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<blockquote data-quote="ColonelHardisson" data-source="post: 255848" data-attributes="member: 363">Re: Question about Hallowfaust.Burok Torn was pretty good, but it wasn't as thoroughly detailed and well-conceived as Hollowfaust. Hollowfaust was also a very original concept. As I've said elsewhere, it takes a cliche (a city run by necromancers) and gives it a unique twist (it's actually a very livable city). The details of Hollowfaust were also a big plus - the army and public workforce is made up of undead; people who choose to live in Hollowfaust sign an agreement that their body is forfeit to the city upon death, to be added to the ranks; the necromancers, more scientists than death-obsessed villains, carefully teach the public that the body is just a shell, and that the soul has moved on after death. Details like those are very evocative.Burok Torn, as I said, is good. However, the basic premise is one I've seen many times - a dwarven city pushed to the brink of&nbsp; extinction by an incessant war with an implacable enemy. For example, I was strongly reminded of the dwarven kingdom making a last stand in the 1e module Queen of the Demonweb pits, and the mega-module Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. Also, there wasn't enough detail of either the dwarven or dark elven culture, so the book seemed a bit unfocused. Still, it wasn't a bad book at all. Basically, that's how I saw both books.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ColonelHardisson, post: 255848, member: 363"] [b]Re: Question about Hallowfaust.[/b] Burok Torn was pretty good, but it wasn't as thoroughly detailed and well-conceived as Hollowfaust. Hollowfaust was also a very original concept. As I've said elsewhere, it takes a cliche (a city run by necromancers) and gives it a unique twist (it's actually a very livable city). The details of Hollowfaust were also a big plus - the army and public workforce is made up of undead; people who choose to live in Hollowfaust sign an agreement that their body is forfeit to the city upon death, to be added to the ranks; the necromancers, more scientists than death-obsessed villains, carefully teach the public that the body is just a shell, and that the soul has moved on after death. Details like those are very evocative. Burok Torn, as I said, is good. However, the basic premise is one I've seen many times - a dwarven city pushed to the brink of extinction by an incessant war with an implacable enemy. For example, I was strongly reminded of the dwarven kingdom making a last stand in the 1e module Queen of the Demonweb pits, and the mega-module Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. Also, there wasn't enough detail of either the dwarven or dark elven culture, so the book seemed a bit unfocused. Still, it wasn't a bad book at all. Basically, that's how I saw both books. [/QUOTE]

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