Dragonlance is, for me, a formative fantasy series. As a young teen, the orcs and elves and hobbits of Tolkien's Middle-earth passed me by. Instead, I was entranced by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Dragons of Autumn Twilight, first published in 1984. Oblivious to the games of Dungeon & Dragons upon which the novel was based, I fell in love with the book at face value. For years, my school bag always had at least one book in The Dragonlance Chronicles or the Dragonlance Legends trilogies inside, ready for yet another read through.
40(!) years later, Weis and Hickman have a new Dragonlance novel, called War Wizard, out in August. So I’m thrilled to be able to introduce this exclusive excerpt on IGN.
War Wizard is set before the original Dragonlance Chronicles and tells the story of the early years of future legends Huma Dragonbane and Magius during the Third Dragon War. This coming-of-age prequel explores how two young heroes rise amid the growing threat of dragons, magic, and war.
Here’s the official blurb:
Vinus Solamnus wrote: The practice of magic is secretive, inherently deceitful, and dishonorable. Those who practice magic are forbidden to enter the knighthood, nor should they be connected to the knighthood in any way.The boy with a rare gift for magic was born in Solamnia, a nation that despised and distrusted mages. His father tried to beat the magic out of him. The knights threatened him with imprisonment and exile. He endured tragedy and heartbreak. Yet he persisted with his magic, for the sake of the magic. One friend stood by him when others persecuted him, a young man who was studying for the knighthood. No one could understand this unlikely friendship. The knight was Huma. The boy took the name, Magius. The two would one day become famous in Solamnic history, fighting together to defeat the Queen of Darkness. But that future is distant, far down the River of Time. For now, this is the story of an unlikely friendship that would one day change the world.
“This scene was a lot of fun to write,” Weis told IGN, setting the scene for the exclusive excerpt, below. “Doppelgangers are among the deadliest monsters in D&D. They make excellent assassins because they acquire a person’s surface memories, as well as the physical features. This enables the shapeshifter to assume the aspect of a friend or loved one, thus enabling the monster to get close to their victim. To make matters worse, they are magic resistant, as Magius sadly discovers.”
Excerpt from Dragonlance: War Wizard by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (Publishing August 4, 2026; Random House Worlds):
Greta came hurrying toward their room, careful not to let the candle flame blow out. Huma lit the lantern, and she blinked in the light.
“Oh, good! You’re still awake. Magius, I need you!” She stopped suddenly, staring. “Huma! What are you doing here? I just left you in the hall!”
“No, you didn’t! How could I be there when I’m here?” said Huma.
“But I talked to you!” Greta insisted.
“You’re daft—” Huma began.
“An evil twin . . .” Magius murmured, and then gasped. “The gods save us! I think I know what’s going on. Greta, close the door. I need my spell components.”
He blessed his foresight in laying them out on the bed. He decided on the spell and chose a bit of rabbit’s fur and an amber crystal.
“What’s this about a twin?” Huma asked.
“If I am right, we are dealing with a monster known as a doppelganger,” said Magius. “It can take on the form of any living person, and it chose you. That’s why Jeremiah thought you gave him the wine. In essence, you do have an evil twin.”
“That means when that thing enters the room, Father will think it is me, and he’ll let it get close. . . . “ Huma shuddered. “We have to stop it!”
“I have to stop it,” said Magius. “The monster looks like you and sounds like you, and if you get close to it, none of us will be able to tell the two of you apart. I’m going to use my magic. You stay here with Greta.”
“I don’t understand—” Huma began.
“And I don’t have time to explain. Trust me,” said Magius. “When I open the door, shine the light into the hall. That will draw its attention.”
Greta held the lantern ready. Huma opened the door and Magius ran into the hall as the light spilled out. The doppelganger was standing near the door to their parents’ room. It turned when it caught sight of the light and stared at him with Huma’s face. Magius had to remind himself he had just left his friend in the room behind him.
Doppelgangers were one of the most dangerous monsters in the world of Krynn, for they could transform themselves into any being and were almost impossible to detect. They looked and acted exactly like the victim; they knew everything the victim knew, including his memories. Because of that, they made ideal assassins, and Magius was angry at himself that he hadn’t thought of this sooner.
The doppelganger didn’t just resemble Huma. It was Huma, from his voice to his clothes to the sword he carried to the way he walked. Magius was shaken. He was about to cast a lethal spell on a monster intent on harming those he loved. But the monster he was going to have to kill was Huma.
Magius rubbed the fur against the amber and brought the words of the spell to mind. The doppelganger started to grasp the door handle. Magius pictured Richard waking to find Huma standing over him with a sword, about to plunge it into his chest. His last agonizing thought before he died would be that the son he dearly loved had slain him.
Magius clasped the amber and the fur in one hand and pointed at the monster. The words to the spell blazed in his mind. At the last moment, he averted his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see Huma die, then he cast the spell.
“Ast kiranann kair Gardrum Soth-arn/Suh kali Jalaran!”
A bolt of lightning streaked from Magius’s hand and struck the doppelganger in the chest. The resultant thunderclap rattled the windows, shook the walls, and stirred up a cloud of dust. The doppelganger shrieked and dropped to the floor, twitching and writhing.
The blast would have wakened his parents. Magius was starting toward the door to tell them what had happened when the doppelganger picked itself up and rose to face him. It turned baleful eyes—Huma’s eyes—on him and then sprang at him, brandishing the sword.
Magius gasped in shock. He had no idea why his spell had failed to kill it, and he didn’t have time to wonder. The doppelganger was bearing down on him, swinging the sword with Huma’s skill.
Magius scrambled backward, tripped, and fell flat. The fall probably saved his life, for the blade whistled harmlessly above him. The monster quickly recovered, however, and tried to stab him as he lay on the floor, its sword striking sparks on the stone. Magius rolled back and forth, then remembered the fight master’s training and frantically kicked at the monster’s legs in an attempt to knock it down.
The door behind him flew open. Huma jumped in front of Magius, wielding his sword.
Magius was able to stagger to his feet. Huma was about to attack when the light struck the creature in the face and Huma saw himself. He faltered, rattled by the sight. The doppelganger saw him lower his blade and tried to run him through. Huma reflexively parried the blow and countered it, but the doppelganger was quick to repel the stroke. The monster’s skill matched Huma’s own. It had Huma’s memories, his knowledge, and his training and seemed to know what he was going to do before he did.
“Which is which?” Greta cried, bewildered.
Reprinted from Dragonlance: War Wizard by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. © 2026 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.