The Death Gate Cycle is a series of books written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. This is the same pair that wrote the Darksword Trilogy. Again they have created a fully functional world where magic is king.

The series centers on Haplo, one of the Patryns who has escaped exile in The Labyrinth. Haplo's Lord, the Patryn wizard Xar, has given him the job of exploring the Sundered Realms. The realms consist of Arianus - Realm of Sky, Pryan - Realm of Fire, Abarrach - Realm of Stone, and Chelestra - Realm of Water. The first four books deal with Haplo's exploration of these realms and introduction of the other major characters of the story. Each of these books is a stand alone story, Haplo being the thread that weaves everything together. One can read them in any order and immediately grasp what is going on in Haplo's current adventure.

The fifth book, The Hand of Chaos, ties the plot lines and characters from the previous four books together to present the major one. Thus begins the age old battle between good and evil that takes place in the sixth and seventh books.

Weis and Hickman have created memorable characters that can bring out the full gamut of emotions in the reader. One cheers for the downtrodden dwarves of Arianus, hatred and disgust for the degraded remnants of the Sarten of Abarrach, fear for the serpents of Chelestra, and a wariness for Xar the Lord of the Nexus.

There are noble dwarves, renegade elves, and devious humans. Powerful magicians and wizards in disguise. Captive souls and a cult that worships death. Dragons and a seemingly indestructible dog. Cities in the sky and a living labyrinth. All these things and more combine to create an epic fantasy of good versus evil.