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Those wishing not to have their readings of this novel spoiled should look elsewhere as spoilers may be present.

Keep on the Borderlands is a novelization of the classic D&D module of the same name (B2, The Keep on the Borderlands). And is another classic module nominally set in the world of Greyhawk as well.

The story unfolds as the tale of mercenary caravan guards who’ve decided to gather gold and glory by attacking the raiders that plague a borderland keep. The guardsmen fight back the raiders and then get rewarded by the keep’s steward with a mission of destroying the caves of chaos that linger nearby.

While the guardsmen are comically written, the story’s overall pace and characterization is good. The novel’s action, however, could have been in any fantasy setting, as details about the Greyhawk world seem largely ignored. The story has been formed around the module’s plot skeleton (or plot idea collection) and suffers from the lack of completion or sense of cohesion with the overall story. The back-cover copy makes the story seem engaging, but the possible intrigue is overlooked or ignored when the adventure module got translated into an adventure story, as the details just are not found.

While the novel is enjoyable on its own, it’s hard pressed to be actually placed in the larger Greyhawk world. I can see some arguing with the setting of the novel, however, if the logo on the cover says Greyhawk, the book should feel Greyhawk. I can recommend the book to fans of the fantasy genre, but the Greyhawk fans may be disappointed.

Keep on the Borderlands
Keep on the Borderlands Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 25/01/03 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average) Keep on the Borderlands feels like a rollicking ride in a generic fantasy setting, with little to no basis in the Greyhawk world. Product: Keep on the Borderlands Author: Ru Emerson Category: Novel Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Line: Greyhawk Cost: 6.99 Page count: 320 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 0-7869-1881-0 SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 25/01/03 Genre tags: Fantasy	Those wishing not to have their readings of this novel spoiled should look elsewhere as spoilers may be present. Keep on the Borderlands is a novelization of the classic D&D module of the same name (B2, The Keep on the Borderlands). And is another classic module nominally set in the world of Greyhawk as well. The story unfolds as the tale of mercenary caravan guards who’ve decided to gather gold and glory by attacking the raiders that plague a borderland keep. The guardsmen fight back the raiders and then get rewarded by the keep’s steward with a mission of destroying the caves of chaos that linger nearby. While the guardsmen are comically written, the story’s overall pace and characterization is good. The novel’s action, however, could have been in any fantasy setting, as details about the Greyhawk world seem largely ignored. The story has been formed around the module’s plot skeleton (or plot idea collection) and suffers from the lack of completion or sense of cohesion with the overall story. The back-cover copy makes the story seem engaging, but the possible intrigue is overlooked or ignored when the adventure module got translated into an adventure story, as the details just are not found. While the novel is enjoyable on its own, it’s hard pressed to be actually placed in the larger Greyhawk world. I can see some arguing with the setting of the novel, however, if the logo on the cover says Greyhawk, the book should feel Greyhawk. I can recommend the book to fans of the fantasy genre, but the Greyhawk fans may be disappointed.