WOTC's Iconic Character Novels

[Doppleganger]

Has anybody here read the recent WOTC books The Savage Caves, The Living Dead, or Oath of Nerull by T.H. Lain? (starring Regdar, Mialee, Ember, Tordek, Lidda, et al)

Are these novels worth reading? How do they compare to the other TSR/WOTC novels, or to medieval fantasy fiction in general? I've skimmed over the Amazon.com reader reviews, but I'm also interested in hearing the opinion of some "gamers".

 

[derverdammte]

Has anybody here read the recent WOTC books The Savage Caves, The Living Dead, or Oath of Nerull by T.H. Lain? (starring Regdar, Mialee, Ember, Tordek, Lidda, et al)

Are these novels worth reading? How do they compare to the other TSR/WOTC novels, or to medieval fantasy fiction in general? I've skimmed over the Amazon.com reader reviews, but I'm also interested in hearing the opinion of some "gamers".

All I know is, I'm getting "Oath of Nerull" because Bruce Cordell strongly implied that he wrote it. If I knew who the real authors were on the others, I'd buy them on that basis. Otherwise, I'm not touching them.

 

[Allister]

They're basically the fantasy equivalent of a Harlequin romance.

 

[Mialee]

I especially recommend the Living Dead.

 

[Christian]

Why, Mialee? Are you showcased in that one?

 

[Saba Taru]

They were disappointing

My husband picked them up for me because he thought I might like them (he's the best!). I had vaguely remembered that they were due to be released, but I had yet to see them or pick them up.

I figured that they would be similar in quality to the other WotC/TSR novels to date. Boy was that a mistake.

They are clunky to read (large passages of the text are disjointed and/or stilted), the characters, even though they are iconic, aren't well developed, and the dialogue is horrible (think Star Wars Episode II for a comparison). I'm not sure if they were just rushed or what, but I won't be wasting my money on the other ones. Overall, I'm very, very disappointed with them.

 

[Pazu]

I have to admit, I was curious about them too.

Although I'd be extremely disappointed if the Iconics' characterizations didn't match that which has been amply displayed all over the messageboards (especially the late, lamented Nemoren's Vault adventure).

Does Regdar at least refer to himself in the third person?

-- Pazu

 

[Vocenoctum]

I liked the first one Savage Caves. It read somewhat like it was a real D&D session. There was some literary license of course...


I abhored Living Dead. It was horrible IMO, and felt more like a Tolkien rip-off than a D&D novel.

Haven't seen the Oath Of Nerull yet.

It's disappointing that they put the same name on the covers, when they're obviously totally different authors, it deprives you of a sense of being able to predict the quality.

As well, they're 200 pages for like 6.99?
Too much by far.

 

[javapadawan]

I read and liked the Savage Caves too... it was light, quick, and enjoyable, and Lidda kind of fit how I always imagined she'd be.

Regdar wasn't bad, but he would have been better if he wasn't overshadowed by the much cooler Regdar I've seen on these boards. I almost expected him to talk in third person...

Living Dead is not as good as Savage Caves. I'm about halfway through without much desire to continue.

I am looking forward to checking out Oath of Nerull regardless, especially since I read that it has Hennet and Nebin in it.

 

[Valmur_Dwur]

My,my,my such literary critics we have here I have the first 2 and I plan on getting them all. Are they clunky? yes. Are they made for 10-14 year olds? perhaps to yes. Do they read like a DnD session? The first did, the second not as much. Are they FUN to read? Yep! I guess I wasn't looking for Tolkien when I heard the books were coming out. I like the idea of having the iconics in their own adventure where they hopefully get fleshed out some. The Living dead is much different from the caves book yet I found it to be logical within the context of the world. I think Soveliss plays out well in the living dead. And Mialee gets some action , if your into that stuff Just wanted to say that if you like well thought out worlds then these books aren't for you. If you like to read to enjoy fantasy then I would recommend these books as a "light" snack for your brain.