Book Review: Prince of Wolves from Paizo
This is going to be a review of a novel I heartily recommend to all fans of heroic fantasy: Prince of Wolves by Dave Gross.
It's basically the story of how two members of the Pathfinder Society (a society of tomb plunderers and explorers; think Indiana Jones in a fantasy setting), Lord Varian Jeggare, a half-elf, failed wizard, and Holmesian investigator, and his somewhat snarky and cynical devil-blooded bodyguard Radovan, are called upon to look into the disappearance of another member of the society in Ustalav. Hmm, go looking for someone in a land of werewolf gypsies, cursed villagers, wandering undead and nightmarish monsters? What could possibly go wrong?
I don't want to reveal too much here, but this is a rather different heroic fantasy/AD&D Pathfinder game novel then the stuff WoTC did for years. No "save the world", no trashing the setting for the heck of it, it's very low-key and very well-done. It revolves around characters more then events, though it's still a very active novel; this plot moves. It's also got one very amusing subplot in the form of a love triangle Radovan gets involved in between him, a mute priestess, and Malena the fortunetelling gypsy werewolf.
And werewolf fans take note: while the werewolf pack in here that ends up accompanying the heroes are not 'good guys' by any stretch, they are far better than the usual "raging mindless monsters". jairus_greywolf, welshwolf, and akelavincent, I hope you see this!
Author Dave Gross also does a good and believable job with the mute priestess Azra as a character. Her handicap is realistically portrayed but she herself is anything but "handicapped" by it. Nor is there any special attention given to it; it's there and it's real but it's not the center of the character.
Really a great, great book, and there's a free sample chapter at the original link courtesy of Paizo if you need more convincing.
I hope you get the book and enjoy it. Best all!
It's basically the story of how two members of the Pathfinder Society (a society of tomb plunderers and explorers; think Indiana Jones in a fantasy setting), Lord Varian Jeggare, a half-elf, failed wizard, and Holmesian investigator, and his somewhat snarky and cynical devil-blooded bodyguard Radovan, are called upon to look into the disappearance of another member of the society in Ustalav. Hmm, go looking for someone in a land of werewolf gypsies, cursed villagers, wandering undead and nightmarish monsters? What could possibly go wrong?
I don't want to reveal too much here, but this is a rather different heroic fantasy/AD&D Pathfinder game novel then the stuff WoTC did for years. No "save the world", no trashing the setting for the heck of it, it's very low-key and very well-done. It revolves around characters more then events, though it's still a very active novel; this plot moves. It's also got one very amusing subplot in the form of a love triangle Radovan gets involved in between him, a mute priestess, and Malena the fortunetelling gypsy werewolf.
And werewolf fans take note: while the werewolf pack in here that ends up accompanying the heroes are not 'good guys' by any stretch, they are far better than the usual "raging mindless monsters". jairus_greywolf, welshwolf, and akelavincent, I hope you see this!
Author Dave Gross also does a good and believable job with the mute priestess Azra as a character. Her handicap is realistically portrayed but she herself is anything but "handicapped" by it. Nor is there any special attention given to it; it's there and it's real but it's not the center of the character.
Really a great, great book, and there's a free sample chapter at the original link courtesy of Paizo if you need more convincing.
I hope you get the book and enjoy it. Best all!