The Dragonrealm Series

There is more to Richard A. Knaak than just minotaurs in Dragonlance. We are talking about the man that created an entire world surrounding dragons and we are going to examine the subject in a little bit more detail. As stated in another post, there could be spoilers ahead.

The Original Series

The Dragonrealm series consists of seven books. They are:

· Firedrake

· Ice Dragon

· Wolfhelm

· Shadow Steed

· The Crystal Dragon

· The Dragon Crown and

· The Horse King.

Without revealing too much information, the story mainly deals with the terrifying Dragon Kings, who are amazing schemers, as well as shapeshifting spell-casters. Each of them has their own agenda, though they do strategize around either dominating or destroying humans. Their opponent? Our protagonist, a mere human, though with an interesting origin story – Cabe Bedlam. The books follow Bedlam from his childhood to adulthood, along with all of his exploits with the Dragon Kings. The only exception to this is the third book in the series, Wolfheim, where Gryphon is the main character. Gryphon is half-man, but that’s all I am going to say on the subject.

Origin of Dragonrealm

This is a trilogy that is a prequel to the original series, though it precedes the event in it for several hundred years. The Shrouded Realm talks about Vraad, unbelievably powerful wizards that have destroyed their world and sought another one to escape its fate. They arrive at Dragonrealm. Again, in the interest of escaping spoilers, I will not disclose what happens in the following books, Children of the Drake and Dragon Tome.

Legends of the Dragonrealm and Other Works

Besides the collection of books, this series actually has a few titles not released before. Shade, The Dragon Masters, and The Gryphon Mage, for example, all have enticing tales. The trilogy, also known as The Turning War, deals with one of Cabe’s ancestors, Nathan Bedlam, and the famous uprising, as well as what happens when you seek immortality and fail. You will find quests for power, risky gambits, and detailed thrills here.

The Novellas

A long time ago, Richard Knaak released a collection of novellas on his then-website, though they are now available in Legends of the Dragonrealm: Cut from the Same Shadow and Other Tales. The stories can also be found in the Legends of the Dragonrealm omnibus, with the exception of Dragon Master and A Wolf in the Fold.

Reading Order

To get fully invested in what goes on in the strange land of Dragonrealm, there is a reading order that you may want to follow. The author himself blended the old and the new and you can read his recommendation here. If the post gets removed, for whatever reason, the reading order Knaak recommends on Facebook is as follows, and I quote:

“As requested more than once of late, my suggested reading order for Legends of the Dragonrealm!

· Firedrake

· Ice Dragon  

· Wolfhelm

· Shadow Steed

· The Shrouded Realm

· Children of the Drake

· Dragon Tome

· The Crystal Dragon

· The Dragon Crown

· The Horse King

· Past Dances

· Dragon Master

· Skins

· A Wolf in the Fold

· Storm Lord

· The Still Lands

· Shade

· A Game of Ghosts

· Cut From the Same Shadow

· Founders and Fools

The following can be read before everything, but would best be read at least after Firedrake for better reference.

· Dragon Masters

· The Gryphon Mage

· The Horned Blade

After Shade and Cut From the Same Shadow should come Knights of the Frost.”

Author: Davey