Join me as I review The Radiant Dragon by Elaine Cunningham, live! Share your thoughts on this fourth novel in Spelljammer’s The Cloakmaster Cycle. You can pick up The Radiant Dragon here: https://www.amazon.com/Radiant-Dragon-Spelljammer-Novels-Cloakmaster/dp/1560763469/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1EI5IA6T44VOJ&keywords=the+radiant+dragon&qid=1654536313&sprefix=the+radiant+dragon%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1

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About The Radiant Dragon

Teldin Moore searches for the great ship Spelljammer. A radiant dragon who also possesses a key to the sought-after ship needs Teldin's help to take control. But someone in Teldin's inner circle is pulling all parties toward a major battle.

Review

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Palast, Holmswelth the 13th, my name is Adam and today I am going to give you my Spoiler review of The Radiant Dragon by Elaine Cunningham. I will be spoiling the story, so if you don’t want to know it, stop watching now! I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this YouTube channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.

We open with Teldin Moore on a planet called Garden visiting a tavern. A Beholder comes in and two Dracon’s make a joke at its expense. Some female Aperusa Gypsy pulls Teldin to a table and when the Beholder takes offense and disintegrates some of the customers, everyone flees. The two Dracon and King Rozloom, a Aperusa Gypsy follow Teldin to his ship, the Valkyrie, and ask for transport. Teldin and his crew agree to take the Dracon’s to their ship, and take Razloom as their cook. 

The Dracons were working under mental control from an Illithid named Netarza who wants to bring Teldin to her leader. The dracons realize they were used and turn against the illithid. Teldins crew comes aboard and rescues them, and Teldin meets Estress, the illithid captain of the Probe from the second book. He is not working with Netarza and wants to keep the cloak out of his species hands. Teldin reluctantly believes him as he helps fight his way off the ship. The ships are joined by an elven vessel captained by Vallus Leafblower, who convinced his grand admiral to allow him to try and enlist Teldin’s help in the second inhuman war between the scro and the elves.

All the while the Scro are decimating the elven armies and enlisting the goblins against them. This is turning into a massive, galaxy wide battle and it has already drawn me in for its strangeness and political machinations, to say nothing of the action. Vallus allows Teldin to bring the Dracon, half-elf, illithid, gnome and aperusa aboard his spelljammer, and heal from the battle. The Illithid’s ship destroyed Teldin’s. It took days for Teldin to fully heal, during which time he learned the truth of Estriss’ intentions behind the cloak and medallion that Teldin carries. He begins to trust him again, as the Dracon’s swear fealty to Teldin as their new Kaba. The Half Elf/Bionoid Hecate Kir makes a friendship with Teldin as well, and everyone is amazed at Rozloom’s ability to seduce even the elves aboard Vallus’ ship. 

They are headed to Evermeet to discuss the Spelljammer and cloak with the Moon Elves there.