r/dragonlance

So I grew up on 90s Dragonlance (meaning I also devoured Chronicles and Legends from the 80s). Mad respect for Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman, though I haven't exhaustively delved into their work.

Found this book on Spotify, and am intrigued. Problem is, I don't really listen to audio books (too much of a podcast and music geek).

Is this a good re-entry point for dipping my toe back into Dragonlance?

I am currently in the third novel of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy (literary historical fiction) and could use a good dose of fantasy pulp fiction. A decent page-turner.

Spoiler-free, is this worth the read? They still got it?

Hachette Partworks have been teasing their Dungeons & Dragons novel collection for a while and , at least for customers in the UK.

The collection will consist of 100 novels from both Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance, released in new uniform hardcover editions, twice per month with some special extras thrown in (bookmarks, a mug, dice trays, bookends and some of the novels for free). So the whole collection should be completed in just over four years.

These partworks can be a bit pricy. The first book in the collection is just £2.99, the second is £6.99, but after that it's £11.99 a book. For UK hardbacks this is actually not unreasonable (a UK hardcover go now for around £20 for books this size) but YMMV. They also don't release entire series in one go, they release Book 1 from one series, then Book 1 from another, then Book 1 from another and a while later will get round to Book 2 from each series and so on. By the end of 100 months, you have a complete collection, with the spines lining up with one massive image on them.

They also don't release the series in numerical order, so you don't get the full 1-100 run until the whole thing is over.

The current confirmed release schedule is:

• Volume 18: Homeland by R.A. Salvatore (out now)

• Volume 61: Azure Bonds by Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb (late September)

• Volume 2: Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (early October)

• Volume 19: Exile by R.A. Salvatore (late October)

What Volume 1 will end up being will be interesting, I assume a standalone.

They've also confirmed the free gifts are a bookmark with the first delivery, a mug with the third, a dice tray with the fifth and bookends with the seventh.

The series they've mentioned that will be included:

• The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore, specifically the Dark Elf and Icewind Dale trilogies. I doubt they're doing all of them because that would be a third of the collection by itself, but these books do have a separate logo to the rest of the Forgotten Realms books in the collection, so maybe.

• The Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. I think we can assume The Dragonlance Legends trilogy is also a lock.

• The Finder's Stone Trilogy by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak.

• The Moonshae Trilogy by Doug Niles.

• Elminster Ascending by Ed Greenwood.

• The Brimstone Angels by Erin M. Evans.

• The War of Souls by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.

• Obviously a lot more that's not mentioned, though they do also mention Richard Baker as another author with books in the collection.

I'm not affiliated with Hachette, but this collection does look like a good way of picking up 100 D&D novels in reasonable-quality hardcover. Given that the Brimstone Angels books go in physical editions for three figures apiece, easily, this is also a more economical way of picking up some of the rarities.

However, there is a key weakness in that you can't pick out individual books. You can choose to start with a later volume and carry on from there, but you can't cherry pick books, so if you want the six Brimstone Angels books in hardcover it sounds like you also have to commit to getting at least some books you maybe don't want, or already own. This collection may be aimed more at the brand new collector, or maybe someone whose collection is getting a bit tatty and wants some classic D&D novels in a good condition. I'd also be interested to see what Dragonlance novels are in the mix outside of Weis & Hickman.