1. The Shadow's Rage
Authors: Phillip Brinkerhoff and Ben Arcuri
Illustrators: Phillip Brinkerhoff and Ben Arcuri
First Published: 2001
ISBN: 155369019-2
Length: 395 sections (plus introduction and rules)
Plot Summary: You are a paladin-in-training, suddenly thrust into the
role of savior of the world after your home is destroyed by evil forces.
My Thoughts: While it pleases me that print on demand technology is
making it easier for authors to create high-quality editions of works that
major publishers wouldn't touch for various reasons, it turns out that
sometimes the publishers were wise not to touch certain books. The last
print on demand effort I encountered, Sean-Robert Shaw's debut Rangers of Taradoin book, proved to be unreadable and
unplayable, and while this book is marginally better, it was ultimately too
amateurish for me to tolerate through to the end. The game system is
concise, which is a good thing, but it's also rather unbalanced and
ambiguous, so I can't compliment it too highly. The writing, though, is
where it all falls apart. The storyline is all too familiar, and it is
executed without any style whatsoever. Grammar errors and goofy names
abound, and descriptions and characterizations are as generic and boring as
you can imagine. Worst of all, the word "moon" is inserted before
every unit of time to strangely maddening effect. If I read about one more
"moon day" or "moon age" or "moon minute" (I
made that last one up), I will surely scream and scream until I can scream no
more. The authors deserve some credit for writing a fairly substantial work
and getting it into print, but I cannot in good conscience recommend the end
result, especially considering the relatively high price of print on demand
products.
2. The Testing
3. Final Victory