Dragonlance, A broad overview.

Hear the sage as his song decends
like heaven's rain or tears,
and washes the years, the dust of many stories
from the high tables of the Dragonlance.
For ages deep, past memory and word, in the first blush of the world
when the three moons rose from the lap of the forset,
dragons, terible and great,
made war on this world of Krynn...

---So begins the first book of Margeret Weis and Tracy Hickman's series, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's about Dragons (obviously) who are returning to Kyrnn (the world). It starts with Flint Fieryforge, an old dwarf, who's character concept is based off the basic Dwarven Fighter Template. Add a temper and an overly proud ego and you've got him down. He's going to meet his friends and fellow adventurers after five years of them going solo. When along comes Tanis.
---Tanis Half-Elven, the result of the breeding of a human rapist and a elven mother, is a ranger in D&D classifications. (If you don't get the abbreibiations, it short for Dungeons and Dragons.) He becomes the leader of the party.
---They proceed to meet Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a Kender Thief (taken off the halfling thieves of D&D). He's the comic relief and the most popular character by far. He is cute, and that's almost the entirety of his purpose.
---Well, to make a short story short, things have changed back home. A corrupt official has taken over their homleland Solace and right after Tas gets introducted, some goblin lackeys ambush them. They make short work of them and after a few jokes from Tas continue on to the inn.
---Where they meet my favorite characters Caramon and Raistlin. They are twins who opperate together in near-perfect union. Caramon is a huge fighter, the strongest man you'll ever see. And Raistlin is a magician, a follower of the Red Mages. He has changed drasticly since they last met. And though I'm itching with the desire to type in these changes, I'll let you read it.
---Then Sturm comes, a knight based of a D&D paladin who is escorting two barabarians, Riverwind and Goldmoon. There you go, you'll understand half of what I say now.
---Everything is going great until they learn that one member of the party has broken her oath nad not shown up, Raist and Caramon's sister, Kitiara. That makes Tanis depressed because he loves her.
---They decide that she must have had a good reason and begin to share news from all the corners of the world when things start getting bad. The Theocrat decide to get drunk and after a few 'Blasphemous Tales' he get accidentally pushed into the fire, miraculously healed, and then lights himself on fire voluntarily again... Yeah, just a little drunk.
---And so begins another adventure. I hope I've sparked an interest in you, and if you're interested in pretty hardcore D&D adventure you should read this book.