Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume I)

Think of it as A New Hope for the world of Dragonlance: Sure, maybe it's a little rough around the edges, maybe it's got one cliché too many, but this baby is pure magic. The first volume in the Dragonlance Chronicles series, this classic from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman started it all for Krynn, eventually spawning a bestselling 90-plus book series. (And, frankly, you'd do well to stick to the Weis-Hickman titles.) All the heroes that you've likely heard of already--the creepy, hourglass-eyed Raistlin, the noble half-elf Tanis, the comic relief Tasselhoff Burrfoot, the curmudgeonly dwarf Flint Fireforge--they're all here, starting the good fight against the Dark Queen Takhisis as the War of the Lance begins. Pick up Dragons of Winter Night when you're done. --Paul Hughes

• Dragons of Winter Night (Dragonlance Chronicles, Volume II)
• Dragons of Spring Dawning (Dragonlance Chronicles, Book 3)
• Dragons of Summer Flame
• War of the Twins (Dragonlance Legends, Vol. 2)
• Test of the Twins (Dragonlance Legends, Vol. 3)
• Time of the Twins: Dragonlance Legends, Volume I
• The Second Generation
• The Crystal Shard: The Legend of Drizzt, Book 4 (Forgotten Realms)
• Homeland: The Dark Elf Trilogy, Part 1 (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book I) (Bk. 1)
• Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle, Book 1)