The first and one of the best AD&D based novels ever written, certainly one of the best about the World of Greyhawk. Written by the creator of AD&D, you get a real sense of how he felt the game should be played, and he turned it into a decent novel. Its not just about gaming concepts and archetypal characters, but a decent fantasy adventure novel. ( )

This is a wonderful example of sword and sorcery, and because it was written by Gary Gygax, the original architect of Dungeons and Dragons, it has a privileged position in my heart.

The best aspect of this novel is its scope. Rather than simply focus in on action and fight scenes--like Salvatore seems to do--Gygax adopts a broad perspective, describing Gord the Rogue's adventures from a more historical perspective. Whole weeks will pass by in a paragraph. Years of adventure will be characterized in a single chapter.

But this is not to say there aren't great battle scenes in the novel. To the contrary, there is one particular scene near the end of the novel--a scene where Gord, Curley, and Chert face a demon--that is genuinely exciting. I knew Gord wasn't going to die, but Gygax under-characterized his two companions just enough for me to fear for their deaths. I knew they weren't invicible, and I anticipated their demise. When they lived I was genuinely relieved.

Gygax strikes a good balance in his characterization techniques. He fleshes out his characters just enough so that you never expect them to be invincible--like, say, a Drizzt Do'Urden--and their success and safety is never guaranteed.

If you love D&D, read this book. It makes it clear how much the game is more indebted to American Sword and Sorcery over British fantasy in the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien. ( )