The Sellsword (DragonLance: The Anvil of Time, Vol.1)

Short and Sweet: I enjoyed the book as a whole but in particular I loved Theodones. I think he is a fantastic Gnome even better then Conundrum. Something about a Gnome taking over a band of Mercenaries just basolutely made the book for me.

I enjoyed this book very much. It had a lot of action and the characters were drawn out very well. I would enjoy a prequel to this to get to know more about the main character Vanderjack, and more on the "Cook", but as far as this story goes the only thing it does is make you impatient for the next book, which in my opinion tells me I just read a very well written story.

Having read 132 Dragonlance novels - I'm a collector - I was intrigued by The Sellsword by Cam Banks. I found his writing unique, something I think really adds to this book. Vanderjack, the main character, is well developed and purely human with many strengths, some frailities, and interesting personal and professional struggles. The sword, with it's other earthly attributes is a new twist, and one that I thought worked very well. The other characters were not the typical kender, dwarf, elf, dragon, gorgeous woman types - another big plus - Theodenes and his friend Star added some really interest - he's one of my new favorite characters. Certainly not your typical gnome. :-) A very entertaining read and an unexpected ending. Read it in a day while on vacation- couldn't put it down. Hope to see more Cam Banks in the near future. Well done!

I bought The Sellsword a week ago after picking it up at a local Hastings and didn't honestly put it down till I heard 'Happy Trails' over the sound system when they were closing up for the evening. After that I took my time to read the book, instead of rapidly devouring it as I do most Dragonlance novels, even though I simply couldn't get enough and constantly found myself hungering for more; like a vapid and starving soul. I enjoyed the book greatly, so much as a matter of fact that I wanted to take every possible moment to enjoy the story that lays printed on it's pages. To be honest, I hadn't enjoyed reading a book this much since I had originally picked up Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's legendary and beloved classics that helped give birth to Dragonlance and a legions of adoring fans. You can easily read the books description or take a peak at the other reviews written about this book and get an fair idea of what it is all about, but none of them truly do it justice and very little of what I can say will change that, but mostly I don't wish to spoil it in the tiniest bit for anyone. What I will tell you that the story of Vanderjack the mercenary is a marvelous one, full of adventure, mystery, humor, a little bit of romance for good measure and is chalked with genuine charm and magic. It was very easy to tell that Cam Banks had set foot and adventured in the lands of Krynn countless times before as I read the Sellsword as there are certainly a lot of devils in the details that other Dragonlance fans are sure to greatly appreciate. Though I can't really describe it, but the novel seemed to be written with a lot of affection; like talking about home and for those kindred souls who have heard the sirens song in their heart and set out search of adventure, like a wanderlust struck Kender in Dragonlance. The sum of the parts is what made me fall in love with The Sellsword and is a worthy read for anyone, especially for fans of the setting; you'll l certainly enjoy it. I finished the book imaging what Cam Banks could write given the opportunity for lengthier novels. I believe, after reading The Sellsword that given a little time he could write a trilogy that would make Wies and Hickman proud.

This book was excellent. It was fun and light and reading it was truly an enjoyable experience. The characters are cool, detailed, and enigmatic. It's got jokes that Dragonlance fans will love but might go over the heads of people new to the series. The book is well written in a way that makes it an interesting read and is hard to put down. I read it basically in one day. I would strongly recommend this book to any Dragonlance fan and if you're not a Dragonlance fan, go buy Chronicles, read them, and then read this book. Happy Reading!!