Taelorn76 said:
I think this might have been asked before.
What book(s) would you recomend starting off with in the DL series?
I was thumbing through Amber and Ashes today and It cought my attention, but being that it would be my first DL novel, I was wondering if I would be clueless about certain histories and or characters.
Thanks for any your help
Amber and Ashes, the first book of the Dark Disciple trilogy, builds directly off of the War of Souls trilogy (
Dragons of a Fallen Sun,
Dragons of a Lost Star, and
Dragons of a Vanished Moon).
The War of Souls trilogy builds off of
Dragons of Summer Flame. (Some people say that between
Dragons of Summer Flame and the War of Souls trilogy, you should also read the Dragons of a New Age trilogy, which consists of
The Dawning of a New Age,
The Day of the Tempest, and
The Eve of the Maelstrom, and it's sequel, the Dhamon trilogy, which consists of
Downfall,
Betrayal, and
Redemption, but because these two trilogies have a different author than the rest of the series, they are not necessary, and many don't consider them part of the "main line" of DL novels).
Dragons of Summer Flame builds directly off of
The Second Generation.
The Second Generation builds off of the Legends trilogy (
Time of the Twins,
War of the Twins, and
Test of the Twins).
The Legends trilogy builds directly off of the Chronicles trilogy (
Dragons of Autumn Twilight,
Dragons of Winter Night, and
Dragons of Spring Dawning). Some people would also say that you should read the Raistlin Chronicles (
The Soulforge and
Brothers in Arms) before the Chronicles trilogy, but because these two books are written as a prequel, they may be somewhat spoiling, albeit slightly, for the Chronicles trilogy.
There are many, many other DL books, but the ones outlined above are, for the most part, the "main line" of the series.
My recommendation is that you start with the Chronicles trilogy (or the Raistlin Chronicles, if you're so inclined), and follow the sequential order. That will give you the most enjoyment and sense of development for the world. Many of the later books take it on faith that you've read the earlier ones, not so much for information, but for understanding the tone of the world, making the later stories all the more dramatic by comparison.
Hope that helps!
