I wanted to spend my first post this weekend talking about a book I am reading, because I think it's an example of a newer author doing a pretty good job of recapturing some of the feel of classic Appendix N literature, especially (it seems to me) the works of Vance and Lieber.
The book is Den of Thieves by David Chandler. It's the first of the books in the his Ancient Blades trilogy. It concerns the exploits of a young thief named Malden who is hired as a patsy in an elaborate scheme to relieve the local burgrave of his coronet, a caper verging on the impossible. Many, many complications arise from this act.
I like the ways he handles things like wizards and wizardry, demons, the thieves' guild, and the world and setting of his story. I also like how he incorporates the demi-human races into the world. They are not just humans with pointy ears or really short humans with beards. They are antagonists, old enemies defeated by the humans in centuries past. This fits really well with the Metal Gods of Ur-Hadad campaign +Adam Muszkiewicz and I have going on for DCC.
In any case, consider this a strong recommendation for the OSR community. Grab a copy and see if you agree with my assessment.
The other titles in the series are A Thief in the Night and Honor Among Thieves.
No comments:
Post a Comment