D&D Novels

[Phaezen]

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been tempted to pick up some of his stuff for a while but always put it back. I've been burned too many times in the past by blindly picking up unknown authors.

Kemp is a bit darker than the majority of the FR books, but very well written

 

[Tamlyn]

If you don't mind unofficial D&D novels, Raymond Feist's Riftwar books, and Simon R. Green's Hawk & Fisher novels feel very much like D&D novels that just don't happen to be licensed. They're pretty good. Some of the Warhammer fiction by Black Library also has a similar feel and is not bad. I recently read the Matthias Thulmann Witch Hunter series (in omnibus format) and it was amongst the best licensed fiction I've read. I've heard even better reports about the Eisenhorn trilogy (which I also have in omnibus format) but that's futuristic, not fantasy.

I'll second the recommendation of Feist. I like his stuff.

I also enjoy Warhammer's Gortrek & Felix series.

 

[Eridanis]

I third the recommendation for Elaine Cunningham's novels. (Both the Songs & Swords series and the Counselors & Kings series are worth your time, IMO.) Also, I found Richard Baler's Last Mythal trilogy to be a very good read.

 

[Mark]

Start with Quag Keep, the first Greyhawk novel (the first D&D novel, too). It was written by Andre Norton, one of the greats of Sci-Fi and S&S fiction. You can even get a paperback copy for cheap or get it for your Kindle -

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Quag-Keep-Andre-Norton/dp/0765313022]Amazon.com: Quag Keep (9780765313027): Andre Norton: Books[/ame]

 

[renau1g]

I'll second this. Although Dragonlance isn't around in RPG form right now, the novels are still great. Anything by Weis and Hickman gets my seal of approval. I've also been a fan of the Keith Baker Eberron novels.

I'm thinking about picking up the new Kemp FR omnibus that's out, the Everis Cale trilogy or something like that. Any reviews?

I thirded the Dragonlance stuff. It's what got me into D&D in the first place. A young kid strolling through the library I came upon a novel, a bit old (actually nearly as old as me), but something (fate?) drew me to it in all the books in the library. I read it cover to cover that very night. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Desdichado]

Start with Quag Keep, the first Greyhawk novel (the first D&D novel, too). It was written by Andre Norton, one of the greats of Sci-Fi and S&S fiction. You can even get a paperback copy for cheap or get it for your Kindle -

Amazon.com: Quag Keep (9780765313027): Andre Norton: Books

And after that, check out the Rose Estes Greyhawk novels, starting with Master Wolf. They're the continuation of Gygax's own Gord the Rogue series... except without Gord the Rogue. Because that was when Gygax got the boot and he retained the rights to the character.

 

[IronWolf]

I thirded the Dragonlance stuff. It's what got me into D&D in the first place. A young kid strolling through the library I came upon a novel, a bit old (actually nearly as old as me), but something (fate?) drew me to it in all the books in the library. I read it cover to cover that very night. The rest, as they say, is history.

Yep! Really liked that series, still go back and re-read it on occasion. I remember anxiously awaiting the books as they were released....

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Wow. Can't disagree more.

Maybe it was churlish of me to answer "something other than D&D" to Camelot's question. So Camelot, if you really want to read D&D, I fourth (fifth? sixth?) the Dragonlance suggestion. Chronicles of the Lance and Time of the Twins are the only D&D stories I still remember fondly 10ish years later. Meeting the authors of those books is one of the things I'd like to do before I die, along with Rowling, Elton John and the action flick voice-over guy.

 

[Alzrius]

And after that, check out the Rose Estes Greyhawk novels, starting with Master Wolf. They're the continuation of Gygax's own Gord the Rogue series... except without Gord the Rogue. Because that was when Gygax got the boot and he retained the rights to the character.

That's a dirty trick to pull on someone asking for advice about what books to read. Hopefully, anyone following that link you provided reads it very carefully instead of just skimming it.

 

[Orius]

To recap some of the other advice in the thread: first pick a world. Most of the settings have had a novel line, though the Realms and Dragonlance are the most popular. The other settings...not so much, some of them don't have big novel lines anyway, and might be out of print. I don't know if the Dark Sun novels are any good or popular, but they're the only other ones I can think of offhand that might be popular, though I think some fans have issues with the metaplot. YMMV.

With Dragonlance, go with Weis and Hickman at first, and read the Chronicles and Legends trilogies. After that you can either keep going with the timeline and read the Second Generation anthology, Dragons of Summer Flame, and I think the War of Souls after that. Or after the first two trilogies you can just read the various anthologies or novels set in the past.

Realms is more complicated, and I can't give a lot of solid advice because I haven't read any of those books. They are less connected than the Dragonlance ones though, with a number of seperate storlines and series. I suppose Salvatore's Icewind Dale trilogy is a good place as any to start.

Some of the book lines are reputed to be crap, so don't bother with them. I haven't read much D&D related fiction, so I don't know all the stinkers. Stay away from the Blood War trilogy in the Planescape line though. I know that series sucks for a fact.

And after that, check out the Rose Estes Greyhawk novels, starting with Master Wolf. They're the continuation of Gygax's own Gord the Rogue series... except without Gord the Rogue. Because that was when Gygax got the boot and he retained the rights to the character.

Ignore this "advice". Estes wrote some of the worst D&D books ever to have killed trees (the Endless Quest books were ok for what they were though). I picked up a set of those when I was just getting started in D&D thinking it might give me some good material for a campaign. Was I ever wrong. On the bright side, I bought them as a set at a dollar store, so I didn't waste too much money on them. I should probably trade them in for something better at the book swap (a local store that sells used paperbacks and gives credit for trade-ins) one of these days.