Knaak, Richard A.

About the Author:

Richard A. Knaak lives in Schaumberg, Illinois, USA.

AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:

4 out of 5

(1 book)

Dragonlance: Heroes - The Legend Of Huma

Set at a time when the forces of good are being systematically beaten back by the armies of the evil goddess Takhisis, this book introduces us to a young Knight named Huma, a near-mythical figure in the Dragonlance franchise.  Huma gathers a strange group of companions, including a minotaur, a renegade mage and a silver dragon, and embarks on a quest in search of something to change the fortunes of the Knights of Solamnia. 

I found Knaak's writing to be thoroughly enjoyable and Huma to be an easy character to empathise with, despite the inevitability of his rise to legendary status.  The author does a particularly good job of showing just how close to utter defeat the followers of Paladine (the god of good) are. 

Where I would criticise this book is in the flow of its story.  Huma leaps from one unlikely and fantastical series of events to another; one minute being in a magical tower at the heart of a bewitched grove, the next being beset by plague-worshippers in an abandoned town, with little transition.  This constant bombardment of coincidental adventures makes the willing suspension of disbelief difficult even to someone who's accepted the dragons, minotaurs and the like.  Despite this downside, the book ends on a note of expertly written tragedy, which I really liked because all the best heroic legends end in tragedy for the hero.

4 out of 5

Collaborations & Anthologies:

Dragonlance: The Best Of Tales (here)

Read more...

Dragonlance (here)