I always enjoy Doug Niles novels, he is one of the better writers of Dungeons and Dragons based fantasy. I also usually enjoy stories set on Krynn, the world of the Dragonlance stories. I did not enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed the previous 2 books. It is obvious that the author is trying to make the point that a good general does not make a good Emperor, but having made the point, he just leaves it there. The emperor is a smart man who knows smart people, why are none of them smart enough to act as his advisor and tell him he's wrong? Actually, why does he seem to have no advisors at all? I think maybe Niles is trying to make another point about the whole knightly code and its limitations, but doesn't quite succeed. Unfortunately, since there's little character development, the plot has to take over, and it is a very routine plot. Once again the monsters and evil knights are trying to take over the kingdom with slightly more clever strategy than the last book. It feels like there is supposed to be a 4th book, but I'm not sure I'd be interested. ( )