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Critical Role: The Mighty Nein--The Nine Eyes of Lucien
Delve into the mind of Critical Role ’s most charming villain in this original novel that chronicles Lucien’s early life and his fateful meeting with the Mighty Nein.
Lucien has always been able to spin a bad situation to his advantage. From his childhood on the dangerous streets of Shadycreek Run to his years living off the grid and learning blood magic from the Claret Orders, the charismatic blood hunter will find a way to get the upper hand.
When Lucien is on a job in the frozen wastelands of Eiselcross with his fellow mercenaries, a rough-and-tumble crew called the Tombtakers, fate leads him to a mysterious journal in the ruins of an ancient city. The book speaks of the Somnovem, nine beings who can grant Lucien power beyond imagining—if he is able to find them and free them from captivity.
Intrigued by this opportunity, Lucien pores over the journal—but the more he reads, the stranger things become. The nine whisper to him in dreams and waking visions. Time slips away, along with Lucien’s grasp on reality. And tattoos of red eyes begin appearing on his skin. . . .
With the ability to reshape the world within his grasp, Lucien ignores all warning signs. He has always bent fortune to his will, and nothing—not even death—will stop him now.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux, Critical The Mighty Nein—The Nine Eyes of Lucien explores the meteoric rise and fall of one of Critical Role ’s most notorious and tragic figures.
Lucien has always been able to spin a bad situation to his advantage. From his childhood on the dangerous streets of Shadycreek Run to his years living off the grid and learning blood magic from the Claret Orders, the charismatic blood hunter will find a way to get the upper hand.
When Lucien is on a job in the frozen wastelands of Eiselcross with his fellow mercenaries, a rough-and-tumble crew called the Tombtakers, fate leads him to a mysterious journal in the ruins of an ancient city. The book speaks of the Somnovem, nine beings who can grant Lucien power beyond imagining—if he is able to find them and free them from captivity.
Intrigued by this opportunity, Lucien pores over the journal—but the more he reads, the stranger things become. The nine whisper to him in dreams and waking visions. Time slips away, along with Lucien’s grasp on reality. And tattoos of red eyes begin appearing on his skin. . . .
With the ability to reshape the world within his grasp, Lucien ignores all warning signs. He has always bent fortune to his will, and nothing—not even death—will stop him now.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux, Critical The Mighty Nein—The Nine Eyes of Lucien explores the meteoric rise and fall of one of Critical Role ’s most notorious and tragic figures.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2022
410 people are currently reading
4082 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Roux
50 books4,868 followersNew York Times Bestselling Author of the ASYLUM series, Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, Sadie Walker Is Stranded and the upcoming House of Furies series.
MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008. In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel. Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped. Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers.
Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008. In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel. Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped. Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers.
Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Seattle, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 454 reviews
January 21, 2023
essek book next🤞🏻🤞🏻
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November 10, 2022Worth noting that this has a pansexual genderfluid main character! (Doesn't use those labels.) It's only mentioned in passing a few times, but it's in the text. Also, there's a secondary genderfluid character who cycles through he, she, and they pronouns throughout the book, which I haven't seen before.
I think this is a fun bonus for people who love Critical Role, even though it felt choppy in places—it keeps skipping around in time, and several times I thought I had missed a paragraph, especially since I was listening to the audiobook.
I especially liked when we got to hear the Mighty Nein's voices, especially Molly's, in the latter half. I have no idea what this would be like to read if you hadn't seen the source material, though.
I think this is a fun bonus for people who love Critical Role, even though it felt choppy in places—it keeps skipping around in time, and several times I thought I had missed a paragraph, especially since I was listening to the audiobook.
I especially liked when we got to hear the Mighty Nein's voices, especially Molly's, in the latter half. I have no idea what this would be like to read if you hadn't seen the source material, though.
December 9, 2025
Major spoilers for the book and the campaign:
Perhaps hiring Roux to write this novel before she even finished watching campaign 2 was not the best idea. She turned Lucien into a very generic villain, and not in a good way. Lucien was not special in this book, at all, something that is implied by being fate-touched. And that's mostly Brevyn's fault.
Honestly, to me, Brevyn was nothing but a Mary Sue making most of Lucien's decisions for him. She gives me the impression of being the typical female character used just to further the main guy's personal development and, to try and rectify this, Roux gave her more substance than needed, thus taking up all the space that other characters (canon, established characters, like Cree and the rest of the Tombtakers) could've, should've had instead.
There were several plot points that could've led to something not related to Brevyn, like Lucien's history with his family, specially his sister and her baby, the hag, the puppets, the Orders even. Plot points that had the potential to be their own thing, that would then, eventually, shape Lucien's feelings, perspective, opinions, his story. But it all falls flat.
The book simply skipped over Lucien's time in the Astral Sea after being murdered by Vess DeRogna. The thing that, canonically, gave him the clarity to see the Somnovem for what they truly were, a canon fact which was completely contradicted in this book.
Speaking of DeRogna, she was turned into this good person trying to avoid a terrible, horrible thing from happening, and was brutally murdered for it, the poor thing (/s). She was a bad person in canon. The Nein spoke to her corpse, there was nothing indicating an ounce of good intention in that woman. And Roux chose to ignore it, at best.
Lucien's story, Lucien as a character had A LOT of potential. But instead he is this Brevyn-touched, warped reflection of Molly (it should've been, it IS canonically, the other way around), dragged around by her even after her demise, culminating in the most generic villain I've encountered as of late.
His relationship with the Tombtakers and with the Mighty Nein had a lot of potential as well. But that was also mostly unexplored.
It's sad, really.
I'm gonna be optimistic and say that I liked a solid 20% of this book. 2/10. 1/5.
Perhaps hiring Roux to write this novel before she even finished watching campaign 2 was not the best idea. She turned Lucien into a very generic villain, and not in a good way. Lucien was not special in this book, at all, something that is implied by being fate-touched. And that's mostly Brevyn's fault.
Honestly, to me, Brevyn was nothing but a Mary Sue making most of Lucien's decisions for him. She gives me the impression of being the typical female character used just to further the main guy's personal development and, to try and rectify this, Roux gave her more substance than needed, thus taking up all the space that other characters (canon, established characters, like Cree and the rest of the Tombtakers) could've, should've had instead.
There were several plot points that could've led to something not related to Brevyn, like Lucien's history with his family, specially his sister and her baby, the hag, the puppets, the Orders even. Plot points that had the potential to be their own thing, that would then, eventually, shape Lucien's feelings, perspective, opinions, his story. But it all falls flat.
The book simply skipped over Lucien's time in the Astral Sea after being murdered by Vess DeRogna. The thing that, canonically, gave him the clarity to see the Somnovem for what they truly were, a canon fact which was completely contradicted in this book.
Speaking of DeRogna, she was turned into this good person trying to avoid a terrible, horrible thing from happening, and was brutally murdered for it, the poor thing (/s). She was a bad person in canon. The Nein spoke to her corpse, there was nothing indicating an ounce of good intention in that woman. And Roux chose to ignore it, at best.
Lucien's story, Lucien as a character had A LOT of potential. But instead he is this Brevyn-touched, warped reflection of Molly (it should've been, it IS canonically, the other way around), dragged around by her even after her demise, culminating in the most generic villain I've encountered as of late.
His relationship with the Tombtakers and with the Mighty Nein had a lot of potential as well. But that was also mostly unexplored.
It's sad, really.
I'm gonna be optimistic and say that I liked a solid 20% of this book. 2/10. 1/5.
October 20, 2022
A massive thank you to Penguin Random House and Del Rey for giving me a finished copy of this book to review!
This book is a love letter to Lucien, the proclaimed most charming villain in Critical Role, chronicling his never before explored youth and first encounter with the ruins of Aeor and the Somnovum, as well as a closer exploration of his time post-resurrection as the main villain of The Mighty Nein's final arc.
Primarily, I absolutely adored exploring his past and learning about his childhood, including his friendship with Cree, among others. I loved Mollymauk during his brief stint in Campaign 2, and always felt it was a shame his death meant Lucien could not be explored to his fullest, but Nine Eyes of Lucien is the answer to that, giving us such a deep insight into his character, as well as his similarities to Molly, which of course Lucien does not want to accept. Lucien becomes even more dimensional, and with deeper understanding of his circumstances and the presence of his inner monologue, even becomes sympathetic. I did enjoy rooting for him for at least part of the book!
The formatting of the print book was also a treat to read in how it helps to portray Lucien's descent to madness. A bit hard to describe, but I'm sure once you've read the book you'll understand and agree with me!
This book is an absolute treat for fans of Campaign 2, Lucien or Mollymauk, and I'm sure anyone in those categories will enjoy this as much as I did. Even those unfamiliar with Campaign 2 of Critical Role will likely be able to enjoy the book, as enough context is provided, however there are many callbacks and references to things purely for fans which elevate the whole experience. For those who loved the Aeor arc and wanted to know more about Cognouza, this book is littered with lore, and the fast pace of the book allows you to relive the arc in a more snappy, but still equally hard hitting way.
So, yes, I loved this book and can't wait to enjoy it again in audiobook format with the talents of the lovely cast! Thank you to Madeleine Roux for treating these characters with such care and bringing them to life on page, and to Matt and Taliesin for sharing them with us in the first place. The book releases November 1 and I hope you will love it as much as me!
This book is a love letter to Lucien, the proclaimed most charming villain in Critical Role, chronicling his never before explored youth and first encounter with the ruins of Aeor and the Somnovum, as well as a closer exploration of his time post-resurrection as the main villain of The Mighty Nein's final arc.
Primarily, I absolutely adored exploring his past and learning about his childhood, including his friendship with Cree, among others. I loved Mollymauk during his brief stint in Campaign 2, and always felt it was a shame his death meant Lucien could not be explored to his fullest, but Nine Eyes of Lucien is the answer to that, giving us such a deep insight into his character, as well as his similarities to Molly, which of course Lucien does not want to accept. Lucien becomes even more dimensional, and with deeper understanding of his circumstances and the presence of his inner monologue, even becomes sympathetic. I did enjoy rooting for him for at least part of the book!
The formatting of the print book was also a treat to read in how it helps to portray Lucien's descent to madness. A bit hard to describe, but I'm sure once you've read the book you'll understand and agree with me!
This book is an absolute treat for fans of Campaign 2, Lucien or Mollymauk, and I'm sure anyone in those categories will enjoy this as much as I did. Even those unfamiliar with Campaign 2 of Critical Role will likely be able to enjoy the book, as enough context is provided, however there are many callbacks and references to things purely for fans which elevate the whole experience. For those who loved the Aeor arc and wanted to know more about Cognouza, this book is littered with lore, and the fast pace of the book allows you to relive the arc in a more snappy, but still equally hard hitting way.
So, yes, I loved this book and can't wait to enjoy it again in audiobook format with the talents of the lovely cast! Thank you to Madeleine Roux for treating these characters with such care and bringing them to life on page, and to Matt and Taliesin for sharing them with us in the first place. The book releases November 1 and I hope you will love it as much as me!
December 14, 2022
I love Critical Role, as such it was pretty sad seeing their second novelization be even worse than the first.
At least Kith and Kin could be read even if you have absolutely no idea what critical role is or have never seen the first season of their show. Not this one though.
Sadly, I feel like if you have no idea who the Mighty Nein are or Mollymauk Tealeaf, you will be confused at best and lost at worst, as these characters are shallow cardboard cutouts that serve no intent purpose other than antagonizing the protagonist, Lucien. That's not bad per se, it's just, if you don't know them, you won't get to know them in this book, and how can you care about characters and dynamics if you don't know them to begin with?
Even with my knowledge of Critical Role I was disappointed. The interesting backstory of Lucien that could have been the focus was dropped in favor of a shallow, quick overview and a character the author created with detail. Unfortunately that detailed character was not Lucien, and so it begs the question, what is this book about?
Just as confused as the book seems to be with character, it also struggles with tone, shifting at times starkly, taking me out of the immersion. The gimmicky use of format (bold, cursive, fonts etc) that reminds heavily of the book house of leaves, was just that, a gimmick. In house of leaves, this style was consistent, it had intent and purpose, here it was just an addage to an otherwise clustered jumble of ideas.
If you like critical role, you will be disappointed. If you are unfamiliar with critical role, you will be lost and confused.
The story is rushed, the characters shallow, the style and tone meandering. The only way this could have been better is to give the author more pages than 330 to work with, as her style is nice and is probably what kept me reading despite my unfortunate disappointment.
I feel like this should have been at least 500 pages and focused on what makes critical role successful in the first place: character.
At least Kith and Kin could be read even if you have absolutely no idea what critical role is or have never seen the first season of their show. Not this one though.
Sadly, I feel like if you have no idea who the Mighty Nein are or Mollymauk Tealeaf, you will be confused at best and lost at worst, as these characters are shallow cardboard cutouts that serve no intent purpose other than antagonizing the protagonist, Lucien. That's not bad per se, it's just, if you don't know them, you won't get to know them in this book, and how can you care about characters and dynamics if you don't know them to begin with?
Even with my knowledge of Critical Role I was disappointed. The interesting backstory of Lucien that could have been the focus was dropped in favor of a shallow, quick overview and a character the author created with detail. Unfortunately that detailed character was not Lucien, and so it begs the question, what is this book about?
Just as confused as the book seems to be with character, it also struggles with tone, shifting at times starkly, taking me out of the immersion. The gimmicky use of format (bold, cursive, fonts etc) that reminds heavily of the book house of leaves, was just that, a gimmick. In house of leaves, this style was consistent, it had intent and purpose, here it was just an addage to an otherwise clustered jumble of ideas.
If you like critical role, you will be disappointed. If you are unfamiliar with critical role, you will be lost and confused.
The story is rushed, the characters shallow, the style and tone meandering. The only way this could have been better is to give the author more pages than 330 to work with, as her style is nice and is probably what kept me reading despite my unfortunate disappointment.
I feel like this should have been at least 500 pages and focused on what makes critical role successful in the first place: character.
November 21, 2022
I bought the book format for this but had a tough time getting into it at first, so I downloaded the audiobook format instead. Let me tell you, Robbie Daymond reading this book to me was the best ever. The other Critical Role cast members peppered in throughout were a ton of fun too. Really, I think this book is meant to be listened to. On occasion, Robbie would mispronounce names like Fjord—an honest mistake, but it might have been easily fixed with a bit of direction. But still, it was really nice to listen to.
Plot wise, this book took a little while to get going. It was neat to hear the stories of Lucien’s other friends and companions, since we only get their antagonistic sides from the Mighty Nein’s perspective in the show. I also really enjoyed the creepy aspects of Lucien’s early life that we learn about. The story meandered occasionally, or felt a bit long-winded, but it seems like it was ultimately faithful to the original content. The end was really ramped up and enjoyable, though. I did find myself getting a bit teary-eyed in the last few pages!
Overall, this was a fun read. I wouldn’t say its the best book of all time, but just like Kith and Kin, I found that going into it to just enjoy the ride made it pretty enjoyable.
If you’re interested in reading this book but haven’t watched the end of campaign 2 of Critical Role, just know the second half of the book is basically just one giant spoiler for the final arc of the campaign. Tread carefully!
Plot wise, this book took a little while to get going. It was neat to hear the stories of Lucien’s other friends and companions, since we only get their antagonistic sides from the Mighty Nein’s perspective in the show. I also really enjoyed the creepy aspects of Lucien’s early life that we learn about. The story meandered occasionally, or felt a bit long-winded, but it seems like it was ultimately faithful to the original content. The end was really ramped up and enjoyable, though. I did find myself getting a bit teary-eyed in the last few pages!
Overall, this was a fun read. I wouldn’t say its the best book of all time, but just like Kith and Kin, I found that going into it to just enjoy the ride made it pretty enjoyable.
If you’re interested in reading this book but haven’t watched the end of campaign 2 of Critical Role, just know the second half of the book is basically just one giant spoiler for the final arc of the campaign. Tread carefully!
November 4, 2022
Ouch!! (for real, Molly inside Lucien's head in the final battle? ruined me)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2025
I'm a big fan of Critical Role and Campaign 2 was my favorite of the series so far, these characters being my favorites. I watched weekly from the very first episode and it took a looooonnnnggg time to get over what happened to Molly, so Lucien was exciting to see when they happened. I remember this whole storyline being amongst my favorites and watching them battle and try to save Molly was some of of the my favorite tabletop gaming moments.
This book expands heavily on Lucien's story, his youth, joining the Tombtakers, and, eventually, becoming the Nonagon. I really enjoyed getting to know the Tombtakers and, honestly, growing some affection for them, especially Cree. You get to see how they weren't too different from The Mighty Nein themselves. Roux did well (with I'm sure help from Matthew Mercer) on fleshing out these characters and their story.
The narration of the audiobook is where the story really shines though. Robbie Draymond is a FANTASTIC narrator, which I wasn't too surprised by given how excellent he was in C3 and with how nice his voice is to just listen to - but, the whole cast gets to have their moments as they come back to voice their C2 characters for the book. It was a joy to hear them again, and especially exciting to get to see Taliesin shine again as Molly.
An altogether fantastic read for fans of the series... I don't think I'd recommend this for anyone who's not a fan though, as a lot of the story is left unsaid under the assumption the reader is a fan of the show who watched this storyline play out. It wasn't exceptionally long at all so maybe a chapter or two as Molly, or some flashbacks, especially once the Tombtakers are traveling with the Nein and Lucien and Molly struggle more, would have been helpful for newcomers unfamiliar with CR. I wouldn't have minded the callbacks to the season either, as this is a big world and a big game and a LOT happened during the campaign, which was awhile ago.
This one is definitely for the fans!
This book expands heavily on Lucien's story, his youth, joining the Tombtakers, and, eventually, becoming the Nonagon. I really enjoyed getting to know the Tombtakers and, honestly, growing some affection for them, especially Cree. You get to see how they weren't too different from The Mighty Nein themselves. Roux did well (with I'm sure help from Matthew Mercer) on fleshing out these characters and their story.
The narration of the audiobook is where the story really shines though. Robbie Draymond is a FANTASTIC narrator, which I wasn't too surprised by given how excellent he was in C3 and with how nice his voice is to just listen to - but, the whole cast gets to have their moments as they come back to voice their C2 characters for the book. It was a joy to hear them again, and especially exciting to get to see Taliesin shine again as Molly.
An altogether fantastic read for fans of the series... I don't think I'd recommend this for anyone who's not a fan though, as a lot of the story is left unsaid under the assumption the reader is a fan of the show who watched this storyline play out. It wasn't exceptionally long at all so maybe a chapter or two as Molly, or some flashbacks, especially once the Tombtakers are traveling with the Nein and Lucien and Molly struggle more, would have been helpful for newcomers unfamiliar with CR. I wouldn't have minded the callbacks to the season either, as this is a big world and a big game and a LOT happened during the campaign, which was awhile ago.
This one is definitely for the fans!
November 7, 2022
OK, honest talk: I've tried books by this author before and didn't care for them. Not that they're bad, they're just too slow and meandering for my taste. But I love CritRole, and the Mighty Nein are very close to my heart, so of course I wanted to give this book a read!
I have to admit, the only reason I didn't DNF this early on, was the promise that we would get to see more of the Mighty Nein later on in the story. While I understand that the author shied away from using the group more than she did, it felt a little like I'd been tricked. That said, the parts where we got to see the old crew again were great, and I teared up at ''long may he reign''. Yes, I did cry when that happened in the show.
Unfortunately, for me, this book was boring up until his ''third time around''. I loved that we got to see more of Molly here, and how he and Lucien interacted. But it was too little too late for me. I got through this book on pure stubbornness.
The narrator of the audiobook did great, tho! And the mixed cast flowed nicely. (I often have issue with mixed casts, for the quality of the audio can vary greatly)
About my shelving as LGBTQIA+ and disability rep:
The first one isn't that hard to figure out - I'd hope! - the other one is a little more in the grey. Otis has a lot of health issues, it seems, and there's also the hint at mental health. As I said, it's a grey area if this book should be counted on this shelf or not, but I'm sticking to it for now.
I have to admit, the only reason I didn't DNF this early on, was the promise that we would get to see more of the Mighty Nein later on in the story. While I understand that the author shied away from using the group more than she did, it felt a little like I'd been tricked. That said, the parts where we got to see the old crew again were great, and I teared up at ''long may he reign''. Yes, I did cry when that happened in the show.
Unfortunately, for me, this book was boring up until his ''third time around''. I loved that we got to see more of Molly here, and how he and Lucien interacted. But it was too little too late for me. I got through this book on pure stubbornness.
The narrator of the audiobook did great, tho! And the mixed cast flowed nicely. (I often have issue with mixed casts, for the quality of the audio can vary greatly)
About my shelving as LGBTQIA+ and disability rep:
The first one isn't that hard to figure out - I'd hope! - the other one is a little more in the grey. Otis has a lot of health issues, it seems, and there's also the hint at mental health. As I said, it's a grey area if this book should be counted on this shelf or not, but I'm sticking to it for now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2025
3.5 stars
robbie daymond is the best narrator and i can’t wait to listen to all his other audiobooks
and hearing taliesin as molly again has healed something in me, i had missed him so much <3
that being said, it wasn’t the best written book, i liked learning more about lucien because i am an absolute fan of every version of molly but that wouldn’t make a lot of sense to someone who doesn’t know critical role or the mighty nein. some parts didn’t feel fleshed out enough, others felt rushed, i guess i was just expecting more. im still glad we got to have more insight on who lucien was and im happy to have read this book but more due to my nostalgia and love for molly than for the book itself
robbie daymond is the best narrator and i can’t wait to listen to all his other audiobooks
and hearing taliesin as molly again has healed something in me, i had missed him so much <3
that being said, it wasn’t the best written book, i liked learning more about lucien because i am an absolute fan of every version of molly but that wouldn’t make a lot of sense to someone who doesn’t know critical role or the mighty nein. some parts didn’t feel fleshed out enough, others felt rushed, i guess i was just expecting more. im still glad we got to have more insight on who lucien was and im happy to have read this book but more due to my nostalgia and love for molly than for the book itself
November 26, 2022
Im Kontext von Critical Role betrachtet ist es gerade noch okay, krankt aber daran, dass man 50% der Story vom Buch bereits kennt.
Ohne den Kontext von Critical Role wäre es vermutlich hauptsächlich konfus.
An diesem Buch merkt man leider, dass nicht jede Geschichte in jedem Medium funktioniert... Zudem war beim Hörbuch die Entscheidung, den original Cast die eigenen Rollen sprechen zu lassen, zunächst vielversprechend. Die Umsetzung scheitert aber daran, dass teilweise nur wenige Textzeilen gesprochen werden und teilweise doch irgendwie Unruhe reinkommt.
Verglichen mit anderen Büchern ist hier leider nicht mehr zu holen als 2 Sterne, mehr wäre nur mit Fanbrille zu rechtfertigen.
Ohne den Kontext von Critical Role wäre es vermutlich hauptsächlich konfus.
An diesem Buch merkt man leider, dass nicht jede Geschichte in jedem Medium funktioniert... Zudem war beim Hörbuch die Entscheidung, den original Cast die eigenen Rollen sprechen zu lassen, zunächst vielversprechend. Die Umsetzung scheitert aber daran, dass teilweise nur wenige Textzeilen gesprochen werden und teilweise doch irgendwie Unruhe reinkommt.
Verglichen mit anderen Büchern ist hier leider nicht mehr zu holen als 2 Sterne, mehr wäre nur mit Fanbrille zu rechtfertigen.
July 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this exploration of Lucien's backstory. The way Madeleine Roux wove in foreshadowings to C2 was excellent.
I think I also would have liked a bit more about Kingsley at the end, but it makes sense that they keep their options open there.
I think I also would have liked a bit more about Kingsley at the end, but it makes sense that they keep their options open there.
February 1, 2024
Updated review:
I always knew I wanted to revisit this book after I'd finished the campaign, and boy did context make this much more enjoyable.
I listened to this as the audiobook this time, and it was SO GOOD. Robbie was such a good narrator and the cast as their respective characters? PHENOMENONAL. Taliesin as Molly? A knife to my heart. Matt as Lucien. HAWT.
Having watched the campaign and knowing the story this time, it was much easier to grasp certain story aspects and characters. But I still stand by my point that if you don't know anything of Critical Role, then I think you wouldn't understand much of what was going on. But I don't think CR books could ever truly escape that.
You know who is so overlooked by fans? Cree.
My poor baby girl did everything for Lucien, sacrificed everything about herself to follow him, be used by him, and controlled. I think by the end she knew the Lucien she loved growing up was gone - and it made her character all the sadder.
One thing I'll say negatively about the audiobook is that I felt they tamed Luicen a bit in comparison to his counterpart in the campaign.
Like I didn't get those chills like I did watching him in the campaign, nothing bad on Matt's talent, more just it was obvious they had to tone it down for new readers.
Overall, it is a great dive into the Nonagon's past and his descent into madness. One of my favourite antagonists fully realised.
Original review:
I have super mixed feelings about this book.
I really love that Critical Role is doing books now, and I was so excited when this one was announced. As I'm currently watching the Mighty Nein, most of this was new information to me, having only known Molly and mere tales of Lucien.
But gosh, the first half of this book was so slow.
I didn't really enjoy the writing style given. it felt like there was too much telling and not enough showing.
Some of the time jumps were annoying, mostly the 7 year one where we suddenly find them in the Order, without much explanation as to how they got there or why.
I did like learning about Lucien and seeing his descent into madness (im a sucker for it, really). And it was cool seeing a deeper connection between Molly and Lucien, as well as M9 members like Yasha.
For me, the book only began to pick up after the last time jump (iykyk). From the story that I assumed was in the actual campaign, I really liked seeing the M9 from an outsider perspective, they felt more in place in the world and it was easy to see their characters shine.
There was really clever and creative use of the footnotes.
The way the voices were portrayed really felt like they were invading my own space, much like they would to Lucien. It made it easier to understand what he was dealing with.
Overall, there were aspects that I enjoyed and aspects that I didn't enjoy, but it was a really good dive into Lucien before and his state of mind after the spell. Makes me eager to actually watch this part of the show when I eventually reach it (which is wayyyyyy off for me yet, lmao)
I always knew I wanted to revisit this book after I'd finished the campaign, and boy did context make this much more enjoyable.
I listened to this as the audiobook this time, and it was SO GOOD. Robbie was such a good narrator and the cast as their respective characters? PHENOMENONAL. Taliesin as Molly? A knife to my heart. Matt as Lucien. HAWT.
Having watched the campaign and knowing the story this time, it was much easier to grasp certain story aspects and characters. But I still stand by my point that if you don't know anything of Critical Role, then I think you wouldn't understand much of what was going on. But I don't think CR books could ever truly escape that.
You know who is so overlooked by fans? Cree.
My poor baby girl did everything for Lucien, sacrificed everything about herself to follow him, be used by him, and controlled. I think by the end she knew the Lucien she loved growing up was gone - and it made her character all the sadder.
One thing I'll say negatively about the audiobook is that I felt they tamed Luicen a bit in comparison to his counterpart in the campaign.
Like I didn't get those chills like I did watching him in the campaign, nothing bad on Matt's talent, more just it was obvious they had to tone it down for new readers.
Overall, it is a great dive into the Nonagon's past and his descent into madness. One of my favourite antagonists fully realised.
Original review:
I have super mixed feelings about this book.
I really love that Critical Role is doing books now, and I was so excited when this one was announced. As I'm currently watching the Mighty Nein, most of this was new information to me, having only known Molly and mere tales of Lucien.
But gosh, the first half of this book was so slow.
I didn't really enjoy the writing style given. it felt like there was too much telling and not enough showing.
Some of the time jumps were annoying, mostly the 7 year one where we suddenly find them in the Order, without much explanation as to how they got there or why.
I did like learning about Lucien and seeing his descent into madness (im a sucker for it, really). And it was cool seeing a deeper connection between Molly and Lucien, as well as M9 members like Yasha.
For me, the book only began to pick up after the last time jump (iykyk). From the story that I assumed was in the actual campaign, I really liked seeing the M9 from an outsider perspective, they felt more in place in the world and it was easy to see their characters shine.
There was really clever and creative use of the footnotes.
The way the voices were portrayed really felt like they were invading my own space, much like they would to Lucien. It made it easier to understand what he was dealing with.
Overall, there were aspects that I enjoyed and aspects that I didn't enjoy, but it was a really good dive into Lucien before and his state of mind after the spell. Makes me eager to actually watch this part of the show when I eventually reach it (which is wayyyyyy off for me yet, lmao)
February 15, 2023
As a Critical Role fan I was quite excited to gain more insight into Lucien and the Somnovem, but I’m afraid the book came across as thin and surface level. The character exploration of Lucien, which is the focus of most of the book, is shallow, cliche, and flattens a character that was portrayed with mysterious depth by Matthew Mercer. The best section of the book is Lucien’s childhood, but as soon as we get to the Claret Orders, the book seems to have no interest in doing anything but checking off plot points that CR fans are aware of from the campaign.
There are countless battles, character encounters, and interesting settings, but none are given time to breathe. Often we are told that something has occured by Lucien or in dialogue rather than it being written out and by the end of the book this came across as quite lazy, particularly when it came to scenes that were included in the campaign (not that the book should have recreated those to a T, but what we got was not a good retelling). And this is doubly odd considering that while the book is 300 pages, it is quite thin. It could have easily been another couple hundred pages, which I imagine would not have been a problem for CR fans that watch hours of livestreams.
It is almost as if this not being the author’s own world left her timid to add backstory, additional knowledge of the world, or character. And frankly if you were not a Critical Role fan, I think this would be a one star review since the story would largely be nonsensical with the missing context of the characters and world. Media should stand on its own, not rely on additional media to be understood.
This is the first of any of the Critical Role comics or books I’ve read, I hope that the others provide a much better experience to CR fans and newcomers alike. I would recommend staying away from this one, though I must say the cover art and the red eye pattern on the inside covers are great.
There are countless battles, character encounters, and interesting settings, but none are given time to breathe. Often we are told that something has occured by Lucien or in dialogue rather than it being written out and by the end of the book this came across as quite lazy, particularly when it came to scenes that were included in the campaign (not that the book should have recreated those to a T, but what we got was not a good retelling). And this is doubly odd considering that while the book is 300 pages, it is quite thin. It could have easily been another couple hundred pages, which I imagine would not have been a problem for CR fans that watch hours of livestreams.
It is almost as if this not being the author’s own world left her timid to add backstory, additional knowledge of the world, or character. And frankly if you were not a Critical Role fan, I think this would be a one star review since the story would largely be nonsensical with the missing context of the characters and world. Media should stand on its own, not rely on additional media to be understood.
This is the first of any of the Critical Role comics or books I’ve read, I hope that the others provide a much better experience to CR fans and newcomers alike. I would recommend staying away from this one, though I must say the cover art and the red eye pattern on the inside covers are great.
November 7, 2022
Man I enjoyed that audiobook a lot
February 8, 2025
I loved Campaign 2 of Critical Role, I think it was the best one of the three. I didn’t have insane expectations for this book, it’s basically a villain origin story combined with what happened in the campaign and an epiloge to give his story somewhat of a happy ending.
I enjoyed it fine enough, but it wasn’t exillarating. At times it felt like glorified fanfiction, which is never a great thing in my opinion. I never connected with Lucien, the main character, and that’s kind of crucial when you have a whole book trying to contextualize him as a character before you meet him as the main villain in the campaign. It was pretty obvious from the start for me that his companions were going to be disposed of at various points in the story. Only his betrayal towards one of his closest friends near the end had me react in any meaningful way. I guess I’m glad I could support Critical Role in this way, but a reread is not happening.
I enjoyed it fine enough, but it wasn’t exillarating. At times it felt like glorified fanfiction, which is never a great thing in my opinion. I never connected with Lucien, the main character, and that’s kind of crucial when you have a whole book trying to contextualize him as a character before you meet him as the main villain in the campaign. It was pretty obvious from the start for me that his companions were going to be disposed of at various points in the story. Only his betrayal towards one of his closest friends near the end had me react in any meaningful way. I guess I’m glad I could support Critical Role in this way, but a reread is not happening.
October 19, 2025
I liked it! (I procastinated... a bit so it took me ages to finish this and I have to admit I probably forgot a few details after picking it back up but that's on me enndjjdedn🙈)
I really liked the second half where you get to experience more of the inner struggle and Lucien losing his humanity/self bit by bit and the way it shows. The writing style sets up every scene in a way that you have them pictures in front of your inner eye. And the use of the footnotes and the different use of words and letters and how they are placed on (certain) pages is a really fun way to engage as a reader and bring across the different moods and thoughts etc, very cool!
The switching of tenses /in times (of the story itself) is also a use of story telling I enjoy and is used here in a cool way to tell the story
.
Certainly a great read for any Mighty Nein fan💜
I really liked the second half where you get to experience more of the inner struggle and Lucien losing his humanity/self bit by bit and the way it shows. The writing style sets up every scene in a way that you have them pictures in front of your inner eye. And the use of the footnotes and the different use of words and letters and how they are placed on (certain) pages is a really fun way to engage as a reader and bring across the different moods and thoughts etc, very cool!
The switching of tenses /in times (of the story itself) is also a use of story telling I enjoy and is used here in a cool way to tell the story
.
Certainly a great read for any Mighty Nein fan💜
March 20, 2024
3.5 stars.
best read if you're already familiar with campaign two, since otherwise things might get a bit confusing, so it doesn't quite stand alone. i did, however, enjoy this much more than kith & kin, and i really liked roux's writing style. some parts felt a little rushed (like the ending), and i'd be curious to know which parts where already canonical via matt and/or taliesin and which parts roux came up with, but overall a fun read (especially the connection between empty & the hollowing, what a good twist).
rounded up to four stars because .
best read if you're already familiar with campaign two, since otherwise things might get a bit confusing, so it doesn't quite stand alone. i did, however, enjoy this much more than kith & kin, and i really liked roux's writing style. some parts felt a little rushed (like the ending), and i'd be curious to know which parts where already canonical via matt and/or taliesin and which parts roux came up with, but overall a fun read (especially the connection between empty & the hollowing, what a good twist).
rounded up to four stars because .
April 2, 2023
A strong and charming writing voice, but the book by its very nature can't function as a stand alone novel, as the one about the twins did. It makes an interesting supplement, but since scenes from the podcast are largely skipped or summarized, it feels like a great deal of the important action happens off-screen.
April 8, 2025
mollymauk gorls we rise ✨
3.5 rounded up
3.5 rounded up
June 2, 2024
Long may he reign
July 29, 2024
I quite enjoyed the first half of the book and watching Lucien becoming the Nonagon, but knowing the ending of the story stripped me off my excitement for reading the second half of it. Would it be better to read without watching campain 2? Probably not. The second half, i just didn't care to read...
Still happy to have this read and know a little more about The number 1 villain of CR campain 2
Still happy to have this read and know a little more about The number 1 villain of CR campain 2
December 15, 2022
As someone who tried to read House of Leaves several times (to no fucking avail, I made it 2/3s in 2014 and had to give up) hearing that this book was taking inspiration from Danielewski's classic gothy headfucker both thrilled and concerned me. It seems a very apt and clever fit for the theme, knowing what I know of Lucien's story (like pretty much everybody here, I'm a CR fan, and watched the back half of C2 unfold in syndication.) The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star read for me was that I felt the entire back half of this book was very rushed. Spoilers, ish - when we re-emerged from Lucien's past and into his 'present' during the last part of the Mighty Nein campaign, we now have Lucien (back in the driver's seat of his own body, with Mollymauk not-so-dispatched as it turns out) interfacing with the M9 in real time. I get that a blow by blow of that would have been difficult seeing as how we watched those interactions happen live in the streams, and a book that just covered every scene of an episode as it existed would have been tedious af, but I would have liked more time, more /meat/ as it were, to the way Lucien saw and approached these new sensations of these people he sort-of used to know.
Highlights: you can tell M. Roux spent time talking to Taliesin - she NAILED Molly's delivery from Lucien's psyche, and finding out that he was in fact getting missives from Everyone's Favorite Dead D&D Character recontextualizes so much of the campaign (which, again, I watched in syndication, so I'm going to have to go back and observe with new eyes - PUN - and with the awareness that Lucien was in fact lying through his teeth about having no sense of connection to the 9.) The antagonistic moments between Lucien and his circus man other-half were delightful - witty and quick and rude. Weirdly, I saw a lot of complaints about the first half of this book and I can't imagine why - I had a wonderful time getting to know the Original Host and see where the seeds were planted for the bad choices he made down the road. Lucien was surprisingly sympathetic but not so much so that you feel you're being challenged on whether or not he was wrong. All of this was really, really well done, and I'm extra impressed because I haven't liked Madeleine Roux's work all that much tbh. Brevyn was wonderful, and tragic for sure, but Lucien and Cree broke my heart. It gave so much beautiful context to a story I had only seen one side of on the show - I laughed, I definitely cried, I groaned in frustration and I generally couldn't put it down.
Not thrilled: Again, pacing. The first half? Excellent. The second felt like we were speeding through a script and making sure to hit all the specified points more than it felt like an exploration of the story at points. Further, the points that were chosen seemed odd - I really would have liked Lucien's internalized rumination on Caduceus's very neutral assurance that he would in fact kill him if he had to (or Mollymauk reacting to this new stranger during the times he was able to break through.) Really, though, that's it. I enjoyed the rest immensely.
Highlights: you can tell M. Roux spent time talking to Taliesin - she NAILED Molly's delivery from Lucien's psyche, and finding out that he was in fact getting missives from Everyone's Favorite Dead D&D Character recontextualizes so much of the campaign (which, again, I watched in syndication, so I'm going to have to go back and observe with new eyes - PUN - and with the awareness that Lucien was in fact lying through his teeth about having no sense of connection to the 9.) The antagonistic moments between Lucien and his circus man other-half were delightful - witty and quick and rude. Weirdly, I saw a lot of complaints about the first half of this book and I can't imagine why - I had a wonderful time getting to know the Original Host and see where the seeds were planted for the bad choices he made down the road. Lucien was surprisingly sympathetic but not so much so that you feel you're being challenged on whether or not he was wrong. All of this was really, really well done, and I'm extra impressed because I haven't liked Madeleine Roux's work all that much tbh. Brevyn was wonderful, and tragic for sure, but Lucien and Cree broke my heart. It gave so much beautiful context to a story I had only seen one side of on the show - I laughed, I definitely cried, I groaned in frustration and I generally couldn't put it down.
Not thrilled: Again, pacing. The first half? Excellent. The second felt like we were speeding through a script and making sure to hit all the specified points more than it felt like an exploration of the story at points. Further, the points that were chosen seemed odd - I really would have liked Lucien's internalized rumination on Caduceus's very neutral assurance that he would in fact kill him if he had to (or Mollymauk reacting to this new stranger during the times he was able to break through.) Really, though, that's it. I enjoyed the rest immensely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2025
It's CR's 10 year anniversary today and I decided to read the 80% of this book I had left. The Mighty Nein are everything to me and this was so perfectly done. I cried at the end.
January 13, 2026
Man, i feel like 3 stars seems harsh, but 4 too much, it’s like a 3,5 if I could.
You’re slipping.
This is definitely a book for those who have seen and finished Critical Role’s 2nd Campaign, The Mighty Nein, and few outside that bracket.
This will not make sense to anyone who haven’t, and shouldn’t be trying to.
With that in mind, I feel like the book could have catered even more to said specific audience in mind.
Acknowledging that it takes inspiration from House of Leaves, I think it should’ve done more so than it did (even from my scarce knowledge of it, as I have yet to read it myself).
(Regretfully, I always seem to buy the kindle versions of books that use visual formats very intentionally. Might’ve done myself and the book a disservice here, my bad.)
I’m left wishing they went even crazier with it - the book is diligent in only using format gimmicks once, which I can understand, but for this particular book I’m left wanting them to have been drizzled all through the damn thing - like the hidden dialogue from the Somnovem that you can read by piecing together single bolded letters across a few paragraphs; This could have easily been used throughout the entire book, and it would double the load of information and dialogue the reader gets out of it, and added to the immersion of the dark descent to hidden knowledge.
Voices of the Somnovem overlapping, always.
I also had a personal heavenly immersive reading experience with the resurrection of Lucien:
As the pages contain just a single word each, i somehow clicked my kindle too fast or got blessed by failure in technology, so that the pages flipped to crescendo towards the next chapter - felt like i got rushed towards the surface, it was fucking magical.
And coming back to the audience reading this book…
I’ve seen criticism saying it could have benefited from being longer; I’m inclined to agree.
The backstory for Lucien is fine - I love the ideas thrown out here, some really great concepts - but coming from the aftermath of the campaign, the particulars of who Lucien was isn’t really what I’m burning to know.
Ultimately, I don’t think it matters all that much. He could be anyone before he finds that journal. The after would remain largely the same.
And this discovery marks the halfway point of the book itself.
Immediately after, I’m a bit disappointed to see that the revelation of The Eyes of Nine is kinda just… glossed over.
Lucien spends a week consumed by it, which is about all that’s said about that. You’re not particularly more introduced or familiarised with the Eyes and voices of the Somnovem as we progress, than you are watching the Campaign. Honestly, I would have loved to see more zealotry, really take part in Lucien’s eyes being opened, so to speak.
This book could’ve just started with him finding the Journal, and dove deep into his spiral, rather than set up a backstory beforehand to callback in the finale.
A bit of mystery in Lucien’s past served him good, and frankly I’d rather have the promises and visions given to the Nonagon revealed instead. You’re given some of the facts and history of the City’s origin in the campaign, and in this book, but no more insight to its being - nor the insight of being in direct communication with it for a long time beyond the surface and aftermath.
And with an already established cast from the campaign, Brevyn and other new characters kinda fall a bit short.
As the audience, it’s harder to find the same time to care for them as the ones we’re already familiar with. Though I understand the attempt at bringing and revealing something new - which wasn’t a completely failed attempt or anything - I could see more reward reaped from leaning more into the already established and fleshing them out even more, be it cast or plot.
When the narrative does hit on the stuff the campaign has already beaten into your heart, it indulges you in sentences there just to press your bruises.
In the end, I suppose it could’ve pulled all of its aspects off with just a bit more space to do so, to give you time to bond and care. (Maybe this is also on me for reading very eagerly and fast. I do not skim tho, let it be known!!!)
Regardless, this book contains loads of fun and cleverness still!
The Tombtakers and their leader are given a typical goofy DnD-party take, and there is some great dialogues and characterisations.
It’s been fun also seeing the Mighty Nein from the eyes of an in-world stranger, while still easily recognising their character(s).
It does not allow the reader to properly get to know The Mighty Nein outside their own assumed knowledge they would have had by spending hours watching them on screen. Which I can understand, but then again, this should have assumed you knew even more than it does as its audience.
If nothing else, this book got me sympathetic towards Cree again.
I liked Cree initially in the campaign, meeting her with Molly, and then she soured standing by Lucien’s side, but now I feel bad for her again. Realizing now she’s practically Jester’s character foil - worshipping a friendship to the point of religion.
She could’ve deserved another chance, too :(
Thankfully, the book concludes strong and does feel worthwhile to me. I really enjoyed the final death and rebirth of Lucien and Molly as Kingsley. Him as a truce between Lucien and Molly was just right.
Lastly, I will admit that while this has been on my to-read since finishing C2, I hesitated reading because of mixed reviews on here, and put it on hold until I was told of a single quote describing Essek crying out as Caleb dies. I needed that shit in my hand immediately.
(Funnier still, Essek isn’t even named by name a single time throughout this book - naturally, as it is from Lu’s POV)
TL;DR - This book revealed none of the mysteries I was hoping for insight into, but it had fun moments and effective lines for the small things that you already love: it will press your established bruises most deliciously every once in a while.
Should have been even weirder imo! As is, it’s spread a bit too thin.
Am curious to know what the audio-book is like, though!
This is like the longest review ever lmao and i still feel like i could yap more. One day, my friends will also finish C2… then I can share my sentiments elsewhere
You’re slipping.
This is definitely a book for those who have seen and finished Critical Role’s 2nd Campaign, The Mighty Nein, and few outside that bracket.
This will not make sense to anyone who haven’t, and shouldn’t be trying to.
With that in mind, I feel like the book could have catered even more to said specific audience in mind.
Acknowledging that it takes inspiration from House of Leaves, I think it should’ve done more so than it did (even from my scarce knowledge of it, as I have yet to read it myself).
(Regretfully, I always seem to buy the kindle versions of books that use visual formats very intentionally. Might’ve done myself and the book a disservice here, my bad.)
I’m left wishing they went even crazier with it - the book is diligent in only using format gimmicks once, which I can understand, but for this particular book I’m left wanting them to have been drizzled all through the damn thing - like the hidden dialogue from the Somnovem that you can read by piecing together single bolded letters across a few paragraphs; This could have easily been used throughout the entire book, and it would double the load of information and dialogue the reader gets out of it, and added to the immersion of the dark descent to hidden knowledge.
Voices of the Somnovem overlapping, always.
I also had a personal heavenly immersive reading experience with the resurrection of Lucien:
As the pages contain just a single word each, i somehow clicked my kindle too fast or got blessed by failure in technology, so that the pages flipped to crescendo towards the next chapter - felt like i got rushed towards the surface, it was fucking magical.
And coming back to the audience reading this book…
I’ve seen criticism saying it could have benefited from being longer; I’m inclined to agree.
The backstory for Lucien is fine - I love the ideas thrown out here, some really great concepts - but coming from the aftermath of the campaign, the particulars of who Lucien was isn’t really what I’m burning to know.
Ultimately, I don’t think it matters all that much. He could be anyone before he finds that journal. The after would remain largely the same.
And this discovery marks the halfway point of the book itself.
Immediately after, I’m a bit disappointed to see that the revelation of The Eyes of Nine is kinda just… glossed over.
Lucien spends a week consumed by it, which is about all that’s said about that. You’re not particularly more introduced or familiarised with the Eyes and voices of the Somnovem as we progress, than you are watching the Campaign. Honestly, I would have loved to see more zealotry, really take part in Lucien’s eyes being opened, so to speak.
This book could’ve just started with him finding the Journal, and dove deep into his spiral, rather than set up a backstory beforehand to callback in the finale.
A bit of mystery in Lucien’s past served him good, and frankly I’d rather have the promises and visions given to the Nonagon revealed instead. You’re given some of the facts and history of the City’s origin in the campaign, and in this book, but no more insight to its being - nor the insight of being in direct communication with it for a long time beyond the surface and aftermath.
And with an already established cast from the campaign, Brevyn and other new characters kinda fall a bit short.
As the audience, it’s harder to find the same time to care for them as the ones we’re already familiar with. Though I understand the attempt at bringing and revealing something new - which wasn’t a completely failed attempt or anything - I could see more reward reaped from leaning more into the already established and fleshing them out even more, be it cast or plot.
When the narrative does hit on the stuff the campaign has already beaten into your heart, it indulges you in sentences there just to press your bruises.
In the end, I suppose it could’ve pulled all of its aspects off with just a bit more space to do so, to give you time to bond and care. (Maybe this is also on me for reading very eagerly and fast. I do not skim tho, let it be known!!!)
Regardless, this book contains loads of fun and cleverness still!
The Tombtakers and their leader are given a typical goofy DnD-party take, and there is some great dialogues and characterisations.
It’s been fun also seeing the Mighty Nein from the eyes of an in-world stranger, while still easily recognising their character(s).
It does not allow the reader to properly get to know The Mighty Nein outside their own assumed knowledge they would have had by spending hours watching them on screen. Which I can understand, but then again, this should have assumed you knew even more than it does as its audience.
If nothing else, this book got me sympathetic towards Cree again.
I liked Cree initially in the campaign, meeting her with Molly, and then she soured standing by Lucien’s side, but now I feel bad for her again. Realizing now she’s practically Jester’s character foil - worshipping a friendship to the point of religion.
She could’ve deserved another chance, too :(
Thankfully, the book concludes strong and does feel worthwhile to me. I really enjoyed the final death and rebirth of Lucien and Molly as Kingsley. Him as a truce between Lucien and Molly was just right.
Lastly, I will admit that while this has been on my to-read since finishing C2, I hesitated reading because of mixed reviews on here, and put it on hold until I was told of a single quote describing Essek crying out as Caleb dies. I needed that shit in my hand immediately.
(Funnier still, Essek isn’t even named by name a single time throughout this book - naturally, as it is from Lu’s POV)
TL;DR - This book revealed none of the mysteries I was hoping for insight into, but it had fun moments and effective lines for the small things that you already love: it will press your established bruises most deliciously every once in a while.
Should have been even weirder imo! As is, it’s spread a bit too thin.
Am curious to know what the audio-book is like, though!
This is like the longest review ever lmao and i still feel like i could yap more. One day, my friends will also finish C2… then I can share my sentiments elsewhere
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2022
If I could I would give this a 3.5 probably. I really enjoyed the first half of the book where seeing Lucien's upbringing in Shadycreek Run and his time with the Claret Orders was well realized and took advantage of the incredible world-building of Exandria. For me, I thought the time skips were a bit jarring and at times it felt like I was reading a textbook-y history of events from Lucien's point-of-view in the second half.
I think I was expecting more with his descent into obsession of the nine eyes. I think it would have been worth spending more time with that dynamic, as it kind of felt like he just became the full nonagon fairly abruptly.
It was really fun seeing the interactions with the Mighty Nein from Lucien's point of view and the Aeor ruins, with the extra bit of lore we get, were a joy to return to. I would probably only recommend this book to critters though, as the second half is probably only enjoyable if you know the back half of the Mighty Nein campaign intimately.
But overall I enjoyed it!
I think I was expecting more with his descent into obsession of the nine eyes. I think it would have been worth spending more time with that dynamic, as it kind of felt like he just became the full nonagon fairly abruptly.
It was really fun seeing the interactions with the Mighty Nein from Lucien's point of view and the Aeor ruins, with the extra bit of lore we get, were a joy to return to. I would probably only recommend this book to critters though, as the second half is probably only enjoyable if you know the back half of the Mighty Nein campaign intimately.
But overall I enjoyed it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2023
this took me forever to get into reading it as an ebook at first, but once i switched to the audiobook it was a lot better.
i really strongly disliked lucien lol so this wasn't the best fit for me. i also struggled with all the tomb takers characters, just because there were so many and none of them, including cree, felt fleshed out at all.
i understand that this is a tough story to tell, but nothing about lucien stood out to me in particular, except for that he was annoying me the entire time with his whining about grandure and whatever the "glint" was about. someone (idr who, might've been molly) at some point calls him the chosen one, and he behaved like one the whole entire time despite only becoming somewhat special once he becomes the nonagon.
i've heard a lot of praise for this book and i'm glad people are enjoying it, but i can't relate. good for them, though, and good for me that the other cast members read their lines. robbie did a really good job with this, too
i really strongly disliked lucien lol so this wasn't the best fit for me. i also struggled with all the tomb takers characters, just because there were so many and none of them, including cree, felt fleshed out at all.
i understand that this is a tough story to tell, but nothing about lucien stood out to me in particular, except for that he was annoying me the entire time with his whining about grandure and whatever the "glint" was about. someone (idr who, might've been molly) at some point calls him the chosen one, and he behaved like one the whole entire time despite only becoming somewhat special once he becomes the nonagon.
i've heard a lot of praise for this book and i'm glad people are enjoying it, but i can't relate. good for them, though, and good for me that the other cast members read their lines. robbie did a really good job with this, too
May 25, 2023
When I read a book, especially if it's a specific character backstory, I expect two things. 1 - The story should be able to stand on its own. 2 - The story should give us something new.
The Nine Eyes of Lucien did neither of those things. The last few chapters were just those few final episodes of CR from Lucien's perspective. Except it gave us nothing. His backstory was poorly written and did not add anything to why he did what he did. He was also a victim of the Somnovan. He didn't seek them out for his own purposes. Also, nothing was done with his family. It felt like a side note.
This had the potential to do a character study on why someone would be tempted to such extreme but deforming power, and it was boring.
The Nine Eyes of Lucien did neither of those things. The last few chapters were just those few final episodes of CR from Lucien's perspective. Except it gave us nothing. His backstory was poorly written and did not add anything to why he did what he did. He was also a victim of the Somnovan. He didn't seek them out for his own purposes. Also, nothing was done with his family. It felt like a side note.
This had the potential to do a character study on why someone would be tempted to such extreme but deforming power, and it was boring.
February 12, 2025
fucking finally. will edit later with a proper review. it took until the second half to get good but after that i was impressed
ok hi i have a review but it's half baked.
i think the first half of the book was kind of a drag. i didn't care too much about anyone because i knew everything was a flashback and it was difficult to tell if anyone was going to be important aside from cree and the tombtakers (spoiler they were not). even brevyn was predictably unimportant because i saw her in the group and i was like Oh she is so dead and this is going to trigger lucien's villain arc somehow. i thought the stuff with azrahari and the callback to the amulet was cool, though i wish (maybe i'm just remembering from the campaign wrong?) it still had some of the magical elements when cree used it. also, learning about lucien's family was interesting, i just couldn't help rolling my eyes and cringing a little thinking "damn, bro has trauma from his brother being turned into a sock? that's really emo". also when brevyn died, i was painfully unfazed because i just knew that "this is the mandate of the soul" shit was coming. it was sort of... anticlimactic but then they tried to use her death as if it was this great sacrifice. not super impactful for me personally.
BUT the second half of the book started getting pretty cool! i liked the stuff playing with the fonts of different voices and the formatting. i also liked when lucien met the mighty nein because i knew about their perspectives but it was exciting to see what he was thinking and ESPECIALLY molly's thoughts while he was rolling around in there. i was actually laughing at a few of those lines because taliesin definitely had a hand in that. i also really appreciated cree and it was sweet that she believed in him until the end, even though lucien was becoming Consumed by power. additionally, it was really cool seeing snippets of the journal and getting to understand what it was that rattled the people who read it, but i wish there was even a bit more of a prequel explaining what the hell the journal was about- why and how it was written, why it caused the eyes. maybe like, flashing back and forth between the writer of the journal and lucien's journey and showing the parallels, kinda like "the left hand of darkness" rather than just telling us about the parallels.
random shoutouts include that the formatting and text bolding and stuff was awesome. very cool and the audiobook REALLY complimented those aspects because they were voiced by everyone. i could listen to robbie daymond speak for many more hours than i did. he mispronounced a couple words like Fjord and Praesidis but idk, i assume that was a communication issue and i don't blame him. the ending was sweeeeeeet, i like how roux wrapped it up.
one big thing that i am mixed on is the fact that the story doesn't stand alone whatsoever. i would feel sooo lost if i hadn't remembered or been watching the mighty nein so it's not an avenue for a new audience to get into critical role unfortunately. still a cool story and a cool supplemental piece for people who are already into it, because again, it's really neat seeing lucien and knowing molly was in there somewhere; even if some of that context feels like an afterthought, it's in the nature of improv that they would have to do some retrofitting.
cool book, but i wouldn't give it more stars because of the first half kinda rushing through events yet feeling slow, and not being able to stand alone.
ok hi i have a review but it's half baked.
i think the first half of the book was kind of a drag. i didn't care too much about anyone because i knew everything was a flashback and it was difficult to tell if anyone was going to be important aside from cree and the tombtakers (spoiler they were not). even brevyn was predictably unimportant because i saw her in the group and i was like Oh she is so dead and this is going to trigger lucien's villain arc somehow. i thought the stuff with azrahari and the callback to the amulet was cool, though i wish (maybe i'm just remembering from the campaign wrong?) it still had some of the magical elements when cree used it. also, learning about lucien's family was interesting, i just couldn't help rolling my eyes and cringing a little thinking "damn, bro has trauma from his brother being turned into a sock? that's really emo". also when brevyn died, i was painfully unfazed because i just knew that "this is the mandate of the soul" shit was coming. it was sort of... anticlimactic but then they tried to use her death as if it was this great sacrifice. not super impactful for me personally.
BUT the second half of the book started getting pretty cool! i liked the stuff playing with the fonts of different voices and the formatting. i also liked when lucien met the mighty nein because i knew about their perspectives but it was exciting to see what he was thinking and ESPECIALLY molly's thoughts while he was rolling around in there. i was actually laughing at a few of those lines because taliesin definitely had a hand in that. i also really appreciated cree and it was sweet that she believed in him until the end, even though lucien was becoming Consumed by power. additionally, it was really cool seeing snippets of the journal and getting to understand what it was that rattled the people who read it, but i wish there was even a bit more of a prequel explaining what the hell the journal was about- why and how it was written, why it caused the eyes. maybe like, flashing back and forth between the writer of the journal and lucien's journey and showing the parallels, kinda like "the left hand of darkness" rather than just telling us about the parallels.
random shoutouts include that the formatting and text bolding and stuff was awesome. very cool and the audiobook REALLY complimented those aspects because they were voiced by everyone. i could listen to robbie daymond speak for many more hours than i did. he mispronounced a couple words like Fjord and Praesidis but idk, i assume that was a communication issue and i don't blame him. the ending was sweeeeeeet, i like how roux wrapped it up.
one big thing that i am mixed on is the fact that the story doesn't stand alone whatsoever. i would feel sooo lost if i hadn't remembered or been watching the mighty nein so it's not an avenue for a new audience to get into critical role unfortunately. still a cool story and a cool supplemental piece for people who are already into it, because again, it's really neat seeing lucien and knowing molly was in there somewhere; even if some of that context feels like an afterthought, it's in the nature of improv that they would have to do some retrofitting.
cool book, but i wouldn't give it more stars because of the first half kinda rushing through events yet feeling slow, and not being able to stand alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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