Erifnogard
First Post
Let me start by saying that in general I have been pretty disappointed by the general quality of D&D novels over the years. While I don't expect Pullitzer prize winning quality from your average D&D book, I do expect the plot in books I buy to at least make a nod toward coherence and to do a decent job portraying the D&D gameworld without getting into the nitpicky details of how the game system works.
"The Savage Caves" by T. H. Lain is the first in a series of books about the D&D iconics. Iconics included are Regdar (human fighter), Lidda (halfling rogue), Jozan (human cleric), and Naul (human mage). The book portrays a typical low level D&D adventure where the iconics investigate why giant spiders are killing a village's sheep.
First impressions:
The book is quite short at only 182 pages. It has a very nice, if somewhat generic, cover illustration of Regdar. Flipping the book over I flinch in pain at the listed price of $5.99(US). I clearly remember buying books exactly this size and length back in the '80's for only $1.25. I realize there has been some inflation in the book world, but this feels like highway robbery. But as someone else has solicited my opinion on the book and actually cares enough about my opinion to pay for it, I purchase a copy anyway.
Review:
Though not stated anywhere in the book itself, as I read 'The Savage Caves' it becomes clear that it is primarily aimed at a younger (say early teens) audience. The story is kept fairly simple and the character interactions are straightforward without being burdensome. The pace doesn't bog down and the author uses a sparse but effective style of description to illustrate the characters use of their skills and abilities. Unlike many more long-winded D&D novels I have read, we are not subjected to lengthy explanations of spell memorization, instead it is mentioned in passing. Skill use is clearly illustrated without detracting from the story by descending to thinly veiled mechanics references. All in all Mr (Mrs?) Lain does an excellent job of telling what is obviously a 1st level adventure as a story rather than as a thinly veiled description of a game session. That having been said, you definitely get a feel for how most beginner's first adventure feels.
Having accepted that the book is obviously not aimed at long-time veterans, I found myself rather enjoying it. 'The Savage Caves' reminded me of my days playing Basic D&D from the 'red box' back in the early '80's. The story itself is fairly decent and has some depth to it. Some of the best characters in the book are actually goblins! I found myself laughing out loud at several parts of the goblin scenes and thought that they were presented as a believable 'downtrodden evil race'.
I do have one major gripe with the book however. WotC made such a big deal of supposedly using Greyhawk as the default setting and the iconics even worship and refer to Greyhawk Gods, but if this adventure is set anywhere in Greyhawk, I don't recognize it. Instead the map reminds me more of the nondescript maps from the old basic adventures that could be set anywhere. While this does add to the 'nostalgia' feel for me and probably doesn't matter a great deal for what I assume is the target audience (those who have played no or little D&D), it does bother me.
Summary:
'The Savage Caves' is not for everyone. It is somewhat overpriced and obviously written for a younger audience. It does however have a certain nostalgic feel and does an admirable job of conveying the feel of a low-level adventure. I enjoyed it enough that I will be checking out the rest of the Iconic series as it is available, though I will definitely be looking for a book discounter before purchasing.
"The Savage Caves" by T. H. Lain is the first in a series of books about the D&D iconics. Iconics included are Regdar (human fighter), Lidda (halfling rogue), Jozan (human cleric), and Naul (human mage). The book portrays a typical low level D&D adventure where the iconics investigate why giant spiders are killing a village's sheep.
First impressions:
The book is quite short at only 182 pages. It has a very nice, if somewhat generic, cover illustration of Regdar. Flipping the book over I flinch in pain at the listed price of $5.99(US). I clearly remember buying books exactly this size and length back in the '80's for only $1.25. I realize there has been some inflation in the book world, but this feels like highway robbery. But as someone else has solicited my opinion on the book and actually cares enough about my opinion to pay for it, I purchase a copy anyway.
Review:
Though not stated anywhere in the book itself, as I read 'The Savage Caves' it becomes clear that it is primarily aimed at a younger (say early teens) audience. The story is kept fairly simple and the character interactions are straightforward without being burdensome. The pace doesn't bog down and the author uses a sparse but effective style of description to illustrate the characters use of their skills and abilities. Unlike many more long-winded D&D novels I have read, we are not subjected to lengthy explanations of spell memorization, instead it is mentioned in passing. Skill use is clearly illustrated without detracting from the story by descending to thinly veiled mechanics references. All in all Mr (Mrs?) Lain does an excellent job of telling what is obviously a 1st level adventure as a story rather than as a thinly veiled description of a game session. That having been said, you definitely get a feel for how most beginner's first adventure feels.
Having accepted that the book is obviously not aimed at long-time veterans, I found myself rather enjoying it. 'The Savage Caves' reminded me of my days playing Basic D&D from the 'red box' back in the early '80's. The story itself is fairly decent and has some depth to it. Some of the best characters in the book are actually goblins! I found myself laughing out loud at several parts of the goblin scenes and thought that they were presented as a believable 'downtrodden evil race'.
I do have one major gripe with the book however. WotC made such a big deal of supposedly using Greyhawk as the default setting and the iconics even worship and refer to Greyhawk Gods, but if this adventure is set anywhere in Greyhawk, I don't recognize it. Instead the map reminds me more of the nondescript maps from the old basic adventures that could be set anywhere. While this does add to the 'nostalgia' feel for me and probably doesn't matter a great deal for what I assume is the target audience (those who have played no or little D&D), it does bother me.
Summary:
'The Savage Caves' is not for everyone. It is somewhat overpriced and obviously written for a younger audience. It does however have a certain nostalgic feel and does an admirable job of conveying the feel of a low-level adventure. I enjoyed it enough that I will be checking out the rest of the Iconic series as it is available, though I will definitely be looking for a book discounter before purchasing.
