THE WORLD OF CRITICAL ROLE is a nonfiction book that chronicles the creation of the Critical Role Twitch stream that has since exploded into a massiveTHE WORLD OF CRITICAL ROLE is a nonfiction book that chronicles the creation of the Critical Role Twitch stream that has since exploded into a massively successful multimedia franchise that includes comics as well as animated cartoons. In a very real way, it contributed to the massive successful of 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons as well as led to a slew of imitators for everything from Call of Cthulhu to Shadowrun.
The origin of Critical Role was Felicia Day convincing Matt Mercer and the other voice actors playing at his home game to air their D&D game on her channel. From there, they proceed to develop a massive Twitch following and that moved on to becoming a marketing juggernaut. The book covers most of the history in a somewhat superficial but, mostly, accurate way.
I say mostly accurate because the book more or less writes out Orion Acada and his character of Tiberius, only mentioning him as a "guest" party member despite his role in the founding of the franchise. It also overlooks some of the smaller controversies that dogged Critical Role. It doesn't mention the backlash that Marish Ray got about her character of Keyleth or the controversy of "broomgate" where Laura stole another party member's magic broom.
Basically, this is a fine book but it's also very much a love fest for Critical Role that doesn't include any of the controversies or the occassionally unpleasant elements of fandom. It's a puff piece that loses points because a lot of that would have been interesting and lended some authenticity to the story about the struggles some of the individuals involved had to overcome. We all know fans aren't always great people, particularly against women.
Despite this, the book has a lot of fascinating bits in it about the world of Exandria and the character arcs for the first two campaigns. There's character studies of all the characters as well as biographies for the actors. We also get write-ups for Will Wheaton and other guest stars plus their characters. Just because it doesn't dive deeply into the negative elements doesn't mean it's not something worth buying if you are a "critter." We also get surprisingly deep into the real life backstories of the actors with some stories, like Ashley Johnson and Taelsin Jaffe being particularly fascinating.
In conclusion, I don't recommend purchasing this book if you are not already a fan of either Vox Machina or the Mighty Nein. This makes the most sense if you're familiar with Campaigns 1 and 2 but doesn't cover the events of 3 at all. Still, it's a fun coffee table book and enjoyable for hardcore fans....more
Drizzt Do'Urden has journeyed to the surface in order to escape from his evil kin. Honestly, this is my least favorite of the three Homeland trilogy nDrizzt Do'Urden has journeyed to the surface in order to escape from his evil kin. Honestly, this is my least favorite of the three Homeland trilogy novels. The absence of House Do'Urden severely undermines this one and not even the presence of Dove makes up for it. We also lack Cattie Brie until the very end. Still, the art is extremely beautiful. ...more
I am a huge fan of the Legend of Drizzt and the characters involved. The Crystal Shard was never the best of the series, though. It's a very simple plI am a huge fan of the Legend of Drizzt and the characters involved. The Crystal Shard was never the best of the series, though. It's a very simple plot of an evil wizard, a magical artifact, and an attack on a bunch of villages. However, this is a fairly well done comic adaptation that manages to preserve most of the plot despite the fact it is only three issues. Normally, a story adaptation is at least six issues, but the Crystal Shard is a simple plot. I love the character designs and action beats with Cattie Brie being my favorite....more
ELFSONG is the second of Elaine Cunningham's fantastic SONGS AND SWORDS series that was also part of the Harpers series (confused yet?). They're a setELFSONG is the second of Elaine Cunningham's fantastic SONGS AND SWORDS series that was also part of the Harpers series (confused yet?). They're a set of books which follow Harper Assassin (as in a Harper who is an Assassin not an assassin of Harpers, though she was accused of that too), Arilyn Moonblade, and Danilo Than who is a Wizard/Fighter who pretends to be a Bard but is also a Harper. Okay, now I've confused myself. The first book, Elfshadow, was fantastic and really deserved a much longer series. Thankfully, Elaine Cunningham managed to write five books in the series even if I'm sorry to say she never released the completed sixth one.
The premise for Elfsong is that the main pair are split up after the events of the first book. Danilo Thann has been recalled back to Waterdeep and is once more working for his "uncle", Khelben the Blackstaff. A disgruntled bard named Garnet has decided to strike back at the Harpers for, essentially, making the "Spoony Bard" trope into an in-game reality. She points out the grand historical tradition of bards, their important role in politics, and their grand heritage as preservers of history when written lore was unavailable. Garnet points out that bards have been reduced to being a bunch of immature wananbe superheroes in the Harpers and involved more in "fighting evil" than their historical role.
I 100% agree with Garnet and note that Elaine Cunningham is using her knowledge of history to make the argument of the villain all the more effective. Elaine Cunningham is also one of the D&D writers who does extensive research on the game before she does her books so this one is littered with material from THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BARDS, one of the two best of that series alongside THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ELVES (without said book's ridiculous elf-touting). There's Dwarvish Jesters, Riddlemasters, and Elf spellsingers. Danillo also decides to Multiclass as Bard, which is probably as redundant a choice in class as has ever been made.
In any case, Garnet's revenge is a somewhat backhanded way of redeeming the honor of bards as she starts ruining their ancient songs and turning them into hit pieces on the Lords of Waterdeep and Khelben specifically. This is a pretty common thing for "sympathetic" villains as you have them make a perfectly valid point and then blow up a schoolbus of children to show they're bad AKA the "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" effect. Mind you, this isn't a bad storytelling device as if they weren't doing villainous things then the hero wouldn't be fighting them. Still, you have to wonder what benefit to bards there will be when she's allying with the Devil-worshiping Knights of the Shield.
The bulk of the book is the frenemy relationship between Danilo and Elaith Craulnobler the Serpent. An elvish crime lord, Elaith despises Danilo because he's a human, he's a Waterdeep nobleman, he's courting Arilyn, and he's a Harper. Not necessarily in that order. Elaith is very similar to Jaime Lannister in some respects in that he's a naturally honorable person who, having lost his honor, decides to live down to everyone's worst fears.
In conclusion, Elfsong is fantastic and while I sympathized with Garnet's cause, this is not where the book's moral ambiguity lies. It is much more a character piece of Danilo versus Elaith over what constitutes morality. Elaine Cunningham has a very tense relationship regarding elvish and human relationships that I don't recall existing anywhere else in the Realms. I also appreciated the handling of the behind the scenes of the Lords of Waterdeep, which we normally don't get in the Forgotten Realms novels....more
THE RING OF WINTER by James Lowder is one of the Harpers series, back from when Forgotten Realms was publishing a lot of standalone novels. I’ve always been a fan of James Lowder’s work and this is no exception. It’s arguably one of the most well-written and entertaining standalones in the entire history of “D&D fiction” and would have been ranked as my favorite for the Forgotten Realms if not for the fact that it has a slight issue: some elements have aged extremely poorly. While it doesn’t reach INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM levels of cringe, there’s a few things that I can list as “cringe” that are very noticeable. These elements may not even bother you and you might perhaps argue I’m being oversensitive.
The premise is that Artus Cimber is Indiana Jones or pretty close to the character as exists in a Medieval Fantasy World. A member of the Stalwart Adventuring Society, he travels across the globe to seek out treasures in lost ruins as well as dungeons. The big difference being that Artus also takes time to study these ruins and record their secrets for posterity. The association of treasure hunting with archaeology by James Lowder is quite clever and something that we’re only now starting to become a bit more accepting of outside of fiction.
Artus, like Indy, Lara, and Nathan, has a particular artifact that serves as his personal grail: the titular Ring of Winter. The Ring of Winter bestows the wearer with the ability to generate vast amounts of frost and immortality. Which are admittedly some pretty good benefits here. It’s also being hunted by the evil Kaverin Ebonhand, who is basically a Bond villain with his deformed hand as well as a female henchwoman named Phyrra al-Quim (i.e “Fiery Quim”, a dirty name that probably only a handful of fans would have gotten before the Avengers movie had Loki use the latter in its proper context). He serves as our Belloq figure.
The very short version of the plot is that Artus heads down to the kingdom of Chult, the miniature Africa that exists as a peninsula in Faerun, and seeks the city of Mezro in order to find the Ring of Winter. Mezro is a bit like Wakanda in that it is a highly advanced civilization of magic-users that has completely isolated itself from the rest of the country in order to protect itself. This has resulted in all of the people left outside of the city being screwed as they’re subject to the hordes of cannibalistic goblins as well as other threats abounding. Yes, the superstitious cannibal goblins that worship monsters and offer human sacrifices to it while fitting quite a few stereotypes of tribal peoples.
James Lowder’s book runs into the uncomfortable problem of wanting to do a big Alan Quartermain-esque pulp adventure with all of the tropes but not actually be racist or colonialist. For the most he succeeds. Mezro isn’t “lost”, it just doesn’t want to deal with White Cormyrians. It is shown to also be more “civilized” than Cormyr. Artus also has to deal with the fact that a lot of his guidebooks to Chult are horrifyingly inaccurate as their writer was, in fact, a racist jerkass.
However, making the racist European stereotypes into monsters instead of people isn’t really a fix for problematic content as Watto from The Phantom Menace proves. There’s some uncomfortable bits here too like when Kaverin casually feeds a female henchman to the goblins because he needs his supplies more. At one point, one of the Mezro leaders also discusses how he committed genocide against an inferior tribal people in Chult and is annoyed he was exiled for it.
There’s some other minor issues that are just the result of D&D’s long history as well and expectations thereof. James Lowder doesn’t actually bother to stay within the rules. Artus Cimber is officially a Ranger but he could have been a Fighter, Bard, or Rogue since he doesn’t follow any character sheet write-up. He’s just the way the book writes him as a Pulpy action hero and scholar. The people of Mezro are called Tabaxi but they’re human beings but Tabaxi would later be used as a name for the cat people of the setting. It gets more confusing because there are cat people Tabaxi in Chult as well. This isn’t on James Lowder, though, as I’m sure he thinks its better to tell a good story than keep Artus’ abilities consistent with his class.
The Ring of Winter has a lot going for it but it is trying to be a rollicking good adventure while dealing with things like the legacy of colonialism as well as tropes based on really awful views of the world. This is a book with two Cockney talking wombats, it shouldn’t have to deal with uncomfortable subject matter. Still, props to James Lowder, he does his very best to navigate the minefield of homage and satire. At one point, Artus Cimber passes the test of Ubtao and has the option to become an immortal god king in Mezro. He points out how grossly inappropriate that would be given he’s a foreigner to Mezro. It just would have been better if there wasn’t already a white guy on the council of god kings. There’s nothing wrong with problematic elements in books as long as you recognize them but James Lowder does and struggles to reconcile them with his desire to just have a magic treasure hunt in the jungle....more
The Dungeons and Dragons comics from the Eighties are some of the highlights of the franchise as a whole. Taking place in Waterdeep with a crew of advThe Dungeons and Dragons comics from the Eighties are some of the highlights of the franchise as a whole. Taking place in Waterdeep with a crew of adventurers operating out of a tavern run by Selune, goddess of the Moon, they deal with the Time of Troubles in this book. Shar shows up, there's many hijinks, and laughs as well as fun ensues. I also like the stories that expand on the pasts of all the characters as well as gives them a bit more characterization to play with. My favorite of these stories is probably Onyx trying to get out of a marriage contract with the help of Khelban....more
Lorraine Williams thought she could make a fantastic boost to TSR's economy by getting them into the comics game. After all, D&D fans loved comics. ShLorraine Williams thought she could make a fantastic boost to TSR's economy by getting them into the comics game. After all, D&D fans loved comics. She was absolutely right. Unfortunately, she forgot or neglected to note TSR was ALREADY in the comics game and producing comics that were extremely successful under DC. She published some "illustrated modules" that resulted in DC comics cancelling all of the Forgotten Realms comics currently being published. As a result, this amazing series with Onyx the Invincible, Kiyriani the Half-Drow, and Varj the gladiator losing their role. It is a crying shame and now the comics are in and out of print constantly....more
All good things must come to an end and the Forgotten Realms comics were among the best things TSR ever produced, probably because they had one of theAll good things must come to an end and the Forgotten Realms comics were among the best things TSR ever produced, probably because they had one of their best writers (Jeff Grubb) working with DC comics veteran illustrators. Jeff never takes D&D too seriously and the silliness is what makes the comic work while other adaptations try to dial down the ridiculousness. The crew of the Realmsmaster have their final adventure here and it's a shame because it really could have gone on another hundred issues....more
DRAGONS OF THE HIGHLORD SKY is the second of the Lost Histories trilogy for DRAGONLANCE. It is also a book based around my all-time favorite female chDRAGONS OF THE HIGHLORD SKY is the second of the Lost Histories trilogy for DRAGONLANCE. It is also a book based around my all-time favorite female character in fantasy: Kitiara uth Matar. She's a villain the original Dragonlance Chronicles and antagonist for Dragonlance Legends. She was a rare character in fantasy when I was a boy in the Eighties, being a female warrior in charge of her own sexuality as well as ruthless in both her ambition as well as talent. It was hard not to root for her even though she was the primary general for the Queen of Darkness.
I always felt that Kitiara deserved better from both the fandom as well as the writing. Fans always want their dark and edgy antiheroes to have a redemption arc and that's just not who Kitiara is. Part of the appeal of Kitiara is her punch clock attitude to her actions. Working for the forces evil is just a job and war is her profession. The Queen of Darkness is just another employer and conquest is what armies do in her time.
This book chronicles the period of Kitiara before the events of DRAGONS OF A WINTER TIDE where she crosses the proverbial moral event horizon by slaying one of the Heroes of the Lance. If you don't know who I am referring to or have forgotten DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES, you might want to re-read them or at least a summary before this because it ties in heavily with the past continuity of the books. We watch her play politics behind the scenes and try to avoid getting herself replaced by Emperor Ariakas.
Despite the fact that I am primarily focused on the Kitiara sections, the book is actually shared between her and Laurana. The elvish princess has her own story arc to go through as she reluctantly teams up with Sir Derek Crownguard in order to try and find the dragon orb that theoretically has the potential to turn the tide of battle against the Queen of Darkness' forces. Unfortunately, for Laurana, Derek is an untrustworthy ally in the Boromir sense. He's a good but flawed man who puts his country over the greater good of the world.
There's a lot of good characters in this book with development for minor ones from the original stories. We get to know Black Robe Iolanthe, Ariakas' newest mistress who is uncomfortably aware that while he's attracted to strong women, he'll never trust any of them. We also get a lot of development on the White Dragon Highlord Feal'thas who has the ambition of killing everyone on his island and being left alone. Which would be a pretty petty motivation for a Dark Lord if not for the fact it involves genocide.
In conclusion, this is an excellent novel and I'll buy anything with Kitiara. However, the rest of the book is good for other classic characters and expanding the world of Krynn. Derek Crownguard is now a much more rounded and tragic character than the insufferable bore he was in the original trilogy. I also think we finally have some development for Ariakas, who was previously just a bigger and meaner version of Verminaard....more
ELFSHADOW by Elaine Cunningham is one of my all time favorite FORGOTTEN REALMS novels. It was originally one of the HARPERS series but spun off into the Song and Swords series. It remains one of the great behind-the-scenes frustrations for fans because a coimplete manuscript called, RECLAMATION, was written to end the series in 2008 but it was never released because of executive shenanigans. Still, each of the books is more or less a standalone tale and contribute character development to the world while resolving their existing plots, which is how I like my series.
The premise is Arilyn Moonblade is the half-elf daughter of an elven warrior, Amnestria, who is assassinated in broad daylight by Gold Elf assassins. Arilyn is promptly adopted by a mysterious man named Kymil Nimesin, who trains her to be an assassin for the Harpers. Even in the Nineties, this seemed to be a strange job description for a member of the otherwise goodie-goodie faction but Arilyn is devoted to impressing her father figure.
Unfortunately, for Arilyn, every Harper around her is starting to end up dead. Assuming she is being stalked by an assassin, she decides to seek refuge in Waterdeep away from potential victims. Unfortunately, also for Arilyn, the Harpers have the reasonable theory that if every Harper around Arilyn is ending up dead then she is most likely the assassin. So, Khelben the Blackstaff dispatches his (distant) nephew, Danilo Thann, to investigate her. Danilo is a wizard who acts like a bard in what was a very funny joke back when Bards sucked as a class.
As mentioned, this is one of my favorite Forgotten Realms books as a whole and an excellent introduction to the series. It has a wonderful pair of protagonists and they have a classic romantic set up where she's the hardened killer straight woman and he's the eccentric hanger-on. The fact Danilo is a much-much better spy than Arilyn (who wears her heart on her sleeve) is part of the fun given the pair are both technically members of the same organization yet struggle to understand one another. Danilo is convinced of Arilyn's innocence early on but it is Arilyn who can't bring herself to care emotionally due to past traumas.
The book introduces the lore of the moonblades, which are artifacts utterly out of wack with game balance but absolutely fantastic for storytelling purposes. The elven equivalent of holy avengers but much-much more powerful, they will strike dead anyone unworthy of wielding them. So for a half-elf to wield one is a powerful statement of the gods' approval for Arilyn's character as well as their opinion on elven racism (which is negative as should be the case with Good aligned deities). Not all elves are down with this endorsement.
Which is perhaps the only warning to give with this book. I know some fantasy readers are quite tired of Fantastic RacismTM as a central plot point in their games, particularly when it involves the Fair Folk. For me, I think elves are fantastic metaphors for white privilege in fantasy and enjoyed dealing with the Thalmor as the Dragonborn in Skyrim doubly so with that as a plot point. Still, Arilyn has a complex about not being "elf enough", being disconnected from her heritage (Arilyn doesn't seem to have much care about her human heritage), and the fact she'll never be fully of her blood-obsessed community. If that puts you off, consider yourself forewarned.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a good popcorn fantasy then this is highly recommended and among the better examples of the genre. The fact that it is able to tell a complete story in one book is also a big credit. Arilyn, Danilo, and other characters all go through character arcs with quite a few twists as well as turns. We also get a lot of good world-building regarding elves in the Forgotten Realms....more
THE CRIMSON LEGION is the second novel of the Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning. Set in the harsh world of Athas AKA Dark Sun for TSR's Dungeons andTHE CRIMSON LEGION is the second novel of the Prism Pentad series by Troy Denning. Set in the harsh world of Athas AKA Dark Sun for TSR's Dungeons and Dragons, it is a post-apocalypse story except the pre-devastation world was a typical fantasy setting. Now everything is desert, evil wizards, and guys dressed up like Lord Humungus. In the previous book, the city of Tyr was trying to overthrow its evil Sorcerer King and now we're following Rikus the Gladiator as he attempts to lead its army against an invasion by the city of Urik.
Generally, I absolutely love The Crimson Legion and think it has a lot going for it. It's a war novel and has a huge amount of interpersonal drama. We get a lot more character development for both Rikus and Neeva, who are two of my three favorite characters from this series. It does have some areas that I'm willing to criticize and if The Verdant Passage is a 4.5 to 5 out of 5 then this is a 4 to 4.5 out of 5. Which is perfectly respectable and well above most other Dungeons and Dragons fiction that usually is a fun but substanceless 3 or 3.5 out of 5, numbers wise.
The book is essentially a running chase as Rikus and the army of Tyr achieve an unexpected victory against a vastly superior force through what amounts to sheer dumb luck. Basically, the big superweapon/monster of the Urik army was controlled by a mind-controlled slave that they just so happen to free. Rikus confuses the fortunes of war for military genius on his part and proceeds to lead his army into greater and greater danger. Rikus is driven by revenge as much as victory as Maetan Lubar, the enemy commander, happens to have once owned Rikus.
Maetan Lubar is a perfectly hateable villain, a smug Urik nobleman and slaver who intends to clap as many Tyrians in chains as he can. Even though he spends the entirety of the book fleeing from Rikus and his armies, he maintains his insufferable superiority. If you're looking for particular depth to your bad guys, he's not the guy to look to. However, that doesn't mean he's not realistic as there's alot more people who look down on their social "inferiors" and are pathologically incapable of recognizing how they've screwed up.
Indeed, the moral ambiguity of the novel isn't from the villain but the hero. Rikus is arrogant beyond belief and his personal flaws alienate Neeva as well as those among his command. I'm a big Neeva/Rikus shipper, so I wasn't happy about how he increasingly drives her into the arms of Caelum the Sun Priest. Caelum is just as flawed as Rikus but not in as interesting a way. However, you can see why Neeva wants something more stable as Rikus keeps trying to convince her to live in polyamory with him, Sadira, and Agis. Not exactly the sort of plot you expect from Dark Sun, eh?
The book also provides a lot of foreshadowing for the eventual revelations about the nature of Athas, the origins of the Sorcerer Kings, and the mysterious entity known as Rajaat. This is all spoiler territory now but I appreciate Troy Denning was willing to get into the meat and drink of the setting if not set the banquet himself. Athas was largely undefined and mysterious before this series and the history he creates for it is fantastic.
In conclusion, another great entity in a book series that I feel is fantastically underrated. It was an influence on my Cthulhu Armageddon series and remains a personal favorite. Would I prefer more Neeva and Rikus? Absolutely, but I also understand why he's screwing up what is an otherwise good thing....more
Michael Fleisher makes a wonderful story of an oddball collection of a half-drow sorceress, a centaur, a perfectly ordinary dwarf, and a fallen paladiMichael Fleisher makes a wonderful story of an oddball collection of a half-drow sorceress, a centaur, a perfectly ordinary dwarf, and a fallen paladin working for the goddess of the moon (who lives as a bar maid) to prevent an invasion of demons from another dimension. If that sounds like a completely batguano crazy premise for a D&D game then you have successfully found the appeal of the classic Dungeons and Dragons comics. It's a shame this comic was cancelled due to behind the scenes issues between TSR and DC comics....more
BOOKSHOPS AND BONEDUST is the latest novel from Travis Baldree. After the indie author's breakthrough success with LEGENDS AND LATTES, everyone was eaBOOKSHOPS AND BONEDUST is the latest novel from Travis Baldree. After the indie author's breakthrough success with LEGENDS AND LATTES, everyone was eager to see what he would do next and a lot of people were suddenly speaking of a new subgenre in "cozy fantasy." Fantasy with absolutely no stakes whatsoever. L&L had the story of a heroic orc barbarian out to open a coffee shop where the primary concerns of our protagonists were whether or not they should let the bard play with his weird magical guitar of if they should serve pastries with the coffee.
Bookshops and Bonedust is a prequel rather than a sequel to the events of L&L with the slight exception of the Epilogue that takes place past the first book. Whether this was necessary for the story or not doesn't matter as the story still is mostly low stakes. There's slightly more adventure going on with a necromancer skulking around the hills around the seaside village of Murk but even this is a small issue versus the premise: Viv, while recovering from a leg injury, decides to help a rattkin renovate his book shop.
Bookshops are something a dying breed well more than coffee houses and this comes from a man who got his reading chops started on Dungeons and Dragons paperbacks at the mall. The one in the sleepy seaside village is worse off than most, though, because the owner is objectively terrible at her job. She loves reading books, don't get me wrong, but Fern keeps her owlbear (sorry, "gryphet") in the store while not seemingly noticing it's been urinating on the carpet for years. She also doesn't engage with the customers until Viv and seems to hold her meat and potatoes sales of sea charts (being a fishing village) in contempt. What follows is an adorable story of Viv being slowly educated in the value of reading for entertainment.
She becomes acquainted with romance novels, adventure novels, and other fun tales that get her invested in rescuing the bookstore. Oh, and as mentioned, there's a necromancer running around in the hills and that might be a bad thing for the town if Viv's adventuring life collides with her attempt to get her friend to clean their shop. As before, this is an LGBT friendly novel with Viv's status as a lesbian recognized even if her canon romance hasn't shown up yet.
I'm a huge fan of owlbears, sorry gryphets, so I'm going to be biased towards any book that includes them. Potroast is a delightful character and one of my favorites despite its nonsentient nature. The in-universe fiction that Viv reads is also greatly entertaining as we see her slowly warm to spicy romance novels to pass her afternoons. I could have done without the necromancer bits but they don't detract from the "cozy" narrative that is at the heart of the novel.
This is a solid follow-up to Legends and Lattes and were the series to end here, I would be okay with that but think that Travis Baldree could probably squeeze out one more novel before the formula starts getting stale. Maybe Viv will be the one to introduce the indoor mall to the world after acquiring a gigantic abandoned palace she can't afford to maintain for her own. An air wizard telling her he can make the indoors chilled and an illusionist playing music to keep shoppers moving. Who knows. Either way, it was a continuation of what I hope becomes a genre to itself....more
THE VERDANT PASSAGE by Troy Denning is the first installment of the Prism Pentad series for the now-defunct DARK SUN campaign setting for TSR (later WTHE VERDANT PASSAGE by Troy Denning is the first installment of the Prism Pentad series for the now-defunct DARK SUN campaign setting for TSR (later Wizards of the Coast). The premise was that it was meant to be a blasted arid wasteland where magic has destroyed the world that was half-planetary romance as well as half-Mad Max. It was a post-apocalypse setting that had a strong influence on my CTHULHU ARMAGEDDON series and still holds an important place in my heart.
The book is fairly simple and could easily be read as a standalone if you wanted to just have an enjoyable read for a time. The evil sorcerer king, Kalak, is building a massive ziggurat for reasons unknown with the entirety of the city-state of Tyr being forced to help. Slaves are being confiscated from the plantations of the city's nobility, the resistance against him is prepping for a major offensive, and there are plots afoot. The half-dwarf gladiator Rikus, called a mul, is the perfect person to carry out an assassination plot against him. Unfortunately, Rikus has no interest in politics and just intends to win his freedom at the games.
Rikus is just one of an ensemble of interesting characters for this group of misfits, though. There is also Sadira, a half-elf sorceress who is willing to experiment with black "defiler" magic in order to get the job done but is also romantically interested in Rikus. She's also romantically interested in Agis, a nobleman who deludes himself into believing that he is a benevolent slave master when there is no such thing. Finally, there's Neeva, a beautiful female gladiator who has reluctantly tolerated Rikus' many affairs.
Neither hero nor villain or, perhaps, villain but not our heroes' enemy is Tithian of Mericles. The leader of King Kalak's templars or state priests, he's a cowardly and scheming scumbag. However, Tithian recognizes that Kalak is not the kind of guy to reward loyalty. As such, it is his goal to do whatever it takes to survive as well as prosper. It makes him an unusual sort of character in Dungeons and Dragons fiction and all the more entertaining for it.
The book contains a strong anti-slavery and pro-environmental message. The former may not seem like something that was important but I grew up in the Deep South in the Nineties where Confederate apologia was still a thing. Agis' belief that one can be a "good" slave owner's values is called out and every other slaver is treated as complete scum who needs to be murdered with no attempt to soften the blow like A Song of Ice and Fire seems to do when the latter books appear. I support that strongly.
The book isn't particularly accurate to Dungeons and Dragons with the fact that Rikus, Sadira, and the others are able to take on a Sorcerer King (which were 41st level at the minimum according to the original 2nd Edition boxed set). However, I don't believe that being accurate to that overpowered crazy bunch of ideas is a good thing and our heroes being able to smack down the evil tyrant is pretty much the "point" of D&D.
In conclusion, The Verdant Passage is an enjoyable epic fantasy story. It is also fairly self-contained and while it is part of the larger Prism Pentad, everything is wrapped up enough that you could stop after reading this without much difficulty. I also like the book has an unusual take on romance with Sadira simply dating whoever she desires and saying that anyone who has a problem with it to stuff off....more
A really entertaining Vox Machina sequel that builds up to their fight with the Dread Emperor. This has their fight against a white dragon and gives sA really entertaining Vox Machina sequel that builds up to their fight with the Dread Emperor. This has their fight against a white dragon and gives some of the foreshadowing that the pre-stream game had for the build-up to the Chroma Conclave. Sadly, I'm taking a star away because it ends on a cliffhanger to be resolved into IV. The art is more consistent this time around and I think it's still very much the enjoyable story that we come to expect from the Critical Role folk....more
CRITICAL ROLE is famously a bunch of well-beloved voice actors getting together to roleplay Dungeons and Dragons only to stream it at the insistence oCRITICAL ROLE is famously a bunch of well-beloved voice actors getting together to roleplay Dungeons and Dragons only to stream it at the insistence of Felicia Day. Now it's hundreds of hours of delightful semi-unscripted content. Plus an animated series. Here, we get a loose adaptation of one of their early adventures dealing with a poisoned sea port that is causing stillbirths. Fun fun! Seriously, it's a very entertaining story and we get to meet a lot of the characters from the cartoon. We also get the surprising inclusion of Tiberius the Dragonborn even though he's been exiled from continuity for good reason. The art design is pre-cartoon and not always great but it's really a solid and entertaining comic.
The second volume of the VOX MACHINA: ORIGIN comics deals with Grog getting a Lich in his chest and needing it removed. It's not got the same emotional high stakes as the previous installments but I had a lot of fun with it anyway. Plus, it's nice to see Vox Machina screw the pooch utterly when hired to do a simple snatch and grab job. They're allegedly heroes but they're still far from achieving what they do in the cartoon. Percy's design is totally inconsistent and noticeable even among the other characters, though.
Overall, a really solid and entertaining buy....more
The second volume of the VOX MACHINA: ORIGIN comics deals with Grog getting a Lich in his chest and needing it removed. It's not got the same emotionaThe second volume of the VOX MACHINA: ORIGIN comics deals with Grog getting a Lich in his chest and needing it removed. It's not got the same emotional high stakes as the previous installments but I had a lot of fun with it anyway. Plus, it's nice to see Vox Machina screw the pooch utterly when hired to do a simple snatch and grab job. They're allegedly heroes but they're still far from achieving what they do in the cartoon. I'm going to subtract a star, though, because Percy's design in this comic is totally inconsistent and not very good.
CRITICAL ROLE is famously a bunch of well-beloved voice actors getting together to roleplay Dungeons and Dragons only to stream it at the insistence oCRITICAL ROLE is famously a bunch of well-beloved voice actors getting together to roleplay Dungeons and Dragons only to stream it at the insistence of Felicia Day. Now it's hundreds of hours of delightful semi-unscripted content. Plus an animated series. Here, we get a loose adaptation of one of their early adventures dealing with a poisoned sea port that is causing stillbirths. Fun fun! Seriously, it's a very entertaining story and we get to meet a lot of the characters from the cartoon. We also get the surprising inclusion of Tiberius the Dragonborn even though he's been exiled from continuity for good reason. The art design is pre-cartoon and not always great but it's really a solid and entertaining comic....more
I am a lifelong fan of Dragonlance and a story heavily focused on the history of the setting as well as how a bunch of time-travelers may muck it up iI am a lifelong fan of Dragonlance and a story heavily focused on the history of the setting as well as how a bunch of time-travelers may muck it up is squarely in my wheelhouse. So, I was very excited about this book after finishing the previous DRAGONS OF DECEIT. While I had come issues with the first book, mostly its excessive humor, I have to say this book compensates for it as well as makes use of two of my favorite characters: Sturm and Raistlin.
The premise is Sturm, Raistlin, Tasslehoff, and Destina have found themselves in Solamnia during the Era of Huma Dragonbane. They have the Graygem of Gargath and it is leaking Chaos into the world. It's not a great situation and despite our heroes attempts not to change anything, things start adding up as their moralities as well as confusion over what to do with their circumstance keep making little alterations to the timeline.
If you're not familiar with Huma or the War of the Lance, this book probably won't hit you as hard as it should. This is definitely a book for longtime fans of the series and the more you know about what a High Clerist's Tower is or why the Blue Lady showing up on a certain day is a very bad thing, the more you will enjoy the book. Fans with a more passing familiarity will still enjoy the book, though, and the strength of the characters shines through.
I complained about Destina's characterization last book as she seemed, bluntly, a bit on the thick side mentally. Here, she's much improved by being more realistic about her actions as well as the potential consequences for her failure. I'm a bit saddened that she and Tasslehoff don't continue their romance, though, since that was an unexpected twist I really enjoyed in the previous book. It may have been under false pretenses but I think she couldn't do better than a Hero of the Lance. Tasslehoff has saved the world, after all. Three times!
The real star of the book is Raistlin Majere, though, and I have to say it's fascinating to see him post-Legends. While stripped of about 90% of his magic, Raistlin is still a cunning adversary but he's also learned a valuable lesson in humility. We also realize that Fistandantilus was influencing our hero the entire time that he was having his misadventures. This doesn't make Raistlin innocent but it calls into question just what sort of person he might have been if not for that dark influence. It's interesting to see Sturm and Raistlin start to develop a friendship under their strange new circumstances.
Supporting characters like Human Dragonbane, Magius, Gwyneth, and others all make the book quite entertaining. Seeing our protagonists play off what were only figures of legend to them is interesting. I also appreciated the fact we finally got to see the difference between Sturm and Huma. It turns out that, compared to Huma, Sturm is a bit of a wet blanket. Magius also indicates that Raistlin really may have just needed another wizard in the party.
This is only the second book in a trilogy and obviously ends in a cliffhanger. I will say that I am very excited about this series and am anxious to see how the setting will be changed by the final results. Definitely check this out if you're a longtime Dragonlance fan. If you're not, I think you'll still enjoy it if you liked Dragons of Deceit (or even if you didn't)....more
I am a lifelong fan of Dragonlance and a story heavily focused on the history of the setting as well as how a bunch of time-travelers may muck it up iI am a lifelong fan of Dragonlance and a story heavily focused on the history of the setting as well as how a bunch of time-travelers may muck it up is squarely in my wheelhouse. So, I was very excited about this book after finishing the previous DRAGONS OF DECEIT. While I had come issues with the first book, mostly its excessive humor, I have to say this book compensates for it as well as makes use of two of my favorite characters: Sturm and Raistlin.
The premise is Sturm, Raistlin, Tasslehoff, and Destina have found themselves in Solamnia during the Era of Huma Dragonbane. They have the Graygem of Gargath and it is leaking Chaos into the world. It's not a great situation and despite our heroes attempts not to change anything, things start adding up as their moralities as well as confusion over what to do with their circumstance keep making little alterations to the timeline.
If you're not familiar with Huma or the War of the Lance, this book probably won't hit you as hard as it should. This is definitely a book for longtime fans of the series and the more you know about what a High Clerist's Tower is or why the Blue Lady showing up on a certain day is a very bad thing, the more you will enjoy the book. Fans with a more passing familiarity will still enjoy the book, though, and the strength of the characters shines through.
I complained about Destina's characterization last book as she seemed, bluntly, a bit on the thick side mentally. Here, she's much improved by being more realistic about her actions as well as the potential consequences for her failure. I'm a bit saddened that she and Tasslehoff don't continue their romance, though, since that was an unexpected twist I really enjoyed in the previous book. It may have been under false pretenses but I think she couldn't do better than a Hero of the Lance. Tasslehoff has saved the world, after all. Three times!
The real star of the book is Raistlin Majere, though, and I have to say it's fascinating to see him post-Legends. While stripped of about 90% of his magic, Raistlin is still a cunning adversary but he's also learned a valuable lesson in humility. We also realize that Fistandantilus was influencing our hero the entire time that he was having his misadventures. This doesn't make Raistlin innocent but it calls into question just what sort of person he might have been if not for that dark influence. It's interesting to see Sturm and Raistlin start to develop a friendship under their strange new circumstances.
Supporting characters like Human Dragonbane, Magius, Gwyneth, and others all make the book quite entertaining. Seeing our protagonists play off what were only figures of legend to them is interesting. I also appreciated the fact we finally got to see the difference between Sturm and Huma. It turns out that, compared to Huma, Sturm is a bit of a wet blanket. Magius also indicates that Raistlin really may have just needed another wizard in the party.
This is only the second book in a trilogy and obviously ends in a cliffhanger. I will say that I am very excited about this series and am anxious to see how the setting will be changed by the final results. Definitely check this out if you're a longtime Dragonlance fan. If you're not, I think you'll still enjoy it if you liked Dragons of Deceit (or even if you didn't)....more
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