White Plume Mountain

This book and his others remind me of years ago when I picked up a paperback from an unknown author based solely on the wonderful artwork of Larry Elmore. It was my delight to 'discover' RA Salvatore and introduce him to many friends. Paul Kidd is the same way and it is an absolute shame he does not write more books. If you want to be entertained while reading, get all of his books. I would also hurry, because just like Gary Gygax's Gord books, these will soon be out of print and very hard to find!

For those of you who have played this Dungeons & Dragons module, or even just played Dungeons & Dragons at all, this book is a must! It is very funny, and the author really makes you feel like you're right there with the characters. There are also lots of really funny jabs at some of the basic Dungeons & Dragons gaming rules that really don't make much sense. When some of the rules are put into a real situation, they are pretty humorous.... and the Justicar (the main character) is quick to point these out! :><br> It's a quick and easy read, and definitely leaves you wanting to continue the journey with the characters into the next book.

A great adaptation of the Classic D & D module. I found the characters to be very likeable, and the story fast-paced and concise. Paul Kidd does most of his characterization through dialogue and some of the comments by Escella and Polk are downright hilarious. The Justicar is the perfect straight man, playing off the comments of a droning teamster, a scantily-clad faerie, and a sentient hell-hound pelt. All-in-all, a very entertaining book.

Finally a novelisation of an AD & D module that actually FEELS like a fantasy roleplaying session. No glum, doom-laden portents or stomach-curdling angst here! Nope, just good old fashioned dungeonbashing that paints the walls arterial red and leaves the room smelling like roast chicken - hacking, slashing, spellblasting and, above all, FUN! Paul Kidd remains faithful (for the most part) to the original TSR module (one of 1st ed AD & D's classic dungeoncrawls - I still have nightmares about that crab...) whilst adding a great deal of meat and cleverly intertwined subplots to the bare bones. The party makeup is a tad unconventional (to say the least) and their antics poke fun at some of the eccentricities of fantasy roleplaying (that 10' pole always perplexed me as well...). All in all a most refreshing, pyromaniacal read although those who have played the actual module first will probably find it more rewarding.

OK, enough of the reviews complaining that this book isn't "serious" AD & D fare. This book brings back memories of running this campaign years ago, and we used humor and had fun while we role-played. A refreshing, entertaining, and fun book. I've loaned my copy to my wife, daughter, and several students at school. They all enjoyed it, even the one student who said it contained more "corny" humor than he liked was grinning while he retold parts of it to his friends. The only complaint I have is that Mr. Kidd cannot write as fast as we can read.