Another Day, Another Dungeon (Cups and Sorcery, Book 1) [Paperback]

Greg Costikyan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812501403
• ISBN-13: 978-0812501407
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,345,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Another Day, Another Dungeon (Cups and Sorcery, Book 1) (Paperback)

If you've ever roleplayed, think back on your first couple of adventures. Remember all the mistakes you and your friends made? Well, in _Another Day, Another Dungeon_, Greg Costikyan incorporates all the silliness and stupidity of an introductory session of D&D into a hilarious novel.

The characters (quite appropriately) make this novel shine. In the adventuring party, you have a couple of quarrelling rogues, a dwarf who hauls around more equipment than loot, an extremely inexperienced mage, a drunken cleric, and (my favorite) a towering barbarian with more muscle than wit. Throw in a treacherous lizard man scout, a seductive necromancer, a slew of stuffy semi-retired adventurers who all seem to be based on Major-General Stanley of the _Pirates of Penzance_, and a few orcs, and you have the makings of a really funny read. Oh, did I forget to mention the centuries old all-powerful wizard (what adventure campaign would be complete without one of those)? Not to be missed is the evil elven crime lord (aww, isn't he CUTE?).

The plot is straightforward enough. Timaeus D'Asperge, newly graduated from the local magic university, assembles a group of adventurers to tackle the nearby dreaded Caverns of Cytorax. Isn't it odd that in nearly every beginning adventure, there is a conveniently located dungeon filled with evil nasties, but close enough to town that the adventurers can be home by dinner? Anyway, the adventurers soon find that the treasure they bring home will cause them much more trouble than the Caverns. The whole town erupts as nearly everyone tries to steal the treasure from D'Asperge and his comrades.

The book is great fun, and will be a favorite of anyone who has ever played D&D or the like. If you've never played D&D, or don't even have a clue as to what it is, the book will still keep you rolling. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't take their roleplaying too seriously.

If you do take your roleplaying too seriously, might I suggest the 1982 made for TV movie "Mazes and Monsters" starring a very young Tom Hanks.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars there's some serious Costik wit here, June 30, 2000

By 

J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Another Day, Another Dungeon (Cups and Sorcery, Book 1) (Paperback)

Costikyan has been around the RPG/gaming world about as long as I have--since the seventies. I recently reread this hilarious D&D fantasy story and I still got some major laughs out of it.

Want an appetizer? Greg's orcs speak with a heavy New Jersey accent. "We tanks you for our victory over da youmans", that sort of thing. (No offense to Jersey intended.) The book is full of great touches like this, such as a lisping lizardman and a fraternal order reminiscent of the Elks.

Search for this one. It's good.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny!, August 24, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Another Day, Another Dungeon (Cups and Sorcery, Book 1) (Paperback)

Timaeus d'Asperge, a newly minted fire mage, is in need of building his fame and fortune. Sidney Stollitt and Nick Pratchitt, have a firm that deals in adventure (well, actually theft recently), and both need some money. Kraki, a barbarian warrior (think Arnold), needs adventures to spark epics sung in his honor. Garni the Dwarf likes adventure, and could use the money, while Father Thwaite merely needs another drink.

The solution to all of their problems seems simple, an adventure in the Caverns of Cytorax. Along the way, they encounter trolls, orcs, a basilisk, a rather large monster named Rog, and evil bureaucrats. Their find of a large, valuable and magical treasure seems to put the stamp of success on their adventure. However, a return home isn't the end of the adventure; you see, their find is more important than they realize, and quite a few people are out to acquire it for themselves. Soon, marching in the direction of our heroes is an army of zombies, a shadow mage, a bunch of demons, a shipload of elves, a vampire, a lich, a crime lord, and quite a few do-gooders. It's going to take a lot to get our heroes out of this one.

This book is quite funny! The book starts out making fun of over-zealous RPGers, such as when one of the characters carves up the legs of a table, in case there is a wand hidden therein! However, after these, the story quickly becomes a wonderful, and very funny, story. The action is non-stop, and the comedy clean and well written. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who like D&D-style games!

Oh, by the way, the book contains numerous references to "greep." The references seem a little muddled, but I must admit to being intrigued....