28+ Best Forgotten Realms Novels: Where to Start

Ever wonder about the best Forgotten Realms Novels Where to Start? Maybe the Drizzt novels? Here’s a list in chronological order (to the best of my knowledge!) This is, of course, only one way to read the novels. It’s a good place to begin, though.

Forgotten Realms Novels Where to Start: Drizzt

Here’s the list. Enjoy!

The Dark Elf Trilogy

1. Homeland
2. Exile
3. Sojourn

The Icewind Dale Trilogy

1. The Crystal Shard
2. Streams of Silver
3. The Halfling’s Gem

Drizzt & Friends

1. The Legacy
2. Starless Night
3. Siege of Darkness
4. Passage to Dawn

Paths of Darkness

1. The Silent Blade
2. The Spine of the World
3. Servant of the Shard (Book #1 of the SellSwords)
4. Sea of Swords

The Hunter’s Blades

1. The Thousand Orcs
2. The Lone Drow
3. The Two Swords

The SellSwords

• Book 2 – Promise of the Witch King
• Book 3 – Road of the Patriarch

The Cleric Quintet

1. Canticle
2. In Sylvan Shadows
3. Night Masks
4. The Fallen Fortress
5. The Choas Curse

Demon Wars

1. The Demon Awakens
2. The Demon Spirit
3. The Demon Apostle
4. Mortalis

Forgotten Realms Novels: Where to Start General List

If you want to read more than just Drizzt books, here’s another list. This is not necessarily in chronological order like the Forgotten Realms Drizzt reading order list above, but it’s still a good place to start if you want to lose yourself in the world of Forgotten Realms.

Songs and Swords Trilogy

Written by Elaine Cunningham, this series of Forgotten Realms novels had Ed Greenwood himself saying good things about it. The story is about Arilyn Moonblade, a half-elf who is able to wield the Moonblade even though she wasn’t what you would call nobility or upper class. The novels take place in Waterdeep and really flesh out that city well.

The Harpers

This is the longest running series of Forgotten Realms novels. You don’t want to necessarily read them all one after another. They’re sometimes a good diversion after you finish a trilogy or quintet. The cool thing about this D&D book series is that it’s written by various authors yet still retains the flavor of the Harpers adventuring group. Good stuff!

Cleric Quintet

Written by RA Salvatore of Drizzt fame, this isn’t as well known of a series, but it’s getting another mention on my list because it’s so good. If you love good D&D novels, you’re going to want to devour this series of five books. There’s no Drizzt around, but in many ways it’s a much stronger story. You can really see Salvatore’s writing craft in this book.

The Moonshae Trilogy

Written by Douglas Niles, this is an old school D&D novel written during the Golden Age of the best D&D books. Fun fact: Salvatore wanted to write about this area, but Niles beat him to it. This book was the first Forgotten Realms novel published. If you dig druids and high-fantasy, this series is going to up your alley. There’s a sequel trilogy too – Druidhome.

Elminster: Making of a Mage

Written by Ed Greenwood, this is a wonderful book. Elminster is a well-loved D&D character who appears all over. In this book, the reader learns about the origins of Elminster, one of the most powerful Forgotten Realms characters of all time in my book!

Forgotten Realms Novels: Where to Start?

Forgotten Realms Novels Where to Start? I’m working on additional articles that have alternative reading orders for various Forgotten Realms novels. As you know, there are quite a few characters other than Drizzt in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, but he’s one of the more well known that has a ton of books. If you’re new to reading in the Forgotten Realms universe, the list above is a great place to start.