Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin

Forgotten Realms - Publication Order

by Jaleigh Johnson

Meet the newest Dungeons & Dragons party in the first epic adventure of The Fallbacks.

To become renowned adventurers, this party needs to survive their first job.
 
Tessalynde is an ambitious young rogue who dreams of leading Faerûn’s foremost adventuring party. While the crew she’s gathered isn’t the stuff of legend yet, she’s confident her guidance can get them there.
 
There's Anson, a fighter too stubborn to stay down, even when the odds are stacked against him. Cazrin, a self-taught wizard determined to test her theoretical mettle against the real world. Baldric, a cleric who refuses to tie himself to a single deity when he can trade favors with them all. Lark, a bard with as many secrets as songs. And, of course, Uggie, a monstrous pet otyugh who loves giving hugs and eating trash.
 
Their first quest was to recover a mysterious spellbook from a lost temple for a hefty payout. Tess hopes this assignment can turn her group of fledgling freelancers into a true team. But when their client is killed, their coin and his murderer both vanish, leaving the party to take the fall.
 
Stuck with a sentient, bloodthirsty grimoire and pursued by mercenaries and the undead, this is hardly the mission Tess envisioned. Her crew must save the day, get the gold, and clear the party’s name—which they haven’t even agreed upon yet! With the threats against them mounting, a single mistake will see this party over before it even begins.
 
Can this band of mismatched misfits stay together in the face of danger? Or are they bound for ruin?

Genres: Fantasy, Forgotten Realms, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Audiobook, Magic, Adventure

Audible Audio

First published March 5, 2024

About the author

Jaleigh Johnson lives and writes in the wilds of the Midwest. Her middle grade debut novel The Mark of the Dragonfly is a New York Times bestseller. Her other books from Delacorte Press include The Secrets of Solace, The Quest to the Uncharted Lands, and The Door to the Lost. She has also written fiction for Dungeons and Dragons, Marvel, and Assassin's Creed. Johnson is an avid gamer and lifelong geek.

Reviews

[Enaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge thanks to Random House Worlds for the advanced copy!

I'm a big fan of anything fantasy, and doubly so when it has "Dungeons & Dragons" printed somewhere on the cover, so when I got the chance to review The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin, I was HYPED. And all I can say is: this did not disappoint.

Tessalynde (Tess to her friends) dreams of putting together Faerûn's best adventuring party. She already has Anson the fighter at her side, as well as Uggie the otyugh, and goes to recruit three more members to balance the party: Cazrin the wizard, Baldric the (unorthodox) cleric, and Lark the bard. Together they take on their first quest in hopes of lauching their reputation as Faerûn's new greatest adventurers, but of course, things don't quite go as planned, and it's up to them to save both their reputation and their lives.

It's a character-driven story with little conflict between party members, which is honestly refreshing. Everyone gets their turn in the spotlight, so if you're like me and ready to give your credit card info to Lark with no strings attached (I was hooked on his character from the moment he showed up, sue me), you'll get some chapters from his point of view, as well as everyone else's. And I mean everyone. Uggie's chapters are works of genius adding vital character and depth to everyone on the team.

One of the things that made Honor Among Thieves one of my favorite movies ever was how it felt like I was watching a D&D campaign play out, and the same can be said for this book. It feels like a group of friends made a D&D group and played through a campaign. If you like Critical Role or Dimension 20, you'll love The Fallbacks.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 2 out of 5]

A perfectly serviceable heroic fantasy I.P. book. Compared to the Forgotten Realms books of the 1990s I’ve been slowly working my way through, it’s notably more standard in terms of sticking to the rules of the D&D tabletop game. There are some cozy touches in keeping with that particular current trend. The author is a successful I.P. writer and is not particularly hacky.

The cast of characters forms the typical class assortment: Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Thief, and (ugh) Bard. They’ve each got a whiff of personality: the thief just really wants to lead the best adventuring team around, by golly; the wizard just really likes knowledge, yo; the cleric lives on the edge by juggling bargains with multiple gods of Faerun; the fighter’s personality is that he has a broken magic sword.

There is also a bard.

There is also a baby otyugh who will be an instant fan favorite, and is perhaps the best character because it doesn’t talk. It does get some POV chapters, though, which are great because they are the shortest POV chapters. Overall the multiple POVs (everyone gets them, including the bad guys) don’t enhance the book a ton. The flashbacks add even less. At one point, in response to the line, “At least we aren’t walking into a trap, like that night in Dock Ward,” I could literally hear Wayne and Garth waving their hands from top to botttom and saying, ‘Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo.” I’ll have to insert the gif here, I suppose.

It’s a pleasant book if you want simple fantasy adventure with a theme of friendship.

[kristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of adventure this book was great. But the rest of it was very bare bones - no emotional depth, not much intrigue, just a Very Diverse group of heroes going from task to task.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty fun. As soon as I saw this was by Jaleigh Johnson, I knew I had to read it given how much I loved her Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Road to Neverwinter. While this didn't hit the same highs, it still fun if you're looking for a fantasy adventure romp.

[Daniel Lavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, nothing really more than that. It was a fun adventure with familiar locations and cool enemies, but everything felt very surface level. It felt like a "safe" book, like they wanted to put out another DnD book but didn't want to take any risks with it. Glad I read it though!

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t connect with this one as much as I was hoping to, but I think that is more of a me problem than the books fault. I’ve been on a little bit of a reading slump with audiobooks specifically recently. I used to listen to them regularly but a lot of the things I used to do while listening (going on walks, cooking, puzzles and art projects) I haven’t been doing. So I only listened to this one in random short chunks on my walks to and from work, and they’re just not long enough to really get invested well. It felt like I was dragging because of that.

However, I liked Tess, I really enjoyed Cassrin, the narrator was great, and I enjoyed it enough that I would check out a sequel or something else by this narrator for sure.

[Erin, erin.reads_ 🇨🇦 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded to 3

I picked this book up because some friends and I are going to be playing D&D soon. While the story was good, and the characters were likeable this book was kinda meh for me.

This was a quick and easy read that had me wanting more. I would put this book at an easy young adult level.

I wanted this to be more in-depth, less surface level. This book felt safe, like there were no chances being taken. It felt easy, but I guess I wasn’t looking for easy when I picked this up.

The world of D&D is familiar to me, but this book felt like a soft introduction to it all. Maybe they are hoping to bring in new readers? But for some of us who know the world it was a little bit of a let down.

I sadly won’t be continuing the series, and honestly I don’t think I will pick up anymore novels about D&D.

[HerrPyssling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otroligt nördig, men trevlig läsning för den som gillar dnd! "Så fantasy det blir" som min svenskalärare sa med lätt avsmak. Jag önskar att författaren varit lite mindre rädd att låta karaktärerna skära sig lite med varandra, flirta eller på annat sätt vara något annat än goda vänner, för även om jag ÄLSKAR vänskap och found family(!) blir det roligare läsning om relationerna rubbas lite grann

[Justin Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

two stars felt harsh but three seems a touch generous. it was a decently fun read for the most part, but there were things i could have done without: Bards—after feeling slightly under utilized—now feel overexposed, especially in central roles. i also chafed a bit at how “inside sports” some of the writing was: the thief doesn’t just constantly check for traps, she has to tell us she is constantly checking for traps. combined with the adventuring party calling itself an adventuring party, everyone openly talking about healing potions and magic items and so on …. it was a dash too self aware. how the party comes together, the characters and their backgrounds, is all fine, if occasionally clunky. i love D&D but if this is the new standard for how they build their books, …

[Kelly Hoover · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unmemorable characters. Considering this is a fantasy setting already fully fleshed out, the characters and adventure were totally underwhelming. I expected meeting a new Drizzat or Elminister but found Uggy my favorite POV.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like actually listening to others play DnD. Felt a little slow/predictable at times but nevertheless a good read.

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

The venerable Forgotten Realms fiction line gets a reboot after laying mostly fallow for a few years with a tepid adventure novel featuring a spunky group of adventurers who want nothing more than to adventure and become rich and famous, but they are instead saddled by a dangerous magical artifact which a pair of powerful undead Big Bads would prefer to own.

I didn't like this one much. The tone is twee and quirky, the characters are bland and indistinguishable. I never really cared and if it were any longer I probably wouldn't have bothered seeing it through.

One of the problems is it reads too much like the game fiction it is, and has the kind of moralizing one expects from a YA title without it being, I don't think, explicitly a YA title. It is funny to me, though, that the one thing that most sets it up as game fiction -- the fact that these handful of characters are explicitly an adventuring party and they therefore need a name for their company -- feels so forced and stupid in the fiction but is backed up by the fact that in the first Forgotten Realms product, the back cover of the manual was a photocopy-able form for use as a roster of exactly that -- an "adventuring company" with a name and a symbol and a list of members, and the book had rules about, well, "adventurers" as a career within the world. Not like, normal people falling into the Hero's Quest or having adventure thrust upon them; no, people like "The Fallbacks" who when asked what they want to do when they grow up say "I want to be the cleric in an adventuring party!"

That's Dungeons & Dragons for you, folks.

[BookEd · Rating 3 out of 5]

These were the kind of tropey pulp books I grew up reading as a kid. I've read countless D&D books set in the Forgotten Realms, but it has been a long time since I have done so. The Fallbacks is a light breezy read that feels familiar as a Dungeons & Dragons party is put together to do a job and are forced to overcome one unfortunate mishap after another. I had pretty low expectations for this book, and I can actually report that this book was just executed what it was meant to be. By the end of this short novel the author is able to make all the characters in the party memorable and she was able to capture some witty banter similar to the D&D movie that was recently released. While some of it didn't quite land I have to admit, a couple of times I did chuckle. I would say the strength of this novel is the ending as the author describes a final battle that was fast, visceral, and rewarding. I almost gave this book 4 stars because of it, but I couldn't quite get there. The prose of this book was fine, but nothing exceptional, on par with what you would expect out of a property licensed book, but I thought it was good enough. You get to read about some iconic places from the Forgotten Realms which is D&D's main setting, and I think they handled the magic system of D&D, which can be quite cumbersome to describe, with a deft hand. If you are a hardcore D&D fan then I would recommend this one...if not you can skip it, there's better fantasy out there. This one was at least fun. C+

[Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't read anymore. I really wanted to like this but it lacks actual story telling requirements. For one, I get there is a picture of the characters on the cover, but they still need to describe. It throws the reader in with six different characters, immediately in battle and expects the reader just to know who's who (side characters or villains don't even get descriptions that tells the reader who they are). I had to look up the creatures like Uggie and the assassin, just to know what I was reading.
The author can't assume that the person picking up their book is a dungeon and dragons expert and will just know everything. If the author is going to use the name/term, Zhentarim, they might want to tell the reader what that is (Which, by the way, I looked it up its basically an assassin). These are major problems and it's very frustrating.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Jaleigh Johnson, and it's a good one!

It is a straightforward adventure story set in D&D's Forgotten Realms setting, and it introduces us to a likeable cast of misfit adventurers.

The story moves along at a breezy pace, giving glimpses into the characters' pasts and dropping some little hints about them, probably to be expanded upon in later stories. The overall plot is nothing really shocking, but good enough to have kept me reading to find out what happened next.

All in all, it read like a fun and upbeat adventure story, the tone not unlike the recent D&D Honor Among Thieves movie. And I hope we see more of the Fallbacks in further stories.

Also, I did not know what an Otyugh was before reading this, but Uggie is precious and must be protected at all costs.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this ARC on twitter. As someone who plays D&D I was excited to see what would come of this.

I think the author can write, and I her characters.

That being said, if you're looking for depth or a strong fantasy you're not going to find it here. This is more for newbies or people who don't quite understand how D&D works. I can tell what bits were what if played in a normal game - what rolls, what spells, why this and this was done instead of that. And in my opinion, it took away the fun and mystery of what could happen in the story.

So, if you never read a D&D book before you'll enjoy this a lot more than I did. It's more of a 2 star read, but I gave it 3 because of novelty of it all.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit middle of the road, tame story with fairly predictable outcomes but overall entertaining. Does a lot of telling and not showing, especially with how the characters perceived each other. Great, well done characters, great plot, engaging dialogue, and as a DND player I enjoyed it, but for how tame and safe it felt, I found myself disengaging from the storyline sometimes.

I did really enjoy the Faerun name drops and that was sometimes the most exciting part of this book, but that's just a predictable outcome to the kind of nerd I am about these things lol

Would recommend for an early YA audience, or highschool level DND enthusiasts.

[Jack Shaftoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad they're making new Forgotten Realms novels, but...

This feels like a book meant to list off all the tropes of a D&D session. Not a book meant to stand on its own. The dialogue is corny. There's very little narration of the characters' thoughts. Very little description of settings and characters to help immerse the reader. The story is fine, a little uninteresting.

It feels like a book written in a boardroom. The D&D people should go back to licensing fantasy that's good on its own like they did in the 90s. This just feels pandering.

I agree with the other reviewer who wrote that it feels like an anime for children.

[Anastasia Haddad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Not bad per se, but certainly not great. The inner monologues were way too long and made the pacing of the book feel very slow, and the characters were all very one-note and felt shallow. The overall plot was fine, but it lacked vibrancy and depth. The writing was cliche and basic, and very repetitive. A shrug in book form.

[Dane Winiesdorffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than I expected, loved how the cleric worked and how the party came together over time

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://magicandmeteors.wordpress.com...

Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson is a captivating adventure filled with humor, action, and an unforgettable cast of characters that leap off the page from the very start.

At the helm of this ragtag group is Tessalynde, a rogue whose ambition to establish her own adventuring party is as entertaining as it is inspiring. She’s cleverly written with a sharp mind for tactics, but there’s a wonderful streak of humour woven into her character. Her longing for big adventures shines through in every scene, mixing epic moments with comical ones, making her both a skilled leader and a source of lighthearted relief.

The party that Tessalynde leads is diverse and dynamic:

Anson, the fighter, is too stubborn to stay down, making him a true professional. His resilience adds a grounded, steadfast presence to the group.

Cazrin, the self-taught wizard, is still learning her craft but is clearly on the side of good. Her inexperience doesn’t stop her from barreling into situations with enthusiasm, often with hilarious results as she adjusts her spells on the fly.

Baldric, the cleric, refuses to tie himself to any single deity, which leads to some of the most hilarious negotiations with various divine powers. His unique perspective as a free agent cleric makes for some truly unpredictable and comedic moments.
Lark, the bard, is a master of both persuasion and sleight of hand, but with as many secrets as songs. His chameleon-like nature keeps everyone guessing about his true motives and intentions, adding layers of intrigue to the group dynamic.
And then there’s Uggie, the monstrous pet otyugh who loves giving enthusiastic hugs and devouring trash. Uggie’s playful energy and dog-like affection make him an oddly endearing member of the team, adding a touch of monstrous charm to their adventures.

Johnson’s world-building is superb, blending the familiar with the new. The story revisits classic locations like Neverwinter while introducing fresh, imaginative settings. One particularly brilliant addition is the portable tavern, a clever twist on the adventuring party hangout, which adds an extra layer of fun to the group's dynamic. The world is packed with Easter eggs and nods to previous adventures, making it a treat for longtime D&D playerswhile still offering plenty of fresh content for new readers.

The stakes are high as the group faces formidable opposition, and the way these challenges hone and sharpen the team is masterfully done. The action is fast-paced and full of daring exploits, making it impossible to put down.

One of the highlights of Bound for Ruin is its humour. From the ridiculous image of Baldric negotiating with gods to Cazrin’s spell mishaps and Tessalynde’s ongoing exasperation with her chaotic crew, the book strikes a perfect balance between action and comedy. There are laugh-out-loud moments like teeth being used to unlock a key, the unpredictable antics of a certain lich, and Lark’s ever-shifting nature that keep the tone light even as the stakes rise.

Overall, Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin is an action-packed, hilarious ride from start to finish, full of rich, three-dimensional characters, clever twists, and an epic sense of adventure. It’s a must-read for anyone looking for a epic adventure that balances humour and heroics in equal measure.

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very PG-13, cinematic/live play podcast version of Dungeons & Dragons story telling and you know what? It works pretty well. I quite enjoyed the movie tie-in book The Road to Neverwinter and with The Fallbacks being a good introduction to brand new characters I suppose I'm on board for more. R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt books have been a constant for 35+ years and while I have nostalgic warm feelings for the first couple trilogies I am way behind. It's daunting to try to catch up and so to have a fresh adventuring party to follow for (hopefully) a while feels pretty good.

I will say, much like some of the podcast stuff I'm not sure I sense real danger for the characters, and some of the combats seem way too much for the perceived power level of the party. This book is very much for fans of Dungeons and Dragons and seems to want to stick close to what playing D&D in 2024/2025 can feel like, but if we are extrapolating to a game the final battle feels like it should be a TPK power-level wise, but instead is very much controlled by the DM and the party has no real agency because the DM is interested in a good story and not killing the party (which makes sense because this is a novel).

All in all I think this is a pretty enjoyable dungeon crawling adventure. The writing is solid and all the main party members have individual plot lines that are very much set up to continue in subsequent books. It's hard not to enjoy it.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lighthearted fantasy adventure perfect for DND lovers! This book was fun, fast-paced (read in one day), with a ragtag group of characters that you can’t help but love! Dare I say this is cozy-fantasy adjacent?

[Martin Maenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlier this year, I read and enjoyed the sequel to this novel. Time to look at the first book of the series.

It definitely answered a lot of the questions I had from the other read: who were these folks, how did they get together as a group, and where did their group name come from? All of this was provided in this novel. While I did not vibe with all narrative choices (the flashbacks tended to break the flow for me, for example), overall it mostly worked. It gave me the full flavor that I come to expect in a D&D novel. As someone who writes his own stories in a similar style, I picked up some pointers to help me along with my own craft as well.

All in all, a rousing adventure with an interesting cast. Looking forward to more of the Fallbacks down the road.

[Jerome S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun! An enjoyable and lighthearted story that read well during a few days on vacation. Nothing particularly original (a new party learns to work together as they explore some of the better known areas in the Forgotten Realms) but paced well enough with likeable characters.

It looks to be the first in a series. Might be back for another adventure for a future vacation!

[Richard Radgoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid forgotten realms novel with good characters, plot and integration of dnd concepts

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This falls into my favorite subgenre of high fantasy: "saving the day with friendship."

[moggithy mogginson · Rating 5 out of 5]

not a revolutionary fantasy novel, but it was very fun and recognisably d&d with the spells/locations/monsters etc. :)

[Miles Kear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this more than any other Forgotten Realms novel I have read. There are some really good characters here and a lot of Dungeons and Dragons stuff.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun Dungeons & Dragons tale introducing the new adventuring party title characters that leans into Honor Among Thieves and Critical Role in all the best ways and doesn’t get bogged down by all the lore.