No Dice Necessary: Literary Adventures for Fans of D&D

Whether you’re the new player in your group or the one who pointed out every single reference in the movie trailer, the official prequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is the best way to catch up on the lore. Learn how Edgin the bard’s adventuring party began, from the disaster that got them started to the heist that brings them to the city of Neverwinter. (Edgin’s story will also help us figure out if the movie is set during 3.5 or 5^th edition of D&D, because druids could only wild shape into owlbears in 3.5 if they took the epic-level feat Magical Beast Wild Shape and since 5^th edition Owlbears have been reclassified as a monstrosity… you know what? I’m gonna shut up now.)  

The first novel in the Legend of Drizzt series came out in 1988 during the era of 2^nd edition D&D. Thirty-five years, three game editions, and over forty books later, the titular ranger is finally getting the compendium he deserves! The Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary explores Drizzt’s many journeys in exquisite detail with beautiful new artwork. Whether you’ve just started reading the series or were there when the legend began, you’ll love looking at the Forgotten Realms through Drizzt’s eyes. The story is far from over — Lolth’s Warrior comes out this summer!  

Your favorite bards of the digital age are back with their fifth graphic adventure. Our heroes find themselves in Refuge — a town sealed in an arcane bubble — investigating a missing Temporal Chalice. When the Chalice traps them in a time loop, they’ll need to get creative to solve the mystery and resist the life-altering temptation the Chalice offers. Any player who has kicked in a door without checking for traps or refused to back down from the Dungeon Master saying “you can certainly try” will love the laugh-out-loud shenanigans of the Adventure Zone. Bards prepping an accompanying playlist are advised to include “Yesterday” and “Time Warp.”  

“Ok… but what if they ran a coffee shop together?” The question has plagued players and authors alike for years, and Travis Baldree has given us the answer! Viv, an orc barbarian, is finally looking to settle down after decades of adventuring life and open Thune’s first-ever coffee shop. Though she tried to leave the good old days behind, they’re still chasing her in the forms of past rivals and shady customers. If Viv wants to fulfill her dreams, she’s going to need new friends, new courage, and one last adventure for old time’s sake. Viv’s next tale, Bookshops & Bonedust, is available for pre-order now!  

Fairytale romances are all well and good, but you can’t beat the entertainment of an enemies-to-lovers story. Throw in actual fairies, assassins, morally gray characters, and a whole lotta sword-fighting and you’ve got an epic adventure you won’t want to miss! When Keera tracks a would-be-assassin into Faeland, the secrets she learns there turn her entire worldview on its head. Caught between two impossible choices, Keera must save the kingdom and herself without breaking a haunting promise she made long ago. Pre-order the B&N Exclusive Edition of the sequel, A Shadow Crown, hitting shelves May 9^th!  

Step aside, space wizards — space necromancers are the hottest new thing in the universe. Of the Nine Houses of the Emperor, the Ninth and last House are the Keepers of the Locked Tomb and the dark secrets within. Gideon Nav, indentured to the Ninth, is determined to escape both a life and afterlife of servitude. Harrow, Heir of the Ninth and Gideon’s archnemesis, is more than happy to let her… after one last job (and we all know how well those go). Tamsyn Muir’s debut is a spectacular science fantasy full of thrills, intrigue, and backstabbing — sometimes literally. Gideon’s wit will have you laughing even as you grip the pages with anticipation. Keep an eye out for the fourth Locked Tomb book, Alecto the Ninth, coming this fall!  

The best D&D adventures are the ones that have you gripping the table as you hang on to the DM’s every word, completely absorbed in the story and eager to know what happens next. You’ll find the same experience in Claire Legrand’s Furyborn, a fantasy adventure that yanks you in from the start and doesn’t let go. The Kingdom of Celdaria has a prophecy of two queens: one of blood and one of light. One is destined to save the world; the other, to destroy it. Separated by a thousand years, Eliana and Rielle struggle to uncover their roles in the prophecy and their connection to each other. Be sure to have Kingsbane and Lightbringer close by when you finish Furyborn — once you’ve entered the Empirium, you’re in it ‘til the end. The end of the books, not the world. I hope.  

Me: “Hey, did you read the new book I got you?”  

Him: “Not yet. I felt like another Mistborn reread.”  

Me: “Dude, seriously? How many times is this now?”  

Him: “Dunno. I lost count.”  

— Actual conversation with my brother  

It’s easy to see why the Mistborn series has captivated my brother (and millions of others) with its thrilling saga. For a thousand years, the Skaa have lived in terror under the reign of the Lord Ruler. When everything seems hopeless, the half-Skaa thief Kelsier manifests the powers of a Mistborn. With the help of his new abilities, he plans the greatest heist in history and the downfall of the tyrannical Lord Ruler. Along with Vin, a half-Skaa convinced that everyone she meets will betray her someday, Kelsier is determined to save the world, master his powers — and teach Vin to use her own. If you read faster than Sanderson writes, pre-order the Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set ahead of its release this month!   

Any Dungeon Master who’s ever run a campaign in a world of their own creation (known as a “homebrew”) will be the first to admit that said world is a mishmash of their favorite fantasy stories. Any of them looking for new ways to blindside their players with dangerous twist and turns will want to pre-order Martha Wells’ Witch King. After being assassinated and having his consciousness imprisoned in a magical trap, Kai lies dormant, unaware of the passage of time. When he is accidentally awakened, he must uncover the truth behind his assassination and adapt to the ways the world has changed under a mysterious coalition gaining power over the world.