This is the 1st book of the HEROES II series. It takes place after Huma forced Takhisis and the evil dragons from Krynn. It tell the tale of Huma's friend Kaz, and his adventures right after the war. He helps free the Solamnic Knights from the influences of a dark wizard. It was a good book. I would read it again. ( )

A good fantasy read, nothing special, nothing horrific. ( )

Five years after Huma's death (and his stunning defeat of the Dark Queen), Kaz finds himself wandering about his adopted homeland barely keeping ahead of a squad of minotaurs intent on capturing him and returning him to the minotaur homeland dead or alive. Kaz has even befriended a most unusual kender named Delbin; unusual in that Delbin has a purpose in life and has known true fear. The biggest problem Kaz has, though, is that his beloved Knights of Solamnia have apparently turned against him, proclaiming him a traitor and demanding that he be captured and returned to Vingaard Keep with all haste. Kaz, never one to have his honor besmirched, decided that he should go to Vingaard and ask Lord Oswalt (head of the Knights of Solamnia) what the situation really was. On the way there he picks up a true cleric of Mishakal and takes a swipe at gigantic, flying stone dragon... And things go downhill from there.

I actually enjoyed this book. I didn't think I was going to, but I did. A couple of things struck me, though: The elven names in this book were bad, bad, bad (Sardal Crystalthorn and Argaen Ravenshadow). Sounds like someone rolled the names from a "pick one from column A and one from column B" kind of name generation tables. Some of the history of the minotaurs and their servitude to the ogres was told, which I thought was interesting. I also thought that the ending was a little too easy - and, of course, like any horror movie intent on growing into a franchise, the good guys don't finish off the bad guy completely, but have plans to "bury the thing where not even the dwarves will ever find it." Bah. It's a cheap way out.

All in all, a good effort for the DragonLance world.

Read 10/2007 ( )

Under rated book but a good read. ( )