Readable D&D Novels?

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I like D&D, and I like Novels. However, for some reason, I don't tend to like D&D novels.

I've read the Dark Elf Trilogy, which was quite nice. I've also read some other Drizzt books, and they were fine but a bit flat and predictable. I've also tried reading some recent Forgotten Realms and Eberron novels, and they were abysmally bad.

Should I just give up and read something else, or are there any D&D novels that are actually readable?

[Janus]

I read "Artifact of Evil" from the Greyhawk novels recently (mainly because the book was written by Gygax himself), which admittedly was very cheesy, but turned out to be pretty fun. You might take a look at that, especially if you find it cheap (I think I got it for $0.50).

[warty goblin]

I like D&D, and I like Novels. However, for some reason, I don't tend to like D&D novels.


There's a reason for this: it's because most D&D novels are absolutely terrible.

As with most rules however, there are exceptions. The original two Dragonlance trilogies (Chronicles and Legends) are actually somewhat good, if not stellar, fantasy. The later Weis & Hickman authored DL books are, in some ways to their credit, surprisingly different from the books before them. I tend to think they're a bit worse in general, but plenty readable nonetheless. Definitely start with Chronicles and Legends though.

Avoid everything else.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

The original two Dragonlance trilogies (Chronicles and Legends) are actually somewhat good, if not stellar, fantasy.

Read those. I was unimpressed.

[warty goblin]

Read those. I was unimpressed.

In that case I suggest you flee to a shelf where the books do not carry game titles on their spines, 'cause in my experience that's as good as it gets. I'm not joking here, D&D novels tend to suck.

Which shouldn't really be surprising. They're written about worlds built to contain the maximum number of weird things to kill, not opportunities for telling interesting stories via the written word. Thrown against books where the setting can be 100% tailored to the story and they've not a chance.

[Tam_OConnor]

The Paul Kidd series set in Greyhawk (White Plume Mountain/Descent into the Depths of the Earth/Queen of the Demonweb Pits) was about the apex of D&D fiction, as far as I'm concerned. The characters are about as disruptive as an actual adventuring party, for one.

The War of the Spider Queen series didn't start off badly, but everything sorta went down the drain as the series wore on.

[factotum]

+1 for Weis and Hickman's D&D books. I actually also enjoyed the Spelljammer cycle of books myself, mainly because the setting was so unusual for what's fundamentally a fantasy--they certainly weren't the best written around, but they were interesting enough to get me to the end, which is about all you can ask.

[hamishspence]

I like Elaine Cunningham's Realms novels- Liriel Baenre, Arilyn Moonblade, etc.

[Giggling Ghast]

I really liked the first Ravenloft novel, Vampire of the Mists.

[Melayl]

I really liked the first Ravenloft novel, Vampire of the Mists.

That one was OK, but I preferred I, Strahd. I also thought the original Dragonlance series was quite good, but I read that so many years ago now, that I can't say if I'd like it if I read it again.

[dehro]

I remain steadfastedly convinced that most people here would be able to write a half decent account of their latest D&D campaign, some would know how to turn it into a decent bit of writing, and, with the proper connections and commitment, would be able to make a living out of it just like Hickman and Weiss..
and they would write equally mediocre books.

except most people here don't have that kind of connections and will never make a living out of writing down the latest adventures of their campaign characters.

I've read most of the "older" d&d based novels..either in english or translated..and find that most of them are nothing more than mediocre tales of adventures lived around the table.. nothing wrong with the concept, if only they'd done it better.

[Talya]

As time has gone by, Salvatore has either improved his writing style greatly, or hired a decent editor. The Icewind Dale series (original drizzt books) was terribly written, but the last ones I read (prior to the spellplague - forgotten realms for me ends before the abomination that is 4e FR) were actually quite good. Sadly, Cleric Quintet was written fairly close to Icewind Dale, because I really liked those characters.

The Entreri/Jarlaxle series (Sellswords - promise of the witch king/road of the patriarch) was fun.

[Serpentine]

I read, and enjoyed, 2 or 3 Ravenloft books before I even knew what D&D was.

[Mindfreak]

I like D&D, and I like Novels. However, for some reason, I don't tend to like D&D novels.

I've read the Dark Elf Trilogy, which was quite nice. I've also read some other Drizzt books, and they were fine but a bit flat and predictable. I've also tried reading some recent Forgotten Realms and Eberron novels, and they were abysmally bad.

Should I just give up and read something else, or are there any D&D novels that are actually readable?

One word:
Dragonlance.
They were awesome, yet each book is either 300+ or 600+ pages long. But they are good. The main series is great, but then there's the spin-offs that show us the heroes' lives before they joined the party.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

+1 to the Paul Kidd Greyhawk/Justicar and Escalla novels. Funny, high adventure without the Tolkenesque pretentiousness so many authors seem to think is needed to write a fantasy novel.

Paul Kidd also wrote a Forgotten Realms novel which I havent read yet, and a Gamma World one I picked up just today.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I found the first two books of the Finders Stone trilogy (Azure Bonds, The Wyvern's Spur) quite good, if a little light.

Unusually, I found that the second book was better than the first.

The third was not so good, but fortunately the first two novels are pretty self-contained (albiet the second expects you to know wsomething of the first).

However, books in the "Derived Genre" section, be they derived from DnD, Star Trek or anything else, tend to be amusing, but not to be all that well written. There are, of course, specific exceptions. As has been said, if you are looking for depth, perhaps your search lies elsewhere.

[Eldan]

Paul Kidd also wrote a Forgotten Realms novel which I havent read yet, and a Gamma World one I picked up just today.

Gamma World novels? Well, that ought to be fun. :smallbiggrin:

[hamishspence]

I found the first two books of the Finders Stone trilogy (Azure Bonds, The Wyvern's Spur) quite good, if a little light.

Unusually, I found that the second book was better than the first.

The third was not so good, but fortunately the first two novels are pretty self-contained (albiet the second expects you to know wsomething of the first).

I liked them as well- and the sequels to the trilogy.

Masquerades- where Alias & Dragonbait investigate crime in Westgate
Finder's Bane- where a young priest of Finder goes on a plane-spanning adventure, which includes Sigil
Tymora's Luck- where the priest and his friends investigate the disappearance of Tymora and Beshaba.

[mhensley]

You're usually better off with D&Dish novels rather than official D&D ones. The ones I recommend are-

Gotrek & Felix Warhammer novels by William King or Nathan Long

The Goblin trilogy by Jim Hines

The Thraxas series by Martin Scott

[Serpentine]

One word:
Dragonlance.


The original two Dragonlance trilogies (Chronicles and Legends) are actually somewhat good, if not stellar, fantasy. Read those. I was unimpressed.Methinks not, ackshully.

[Yora]

I like D&D, and I like Novels. However, for some reason, I don't tend to like D&D novels.

I've read the Dark Elf Trilogy, which was quite nice. I've also read some other Drizzt books, and they were fine but a bit flat and predictable. I've also tried reading some recent Forgotten Realms and Eberron novels, and they were abysmally bad.
That's my experience as well. Dark Elf Trilogy was great and I read up to volume 13 or so, but after number 6 or 7, it's really just the same all the time. Read Dark Elf and leave the rest alone.
I also liked the Cleric Quintet, but that was 10 years or so ago, so I'm not sure how good they actually were. Most important, they are genuinely funny, which very few fantasy novels are.
Return of the Archwizards was okay, though I hated the ending
And I was pleasantly suprised by War of the Spider Queen. The third one left me with a bad taste, as hilarious snarker Phaeraun with all his innuendo suddenly turned into a stupid moron because each of the six novels is written by a diferent writer, but overall they are quite good. The chaotic neutral drow bard/cleric is annoying, but she is treated as as out of place as such a character is and does not turn into a female drizzt by the end. And some genuinely nice twists.

[Mindfreak]

Methinks not, ackshully.

I read the Dragonlance series when I was 10. This was long before I'd even heard of D&D or WotC. Even though I was 10, they were great imaginative books filled with adventure.

[Serpentine]

I haven't read them so I'm making no comment on their quality. I'm just pointing out that the original poster has already read and disliked your suggestion.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Masquerades- where Alias & Dragonbait investigate crime in Westgate
Finder's Bane- where a young priest of Finder goes on a plane-spanning adventure, which includes Sigil
Tymora's Luck- where the priest and his friends investigate the disappearance of Tymora and Beshaba.

I haven't read the other two, but yes Masquerades is also very good. It also shows a very good way of playing a paladin...

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I'm currently half way through the third War of the Spider Queen book, and I'm losing interest. I actually really liked the first installment, but the second was a bit dull and the third is just annoying. I used to really like the wizard guy and the fighter guy*, but now they just seem flat and uninteresting.

As soon as the ereader I ordered comes in, I'm going to try reading Elminster Must Die. I'm not overly optimistic, but it just might be interesting. Have any of you read it? Is it any good?

* I'm not good with names.

[Saph]

I found the first two books of the Finders Stone trilogy (Azure Bonds, The Wyvern's Spur) quite good, if a little light.

Another vote for Azure Bonds and its sequels. They're better than the Dragonlance series, IMO, in that the characters really do feel like an adventuring party, along with the irreverent bits. :)

[Lurkmoar]

I liked some of the Dark Sun novels, until Rajaat showed up in the flesh with his halfling home boys in the Cerulean Sun . Some of the Sorcerer Kings (and one Queen) went out like chumps in that book. I thought I, Strahd was a pretty fun read too. Enjoyed the Dragonlance books too, except for when what's his face showed up and banished all the gods.

Mind you, this was in high school for me. Haven't read them lately, so no doubt that there's a nostalgia factor there.

[Mordokai]

Eberron trilogies are quite good, in my experience. The two I can heartily recommend are The Blade of the Flame and The Heirs of Ash. The third one I read has left me soundly unimpressed, so it's little wonder I can't recall the name.

EDIT: well, that was easy enough. The one I found bad was The Dreaming Dark trilogy. And while looking, I also stumbled upon The Lost Mark trilogy. That one is pretty sweet as well.

[Gnoman]

As time has gone by, Salvatore has either improved his writing style greatly, or hired a decent editor. The Icewind Dale series (original drizzt books) was terribly written, but the last ones I read (prior to the spellplague - forgotten realms for me ends before the abomination that is 4e FR) were actually quite good. Sadly, Cleric Quintet was written fairly close to Icewind Dale, because I really liked those characters.

The Entreri/Jarlaxle series (Sellswords - promise of the witch king/road of the patriarch) was fun.

It's pretty certainly not a matter of Salvatore's skill. His DemonWars books, which date back to around the middle of the Drizz't series (as far as the time period they were written in) have few of the structual problems that the FR ones had. Stylistic "flaws" remain, so if you don't like him as an author in the first place you won't like those, but the flaws in his older FR books pretty clearly were caused by the fact that D&D novels veer pretty close to Extruded Book Product levels of production.

[Yora]

I'm currently half way through the third War of the Spider Queen book, and I'm losing interest. I actually really liked the first installment, but the second was a bit dull and the third is just annoying. I used to really like the wizard guy and the fighter guy*, but now they just seem flat and uninteresting.
As I said, I think the third is by far the worst. Did not enjoy it, but the following ones are much better again.

Additional Tip: Do not read Ed Greenwood. He did a great job at creating the world, but he really is not a novel author. His books were the worst thing printed between two covers that I ever read. It was really painfully bad.

[hamishspence]

Additional Tip: Do not read Ed Greenwood. He did a great job at creating the world, but he really is not a novel author. His books were the worst thing printed between two covers that I ever read. It was really painfully bad.

Personally I rather enjoyed Spellfire the first time I read it- but I was rather young at the time- and the later books tended to feel less enjoyable to read.

[warty goblin]

It's pretty certainly not a matter of Salvatore's skill. His DemonWars books, which date back to around the middle of the Drizz't series (as far as the time period they were written in) have few of the structual problems that the FR ones had. Stylistic "flaws" remain, so if you don't like him as an author in the first place you won't like those, but the flaws in his older FR books pretty clearly were caused by the fact that D&D novels veer pretty close to Extruded Book Product levels of production.

Odd, I found Demonwars to be completely unreadable back when I tried them. This was when I was very much into his Dark Elf books too, so it's not like I was holding them to an unbeatable standard. According to my exceedingly vague recollections of books I put down a decade ago, I found them to have pretty much everything I disliked about the Drizzt books (namely the really poor characters and kill-happy attitude) without the excuse of being based on a game in the first place.

[Yora]

Personally I rather enjoyed Spellfire the first time I read it- but I was rather young at the time- and the later books tended to feel less enjoyable to read.
I was a bit older and hadn't read that many english fantasy novels back then. But this one makes me seethe with rage. :smallfurious:
Actually Spellfire is just bad, but the follow ups are absolutely the worst thing I've ever read.

[hamishspence]

It might be I have a fairly high tolerance for bad writing- the story has to be truly terribly written before I lose the ability to enjoy it.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

I was a bit older and hadn't read that many english fantasy novels back then. But this one makes me seethe with rage. :smallfurious:
Actually Spellfire is just bad, but the follow ups are absolutely the worst thing I've ever read.
:smalleek:

I'll keep that in mind, then.

[pendell]

I'll vote for the very early Dragonlance and for David Cook's Horselords (http://www.amazon.com/Horselords-Forgotten-Realms-Empires-Trilogy/dp/0880389044/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310154135&sr=8-1), a story with Faux-Mongolians. Well-written. The next two books in the trilogy can be safely ignored, but the first is quite good.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[hamishspence]

Douglas Niles' Moonshae series were OK - for me.

[NikitaDarkstar]

Honestly if Dragonlance left you unimpressed, step away from that section of the bookstore and look for books designed from the ground up to be good stories, not for stories set in a world designed to let you kill as much of the local fauna as possible.

You might enjoy either Robin Hobbs books, David Eddings or perhaps the Earthsea books. (Sorry I don't have exact titles at hand right now, my copies are translated ones) They got a similar feel but better stories, and not quite as flat characters.

[BiblioRook]

Another vote for Azure Bonds and Elaine Cunningham

I've heard good things about Paul Kidd too, but sadly his books seem to be impossible to find. (Or rather, online prices are more then I'm willing go for and I've had zero luck finding a copy in person after actively looking for them...)

[Thane of Fife]

As soon as the ereader I ordered comes in, I'm going to try reading Elminster Must Die. I'm not overly optimistic, but it just might be interesting. Have any of you read it? Is it any good?

Personally, I kind of enjoy Greenwood's stuff as a guilty pleasure - I liked EMD. A lot of people don't, though. I'd say read one, and only read more if you enjoyed that one.

When last I read it, I also enjoyed Mel Odom's Threat from the Sea trilogy, which I hardly ever see anyone mention anywhere. I'd recommend them, though, although they can be rather angsty, which might turn you off of them.

And, while it doesn't have the D&D logo on it, Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy is practically a D&D book (that is, it has all the tropes), and it's very good. That I would highly recommend.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Honestly if Dragonlance left you unimpressed, step away from that section of the bookstore and look for books designed from the ground up to be good stories, not for stories set in a world designed to let you kill as much of the local fauna as possible.

You might enjoy either Robin Hobbs books, David Eddings or perhaps the Earthsea books. (Sorry I don't have exact titles at hand right now, my copies are translated ones) They got a similar feel but better stories, and not quite as flat characters.

I can't speak for Mr Hobbs, but:

David Eddings:

The best of his work are:

The Belgariad (Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry and Enchanter's End Game)
The Elenium (The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight and The Sapphire Rose)


Both series are amusing to read and have characters that are enjoyable to read.

He wrote two sequels to the above (The Malloreon and The Tamuli) and some prequel books, which are amusing but not nearly as good, and another series called something like The Elder Gods, which I gave up on after one novel.

The Earthsea books:

The orginal "trilogy" was A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Aturn and The Farthest Shore. They are a good set of stories (the last one is not as good, but still readable).

The author wrote a sequel (Tehanu, I think), but - in my opinion - it is really not worth reading. I can barely remember the title, let alone what happened in it.

A word of warning: If you have seen the "Tales of Earthsea" anime which i supposedly based on this series, ignore it. It tales very little from the original books.

[Whiplashbash]

Can't help but agree with many.

Paul Kidd delivers every time I read his work. Escalla's character is almost a "metagame" persona... Would love to read more, but as was said, its hard to find.

Salvatore's work ranges greatly. Dark Elf was good; I could tolerate some of the others.

I like Byers. I attributed liking the Spider Queen series, but mostly because it started off with his work. I enjoyed the Undead series as well, but having read these, his dialouge style gets a bit repetitive; just about everyone talks the same.

I think some had promise, but there are issues. For example, I read Ru Emerson's Against the Giants, mostly because I played that module when it came out. Started off great, but got rushed through after the Steading piece.

I read J R King's Blood hostages. I love the Planescape setting, but just couldn't get into his writing. Will try again one day.

Agree with many on Greenwood; great designer, odd writer.

[Dexam]

I have to give a big shout-out to The City of Ravens by Richard Baker. One of the Forgotten Realms stand-alone novels from The Cities series, I think it's an absolute gem and without a doubt one of my favourite D&D-based novels.

[Asthix]

I also read and enjoyed Salvatore's Sellswords Trilogy. It does kind of peter out toward the end but overall I got the feeling, 'this is how hack n' slash should be.'

[INDYSTAR188]

In my opinion the Sellswords series and Azure Bonds are pretty good as far as DND books go. If you want really good fantasy writing I would suggest A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (not DND) but they're amazing books!

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

Are there any Planescape novels out there? Those would be interesting.

[Mordokai]

Additional Tip: Do not read Ed Greenwood. He did a great job at creating the world, but he really is not a novel author. His books were the worst thing printed between two covers that I ever read. It was really painfully bad.

Funny you should mention that. The Dreaming Dark trilogy was written by Keith Baker and yet, to the date, it is the only Eberron series I consider bad.

[BiblioRook]

Are there any Planescape novels out there? Those would be interesting.

Are you kidding? Think of any D&D setting (seriously, ANY), there were books written for it. I've even seen Spelljammer books before.

[Coidzor]

The Cleric Quintet was ok. I liked the Dreaming Dark trilogy by that one guy who invented Eberron when I read it.

That's about it so far that I've read.

[JadedDM]

Are there any Planescape novels out there? Those would be interesting.

Yes, there's the Blood Wars Trilogy. They consist of Blood Hostages, Abyssal Warriors, and Planar Powers--all by one J. Robert King.

I have not read them in awhile, but I seem to recall they weren't very good, though.

[Weezer]

Yes, there's the Blood Wars Trilogy. They consist of Blood Hostages, Abyssal Warriors, and Planar Powers--all by one J. Robert King.

I have not read them in awhile, but I seem to recall they weren't very good, though.

I enjoyed them but it was many years ago and I don't know if that was because they were good or if my youthful self had bad taste.

[Eldan]

Are there any Planescape novels out there? Those would be interesting.

Yes, apparently. A novelization of Planescape: Torment which started out on early drafts of the story and then decided to throw those overboard as well, and a novel that explains the Lady of Pain's backstory (she's the daughter of the Greek God Neptune).

[hamishspence]

And some crossover novels- for example, Faerun novels with characters from another setting, or set in Sigil.

Tymora's Luck, for example, begins in Sigil, and features characters from the Dragonlance setting.

[JadedDM]

I enjoyed them but it was many years ago and I don't know if that was because they were good or if my youthful self had bad taste.

I just remember that one of the main characters was an emo tiefling who wore all black and wrote bleak poetry. And this was played completely unironically.

[BiblioRook]

The Cleric Quintet was ok. I liked the Dreaming Dark trilogy by that one guy who invented Eberron when I read it.

That's about it so far that I've read.

Cleric Quintet always used to my upmost favorite Forgotten Realms book, goies without saying that it's my favorate of Salvatore's work too but honestly I'm not a great fan of him anyways. Unique characters mean alot to me and the idea of a cleric protagonist (and the added bonus of a dwarven 'druid') amused me.

[Yora]

More like a cloistered cleric for added bonus. It also has a really nicely written monk.
Ivan is really the only stereotypical character and even he seems a bit tongue in cheek in his reaffirmation of dwarven cliches.

[Weezer]

I just remember that one of the main characters was an emo tiefling who wore all black and wrote bleak poetry. And this was played completely unironically.

I would've sworn it was about two teens/young adults who followed their uncle's kidnappers through a portal into sigil. One did get caught up with demons and the blood war and got a bit evil/depressing but I don't remember any writing of poetry. Might be very wrong though.

[Kuma Da]

I haven't gotten through all of it, but the Druidhome trilogy by Douglas Niles has actually pretty okay characterization. I mean, it's still good-for-a-dnd-novel territory, not actually man-I-would-read-this-all-day-if-I-could grade writing. But it is pretty enjoyable for old FR stuff.

On the other hand, a year or two ago I read some of the Haunted Lands trilogy, and it constantly hurt my brain. I could see the author calculating HD and determining spell-slots left during some of the scenes. The characters had obvious class levels and sometimes PrCs, and the end result was that it felt more like a kid playing with action figures (okay, spiderman, you can be a level 5 barbarian/level 3 rogue,) than an actual novel. All the concepts in it were cool, but when the reader goes into a scene thinking "that orc can't possibly win. The monk has five class levels on him", it kinda kills the suspense.

[CWater]

When last I read it, I also enjoyed Mel Odom's Threat from the Sea trilogy, which I hardly ever see anyone mention anywhere. I'd recommend them, though, although they can be rather angsty, which might turn you off of them.
Another person who has read that series! o_O I am amazed! I read it a few years ago and liked it a lot!:smallsmile: Was sheer luck I ever came across it around here...


Salvatore's work ranges greatly. Dark Elf was good; I could tolerate some of the others.

Agree with many on Greenwood; great designer, odd writer.

I agree with this. I have tried reading the Elminster books a few times, but that never got anywhere. The Dark Elf trilogy is good, I've read it twice. Could by Sojourn to my own bookshelf if I ever saw it anywhere.

About Robin Hobb's books... Siiiiigh... I've read the Farseer and Tawny man trilogies and they, they could be so good! If she only had forgotten everything about such thing as sexuality before she started writing. Ugh, seriously, nearly every female in her books suffers from this curious but common disease of wanting to get into the hero's pants.:smallsigh: (Or the main character's, since I'm not sure if you really can call him a hero.) Which is such a shame since the plot is actually quite good otherwise!

(The first book, Assasin's apprentice, does not suffer from this; most likely because the main character is still a kid during it).

[BiblioRook]

The characters had obvious class levels and sometimes PrCs, and the end result was that it felt more like a kid playing with action figures (okay, spiderman, you can be a level 5 barbarian/level 3 rogue,) than an actual novel. All the concepts in it were cool, but when the reader goes into a scene thinking "that orc can't possibly win. The monk has five class levels on him", it kinda kills the suspense.

This is a nitpicky point I had with the Sellswords books. I don't remember if it was quite the same way with the other characters, but Kane really stuck out like a sour thumb when reading that trilogy. It's like every time he made an appearance some reference to a high-leveled in game Monk ability was dropped, after the first few times it really was just "Okay, he's Epic leveled, we get the idea".
Ironic as the main character of that series, Artemis, was almost the opposite. He was an 'assassin', but in title only as in game he was more fighter then anything, this was something I always respected Salvatore for. A fact that apparently confuses people when they try fitting in assassin levels to him when fleshing out his stats simply because the book in fact says he was one.

[Lady Moreta]

Have a look for the T.H. Lain books - as far as I can remember, they were written on behalf of Wizards (and by Wizards employees, all using the same psueodnym so the books would be shelved together)... they use the characters from the source books (Lidda, Regdar, Mialee et al).

I don't have all of them, but as far as I can tell there's no continuity in them, they just seem to take a few of the characters and dump them into a story. The writing itself tends to be fairly simplistic, but having said that I really liked them. For a bunch of books written by different people using stock standard characters, they are really good (they are however, quite short).

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

Have a look for the T.H. Lain books - as far as I can remember, they were written on behalf of Wizards (and by Wizards employees, all using the same psueodnym so the books would be shelved together)... they use the characters from the source books (Lidda, Regdar, Mialee et al).

I don't have all of them, but as far as I can tell there's no continuity in them, they just seem to take a few of the characters and dump them into a story. The writing itself tends to be fairly simplistic, but having said that I really liked them. For a bunch of books written by different people using stock standard characters, they are really good (they are however, quite short).

I read his first book while on vacation (it took me about eight hours), and it was one of the most awesomely campy things I have ever experienced. Like Indiana Jones, but with a fantasy theme.

[Seharvepernfan]

The D&D books I suggest to people are

1. the making of a mage by ed greenwood
2. homeland by R.A.Salvatore
3. Dissolution by Richard Lee Byers
4. Elfsong by Elain Cunningham
5. The forsaken house by Richard Baker

If I could only pick five books to read for the rest of my life, it would be these.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

I put in a post for Paul Kidd earlier, specifically his Justicar and Escalla books. Now I'd like to add his latest: Red Sails in the Fallout to the list.

Set in Gamma World, the post apocalyptic game setting, it has Paul's fun and freewheeling style all over again! And since Paul has set this tale in his native Australia, I'm sort of waiting for a The Road Warrior cameo. I'm only about halfway though the book, but unless everything falls apart, this will be another winner.

[Psyren]

I like Elaine Cunningham's Realms novels- Liriel Baenre, Arilyn Moonblade, etc.

This - she's a brilliant author and most importantly doesn't get caught up in all the named-NPC-wank that the others tend to. Expect Laeral, Khelben and other such notables to be firmly shoved to the background in her works (where they belong.)

[SoC175]

Additional Tip: Do not read Ed Greenwood. He did a great job at creating the world, but he really is not a novel author. His books were the worst thing printed between two covers that I ever read. It was really painfully bad.I have to agree. I am trying to read every FR novel (only around 30 to go to be at the bleeding edge) and Greenwood's novels are for me the most terrible.

As far as good FR go I can recommend City of the Dead, at the moment my favorite FR novel of all. But be warned the "heroes" are not much heroic at all and don't really fight anything (neither with swords nor with sorvery) but somehow the whole of the story is just nice. I prefer these kind of little stories about "small unimportant people" over any flight of dragons or war of drow or whatever