The Spelljammer Novels: A Reader’s Guide
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We put together a complete guide to the literary super nova that was the Spelljammer novels
First released in 1989, Spelljammer remains an outlier in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Set almost entirely in space, the setting is a unique merger of science fiction, steampunk and fantasy, while still offering up many of the races, magic, classes and rules of traditional D&D settings. The world of Spelljammer has since evolved over the years, appearing in comic books, video games, trading cards and dozens of game modules, including most recently the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space sourcebooks for D&D fifth edition.
Much of this intergalactic setting, however, was developed in a set of Spelljammer novels first published in the early 1990s. These books (all of which are now sadly long out of print) helped establish a significant amount of the overall lore and history of the setting.
If you’re interested in digging into the literary side of Wildspace, we’ve put together this complete reader’s guide to the Spelljammer novels. To keep things simple, we’ve broken out each book by title and publication date, with links to further readings and a brief write-up on what each book is all about.
So grab your helm and space hamster and prepare to enter into the Void, as we delve into the Spelljammer novels.
Table of Contents
What is Spelljammer?
How many Spelljammer books are there?
Does Spelljammer have a reading order?
What are the books in chronological order?
Are the Spelljammer novels worth reading?
What is Spelljammer?
Spelljammer is a Dungeons & Dragons setting that takes place primarily in space, with magic replacing traditional science fiction elements and addressing real-world issues such as gravity and a lack of oxygen. Ships, known as Spelljammers, resemble traditional wooden sailing vessels and are powered by magical helmets. These vessels are capable of traveling significant distances and visiting D&D worlds such as the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance, which are contained in massive crystal spheres of space. The setting also contains many of the traditional D&D races, such as elves, dwarves and humans, in addition to introducing other unique spacefaring species and monsters.
The setting was first developed in the late 1980s by then D&D publisher TSR, based on an original concept from longtime game designer Jeff Grub. The first official TSR product was Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space, which was released in 1989. Additional game modules would be published in subsequent years, introducing a number of new locations, monsters and species. In 1991, TSR also published the Cloakmaster Cycle, a six-book fiction series written by a variety of authors which was designed to showcase the emerging Spelljammer world.
The Spelljammer setting has since appeared in every edition of D&D, including most recently in the fifth edition of the game, and remains incredibly popular among players.
How many Spelljammer novels are there?
Currently, there are just six Spelljammer books, with the first novel published in 1991 and the last released in 1994. For many years, only the Forgotten Realms books and Dragonlance books were actively supported by Wizards of the Coast.
That’s changed recently and in January 2024, Wizards of the Coast and Random House Worlds announced that a new novel entitled Spelljammer: Memory’s Wake was in the works. The book is written by longtime fantasy author Django Wexler with a publication date of July 2nd, 2024.
Do the Spelljammer novels have a reading order?
Yes. All six Spelljammer novels are part of a six-book series known as The Cloakmaster Cycle. The books are not standalone works and to get the most enjoyment out of them you will need to have read the previous novels.
That being said, new readers won’t need any previous knowledge of the Spelljammer setting to be able to enjoy The Cloakmaster Cycle.
The Spelljammer novels in chronological order
Below we’ve broken out the complete list of all six Spelljammer books. Please note that there are a few very minor spoilers included when it comes to the description of each title.
1. Beyond the Moons (The Cloakmaster Cycle: Book 1)
Published: July 1991
Written by longtime D&D designer and author David “Zeb” Cook, this first novel tells the story of Teldin Moore, a farmer on Krynn (the planet from the popular Dragonlance setting). Teldin finds his world turned upside down when a spelljammer ship crashlands onto his farm and a dying alien captain gives him a magical cloak. Teldin soon finds himself on the run and hunted through the depths of Wildspace by numerous factions seeking to reclaim the powerful magical artifact for themselves.
2. Into the Void (The Cloakmaster Cycle: Book 2)
Published: September 1991
Written by noted RPG designer Nigel Findley (who sadly passed away in 1995), this sequel finds Teldin learning to control his newfound magic cloak and encountering a variety of factions and foes. The story also finds Teldin moving from Krynnspace (the area surrounding the world of Dragonlance) to Realmspace (the area surrounding the planet Toril of the Forgotten Realms). Along the way, Teldin further encounters several new species native to the Spelljammer setting, including the Giff (a race of humanoid hippo-like mercenaries) and the Arcane (a race of mysterious blue-skinned creatures obsessed with trade) and the Neogi (a race of slavers that resemble a combination of spider and eel).
3. The Maelstrom’s Eye (The Cloakmaster Cycle: Book 3)
Published: May 1992
Written by RPG vetern Roger E. Moore (who is perhaps best known as the editor-in-chief of Dragon Magazine), this third book in the series finds Teldin Moore continuing his quest to learn more about his mysterious cloak. The book also introduces a number of classic spelljammer elements, including the asteroid city known as the Rock of Bral and the Elven Imperial Fleet. His search also leads him to one of the Fal, a race of hideous yet incredibly sage-like space slugs. He also finds himself being hunted by the Scro, a species of orc-like aliens who are also native to the Spelljammer setting.
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4. The Radiant Dragon (The Cloakmaster Cycle: Book 4)
Published: November 1992
Written by Elaine Cunningham (who is perhaps best known for her many Forgotten Realms novels) this book once again finds Teldin trying to learn more about his magical cloak which he has since learned is connected to the legendary lost ship known as The Spelljammer. Teldin also befriends a powerful Radiant Dragon and finds himself joining forces with several new characters on a new vessel as he learns more about the mysterious crystal spheres which make up space itself.
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5. The Broken Sphere (The Cloakmaster Cycle: Book 5)
Published: May 1993
Written by Nigel Findley (who also wrote Book 3 of the series), Teldin finds himself alone and haunted by his past actions and the deaths of several close friends. He later reunites with a few familiar faces from previous books and learns that a powerful beholder is after him. He also finds himself battling neogi slavers, space pirates and several new threat as he gets closer to tracking down the legendary Spelljammer ship and uncovering its connection to his magical cloak.
6. The Ultimate Helm (The Cloakmaster Cycle: Book 6)
Published: January 1994
Written by Russ T. Howard (a psuedonym for Howard Wornom), this final Spelljammer novel sees Teldin at last discovering the legendary Spelljammer ship and learning more of how it connects to his cloak and an ancient prophecy. Yet Teldin’s discovery has also caught the attention of the many races, armadas and factions that have been hunting him throughout the series, culminating in a massive battle that will determine the fate of both Teldin and Wildspace itself.
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Are the Spelljammer Novels worth reading?
The Cloakmaster Cycle is probably likely to appeal most to existing Spelljammer fans or new readers looking to learn more about the setting. The books can also come across as a little dated (which makes sense given that they were written over 40 years ago) and are definitely not as well written or innovative as more popular series like the Drizzt books. Readers who originally picked them up and enjoyed back in the 90s are also likely to enjoy them again purely for the nostalgia.
That being said, the novels are fun and relatively easy to get through. More importantly they remain foundational works in terms of contributing to the lore and key concepts of the setting. So if you’re a Spelljammer fan, chances are you’ll enjoy them.
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
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