This one -I remember- is the best of the series, mainly for the setting. Underground caverns, no light, a huge lava sea.

And the undead.

But, it suffers from the same things as the previous ones: cheaply written, young-adult, dei ex machina.

Another thing I've noticed (but failed to mention until now) is that the authors keep repeating over and over things we already know, like Alfred managing to fall over the smallest crack in the floor of being a coward, fainting... They keep telling us at every opportunity. Come on, this is young-adult, not retard-fiction!

We fail, again, to really see Haplo in action because (again) he's playing it dumb... Actually, he's bested by the oldest trick in the book.

Well, I was going to keep on finishing the saga, but 3 books in a row is already too much, so I'm taking a break.

As I've said, it's good for kids.

This is definitely the best book so far. It's darker and has more depth than the other two, while advancing the overarching story in an interesting way. One thing I like about these books is that each story is self-contained while still being a part of the whole. There are no annoying cliffhangers.

One of the most haunting installments of the series so far, and simultaneously one of the most thrilling! As has been the trend with the previous two books in the series, I feel that the book had some slow pacing in the beginning, but that it was both necessary and well worth it to establish the reader in the world.

I was fascinated by Aberrach, the world of Stone; and by the society of its corrupted Sartan inhabitants. As usual, narrating through Haplo was a very effective way of introducing the reader to the world, as he himself was new to Aberrach. What was also interesting though was having Alfred along with him to provide a Sartan perspective. Besides being instrumental to the progression of the plot, Alfred's perspective was appreciated for humanizing the Sartan of Aberrach, and for accessing as well as for accessing the culture and history of the Sartan people.

Watching the development of the relationship between Haplo and Alfred was one of my most favorite parts about the book overall, and led to some the best character interactions I've seen in the series so far. Watching Alfred struggle with the responsibilities of (supposed) godhood, and with the crimes of his people made for some very rich storytelling. Watching Haplo struggle with his loyalty to the Lord of the Nexus and his hatred towards the Sartan was also amazing.

I now feel more attached to these characters than I ever have been! I know this is an older series, and that I shouldn't hold out hope, but god I really really hope that they end up being gay for each other and helping each other deal with the burdens of their respective heritages. THAT would be my ideal arc for this story. But I'm sure Weis and Hickman won't disappoint no matter what they come up with in the next volume.

Besides its stellar character development, another great feature of Fire Sea was its fabulous plot and premise. The doom of Kairn Telest, the pilgrimage of its people to the city of Necropolis, and the intrigue that unfolded at the hands of the dynast was very exciting to watch unfold. Even having the perspective of Kleitus himself and knowing the villainy he plotted, I still found myself floored when his schemes were followed through, and watching the brutal aftermath that followed on its heels.

So far, this is probably my favorite installment in The Death Gate Cycle series! But it's still a close tie with the first novel, Dragon Wing, which also won me over with it's supremely interesting world and characters. I'm very much looking forward to see what's in store in the next novel, Serpent Mage!

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It's kind of unfortunate W&H made the connecting thread of this series the dour and personality-less asshole Haplo instead of literally almost any other character, but at least Zifnab isn't in this one anymore. Alfred, from the first book, does return, and the focus is entirely on the Sartans now.
In this third world Haplo visits, the humans, elves, and dwarves (the mensch, which is again clarified in a footnote as if it's only reasonable to cater to people who pick up the third book in a series without having read the first two; given that the target audience was 14-year-olds in 1991, though, maybe a lot of them did come across these books like that) died out centuries ago and the Sartans never did, though they turned to necromancy for free labour. Maintaining their undead labour pool is a drain on their magic, however, and they aren't really capable of doing anything else and slowly dying as a result. I'd tag this as a spoiler because the first time this is hinted at—with all the subtlety you'd expect—it's positioned as if it's going to be a big reveal near the end, but along the way W&H seem to forget about that and it's treated as common knowledge that people just... don't seem to care about.
It actually does seem as if the story went in a different direction than the one initially planned, but—possibly because that new direction was also going to very much need to kill off the character they had as a first-person narrator for the first couple of chapters through a memoir he wouldn't have had time to write before dying and they didn't want to rewrite those chapters—the ending they finally went with is kind of an ass-pull. The annoying thing is that it didn't need to be—just a few extra bits of exposition could have made it feel much more plausible and coherent.

Still, it's a bit late in the game to start complaining about W&H not being very good writers now. They do get credit for trying to effect some character development for Haplo and Alfred; I just hope the "higher power" that kept getting mentioned in the Sartan research either won't return or will turn out to be something other than Mormon brain worms again.

Wat een bijzonder boek. Ik moet zeggen dat het hoofdpersoon wel een groei heeft doorgemaakt en dat ik hem meer begin te mogen. Aan het einde van het vorige boek was het echt een klootzak maar aan het einde van dit boek is dat al een stuk beter. In dit boek reist Haplo af naar Abarrach en is Alfred als een soort verstekeling mee. Samen reizen ze door deze wereld en komen ze erachter dat de Sartanen die hier leven (volk van Alfred) hun doden laten herrijzen. Dit an sich zorg al voor een strijd bij Alfred maar zorgt ook voor ongemakken bij Haplo. Op een gegeven ogenblik word Haplo vastgezet en moet Alfred samen met anderen hem redden. Nou heel drama en er gaan allemaal mensen dood maar 1 vrouw word te snel uit de dood teruggebracht en word dus een lazaar. Dat betekent dat deze persoon dood is maar de ziel vast zit in het lichaam ofzo(vet vaag I know). Zij, haar naam is Jera, roept aan het eind van het boek de andere doden op om zich samen te voegen en de levenden te vermoorden zodat ze vrij zouden zijn. Ze begint dus een soort Franse Revolutie 2.0. Uiteindelijk weten Haplo en Alfred te vluchten en kan een andere man, Jonathan (man van Jera), de profetie van deze planeet waarmaken en de doden daadwerkelijk laten sterven zodat ze niet meer herrezen kunnen worden. Hij zorgt er dus uiteindelijk voor dat de doden niet meer half-dood/half-levend zijn. Het was over het algemeen een goed boek maar af en toe wel heel erg vaag en ik snap nog steeds niet helemaal alles. Maar er begint wel een groter verhaal te vormen en het was wel spannend, vandaar 4 sterren

This was a buddy read with my husband and definitely my favorite of the series so far! It is darker than my usual preference, but also hauntingly captivating. The writing was incredibly well done…I could visualize everything in my mind so clearly! The spiritual parallels were cleverly executed and unforgettable.

And the dog! Long live the dog!!!

Book 3: Haplo and Alfred Hang Out with Dead People

Another great original fantasy story but I wanted to know what had happened with the other characters from the previous story, but had some great new characters some with dark motivations and some who just want to exist and the struggles that come with it. A good read with some interesting plot points but I'm not sure of the overall plot arc, but I think that it was due to the time gap between when I had read the first one and the second and this one.

good, not great but fun to read again

Vivid and horrific world. Tragic new characters. Further building of the relationship between Alfed and Haplo, leading to further growth in Haplo's character. An ending that is sad but also fills one with hope. All this makes Fire Sea one of the best books in the series (having the best cover art doesn't hurt, either).

This books begins to bring the series theme of balance into sharper focus, possibly explaining the disappearance of the Sartan and how reality is built out of a "wave of possibilities." Necromancy is balanced by a loss of life; the power of the Sartan is balanced by that of the Patryn. Also, the book delves into the life of the Patryn in the Labyrinth, showing how even extreme hatred and a desire for survival breed a version of love that helps a people survive.

I remember how the entire series ends up, but the details have escaped my memory after so many years...but I don't think I speak too soon in saying that this is probably the best book in the series.

Fire Sea is the third and darkest installment in the series, and the
best so far. A few more revelations are revealed about the Sartans, the
race who had sundered these worlds, but of course I can't tell you those
without spoiling the story.
Suffice it to say, if you liked the first two of the series, you're really going to like this one.

There is more development to Haplo's and Alfred's characters, as they are once again thrown together and are forced to put aside ancient hatred (well, Haplo anyways) to get out of another mess alive.
Weis & Hickman sure know how to spin a yarn. I love their plot developments, and I'm getting quite attached to these characters.

Great series, and I'll be right back into it for the fourth world after
a few more books.

Terrifying

As much as I love this series, this is my least favorite book. It is probably necessary to show that the Sartan are no better or different than any other race but the horrors of necromancy that follow are less than fun to read. There are good parts too that balance it out and it is as well written. I'm just not fond of the subject matter. Maybe just because it shows the depths of depravity that comes so easily when one believes that they are justified in taking any measure for the supposed greater good.