N22: The Shadow People by Margaret St. Clair

Book Review!

N22: The Shadow People by Margaret St. Clair

In the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide “Appendix N” Gary Gygax recommended Margaret St. Clair’s novel The Shadow People. I really enjoyed reading this work of modern fantasy; my paperback copy of the book came in at 189 pages with a copyright year of 1969.

The Good

*From the beginning, the story gives the perspective of a romantic hero looking for his lost love.

*The mystery drive the plot, bringing the protagonist into a mysterious setting.

*The magic sword stood out as an interesting object.

The Bad

*Margaret St. Clair named her main character Dick.

*If readers dislike exploration novels, then they may find themselves disappointed when pages go by simply explaining the journey and surroundings of the main character without any other interactions.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*I think this book provides a great template for the underdark, which Margaret St. Clair calls the Underearth or Otherworld.

*Dick’s friend/maid Fay in the beginning clearly has a name meant to allude to the Fey.

*With shadow people, underdark caverns, and a hero carrying a sword - this book feels very much like a solo D&D adventure.

Overall

I loved this story and the suspense, thus I give the work a 7/10 rating.

N21: Changeling Earth by Fred Saberhagen

Book Review!

N21: Changeling Earth by Fred Saberhagen

In “Appendix N” Gary Gygax recommended Changeling Earth by Fred Saberhagen, an exciting novel of post apocalyptic science-fiction fantasy. At 176 pages, my paperback version of this 1973 book made for an easy weekend read.

The Good

*Part of the story centers on the mystery of the entity known as Ardneh.

*In a sense, this story establishes a short version of epic fantasy.

*Rolf is an interesting character, as are the enemies.

The Bad

*Saberhagen sometimes spends a long explaining something.

*As per the “epic fantasy feel,” the author introduces lots of minor characters along the way.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*From the very beginning, this book discusses elementals, djinn, demons, wizards, and mysterious powers.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 6/10 rating.

N20B: Conan the Mercenary by Andrew J. Offutt

Book Review!

N20B: Conan the Mercenary by Andrew J. Offutt

I decided to go ahead and include the sequel to yesterday’s book by Andrew J. Offutt, even though Conan the Mercenary ended up published in 1980, clearly before Gary Gygax penned “Appendix N” of the AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide. My paperback copy of this book included 185 pages of exciting mercenary action (and drawings). [This review looks almost identical to yesterday’s entry.]

The Good

*I always enjoy a good Conan adventure story.

*Good character development.

The Bad

*While a fun read, this book fails to achieve the status of “high literature.”

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*They actually made some Conan D&D modules for adventuring and I enjoyed that they stood out as a low-magic setting, making the powers of fighters and rogues more prominent.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 6/10 rating.

N20: Conan and the Sorcerer by Andrew J. Offutt

Book Review!

N20: Conan and the Sorcerer by Andrew J. Offutt

In “Appendix N” Gary Gygax a mysterious reference to Andrew J. Offutt as an editor to a collection of stories. When I looked into that series, I realized Offutt not only edited the series together, but also completed a Conan story from notes after the death of Robert E. Howard. Thus, I decided for this author to review his continued work on the Conan series with the novel Conan and the Sorcerer - the lead book in a Conan trilogy. My paperback copy of this book included 186 pages of exciting “barbarian” action (and drawings).

The Good

*I always enjoy a good Conan adventure story.

*Good character development.

The Bad

*While a fun read, this book fails to achieve the status of “high literature.”

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*With fighters, rogues, and sorcerers this story’s elements easily create a low-magic D&D setting.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 7/10 rating.

N19: Quag Keep by Andre Norton

Book Review!

N19: Quag Keep by Andre Norton

In 1976 Andre Norton played in a game of Dungeons and Dragons with Gary Gygax, after which she wrote the novel Quag Keep (published in 1978). The book includes characters involved in a version of the Greyhawk setting, on the world of Oerth. Thus, in a way, the inclusion of this author and text in “Appendix N” exists as a somewhat self-serving entry. When I found out about this book and read it years ago I experienced one of the greatest disappointments of my life. I kid you not; I expected this tale to reveal information about Gygax’s original campaign, but instead I found a story with little plot movement, weak dialogue, and 4th-wall breaking meta-items that caused me to shake my head in disapproval.

The Good

*This book provides a small glimpse into a version of the 1976 Greyhawk campaign, but not much of one.

The Bad

*My least favorite fantasy trope serves as the primary concept here: people from the modern setting ended up on a fantasy world.

*Some of the dialogue sounded atrocious.

*I disliked the plot so much that I literally forced myself to finish the book.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*The book includes locations from Oerth, but never says anything of worth about them.

*Monsters, wizards, and magic items exist in the story.

Overall

With no offense to Andre Norton, I give the work a 1/10 rating; Norton wrote other literature that stands out as much better than this strange meta-RPG novel.

N18: The Dreaming City by Michael Moorcock

Book Review!

N18: The Dreaming City by Michael Moorcock

Continuing my “Appendix N” series, I present to you another work by an author Gary Gygax recommended: Michael Moorcock’s The Dreaming City. My paperback version contain 189 pages with a copyright date of 1972. I noticed that the dedication page included: “To Poul Anderson for The Broken Sword and Three Hearts and Three Lions. To the late Fletcher Pratt for The Well of the Unicorn.” He also mentioned Bertold Brecht and expressed that all of those authors influences the Elric stories.

The Good

*This story sets up an exciting series of novels, but stands out well on its own as well.

*The tale included a great main character with Elric.

*Stormbringer (the impressive magic sword)!

The Bad

*While the story stands out as a fun political/adventure tale, some people might criticize the novel as lacking in literary quality.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*Both dungeons and dragons (Dragon Caves, Dragon Isle, etc.) are mentioned throughout the story.

*Stormbringer inspired the creation of special D&D magic swords.

*The story makes for a good combination of politics and combat, exploring the main pillars of D&D/RPGing.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 6/10 rating and recommend reading the book as part of a fun, relaxing weekend. But watch out, because you might end up wanting to read the entire series!

N17: Dwellers in the Mirage by A. Merritt

Book Review!

N17: Dwellers in the Mirage by A. Merritt

In “Appendix N” Gary Gygax recommended A. Merritt’s novel Dwellers in the Mirage. About a year and a half ago I realized I still needed to read this book and I found myself really disappointed for several reasons. The cover looks amazing, but only represents one scene in the book. Many people consider this book a great classic fantasy story, but I disagree with them.

The Good

*The story included a Cthulhu-esque connection, but took a long time to get to the good part.

The Bad

*The narration includes many confusing moments.

*I disliked the protagonist Leif and the situations he found himself in.

*I felt the Dwayanu connection took away from Leif’s agency.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*A kraken-like monster makes an appearance.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 2/10 rating and really only recommend looking at the book to examine its historical importance.