Come now, dear adventurer, and set aside your character sheets for a moment—though do keep your imagination close at hand, for you shall need it. Between sessions at your table, when the dice lie still and the dungeon master has sent you homeward, there exist wondrous tales waiting upon countless pages, each one a portal to realms as marvellous as any you have wandered through in your campaigns.
The books gathered here are not merely stories; they are companions for those who understand the particular magic of adventuring parties, the sweetness of hard-won treasures, and the bonds forged in battle against impossible odds. Let us begin our quest.
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
Imagine, if you will, what becomes of adventuring heroes when the glory days have faded and their legendary deeds have become tavern songs sung by younger folk. Clay Cooper and his band, once called Saga—the most celebrated mercenaries to ever walk these fantastical lands—have grown old, grown soft, and grown apart.
Yet when Gabriel appears at Clay’s door with news that his daughter is trapped in a city besieged by monsters, the old warrior cannot refuse. The band must reunite: the absent-minded wizard Moog, the cuckolded king Matrick, and the warrior Ganelon, who has spent twenty years encased in stone. Their journey through the monster-infested Heartwyld forest is a rollicking adventure that treats mercenary bands precisely as rock bands ought to be treated—with reverence, with humour, and with tremendous heart.
D&D players shall recognise the owlbears and the dungeon-crawling spirit, yet find something wonderfully fresh in Eames’s affectionate celebration of what it means to adventure together.
The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
Here is a tale that reads rather like the finest paladin backstory ever conceived, and I do not say so lightly. Paksenarrion—called Paks by those who know her—is a sheepfarmer’s daughter who flees an arranged marriage to join a mercenary company, setting forth into a world where humans, dwarves, and elves struggle against darkness.
Elizabeth Moon, herself a former Marine, brings a soldier’s understanding of camaraderie and hardship to these pages. Through trials that would break lesser souls, Paks discovers she possesses a gift for righteousness that marks her as a paladin—though her path to holy warriorhood is far from traditional.
For any player who has ever rolled a paladin and wondered what true devotion might look like, this trilogy offers something rare: a portrait of goodness that feels earned rather than given.
Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike
What happens when adventuring becomes an industry? When heroes are ranked by guilds and monsters are hunted not for justice but for the loot they drop? Pike answers these questions with devastating wit and surprising tenderness in this satirical masterpiece.
Gorm Ingerson, a disgraced Dwarven berserker, finds himself recruited for a quest that powerful corporations have taken an unusual interest in. What follows is equal parts Pratchett and economic commentary, a tale where the familiar tropes of fantasy adventuring are examined through an unexpectedly corporate lens.
Winner of the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off, this book shall make you laugh even as it makes you think rather more deeply about those treasure hoards your party has been accumulating.
Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan
Royce Melborn is a thief of considerable skill and darker disposition. Hadrian Blackwater is a swordsman with a mysterious past and a rather more cheerful outlook on life. Together they form Riyria, a partnership that takes on jobs others would consider impossible.
Sullivan has crafted something precious here: a classic fantasy adventure that feels both familiar and fresh, where the banter between two complementary heroes carries readers through political intrigue and mounting danger. The plot builds magnificently across the series, culminating in revelations that make one want to immediately begin reading again from the start.
For those who love the rogue-and-fighter dynamic of many a D&D party, this series offers it in its purest and most delightful form.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Dragons come in many varieties, as any dungeon master knows. Shannon’s magnificent epic features both the fearsome fire-breathing sort that Western tales have taught us to fear and the wise, water-channeling creatures revered in Eastern traditions as beings born of stars.
Across her richly detailed world, queens and dragonriders, mages and warriors all contend with an ancient evil stirring to wakefulness. At over eight hundred pages, this standalone fantasy offers the scope of epic campaigns without requiring one to collect an entire shelf of volumes.
The world-building here is exceptional—political intrigue worthy of any court campaign, magic systems both mysterious and satisfying, and female warriors whose strength feels entirely natural to their world.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Should your preferred campaigns involve cunning heists rather than dungeon delves, step into the grimy streets of Ketterdam, where six young criminals attempt the impossible. Kaz Brekker has assembled a team: a sharpshooter, a spy, a runaway, a convict, and a heartrender—each with unique abilities and troubled histories.
Bardugo has constructed a heist tale as intricate as any Ocean’s Eleven whilst populating it with characters whose found-family bonds will warm the heart of any player who treasures their adventuring party. The suspense builds magnificently, with twists that keep one turning pages well past sensible bedtimes.
The diverse skills of the crew will feel wonderfully familiar to anyone who has planned a party composition with care.
Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Here we arrive at sacred ground, for these novels were born directly from Dungeons & Dragons itself. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman conceived this series whilst working at TSR, and the Heroes of the Lance were quite literally created as player characters in gaming sessions at Hickman’s apartment.
The Chronicles follow the Companions—reuniting after five years apart—as they discover that dragons have returned to the world of Krynn and war threatens to engulf everything they hold dear. From Dragons of Autumn Twilight through Dragons of Winter Night and Dragons of Spring Dawning, this trilogy captures the essential spirit of adventuring parties facing impossible odds.
More than thirty-five years after publication, these books remain in print, a testament to their enduring appeal.
The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore
Perhaps no character better embodies the bridge between D&D gaming and fantasy literature than Drizzt Do’Urden, the dark elf who turned his back on the evil of his subterranean people to become a noble ranger on the surface world.
Across dozens of novels—beginning with the Dark Elf Trilogy and expanding into multiple series—Salvatore has crafted adventures that feel like the most epic campaigns. Drizzt’s companions include the barbarian Wulfgar, the halfling thief Regis, the dwarven warrior Bruenor Battlehammer, and the archer Catti-brie. Together, they are simply known as the Companions.
With over twenty million books sold worldwide, Salvatore has proven that D&D storytelling translates magnificently to the page.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Now here is something delightfully strange: necromancers in space, should you fancy it. Gideon Nav serves as cavalier to the necromancer Harrowhark, her childhood rival, as they journey to a crumbling palace where the heirs of nine great Houses compete in deadly trials.
The relationship between sword-wielding Gideon and calculating Harrow crackles with tension and reluctant loyalty. Muir blends gothic horror with sharp wit, creating something that feels like a D&D campaign where the dungeon master has gone gloriously mad.
The various necromantic traditions of the Nine Houses offer the sort of magical diversity that players who love customizing their characters shall find irresistible.
The Belgariad by David Eddings
Some tales are comfort itself, and Eddings’s five-book saga offers precisely that. Young Garion begins as a farm boy and discovers—through the guidance of an ancient sorcerer and his formidable daughter—that his destiny involves recovering a sacred stone and confronting a dark god.
Yes, one might call it familiar: the chosen one, the wise mentor, the fellowship of quirky companions. But these tropes became tropes partly because Eddings wielded them so brilliantly. The banter between characters, the warmth of found family, and the satisfying sweep of the adventure make this series feel like returning to a beloved campaign world.
For newer fantasy readers or those seeking pure adventure without grimdark darkness, this remains an excellent choice.
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
Those who favour the rogue’s path shall find much to admire in Azoth’s story. A street child in the lawless Warrens, Azoth becomes apprenticed to Durzo Blint, the city’s greatest wetboy—an assassin whose abilities extend into the supernatural.
Taking the name Kylar Stern, our hero undergoes years of training whilst becoming embroiled in political conspiracy and looming invasion. The Night Angel Trilogy offers the sort of shadow-and-blade adventure that appeals to anyone who has ever optimized a rogue build or dreamed of mastering the assassin’s art.
The magic system, the criminal underworld, and the moral complexities all provide rich material for players seeking inspiration.
Why These Books Belong in Every D&D Player’s Library
What makes these particular volumes so suited to those who roll dice and imagine dragons? They understand something essential: that the finest adventures are not merely about defeating monsters and claiming treasures. They are about the companions beside you, the choices that define your character, and the worlds that become more real the longer you dwell within them.
Between your sessions at the table, these stories shall keep the fire of imagination burning bright. They offer new ideas for campaigns, new understanding of character types, and new appreciation for the grand tradition of fantasy storytelling that Dungeons & Dragons both draws from and contributes to.
Pick up your sword—or rather, your book—and begin a new adventure. The stories await, and they are quite magnificent.
