D&D General Best D&D Novels

[Yardiff]

I think Quag Keep actually is official, or semi-official.

And Guardians is under-appreciated.

But what is really under-appreciated is Gord the Rogue! From the master himself! Oh well.

I agree.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Having recently re-read I, Strahd, it is certainly one of the better written works. It could be titled "I, Strahd, Get Laid." Whether that is a plus or minus, I couldn't say.

I certainly would pick the Dragonlance Chronicles as my favorite, but would say that Dragonlance Legends is better-written. Cunningham's Elfshadow and Elfsong, Cook's Soldiers of Ice are also well-put together tales.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Alex Garland's Annihilation is probably the best hex-crawl/dungeon-crawl novel ever and gives the kind of heeby-jeebies I can only aspire to as a DM.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

If you'd combined all the Drizzt novels into one choice, the Drizzt Saga, you'd have had space for the Brimstone Angels Saga, Griffin Brotherhood Saga, Everis Cale/Sembia Saga, The Priests as well, The Sundering Series.

You kind of left off a lot of the best FR novel series.

 

[Marc Radle]

Original DragonLance Chronicles trilogy for me, no question

 

[deganawida]

Original DragonLance Chronicles trilogy for me, no question

Seconded.

 

[Voadam]

Original DragonLance Chronicles trilogy for me, no question

I enjoyed them a lot, but man did I hate the Green Gemstone man.

 

[Dire Bare]

A lot of votes for the various Drizzt novels, but hardly any for the Cleric Quintet. If you've enjoyed the Drizzt books, I highly suggest the Quintet. It's some of Salvatore's better writing IMO. Probably because he wasn't forced to write about a Mary Sue character that fans demanded.

All those fans, reading books they like yet just aren't good. Books consistently top sellers, books rating highly in this very poll. /s

Drizzt and his companions, sure, are very powerful and competent characters. Almost to four-color superhero levels. Some folks like to read stories like that, others don't. It's all good.

The term "Mary Sue" is inaccurate and demeaning. Salvatore hasn't been "forced" by anyone to write more Drizzt novels . . . his fans want more, he enjoys writing them, they sell well (he makes money), and he has a deep attachment to the characters. There is a reason why the ONLY surviving series of D&D novels (outside the just released movie tie-ins) are Salvatore's Dark Elf novels. They are not everyone's cuppa tea, but they are good books beloved by a lot of people.

I don't get why that's so hard to accept for so many D&D fans. I've never understood the Drizzt hate. Dislike for the character? Sure, but the level of negativity I don't get.

And . . . . Cadderly and crew from the "Cleric Quintet" are also super powerful and competent characters, if perhaps not on the same level as Drizzt . . . . it's Salvatore's style, at least with his D&D novels.

 

[Nebulous]

I think I read Saga of Old City and Artifact of Evil around the same time I started playing 1e, so they're both ridiculously nostalgic for me. The later books were not as good and too verbose, but I did quite enjoy the first two.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

People are allowed to like things that others believe to be bad. Heck, you can like things that you, yourself, believe to be bad. (I will defend orange Hostess cupcakes until the day they inevitably kill me.)

But at the same time, there's no point in worrying about other people not liking things you do. Them chasing you around about it is an issue of rudeness, nothing more -- they are allowed to have their own likes and dislikes as well.