Richard A. Knaak
Richard A. Knaak | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Allen Knaak May 28, 1961[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 Allen 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.
Early life and education
[edit]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][non-primary source needed] 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]
Career
[edit]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, along with 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.
Bibliography
[edit]Dragonlance
[edit]- Series
- The Legend of Huma (1988), ISBN 0-88038-548-0
- Kaz the Minotaur (1990), ISBN 0-88038-910-9
- Land of the Minotaurs (1996), ISBN 0-7869-0472-0
- Reavers of the Blood Sea (1999), ISBN 0-7869-1345-2
- The Citadel (2000), ISBN 0-7869-1683-4
- Minotaur Wars
- Night of Blood (2003), ISBN 0-7869-2938-3
- Tides of Blood (2004), ISBN 0-7869-3251-1
- Empire of Blood (2005), ISBN 0-7869-3733-5
- Ogre Titans
- The Black Talon (2007)
- The Fire Rose (2008)
- The Gargoyle King (2009)
Dragonrealm
[edit]- Firedrake (1989), ISBN 0-445-20940-2
- Ice Dragon (1989), ISBN 0-445-20942-9
- Wolfhelm (1990), ISBN 0-445-20966-6
- Shadow Steed (1990), ISBN 0-445-20967-4
- The Crystal Dragon (1993), ISBN 0-446-36432-0
- Dragon Crown (1994), ISBN 0-446-36464-9
- The Horse King (1997), ISBN 0-446-60353-8
- Shade (2012)
- Origins
- The Shrouded Realm (1991), ISBN 0-446-36138-0
- Children of the Drake (1991), ISBN 0-446-36153-4
- Dragon Tome (1992), ISBN 0-446-36252-2
- The Turning War
- Dragon Masters (2013)
- The Gryphon Mage (2014)
- The Horned Blade (2015)
- PDF Series
- Past Dancer (2002)
- Dragon Master (2002)
- Skins (2003)
- A Wolf in the Fold (2003)
- Storm Lord (2003)
- The Still Lands (2004)
- Game of Ghosts (2012)
Diablo
[edit]- Diablo series
- Legacy of Blood (2001), ISBN 0-671-04155-X
- The Kingdom of Shadow (2002), ISBN 0-7434-2692-4
- Moon of the Spider (2006), ISBN 0-7434-7132-6
- The Sin War series
- Birthright (2006)
- Scales of the Serpent (2007)
- The Veiled Prophet (2007)
Warcraft
[edit]- Day/Night Of The Dragon
- Day of the Dragon (2001), ISBN 0-671-04152-5
- Night of the Dragon (2008), ISBN 0-7434-7137-7
- War of the Ancients
- The Well of Eternity (2004), ISBN 0-7434-7119-9
- The Demon Soul (2004), ISBN 0-7434-7120-2
- The Sundering (2005), ISBN 0-7434-7121-0
- Sunwell Trilogy
- Dragon Hunt (2005), ISBN 1-59532-712-6
- Shadows of Ice (2006), ISBN 1-59532-713-4
- Ghostland (2007), ISBN 1-59532-714-2
- Shadow Wing
- The Dragons of Outland (2008), ISBN 1-42781-026-5
- Nexus Point (2011), ISBN 1-42781-449-X
- Independent Books
- "Stormrage" (2010), ISBN 1-4165-5087-9
- "Wolfheart" (2011), ISBN 1-4516-0575-7
- Dawn of the Aspects
- Part 1 (Feb 2013)
- Part 2 (Mar 2013)
- Part 3 (Apr 2013)
- Part 4 (May 2013)
- Part 5 (Jun 2013)
Age of Conan
[edit]- The God in the Moon (2006), ISBN 0-441-01422-4
- The Eye of Charon (2006), ISBN 0-441-01445-3
- The Silent Enemy (2006), ISBN 0-441-01452-6
Pathfinder Tales
[edit]- Reaper's Eye (2016), ISBN 978-0-7653-8436-2
Independent
[edit]- King of the Grey (1993), ISBN 0-446-36463-0
- Frostwing (1995), ISBN 0-446-60149-7
- The Janus Mask (1995), ISBN 0-446-60150-0
- Dutchman (1996), ISBN 0-446-60151-9
- Ruby Flames (1999), ISBN 0-671-03266-6
- Beastmaster:Myth (2009)
- Dragon Mound: Book One of the Knight In Shadow Trilogy (2011)
- Black City Saint (2016)
- Black City Demon (2017)
- Rex Draconis (2018)
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 William Laskowski (January 2007). Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works.
- ↑ "Bio". www.richardaknaak.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "Richard A Knaak". Archived from the original on February 24, 2009.
External links
[edit]- Official site Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Richard A. Knaak's SFF page
- Interviews on Blizzplanet Archived June 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- Richard A. Knaak at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- "Richard A. Knaak :: Pen & Paper RPG Database". Archived from the original on February 26, 2005.