“Lord of Runes” is a novel set in the Pathfinder universe. For those who are unaware, Pathfinder is a new RPG system that has come onto the scene in recent years as an alternative to Dungeons and Dragons. This being my first exposure to the universe I was quite interested to learn what the lore had in store for me.
As far as the world of Pathfinder goes, readers will find it familiar and fresh at the same time. The world has its own flare but bears more than passing resemblance to the Forgotten Realms and other fantasy RPG universes out there. Some may not like the book for this reason alone, as I know many readers get tired of this type of epic fantasy after a while. I, however, loved it for its new yet familiar take on things. For any fan of the Forgotten Realms this book is well worth picking up.
I hadn’t read any Dave Gross before now, but this book makes me want to read more of his work.The book has an excellent balance of action, world-building, character building, and even just enough romance to make things interesting without the romantic subplot becoming boring. My main critique of the novel is that at certain points the book moves too fast while at the same time throwing a lot of unfamiliar terms at you at once. While a veteran of epic fantasy won’t be thrown, some readers new to the genre or who are only occasional readers of it could be put off by this.
The book follows the adventures of half-elf Count Varian Jeggare and his bodyguard Radovan, a man with demon blood in his veins. Each chapter alternates between their points of view and both are a pleasure to read. The severe and academic Varian gives a much different view on the world than the free-spirited and vulgar Radovan and seeing the quest from both viewpoints is great fun. Both have troubled pasts and specters that still haunt them, even as they undertake to prevent a great necromancer from returning to life and conquering the world.
I rate this book four stars out of five for “I really liked it”.
