Richard A. Knaak

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-06

Richard A. Knaak was born May 28, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, initially studying chemistry before switching to rhetoric and earning his bachelor's degree in 1984. Before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1988, he worked as a warehouseman, resume writer, and office clerk; his first short story sold in 1986, inspired by reading Andre Norton's Storm over Warlock. Knaak became a prolific fantasy novelist, contributing to the Dragonlance series with titles such as The Legend of Huma, Kaz the Minotaur, and Reavers of the Blood Sea. He created his own ten-volume Dragonrealm series beginning with Firedrake, and wrote extensively in licensed universes, including six Diablo novels for Blizzard Entertainment and ten Warcraft novels, among them the War of the Ancients and Sunwell trilogies. His standalone works include King of the Grey, Frostwing, and The Janus Mask. He has cited Roger Zelazny, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Edgar Allan Poe as major influences on his writing.

Universe(s)

Books

• The Legend of Huma (1988) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon
• Kaz the Minotaur (1990) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon
• Land of the Minotaurs (1996) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon
• Reavers of the Blood Sea (1999) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon
• Night of Blood (2003) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon
• Tides of Blood (2004) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon
• Empire of Blood (2005) · Dragonlance Expanded Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 17 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 0 (None recorded)

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