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So, What is Going On with that Dragonlance Lawsuit?
In 1984, a pair of authors named Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, published the first of a trilogy of licensed novels in D&D’s Dragonlance setting. The books were very well received and in many ways started the mainstreaming of D&D. People read them who didn’t play, and some of those people started to play.
Fast forward to 2017, and Weis and Hickman pitched a new Dragonlance trilogy. The trilogy was licensed by Wizards of the Coast, current owners of D&D, but would be published by Penguin Random House.
Well, until the entire deal apparently collapsed in a lawsuit. Polygon has the brief embedded at the bottom of their article here.
So, what is going on?
Weis and Hickman are Suing Wizards for Breach of Contract
So, the basis of the suit is breach of contract. This was apparently triggered by editor (the second editor to see the product) Nic Kelman saying he would not approve any further drafts…essentially leaving the book in limbo.
According to Weis and Hickman, the contract says Wizards can’t do that. I haven’t seen the contract, obviously.
This is where things get, shall we say, a little bit lurid. Nic Kelman is infamous for writing the novel Girls: A Paean. Depending on who you listen to, it’s either a satire about power (which is potentially sexist against men)…or a novel glorifying pedophilia. Without having read the book concerned, I’ll just leave the opposing views there.
Weis and Hickman’s lawyer brought this up in the brief. Why?
What is Going On?
As a writer, I have written precisely one media tie-in, a short story, but I’m also more familiar than most with the editorial process.
It appears that Weis and Hickman turned in the original draft, got some kind of preliminary approval, then Wizards switched the editor to Mr. Kelman (who’s presence in the company remains controversial).
