Corellian Pirate

This Month in Dragonlance, November 1984 42 years ago this month, TSR published Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the first novel in the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, featuring that unforgettable cover by Larry Elmore. What’s remarkable is that TSR wasn’t entirely convinced the novel would succeed. Weis and Hickman even took it upon themselves to help promote the book, including a readers’ theater performance at Gen Con. What followed was one of the greatest success stories in D&D publishing history, introducing generations of readers to Tanis, Raistlin, Caramon, Sturm, Tasslehoff, and the world of Krynn. Not bad for a novel that wasn’t a sure thing. 42 years later, that Elmore cover still takes me right back to where it all began.