Customer Reviews

Empire of Blood (Dragonlance: The Minotaur Wars, Book 3)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Knaak begins the end of this impressive trilogy around the time the Gods of Krynn come back to the world (coinciding with the end of the third book, Dragons of a Vanished Moon, in the Dragonlance War of Souls trilogy). Empire of Blood is epic in scope. Sargonnas, original patron god of the minotaur race, and Morgion, currently holding sway over the minotaurs in his aspect as the Lord of the Bronze Tower, both play an active role in the story. Their respective mortal champions, Faros and Ardnor, command mighty armies and wield great divine power. At stake is the fate of the whole minotaur race and the overall balance of power for most of Krynn. It is a very entertaining read and fans of the first two books will not be left disappointed with either the plot or the quality of writing. I have a few gripes pertaining to Knaak devoting little time to flesh out certain parts of the story. Without giving away any major spoilers, Knaak seems to abandon Bastion, warrior brother of Ardnor, towards the end of the novel without ever telling the reader of Bastion's fate. The same can be said of another major character in Lord Golgren, leader of the ogres. There are a couple other settings and events that could've been clarified with more detail. In addition, Knaak's attempt at salvaging any romance in the series is downright pathetic. These are somewhat minor concerns, but added up, I did not feel this was one of Knaak's best novels. It is certainly enjoyable and up to the standards of most Dragonlance fans. Knaak did a solid job of setting the table for new future adventures in the ever advancing Dragonlance timeline.

Richard Knaak has always been one of the best Dragonlance writers outside of Weis/Hickman. Since the Legend of Huma he has given us stories with great characters, drama, action, and overall creativity. Unlike most Dragonlance authors, he tends to think outside the box.

Finally we get the conclusion to the Minotaur Wars trilogy and it is a must read. Even casual fantasy readers could pick up this trilogy and have little trouble following it. But true fans who just read the War of Souls will appreciate it more I think. I loved the idea of using Morgion as the new evil picking up where Takhisis left off. The book slows down a little midway through but it continues to urge you on to the thrilling conclusion.

My only complaint is from a Dragonlance fan's point of view. Faros' sword is clearly the Sword of Tears from previous Knaak novels but it is never actually named. It almost seems like he goes out of his way not to say the name. The same goes for the mysterious minotaur saviors led by Gaerth who are obviously of the Kazinganthi clan. Maybe he felt casual readers wouldn't understand or be confused. Just a little nitpick, doesn't effect anything really.

I also don't understand where he is going with the Golgren storyline. What the hell were the Titans? What was that about making a potion? I can only assume he is planning another trilogy with Faros leading the minotaur empire to war against Golgren and the ogres. I guess we wait and see. I can't wait!

Empire of Blood was a great book. As an avid fantasy book reader, I rarely find books that follow main characters that are not the usual Human or Elven heros. Following Faros through his trials as the political structure of the Minotaur race unravels is exciting and interesting. Empire of Blood was written very well and I could really envision the story and felt connected with the characters.

I would definitely recommend this series to any fantasy reader, but even more so to those that are looking for a new perspective on the fantasy environment and how the different races view the events that unfold in the world.

excellently written!!!! thankfully i had the 2nd and 3rd books to dive right into, i wouldve been tormented to wait

I have now read this series of books by Mr Knaak. I wont go into allot of detail about these 3 books. I will say tho if you want a good fanstasy read then by all means these 3 would be as good as any R.A Savatore,s Dark Elf series. I must say too that I have really enjoyed reading this Triology.

With Empire of Blood, Richard Knaak concludes the Dragonlance: The Minotaur Wars trilogy and he does a fantastic job with putting everything together.

As with the other two novels in this trilogy they are a little darker than most Dragonlance novels, but in my opinion that is a good thing.

This book is much more action packed than the previous two in the trilogy which can be expected since it is the culmination of the trilogy. This story is well written and well plotted out to get the maximum effect of the tale.

As with the other books of this series you don't need to have a vast knowledge of the Dragonlance world to understand this trilogy. No matter what though, I recommend these book to any fantasy fan.

First ill say im magic / wizards / Raistlin fan all the way and there isn't one wizard in the entire book, though that fact haven't hindered my pleasure from the reading in the least.

Richard did excelent job with the entwining of the stories and ill tell you the truth i haven't had one favorite story and one "i just had to read" all of them were greatly enjoyeble, from the characters, throo the plot all the way up to the politics.

Great job on the book, a must read for any Dragonlance fan and for those still don't know it.

The minotaur rebels, flush from a great victory over their empire, are forced to turn to the traditional minotaur god to protect them from disease as the god of decay strikes back. But one victory over a legion far from the empire's center, does not make for a successful revolt. When attempts to negotiate with the one honorable member of the enemy empire, Maritia, fail, the nephew of the murdered ex-emperor, Faros, realizes he must strike directly into the heart of the empire--to eliminate the evil temple and control the capitol.

Faros's efforts are helped by the minotaur Queen's decision to centralize all power and goods distribution with the temple. Her fears and religion compell her to create new enemies--out of minotaurs who would be loyal. Still, the sacrifices she makes for her god give her, and her favored son, incredible power--power that Faros seems unlikely to be able to stand against.

Meanwhile, Golgren, leader of the ogre clan, is finally repelled by the Queen's bizarre decisionmaking and breaks his alliance with the minotaurs.

The moral ambivalence that lent interest to the earlier books in this series is now gone as the clash between rebel and empire also becomes a clash between good and evil, and a battle between the gods themselves. Still, author Richard A. Knaak's fast-paced writing keeps the story moving forward, engaging the reader's interest in Faros's battles with himself, with his god, and with the forces of the empire. Golgren plays only a minor role in the story, but he is the most interesting character, ambitious, willing to do whatever it takes to pursue his ambition, but not at all unsympathetic. I'm sure we'll see more of him in future stories of minotaur and ogre.

If you read the earlier novels in this series, you'll definitely want to pick up EMPIRE to see how Knaak brings the forces of rebellion and empire together in a great clash at the capital city's walls. Readers who haven't yet read the earlier stories will probably want to pick those up as doing so will give the reader an appreciation of why this battle matters.

I was very pleased with this book. It was a very fitting end to the series and I hope to see some other books that continue along the same story line. I highly urge you to buy this book if you have read the other two or are interested in the Dragonlance setting.

These books keep getting better an better the more I read them. The Minotaur wars was an exciting and fantastic book of battles and lore. Couldn't put it down!!

**A book I would also recommend is The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. This, the first installment of The Morcyth Saga is a great beginning for a new author. Battles, magic, gods, secret passages and intrigue, all the elements of a classic epic fantasy! Any fantasy reader will enjoy it