Descent Into the Depths of the Earth

This was a great book. It gets away from the sappy over-done story lines of a typical fantasy book such as any Forgotten Realms book. The charters are someone you can relate too easily and the humor is wonderful. It is great to read a lighter side of the fantasy world. I do not understand the whining about this book not following the game rules....that is why it is called "fiction". Every fantasy book does not have to be some dark menacing mellow-drama. Good humor and action is hard to find and Paul Kidd is a master of it.

... then read this book. A tale of a classic role-playing adventure, filled with humor, mystery, magic, sword-fighting, monsters, death, destruction, and yes, love. If you've ever gamed until the wee hours of the morning, ever sat around a table with others drinking soda and rolling D20's, you'll want this book. Boy, talk about taking a stroll down memory lane! An adventure every gamer wished to experience, that their characters would survive and surmount such challenges. Get the book - you'll love it!

I thought the dialogue and characters were hilarious. The murder mystery unfolding, clever magical fights and obsession with Escalla's clothing was great too.Escally, Jus Pol and Enid are very appealing characters.

This is book 2 out of 3 (so far). Out of the 3, i loved this one by far the best. I give all 3 books a 5 for sure, but this one was my favorite. The adventuring group gets a little larger. The Justicar and the pixie really start to form a bond. The story really flows well, and you just don't want to put it down. It is very exciting, and fast action-packed page after page. Full of humor to the end, as well. If you've played Dungeons & Dragons and/or played this module, that's even more of a plus. But this book is all out awesome even if you haven't, and just love a good fantasy/adventure book. I definitely recommend reading all 3 books in order though. Check out White Plume Mountain first. :>

A sword called "Benelux"!? Bwahahaha! I'll bet this gag slipped past the editors as I'm sure they would have deleted it otherwise. The sequel to "White Plume Mountain" feels a bit more rough-edged and awkward in terms of story flow but still retains the fast paced humour and cynical dungeoncrawling mentality that made it's predecessor such a delight to read. The characters have been considerably more fleshed out but have lost nothing of their refreshing personalities - even Polk grows on you after a while. What really caught my eye are some of the most innovative ideas for magic-use I've seem yet, not to mention some of the most risque imagery and innuendos I've seen in an AD & D novel (again probably slipped past the editors). Reading "White Plume Mountain" beforehand is essential and for those who have actually played the original TSR module, there is an added level of nostalgia ("Geez, why didn't the party think of doing THAT!?"). Can't wait for "Demonweb Pits"!