Dragons of Fate

Overview

Dragons of Fate continues the journey of Destina Rosethorn, a woman whose quest to rewrite personal tragedy using time travel has thrown Krynn into temporal chaos. The novel dives deeper into alternate timelines, fate-twisting magic, and moral reckonings, while weaving in fan-favorite characters like Raistlin Majere, Sturm Brightblade, Crysania, and Tasslehoff Burrfoot.

In this installment, the world itself begins to fracture under the strain of tampered destiny, and the stakes rise from personal loss to the survival of the timeline—and of reality itself.

Main Character: Destina Rosethorn

• A once-privileged Solamnic noblewoman, Destina is still reeling from the loss of her father and the disastrous consequences of her attempts to change the past in Dragons of Deceit.
• Now trapped in an alternate timeline, she must reckon with the fact that her decisions have altered the fates of the people—and the world—she loves.
• Destina’s arc becomes one of maturation, humility, and purpose, as she is forced to stop trying to undo the past and instead decide what kind of future she wants to help create.

Returning and Featured Characters

• Raistlin Majere – The enigmatic Black Robe wizard is once again at the center of cosmic balance. Here, he’s a younger version of himself—still powerful, still calculating, but caught in a timeline he doesn’t recognize.
• Sturm Brightblade – Destina’s idol and hero, now alive due to her interference. His presence challenges Destina to confront what honor and sacrifice truly mean.
• Crysania of Paladine – The devout cleric becomes increasingly entwined with the altered fate Raistlin now faces.
• Tasslehoff Burrfoot – Ever the agent of chaos and curiosity, Tas’s use of the Device of Time Journeying is central to the ongoing time rifts.
• Lord Soth – The death knight looms again, representing death, destiny, and decay across timelines.
• Galan Dracos – A powerful sorcerer from the past whose appearance signals even greater disturbances in the magical flow of time.

Setting

• The novel takes place across multiple timelines, including:
  • A distorted version of the War of the Lance, where key characters are alive or dead at the wrong times.
  • The original timeline, slowly unraveling as paradoxes mount.
  • Temporal nexuses, mysterious points where time magic is weakest or strongest.

The story’s environment reflects its themes—unstable, ever-shifting, full of things that shouldn’t be, and dangerously out of alignment with Krynn’s true history.

Plot Summary

A War Never Meant to Be

After the events of Dragons of Deceit, Destina finds herself in an altered timeline where Sturm Brightblade is alive, and the outcome of the War of the Lance is changing. Though at first hopeful, Destina soon realizes this timeline is doomed—it is a false branch off the real flow of Krynn’s history.

Raistlin, sensing something is wrong, begins probing the inconsistencies around him—haunted by visions of futures that never happened and by the knowledge that time has been broken.

Fractures and Realizations

As Destina attempts to understand her role in this collapse, she is forced to confront the emotional and moral fallout of her choices. Her desire to “fix” her father’s death has caused time to unravel, and worse—it may allow ancient evils, like Galan Dracos and Lord Soth, to rise earlier than they should.

The Device of Time Journeying, used recklessly in the past, is now becoming unstable, threatening to collapse all timelines into a void—or merge them in ways that break the world’s soul.

Fate, Free Will, and Sacrifice

Destina is pulled into Raistlin’s orbit, where her destiny intertwines with the sorcerer’s own infamous path. She begins to understand that some things are meant to be, and that true heroism lies in accepting loss when it is just, not defying death to preserve comfort.

Sturm, too, challenges her to see that honor is not about controlling fate—but enduring it.

In a climactic convergence of characters and timelines, Destina faces a brutal choice: continue to try to reshape time, or restore the original timeline, even if it means losing her father forever.

Climax and Ending (Spoiler-Free)

The novel ends on a tense cliffhanger, setting up a final confrontation in Book 3 (Dragons of Fate Book 3, title forthcoming).

Destina’s worldview is radically changed, Raistlin’s plans are no longer his own, and time itself is beginning to break beyond repair.

Themes

• Destiny vs. Free Will – What happens when mortals attempt to rewrite fate? Can love and grief justify breaking the world?
• The Cost of Power – Characters must confront the ethical cost of magic and time manipulation, especially Raistlin and Destina.
• Legacy and Honor – Through figures like Sturm and Crysania, the story questions what it means to truly live with honor.
• Growth Through Acceptance – Destina’s arc is about learning to grieve without undoing the past—to grow, not retreat.

Tone & Style

• Epic, fast-paced, and emotionally weighty, combining the rich, nostalgic voice of Chronicles and Legends with a modern character journey.
• Blends classic adventure, time paradox logic, and soulful introspection, particularly in its focus on grief, legacy, and personal choice.
• Weis and Hickman balance dialogue-driven scenes with cinematic time travel sequences and character reunions that pack emotional punch.

Reception

Dragons of Fate is praised for:

• Delivering a thoughtful continuation of Dragons of Deceit with higher stakes and richer characterization
• Reintroducing fan-favorite characters in new and compelling ways, especially Raistlin and Sturm
• Giving Destina a well-earned, more nuanced arc that deepens her motivations and agency
• Cleverly exploring alternate histories and destiny loops without losing clarity

Some critiques:

• Still leaves many plot threads for the final book
• The time travel rules, while tighter than in Book 1, can still feel murky in places

Final Thoughts

Dragons of Fate is a bold, emotional, and high-concept middle chapter in the Destiny Trilogy, offering equal parts nostalgia and innovation. With deep character work, mythic stakes, and a world unraveling around its cast, it positions Dragonlance not just as a tale of knights and dragons—but as a story about loss, legacy, and learning to let go.

Recommended for:

• Fans of Chronicles and Legends looking for meaningful returns of beloved characters
• Readers who enjoy time travel fantasy with personal stakes
• Anyone interested in a story where fate, grief, and magic collide

“Fate cannot be deceived forever. But perhaps… it can be guided.”