5 Fantasy Books to Read If You Love Dungeons & Dragons
Looking for fantasy books like Dungeons & Dragons?
Some of the best books for D&D fans capture the parts of tabletop fantasy that make a campaign so addictive: unlikely adventuring parties, dangerous quests, monsters, magic, immersive worlds, found family, and characters making questionable decisions together.
Whether you’re looking for an official Dungeons & Dragons novel, a fantasy book that feels like an adventuring campaign, a darker medieval fantasy, or something cozy set after the fighting is over, these five books offer something for almost every kind of fantasy reader.
Here are five fantasy books to read if you love Dungeons & Dragons.
- Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
Best for Adventuring Parties and Found Family
If your favorite part of D&D is gathering an unlikely group of adventurers and sending them into a situation they probably shouldn’t survive, Kings of the Wyld is an excellent place to start.
The story follows Clay Cooper and a legendary band of mercenaries who have long since left their glory days behind. When one of their own needs help, however, the band must come back together for another dangerous adventure.
Expect mercenaries, monsters, battles, humor, friendship, and a group dynamic that should feel familiar to anyone who loves watching a fantasy party somehow survive against impossible odds. The book currently holds a strong reader rating on Goodreads, with tens of thousands of ratings.
Perfect for: Readers who love D&D adventuring parties, found family, mercenaries, monsters, epic quests, action, and humor.
2. Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
Best for Readers Who Want an Actual Dungeons & Dragons Novel
For readers who want to step directly into a world connected to Dungeons & Dragons, Homeland is the most obvious choice on this list.
Written by R.A. Salvatore, Homeland tells the origin story of Drizzt Do’Urden, the legendary drow ranger, and begins The Dark Elf Trilogy. The story explores Drizzt’s early life within drow society and the dangerous world that shaped him.
Because the novel is part of the larger Dungeons & Dragons publishing universe, this is an especially good choice for readers interested in Forgotten Realms lore.
Expect drow society, underground cities, political intrigue, warriors, monsters, family conflict, and extensive fantasy world-building.
Perfect for: Readers looking for Dungeons & Dragons novels, Forgotten Realms books, dark elves, warriors, fantasy lore, and morally complicated societies.
3. The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
Best for a Darker Fantasy Adventure
Readers who prefer their fantasy adventures dangerous, strange, and a little darker should consider The Blacktongue Thief.
Christopher Buehlman’s novel takes place in a fantasy world shaped by goblin wars and filled with unusual creatures, deadly threats, warriors, assassins, and magic.
At the center of the story is Kinch Na Shannack, a thief whose circumstances pull him into a much larger and more dangerous adventure.
While The Blacktongue Thief isn’t a Dungeons & Dragons novel, its combination of quests, strange creatures, distinctive fantasy characters, dangerous journeys, and dark humor makes it a natural recommendation for readers who enjoy tabletop-inspired fantasy adventures.
Perfect for: Fans of dark fantasy, thieves, dangerous quests, monsters, magic, unusual companions, and morally complicated characters.
4. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Best Cozy Fantasy for D&D Fans
What happens after the adventurer puts down the sword?
Legends & Lattes takes the familiar ingredients of a traditional fantasy adventure and turns them into something much cozier.
The story follows Viv, an orc who leaves her old adventuring life behind to open a coffee shop. Macmillan describes the novel as a story of “high fantasy and low stakes,” making it an excellent choice for readers who love fantasy worlds and tabletop-style characters but don’t necessarily want another battle to save civilization.
The connection to tabletop fantasy isn’t just our interpretation, either. Macmillan features praise specifically recommending the novel to D&D players who have wondered what happens to adventurers after their quests end.
Expect friendship, unlikely companions, an orc protagonist, found family, and a much gentler interpretation of the traditional fantasy world.
Perfect for: D&D fans who love cozy fantasy, found family, fantasy races, character-driven stories, and life after the adventure.
5. Demonic Reign by Devorah Leah Barrocas
Best for Sapphic Dark Fantasy, Morally Gray Characters, and D&D-Style Group Dynamics
If your ideal fantasy adventure involves morally gray characters, deadly trials, medieval kingdoms, supernatural creatures, demons, angels, political intrigue, and an unlikely group forced to survive together, Demonic Reign may belong on your reading list.
This adult sapphic dark fantasy follows Nyx, a deadly assassin raised under the rule of her demonic father, as she is pulled into a world of survival, forbidden power, dangerous alliances, and revelations that threaten everything she believed about herself.
Throughout the story, readers encounter bonded creatures, including a winged chameleon and a panther, alongside deadly weapons, supernatural beings, medieval kingdoms, dangerous trials, found family, and a slow-burn sapphic romance.
While Demonic Reign is not a Dungeons & Dragons novel, its combination of distinct characters with different abilities, dangerous quests, supernatural creatures, party-like group dynamics, and expansive fantasy world-building may appeal to readers who enjoy the storytelling experience of a dark tabletop campaign.
It also crosses into several popular fantasy categories, including adult sapphic fantasy, LGBTQ+ dark fantasy, medieval fantasy, morally gray fantasy, found family, slow-burn sapphic romance, and fantasy involving demons and angels.
Perfect for: Readers who love sapphic dark fantasy, morally gray characters, found family, medieval fantasy worlds, bonded creatures, deadly trials, demons and angels, slow-burn romance, and D&D-style group adventures.
What Fantasy Book Should You Read If You Love Dungeons & Dragons?
The best choice depends on what you love most about D&D.
Choose Kings of the Wyld if you want an adventuring party and found family.
Choose Homeland if you want a novel directly connected to the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
Choose The Blacktongue Thief if you prefer darker fantasy adventures filled with dangerous creatures and morally complicated characters.
Choose Legends & Lattes if you love fantasy characters but would rather spend some time enjoying the world between adventures.
And if you’re searching for an adult sapphic dark fantasy with morally gray characters, found family, bonded creatures, demons, angels, deadly trials, and D&D-style group dynamics, consider adding Demonic Reign to your reading list.
Whether you prefer your fantasy dark and dangerous, cozy and character-driven, or filled with adventurers making increasingly questionable decisions together, there’s something here for your next campaign-free night.
Which fantasy world are you entering next?