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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keith scares me, February 19, 2002
This review is from: The Tomb of Horrors (Greyhawk Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have to admit that I don't read too much shared fiction, but there was a double hook with Tomb of Horrors--Keith is a friend, and I wrote a game product related to this title. Truth to tell, I wanted to write this book. So you see, Keith already had a few marks against him before I picked it up. So I read through the first scene. Oh my god, can they publish this stuff? Apparently, they can. The author is a nice guy, but horror sleeps below his placid surface. If you've ever wanted to know what it felt like to be crucified, this book is for you. This scene sets the tone for the antagonist, and does so spectacularly well. Then we meet the protagonist, Kaerion, in the next chapter. A down-on-his-luck swordsman washing away his sorrows in drink? Yes, but it turns out he has a lot to wash away. He was once a paladin, now fallen, whose holy sword continually torments him with the memory of what he once was. No matter how he tries to dispose of the holy blade, it always reappears. This is great stuff. So, the book begins to shape up. Two groups have designs on the legendary Tomb of Horrors. One group evil, one good. Each has a fair way to go before they reach the doorstep of the ancient tomb. But that's where the horror truly begins. More importantly for me, it is also where we discover if Kaerion can finally achieve redemption.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the Greyhawk Novels, August 26, 2005
This review is from: The Tomb of Horrors (Greyhawk Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
The story of redemption and salvation, told well, never gets old and this story is told very well. Though some have described it as generic and formulaic, I believe it actually achieves greater success because it does use common elements so effectively. This is a classic tale retold well in a D&D novel, using the "Tomb of Horrors" as scene and metaphor. Both similar and distinctive from the journey of man into a dark region of the world and, by metaphor, into himself (akin but not equal, of course, to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"). The main character is deeply troubled and flawed but not beyond all hope. And the finding of salvation, ultimately, through his own power to call out for help and succor--and not by the initiative of supreme powers or faceless forces--recalls and reinforces the power of the individual over his or her environment. Classic storytelling and classic Greyhawk.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing read, by the VP of pokemon no less!, July 28, 2002
This review is from: The Tomb of Horrors (Greyhawk Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
First I have to say that no matter what you thought of the book you should not reveal major happenings in your review. People read these reviews to get a good idea of whether or not they would like to read the book, not have the whole story revealed especially those characters who DIE. sheish. Anyway, I totally agree with the reviewer named Bruce R Cordell that this book was very well written. You can see the depth in the characters, espically the protagonist. This book does something that I have not seen in many other books and that is convey believable emotions especially when it comes to loosing one's faith. To anyone who is just not sure, I say take a chance and pick this book up it will be well worth the time you spend reading it.
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