| Title | : | The Legend of Huma (Dragonlance: Heroes, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 078693137X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780786931378 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 379 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1988 |
On the back of the Silver Dragon
And the path of their flight crossed over a desolate country
where the dead walked only, mouthing the names of dragons."
For the first time in the best-selling Dragonlance® Saga, here is The Legend of Huma, fabled Hero of the Lance: his mysterious origins and his Oath to the Measure; treachery among the Knights of Solamnia; his love for the Silver Dragon; the fated showdown between the Queen of Darkness and the forces of Paladine.
Only fragments of Huma's story survived the Cataclysm of Krynn -- until now.
The Legend of Huma (Dragonlance: Heroes, #1) Reviews
-
¡La peor, o una de las peores, novelas que he leído en mi vida! Fantasía épica del mundo de Dragonlance y el primer libro de esta saga que no fue escrito por los autores originales, Weis y Hickman.
Antes de iniciar esta reseña, es preciso decir que solo hay dos novelas a lo largo de mi vida que he calificado y sigo calificando con una estrella, "La estrella de los Elfos" y esta, "La leyenda de Huma", pues comprendo lo complejo y agotador que debe ser escribir y crear una historia, a veces a partir de cero, por lo mismo cada vez que leo intento enfocarme en encontrarle lo positivo a un libro, por muy mal escrito que esté, sin embargo, hay raros casos en los que por más que intente simplemente no puedo y este ha sido uno de ellos.
Acá conocemos la historia de Huma, un personaje por referencia importante dentro de la trilogía original de Dragonlance con el que la editorial, o los mismos autores originales de la saga, quisieron seguir exprimiendo los bolsillos de los lectores y para ello, por supuesto, dejaron el proyecto en las manos de un autor, en ese momento, con cero experiencia en creación literaria y una pluma cercana a los fanfics de Wattpad. Y ojo que no es que Knaak sea mal escritor, actualmente estoy leyendo "Kazz el minotauro", otra de sus novelas y la verdad es que el hombre se maneja. Más aquí, en su opera prima, es como un adolescente fantasioso jugando a ser escritor, narrando todo de sopetón, con cambios bruscos, ilógicos y nulo desarrollo de personajes o situaciones bien hiladas en pos de intentar mostrarse competente en el manejo de la acción qué es en casi lo único que se enfoca, fracasando Incluso en ello...
Y es que realmente no sé de dónde agarrar está novela. Está tan mal escrita qué es como si el autor hubiera hecho una lista de todas las cosas que debía hacer su personaje y luego se largara a escribir obsesivamente para completar dicha lista a como diera lugar, sin preocuparse de conectar bien las ideas o de brindar las pausas adecuadas para su desarrollo, formando así un montón de secuencias inconexas y tramas paralelas que nada tienen que ver entre sí más que su protagonista esté en el medio. Y es que hay momentos en que el protagonista literalmente se teletransporta de un lugar a otro sin ningún motivo logico aparente... Y es que bueno, el autor tenía que cumplir con su listita a como diera lugar y a la mierda la lógica ¡Vamos a lo que debe hacer a continuación! ¿Algo de desarrollo de personaje? ¿Un par de párrafos reflexivos o donde se cuestione lo que está haciendo y por qué lo está haciendo? ¿Un poco de tensión o misterio para darle más sabor al asunto? ¡No, qué importa! ¡Vamos a lo siguiente que hay que cumplir con la lista! Personajes van, personajes vienen, un par de criaturas que nada aportan para darle ese aura de novela mágica al asunto, encuentros ultra convenientes que justo, justo, justo, ayudan a nuestro héroe a llegar a la siguiente secuencia de la lista, lanzas de ya ni recuerdo cuántos metros que simples hombres manejan como mondadientes, un romance forzado y sinsentido de una mujer que no es mujer, pero si es mujer y continuamos que hay que cerrar la novela de alguna forma sin dejar nada de la lista afuera...
En fin, una horrible novela que se me hizo un sufrimiento leer. Para cuando iba en el primer tercio ya estaba decidido a abandonarla, pero varios lectores aseguraban que para la segunda mitad la novela repuntaba y en parte también quería saber la historia de este personaje mítico de la Dragonlance, sin embargo, leí hasta el último capítulo y la última palabra y ese repunte nunca llegó. Tras finalizar, mi decepción fue tan grande que solo pensar en escribir una reseña de ella me daba pereza, pues sentía que la novela no lo merecía. Pese a ello intenté buscar, dentro de todo lo malo, algo minúsculo al menos que pudiera tener un poco de valor o que pudiera destacar como para no terminar diciendo que es completa basura. Y para sorpresa puedo citar un par de cosas.
La primera es el encuentro de Huma con Wyrmfather, un dragón colosal que logró generarme un poco de tensión e interés en la lectura. El problema es que la secuencia es tan similar al encuentro de Bilbo Bolsón con Smaug que termina siendo prácticamente una copia barata de esta última. En cuanto a desarrollo y calidad de escritura de la secuencia no hay punto de comparación.
La segunda es el encuentro final con Galan Dracos, que logra generar un poco de tensión previo, más esto se corta de golpe al aparecer la diosa Thakisis, dejándo todo en un desagradable coitus interruptus.
Y por último, tal vez, tal vez, la variedad de criaturas que aparecen. Aunque varias no tienen gran propósito en la novela, están ahí por estar. Aunque al menos el minotauro tuvo su propio libro más adelante y debo decir que este es mucho mejor que "La leyenda de Huma".
Solo recomendaba para pre-pubers en busca de prosa básica y nula profundidad. En lo demás...
¡Bazofia literaria! -
A very bland heroic fantasy, lacking intrigue or excitement.
Perhaps I didn't enjoy this simply because I have very limited knowledge of the Dragonlance world. Or perhaps I didn't enjoy it because the plot just plodded along from one scene to the next, with nothing outstanding grasping me. I disliked how the minotaur and dragons were both very chatty; it really destroys the mystery of those creatures - but I understand Knaak was attempting to humanize the minotaur.
I found Huma's "honor" to be bordering on idiotic - there are times when even honorable people need to kill that which is obviously evil, and Huma seems reluctant to even do that.
My biggest complaint is how long-winded all of our big baddies are... They trap Huma on numerous occasions, yet instead of killing him, they deliver speeches... I felt like Scott Evil on Austin Powers - "Kill him already!"
Magius is the only character of any interest.
Maybe this is a good novel for a 15 year-old, but it lacks the intrigue and plot twists and the blurring lines between good and evil that I have grown to love in other fantasy novels. -
A hidden gem, and one of my absolute favorites growing up. A ton of books were cranked out under the Dragonlance label in the 90's, and many of them were barely worth the paper they were printed on. But a few were very good, and The Legend of Huma was the best of them. Knaak delivers an epic, thrilling fantasy story that's simply an enormous amount of fun. 4.5 stars, highly recommended!
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8.The Legend of Huma by Rihard A. Knaak
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 379
Acquired: Prior to 1999
Book of Your Shelf? Yes
Why I have/read it: Part of DragonLance world (rereading all)
Series: DragonLance, Heroies (1)
Huma is a knight of legend among all the races of Krynn. He came from humble beginnings, fought through great challenges, and finally faced the dark goddess herself and prevailed...in a way. This is finally the telling of his story, the true story, without all the gloss and shine the ages have placed on it over the years.
Huma is a knight of Solamnia...an order dedicated to honor, truth, and loyalty. Known throughout the world for following their strict code. As the Queen of Darkness herself begins a war to conquer to world, nothing seems to be able to stop her. The knights fight valiantly to hold her back, but are losing ground little by little. As what must be the final battle approaches all seems lost. But Paladine, the god of good has a little something up his sleeve, but only if Huma can pass the tests put before him to test not only his mind and body, but his soul. And he must be willing to give up much to save the world.
I love this entire series, and this story has long been one of my favorites. It can be read independently of the rest since it is more of a history than a continuation of the world. The story is face paced and full of surprises, even to someone who has read it before. There is love, betrayal, respect won, and strange friends made. It is full of dragons, magic, knights, and the ever present battle of good vs evil.
5/5 -
I was looking for an easy read to start the year, something that would take little of my dwindling cognitive energy and would have a sense of the familiar. So, I picked a Dragonlance book: The Legend of Huma.
Since I've read every core book of the series multiple times in my youth, I knew the story of Huma. Everyone knows the story of Huma, albeit from the annals of history and legend. So, I was interested to hear the "real" story. And it was... fine. Not amazing, not awful. It was an average Dragonlance novel.
Interestingly, this is what, like 4000 years before?, the core Dragonlance books and it seems the same. The world rarely changes. The knights of Solamnia are who they are, and technology is static. Knights have been fighting the same battles. This game an absolute sense of familiarity, but also of staleness if you've read the series. I very much felt like we've trodden this ground before and I was honestly pretty bored early on. Actually, the first half of the book was a drudge for me--just felt episodic and somewhat bland. The characters all seemed to speak the same and felt somewhat wooden. It wasn't until the second 50% that I actually felt engaged. Huma started to have a voice, as did some of the other characters. You started to see some of the events that influenced the rest of the series, and I felt some of the magic.
Of course, if you've read a number of other Dragonlance novels, you also see some inconsistencies. With a series of 150+ books and some number of authors, that's unavoidable. Just enjoy it for what it is; if you love Dragonlance, give it a read. If you aren't into the series, this probably won't add much to your life. 3.25 stars. -
I really liked this book, but many scenes were unnecessary, and I felt like the plot was a little too episodic. However, the various tasks that Huma accomplishes do eventually accumulate climactically in an important scene. It's a good story with a compelling and interesting main character. I found Huma a much more layered knight than Sturm in the original Dragonlance series. However, I enjoy Weis and Hickman's writing better overall. They're not the best writers, but I follow their style more easily. That being said, Knaak did an excellent job of continuing the world building and explication that Weis and Hickman began. If I sound ambivalent on many points, it's because it's a three-star book for me--good but not excellent. Still, I can recommend it to high fantasy lovers and to Dragonlance fans.
-
This was a great exploration of the fabled legend of Huma of the Lance.
The lowly Knight who saved the world in the ancient times, so that by the time Sturm Brightblade takes up his own sword, Huma is that world's Lancelot.
But Huma isn't Lancelot. He is human and frail and weak and terrified. He shows that he really IS a legend, because he is unsure and scared and does whatever is needed, no matter the cost.
He shows that heroism isn't pretty, but its real. -
An amazing story for a dragon lance novel. I read a lot of dragon lance and there was always references to Huma and what he did. That's the part that made it good for me. It filled in the blanks from parts that read in other stories. The only part that lacked for me was that there was a supposed to be a big love story between Huma and his dragon (who could take human form), but that was more of an after thought in this story. I retread this book after reading it the first time. Just a good read.
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The only book I've ever read twice! It holds a special place in my reading life, does this tale of dragon riders, unlikely friendship and good vs evil. A special place indeed.
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“You are every part the knight that Bennett and his lapdogs are. More so. You’ve not lost sight of the true world.”
A Chosen One tale about a hero who doesn’t see himself as one. Well-written, if pedestrian and linear. No matter how big the obstacle or opponent, the hero muddles through.
“I was lucky.” “Luck is a skill. Were you to live much longer, you might learn that.”
Refreshing to read epic fantasy which takes itself seriously. Owes a lot to Tolkien. The only surprise is telegraphed so vividly that only Huma doesn’t know.
“My head tells me that you are wrong, but my heart listens to you. I think, in this matter, I will go with my heart, for that is where belief begins.”
Not familiar with Dragonlance universe, but I suspect this is an origin tale added later. It has a filling-in-the-blanks feel. Not bad, just not original.
“You understand honor. We say—say ‘Est Sularis Oth Mithas’ in the old tongue. ‘My Honor is My Life.’ -
I’m not sure what I was expecting or wanted from this book, but it’s to Knaak’s credit that it somehow ended up offering me something that I hadn’t quite expected and something I felt that I had - at least on some levels - wanted. The Legend of Huma is certainly a wonky mess of a book but it’s filled with – like so much Dragonlance stuff - such a wonky charm that once you give in, it lets you carry it along quite breezily and contentedly.
There’s a danger inherent in writing the "big history novel" that the main characters refer back to as epic legend. When Tanis talks about Huma in hushed tones, or Raistlin waves around the staff of magius, these things have a weight in the narrative that is, in part supplied by their mystery, but also through their being spoken with about with that weight. As readers we can allow our fancies to run riot and embellish those tales of Huma or Magius as we see fit - we pencil in the blanks and our imagination colours in the legend. Should you, as an author choose to write that legend down, then you’re taking on the responsibility of being the voice of thus hitherto untold but much embellished tales (although it's also in easy win in terms of attracting an audience!) In short, how do you live up to it? In Dragonlance, writing Tolkienesque grandiosity is a problem because these stories were written primarily for young adults and their accessibility was something of a selling point (and still is, in my opinion - the Chronicles and Legends series circumnavigate the problem by throwing in the entire kitchen sink. it's not focussed as an "epic" narrative but there's a lot of fun stuff); it’s all very well telling the tale of an unknown hero who finds a magic x and takes on villain y in a humble non-epic fashion, but a legendary knight destroying the dark queen in the first Dragonlance war? – that deserves a certain amount of pomp and grandiosity, surely?
And so, Knaak inevitably fails to do Huma that justice, and that failure becomes obvious within the first 20 pages or so. The problem is exacerbated due to his inability to portray interesting, characters with compelling quirks or traits. And neither is his scene-setting much of a strong point. In fact, I got so far into the book and I realised that I cheered the hero in in a multitude of battles that I had no clue why or how they were taking place other than that … there were loads of bad guys and they just kept coming”. The battles, though, are well written and engaging and this made the whole text that much more frustrating. Good text, poor con-text.
Half way through, though, Knaak’s actual strengths really start to shine through, and at one point, in a series of very strong scenes, I almost began to feel that Huma really was the stuff of Legend - and if Knaak is never truly committed to the characterisation of Huma or his interaction with his fellow Solamnic Knights, he’s certainly at least committed to the adventure and he’s certainly committed to making Huma’s Legend authentic. After ambling about from settlement to settlement, battle to battle, Huma finally heads off into the mountains with his old fried Magius and controversial new minotaur friend Kaz. They are quickly split up and Huma is somewhat coaxed into undergoing three trials in order to prove he is noble enough to be gifted the fabled Dragonlance. The necessity for these trials is not entirely clear to me since Takhisis, Queen of Darkness appears to be winning the war and Dragonlance novels are insistent that balance between good/evil *must* be maintained, and the good guys clearly needed a hand. But then, Dragonlance is hokey and this is a hokey book and as a conceit it’s just thrilling and heroic and it works. I was on the edge of my seat as Huma fought the Wyrmfather, uncovered a conspiracy within the Solamnic order and then saw off his own personal malicious demons. From thereon out the book maintains its momentum and rolls on towards an enjoyable and nicely written showdown with Huma’s nemeses Crynus and Galos, the former being a particularly morbid battle against a chilling and unstoppable undead foe.
In short, I really liked a lot about the second half of this book and, had these events been better prepared in the narrative, Legend of Huma would have easily cut the mustard as a top drawer fantasy adventure. It’s easy to criticise with hindsight, of course, since this book was released in the early days of the Dragonlance publishing schedule, and who knows what the publishers wanted or expected from its authors, but I just wish this had been made into a fully fleshed out trilogy. Maybe there was reason to fear that Dragonlance companions vs Queen of Darkness would have looked like a straight re-run of the Chronicles, and maybe it would have done in some regards; but in other regards maybe that’s the point, and maybe with that fresh authorial spin it could have been fun to do – I suppose that the object of the Dragonlance Histories series was to provide a little historical background alongside some fun, light stories, in order to give the history of Krynn a sense of reality, and in that regard I maintain that Knaak probably succeeds. I was going to skip Kaz the Minotaur in order to press on with the main timeline, but I think I’ll stick around in this part of the world for a little longer. It’s pretty fun! -
2 / 5
Oh boy, I'm afraid this review is going to ruffle a few feathers and might even get me a few unfollows but I'm an honest guy and I will always say what I think and feel. I feel SOOOO disappointed by this book. I had so great memories from other Dragonlance novels from my past and I remember most of them fondly. The Legends Trilogy, aka "twins" books, has been the only trilogy that I've ever read twice from start to finish and I rated them as 5 stars both times. But maybe I was younger then... and after this book I will not try to read them again for fear of breaking that nostalgic memory.
You see... this book would get a very different review and score if I read it 30 years ago, when I was 13 years old and (better) fantasy books were not that popular or easy to find. Maybe then and there, it would get a 4.
But I read it in 2022 and with the experience of having read a few hundred more fantasy books already. And I think that judging this book by today's standards might be hard and tough but not unfair. The problems can be found almost everywhere. Characters, plot development, writing and dialogue are the main ones which I will comment on.
The first thing that hits almost immediately is the very pedestrian and clumsy writing. I need to get this out of the way first. I read other people saying in their reviews that the writing is superb. I'm sorry but if you say that then either you have not read anything good during the last 10-20 years or you simply don't know what you're talking about. I am willing to bet to anybody that I can pull any book from my TBR pile (that I haven't read yet) and open at a random page and it will still have better and more enjoyable writing that this one. I could be pointing writing problems in almost every second page. Bad sentence structure, ridiculous descriptions, uneven pacing, repeated words often twice or thrice in the same paragraph. There were points where I honestly thought that nobody even proofread the book and the editor (if there was one) only put in the chapter names and pictures. I understand that the bar was not that high for fantasy novels back in the 80s but you could easily find better written books back then, even inside the Dragonlance / Forgotten Realms setting ecosystem of novels.
Characterization and character development... is non-existent. The characters are not even two-dimensional, they are ONE-dimensional. They have only one mode of thinking, talking and acting. I was shocked at how cliched the characters were portrayed. On the one hand, I think I understand that as this book is based on a role-playing game setting and some guidelines must be followed. I suppose that Richard Knaak believes that a Lawful Good Paladin character should always be lawful and good. I don't buy that. I've read many books from DL and FR and there have been other authors who made that work perfectly well. Plus, the character development is totally choppy, unjustified and absurd. A main character who acts the same way throughout the whole novel suddenly changes with very little justification just because that would make the story work!? Nope, nope. The characters' justifications for most of their actions are either non-existent or childish. Their internal monologues are cliched and laughable, if not ridiculous. The more a character appeared on page, the less I cared or liked them. Also, this book might make you hate dragons and knight/paladins. That's the extent of characterization of this novel.
The third I mentioned are dialogues. People who have been following my reviews know that I'm very particular about dialogues in the books I read. And this review gives me the chance to use an expression I was wondering if I would ever use. That expression is eye-rolling. Yes, the dialogues were so cringy that I was constantly eye-rolling. I swear during the final chapters I was pushing myself to keep reading after every time I read the words "Huuuuuumaaaaaa" and not throw the book through the window.
And finally, the plot didn't really blow me away. This point is not as bad as the previous three because there's a good structure and many unexpected things happened. The problem is that it felt more like a gamebook story, exactly like what a gamer would like to have read imagining his own created character going through and not like a proper believable story. There were strong chapters and bad, needless or boring chapters. There were some interesting and exciting plot twists and some that were seen coming a mile away or felt totally redundant or unconvincing. The final chapters were so meh that by the time the book ended I didn't really care about its resolution. In short, there was or could have been a good and strong story in there but it didn't come out or was lost among other things.
In summary, this book was for me a big disappointment and felt like a huge missed opportunity. I know this is a Dragonlance novel from the late 80s (whatever that may mean to some people) and I say that as an excuse for its bad traits, but I still can't excuse the frustrations I got while reading it. And I can't excuse that right now I feel hesitant and weary to read another novel from the 80s, or any that contains dragons or knights. For those reasons, The Legend of Huma gets a 2 out of 5 from me.
2 / 5 -
I've always scoffed at fantasy books like this, but I read it on Hoop's recommendation. Hoop rarely reads, so for him to suggest a book is a BIG deal. I loved it instantly. Not only is it well written, but it has the makings of a fantasy classic. The battle starts from the first chapter, which is a good sign that the story won't drag. It didn't either, it kept strong through the end, a book worth reading for any
fantasy lover. -
This book as usual with Dragonlance books kept my interest. Richard Knaak writes a good story that flows well with great character development. Huma is exactly the knight I thought he would be "honorable, brave but yet human". The Dark Queen was just as evil and underhanded as I remember her from other Dragonlance books. The romance between Huma and his dragon was just enough to enjoy without it being overkill. A tad on the long side but enjoyable never less. Always remember My Honor is My Life. 4.5.
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Adding a Twist to the Shining Knight: A How Not to Do It.
I recently got rid of my copy of this book, so I felt like if I don’t put down a written review now, I never will, because I certainly will never buy another copy, let alone read it.
I’ve read a couple of bad books in my life. I’ve read a couple of boring ones too. But rarely has a book ever made me angry.
This one did. It is a great cautionary tale of what can go wrong attempting to deconstruct legends and fairy tales.
And it made me sad and a bit angry. Not because the writing itself is so bad – it’s not. It’s actually quite competent. The plot itself is even pretty decent. A classic tale of good vs. evil, complete with monster slaying and fighting against an evil goddess.
Only this book takes the classic aspect a bit too far. There is not one original idea in this text. Not one. And that’s already taking into consideration that this book is derivative of a D&D campaign setting.
And there are the characters. Oh, hell, the characters!
You know how the standard paladin in D&D fanlore is often derided as “lawful stupid” and boring, because he’s so pure and good? And how his only defining personality trait is a holier-than-though smugness? Huma is just that paladin.
Usually, I’m not one of those people who think ‘good’ is ‘boring’ and ‘immature’. I don’t have to read about anti-heroes all the time, and I much prefer heroes who are unambiguously good with a strong set of morals.
However, despite his goodness of heart, our protagonist, Huma, is as interesting as dry toast. And he's not even wholemeal! He's a cardboard cut-out of the quintessential annoying, holier-than-thou paladin, without faults, who is always right.
And he eventually engages in a romance with a being of absolute good. It’s sickening.
I was initially thrilled about reading this book, because I liked ‘the legend of Huma’ as it was often retold by characters during the original Dragonlance novels.
Most of all because it promised the tale of a legendary friendship between a shining knight and a crafty wizard that ended in death and tears, and changed forever how people on Krynn viewed the roles of mages.
I love odd friendships like that! Especially between knights and wizards, since these archetypes so often put at opposing ends of a moral spectrum, and I was so psyched for a story where this was, for once, not the case!
Um, so, that legendary friendship? In this book? Turns out they didn’t actually like each other that much, much less respect each other. And the last thing Magius is for 90% of this book is heroic. Speak about disappointments …
Seriously, who decided wizards should always be mysterious entities in the background or villains and should never be heroic? I admit, there are enough wizards in Dragonlance as a whole to be considered heroes, but that’s different from being heroic.
Still, I will take the shady Raistlins, Dalamars and Fistandantilus’ of the franchise every time over what they presented us with in this book.
Within the setting the self-sacrificing characters, who are truly good (in the moral sense of the word), are all in the camp of shiny blade lovers. Now, I can appreciate morally ambiguous characters as much as the next person, but why has every mage to be a shady figure?
This is why I liked the original idea of Magius throughout the main line of books so much: as he appeared as that famous historical figure in Krynn’s lore. He had the air of a heroic mage and a cool one at that. Also he was tragic figure, loyal and powerful. I was thrilled every time he got mentioned.
And then “Legend of Huma” came around, which gives us the full account of the story that is legend in the main books of the series! Basically what it boils down to is this: Magius is not only a wimp, he is a horrible, horrible person, who betrays his only friend in the world and does not feel sorry for anyone but himself afterwards.
And in legend this guy grows in fame to become the quintessential most powerful GOOD wizard Krynn has ever seen.
Note: There is a difference between breaking a legendary figure's pedestal and making them insufferable. This is not a case of making a hero fallible. It turns them into a complete and utter jerk.
(btw, in this book Magius isn’t much of a great caster either. He hardly does anything impressive during the short battles, and the most magic we get is when Huma uses the Staff of Magius to kick Draco’s butt later. Funny, how according to this book, that piece of wood deserves its legendary reputation more than the owner it is named for. It should've been the other way round. Instead of Magius and His Staff it should be The Staff and Its Guy.
Even more infuriating it makes reading Soulforge and the beginning of Chronicles even more depressing. Like, Raistlin should have worn a T-Shirt during Chronicles, saying "I survived The Test with shattered health and possessed by a Lich and all I got was this staff of some guy who never did anything important but die horribly and wear magically bleached clothes.")
You know, the books always try to tell us that the Red Robes can be just as heroic as their White cousins. Only this is another one of these novels that show exactly the opposite by turning another one of the most famous Red Robes in the world of Krynn Black.
I would have like a cowardly hero better if the Legend hadn’t promised something much more complex. Or if at least Magius’ change of heart hadn’t happened off-screen (because why show us interesting character development when we can instead spend more time with all-wise Huma, who had been perfect from the beginning and didn’t have to undergo even a slight change to succeed in his quest?).
Magius eventually even changes alignment (this is still D&D, after all) for his last five minutes of miserable page-time and to top it off his clothes turn white. In the filthy dungeon. And all it needed were a couple days of good old’ torture. Why did that change his alignment so drastically? No idea, but anyway he’s White now. White. Because God forbid we have a positive character in this book that isn’t absolutely pure and flawless.
So much for Krynn's best known Red mage. Who was actually a Black mage and then White.
The original Dragonlance books tried to install at least some shades of grey into the setting, especially with the Twins-trilogy, but a lot of the other novels appear to be stuck on an extreme black and white scale in which you can only ever be good or evil.
It’s almost funny how going with the idealised, mythical portrayal of Magius and Huma’s relationship would have resulted in less of a cliché-storm in the end, because then we would have had at least one character with proper flaws, who wasn’t either a shining knight or secretly evil and a jerk all along, but an interesting hero.
Furthermore, writing books about deconstructing myths is all fine and well, only you should offer an alternate storyline that is at least as interesting, if less glorifying and melodramatic than the later (or, in this case, earlier) legends. This way, readers would not just be left with the disappointment in their previous expectations of the tale, but feel like they are being offered a more down-to-earth and therefore more relatable story instead.
This is not what happens in this book.
Huma, very much unlike his so-called friend, deserves his status of an idol much more. He IS the legend. Fittingly Huma’s fatal flaw are issues with feelings of inferiority. Only, with him it is not really a flaw, because it becomes obvious very quickly that his fears are unfounded. He is insecure about his own skills and abilities, but as it later turns out he is the best at just about everything! He’s only talking himself down because he’s so humble. This is not a flaw! Even though it does get annoying very fast.
He also comes with a pretty standard tragic childhood, being an orphan (his father, also a knight, died a martyr, his mother died of plaque). Yet, Knight Huma grows up to be great guy. He is free from prejudices (of course. We couldn’t have our hero learn an Aesop when we can have his throw-away friend be a constant jerkass instead), which is why he is able to trust Kaz, while his colleagues are more suspicious of the minotaur.
He is tested throughout his quest, tempted by evil swords, chewed on by gigantic dragons and has terrible secrets revealed about his own family (including his very own “No, I am yourfatheruncle” scene), but not only is his faith in his god unwavering, in the end, he sacrifices his life and his love for great altruistic reasons, to make the world a better place.
And to achieve all that he didn’t even have to undergo a character-growing-arc. He was this perfect from the start.
Now that is a heroic figure! If not a very interesting character for a novel, and certainly not a deconstruction of a legend. The truly sad thing is, though, previous books in the series have done it first and much much convincing.
See, Sturm Brightblade, from the original books fits in the same character type. He’s humble (though not so annoyingly as Huma) and altruistic. Though he isn’t officially a knight until shortly before he dies, he behaves more knightly than a large part of the actual knighthood at that time. And you know what, his holier-than-though attitude, and Vulcan (think Spock) coolness get addressed as proper flaws by his companions in the story! Which makes him a much more interesting character, who not less appreciated by fans for his flaws.
Further more, the two great battles of legend in this version are even more unbelievable than the great battles the legend tells of, because they are so unimpressive. The final fight between Good and Evil is fought between five guys and a couple of foot soldiers. Seriously, that’s all the forces of Takhisis could muster? Huma had to undergo a quest to get the Dragonlances back for this?
All this should tell you is that it is simply not necessary for a character to be perfect to be a true shining knight – especially not when you deconstruct other parts of the legend at the same time. It only makes the still idolised aspects of the story stick out more.
I'm still awarding two stars because the writing style is competent, the plotting itself is sort of decent, and also because of Kaz, who is a uniquely likable character in this mess – perhaps even the only interesting character in this thing.
In short: The book set out to deconstruct the legend, but failed to offer anything of interest in its place, while leaving behind a sour taste that readers will be reminded of whenever they come across the original legend when re-reading the older books. -
If I were to be short about it, I would say that the problem with this book is that it is too generic, if not for the setting, certainly for the plot and the character development.
There are some interesting features in its setting, which, by the look of it, seems cohesive and well-made. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the story.
It follows the stereotypical fantasy plot, with a White Knight with absolutely no (alleged) flaw, going on a quest to defeat an Evil Sorcerer and its Evil Demon Goddess. Wacky sidekicks, shenanigans, perfect love story, predictable ending.
Now, even so, I would say that the book can be a pleasant read, unless you are already a consummate fantasy reader, in which case it'll likely just bore you. Still, if not engaging, it was somewhat entertaining for me, as a funny, eye-rolling experience.
It's a harmless work.
I'll put a more detailed analysis of what my problems with it are below, under spoilers.
There are some things that I would consider as interesting potential in this book, mainly coming from Gwyeneth and Rennard, but, by the end of the reading, it seemed as such potential originality wasn't really exploited at all.
I'll analyze the main characters one by one, and the way they're related to the plot, so that it may better be understood what do I mean with it.
Dragonlance: Finally, while not a character, given their importance in the story, I'll quibble a little about them as well.
I have to say, my reaction, since first reading about the dragonlances, was:
"Hmm.. I'm not really sure if that's feasible."
Years later, having in the meantime done research about knightly combat, amongst other things, and having seen real life experimentations with real horses, real people, and real lances...
Hmm.. I'm not really sure if that's feasible.
Don't get me wrong, I like the lance as a weapon. A magic lance is certainly better than yet another godsdamned magic sword to add on top of the pile of fantasy magic items, yet... I'm not really sure if that's feasible.
What?
It's not just a question of the lance piercing through the dragon (which we can assume works fine because *magic*), and it not remaining stuck in its corpse, dragging knight and/or other dragon down with it (which.. I'm not sure if *magic* can cover that...)... I'm not really seeing it work as a tool for aerial combat.
And yes, we're going to get tecnical now.
We're talking about a tridimensional battleground, albeit with limited movement (because a dragon cannot simply fly directly up, and make sharp turns, etc.), and I'm not really seeing any possible, repeatable tactic in which a group of dragonlancers would be able to effectively kill, or even just repel, an enemy squadron, not in a realistic scenario.
Having such a long stick seems only a liability to me.
It'll get in the way of your dragon's wings. It'll get in the way of your dragon's neck. Without even using it, you're already impeding the dragon's maneuvers, which are the most important factor to care about when you're fighting other, equally powerful dragons.
When you charge with a lance on a horse, you (hopefully) have the horse run aside your target, especially if your target is another horseman, and not a foot soldier (who you could trample, if you feel like risking it). You don't want a horse crashing into another horse, and you can easily avoid that from happening, while at the same time hitting your opponent with your lance, by having the horse galloping slightly on the side.
But you can't do that with dragons, because there's the wings in the way. At least not if you plan on hitting from the front (and then, why would the enemy dragon go along with it, especially if he doesn't have a dragonlancer of his own?) You can't hit from below, since it's unlikely your dragon would be capable of pushing himself up fast enough to outspeed the opponent (flying up is very hard), you can hit from above, but what escape route do you have then? Can't really keep going downward because you'll crash on the enemy dragon, but if you suddenly try to take a turn up or sideways, you risk having your dragonlancer be torn away by his own lance (which would act as a lever, still stuck in the enemy dragon, bouncing the lancer off his seat).
Probably, with years of training (which Huma & co. certainly do not have), you might be able to get good at this kind of fighting, but I'd still consider the disadvantages of using such weapons on a dragon outweighing the few advantages, on practical terms. -
I read this book translated in Italian when I was a young teenager, and I remember liking it. More recently I read other books from Knaak, and I liked them all. Because of it, I decided to read the book again, this time in English. I did not remember the plot at all, and I really enjoyed the book as if I had never read it before.
This is the story of Huma, the legendary hero often mentioned in the Dragonlance Chronicle trilogy. The story is relatively simple, but it is never boring, and the characters are quite interesting. The only disappointment is the love story between the hero and the silver dragon: what should have been a moving and heart breaking love story is instead quite sterile and un-moving. Despite the shortcoming, it is quite an enjoyable book that I strongly recommend it to all Dragonlance fans.
This is also the first volume of Knaak's Dragonlance Minotaurs series (see:
http://goo.gl/jZreZ6 for details). -
A very well-written and gripping tale of one of the greatest knight of Solamnia there ever existed in the Dragonlance setting. The book depicts a great man aspiring to knighthood in a world that's falling to the forces of darkness. The epic plot is nothing new, but the other characters in the book all serve to highlight to strength of the main character's convictions and honour. The main character is the very symbol of the shining knight in armor, and the way he's portrayed still makes him a flawed human who strives for the perfection of what it means to be a knight.
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This was the first Dragonlance book I read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The themes of heroism and honor really spoke to me as a young man, and probably helped me to define who I was going to be in life.
Beyond that, I haven't read it in years but I'm pretty certain it's not tough reading, but more about storytelling, fun, and conveying a sense of the Dragonlance history come to life via the imagination -
11/17/2020 - 5/10
I remember liking this more when I read it 20 years ago. It's an OK read. The plotting keeps the story moving along. There's lots of action, but the writing is a bit confusing and unclear at times and there is little depth. The characters are very shallow and just kind of there. The love story seemed a bit like an unfinished aside. It's definitely a different story than what was hinted at in the chronicles (no stag?).
10/20/2000 - 7.5/10 -
Ok, so I was one of THOSE kids...for a few years there, you wouldn't see me without one of the dragonlance books in my hand. This one though, stood out. Not sure why, but over all the rest, this book was my favorite. Maybe it addressed a legend I had been longing to hear, maybe the battle scenes were a little more intense, and maybe the characters were a little more larger-than-life...not sure. It was good though.
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Un fantasy di quelli classici. È scritto in modo molto approssimato, sembra quasi un riassunto della storia che narra, ma se la gioca molto bene. È molto interessante come si evolve il credo del personaggio ed è veramente bello capire come, il protagonista, non cambiando mai la sua visione, cambia comunque i suoi ideali del bene. Per un appassionato di fantasy è una lettura quasi obbligata.
Qui ne parlo sul mio blog:
http://tiraccontounracconto.blogspot.... -
This was the first Dragonlance book I read -- I was about 12 and hated reading. Though I've since moved away from reading fantasy/sci-fi, I still remember this book (and the whole series) as the books that taught me how to love reading. The stories are great, fast paced and full of adventure, and for me as a young person they were the lesson I needed -- that fiction can be fun. I cut my teeth on the Dragonlance series.
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This is one of the bests books i have ever read. The author takes a fairly simple plot and subject and expands on it and just makes it great. Basically it's about a knight in the fantasy world called Kryn, he goes up in rank goes on marvelouse adventures, fights dragons, finds magic swords etc. He made the plot so detailed and absorbing that i cant even begin to explain the actual plot.
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This is a book that I have read numerous times. It has the rise and fall of a legend. How Huma saved the world from the Evil Takhisis. This story has action, adventure, it explains how selfless Huma was. How he did what he did for the Greater Good, not wanting anything in return. Even though I know how the story ends I still read it, bc the magic that is weaved in the book is compelling to me
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This is the first book I can ever remember reading and getting emotional about. Richard Knaak created some very iconic, sympathetic characters, which is hard to find in fantasy. The adventure is entertaining and the people of the world are memorable. One of my favorite books, and not just for nostalgia.
