Dragonlance: Where to Start Reading

Dragonlance is one of those series that every fantasy lover should read at least once. It was my gateway to fantasy, and I have an abiding love for the world of Krynn and its inhabitants. However, at over one hundred books, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Here is a quick guide to diving into the Dragonlance books.

First things first:

The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Dragons of Autumn Twilight | Dragons of Winter Night | Dragons of Spring Dawning

These are the basis of the entire world. Without these books, you won’t understand much of what happens after. You won’t be able to appreciate the books that take place before (that were nonetheless written later on). This is where you’ll meet some of the best characters ever written. Yup, I mean ever.

Continuing on:

The Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Time of the Twins | War of the Twins | Test of the Twins

According to the authors, the Legends trilogy is meant to be read right after the Chronicles, despite later books being published that take place in-between the original Chronicles. Do not read those later books before reading the Chronicles and Legends. They won’t make a ton of sense and you will miss a good chunk of setup if you do.

Connecting the old to the new

The Second Generation by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman | Dragons of Summer Flame by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Now, at this point, after being emotionally devastated, you have a few choices: you can continue on with the “main storyline”, OR you can explore the world a little bit. There’s so much to see, after all! If you choose to continue on with the “main storyline”, next are The Lost Chronicles.

Fleshing out the original books:

The Lost Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Dragons of the Highlord Skies | Dragons of the Hourglass Mage | Dragons of the Dwarven Depths

These technically don’t further the storyline, as they are meant to take place in-between events covered in the earliest books. They make the original story much bigger, though, and we get to see more of my favorite characters, which is always a plus.

Time to see what happens next:

Dragons of a New Age trilogy by Jean Rabe

The Dawning of a New Age | The Day of the Tempest | The Eve of the Maelstrom

To be honest, the Jean Rabe books are probably the Dragonlance books that I’ve read the fewest number of times. However, they do connect what came before with what comes next.

Downfall |  Betrayal | Redemption

Carrying on:

The War of Souls trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Dragons of a Fallen Sun |  Dragons of a Lost Star |  Dragons of a Vanished Moon

Now, it’s on to:

The Dark Disciple trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

A mber and Ashes | Amber and Iron | Amber and Blood

Now, you are technically more or less caught up on the main storyline. However, here’s where it gets interesting: you’ll notice that this is less than 100+ books. That means you get to pick and choose any side novels that catch your eye. I personally am a huge fan of the Meetings Sextet (which explain how our original companions met), The Legend of Huma, the Preludes, and the Raistlin Chronicles. Honestly, anything written by Margaret Weis or Tracy Hickman is going to be gold. I’m also a big fan of the books written by Douglas Niles and Richard A. Knaak.

Header art taken from the cover of the Dragonlance: Legend of Huma Graphic novel published 2016.

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