Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 winterwarrior83 Aug 25, 2014 15:30:27	I really want to read the Eberron novels in the Chronological order so I can get the full scope of the world as it started and changed threw the years. I've done some searches but pulled nothing up. Thought I'd ask here for help. Thanks in advance.
#2 tallric_kruush Aug 26, 2014 12:01:20	Eberron's novels never change the world in any canon fashion. There were two series that made some substantial changes within the scope of their stories (Legacy of Dhakaan and The Draconic Prophecies series).   The Eberron novels were largely very well written, with only a few exceptions. If I had to give you a starting point, I'd say to read Keith's "The Dreaming Dark" trilogy, Don Bassingthwaite's "The Dragon Below" and "Legacy of Dhakaan" trilogies, and James Wyatt's "The Draconic Prophecies" trilogy. The latter is a slow starter, in my opinion, but books 2 and 3 were great.   Paul Crilley's two "Abraxis Wren" novels were very good, as was James Wyatt's "In the Claws of the Tiger".   The "Heirs of Ash" trilogy was very well written, but has a lot of moments in which it doesn't blend perfectly with the established facts and feel of the setting. You can tell the author did his research on the setting's high points, but wasn't intimately familiar with how all of these things are actually integrated into the setting. These moments are noticeable for a long time Eberron fan, but not jarring. The quality of the writing balances out these issues, in my opinion.   There are others good ones out there, including Keith Baker's second trilogy. That said, those three trilogies I mentioned first were by far the best, in my opinion. They take you on a tour of Eberron's many locales and cultures, and feature some damn fine writing. Don Bassingthwaite is so good I consider him one of my favorite authors in any genre, and Keith and James were in peak form with those trilogies. The latter two being the creator and two lead guys on the setting's creation, combined with their skill as writers, made for some good tales.
#3 EnderXenocide0 Aug 26, 2014 15:02:56	The important thing to remember is that, unlike another setting like Forgotten Realms, the novels have no bearing on the canon of the world. Each novel (or series) is treated as a campaign someone might run. It's one person's take on a possible scenario in Eberron. So you could start anywhere and be completely fine. I started with The Dreaming Dark trilogy, because I wanted to see what the world was like straight from Keith Baker. That said, Keith was new to writing novels at the time and there are places where that shows. Additionally, the final novel leaves you off on a cliffhanger with some serious missing resolution (as there were more novels that were planned to be made, but never happened). So be wary of that. I'd like to add in that I think the Thorn of Breland novels by Keith are also very good and show a lot of improvement. Queen of Stone has a lot of useful information for those using Droaam in their campaign. BUT. As stated in the previous comment, Don Bassingthwaite's books just take the cake. In my opinion, they were the best Eberron novels. I've enjoyed almost all of what I've read, but his two series really feel like explorations of different cultures in Eberron as much as they are epic tales.
#4 winterwarrior83 Aug 27, 2014 10:32:32	I guess then the question has changed then. As a DM I wanted to learn the world and thought the novels would help with the history. Is it better to just get the source books from each Gen to know what changed and stayed the same through the different versions?
#5 tallric_kruush Aug 27, 2014 16:35:52	The only thing that changed between editions was the addition of Dragonborn and Eladrin, and the more clear integration of Tielfings, all of whom are extremely rare.   You can either get the original Eberron Campaign Setting, or go with the 4E Eberron Campaign Guide. Both were written by Keith Baker and James Wyatt, and they include more or less the same info. As I think about it now, I'd likely recommend the 4E ECG. It includes the above mentioned changes, and provides some additional depth and hooks that the ECS didn't provide.   That doesn't mean you should skip the novels, though. A novel will always give you more depth and a clearer vision than any sourcebook can give.
#6 Beoric Aug 27, 2014 18:12:52	You could also go to the "Revised Grand History of Eberron" thread and find the link for that document.  It has about 500 pages of material, just text, no pictures.
#7 0akenshield9 Aug 27, 2014 19:35:02	Eberron, unlike the Realms, Dragonlance, or Dark Sun, never went through any sort of retcon or cataclysm between editions. As a result, there isn't a particular order to read the novels in the world, nor any real game-changing differences between the different editions handbooks. This is really an advantage if you are looking for some of the assorted sourcebooks published in 3.5 to add more information, such as Sharn: City of Towers or Magic of Eberron. To the best of my knowledge, all of the novels are set in the same time frame as the campaign guides suggest playing: shortly after the Last War, and possibly could even be nearly simultanious with each other at times.
#8 winterwarrior83 Aug 28, 2014 6:14:05	Thank you for all the info. I haven't played much in Eberron, but the idea of the world always facinated me. I started to dable a little in it when I was playing forth, but never to deep. I know that Realms had huge upheavels with each new edition so I had assumed Eberron had as well. It is good to know that really isn't the case. I'm reading the first book published for Eberron and loving it. I plan on reading as many novels in the setting as I can to get a better feel of the world and it's people.
#9 tallric_kruush Aug 28, 2014 18:55:17	Great to hear! I expect you'll find much to love in this setting.
#10 CraterLabs Sep 29, 2014 22:32:57	I also want to suggest that if you're looking for novels, be sure to check out the DDO novels.  They're technicall based more on the MMO than the tabletop game, but there's some good stuff there.  I loved The Shard Axe, for instance.  The main character is basically the fantasy equivalent of your typical loose cannon cop who doesn't play by the rules.  Just... you know... with armor and an axe.