Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 magicboy Jan 05, 2011 1:25:26	Hello all, i can not say that i have ever played D&D before but i have stumbled apon the books and wondered if they made a good fantasy read. also i was wondering if they by any chance fall into any particular order. i have several of the books for free that i have found at book donations but didnt want to start readin them unless they didnt fall in any partiuclar order. Thanks Greg
#2 Ramius613 Jan 05, 2011 2:59:12	A little more description of books would be helpful.  There are hundreds of D&D novels out there.  However, if you would like to get started into D&D Fantasy novels, you can't go wrong with Dragonlance Chronicles (consists of 3 books, which you can get as a compiled version) by Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman.  D&D novels are kind of tricky.  Picture each setting or World as being completely separate from one another.  Each setting has its own Core authors, with still more secondary/tertiary authors. To make things simpler, I will briefly break down D&D novels by setting, and list some of the 'Core' authors. Dragonlance Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman (Chronicles, The Twins Trilogy) Forgotten Realms Ed Greenwood (Elminster series) R.A. Salvatore (Drizzt series, and Cleric Quintet) My personal favorite Elaine Cunningham Eberron Keith Baker The other option to do would be to look up the author on Amazon, and then sort the books by publication date.  You could also check out the Novels page on the D&D website. Ramius
#3 drnick Jan 05, 2011 10:32:17	I may catch flack for this but I wouldn't bother. Every D&D book I've tried to read has been the worst kind of genre trash. I'm not saying that I could do better or even that the authors themselves didn't do an admirable job under the constraints but let's be honest, there's only so much you can do with a Dungeons & Dragons novel. Now I realize what I'm saying is a bit elitist but my opinion has always been that reading a book is an investment in time and emotion and I can't be bothered anymore.
#4 coffeemutt Jan 05, 2011 12:18:06	I'd have to agree with DrNick. I've tried a few of the D&D novels and most of them are not very good. Although, I do separate the D&D genre stuff from the Dragonlance trilogies mentioned above and some of Salvatore's work. I would recommend the two Dragonlance trilogies as good reads, especially if you're getting them from a library or used book store. Not sure I would spend $$ on them at new book prices. As for the order of books you already have, unless they state they are part of a series, you should be able to read them in any order you want. But if my memory serves, some of the content (especially in the Forgotten Realms) has changed so if you're reading the books to familiarize yourself with the current setting, you might want to do some research first.
#5 magicboy Jan 06, 2011 12:30:30	well i have one dragonlance book (hour glass mage) does that fall in any order?  and forgotten realms (circle of skulls and shadow something the first one)  need i worry about order?
#6 Jharii Jan 06, 2011 12:33:37	Dragonlance Margaret Weiss & Tracy Hickman (Chronicles, The Twins Trilogy) The Chronicles Trilogy is highly recommended.  It's a fantasy classic.  Pick up Dragons of Autumn Twilight and don't look back. I've hooked several people on that series that were not even fantasy or D&D fans.
#7 milkcartonjosh Jan 06, 2011 13:25:51	Magicboy,     Dragons of the Hourglass Mage is the third book in the Lost Chronicles trilogy.  You will most likely be very confused if you read this book first.  The Lost chronicles trilogy is the latest trilogy of the main Dragonlance story line.  You want to start with the Chronicles Trilogy, specifically Dragons of Autumn Twilight.  The lost chronicles trilogy fills in story events previously left untold.  I would reccomend reading the books in the order that they were published, even though the stories in the books aren't in chronological order.  Reading hour glass mage 1st would be like if you had never watched Star Wars ever, and started with episode 3, and then watched all the other movies already knowing exactly how Anakin became Darth Vader. There should be a list in the front of the book with all the books in the main plot line and what order you should read them in. Oh, and the 2nd trilogy "Legends" is awesome!!!  It's all about the wizard in the picture on the front of Hourglass Mage.
#8 magicboy Jan 06, 2011 15:26:04	ok so teh chronicles trilogy seem to the best.  what of the forgotten relms?  are a lot of the other D&D books bad?
#9 Darth_Jerrod Jan 06, 2011 20:56:56	I might get flack for this but... I actually liked the new one from Bill Slavicsek Mark of Nerath which set in the default setting for 4th edition. Why did I like it? the corny D&D references. The fact that there were not back stories I needed to read like all of the Forgotten Realms books. It was a straight read all the way through. I also like the Seal of Karga Kul, the 2nd novel in the series. It has all new characters which I like an aweful lot.
#10 Hye_Jedi Jan 06, 2011 22:01:26	Magicboy - I was in the same boat as you about a year ago. Around that time I was taking a hiatus from my sci-fi reading list and was looking for something in the fantasy genre. Being an active LFR player and aspiring GM, I figured reading some of the books from the Forgotten Realms setting could enhance my enjoyment of the written adventures. I found a reading list (PM me if you'd like a copy) and started with the Gateway to Sembia series (see summary below) and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far. I am on the sixth of seven novels and would highly recommend them as a good place to begin your journey. Yes, 4th edition has made some changes to the setting, but I figure I'll appreciate the changes more if I know what they used to be like before the plague. Sembia: Gateway to the Realms This series was written specifically for readers new to the FORGOTTEN REALMS experience. Set in the merchant city of Selgaunt in the realm of Sembia, each book in the series adds a new layer to the history of the Uskevren family, and new insight into the FORGOTTEN REALMS world! This series is best enjoyed if read in the following order: Book I, The Halls of Stormweather, Edited by Philip Athans Book II, Shadow’s Witness, Paul S. Kemp    NOTE: Erevis Cale goes on from here into a trilogy of his very own. Book III, The Shattered Mask, Richard Lee Byers Book IV, Black Wolf, Dave Gross    NOTE: Characters and situations from Black Wolf continue in Mistress of the Night! Book V, Heirs of Prophecy, Lisa Smedman Book VI, Sands of the Soul, Voronica Whitney-Robinson    NOTE: Tazi heads out on an adventure of her own in The Crimson Gold! Book VII, Lord of Stormweather, Dave Gross I'm going to read the Drizzt novels next to prepare for the Neverwinter rpg game coming out in the future. For what its worth... this is my suggestion to you based on my personal experiences. Your mileage may vary.
#11 Jharii Jan 06, 2011 22:08:58	ok so teh chronicles trilogy seem to the best.  what of the forgotten relms?  are a lot of the other D&D books bad? If you are looking at the FR, I would recommend the Cleric Quintet.  It's by far my favorite series.  Ivan and Pikel will have you rolling.
#12 lordomega Jan 07, 2011 0:11:34	Doo-dad!
#13 pruano Jan 07, 2011 11:47:36	Sembia: Gateway to the Realms This series was written specifically for readers new to the FORGOTTEN REALMS experience. Set in the merchant city of Selgaunt in the realm of Sembia, each book in the series adds a new layer to the history of the Uskevren family, and new insight into the FORGOTTEN REALMS world! This series is best enjoyed if read in the following order: Book I, The Halls of Stormweather, Edited by Philip Athans Book II, Shadow’s Witness, Paul S. Kemp    NOTE: Erevis Cale goes on from here into a trilogy of his very own. Book III, The Shattered Mask, Richard Lee Byers Book IV, Black Wolf, Dave Gross    NOTE: Characters and situations from Black Wolf continue in Mistress of the Night! Book V, Heirs of Prophecy, Lisa Smedman Book VI, Sands of the Soul, Voronica Whitney-Robinson    NOTE: Tazi heads out on an adventure of her own in The Crimson Gold! Book VII, Lord of Stormweather, Dave Gross I second this choice for starting with Forgotten Realms. The first book is an anthology, each story written by an author about one of the elements of the House of Uskevren, which is followed by one or two of the books in the series; it will give you an ample range of story styles (personally, i love the writing of Paul S. Kemp, and i have been following the further books of Erevis Cale, his creation for the series, the butler - with a very big secret - of the Uskevren family). Note that those stories are pre-FR 4Ed (which suffered a LOT of changes post-4th Ed), but good nonetheless.
#14 Xaielao2 Jan 12, 2011 11:27:37	R.A. Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt are classics and Forgotten Realms based. I haven't read the Sembia series but I see several recommendations so I may pick them up hehe. Ed Greenwoods work is favored by some. I consider most of his stuff to be pretty bland though and extremely cliched. Though I enjoyed his book 'Elminster. The Making of Mage.' which is the life story of perhaps the most famous wizard of all time in D&D 'lore'.
#15 Hye_Jedi Jan 16, 2011 11:36:39	If anyone is interested, I have the entire set of 7 novels from the Sembia series. These are hard to find and would be willing to sell as a lot for a reasonable price. PM me if interested. I am a stickler for books and I've kept them in very good condition.