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Richard A. Knaak | |
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| Born | May 28, 1961 [1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. [1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Notable works | Dragonlance series Dragonrealm series Diablo novels Warcraft novels |
| Website | |
| www | |
Richard A. Knaak (born May 28, 1961 [1] ) is the author of Dragonlance novels, Dragonrealm , six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, and ten works in the Warcraft universe. He has also written five non-series fantasy books.
Richard Allen Knaak was born May 28, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois, to James Richard Knaak and Anna Maria (Trappen) Knaak. [1] He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying chemistry at first, [2] and subsequently rhetoric, and earned a bachelor's degree in 1984. [1] He worked as a warehouseman, resume writer, and office clerk before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1988. [1]
After reading Andre Norton's Storm over Warlock, he became a fan of fantasy and science fiction. [1] He eventually sold his first short story in 1986, and it was published in 1987.[ citation needed ] His Dragonlance titles include The Legend of Huma , Reavers of the Blood Sea, Kaz the Minotaur , Land of the Minotaurs , and The Citadel, in addition to short stories in various anthologies. [3] He also wrote the ten-volume Dragonrealm series, and the first Dragonrealm story, "Firedrake," helped him get his first Dragonlance project. [3] He has also written several stand-alone volumes, including the contemporary fantasies Frostwing, King of the Grey, and Dutchman, plus the heroic adventure The Janus Mask. [3] He has also worked on novels based in the worlds of the computer games Warcraft and Diablo. [3]
Knaak lists Roger Zelazny, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Edgar Allan Poe as major influences, [1] and has even listed a few of his favorite fellow authors, those being Robert E. Howard, Glen Cook, L. Sprague de Camp, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Harry Turtledove, Jennifer Roberson, Laurell K. Hamilton, Harry Harrison, and Robert Sawyer.
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job interview. Tracy Hickman met his future writing partner Margaret Weis at TSR, and they gathered a group of associates to play the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, a series of novels, licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures.
Jeff Grubb is an author of novels, short stories, and comics, as well as a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the Dragonlance campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the Forgotten Realms setting with Ed Greenwood. His written works include The Finder's Stone Trilogy, the Spelljammer and Jakandor campaign settings, and contributions to Dragonlance and the computer game Guild Wars Nightfall (2006).
Sturm Brightblade is a fictional character from the Dragonlance series of role playing games and novels, based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons franchise. The character was created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and is published by Wizards of the Coast.
Goldmoon is a fictional character from the Dragonlance fantasy series of novels and role playing games, originally published by TSR, Inc. and later by Wizards of the Coast.
Riverwind is a fictional character appearing in the Dragonlance series of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game supplements and novels, created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and published by TSR.
The Legend of Huma is a fantasy novel by American writer Richard A. Knaak, the first in the Heroes Sextet of Dragonlance novels. It was based on characters and settings from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles series. Published in 1988, it was the first Dragonlance book not dealing with the original companions.
Kaz the Minotaur is a fantasy novel by American wtiter Richard A. Knaak, set in the world of Dragonlance, and based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is the first novel in the "Heroes II" series. It was published in paperback in July 1990.
Dragons of Autumn Twilight is a 1984 fantasy novel by American writers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on a series of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) game modules. It was the first Dragonlance novel, and first in the Chronicles trilogy, which, along with the Dragonlance Legends trilogy, are generally regarded as the core novels of the Dragonlance world. Dragons of Autumn Twilight details the meeting of the Companions and the early days of The War of the Lance. The novel corresponds with the first two Dragonlance game modules, Dragons of Despair and Dragons of Flame, but with a different ending. It introduces many of the characters that are the subject of later novels and short stories.
Michael Williams is an American author. He is known as an author of Dragonlance novels.
Nancy Varian Berberick is an American fantasy author who has written 12 novels, mainly for the Dragonlance series of Dungeons & Dragons novels as well as a number of short stories.
The DL series is a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first published items that established the Dragonlance fictional universe. The original DL series was released from 1984 to 1986, with the final two modules added to it in 1988. In the 1990s these roleplaying adventures from the original series were collected and revised for 2nd Edition AD&D as the three DLC Dragonlance Classics modules. There were also versions of the module series released in 1999, 2000 and 2006.
Dragons of Despair is the first in a series of 16 Dragonlance adventures published by TSR, Inc. (TSR) between 1984 and 1988. It is the start of the first major story arc in the Dragonlance series of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game modules, a series of ready-to-play adventures for use by Dungeon Masters in the game. This series provides a game version of the original Dragonlance storyline later told in the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels. This module corresponds to the events told in the first half of the novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Its module code is DL1, which is used to designate it as the first part of the Dragonlance adventure series.
Trampas Whiteman is an American writer.
Land of the Minotaurs is a fantasy novel by American writer Richard A. Knaak, set in the world of Dragonlance, and based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is the fourth novel in the "Lost Histories" series. It was published in paperback in January 1996. It continues the story of Kaz the Minotaur from The Legend of Huma, Kaz the Minotaur, and the short story "Kaz and the Dragon's Children" from The Dragons of Krynn.
Night of Blood is a fantasy novel by Richard A. Knaak, set in the world of Dragonlance, and based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is the first novel in the "Minotaur Wars" series. It was published in paperback in June 2003.
