Customer Reviews

Against the Giants (Greyhawk Classics)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

To say I was looking forward to reading this book was an understatement. This was my favorite AD&D module as a kid. Unfortunately this book read like a module and less like a novel. It was almost painful reading about Lhors' encounters in the city.

Describing characters like Malowan as a "paladin" seemed unimaginative. With a good description the reader would have understood he was a paladin. I almost expected characters to introduce themselves as "I'm a thief with a dexterity of 15; what about you?"

I did not like the magic system in the book, because it also seemed modulized. There was nothing mystical about his powers, it was all a matter of memorization. I could envision the wizard discussing with the other characters, "Should I memorize 7 reveal spells and 10 silence spells, or 9 reveal spells and 6 silence spells?" Also, there was never any doubt the wizard would have a spell that would keep the party undetected.

I also agree the two main characters Lhors and Vlandar were the least interesting. The history of the two characters was weak.

This would have made a good trilogy. The encounters with the frost and fire giants were rushed. Neither the characters nor myself wanted the adventure to continue past the hill giant lair.

If you loved the module, then go ahead and read the book just to bring back memories. I just wish a better storyline about giants would be created. I am getting tired of reading about dragons.

About a third of the way in, I could only think, "Who the hell is Ru Emerson, and why did WOTC let her write a book about a classic module which she's obviously never played?"

About halfway in, I just gave up. Terrible characters, zero plot, nothing to hold my interest.

I have to thank Ru for one thing, though -- she's given me hope as to actually becoming a published writer one day. There's no way I could do a worse job than this. Then again, neither could a half-drunk wildebeast.

...I didn't expect much, but I at least hoped this book would answer some of the mysteries in the original module, or provide one possible explanation for what was going on. What was that temple under the Hill Giant Steading, for example?

....Unfortunately, this book provides less detail and explanation than the modules themselves. Not one single question from the old D&D modules is answered in this book, and much of the good stuff in the modules is left out. They only visit three rooms out of each of the last two modules, for example.

.....Many have pointed out that this reads like a bad module, not a book. All the dialogue are lines like "I have memorized 3 beneath notice and two reveal spells today," or "Remember, as a Paladin, I have the ability to detect evil," etc. It stops just short of using terms like hit points and saving throws. The wizard was the worst character for this - it was like listening to a teenage D&D player tell you what move he is making next.
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.... If you were looking for a good strategy on how the giants' places should have been assaulted - forget it! Apparently, you can walk right in the front door (past the guards) of every one of them. What are the chances that every single guard in all three modules is asleep when they run into them?

.... Beyond that, the whole thing was too hokey and sweet. The adventurers were so pure and kind that you thought they were going to lead the giants in some kind of rehab support group instead of kill them. Would anyone really have a 5-minute conference in the middle of an enemy dungeon about whether it is OK to kill torturers while they sleep? All the human kings, princes and army guys that they dealt with were totally legit and honest. Rowan, the female ranger and the Berserker had a little depth. Some day, I would like to see a D&D story with flawed heroes, a Dirty Dozen kind of group. Not here.

....Also, I thought it was cheap the way the wizard basically assured that the heroes could detect everything, but everything they did was invisible and inaudible and wiped from the giants' memories.

....The Paladin was basically a pacifist. He wouldn't kill a mosquito if it was carrying the next plague.

.... And was anyone else annoyed by whom Rowan latches onto at the end? She flirted with the young guy Lhors for the whole book, what happened to that?

The latest round of greyhawk books came out bases on the old D&D module Against the Giants. I read this book and was completely baffled. Here we have these chump characters, waltzing through the largest encampment of giants known to man, and they get out with barely a scratch on them! HOW,WHAT,WHEN,WHY?!?!?!?!?!?

Obviously the writer did not read the module, play the module, nor understand the breadth of the concept. With the level of the characters there is no POSSIBLE way for a frontal assault to occur and survive! Yet they managed to go through all 3 giant liars on nothing more than bows and arrows and some minor sword work!

Against the Giants G1-2-3 has always been for me the pinnacle of assault, conquer, loot, and plunder forts and dungeons (The whole series is fantastic if you ask me..) but this abortion of a book should never have made it off the printer. Too many improbabilities and mistakes that anyone who read through the module or played it once would have understood.

This is the worst fantasy novel since Quag Keep. Skip straight to White Plume Mountains, light-years better.

AGAINST THE GIANTS is a fun read for sword and sorcery fans, though the last third of the book drags a bit. For those familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, the magic system depicted has nothing to do with the D&D game, though it does serve the story well enough. My main complaint is that the story should have ended 100 pages sooner. The first 200 pages are suspenseful, but I got the feeling that the last 100 were sort of tacked on in order to make the book fit in better with the three D&D modules it is based on. Had the book covered only the first module, AGAINST THE GIANTS would have easily gotten four stars. My other complaint is that the two main characters, Lhors and Vlandar, were by far the least interesting. The ranger twins Rowan and Maera, Khlened the barbarian, and Malowen the paladin were far more interesting heroes!

This book attempted to take three really fine D&D modules and cram them into one small novel. The results are scattered plotlines, undeveloped characters, and frankly unbelieveable resolutions. Emerson did a decent job of uniting the three modules into a plausible storyline, but so much was going on that in truth this needed to be 2 or 3 books, not one. Because she had to fit so much in, the author glossed over character development and ran the group through some tough situations so easily that at times the reader would snort in disbelief. At times the action would stop just long enough to allow the group (and the reader) time to catch their breath and actually interact with one another, then- zoom! Off they go again. By the end of the book they were actually running to get done before they ran out of pages! Kind of ridiculous.
There are many disappointments waiting the D&D purist, as Emerson here commits so many faux paus that either she had never played the game before, or she was playing a different one than I did as a kid. In particular the mage, Nemis, apparently had access to an almost unlimited supply of magic spells, and he always seemed to have another "non-detection" spell memorized when the party needed it. Now how many times did that happen in the game? And giants, which were pretty tough adversaries both in the game and in most other literature, fell like nine-pins to almost everyone in the party, even to the main charcter Lhors, who was just a farm kid! The party was always apprehensive about attacking the giants, but when they did they easily overcame them, often without anyone getting hurt. So are the giants tough or not? And the "climatic" fight at the end, which the party was dreading the whole book, is carried off virtually without a hitch (save for the sacrificing of 2 characters, neither of whom were very central to the story). Of course, they were almost out of pages by then!
In summary, let me say that no matter whether you have played the game and these modules and are reading for nostalgia, or are just looking for something new, I'm afraid you are in for a disappointment here. All of the other Grayhawk Classic books are better than this one, and you'd be better off going to any one of them, even the other one by Emerson, the Keep on the Borderlands.

Against the Giants is Ru Emerson's attempt at novelizing the classic 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons modules G1-2-3.
The end result is not really something to be proud of, in great part due to the writing, which is rather poor and the dialogues, which could have been a lot better.
To start with, there were way too many characters that both the reader and the writer have a difficult time keeping track of. It's confusing, annoying and tiring!
Apart from the paladin who was portrayed well (with the exception of abusing the number of times he could use his Lay Hands ability as well as repeatedly granting what seemed to be above-maximum hit points), the rest of the characters were really not that interesting or likable; e.g. the half-elf twins. They lacked development, and the way they carried themselves was not very elf-like. How were they any different from a pair of twin human rangers?
In addition, there was the whole Maera-Florimund affair better suited to a lame soap opera and not the novelization of one of the best modules of all time! The half-elf Maera, was behaving more "irrationally" than a human, acting like a love struck teenager who cannot tell when it is time for romance and when it is time for business/serious work, not to mention straining her relationship with her twin sister.

The giants were killed way too easily, as if they were kobolds; p.181 "Lhors (a first level character) felled a fire giant in one shot." Hmmm...
The paladin on page 240 casts a spiritual hammer spell (2nd Edition damage is 1d4 +1, +2 or +3), while 3rd Edition damage is 1d8...) and kills a frost giant with one hit!!!
The party dealt with their powerful foes primarily with arrows and javelins, sleep and forget spells! Is there something wrong with the picture here? These are not goblins!
As for the chances of dispatching dark elves (!) so easily (no magic resistance or saving throws applied), basically making it a piece of cake, are slim indeed!

Moreover, it got tiring and confusing very early on with the never-ending twists and turns and the endless doors and hallways.

Furthermore, the mage just happened to know giantish, which is a language more common to a ranger or fighter and not a wizard. Coincidently he also had lived with the drow??? And knew (of) the drow leader??? And was her lover??? And had escaped??? Anything else?

Also, did Nemis have an endless supply of spells or what? Not to mention that he kept using the same spells over and over: "reveal" and "forget."
And what about magical items? He and his master had ventured into the Underdark, into the lairs of Hill, Frost, and Fire Giants, and he doesn't have as much as a ring to show for it except for a "charm" to let him know about traps?

On the positive side, on pages 169-170 there is a very good description of alignment clashes between Rowan and Maera and Vlandar, e.g. p.169 "You would better serve Heironeous than Ehlonna."

Ru Emerson did a good job of describing the qualities of magical weapons and their alignments, on page 202: "They are made for good and will serve you well."

In conclusion, there is the great quote on page 171: "A warrior who won't help the broken and downtrodden is nothing but a thug with free room and board from his king."

Though the potential for a great book (or a set of great books) was definitely there, the end product fails to take off. As other readers have very accurately pointed out, there should have been a trilogy of books as there was a trilogy of modules and not to cram everything into one. A shame really...

I am not sure if I should blame the author for this injustice or Wizard's of the Coast for their forced literary requirements. The reason I say this is because WotC makes their paperback writers adhere to a 300 page limit. I played and DM'd these modules in my younger years and there was just so much left out or not developed it is hard to place the blame on any one particular group. On the other hand Paul Kidd did a very good job with his paperback books so its hard to say. This novel could have easily been 3 books and they probably would have been fantastic. It is a shame that the Greyhawk themed books are treated like the red headed step child. Borrow this book or buy it used but do not buy it new.

This definitely read more like a module than a novel - and a bad module at that. I love Greyhawk, and literally couldn't finish reading this book, it was too painful. Going back and reading some Dragonlance novels is slowly restoring my faith in TSR novels...