DragonLance Chronicles

One of my absolute favorite book series.

I first read the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy when I was in high school, and these three books are some of the few that I keep coming back to. I don't usually read books more than twice, if that, but I've read these a half a dozen times each.

Weis and Hickman craft a surprisingly interesting yet simple fantasy world based on some of the then-current Dungeons & Dragons rules and handbooks. Although it takes another trilogy by Weis and Hickman and a slew of new installments in the Dragonlance series by other authors to flesh out this fantasy world's history and lore, Weis and Hickman do an excellent job of creating a truly inspiring and attention-grabbing fantastical environment that serves as the basis for an entire fantasy series.

Not everything is fun and games in the world of Dragonlance, however, Weis and Hickman go through a lot to flesh out their characters, though subtly unless you read much of the aforementioned backstory published later on. They will even allow characters to die to serve their purposes, something that is generally not done in literature.

Though the world's lore may not be fully fleshed out in this first trilogy, Weis and Hickman create lovable and endearing characters that readers will both enjoy following through dark caves and to the tops of towers and identify with when faced with hardships to overcome. At the very least, this trilogy will spirit the reader away from their reality and transport them into a wonderful and enjoyable tale that is both well-written (you can hear echoes of each author's distinct voice, but they are combined nearly flawlessly) and interesting.

Pick this one up and prepare yourself for an adventure!