10 Best Fantasy Book Series Based On Dungeons & Dragons (Including Drizzt)

Summary Dive into the rich lore of Dungeons & Dragons through iconic book series like The Legend of Drizzt and Harpers Series.

Explore unique worlds like Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Eberron through intricate characters and magical adventures.

From epic journeys of redemption in Erevis Cale Trilogy to intricate sibling dynamics in the Brimstone Angels series, fantasy awaits.

The various worlds making up Dungeons & Dragons have both inspired and been inspired by a massive library of excellent book series, with the best of them leaving an inarguable legacy on the franchise. Part of the joy of the world's most popular tabletop roleplaying game is the ability to forge unique unofficial settings in Dungeons & Dragons, creating a new story from scratch. But for many, staying within the familiar territory of pre-established lore is a much more comfortable prospect, and plenty of book series delve into these fantasy worlds.

The best series take place across a wide variety of official settings that all carry the same familiar tropes of Dungeons & Dragons, using the same magic systems, fantasy races, and mythical creatures. But other than these surface level similarities, the worlds of the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Eberron couldn't be more different, with unique characters inhabiting the lore of each continuity. In many cases, the literary series based off of Dungeons & Dragons end up being some of the best fantasy books around.

10 The Legend Of Drizzt

39 books

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

Needing little introduction, R.A. Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt series is perhaps the single most iconic story set in the Forgotten Realms world. The novels follow the winding journey of one of the most famous Dungeons & Dragons adventurers of all time, Drizzt Do'Urden, a dark elf that rejects his evil upbringing in order to travel the continent of Faerûn as a ranger, fighting to uphold the tenets of justice. Though he may be something of an edgy protagonist, Drizzt is truly commendable for his willingness to break free of his roots and do good in the face of discrimination.

The scale of The Legend of Drizzt is truly staggering, consisting of 39 books subdivided into 13 individual series, each depicting a different chapter in Drizzt's long Elven life. While every R.A. Salvatore fan has their own favorite, the trilogy that started it all, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, is a great place to start, exploring the wind-swept icy tundra of the continent of Faerûn's frozen north. Do'Urden's legacy has also been further expanded with a litany of short stories supplementing his major adventures.

9 The Cleric Quintet

5 books

Drizzt wouldn't be the only iconic character to come out of R.A. Salvatore's mind in the Forgotten Realms setting. Enter Cadderly Bonaduce, a young human priest that uses a combination of wit, divine power, and magical items to overcome great challenges. Smaller in scale compared to the antics of Drizzt Do'Urden, the series presents Bonaduce as somewhat more relatable as a protagonist, but still a razor-sharp hero capable of accomplishing lore-shattering feats.

Consisting of five books all published in quick succession, The Cleric Quintet is a tighter, faster-paced ride good for Dungeons & Dragons players looking to tackle a succinct story with a definitive beginning, middle, and end. Of course, the novels still boast Salvatore's signature descriptions of action, one of the legendary fantasy writer's biggest strengths. The Cleric Quintet remains a great choice for any prospective fantasy readers interested in getting a first-hand account of life in the Forgotten Realms.

8 The Elminster Series

11 books

No Dungeons & Dragons setting is complete without wizards capable of casting powerful spells, and one series in particular fulfills this niche handsomely. The Elminster Series follows the life and times of the wizard Elminster, one of the most accomplished spellcasters ever to be named in the Forgotten Realms setting. For those interested in both magic and history, it's hard to point to a better series than Elminster's to reach for.

The 11-novel-long saga spans hundreds of years over Elminster's lifespan, enhanced by magic even if he is human. The series provides first-hand accounts of some of the most important events to happen on Toril, the primary planet and setting of the Forgotten Realms continuity. Elminster also has quite the sprightly personality compared to most other straight-faced Dungeons & Dragons heroes, making him a great storyteller even if his moral compass is perhaps a bit more flexible than the likes of Drizzt Do'Urden.

7 The Erevis Cale Trilogy

3 books

One of the darkest book series to be set in the Forgotten Realms, the Erevis Cale Trilogy plays with the simple morality system of Dungeons & Dragons' alignment system. The titular protagonist, Erevis, begins the story as a simple assassin, serving the dark deity, the goddess Mask. As the series progresses, Erevis comes to repent for his evil ways, riding out one of the most satisfying redemption arcs in fantasy novel history.

From there, the Erevis Cale Trilogy continues with a follow-up series, the Twilight War Trilogy. This time around, the somber Erevis Cale is presented with a terrifying new threat, struggling to maintain his newfound humanity in the wake of his use of the corrupting influence of shadow magic. The deliberate pace, thoughtful character building, and devestating moral delimmas make the Erevis Cale Trilogy and the Twilight War Trilogy some of the most engaging storytelling to use the Forgotten Realms as a backdrop, while being neatly divided into distinct trilogies.

6 The Master Wolf Series

5 books

The Forgotten Realms is far from the only notable fantasy setting commonly associated with Dungeons & Dragons. Though Faerûn has become the default setting of many modern adventures, there's an argument to be made for the Greyhawk setting as the definitive Dungeons & Dragons world. Relatively early on in the establishment of the continuity's lore, the Master Wolf series is a foundational text for Dungeons & Dragons' fantasy supremacy.

The Master Wolf books tell the story of Mika, a young shaman in a tribe of Wolf Nomads that becomes an adventurer after mysteriously being excommunicated from his people, setting out on his own. The gradual discovery of Mika's magical heritage and intimidating villains he encounters keeps the Master Wolf series incredibly gripping throughout its modest five-book run, doubling as a great primer in exploring Greyhawk's Oerth. Mika's outlander upbringing also has flavors of the Conan the Barbarian franchise, keeping him an interesting anecdote to traditional Dungeons & Dragons protagonists.

5 The Gord The Rogue Series

5 books

Long before the Master Wolf series, there was Gord the Rogue, created and written by Gary Gygax himself, the legendary creator of Dungeons & Dragons. The five mainline Gord the Rogue books were actually preceded by a duology written by Gygax under the simple banner of Greyhawk Adventures, being the first novels to take place in the classic setting, also starring Gord as the main character. Though the two series actually don't maintain a continuity, with Gord continuing his adventures in an alternate Oerth in his own self-titled quintology of novels, they both serve important roles as foundational Dungeons & Dragons literature.

True to the series' name, Gord is indeed a rogue, a human with humble beginnings as an orphan pickpocket. Over the course of the series, Gord slowly grows in power, eventually facing cosmic-level threats with his accumulated magic power and skills. In this way, Gord is a great representation of the average Dungeons & Dragons character, gradually building up his strenght over time as he "levels up." If nothing else, the Gord the Rogue series deserves props as being instrumental to the popularization of books based off of Dungeons & Dragons in the first place.

4 The Harpers Series

16 books

Not every Dungeons & Dragons novel series is so obsessed with sticking with a singular character for its entire run. Instead, The Harpers Series is an eclectic anthology of different stories, with a wide variety of different authors penning each individual book. The throughline connecting them all is the presence of the eponymous Harper's Guild, a nobly-intentioned secret group of spies and mages that also happens to be one of the most important factions in Dungeons & Dragons lore.

Sort of a "greatest hits" collection of Forgotten Realms stories, The Harpers Series includes many cameos from important characters from the setting and even other published books, such as Elminster, and even directly coincides with other notable book series like Songs & Swords. The variety of the books can't be beat, and their relatively stand-alone nature makes The Harpers Series easy to pick up and put down at a moment's notice. For a varied tour of the best stories Faerûn has to offer, the novels are a great starting point.

3 The Brimstone Angels Series

6 books

With a title only possible after the passing of the "Satanic Panic" that once plagued Dungeons & Dragons' reputation, the Brimstone Angels series is one of the best franchises of fantasy novels set in the Forgotten Realms to come out of the last fifteen years. The books follow the adventures of the sisters Farideh and Havilar, Tieflings with devilish features who end up making a pact with a demon themselves in their pursuit of monster slaying.

The unique unlikely heroes of Farideh and Havilar are made all the better by their sibling dynamic, with the carefree attitude of Havilar clashing with her sister's measured personality and profound sense of guilt. The tangled web of demonic intrigue shines light on one of the most fascinating aspects of the Forgotten Realms' mythology, and the smart pacing mixes with the ludicrous action sequences in a perfect storm. Only possible to have been written in the modern age, the Brimstone Angels books are sure to endure the test of time as Dungeons & Dragons classics.

2 The Moonshae Trilogy

3 books

One of the earliest series of novels to establish the lore of Faerûn, the Moonshae Trilogy is a foundation of the Forgotten Realms setting for good reason. Taking place in the dreamy Moonshae Isles, one of the most important locations in Dungeons & Dragons, the three novels are heavily inspired by Celtic mythology, providing a unique lens through which to brew a traditional fantasy story. For being the first books in the Forgotten Realms universe to ever be published, they still hold up remarkably well even over 40 years later.

Starring the dashing Prince Tristan Kendrick, the trilogy explores the fraught history of the titular isles, beset by both foreign invaders and internal turmoil due to the tensions between the peaceful Ffolk and the Warlike Northlanders. Prince Tristan is a relatively stock-standard fantasy hero, being something of a King Arthur type, but as a founder of one of the most iconic Dungeons & Dragons settings of all time, this isn't exactly a sore point. A traditional fantasy tale done well the first time, the Moonshae Trilogy may just be the best starting point for readers interested in Faerûn.

1 The Dreaming Dark

3 books

While the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk may make up the lion's share of Dungeons & Dragons-inspired literary content, it would be a grave mistake to ignore the Eberron setting. Relatively recent compared to the other settings' legacies, the Eberron novels began with the excellent The Dreaming Dark trilogy, published in the early 2000s. The series does a great job touring the dangerous world of Khorvaire, as the trilogy's heroes explore vast tracts of land while even getting mixed up in the affairs of the Outer Planes, a staple of any Dungeons & Dragons world.

The Dreaming Dark is some of the most faithful books to the game with its ensemble cast, a quirky group of adventurers with vastly different skillsets and backgrounds indicative of the typical Dungeons & Dragons party. The main troupe includes the fighter Daine, the healer Jode, Lei d’Cannith, an artificer, essentially a magical engineer, and Pierce, a warforged, more-or-less a magical robot. The unique concepts presented by Eberron make The Dreaming Dark a truly transformative entry in the world of Dungeons & Dragons novels.