The Dungeons & Dragons Novels: A Reader’s Guide

We take a closer look at the literary world of the D&D books

While Dungeons & Dragons is best known as tabletop RPG, over the past 50 years the game has also spawned hundreds of novels which have had an incredible impact on both D&D itself and the world of fantasy literature.

Perhaps the most recognizable Dungeons & Dragons novels include those set in the worlds of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms, the latter of which is home to the popular dark elf ranger Drizzt Do’Urden, created by author R.A Salvatore. Novels have also been published in the game worlds of Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Eberron and Greyhawk, with the majority being released in the 80s and 90s. Collectively, these books have sold millions of copies, been translated into dozens of languages and have routinely topped The New York Times best sellers list.

Yet for new readers the sheer number of books can often be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together this reader’s guide which offers a look at these unique works, including a brief description of the various settings, their publishing history and our picks for some of the best reads.

So grab your +2 bookmark of reading as we delve into the fantastical literary worlds of the Dungeons & Dragons books.

Table of Contents

• Forgotten Realms Novels
• Dragonlance Novels
• Ravenloft Novels
• Dark Sun Novels
• Spelljammer Novels
• Eberron Novels
• Greyhawk Novels

Forgotten Realms D&D Novels

The Forgotten Realms is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting created by award-winning Canadian fantasy author and game designer Ed Greenwood, who first conceived of the world as a child for a series of novels he was planning to write. When he later worked for D&D publisher TSR, Greenwood brought the concept of the Forgotten Realms over, with the first official game publication released in 1987.

Since that time the Realms has been further developed by countless authors, editors, artists and designers. It’s also served as the backdrop for hundreds of game supplements, comic books, trading cards, toys and video games, including the popular Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights series. The setting also continues to be a key part of Dungeons & Dragons itself, appearing in every edition of the game since the late 80s and, more recently, serving as the backdrop for the popular Honor Among Thieves film.

Yet nowhere is the enduring appeal of the Forgotten Realms more apparent than in the nearly 400 novels which have been published-to-date, selling millions of copies around the world and introducing countless readers to iconic locations like Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate, not to mention memorable characters, including the archmage Elminster and the legendary dark elf ranger Drizzt Do’Urden.

There is no real reading order to any of the books (although many are part of larger trilogies or series, and do feature recurring characters), but some of the most popular titles we recommend reading include:

• The Cleric Quintet by R.A Salvatore
• The Erevis Cale Trilogy by Paul S. Kemp
• The Brimstone Angels series by Erin M. Evans
• The War of the Spider-Queen series by various authors
• The Avatar series by various authors
• The Sundering Saga by various authors
• The Legend of Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore

New Forgotten Realms titles continue to be published to this day, making them some of the most endearing and far reaching Dungeons & Dragons novels ever published.

See our picks for the 20 Best Forgotten Realms Book Series.

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Dragonlance D&D Novels

First created in 1984, Dragonlance is a Dungeons & Dragons world created by husband-and-wife game designers Laura and Tracy Hickman, both of whom worked for D&D publisher TSR and conceived of the setting as a series of game modules and novels. Since then, the world of Krynn has continued to evolve, spawning countless comic books, toys, video games, and even recent rumors of a big screen Hollywood adaptation.

Much of this unique fantasy world, however, has been developed in the over 200 Dragonlance novels , with the vast majority published in the late 80s and early 90s and many of the key books written by Tracky Hickman and author Margaret Weis. Notably, the number of new books being released slowed significantly after Dungeons & Dragons was purchased by publisher Wizards of the Coast in 1997, losing the rights to the Dragonlance franchise in the process. A series of legal issues further stalled publications until 2022, when authors Tracky Hickman and Margaret Weis resolved their legal issues with Wizards of the Coast and published a new Dragonlance D&D novel entitled Dragons of Deceit.

There is no real reading order to any of the books, although most readers behind with the foundational Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy since it introduces some of the key characters and lore. Other popular series we recommend reading include:

• The Legends trilogy by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
• The Raistlin Chronicles by Margaret Weis & Don Perrin
• The Lost Chronicles by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
• The War of Souls series by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
• The Elven Exiles trilogy by Paul B. Thompson & Tonya C. Cook
• The Minotaur Wars by Richard A. Knaak
• The Dragonlance Destinies series by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

New Dragonlance Dungeons & Dragons novels continue to be published as of 2023, and the world remains a key focus from Wizards of the Coast, who released an updated campaign featuring the world of Krynn for the fifth edition of D&D.

See our picks for the 10 Best Dragonlance Book Series.

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Ravenloft D&D Novels

Ravenloft is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting originally created by husband-and-wife game designers Laura and Tracy Hickman, who also created the Dragonlance setting. While working at TSR, the two decided to create a vampire villain with a complex backstory who ruled over a land filled with elements of Gothic horror. The idea was later adapted for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and was released in 1983 as Module I6: Ravenloft, which introduced the realm of Barovia and in the infamous vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich.

Since then, Ravenloft (also known as the Demiplane of Dread) has appeared in every edition of Dungeons & Dragons, spawning countless game materials and adventure modules, along with a variety of comic books, trading cards, toys, and video games. Much of this unique horror-fantasy world, however, has been developed in 23 Ravenloft novels that have been published since the early 1990s. These D&D books (many of which are now sadly out of print) helped established many of the recurring characters and lore of the setting.

Notably, there is no real reading order to any of the Ravenloft books, most of which are standalone works that require no previous reading or knowledge of the setting. That being said, we recommend reading the following series:

• Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden
• Knight of the Black Rose by James Lowder
• I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire by P.N. Elrod
• King of the Dead by Gene De Weese
• Lord of the Necropolis by Gene De Weese
• I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin by P.N. Elrod

Current Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast has not announced any further plans to publish any further Ravenloft D&D books, although it remains a possibility given that the world is still incredibly popular among by players and readers alike.

See our Complete Reader’s Guide to the Ravenloft Books.

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Dark Sun D&D Novels

Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons setting that takes place on the planet Athas, a once green and verdant paradise that has been reduced to a barren wasteland in the wake of a magical apocalypse. The survivors – composed of the traditional D&D races of elves, dwarves and humans, along with several other species – now struggle to survive the inhospitable environment and the tyrannical rule of a group of warring city states.

The first official TSR product was the Dark Sun Boxed Set, which was released in 1991 for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. At that time the set was accompanied by the Prism Pentad, a five-book fiction series written by longtime D&D novelist and designer Troy Denning. Additional game products were released over the next few years before the line was abruptly ended in 1996 due to flagging sales. Dark Sun was, however, briefly revived for the 3rd edition of D&D by publisher Paizo (creator of the Pathfinder system) and later appeared in the fourth edition of D&D.

Much of the lore of the setting, however, was established early on in a series of 16 Dark Sun Dungeons & Dragons novels, with the vast majority published in the 1990s. And while there is no reading order to the Dark Sun books, we recommend reading them in the following order:

• The Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning
• The Tribe of One Trilogy by Simon Hawke
• The Chronicles of Athas by various authors
• The D&D Dark Sun Trilogy by various authors

In 2023, D&D publisher publisher Wizards of the Coast flagged the Dark Sun setting as being “problematic” due to controversial elements in the game, including slavery, forced breeding, racism, cannibalism and genocide. As such, it seems unlikely that Wizards of the Coast will be publishing any further Dark Sun D&D novels or game materials anytime in the foreseeable future.

Check out our Complete Reader’s Guide to the Dark Sun Books.

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Spelljammer D&D Novels

First released in 1989, 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. 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 world of Spelljammer has since evolved over the years, appearing in comic books, video games, trading cards and dozens of game modules in virtually every edition of D&D, including most recently the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space sourcebooks for D&D fifth edition.

Much of this intergalactic setting, however, was developed early on in a set of six Spelljammer novels first published in the early 1990s. These books, which collectively make up The Cloakmaster Cycle, helped establish a significant amount of the overall lore and history of the setting. The six books are as follows:

• Beyond the Moons by David Cook
• Into the Void by Nigel Findley
• The Maelstrom’s Eye by Roger E. Moore
• The Radiant Dragon by Elaine Cunningham
• The Broken Sphere by Nigel Findley
• The Ultimate Helm by Russ T. Howard

Sadly no further Spelljammer books were published after 1994. That being said, Wizards of the Coast continues to support the setting with new game products, so it is possible that additional Spelljammer Dungeons & Dragons novels may be published sometime in the future.

See our Complete Reader’s Guide to the Spelljammer Novels.

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Eberron D&D Novels

First released in 2004, Eberron is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting that combines traditional fantasy RPG elements with pulp adventure, horror and steampunk. Notably, Eberron differs from other D&D settings in that it includes technology such as trains, skyships and mechanical beings, all of which are all powered by magic. Additionally, the concept of traditional D&D races is also subverted, with “evil” species such as orcs and “good” species such as elves, presented as more complex and nuanced.

Eberron itself was created by author and game designer Keith Baker, and was selected as the winning entry in Wizards of the Coast’s Fantasy Setting Search, a 2002 contest in which fans could submit ideas for a new D&D campaign world. The setting first appeared in D&D 3.5 edition, but was later adapted to the fourth and fifth editions of the game. While Wizards of the Coast maintains the rights to the world, Baker continued to produce new third-party materials under the Open Game License, such as the Chronicles of Eberron game book which he wrote and published via DMsGuild.

Much of the world, however, was developed in a series of 40 D&D novels. And while there is no real reading to the Eberron books, the vast majority are part of a series which do need to be read in order, with a few standalone novels here and there. Below are our picks for the best of the series:

• The Dragon Below Trilogy by Don Bassingthwaite
• The Blade of the Flame Trilogy by Tim Waggoner
• The Heirs of Ash Trilogy by Rich Wulf
• The Draconic Prophecies Trilogy by James Wyatt
• The Legacy of Dhakaan Trilogy by Don Bassingthwaite
• The Thorn of Breland Trilogy by Keith Baker

It’s worth noting that Eberron creator Keith Baker is no longer actively involved in the world. In fact, in an April 2023 Twitter post, Baker indicated that he would not be producing any future official or third-party Eberron content. That being said, the world remains incredibly popular among players, so it is possible that Wizards of the Coast may produce future Eberron D&D novels.

Read our Complete Reader’s Guide to the Eberron Novels.

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Greyhawk D&D Novels

First appearing in 1972, Greyhawk is not only one of the most recognized Dungeons & Dragons settings, but also one of the oldest, originally starting out as the game world in the personal campaign run by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. And while the setting has evolved over the years, appearing in all five editions of D&D, much of the world was developed in a series of 24 novels, most of which were published in the 80s and 90s.

Notably, Gygax himself wrote several Greyhawk D&D novels which follow the adventures of a character named Gord the Rogue. Unfortunately, Gygax left TSR in 1986 due to legal and financial issues with the company, but maintained the rights to Gord. As such he wrote a separate series with a different publisher that continued his story in a series of five standalone novels set in the world of Oerth. As such, this is essentially an “alternate” version of Greyhawk that differs from the version of the world which was published by TSR in other novels and game materials.

It’s worth noting that there is no reading to the Greyhawk novels. That being said, the majority of books are part of a series which do need to be read in order. For new readers, we recommend reading the books in the following order:

• Greyhawk Adventures by Gary Gygax
• The Gord the Rogue series by Gary Gygax
• Master Wolf Series by Rose Estes
• Greyhawk Classics by various authors

While Greyhawk remains a popular setting among fans and has appeared in recent versions of D&D, the last novel in the world was published in 2006. It is possible, however, that we may see new Greyhawk Dungeons & Dragons novels sometime in the future.

See our Complete Readers Guide to the Greyhawk Novels

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