I'm finally done with the four 'World of the Lone Wolf' books featuring 'Grey Star the Wizard'. While the railroading didn't get any better, I felt that the writing improved somewhat in the later parts.
My main problem with the books was that there appear to be only two types of decisions: They're either essentially meaningless, leading to the same outcome, the only difference being a point or two of Endurance or Willpower lost, or they're a coin-toss, life-or-death decision without sufficient information. Quite annoying.
At least the finale 'War of the Wizards' told a rather exciting story with a satisfying end. It was also fun to have access to the completely overpowered 'Higher Magics': It's rare to be able to cast a spell that makes you invulnerable for a couple of hours...
Unfortunately, you have to win two fights that are, as far as I can tell, unavoidable: In both fights the opponent's Combat Strength is set at 30, compared to Greystar's maximum of 19. This means you roll on the most unfavorable column, i.e. there's a flat 20% chance to be killed outright, another 20% chance of not dealing any damage, and a 10% chance each to deal 1 to 6 damage.
Since the Willpower you spend for an attack serves as a multiplier for your damage, you're 'betting' on how high you'll roll in order to defeat the enemy in a minimum of turns.
E.g. the first enemy has an Endurance of 40, and I chose to spend 10 Willpower, so I had a 30% chance to kill the enemy in a single turn (on a result of 4 to 6, for 40 to 60 damage, respectively). Yeah, great odds.
Anyway, I've now bought 21 new novels picked from my wish list. It's a nice mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and mainstream/literature. I started with Scott Lynch's 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' which was recommended several times here at ENWorld. I'm currently at the beginning of chapter 4, and it's been quite entertaining, so far!
