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=== Characters ===
{{Main|List of major Dragonlance characters}}
[[File:Dragonlance Characters around a campfire by Larry Elmore.jpg|thumb|The Heroes of the Lance: from left [[Raistlin Majere|Raistlin]], [[Caramon Majere|Caramon]], [[Tanis Half-Elven|Tanis]], [[Tasslehoff Burrfoot|Tasslehoff]], [[Flint Fireforge|Flint]], [[Goldmoon]], [[Riverwind]], [[Sturm Brightblade|Sturm]], [[Tika Waylan|Tika]], and [[Laurana Kanan|Laurana]]. Tracy Hickman keeps this [[Larry Elmore]] painting on the wall in his office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dragonlance.com/features/articles/10031.aspx|title=Articles: Tracy Hickman Interview: Lost Chronicles Book Tour and Journeys Beyond!|lastauthor=Trampas Whiteman|first=Trampas|publisher=Dragonlance.com|accessdate=2009-02-22}}</ref>]]
The [[Heroes of the Lance]] are the protagonists of the ''Chronicles'' trilogy, the first series of ''Dragonlance'' books. They were created by Weis and Hickman, then fleshed out as [[player character]]s in gaming sessions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' at Hickman's apartment. One player at this initial gaming session was game designer Terry Phillips, who was playing as [[Raistlin]]. According to Hickman in the foreword to ''The Soulforge'', "[we] were just settling in to the game when I turned to my good friend Terry Phillips and asked what his character was doing. Terry spoke...and the world of Krynn was forever changed. His rasping voice, his sarcasm and bitterness all masking an arrogance and power that never needed to be stated suddenly were real. Everyone in the room was both transfixed and terrified. To this day Margaret [Weis] swears that Terry wore the black robes to the party that night."<ref>{{cite book |last=Weis |first=Margaret |authorlinkauthor=[[Margaret Weis ]] |title=The Soulforge |series=The Raistlin Chronicles |origyear=1998 |year=2003 |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |location=[[Renton, Washington|Renton, WA, USA]] |isbn=0-7869-1314-2 |page=Forward |nopp=yes}}</ref>
Several other Heroes of the Lance were played by various people. Authors Gary and Janet Pack played the half-elf [[Tanis Half-Elven]] and the [[kender]] [[Tasslehoff Burrfoot]], respectively. Author [[Douglas Niles]] played the dwarf [[Flint Fireforge]]. TSR employee Harold Johnson played the [[Knights of Solamnia|Solamnic knight]] [[Sturm Brightblade]]. The rest of the Heroes are the barbarians [[Goldmoon]] and [[Riverwind]], elf [[Laurana Kanan]], and humans [[Caramon Majere]] (Raistlin's brother) and [[Tika Waylan]]. Weis played [[Paladine|Fizban the Fabulous]].<ref name="Archer"/>
Hickman developed his world creation technique by writing and self-publishing with his wife Laura the [[List of Dungeons & Dragons modules|adventure modules]] ''[[Rahasia]]'' (1979) and ''[[Desert of Desolation#Pharaoh|Pharaoh]]'' (1980), and writing TSR's [[Ravenloft (module)|''Ravenloft'' module]] (1983). He was unemployed in 1982, and TSR offered him a job based on his submission of several modules.<ref name="Hunt"/> That year, while driving from Utah to Wisconsin to start a job with TSR, Hickman and his wife created the ''Dragonlance'' universe concept. During the trip, Hickman and his wife discussed two ideas they had had for several years: an entire world used to support a storyline, and a world dominated by dragons.<ref name="Archer"/>
Their ideas were well received by TSR, whose marketing department felt they had enough dungeons, but not enough [[dragon]]s. Hickman suggested a series of twelve modules, each featuring a different dragon. TSR employee [[Harold Johnson]] suggested that Hickman should try to get additional support from other TSR staff members and, after a period of months, Hickman had the support of [[Jeff Grubb]], [[Larry Elmore]], [[Roger E. Moore|Roger Moore]], [[Douglas Niles|Doug Niles]], [[Michael Williams]], and others with whom they discussed ideas for the project. Meanwhile, Weis was editing and writing various ''[[Endless Quest]]'' books for TSR. The ''Dragonlance'' group decided that novels should accompany the game modules; TSR reluctantly agreed and hired a writer.<ref name="Archer">{{Cite book| lastauthor=Peter Archer | first=Peter | year= 2004 | chapter=Dragonlance | title=[[30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons]] | publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] | pages=64–75 | isbn =0-7869-3498-0}}</ref> Hickman became the design coordinator for ''Project Overlord'', the cover name for what would later be known as the Dragonlance saga.<ref name="Dragon #120">{{cite journal
| last = Hickman
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== Reception ==
''Dragonlance'' is one of the most popular [[Shared universe|shared worlds]], worlds in which writers other than those that created them place adventures.<ref>{{cite book|last=Saricks|firstauthor=Joyce G. Saricks |title=The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction|publisher=ALA Editions|year=2001|pages=49|isbn=978-0-8389-0803-7|url=http://books.google.com/?id=wwbkWkWNiPcC&pg=PA49&dq=dragonlance}}</ref> The first ''Dragonlance'' trilogy, ''Chronicles'', launched the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' line of novels, with many of its characters spun off into other novels.<ref name="Dummies">{{cite book|lastauthor=[[Bill Slavicsek|first=Bill]]|coauthors=[[Rich Baker]], [[Jeff Grubb]]|title=Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies|publisher=Wiley Publishing|year=2006|pages=373|url=http://books.google.com/?id=xNU7E01MCEgC&pg=PA373&dq=dragonlance|accessdate=2009-02-12|isbn=978-0-7645-8459-6}}</ref> Along with ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'', ''Dragonlance'' is TSR's most popular series of novels. According to ''The 1990s'' by Marc Oxoby, what is most notable about the series is that "what may at one time been considered disposable, escapist literature" found "unprecedented popularity" in the 1990s.<ref name="Oxoby"/> All of the ''Dragonlance'' novels remained in print during the decade, turning Weis and Hickman into literary stars and boosting sales of their non-''Dragonlance'' novels. Although the series was initially published in paperback, its success led to hardcover printings. The hardcover version of ''Dragons of Summer Flame'' had an "impressive" first printing of 200,000 books.<ref name="Oxoby">{{cite book|lastauthor=Marc Oxoby|first=Marc|title=The 1990s|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2003|pages=148|isbn=978-0-313-31615-9|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vCgM4VYsph8C&pg=PA148&dq=dragonlance}}</ref> Every ''Dragonlance'' novel by Weis and Hickman since 1995 has been released in hardcover, and some previous novels have been re-released in hardcover collector's editions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20040419/17825-rival-fantasy-publishers-rally-around-star-author-.html|title=Rival Fantasy Publishers Rally Around Star Author|last=Maas|first=John-Michael|date=April 19, 2004|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=2009-02-19}}</ref> ''Dragonlance'' made TSR one of the most successful publishers of science fiction and fantasy in the 1990s.<ref name="Dragon Lady">{{cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20040607/21914-dragon-lady-keeps-flying-.html|title=Dragon Lady Keeps Flying|last=Hall|first=Melissa Mia|date=June 7, 2004|work=[[Publishers Weekly]]|accessdate=2009-02-19}}</ref>
By 2008, there were more than 190 novels in the ''Dragonlance'' franchise.<ref name="courier">{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23913678-5004582,00.html|title=Hickmans write fantasy on a wing and a prayer|last=Nahrung|first=Jason|date=June 27, 2008 |work=[[The Courier-Mail]]|accessdate=2009-02-19}} </ref> Weis and Hickman's ''Dragonlance'' novels have made over twenty bestseller lists, with sales in excess of 22 million.<ref name="Dragon Lady"/> The pair's novels have been translated into German, Japanese, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew, and Portuguese, and have sold well in the United States, Britain, and Australia.<ref name="Hunt"/>
Not all critics have praised ''Dragonlance'' and its creators. According to author [[Stephen Hunt]], Wendy Bradley of ''[[Wikipedia:Interzone (magazine)|Interzone]]'' magazine does not think highly of their work. Hunt feels that it is unusual for authors to receive such loathing among "fantasy's literary mafia", saying, "Behind every critic's scorn laden insult, there lays that unsaid thought at the end: 'But I could have written that!'"<ref name="Hunt">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews/newsd0102.htm|title=Dragon' On|author=Stephen Hunt|date=January 2002|publisher=SFCrowsnest.com|accessdate=2009-02-20|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080211083438/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews/newsd0102.htm |archivedate = February 11, 2008|deadurl=yes}}</ref> ''Visions of Wonder'', edited by [[Wikipedia:David G. Hartwell|David G. Hartwell]] and Milton T. Wolf, and published by the [[Wikipedia:Science Fiction Research Association|Science Fiction Research Association]], argues that ''Dragonlance'' is published under the "omnivore theory" of publishing. In this theory, the readership is made up of teenagers, and completely replaces itself every three to five years. This allows publishers to release subpar novels and still reach a small yet profitable audience.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hartwell|firstauthor=David G.Hartwell|coauthors=Milton T. Wolf|publisher=MacMillan|year=1996|isbn=978-0-312-85287-0|url=http://books.google.com/?id=uYs2NbD-d4oC&pg=PA88&dq=dragonlance|title=Visions of Wonder}}</ref>
== Novels ==
