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The Dungeoneers #1
Kosti, pasti, slepice
NESPOLÉHEJTE NA HRDINY, NAJMĚTE SI PROFESIONÁLY! Durhamův služební postup u městské stráže definuje vodorovná čára. Pravda, jednou vyřešil ovcovraždu, ale to měl výjimečně šťastný den. Když tedy obdrží rozkaz připojit se jako pozorovatel ke Kobkanýrům – profesionálním trpasličím čističům hrobek a kobek – rozhodně si nehodlá stěžovat. Tedy alespoň než si uvědomí, že ho obdržel omylem.
Už se s tím ale nedá nic dělat a vyšilující strážný je nucen zúčastnit se výpravy za magickým palcátem ukrytým v kryptě nekromanta Alahama. Pro trpaslíky je to rutina. Předpokládají, že vtrhnou dovnitř a za pomoci seker, štítů, kuší, trhavin, obléhacích strojů a cvičených slepic pobijí nemrtvé, vyřadí pasti a následně odvezou z kobky všechno, co se dá zpeněžit.
Bohužel pro Kobkanýry se ale zdá, že s Durhamem vstoupilo do hry i něco jako osud, a trpasličí komando se dočká poněkud náročnějšího dobrodružství než obvykle. Až bychom se nebáli říct přelomového. A pak je tu ještě nemrtvák Alaham, který má své vlastní plány
____
Neotřelá „feel-good“ fantasy plná akce a humoru, která vám připomene ta nejúžasnější dobrodružství, která jste prožili při hraní Dračího doupěte!
Už se s tím ale nedá nic dělat a vyšilující strážný je nucen zúčastnit se výpravy za magickým palcátem ukrytým v kryptě nekromanta Alahama. Pro trpaslíky je to rutina. Předpokládají, že vtrhnou dovnitř a za pomoci seker, štítů, kuší, trhavin, obléhacích strojů a cvičených slepic pobijí nemrtvé, vyřadí pasti a následně odvezou z kobky všechno, co se dá zpeněžit.
Bohužel pro Kobkanýry se ale zdá, že s Durhamem vstoupilo do hry i něco jako osud, a trpasličí komando se dočká poněkud náročnějšího dobrodružství než obvykle. Až bychom se nebáli říct přelomového. A pak je tu ještě nemrtvák Alaham, který má své vlastní plány
____
Neotřelá „feel-good“ fantasy plná akce a humoru, která vám připomene ta nejúžasnější dobrodružství, která jste prožili při hraní Dračího doupěte!
264 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2015
443 people are currently reading
2113 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery Russell
7 books184 followersJeffery Russell is a Pacific Northwest author. He lives in a tiny house with a tiny dog and a tiny container of googly eyeballs. He spends more time thinking about dwarves than most people do.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
May 1, 2024
Fantasy that is fun for fun's sake.
It's short, it's sweet, all the good all fantasy tropes are here and the plot is nicely paced.
This was a good read but it won't left a long lasting impression so 3.5 overall rounded up to 4.
It's short, it's sweet, all the good all fantasy tropes are here and the plot is nicely paced.
This was a good read but it won't left a long lasting impression so 3.5 overall rounded up to 4.
December 18, 2023
This book is about dwarves sequential hermaphroditic parthenogens and chickens the world's most pathetic dragons (who also happen to be true creatures of zen, just so you know). It's also about neckermancers, great advancements in pancake technology, the Gnomish Intelligence Agency, thingjiggys and li'l thingwhirlys (👋waves at Mungo 👋), pretentious mummies, worm-stuffed moles (such a delicacy indeed), demon monkeys who are short on ambulatory limbs, and my all-time favorite, talking skulls.
Add to that a great cast of, um, colorful characters,silly shenanigans galore, adventure aplenty, hilarious as shrimp dialogues everything, and you get one of the most entertaining books I've read all year. That calls for a celebratory dance if you ask me.
P.S. Mark my words, one day Corporal Cluck will rule the world. One worm at a time.
[Pre-review nonsense]
This book! Those chickens!
➽ Review to come and stuff.
Add to that a great cast of, um, colorful characters,
P.S. Mark my words, one day Corporal Cluck will rule the world. One worm at a time.
[Pre-review nonsense]
This book! Those chickens!
➽ Review to come and stuff.
October 4, 2015
You can do far worse with your $3 than this book.
This is pretty much your typical fantasy spoof book, but more a spoof of the genre than of DnD, which I appreciate. You have your crew of dwarves that make it their business to have nothing to do with adventure, instead using clinical precision to clear dungeons at the behest of others. But when a grown orphan is accidentally brought along, adventure is inevitable.
From then on we have your dwarves who are very clearly modernized reimagining of the dwarven crew from The Hobbit getting up to all kinds of dwarven shenanigans. As for our hero, he plays the straight-man so straight you can do nothing but laugh all the way through as he tries to wrap his head around the events of the book.
I recommend this book for anyone just wanting a light, humorous read about a bunch of dwarves and two humans taking on some old dead dude's dungeon.
This is pretty much your typical fantasy spoof book, but more a spoof of the genre than of DnD, which I appreciate. You have your crew of dwarves that make it their business to have nothing to do with adventure, instead using clinical precision to clear dungeons at the behest of others. But when a grown orphan is accidentally brought along, adventure is inevitable.
From then on we have your dwarves who are very clearly modernized reimagining of the dwarven crew from The Hobbit getting up to all kinds of dwarven shenanigans. As for our hero, he plays the straight-man so straight you can do nothing but laugh all the way through as he tries to wrap his head around the events of the book.
I recommend this book for anyone just wanting a light, humorous read about a bunch of dwarves and two humans taking on some old dead dude's dungeon.
June 14, 2024
You may be an experienced tabletop fantasy role-playing gamer. You may further have encountered, at least in concept, players who devise meticulous methods of dungeon exploration with the goal of discovering all traps without blundering into them. These methods often involve ten-foot poles, painstakingly slow advancement, multiple checks of every square inch of a place before physically advancing. These players may or may not cross over with those who insist on stripping a dungeon of every single item that can conceivable be transported for later sale. Because that's how you win Dungeons & Dragons.
This book is the novelization of that approach to play. Fortunately, it manages to make it much more entertaining than it sounds, with the introduction of The Dungeoneers, a band of Dwarves for hire with the experience and know-how to profit from dungeon exploration with a minimum of risk, using barrels full of dirt, multiple tiers of crossbows, explosives, and chickens. Some of the Dungeoneers are clever engineers, some are sappers, some are armored tanks for when the other precautions fail, some aren't even Dwarves. And joining them this time is one human mook.
It's got a humorous cast of characters, all potentially endearing, but they've each mostly got just one note. The human male is particularly a blank slate. This works for making it valid to explain basics about the world and the Dungeoneers' process without coming across like info-dumps. But it also highlights the main reason I found myself bored for most of this book: the characters have no goals, beyond performing the mission they were hired for (find this one artifact in this one dungeon) and not dying in the process. For Durham as the main character especially, he only does what he's told to do. He's the reader's stand in, and fulfills that purpose, but there's really no reason to root for him other than that. He doesn't know anything, he doesn't want anything, and he doesn't do anything. He's that most passive of main characters, one that doesn't affect the story with his actions. Is he even the main character? He was so passive I had to wonder, but everything in the story is constructed as to suggest this. I suppose The Dungeoneers as a group could be considered more so the main cast, but even though as a group they are more entertaining, they also don't have goals beyond, "Don't die."
It didn't help that there wasn't really any plot until the last quarter of the book. Prior to that, as clever as some of the scenes were, as amusing the character interactions may have been, there simply wasn't much happening.
It was saved, as much as it could be, by perfectly decent writing, by which I mean it was playful, direct, neither too terse nor bloated, with good rhythm to the dialogue and pleasant pacing. It was also frequently amusing. Is the book funny? Like, really funny, like it's meant to be? Eh. Mostly the funny parts failed to elicit even the huffing through my nose that is my usual starting point. It was more a series of small head nods, psychic agreement that yes, that is funny, well done. I laughed out loud once, late in the book, at a particular piece of toilet humor, for whatever that says about me.
I don't recall why I first added this book to my TBR; it was at least one free Kindle Unlimited trial ago, and all I can think of is that the algorithm must have worked, showing this to me at the right time, and the book's qualities appealed sufficiently at that time.
In summary, The Dungeoneers is a comical dungeon adventure that offers a clever approach to such things, well-thought out and executed, but with low stakes. Strongly character-driven readers like me may be unsatisfied, but there's enough quality to the mixed cast of Dwarves that you may find yourself a keeper. If so, there are several more books detailing their exploits.
But for the love of Bezos, would you please format your book correctly? The standard for fiction is to indent the beginning of each paragraph and not to have blank lines between each paragraph. Not unindented paragraphs each spaced apart. That’s for online posts, and maybe some non-fiction. Open any proper book and you’ll see what it should look like. Even D&D manuals are formatted in this way. Content aside, this added irritation and amateur appearance to the e-book.
This book is the novelization of that approach to play. Fortunately, it manages to make it much more entertaining than it sounds, with the introduction of The Dungeoneers, a band of Dwarves for hire with the experience and know-how to profit from dungeon exploration with a minimum of risk, using barrels full of dirt, multiple tiers of crossbows, explosives, and chickens. Some of the Dungeoneers are clever engineers, some are sappers, some are armored tanks for when the other precautions fail, some aren't even Dwarves. And joining them this time is one human mook.
It's got a humorous cast of characters, all potentially endearing, but they've each mostly got just one note. The human male is particularly a blank slate. This works for making it valid to explain basics about the world and the Dungeoneers' process without coming across like info-dumps. But it also highlights the main reason I found myself bored for most of this book: the characters have no goals, beyond performing the mission they were hired for (find this one artifact in this one dungeon) and not dying in the process. For Durham as the main character especially, he only does what he's told to do. He's the reader's stand in, and fulfills that purpose, but there's really no reason to root for him other than that. He doesn't know anything, he doesn't want anything, and he doesn't do anything. He's that most passive of main characters, one that doesn't affect the story with his actions. Is he even the main character? He was so passive I had to wonder, but everything in the story is constructed as to suggest this. I suppose The Dungeoneers as a group could be considered more so the main cast, but even though as a group they are more entertaining, they also don't have goals beyond, "Don't die."
It didn't help that there wasn't really any plot until the last quarter of the book. Prior to that, as clever as some of the scenes were, as amusing the character interactions may have been, there simply wasn't much happening.
It was saved, as much as it could be, by perfectly decent writing, by which I mean it was playful, direct, neither too terse nor bloated, with good rhythm to the dialogue and pleasant pacing. It was also frequently amusing. Is the book funny? Like, really funny, like it's meant to be? Eh. Mostly the funny parts failed to elicit even the huffing through my nose that is my usual starting point. It was more a series of small head nods, psychic agreement that yes, that is funny, well done. I laughed out loud once, late in the book, at a particular piece of toilet humor, for whatever that says about me.
I don't recall why I first added this book to my TBR; it was at least one free Kindle Unlimited trial ago, and all I can think of is that the algorithm must have worked, showing this to me at the right time, and the book's qualities appealed sufficiently at that time.
In summary, The Dungeoneers is a comical dungeon adventure that offers a clever approach to such things, well-thought out and executed, but with low stakes. Strongly character-driven readers like me may be unsatisfied, but there's enough quality to the mixed cast of Dwarves that you may find yourself a keeper. If so, there are several more books detailing their exploits.
But for the love of Bezos, would you please format your book correctly? The standard for fiction is to indent the beginning of each paragraph and not to have blank lines between each paragraph. Not unindented paragraphs each spaced apart. That’s for online posts, and maybe some non-fiction. Open any proper book and you’ll see what it should look like. Even D&D manuals are formatted in this way. Content aside, this added irritation and amateur appearance to the e-book.
March 19, 2016
(No spoilers. Also no chickens were harmed in the making of this review.)
I couldn't begin to describe the fun I had reading this book. I stumbled over it completely by accident and was drawn in by the cover (and what it said), and thought.. this is my kind of humour, I'll give it a go. One of my better decisions! Remember when fantasy books used to be fun and not take themselves so seriously? The days when you picked up a book and it was fun, adventure and humour from start to end, as well as a clever story? Well if that's your kind of thing, then you'll want to give this one a read. Another refreshing point is the fact that it's main characters are dwarves, and for me that made it all the more interesting. These guys and girls are tough, witty, loyal, clever and brave, and you really feel like you're there with them, going along through every bit of the adventure with them. Not only are the characters well written, but the humour here was almost gift wrapped for me; sharp, clever, and hysterical every few sentences. I really wish I could give this one more than five stars, because aside from a few small issues that could do with a proof-reader's delicate touch, everything else here is just brilliant. I'm so glad there's going to be another book in the series. These are the kind of books that make me remember why I got into reading fantasy in the first place. Bravo! :)
I couldn't begin to describe the fun I had reading this book. I stumbled over it completely by accident and was drawn in by the cover (and what it said), and thought.. this is my kind of humour, I'll give it a go. One of my better decisions! Remember when fantasy books used to be fun and not take themselves so seriously? The days when you picked up a book and it was fun, adventure and humour from start to end, as well as a clever story? Well if that's your kind of thing, then you'll want to give this one a read. Another refreshing point is the fact that it's main characters are dwarves, and for me that made it all the more interesting. These guys and girls are tough, witty, loyal, clever and brave, and you really feel like you're there with them, going along through every bit of the adventure with them. Not only are the characters well written, but the humour here was almost gift wrapped for me; sharp, clever, and hysterical every few sentences. I really wish I could give this one more than five stars, because aside from a few small issues that could do with a proof-reader's delicate touch, everything else here is just brilliant. I'm so glad there's going to be another book in the series. These are the kind of books that make me remember why I got into reading fantasy in the first place. Bravo! :)
June 20, 2016
The adventurous tale of a young guard and a company of dwarves, tasked with retrieving a precious artifact buried underground. Admittedly, it isn’t an original plot, it reminded me of the Indiana Jones movies (remember those?) but the humor will appeal to middle grade children and the YA crowd, especially boys. If you love the macabre and lots of action this book is for you.
“Messing around with dark and sinister entities in the pursuit of power, well, folks can understand the allure. Playing with dead things, however, not so much. So they have a demon to parade around and keep their skeletons in the closet.”
“Messing around with dark and sinister entities in the pursuit of power, well, folks can understand the allure. Playing with dead things, however, not so much. So they have a demon to parade around and keep their skeletons in the closet.”
February 28, 2016
Awesome first novel! 5 star beginning, 5 star end, 2 star middle that I survived thanks to a natural 20 in willpower and some guilty skimming, 5 star humor, 5 stars for all the subtle race and gender stuff, 5 stars for the world building left behind in my imagination. Enormously looking forward to book 2!
"Wee cow." Still snickering ...
"Wee cow." Still snickering ...
February 7, 2018
Hemming and hawwing between a 3 and a 4 - def a lot of fun. longer review to come.
October 18, 2018
An very enjoyable read, plenty of chuckles to keep a grin on my face. Looking forward to reading the next book by this author.
A good solid 3.5 stars.
A good solid 3.5 stars.
August 1, 2019
This is a review of the Audible edition of this book, narrated by Faust Kells.
"The Dungeoneers" is a lighthearted send up of Tolkienesque, AD&D style fantasy adventure stories that are so popular with a certain segment of the population. I love them. My late husband did not. He took his sword and sorcery very seriously, and did not take kindly to its skewering. Pun intended.
Author Jeffrey Russell does a pretty good job with this one. He adds a few nods to devices that Terry Pratchett added which have become canon in the genre, such as lady dwarves having beards. If that particular bit precedes Pratchett, please set me straight.
Russell could have made more of tropes such as, "The chosen one," the obligatory gnome in the party, who, of course was a science whiz. I would like to see a gnome do something else. My husband had a gnomish character who was a champion fisherman and gourmet chef. He is up for grabs. There are no copywriter suits in heaven ( Valhala).
The reason for the lower rating was Kells' narration. He has a sing song style I find annoying. Though he seems well versed with the subject matter - I would peg him as a gamer - he mispronounced several words, and his dialect reading kept slipping. At least once he used one character's voice for another.
He may improve in future volumes, but I am going to stick with the written editions for those.
"The Dungeoneers" is a lighthearted send up of Tolkienesque, AD&D style fantasy adventure stories that are so popular with a certain segment of the population. I love them. My late husband did not. He took his sword and sorcery very seriously, and did not take kindly to its skewering. Pun intended.
Author Jeffrey Russell does a pretty good job with this one. He adds a few nods to devices that Terry Pratchett added which have become canon in the genre, such as lady dwarves having beards. If that particular bit precedes Pratchett, please set me straight.
Russell could have made more of tropes such as, "The chosen one," the obligatory gnome in the party, who, of course was a science whiz. I would like to see a gnome do something else. My husband had a gnomish character who was a champion fisherman and gourmet chef. He is up for grabs. There are no copywriter suits in heaven ( Valhala).
The reason for the lower rating was Kells' narration. He has a sing song style I find annoying. Though he seems well versed with the subject matter - I would peg him as a gamer - he mispronounced several words, and his dialect reading kept slipping. At least once he used one character's voice for another.
He may improve in future volumes, but I am going to stick with the written editions for those.
October 7, 2021
Well, this was a light-hearted book to enjoy over a few evenings. Definitely setting the tone for October with the necromancer and all the undead running around.
That said, the main thing I didn't like about this book was all the toilet- and genital-related humor. I don't find it funny, and in fact it detracted a lot from the story for me.
I did have a fun adventure, so that was great. Not sure if I'll continue the series, as it's less cleverness and more just flying-by-the-seat-of-your-(hopefully-existent)-pants.
That said, the main thing I didn't like about this book was all the toilet- and genital-related humor. I don't find it funny, and in fact it detracted a lot from the story for me.
I did have a fun adventure, so that was great. Not sure if I'll continue the series, as it's less cleverness and more just flying-by-the-seat-of-your-(hopefully-existent)-pants.
August 2, 2015
Jeffery Russell’s debut novel, The Dungeoneers, has a blend of humor that tickles my chuckle glands in a way that only Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series has done before.
I discovered this author in a critique group. From the moment I read his introduction, I knew this guy had a story worth following.
Durham, a city guard with low aspirations, has little to show for his life. He sees a golden opportunity when the king’s messengers asks him to escort the Dwarven Dungeoneers on an expedition. As they get to know each other, the superstitious dwarves come to view him as a bad luck charm, the opposite of a chosen one—but Durham still entertains delusions of being the hero.
The prose is written in that effortless style that makes fantasy such a joy to read. Even though this is a comedy, it also comes with a fresh dose of unique lore that I assume is a Jeffery Russell original.
It doesn’t skimp on fantasy elements, either. Jeffery builds and deconstructs skeletal monstrosities like a child with a bottomless bin of Legos. The tension around the climax absorbed me to the point where I forgot I was reading a comedy.
Anyone familiar with the fantasy genre should give The Dungeoneers a read.
I discovered this author in a critique group. From the moment I read his introduction, I knew this guy had a story worth following.
Durham, a city guard with low aspirations, has little to show for his life. He sees a golden opportunity when the king’s messengers asks him to escort the Dwarven Dungeoneers on an expedition. As they get to know each other, the superstitious dwarves come to view him as a bad luck charm, the opposite of a chosen one—but Durham still entertains delusions of being the hero.
The prose is written in that effortless style that makes fantasy such a joy to read. Even though this is a comedy, it also comes with a fresh dose of unique lore that I assume is a Jeffery Russell original.
It doesn’t skimp on fantasy elements, either. Jeffery builds and deconstructs skeletal monstrosities like a child with a bottomless bin of Legos. The tension around the climax absorbed me to the point where I forgot I was reading a comedy.
Anyone familiar with the fantasy genre should give The Dungeoneers a read.
August 16, 2015
Fun stuff
It appears to start as pure fluff, but there are unsuspected depths of character to be found here, all with a wry humor. I really liked it! I look forward to more adventures of the Dungeoneers.
It appears to start as pure fluff, but there are unsuspected depths of character to be found here, all with a wry humor. I really liked it! I look forward to more adventures of the Dungeoneers.
September 26, 2015
Dwarvishly good tale
Characters that remind me of my many uncles coupled with a good yarn make this a book to enjoy. It is escapist lit at its best. Good use of humor and outlandish situations compliment the characters who really led this story for me.
Characters that remind me of my many uncles coupled with a good yarn make this a book to enjoy. It is escapist lit at its best. Good use of humor and outlandish situations compliment the characters who really led this story for me.
March 5, 2017
Highly enjoyable read. Very fun and satisfying all around. It's very lighthearted somehow, and highly charming all throughout. Grab this if you're looking for something that will provide you with good cheer as you read it.
October 28, 2015
Laugh out loud moments
For a light read and a few laughs pick this up. The next book has to have Durham in it though.
For a light read and a few laughs pick this up. The next book has to have Durham in it though.
May 17, 2016
Fantasy meets engineering. Dungeon looting made professional. Funny, enlightening and a breeze to read.
August 5, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed reading (and listening to) this book! Several laugh out loud moments, which I always appreciate. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. I hope Durham is in the next one.
April 17, 2016
Overall, this book is like watching a D&D campaign worked over by a special operations team. It's smart, it's funny, and it's very well-written. Both a heist and D&D-esque adventure involving a human guard sent to "guard" a group of dungeon-breaking dwarves, the plot moves along at a good clip and manages to hold some good tension as you wonder when everything's going to go wrong and how. The characters are smart, fun, and likable, thanks to a lot of really wonderful dialogue that's a pleasure to read. The characters' cooperation and displayed lack of ego was also incredibly refreshing: even the less intellectually-endowed dwarves knew how to work together to get things done, and the guard goes through most of the ending without his pants without much care (because this is the least of his worries, really).
I enjoy plots where the characters don't make things harder on themselves by doing dumb things, and this book really delivered on that. The dwarves are PROFESSIONALS, thankyewverymuch, and go about their business smartly and efficiently. Even when they hit the "not a routine job" point of the story, multiple characters through their own expertise and analysis figure out what's going on and manage to bring together their knowledge to figure out a plan. The plot is obviously poking fun at the usual dungeoncrawling plot of the average D&D campaign and there's some genre- and gaming-related self-referential humor sprinkled throughout, but it never really devolves into PARODY. There's a real sense that the author both loves those sorts of stories and also loves poking fun at them, while still working within the rules of the genre.
Best thing I've read in a while. Can't wait for the next book with these characters, honestly.
I enjoy plots where the characters don't make things harder on themselves by doing dumb things, and this book really delivered on that. The dwarves are PROFESSIONALS, thankyewverymuch, and go about their business smartly and efficiently. Even when they hit the "not a routine job" point of the story, multiple characters through their own expertise and analysis figure out what's going on and manage to bring together their knowledge to figure out a plan. The plot is obviously poking fun at the usual dungeoncrawling plot of the average D&D campaign and there's some genre- and gaming-related self-referential humor sprinkled throughout, but it never really devolves into PARODY. There's a real sense that the author both loves those sorts of stories and also loves poking fun at them, while still working within the rules of the genre.
Best thing I've read in a while. Can't wait for the next book with these characters, honestly.
June 15, 2021
4/5
Do you need something light and fun between your reads? Do you like DnD style dungeon crawling with a big helping of silliness? If yes, then The Dungeoneers is for you.
Slightly different from traditional DnD party of mixed races and classes, The Dungeoneers are professional dungeon crawlers consist of exclusively Dwarves. With seasoned specialists and advanced engineering, they take big jobs on clearing dungeons and retrieving artifacts from them.
In this book, the team is hired out by the kingdom to retrieve an artifact called Mace of Guffin (a cheeky nod to Macguffin) from the dungeon of Alaham the lich. Tagging along are two humans: Durham, a simple city guard, and Ruby, a scribe. When the Dwarves find out that Durham is an orphan, there's a growing risk that their mission may be jeopardised with some unknown prophecy regarding orphan effects. As you can predict, hilarity ensues.
All in all, I really enjoyed the silly banter and Pratchettesque humour of this book, with a slight dash of Monty Python (shrubberies and moose!). On top of that, you have Russell's clever exploration of Dwarven culture and dungeon engineering, slightly reminds me to Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon manga by Ryoko Kui. There are also twists and turns along the plot, making it fun and fresh.
In the end of the day, The Dungeoneers is not trying to break new ground or being an avant-garde contemporary fantasy, and that is okay. Because in the end of the day, sometimes you just want to load up your wagon and go to adventure with your Dwarven buddies.
Do you need something light and fun between your reads? Do you like DnD style dungeon crawling with a big helping of silliness? If yes, then The Dungeoneers is for you.
Slightly different from traditional DnD party of mixed races and classes, The Dungeoneers are professional dungeon crawlers consist of exclusively Dwarves. With seasoned specialists and advanced engineering, they take big jobs on clearing dungeons and retrieving artifacts from them.
"'Adventure' is a word people use to put a shine on lack of preparation and surviving through dumb luck. We're professionals and that means we leave the adventure out of it."
In this book, the team is hired out by the kingdom to retrieve an artifact called Mace of Guffin (a cheeky nod to Macguffin) from the dungeon of Alaham the lich. Tagging along are two humans: Durham, a simple city guard, and Ruby, a scribe. When the Dwarves find out that Durham is an orphan, there's a growing risk that their mission may be jeopardised with some unknown prophecy regarding orphan effects. As you can predict, hilarity ensues.
All in all, I really enjoyed the silly banter and Pratchettesque humour of this book, with a slight dash of Monty Python (shrubberies and moose!). On top of that, you have Russell's clever exploration of Dwarven culture and dungeon engineering, slightly reminds me to Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon manga by Ryoko Kui. There are also twists and turns along the plot, making it fun and fresh.
In the end of the day, The Dungeoneers is not trying to break new ground or being an avant-garde contemporary fantasy, and that is okay. Because in the end of the day, sometimes you just want to load up your wagon and go to adventure with your Dwarven buddies.
March 17, 2016
A surprisingly strong debut novel from Jeffery Russell, that falls just a little short of being five stars for me. The humor fits well, the characters are engaging, and the adventure follows an increasingly interesting story. Sadly, toward the end, I was hooked more on imagining the scenes than reading the scenes, and I'm not sure whether I was distracted by external influences, or if the writing style during climactic scenes failed to keep me fully engaged in the writing. Either way, I really enjoyed this first book and look forward to reading more. Note: John David Anderson released book 1 of another series sharing the exact same name, around the same time. I haven't read that yet, but be sure to check the author name. This review is for Jeffery Russell.
December 7, 2015
I can't remember when I read it. I was certain I had written a review of this book, I remember writing it, but I can't find it. It's been a few months since I read this book and I still remember it pretty well. It wasn't as polished as it could have been and the plot wasn't as driving as it could have been but it makes up for it in clever humor. If you play D&D like games or read similar fantasy novels, this book is for you. The Dwarves are a hoot and really, the star of the show. The whole thing has a tongue in cheek quality that kept it light but was so chalk full of interesting tidbits of wisdom that I couldn't put the book down. Well worth the read.
September 25, 2019
It's a fun, deceptively simple dungeon delve about a group of dwarves and a human sent to retrieve an artefact from a undead-infested dungeon. It's an amusing read that doesn't take itself seriously and goes into quite a bit of depth about the tricks and traps of the dungeon, and pokes and prods at interesting ideas of the economy and construction of them. There's more under the hood of this story than an old-school dungeon raid.
It was a bit light for my tastes and the I didn't find any of the characters compelling, but I liked a lot of things about it and parts of the ending I found genuinely hilarious.
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars from me.
It was a bit light for my tastes and the I didn't find any of the characters compelling, but I liked a lot of things about it and parts of the ending I found genuinely hilarious.
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars from me.
August 9, 2015
This one is simply Grand Fun and highly recommended. Imagine a typical FRPG session complete with strategy and tactics and crazy actions and terrible jokes and PG naughtiness, then add a scribe sitting there capturing it all and making it even better. Unlike some stories of this sort which tend to drag on, this could've used more space to further develop all the memorable characters; we just don't have enough time to get to know them all well enough to not have to refer back to the provided cast of characters at least once to remind ourselves who that particular kilt-wearing dwarf is.
October 26, 2015
Best book I've read on kindle unlimited!
This book brought back fond memories of reading some of the earliest fantasy books that made me fall in love with the genre. It's a fun mix of Dragonlance, Spellsinger, and Discworld. It's by no means derivative though!
The characters are simple but well developed, the plot is the same. It's not overreaching, just a good, fun, fantasy romp. Can't wait for more!
This book brought back fond memories of reading some of the earliest fantasy books that made me fall in love with the genre. It's a fun mix of Dragonlance, Spellsinger, and Discworld. It's by no means derivative though!
The characters are simple but well developed, the plot is the same. It's not overreaching, just a good, fun, fantasy romp. Can't wait for more!
October 21, 2015
Great fun!
While I didn't laugh out loud like some of the other reviewers, I was vastly entertained . Very amusing quirky Drawven characters, the dialogue could be considered banter. I'm looking forward to many more tales and exploits to come of the Dungeoneer Co. I hope Durham decides to join them, he could be their Sherlock Holmes companion. Very witty light and fun.
While I didn't laugh out loud like some of the other reviewers, I was vastly entertained . Very amusing quirky Drawven characters, the dialogue could be considered banter. I'm looking forward to many more tales and exploits to come of the Dungeoneer Co. I hope Durham decides to join them, he could be their Sherlock Holmes companion. Very witty light and fun.
February 26, 2019
This book was fun, but could have used some more work.
I LOVE the basic concept and there were a lot of really fun sequences in the book.
There are a lot of pacing issues. The first few chapters attempt to introduce the characters and it succeeds with a couple of them, but the cast is Quite large and most of the character remain largely unused in the book. There are a lot of middle chapters where basically nothing happens and it gets described in large detail. The ending remains at a similar pace and there's no sense of building tension.
The characters don't develop much, and again there are a lot of characters who are introduced and forgotten. I constantly found myself either wondering who a named character is or going "oh yeah, I forgot about them!" If I had read this any more slowly than the 2 days it took me, I would probably have ended up completely lost with the cast.
The ending of the book also left me feeling a bit of "Oh, this wasn't really a book. This was a prelude to a series."
The book showed a lot of promise, so I will probably check out the series again at a later time, but it didn't hook me enough that I'd particularly recommend it just from the first book.
I LOVE the basic concept and there were a lot of really fun sequences in the book.
There are a lot of pacing issues. The first few chapters attempt to introduce the characters and it succeeds with a couple of them, but the cast is Quite large and most of the character remain largely unused in the book. There are a lot of middle chapters where basically nothing happens and it gets described in large detail. The ending remains at a similar pace and there's no sense of building tension.
The characters don't develop much, and again there are a lot of characters who are introduced and forgotten. I constantly found myself either wondering who a named character is or going "oh yeah, I forgot about them!" If I had read this any more slowly than the 2 days it took me, I would probably have ended up completely lost with the cast.
The ending of the book also left me feeling a bit of "Oh, this wasn't really a book. This was a prelude to a series."
The book showed a lot of promise, so I will probably check out the series again at a later time, but it didn't hook me enough that I'd particularly recommend it just from the first book.
December 29, 2017
I should have really enjoyed this book. It's a lighthearted fantasy a whisper away from litRPG, with a clueless, somewhat inept guard brought into a group of dwarven dungeoneers on a mission. It playfully mocks and pays tribute to fantasy and fantasy stereotypes at the same time, in a style that's a nod to Douglas Adams with sly, understated wit combined with humor as subtle as a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.
And yet... I couldn't get into the characters: Durham, the hapless guard, a band of dwarves with distinctive names and similar personalities, an evil villain they're all after, and (last but not least) the chickens. The plotline read like a combined dungeon crawl with innovative ways of clearing the place, but it still wore thin. I DNF'ed at 78% (while knowing how insane that sounds) because I just didn't care enough about the characters to bother finishing. I feel like this should be an apologetic letter - it's not you, it's me - but something just didn't click with me and this book and I'm saddened by that.
And yet... I couldn't get into the characters: Durham, the hapless guard, a band of dwarves with distinctive names and similar personalities, an evil villain they're all after, and (last but not least) the chickens. The plotline read like a combined dungeon crawl with innovative ways of clearing the place, but it still wore thin. I DNF'ed at 78% (while knowing how insane that sounds) because I just didn't care enough about the characters to bother finishing. I feel like this should be an apologetic letter - it's not you, it's me - but something just didn't click with me and this book and I'm saddened by that.
June 16, 2025
Tak tohle by mohlo bavit ty, kterým se líbil film Dungeons & Dragons Čest zlodějů, jede to na podobné vlně :) Je to vtipné, vyvrcholení zápletky je prostě skvělé a nikdy mě neomrzí, jak mluví trpaslíci v knihách (trochu hantec z Brna, bez urážky). Sem a tam nějaká humorná narážka na archetypy ve fantasy (často na elfy a jejich zvyky), má to spád, akci a celkově jsem se bavila.
February 26, 2025
Funny book about a group of dwarfs that specializes in raiding dungeons. Great characters and fast action packed story.
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