The Sword and the Chain

I can't believe these books are out of print. I originally bought them as a single hardcover collection from a book club. This takes up right where The Sleeping Dragon left off. There is no drop off in quality and it certainly feels like the 2nd part of a greater story and not some forced sequel. It also is an interesting social commentary on the ills of slavery.

I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with this outing. While most sequels are stale and transparent, Joel Rosenberg manages to take up where The Sleeping Dragon left off and create a mystical tale that keeps the readers attention from the first page to the last.Admittedly, I let out a yelp of joy when Karl announced to the slaver, "Tell you masters that I am hunting them!" It showed a glimmer of what was to come in this series (especially this installment), and it did not disappoint.I won't allow myself to announce any spoilers for those who haven't enjoyed this, but let me say that it was delightfully intriguing when the secret of Deighton was revealed. The implications of this information should have an enormous impact in future volumes.

The sword and the chain has all the elements of an excellent fantasy novel. It's got the heroes, the magic, the villain, the party of good guys, its own private little world with a map included for the characters top romp around in, as well as its' own personal twist (the characters are humans from our world tranformed as they stepped through a gate to another world). My only regret about reading this novel is that I can't seem to find the rest of the series, and am therefore forever stuck in a world of questions and doubt.

With the brilliant and broad array of characters, from dwarves to the ex-wizard Ricetti, this book sets the stage for many more great Rosenberg novels to come(I hope). The fact that the main characters aren't really warriors or wizards tends to fade away, until you are reminded that they are merely college students in a compromising situation. The mixture of swords-and-sorceries with the tease of developing technology, like simple firearms, is brilliant! Sehr gute, herr Rosenberg!

It has been attempted many times, but the task has been almost impossible, until this series came out no one had done a good, solid story centering around role players entering the game world. Here it is handled masterfully, an excellent story, with compelling characters, and a truly wonderful plotline.