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Dragonlance: Villains #2
The Black Wing
The Rise and Fall of an Evil Dragon
One score and six years before confronting the Companions in Xak Tsaroth, the black dragon Khisanth is awakened from a centuries-long sleep. The world she had known as a young wyrm is gone, irrevocably changed by the Cataclysm. Now fully grown, she has much to learn about being a dragon in a world where her kind are feared as the villians in stories told to children.
Her lessons are hard, learned at the hands of two achingly beautiful creatures who entrust her to save their race; an aging evil dragon who resents Khisanth's innate power; and the only man she considers her equal, one she would honor by carrying him into battle . . . if only he were not her sworn enemy.
When a conspiracy at the highest levels of the Black Wing threatens the Dark Queen's army, Khisanth realizes her true devoltion to evil and is rewarded with a destiny handed down by Takhisis herself.
The Black Wing is the first DRAGONLANCE novel to fully explore the dynamics of dragon life from the unique perspective of the most powerful and magical creatures on the world of Krynn.
One score and six years before confronting the Companions in Xak Tsaroth, the black dragon Khisanth is awakened from a centuries-long sleep. The world she had known as a young wyrm is gone, irrevocably changed by the Cataclysm. Now fully grown, she has much to learn about being a dragon in a world where her kind are feared as the villians in stories told to children.
Her lessons are hard, learned at the hands of two achingly beautiful creatures who entrust her to save their race; an aging evil dragon who resents Khisanth's innate power; and the only man she considers her equal, one she would honor by carrying him into battle . . . if only he were not her sworn enemy.
When a conspiracy at the highest levels of the Black Wing threatens the Dark Queen's army, Khisanth realizes her true devoltion to evil and is rewarded with a destiny handed down by Takhisis herself.
The Black Wing is the first DRAGONLANCE novel to fully explore the dynamics of dragon life from the unique perspective of the most powerful and magical creatures on the world of Krynn.
314 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
5 people are currently reading
975 people want to read
About the author
Mary L. Kirchoff
28 books46 followersMary L. Kirchoff (b. 1959) is an American author of fantasy and young adult novels.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 25, 2025
For a book about a rather low-tier dragon who existed mainly to be an obstacle for the Champions to slay in Chronicles, this ended up being really enjoyable.
I guess I kinda have a soft spot for the middle-ground "not really important for the main series" Dragonlance novels that take place in that universe but don't have any world-destroying massive catastrophe happening within the plot, especially if they're not part of a trilogy. Inside this book, we see Khisanth - the black dragon in Dragons of Autumn Twilight that was guarding the Disks of Mishakal in Xak Tsaroth - hang out with some fae until she learns shape-changing magic, fight a couple of fellow black dragons, and join the Black Wing and take part in some battles against the Knights of Solamnia. That's it. No calamity is befelling Asalon today.
As an aside, I just love that this book exists mainly to explain why a black dragon could use shape-changing magic in one of the previous Dragonlance novels. Clever or an author's saving throw to explain away why some random follower of the Dark Queen had access to magic this powerful?
This book is segmented into three parts, each with their own little plot, a different chapter in Khisanth's life after she awakens from her magical slumber. There's some overarching themes and characters and the second and third stories make callbacks to the stories before them, but they are pretty much separate from each other and function as their own little stories.
Personally, I thought the first and third sections were far more interesting than the second one, so it was like two enjoyable sections sandwiched a little turd in the middle. While the first story deals with Khisanth learning how to pretend to be human with her new shape-changing magic - complete with some fun scenes showing the dragon being clueless to how humans function and how she doesn't get things like alcohol or cooked food - and while the third story has the black dragon join a battalion of the Black Wing and we get an appearance of Takhisis Herself, the second story involves Khisanth and another black dragon (who is old and cowardly) being teleported into a magical wind realm. They fight a monster. And then Khisanth helps the old dragon fight some other dragons. The old dragon dies. It genuinely felt like filler and with such strong stories before and after it, it really felt like a low point.
There is also another main character, a human, who is a Knight of Solamnia who appears in all three stories and even has several chapters dedicated to him. While he does run into Khisanth multiple times and sorta becomes a rival to her of sorts, he...isn't very interesting, you kinda just assume that Khisanth is going to kill him before the book is over, and I feel like the chapters dedicated to him feel like fluff in a book that is already fluff for the Dragonlance series.
While reading this book, I found myself comparing it to another Dragonlance book, Downfall, which also deals with a villain protagonist that has allied themselves with other villain protagonists. Somehow Khisanth, a Chaotic Evil black dragon that breathes poison mist and sees humans as inferior little snacks, a dragon that spears someone through their skull and punctures their brain, comes off as more sympathetic than Dhamon Grimwulf, a supposed more shades-of-grey neutral character.
And honestly, I can see why. We see Khisanth show trust in other beings, we see her be mentored by multiple characters, we see her show remorse, we see her build friendships, and at one point, we see her mourn over the death of someone she cared about. In one of the story arcs, she murders someone who betrayed her, but she also looks upon that past relationship multiple times and feels regret. These are things we don't see Dhamon doing, and it's really a compliment to this book that this character - this dragon - has a lot more nuance than a human character with a whole trilogy dedicated to him even though she does amount to being a dungeon encounter that's guarding a Shiny Thing from The Adventurers.
It's pure fluff and not at all required reading material for the Dragonlance series but I had a ton of fun with this book, and in the end, that's really what matters.
I guess I kinda have a soft spot for the middle-ground "not really important for the main series" Dragonlance novels that take place in that universe but don't have any world-destroying massive catastrophe happening within the plot, especially if they're not part of a trilogy. Inside this book, we see Khisanth - the black dragon in Dragons of Autumn Twilight that was guarding the Disks of Mishakal in Xak Tsaroth - hang out with some fae until she learns shape-changing magic, fight a couple of fellow black dragons, and join the Black Wing and take part in some battles against the Knights of Solamnia. That's it. No calamity is befelling Asalon today.
As an aside, I just love that this book exists mainly to explain why a black dragon could use shape-changing magic in one of the previous Dragonlance novels. Clever or an author's saving throw to explain away why some random follower of the Dark Queen had access to magic this powerful?
This book is segmented into three parts, each with their own little plot, a different chapter in Khisanth's life after she awakens from her magical slumber. There's some overarching themes and characters and the second and third stories make callbacks to the stories before them, but they are pretty much separate from each other and function as their own little stories.
Personally, I thought the first and third sections were far more interesting than the second one, so it was like two enjoyable sections sandwiched a little turd in the middle. While the first story deals with Khisanth learning how to pretend to be human with her new shape-changing magic - complete with some fun scenes showing the dragon being clueless to how humans function and how she doesn't get things like alcohol or cooked food - and while the third story has the black dragon join a battalion of the Black Wing and we get an appearance of Takhisis Herself, the second story involves Khisanth and another black dragon (who is old and cowardly) being teleported into a magical wind realm. They fight a monster. And then Khisanth helps the old dragon fight some other dragons. The old dragon dies. It genuinely felt like filler and with such strong stories before and after it, it really felt like a low point.
There is also another main character, a human, who is a Knight of Solamnia who appears in all three stories and even has several chapters dedicated to him. While he does run into Khisanth multiple times and sorta becomes a rival to her of sorts, he...isn't very interesting, you kinda just assume that Khisanth is going to kill him before the book is over, and I feel like the chapters dedicated to him feel like fluff in a book that is already fluff for the Dragonlance series.
While reading this book, I found myself comparing it to another Dragonlance book, Downfall, which also deals with a villain protagonist that has allied themselves with other villain protagonists. Somehow Khisanth, a Chaotic Evil black dragon that breathes poison mist and sees humans as inferior little snacks, a dragon that spears someone through their skull and punctures their brain, comes off as more sympathetic than Dhamon Grimwulf, a supposed more shades-of-grey neutral character.
And honestly, I can see why. We see Khisanth show trust in other beings, we see her be mentored by multiple characters, we see her show remorse, we see her build friendships, and at one point, we see her mourn over the death of someone she cared about. In one of the story arcs, she murders someone who betrayed her, but she also looks upon that past relationship multiple times and feels regret. These are things we don't see Dhamon doing, and it's really a compliment to this book that this character - this dragon - has a lot more nuance than a human character with a whole trilogy dedicated to him even though she does amount to being a dungeon encounter that's guarding a Shiny Thing from The Adventurers.
It's pure fluff and not at all required reading material for the Dragonlance series but I had a ton of fun with this book, and in the end, that's really what matters.
October 12, 2018
Excellent villian story. Awesome tale! =)
July 18, 2015
This book is part of the Dragonlance world. This book tells three different short stories of Khisanth who is a black dragon and appeared in the original trilogy. One does not need to read the original trilogy for this novel. In fact, this novel ends where her part begins in the trilogy.
I didn't think this was the best book that takes place in this world or the best book from this author. Like I said, there are three stories and only the last one was worth reading. I believe the first story to contradict traits of dragons in this world and I just could not get past that. The second story was useless and read like it was filler until we get to the only enjoyable part. The third part was excellent. The author does a great job portraying evil and we get a sense of behind the scene qualities of evil and why evil will not win in the upcoming battle. There are several battle scenes in this part that is well done and was a joy to read. I wish that this story was the whole book and if that happened, this novel would have a much higher rating.
There isn't much to this book and one would not miss much if they decide to pass on it. It does provide some background information for a minor character and an insight to black dragons but this was a missed opportunity.
I didn't think this was the best book that takes place in this world or the best book from this author. Like I said, there are three stories and only the last one was worth reading. I believe the first story to contradict traits of dragons in this world and I just could not get past that. The second story was useless and read like it was filler until we get to the only enjoyable part. The third part was excellent. The author does a great job portraying evil and we get a sense of behind the scene qualities of evil and why evil will not win in the upcoming battle. There are several battle scenes in this part that is well done and was a joy to read. I wish that this story was the whole book and if that happened, this novel would have a much higher rating.
There isn't much to this book and one would not miss much if they decide to pass on it. It does provide some background information for a minor character and an insight to black dragons but this was a missed opportunity.
January 5, 2024
These books have really picked up the interest again with regards to expanding the world-building in Krynn and this is perhaps one of the first to really zone in on something that interested me in a cool way i.e here's the story of that random dragon that gets killed in Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Brilliant, really because it provides a new window into the world of Krynn and helps explore other areas whilst still hooking into the Chronicles, something which is slowly becoming unnecessary after the release of the Elven and Dwarven Nations trilogies.
Not that Kirchoff nails the tone here and splitting the story into manageable chunks of three only tangentially related sections was a mistake. We never quite know where we are with Khisanth and never quite get the chance to immerse ourselves in the cast and situations around her. And we never really even know whether to side with her (that said I quite enjoyed the ambiguity). But it does get us inside the mind of a dragon somewhat and particularly the final section which leads into the War of the Lance and give a little perspective on the conflict from the Dragon Highlord's side. I would have preferred much much more of this, though than that weird episode in the abyssal plain.
Thoroughly enjoyable but weirdly inconsistent.
Not that Kirchoff nails the tone here and splitting the story into manageable chunks of three only tangentially related sections was a mistake. We never quite know where we are with Khisanth and never quite get the chance to immerse ourselves in the cast and situations around her. And we never really even know whether to side with her (that said I quite enjoyed the ambiguity). But it does get us inside the mind of a dragon somewhat and particularly the final section which leads into the War of the Lance and give a little perspective on the conflict from the Dragon Highlord's side. I would have preferred much much more of this, though than that weird episode in the abyssal plain.
Thoroughly enjoyable but weirdly inconsistent.
January 12, 2021
This is the story of Khisanth, a young black dragon who just wants to serve Takhisis valiantly, and the creation of the Black Wing army. Khisanth deals with betrayals through out the story, which shapes her into the dragon she becomes.
The story is broken up into 3 books.
The first book is Khisanth being woken from the deep sleep by 2 nymphs that need her help. In exchange they teach her how to use her mind to shape change. They also teach her how to stay calm and think before reacting. She also meets a Solamnic Knight (Tate) that will play more roles later.
Book 2 was Khisanth learning more about how the other dragons act and some minor magic from an older dragon. She also battles with other dragons for the first time. Tate is rebuilding an old Solamnic outpost outside of Solanthus.
In the 3rd book Khisanth has joined Takhisis' Black Wing Army. She meets with Takhisis in this book as well. Tate runs into Khisanth again.
The story is broken up into 3 books.
The first book is Khisanth being woken from the deep sleep by 2 nymphs that need her help. In exchange they teach her how to use her mind to shape change. They also teach her how to stay calm and think before reacting. She also meets a Solamnic Knight (Tate) that will play more roles later.
Book 2 was Khisanth learning more about how the other dragons act and some minor magic from an older dragon. She also battles with other dragons for the first time. Tate is rebuilding an old Solamnic outpost outside of Solanthus.
In the 3rd book Khisanth has joined Takhisis' Black Wing Army. She meets with Takhisis in this book as well. Tate runs into Khisanth again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2022
Some of the older Dragonlance stories related to the first trilogy I don’t find particularly enjoyable, but I really enjoyed this title. People tend to have a hard-on for Weis and Hickman, but personally I enjoy the additions to the series by other authors much better.
The novel is divided into three parts, the first of which being the most interesting to me. Not only do we get to read about a dragon (not the typical Dragonlance viewpoint), but this is one that can take on other forms, human being one of those. This is not a concept I was expecting, which gave the story some nice unexpected possibilities.
The setting could have been expanded upon, but we do get a nice look into dragon habitats - swamplands. I always imagined dragons to have their homes in mountain caves, but apparently the dragons referred to in this story prefer to settle in the swamp.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly liking the tale and giving a four-star rating.
The novel is divided into three parts, the first of which being the most interesting to me. Not only do we get to read about a dragon (not the typical Dragonlance viewpoint), but this is one that can take on other forms, human being one of those. This is not a concept I was expecting, which gave the story some nice unexpected possibilities.
The setting could have been expanded upon, but we do get a nice look into dragon habitats - swamplands. I always imagined dragons to have their homes in mountain caves, but apparently the dragons referred to in this story prefer to settle in the swamp.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly liking the tale and giving a four-star rating.
December 9, 2019
Always good to return to the world of Dragonlance. The book was ok, but not good. I will keep it in the collection in case my kid wants to read it when he is older. I would say skip if you’re not a dragonlance aficionado, but if you love the world and want to read a random backstory, pick it up and give it a few hours of your time.
May 8, 2021
Been working my way through my Gradonkance collection for the first time in years and began the Villian series recently. Really enjoyed this story of an evil dragon and her personal struggles as she learns her place in the world after her long sleep.
January 21, 2025
I wonder if we'd even have Dragon Wars if those silly pixies hadn't been so stingy with their teachings of qhen
Shame they literally only exist in this one book, and nowhere else in DnD history.. sure is convenient huh?
Shame they literally only exist in this one book, and nowhere else in DnD history.. sure is convenient huh?
August 25, 2020
Kinda slow plot, some plot holes. Kinda cool to see background on this dragon.
November 22, 2022
Wonderful fun adventure read. Great fantasy and lots of action.
May 31, 2025
I liked this one a lot more when I was a teenager.
June 20, 2007
The second book in the Villains series centers around the black dragon Khisanth. For those of you who have read the Chronicles series, Khisanth is the black dragon in the city in Xak Tsaroth. The story is divided into three parts that focus on different parts of the dragon’s maturation process. The first part starts with a newly woken Khisanth who gets befriended by two fairy like creatures called Nyphids. Khisanth then agrees to take on a human form to try and rescue the last surviving female Nyphid. The second part revolves around Khisanth’s relationship with another black dragon who agrees to train her on the ways of being a dragon. Through a magical accident the two dragons are transported to another plane of existence where they search for a way home. The third portion of the book centers on Khisanth’s relationship with other black dragons that are training for the coming war. This part involves several battles with the Knights of Solamnia and even an aerial battle against some griffons. The book ends rather unceremoniously with Khisanth sitting alone guarding a magical item in a ruined city.
Check out my website to read the full review.
[http://www.thefantasyreview.com/2007/...]
Check out my website to read the full review.
[http://www.thefantasyreview.com/2007/...]
October 22, 2021
The Black Wing! This was my latest one as I go through the Dragonlance books I’ve never read before. Before reading it, I assumed I would like it because I love Kirchoff’s Defenders of Magic trilogy. Her take on Krynn is one of my favorite. This one was very different from other DL books because it focuses entirely on a dragon, Khisanth, as she wakens from sleeping in preparation for Takhisis’ newest designs on Krynn. To have your main character be evil is difficult, but Kirchoff straddled the line between reprehensible and engaging expertly. This felt like good, classic Dragonlance to me.
September 5, 2012
This book was the 1st I read out of the chronological storyline and is one of the better. If the intention of the villain series was to expand more on the villain characters who can often get trampled (skewered) by the heroes simply because the look evil (not much looks more evil than a black dragon) then this book succeeds. Ties in ok with other novels and in the end you almost feel let down when she is skewered.
April 28, 2014
Even an evil dragon can have positive traits... at least compared to other black dragons.
The history of Khisanth was interesting. It also proves how self-destructive Evil is, as a whole. I've never played in the DragonLance universe and I think this is my first DragonLance novel, so I have no idea how "popular" this dragon is but I really liked how Khisanth the dragon was aware of herself when she turned into a human.
The history of Khisanth was interesting. It also proves how self-destructive Evil is, as a whole. I've never played in the DragonLance universe and I think this is my first DragonLance novel, so I have no idea how "popular" this dragon is but I really liked how Khisanth the dragon was aware of herself when she turned into a human.
September 28, 2011
I loved it, though i wish it didn't end so suddenly...
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September 22, 2014Its an ok book. Quick candy that gives a little history behind the first dragon met in the DragonLance Series as well as of the Black Dragonarmy. Only read if you really like DragonLance.
April 11, 2013
Far too many arcade sequences. *yawn*
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews