Iconic Dark Sun Novels - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Steel_Rabbit Nov 30, 2009 13:50:12	So I'm super-excited about the new Dark Sun release. So excited, in fact, that I've already pledged to run a Dark Sun campaign for my gaming group when the books come out (even though it's almost a year away). However, my knowledge of Dark Sun is rudimentary and mostly from the '90s when I started gaming and was enthralled by BROM's art. What I need to help me get in the mindset, is a list of some iconic Dark Sun novels. Can any of you guys help me out? Thanks!
#2 lurking_shadow Nov 30, 2009 14:51:31	Hello. The iconic novels are the five books of the Prism Pentad, which have been re-released by TSR and should be easy to find. Though it is not a novel, I find the Wanderer's Journal book from the original boxed set to be extremely useful for getting into the mindset of Dark Sun, since it relates the basic design concepts of the setting.
#3 Steel_Rabbit Nov 30, 2009 16:23:10	Thanks, Lurking_Shadow. Do you mean these? I look forward to reading these (the semester's almost over and it'll be great for this lit student to read something other than Chaucer (as great as he is)).
#4 Pennarin Nov 30, 2009 16:24:13	Like it was mentionned, the re-issued Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning is the core of the setting. Many of its descriptions of culture and places and people can be taken as is. Less liked for nebulous reasons are any DS novels by Lynn Abbey, but they have been reported to be even more evocative than the Prism Pentad. Anything you don't like in them, you discard. And the least liked novels are those by Simon Hawke, the Tribe of One trilogy and one sequel after that. They sometimes get the very people, environments, and atmosphere of Athas wrong. Still, there are a few goodies in there as well. Everything's worth reading, not every part is worth using. Cherry pick.
#5 lurking_shadow Nov 30, 2009 16:26:47	All of the books in your link except for the Beyond the Prism Pentad accessory. This is not a good accessory and is mostly redundant as it serves as a summary for the PP and the various DS adventure modules. Edit: I'm a big fan of the Lynn Abbey novels and echo Pennarin's comments regarding them. They may be harder to find, though, and they do take some liberties with the setting. Nevertheless, they are terrific.
#6 Steel_Rabbit Dec 07, 2009 2:05:25	I picked up the first book in the Prism Pentad, and I'm about four chapters in. It's great! I'm glad there's four other books after this one 'cause so far I don't want it to end. I can't wait to run a Dark Sun campaign for my group when the books are released.
#7 mouthymerc Dec 07, 2009 7:35:52	It is funny, but I found the third book, The Amber Enchantress, to be the most enjoyable of the five. It is funny because I'm generally not a fan of wizard characters.
#8 Alacryss Jan 04, 2010 0:55:54	So far my favorite, to be honest, is The Brazen Gambit by Lynn Abbey. It's a fun read, gives a lot of good descriptive information not just of cities but a small, non-slave village, and the ending is pretty good (and believable).
#9 Zardnaar Jan 04, 2010 3:49:09	The Lynn Abbey books were probably the best, minor nitpicks and the end of RaFoaDK being a bit odd.
#10 jimsmaher Jan 08, 2010 0:51:55	DARK•SUN WORLD novels: 13 novels in 4 series, First Edition back-cover blurbs, listed in chronological order according to timeline and series. A few notes about the order- and grouping: Basically each author wrote their own series. The Darkness Before the Dawn was published after The Prism Pentad's conclusion was, but takes place in Tyr before the events of The Verdant Passage, which also takes place in Tyr. As such it is the only prequel and just tenuously so. For the most part, The Tribe of One and "The Chronicles of Urik" series' are independent of eachother, though both occur after The Prism Pentad. All events of "The Chronicles of Urik" take place in Urik and contain the only substantial crossover between series', apart from Darkness Before the Dawn's lead into Prism Pentad. If you read them all, this is the order ... enjoy!
#11 Alacryss Jan 14, 2010 23:54:04	Did anyone else find Sorak in the Tribe of One novels to be a bit overpowered? This was especially apparent in some of the cheesier parts of the book, such as when he split a templar in half with the spinning and boomeranging 'Galdra' sword, followed by an obnoxiously stoic pose text.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Steel_Rabbit

Nov 30, 2009 13:50:12

So I'm super-excited about the new Dark Sun release. So excited, in fact, that I've already pledged to run a Dark Sun campaign for my gaming group when the books come out (even though it's almost a year away). However, my knowledge of Dark Sun is rudimentary and mostly from the '90s when I started gaming and was enthralled by BROM's art.

What I need to help me get in the mindset, is a list of some iconic Dark Sun novels. Can any of you guys help me out? Thanks!

lurking_shadow

Nov 30, 2009 14:51:31

Hello.

The iconic novels are the five books of the Prism Pentad, which have been re-released by TSR and should be easy to find.

Though it is not a novel, I find the Wanderer's Journal book from the original boxed set to be extremely useful for getting into the mindset of Dark Sun, since it relates the basic design concepts of the setting.

Steel_Rabbit

Nov 30, 2009 16:23:10

Thanks, Lurking_Shadow. Do you mean these?

I look forward to reading these (the semester's almost over and it'll be great for this lit student to read something other than Chaucer (as great as he is)).

Pennarin

Nov 30, 2009 16:24:13

Like it was mentionned, the re-issued Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning is the core of the setting. Many of its descriptions of culture and places and people can be taken as is.

Less liked for nebulous reasons are any DS novels by Lynn Abbey, but they have been reported to be even more evocative than the Prism Pentad. Anything you don't like in them, you discard.

And the least liked novels are those by Simon Hawke, the Tribe of One trilogy and one sequel after that. They sometimes get the very people, environments, and atmosphere of Athas wrong. Still, there are a few goodies in there as well.

Everything's worth reading, not every part is worth using. Cherry pick.

lurking_shadow

Nov 30, 2009 16:26:47

All of the books in your link except for the Beyond the Prism Pentad accessory. This is not a good accessory and is mostly redundant as it serves as a summary for the PP and the various DS adventure modules.

Edit: I'm a big fan of the Lynn Abbey novels and echo Pennarin's comments regarding them. They may be harder to find, though, and they do take some liberties with the setting. Nevertheless, they are terrific.

Steel_Rabbit

Dec 07, 2009 2:05:25

I picked up the first book in the Prism Pentad, and I'm about four chapters in. It's great! I'm glad there's four other books after this one 'cause so far I don't want it to end.

I can't wait to run a Dark Sun campaign for my group when the books are released.

mouthymerc

Dec 07, 2009 7:35:52

It is funny, but I found the third book, The Amber Enchantress, to be the most enjoyable of the five. It is funny because I'm generally not a fan of wizard characters.

Alacryss

Jan 04, 2010 0:55:54

So far my favorite, to be honest, is The Brazen Gambit by Lynn Abbey. It's a fun read, gives a lot of good descriptive information not just of cities but a small, non-slave village, and the ending is pretty good (and believable).

Zardnaar

Jan 04, 2010 3:49:09

The Lynn Abbey books were probably the best, minor nitpicks and the end of RaFoaDK being a bit odd.

#10

jimsmaher

Jan 08, 2010 0:51:55

DARK•SUN WORLD novels:

13 novels in 4 series, First Edition back-cover blurbs, listed in chronological order according to timeline and series.

A few notes about the order- and grouping: Basically each author wrote their own series. The Darkness Before the Dawn was published after The Prism Pentad's conclusion was, but takes place in Tyr before the events of The Verdant Passage, which also takes place in Tyr. As such it is the only prequel and just tenuously so. For the most part, The Tribe of One and "The Chronicles of Urik" series' are independent of eachother, though both occur after The Prism Pentad. All events of "The Chronicles of Urik" take place in Urik and contain the only substantial crossover between series', apart from Darkness Before the Dawn's lead into Prism Pentad. If you read them all, this is the order ... enjoy!

#11

Alacryss

Jan 14, 2010 23:54:04

Did anyone else find Sorak in the Tribe of One novels to be a bit overpowered? This was especially apparent in some of the cheesier parts of the book, such as when he split a templar in half with the spinning and boomeranging 'Galdra' sword, followed by an obnoxiously stoic pose text.