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10 Books Every Dungeon Master Needs to Read


At the heart of Dungeon Mastering is storytelling. You’re sitting at the head of a table, describing a made up scenario to a group of people. Then letting the dice and player choice decide what happens next. And in order to become a good storyteller, you need to read lots of stories! Reading gives you the tools you need to tell stories. Of course, you could read whatever you want. It probably won’t hurt your Dungeon Mastering skills. But the world of fantasy and science fiction is so wide, it’ll be a great place to look for inspiration. We’ve put this list together to be a starting place, and don’t stop your reading with this list. We couldn’t possibly cover everything and hope you continue to read. The list ranges from books that influenced Gary Gygax to informative nonfiction to newer books that look at fantasy from a different perspective. Here are Ten Book Every Dungeon Master Needs to Read:

  1. Beowulf by Unknown

    One of the oldest precursors to modern fantasy is the story of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who kicks a lot of monster butt. It’s the oldest surviving poem in Old English and is considered a cornerstone in our understanding of how the English Language changed and evolved over the years. But it’s also important for storytelling reasons. J.R.R. Tolkien himself pointed out that the main conflict of Beowulf is civilization struggling against the wilderness. This comes to play in Dungeons and Dragons with the law versus chaos conflict. Also, your players, regardless of their alignment, are monster-killers like Beowulf. Steal some of the descriptions from the poem! Ask yourself how people will treat a proclaimed monster-slayer or adventurer if you know, they haven’t killed any monsters yet. If you’re looking for a good translation of this Old English poem, you can’t go wrong with the Seamus Heaney version of the story.

  2. The Matter of Britain by Various Authors

    This isn’t one book, but a group of books centered around one theme. The Matter of Britain concerns the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Reading these stories today, you may find they’re a lot like modern Dungeons and Dragons adventures. And there are a lot of stories you could read. We recommend you start at the very beginning with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia regum Britanniae, a very, very fictionalized history of Britain's kings. From there, move on to Chrétien de Troyes’ Arthurian tales. de Troyes introduces the character of Lancelot and the famous Love Triangle between Lancelot, Guinevere and Arthur. Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory is considered the definitive version of the Arthurian mythos. Of course, you may not want to bother with older stuff, since it can be hard to read. The Once and Future King by T.H. White tells the story with more modern sensibilities.

  3. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

    Yes, it’s cliché, but it’s true. If you want to understand fantasy and how it works today, Lord of the Rings are the book you need to start with. Tolkien didn’t create the tropes that make fantasy, but he did popularize them. It laid a lot of the groundwork for what we understand to be fantasy and what your players expect from your world. They’re going to expect elves and hobbits and dwarves to exist alongside humans. The elves are nature oriented and graceful, the dwarves great miners and hobbits light-footed, cheery folk. While humans are just a mix of everything. They’re going to expect a world full of ruins, abandoned mines and other remnants of of past civilizations. You don’t have to go along with Tolkien’s stereotypes, but it’s helpful to know what they are so you can play around with your players’ expectations. Read about and interrogate Tolkien’s world, as well as your own. You’ll be surprised what you’ll find out!

  4. Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard

    Accomplish what no one else has. Get treasure. Become Great for Greatness’ sake. These motivate Conan and this is what Gary Gygax thought would motivate players. And for the most part, he was right! Most players in the early days did want to explore the dungeon, fight monsters and kill stuff. And get treasure of course. That style of play is still done and is still a lot of fun. Who doesn’t want to kick back with some soda and pizza and kill some orcs for a few hours? And even the most story-heavy and character focused campaign will have some dungeon crawling. Reading Conan will give you a good idea of things that can be found in a dungeon and be used to challenge the players. And like Lord of the Rings, you can interrogate and examine the story, particularly the role of women. And since the Conan stories aren’t exactly as popular as they used to be, you can straight up steal from them in ways you can’t with Lord of the Rings. You can buy the Complete Collection of Conan novels for $2.99 on Amazon and we recommend you check them out!

  5. The Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang

    In the original Dungeon Master’s Guide Gary Gygax wrote, “All of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy from when we are young, from fairy tales such as those written by the Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through beastieres, and consultations of compiltations of the myths and legends of various peoples. Upon such a base, I built my interest in fantasy…” You might have read the original Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang growing up, but more likely you’ve seen Disney’s adaptations or read watered down versions. We encourage you to go back to the originals. They establish what we think of as fantasy. Our ideas about fairies, magic and all sorts of things come from these “simple” fairy tales. Of course, you may not find some things so simple. Protagonists can be jerks. Villains can be surprisingly sympathetic. You may be surprised at what you discover!

  6. Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson

    This book is fundamental to Dungeons and Dragons. It’s where we get the idea of the paladin and the idea of law versus chaos. In this book, and in Gary Gygax’s head, Law and Chaos were primordial forces forever locked in struggle. Individuals could align themselves with one or the other and that’s where the idea of alignment comes from. Humans tended towards Law and elves towards Chaos. Three Hearts Three Lions tells the story of Holger Carlsen, a Danish man who finds himself transported to a fantasy world and compelled to act as a tool of Justice and Law. He joins up with a colorful cast of characters including a hardy and true dwarf and a beautiful shapeshifter. The group really does come across as a Dungeons and Dragons party even though Three Hearts and Three Lions was published nearly ten years before the first edition of the game! It’s a fun read and will give you an idea of what Gygax was thinking as he created Dungeons and Dragons.

  7. The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon

    Speaking of paladins, they’re one of the trickiest classes to roleplay and roleplay with. They have a strict code of conduct and if they deviate from that code, the consequences are dire. They have a reputation for being boring sticks in the mud. They are known as the fantasy equivalent of Cyclops from X-Men. The Deed of Paksenarrion will do away with any misconceptions you have about paladins. It tells the story of the titular Paksenarrion (nicknamed Paks) as she goes from sheepfarmer's daughter to mercenary soldier to paladin. The book explores what it means to be good and righteous and how the world can test a person who is chosen to be good. Paks makes mistakes, doubts herself, misjudges others, but still manages to forgive herself and rise to the occasion when she is needed most. The books are heavily inspired by Dungeons and Dragons and will give you plenty of ideas for adventures.  

  8. Medieval Lives by Terry Jones

    You may think you know the Middle Ages, but this book reveals that life was way more complex than the stereotypes would indicate. Don’t worry, the book was written by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, so it’s not a dull history book. You’ll find yourself cracking up as you read about peasants, knights, kings, philosophers and everyone in between. Use what you’ve learned in your game to enhance your fantasy world. How closely does your peasantry align with the peasantry Jones describes in his book? What’s the role of nobility? How does magic being a real force influence the philosophers and thinkers of your world? And perhaps, most importantly what happens to people who don’t fit into a societal role? Your players probably won’t fit into a medieval category so neatly. And if you want to learn more about the Middle Ages after you’ve read the book, check out the books sources! Medieval Lives is a funny, insightful treasure trove of information and we can’t recommend it enough.

  9. Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

    So, you may have noticed that modern fantasy and this list so far, is a little… white. Let’s face it, European history and culture is the dominant influence on fantasy. And whether or not you have gamers of color at your table, it’s a good idea to bring in ideas and influences that are not European. If you include multiple influences, it’ll make your game world feel large and whole. But “not European” is a large range of cultures and experiences. You may not know where to start. Try starting with Throne of the Crescent Moon! Dungeons and Dragons inspired this 2011 novel by Saladin Ahmed. Ahmed talks about how Dungeons and Dragons inspired him in the official DnD podcast. You’ve got the spellcaster, the fighter and the druid. But they’re not in your typical European setting. It’s a new perspective on old tropes and trends. However, Throne of the Crescent Moon deals with a specific culture and it definitely shouldn’t be your only place to start.

  10. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin

    Another place to look for inspiration for non-European fantasy is A Wizard of Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin. The three books tell the story of Ged, a young man who goes to school, learns to be a wizard and goes on adventures. Yes, it was written before Harry Potter and probably had more than a little influence on J.K. Rowling. The book doesn’t take place on a large continent but rather a vast archipelago teeming with people from all backgrounds. LeGuin made it a point to make most of her characters non-white and describes the characters with brown skin. (She had to fight with the publishers to make sure her character were depicted with the correct skin tone on the cover art of her books). The book also draws from Taoist philosophy rather than from a Christian ideas of the world. The book does an excellent job of incorporating non-Western ideas and ideals and is essential for anyone looking to break away from the Western fantasy mold.

    Do you have any suggestions on books for Dungeon Masters to read? Leave us a comment in the comment section below!

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