opinion (the review)
I used to read the Dragonlance series as a teenager, and I'm glad to see I still enjoy them as an adult. Raistlin was my favorite character, so this volume in particular was fun to read, to learn more of his history, and why Caramon was so devoted to him. The characters are fantasy, but they're approachable. The writing style is excellent, engaging. I'll probably spend money on this series, in the long term.

Warnings
Language: None
Violence: Some, near the end
"Adult" situations: One brief, racy moment
Death: Some, mostly minor characters

Movie rating equivalent
PG-13

Protagonist description
Raistlin is weak and the lesser twin in every sense, until he begins to learn magic, which comes naturally to him

Point of view of story
Third, focused on Raistlin

Book length
Medium-long

Story flow
Excellent

Grammar and spelling issues
None

Character connection (no spoilers)
None

For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Integral

Series review as a whole
First book, stay tuned; great so far

If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
Start at the beginning- The Soulforge

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