Want to get into the lore? Look here.

[Winin]

Neverwinter Online is set in the D&D 4th edition universe. Here is the source book:
www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1366307587&sr=8-5&keywords=neverwinter

You can also read the 4 book series that leads into the game. Here is the first book:
www.amazon.com/Gauntlgrym-Neverwinter-Saga-Book-Nights/dp/0786958022

I've not seen the source book, but I hear good things. I'm currently on book 3 of the Neverwinter Saga. It is typical R.A. Salvatore (Mary Sue characters, very detailed fight scenes, great world building and interesting plot).

Or, you know, you can just half-ass it by saying "Forsooth" every now and then.

[trapsinger]

Forsooth! it hardly makes sense to only read the neverwinter saga, my wife and i went all the way back to the dark elf trilogy so we could read the whole legend of drizzt before meeting him in the neverwinter saga. Forsooth!

(for RPing my troll in World of Warcraft I made a macro that was just said, ", mon!" and i punched it after every sentence.)

[Winin]

I tried to read the earlier ones, but I'm just not a fan of his writing. World building yes, so I can enjoy that part of the NW saga. I have found a few other D&D books that take place around the same time that are good. One is www.amazon.com/Brimstone-Angels-Forgotten-Realms-Neverwinter/dp/0786958464