Forged

Note: This review has some mild spoilers. A bit more than you would find from the back cover, but nothing too deep.

I tend to like novels set in RPG settings, because they give a good idea of what the world or setting is really like, a viewpoint from an inhabitant of it. RPG rule or setting books tend to take a top down, overview approach of a setting, RPG novels are like seeing the setting from the bottom up.

So I was actually looking forward to Forged, the first novel (paperback sized) set in the Oathbound setting (for d20) from Bastion Press (and the first part of a trilogy). I like Oathbound, the main setting book of which actually did a good job of conveying the atmosphere of it, but it's quite a bit on the alien side, with lots of strange races, two suns, slightly altered perceptions. So a novel would go a long way to getting a feel of the world. Or so I hoped.

It starts off okay, if a bit like a romance novel (you can download the first couple chapters from the Bastion website, and presumably see what I mean). The main character is suddenly taken from his homeworld in an awkward moment right after a tryst with his Queen (he's the Queen's Blade, which beyond being a great double entendre, I'm not sure what it is, exactly. Like a bodyguard or general, I think), and enters the world of Oathbound, the Forge. So the begining was what I had hoped - seeing the Forge through the eyes of a new arrival.

The trouble is, rather than playing the role of an explorer, or even tourist, he plays the role of a passenger, of sorts. He enters the setting in some old ruins in the city of Penance, immediately meets a friendly dog person (a "Dover", the race is called), then quickly proceeds to be dragged about by fate. (If it were an RPG adventure, it would be railroading). But not dragged very far. Very little of the Oathbound setting is visited - some underground ruins, slave pits, a gladiatorial arena, then the main bad guy of Penance's palace. So, this novel is a bit of a disappointment as an introduction to the world of Oathbound. Kind of like flying somewhere on a vacation, then immediately being arrested by the police on a trumped up charge, and sitting in jail for two weeks. (Not that has ever happened to me. Much)

Beyond the limited sight-seeing aspect, there really isn't all that much action, either. A few fights. And not much intrigue, either, and what little there is, is pretty transparent.

Usually when a book doesn't focus on a plot or mystery, or sight-seeing, it focuses on characterization. But character development in this could be a lot better. The main character is a Dudley Do-Right sort, and about as bright (which goes a long way in making him likeable, actually, otherwise he would be too perfect). The dog person doesn't seem to have much of a personality, other than always wanting to help (which is perhaps dog-like, but seems a bit contrived, especially how he carries a cask of liquor around his neck. Joke! He really doesn't carry one.). The same could be said for the main character's romantic interest (er, always wanting to be helpful, not dog-like).

While the evilness of the main villain is portrayed pretty well (his use of slavery is portrayed bluntly and horribly, like it should be), the villains in the novel are fairly one dimensional, and without much charm or style. Rather than a James Bondian villain or even the guy from Enter The Dragon (as you might tell, I saw that movie recently), he's more of a Caligula style brutal tyrant. Which is perhaps more realistic, but not pleasant to read.

The most interesting characer is probably Jezindi, a seeress, but she only plays a tiny role until the very last part of the novel.

Really, for all characters, we never see more than a superficial look into their history or personality. One of the characters says "I'm good for more than a roll between the sheets." (Thankfully, not the dog person). But you would never really know that, from reading the book. Because that's pretty much all she does for most of the book.

Still in all, it's not a bad novel, pretty much the quality of the average RPG novel. While it might be lacking in depth, it's fairly well written and an enjoyable read. While I wasn't glued to it for 10 hours straight like the last Harry Potter novel, it did only take me 3 sittings to read, which is pretty good. Definitely worth a read if you're an Oathbound fan, and worth a look if you're looking for a fantasy novel in an unique setting.