Which D&D Novels to buy?

[CrusaderX]

This page may help in choosing which Dragonlance novels to read.

The first two Dragonlance trilogies (Chronicles and then Legends) would be my choice for D&D novels for a 12 year old girl.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The first two Dragonlance trilogies (Chronicles and then Legends) would be my choice for D&D novels for a 12 year old girl.

And then stop. And don't buy any more. Ever.

-Hyp.

 

[CrusaderX]

And then stop. And don't buy any more. Ever.

-Hyp.

True enough. Sadly, the later Dragonlance books could very well ruin the characters for her, so she should definitely stop after the first two trilogies. Those six books provide an entertaining story (along with a very satisfying and appropriate ending to the whole story in book six), but we're not joking when we say that things quicky fall apart in the later books.

If she likes the two Dragonlance trilogies, I'd then recommend her starting on Salvatore's Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale trilogy.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Plus there's Cattie-brie, the female character who the males all try to overprotect, but she shows them that she's not only more perceptive than the lot of them, but can kick just as much ass with her ass-kicking bow +12.

That's one of the best descriptions of Catti-Brie I've ever seen.

Catti-Brie is the only major R.A. Salvatore character I wouldn't mind getting killed off. It's almost as though Salvatore looked at Drizzt, Wulfgar, Regis, and Bruenor and thought "Oh crap, I just realized that I don't have a token female character in the group. I know, I'll turn Bruenor's adopted daughter into an adventurer and give her godlike magical weapons so she can stand up alongside the more expirienced warriors. I'll also make her kind, beautiful, wise, perceptive, and set up a romance between her and Drizzt."

Catti-Brie is Wesley Crusher with breasts and magical weapons.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

And then stop. And don't buy any more. Ever.

-Hyp.

I'd disagree with that, maybe even strongly disagree. There are a lot of good reads in the dragonlance saga. I'd start with Chronicles and legends, if she likes them, then the legend of huma, all but the last book of the meetings sextet, the elvan nations triliogy, soulforge, brothers in arms, dragons of summer flame, the war of souls trilogy, and a lot of the stories in the tales trilogy are worth reading. Dragons of a new age wasn't bad either, and although i haven't had a chance to get beyond the first book the first dhamon grimwolf book was good, i also kinda liked the dwarven nation trilogy.

Granted chronicles and legends are the best, but a lot of the others are still worth reading.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

BTW, my name is, Sir Osis, and i'm a Dragonlance addict. At least i was, the newish series i've picked up was the war of souls books.

 

[John Crichton]

Catti-Brie is Wesley Crusher with breasts and magical weapons.

No way. She was never used as the deus ex machina to solve any of the plot lines. She may bug you, but not me.

Anywho.

D&D books for a 12-year old girl? Hmmm. I am not one nor was I ever so this is kinda tough. The Troy Denning books about Athas/Dark Sun (The Prism Pentad) had some strong female characters but don't fit the unicorns & elves mold at all. The adventures of Arilyn Moonblade were fun but it has been many years since I have read any of those. Otherwise, the Salvatore Realms books are good as are the other suggestions posted.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

The first two Dragonlance trilogies (Chronicles and then Legends) would be my choice for D&D novels for a 12 year old girl.

Add my votes for these two trilogies. Good, fun, teen fantasy. But when I reread them a few years ago, I was cringing at some of the writing.

 

[CCamfield]

Not a D&D book recommendation post

I'm looking specifically for D&D novels because she has already exhausted much of my teen & pre-teen fantasy novels...

All the McAffrey books.
All the Loyd Alexander books.
All the Narnia books.
Lord of the Rings & the Hobbit.
My Belgariad set.
About half the Myth series by Mr Asprin.
And she's started on the Shannara novels now.

Has she read anything by Robin McKinkley yet? The Blue Sword? The Hero and the Crown? McKinley has since been writing adaptations of fairy tales to novels which are also very good. I've read one of them, Spindle's End which stands the story of Sleeping Beauty on its head and was really great fun.

I think some of Patricia McKillip's books would be suitable too. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, The Throme of the Erril of Sherill, the Riddlemaster trilogy; two of her more recent books which are even better are Ombria in Shadow and especially The Tower at Stony Wood.

Also
- The Princess of Dhagabad, by Anna Kashina
- The Earthsea books, by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Cats of Seroster, by Robert Westall. If she likes cats.

The Earthsea books are timeless. I also go back and re-read The Hero and the Crown every few years because it's just so much fun.

Oh! One for the Morning Glory (John Barnes) is great too.

 

[CCamfield]

After thinking about it a bit more, I want to underline my recommendation for The Hero and the Crown. The main character is a princess who learns to fight dragons; what specifically came to mind is that one of the central relationships in the story is between her and her father's old lamed warhorse, which she coaxes out of retirement. If she's at the stage of liking elves with unicorn mounts, I am willing to bet she'd love The Hero and the Crown.