Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes

Pathfinder Tales #27

by Dave Gross

Some Secrets Should Stay Buried

Count Varian Jeggare and his hellspawn bodyguard Radovan are no strangers to the occult. Yet when Varian is bequeathed a dangerous magical book by an old colleague, the infamous investigators find themselves on the trail of a necromancer bent on becoming the new avatar of an ancient and sinister demigod—one of the legendary runelords. Along with a team of mercenaries and adventurers, the crime-solving duo will need to delve into a secret world of dark magic and the legacy of a lost empire. But in saving the world, will Varian and Radovan lose their souls?

From best-selling author Dave Gross comes a fantastical tale of mystery, monsters, and mayhem set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Media Tie In, Action, Adventure

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Dave Gross is the author of ten novels, notably the adventures of Radovan and the Count, including Prince of Wolves, Master of Devils, Queen of Thorns, and King of Chaos. Formerly the editor of such magazines as Dragon, Star Wars Insider, and Amazing Stories, Dave has also written novels for the Forgotten Realms and Iron Kingdoms settings. For more tales of Radovan and the Count, including free short stories, check out http://paizo.com/pathfinder/tales.

For more on Dave's current and upcoming projects and events, go to .

Reviews

[Karl]

Why am I reading these books? you may ask. What the heck is all of this about ?

Pathfinder Tales novels are standalone adventures written by some of fantasy's bestselling authors, all set in the lovingly detailed world of Golarion. Here are the same nations, characters, and monsters that have inspired gamers around the world to new heights of imagination.

What got me buying them was Matthew Hughes wrote one called "Song of the Serpent". The are obviously "Fantasy" novels, you do not have to be familure with the game to read them. Each book is about 300 - 380 pages. If you like these type of books, there is also an online web page which has more "short stories" published in the series.

All books are paperback and with the switch to TOR books they have become trade paperbacks and have increased in price.

The book order of the series is:

Feb 2010 Gross, David "Prince Of Wolves"
Dec 2010 Cunningham, Elaine "Winter Witch"
Mar 2011 Jones, Howard Andrew "Plague Of Shadows"
Jun 2011 Laws, Robin D. "The Worldwound Gambit"
Aug 2011 Gross, David "Master Of Devils"
Dec 2011 Sutter, James L. "Death's Heretic"
Apr 2012 Pratt,Tim "City Of The Fallen Sky"
May 2012 Matthews, Hugh "Song Of The Serpent"
Jun 2012 Merciel, Liane "NightGlass"
Sep 2012 Laws, Robin D. "Blood Of The City"
Nov 2012 Gross, David "Queen Of Thorns"
Dec 2012 Byers, Richard Lee "Called To Darkness"
Feb 2013 Pratt,Tim "Liar's Blade"
May 2013 Jackson, Chris A "Pirate's Honor"
Jul 2013 Greenwood, Ed "The Wizard's Mask"
Sep 2013 Gross, David "King Of Chaos"
Oct 2013 Jones, Howard Andrew "Stalking The Beast"
Dec 2013 Willrich, Chris "The Danger Of Trust"
Feb 2014 Wagner, Wendy N. "Skinwalkers"
Apr 2014 Sutter, James L. "The Redemption Engine"
Jun 2014 Staclpole, Michael A. "The Crusader Road" 
Aug 2014 Pratt,Tim "Reign of Stars" 
Oct 2014 Merciel, Liane "Nightblade"
Dec 2014 Jackson, Chris A "Pirate's Promise" 
Apr 2015 Kloster, Gary "Firesoul" 
May 2015 Vogt, Josh "Forge of Ashes" 
Jun 2015 Gross, Dave "Lord of Runes" 
Aug 2015 Pratt,Tim "Liar's Island" 
Oct 2015 Jones, Howard Andrew "Beyond the Pool of Stars" 
Dec 2015 Schneider, F. Wesley "Bloodbound" 
Feb 2016 Jackson, Chris A "Pirate's Prophecy" 
Apr 2016 Merciel, Liane "Hellknight"

[Αταλάντη Ευριπίδου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying this will not be even remotely close to an objective review; however, it will be an honest one. I have devoured every single Radovan & the Count story since I was initially introduced to the two characters in Prince of Wolves. I've read the short stories, the novels and the novellas and Lord of Runes was one of my most anticipated books for 2015, second only to Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warning - and Neil Gaiman is my favourite writer, so that should be saying something. Once more, Dave Gross delivered exactly what I've been expecting: a novel full of adventure, comradeship, humour, action, rich cultural and historical background and, of course, heartbreak.

Count Varian Jeggare and his bodyguard, Radovan, visit Corvosa, whereupon Jeggare finds out an old friend has passed away, leaving behind him the mystery of a blank book. Now, everyone knows that there are two things that the Count can't ignore: a book and a mystery and, in the case of Benigno Ygresta's death, he gets both. A resigned pathfinder, a bounty hunter, a shaman, a wizard and a thief join our two heroes in a race against time, as ancient evil threatens to awaken.

This is a Jeggare-centered novel, which I, personally, thought was a great thing, since I've been begging for this to happen since Prince of Wolves. Every flaw and every virtue of his character are accentuated in Lord of Runes; something I suspect was done on purpose, to emphasize the main theme of the book - which I will let you discover for yourselves. The secondary characters are, once again, brilliant and I would love to see some spin-offs featuring them. Though it appears we will be seeing more of Janneke and Illyria in the future, I'd also like to read some more of Eando Kline and Zora, as well as Kazyah's early adventures, perhaps. Furthermore, I believe this is probably the best way to find out more about the history of Thassilon and the runelords. I'd been playing the campaign (Rise of the Runelords) for about a year and I do feel I' ve learned more reading this novel. So, I would definitely be recommending it as a source to DMs who'd like to run this particular campaign. It contains amazing material and it is also a great novel and fun to read.

Finally, I'm not sure if this only happened with my copy or if it's a gerenal mistake, but I noticed this:
in the beginning of chapter 18, I think, The Seraph's Ladder, it is mentioned that Zora left with Kaid's company. In chapter 20, thought, Zutha's Crypt, she appears to still be with them. I'm guessing it's supposed to be Janneke that's with them and I honestly don't know if it's just my copy or not, but I'm mentioning it either way.

Overall, I was more than happy with Lord of Runes, I was ecstatic to read my favourite characters' adventures once again and I do recommend this novel and the four before it to everyone who likes good sword and sorcery, featuring flawed, troubled characters facing adversities and challenges and growing through their experiences.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/lo...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Scott

Luckily, I have had the opportunity to play the Pathfinder role-playing game (RPG), and am intimately familiar with the background history of the world Paizo has released; unfortunately, the non-gamer will miss an awful lot of the action and nuances that make up Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes. A true fan of the game and franchise, of the most arguably is the current leader in the mass market RPG industry, will understand the significance of many of the overtly stationed events such as in the appropriately named “Pathfinder Chronicles,” Paizo’s charter club for members, in which the leaders (and movers and shakers) of the world, have a voice in the world’s development. Sadly, this book seems like someone’s game session set to prose, and really offers not much else.

In the dense forest of fantasy literature, the story, plot and theme have to be magically intertwined, with references to non-significant events given significance, so the average reader can jump right in, and be on the ball with the rest of the crowd. Although the plot and story were there, a lack of a clean thematic value tempered my judgement here. There is no Tolkien’s footnotes, explaining the history behind events; no Michael Moorcock’s Elric naturally writing about the almost believable absolute struggle over magic, totems and power; no Terry Brooks bringing a myriad of themes to the table and resolving them all. There is a mystery and the mystery is solved.

This is not to say there wasn’t a story to be told; Lord of Runes had all of the intrigue, mystery, and thrills that other fantasy novels thrive upon, and was, albeit written for a presumably teenage demographic, well executed. I couldn’t help but wonder whether or not this was not just a book but a formulaic work, relying on a certain word count and length. The pacing was erratic: in the finer parts of the novel, it flowed and when it didn’t it just made you curious as to why you picked it up in the first place. There is plenty of Pathfinder in-jokes and fun filled trivia that will delight any fan of the game; however for those who don’t, well I don’t suppose they would be picking this up in the first place.

The best part of the novel is in the characterization. Characters are (un)believable in their abilities, and strengths and weaknesses vary and grow, and are truly three-dimensional constructs. Saying that, however, role players spend vast amounts of time detailing their characters over the course of a campaign, so this was not really much of a surprise. If there is any recommendation I can assuredly put forth is: this is a fine piece of character writing. Dialogue isn’t stilted, and, like on a character sheet that describes your avatar, the trappings are there. Sharp and witty, they gracefully adorn what is otherwise a simple mystery novel.

For fans of the Pathfinder Game this would be a shoe-in-foot match. Even fans of the old (and newer) Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms series would be entertained, as the Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder roleplaying systems used to be so similar (almost identical at one point). The true fantasy novel fan, in the vein of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Moorcock’s Elric, to name two, will find Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes to be exactly what it is marketed as – a gaming tale and nothing more.

[Andrew Staples · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord of Runes is without question the best piece of tie-in fiction I've read. It's an excellent fantasy novel in its own right.

Before I further explore why I think this, let me first address this: if I consider it so good why four stars, not five? Largely because I'm stingy with stars. With only five stars to choose from, that last star gets awarded only rarely. Four stars puts Lord of Runes, by my reckoning, alongside works such as Katharine Kerr's Deverry Saga, Ray Feist's Riftwar trilogy, Lieber's first 6 Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser collections and the works of David Gemmell - novels I have read passionately, series I have followed, for many years. (What gets five stars? Karen Blixen's Out of Africa. Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea. Lieber's novella Stardock.)

Dave Gross's Pathfinder novels have consistently been good reads, among the best tie-ins I've read. Lord of Runes is better.

Gross has always had a deft touch with narrative and dialogue, but here it sparkles. Within the first two chapters, the city of Korvosa was alive in my mind. Descriptions are vivid, dialogue natural.

The plot, perhaps a little simpler than his earlier Pathfinder Tales novels, is yet more epic.

But what really lifts the book is the emotional content. Gross's Pathfinder novels are buddy stories, and in this we get to see just how deep the bonds between protagonists Radovan and Count Varian Jeggare go - and how far they can be stretched.

The emotional undertones of the novel go beyond the protagonists, though. The supporting cast carry issues of their own - at one revelation, I found myself having to put the book down for a moment while I worked the lump from my throat and blinked a tear from my eye.

This is potent stuff.

It's hard to give details of character development without revealing spoilers, but few of the main characters end this novel with the attitudes or beliefs with which they started it. Count Varian's slow deterioration is particularly well handled, both in his first-person chapters and when we get to see him from Radovan's point of view (it is a technique of Gross's that in these books the first-person point of view is swapped between the protagonists).

There are treats in store for Pathfinder fans - the return of Pathfinder Eando Kline and (given the title it's no real spoiler to say it) the rise of a Runelord. But I don't think it necessary to know the game or its setting to appreciate the quality of writing and storytelling Gross achieves.

Tie-in fiction has a bad rep because there's a lot of poorly written dross churned out, but there are a few gems out there. Lord of Runes is a diamond.

One judge of a book's quality is how you feel upon finishing it. I felt somewhat drained. I had to sit quietly for a while, absorbing the emotional impact. If that isn't a sign of quality, I don't know what is.

This review is based on the Kindle edition of Lord of Runes. I will be looking for a paper copy as well (perhaps two), because this is a book I intend to lend to friends - both to players in my Pathfinder games and to fans of fantasy fiction.

[Gregor Fleischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I had been meaning to give this one a miss because I don't like to sudden and - in my eyes - unnecessary price increase I couldn't resist applying for an ARC when I found it on netgalley.
Unfortunately my request was granted. Unfortunately for two reasons: They sent out only the beginnings of the book (I think around 20%) so I'm hooked now and I hate waiting and secondly because I will have to get this book as soon as it is published. It is that good.

I liked Dave Gross even back in the day when the Forgotten Realms were still cool, the he started writing the best Pathfinder Tales series and keeps getting better. I can say that I have given every Pathfinder author a chance, but I think the Varian & Radovan novels by Dave Gross are the only ones worth owning and re-reading. As far as Golarion is concerned, he tops even Richard Lee Byers, whom I consider the far better Forgotten realms author.
But what is it about those novels that makes even a re-read thrilling? it is not only the perfectly executed different - and differing - points of view (Half-elven aristocratic spell-slinging investigator vs hellspawn bodyguard)and the buddy-movie atmosphere between the two main characters (just think "Bad Boys II" with spells). it is not only the fact that each novels can also serve as a perfect background book for a certain hotspot in Golarion, or the fact that the books are seriously HIGH fantasy without being over-the-top, what makes them special to me is the sense of old-fashionedness:
You see the characters level-up and aqcuire loot and stories. You feel the relationship between the two of them change, you also see them dragging questions and trouble into the next campaign, wanted to say volume. These novels are some of the best roleplaying novels out there and they read like a journal of your favourite D&D campaign that has been going on for years.

But to come back to "Lord of Runes", why do I recommend that you go out, grab the next minion in your flgs and pre-order your own copy of this book?
- Radovan, hellspwan smart-ass, rogue-monk, highly likeable definition of the word "streetwise"
- Varian, can you imagine Special Agent Pendergast with pointy ears and continuously improving plots?
- the curse. Won't tell you what happens to whom, but it is awesome, love the idea, will steal it and seriously annoy my players.
- Kaer Maga. Yes, our heres are heading for the "City of Strangers". Yes, I mean THAT very City of Strangers from the seriously eerie sourcebook of the same name
- magic. Dave Gross writes magic without needing to drop any names, the description of the spells and items are so neatly done, you know what happens. Like it.
- Runelords, some more spooky mages and a seemingly empty book.

All in all, high-level, high-fantasy, high spirits. I so do look forward to the rest of this tale.
- Arnisant. Every book is better with a hungry wolfhound.

[Joel Flank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth Radovan and Varian book sees the duo visit the city of Korvosa, where Varian tries to find out why the local wizard's college, the Acadamae never told him he was a sorcerer and not a wizard, after learning that his decades of frustration at not being to cast spells was revealed to be because he wasn't a wizard after all. Once there, he finds himself drawn into a mystery surrounding the death of an old colleague and a dangerous magical tome. As he investigates, he's drawn into events involving far more than mysterious tome, with ties to some of the most ancient and powerful wizards ever to walk the face of Golarion.

Radovan provides his usual counterpoint to Varian's refined and intellectual point of view, and their almost opposite natures continues to cement their strong friendship, despite clashes over the book's growing influence over Varian. Along the way, they finally encounter something Radovan's devilish good looks and charm can't handle: more ladies than he can possible juggle at once. Lord of Runes introduces a large cast of new characters who prove more than capable of holding their own against the strong personalities of Radovan and Varian and are a welcome addition to their "social circle". There's also a few characters who are old rather than new, with cameos and major roles for some of the earliest characters from the Pathfinder game world, and sure to delight fans of the game. Their inclusion doesn't in any way detract from the self contained nature of the story in the novel, however, so readers who have never played Pathfinder won't find themselves lost. In addition to full fledged characters who appear in the book, there's a good number of references and Easter eggs throughout the book about other events in the gameworld, which adds some fun depth to the setting, similar to how the interconnected Marvel TV and movie universe gives shout outs to events occurring in other stories.

In addition to providing an action packed fantasy adventure, Lord of Runes deeply explores the depths of Varian's history and personality, as well as the strength of his relationship with Radovan. By the book's end, things are irrevocably changed between them. As always, I'm looking forward to the next installment of the series to see where things go next (though after using Prince, Master, Queen, King, and Lord, I wonder if Dave is running out of first words that are ranks of social station for titles. Maybe Jack of ____ or Emperor of _____ next?)

[Chad Peek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was only my second Pathfinder Tales novel but I enjoyed it immensely. The Sherlock Holmes feel to the novel was terrific fun, and I loved all of the references that brought me back to some sessions of Rise of the Runelords, as well as my preparation to run a Carrion Crown campaign that never was. I highly recommend the book to anyone looking to try out a little "High Fantasy meets Mystery" story time. The characters are interesting, the story pulls you in, and I will be picking up the other novels by Dave Gross to add to my bookshelf.

I received an advance review copy from Netgalley.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun adventure with Varian and Radovan. This does sort of feel like the end of their stories though.

[Vinciente Verrazzano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an easy read & quickly immersed me in the story to the point of caring what was going to happen to the characters as each part of the story unfolded.

[Holly Scudero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Count Varian Jeggare and his faithful bodyguard Radovan are spending some time in Korvosa, recovering from recent adventures and trying to hide just a little longer from impending summons from their home country. Varian has all manner of experience with magical things, but even he is quite surprised when an old colleague leaves him a mysterious book. When Varian unlocks the secrets of the book, he finds himself subsequently under a curse, and now he and Radovan--along with a noble lady and a band of hired adventurers--are racing against time to discover the missing parts of the book and prevent the return of one of the ancient and evil runelords.

Readers who have loved the past adventures of Varian and Radovan are certain to thoroughly enjoy “Lord of Runes,” Dave Gross’s newest contribution to the //Pathfinder Tales// series. Although set in the world of the Pathfinder role-playing game, a knowledge of the game is completely unnecessary to enjoy this novel, which stands alone quite nicely from even the past novels starring Varian and Radovan. The author clearly has a firm grasp of both the magical elements that make up this world as well as various parts of Pathfinder history, giving this story a surprising amount of depth. Written with intensity and humor, “Lord of Runes” is a fantastic read.

(Review originally written for San Francisco Book Review.)

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book read by Dave Gross and of the Pathfinder series. It has a very different style from the Forgotten Realms books by Ed Greenwood and RA Salvatore. It evokes imagery of 1880s-1930s British Aristocracy and social structures. It's a treasure trove of Pathfinder thinking, gods, and politics.

For me, I chafe at the 5e D&D familiar system where all characters have an animal companion. It isn't realistic, practical, or useful. It just adds clutter to a campaign where player characters have a hard enough time managing their character, let alone a pet/familiar/etc. It does the same in this book. Familiars add color but generally take away from the plot and story.

This book seemed to jump into adding characters way too fast. First it was 2, then suddenly we have 8 + a troop of 30 amazons and one of them is a dragon. I do look forward to other pathfinder books for the lore, but I hope that others have a different cadence and feel.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two years ago, Paizo, though Macmillan Audio, started releasing audiobooks for their Pathfinder Tales. They also started releasing audio versions of their back-catalog, but through Audible. This has meant that the new books involving the same characters have a different narrator who put their own spin on the characters.
Listening to Paul Boehmer narrate Prince of Wolves, Master of Devils, Queen of Thorns and King of Chaos, it's a little unsettling hearing those now familiar voices coming from Steve West. While West's Varian is not that much different to Boehmer, but his Liverpudlian accented Radovan is what takes some getting used to.
After a few chapters, I was able to set those differences aside and roll with it. But I'm brought out of the moment every time Radovan says "Desna weeps" and it's not how Boehmer would portrayed it. That's more a testament to Paul Boehmer portrayal than on Steve West performance.
Aside from that the narration is fine.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for me to just not think or focus as I do so. I’ve been in a reading slump of late. It’s bothering me because doing so hasn’t excited me. It’s like burn out. But I have been a reader for as long as I can recall. Fantasy, SciFi, And even while in school I secretly loved reading the “required reading” novels (but opening held them in disdain with everyone else because I didn’t need more held in the dork dept!) I don’t understand why this one “period of the ick” has a stronger and longer hold on me. Books like this typically help keep me going until my drive kicks back in again. Hopefully it’ll kick in soon. I’m struggling here!

[Jennifer Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be extremely good, and it has pretty effectively hooked my interest in reading Pathfinder novels again. (That had waned over the last few years.) As it happens I didn't realize right away when I started listening to the audiobook that this was the latest in a series, so I'm coming into it at the end, but that's okay because it just made me curious to go back and read how it all began.

The story itself is extremely well done. I enjoy the two different perspectives that the author rights from, and I enjoy the different tones of those two characters. There was so much happening in the story that it could, honestly, have been 2 books. I enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters, which is normal for me, sometimes more than 1 of the main characters (though I won't spoil which of those main characters I liked best). I do recommend this book.

[John Ackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Pathfinder story, so I enjoyed the world references, although many didn't make much sense at first. Really liked the (written) narration voice switching between the Count and Radovan. I listened to the Audible audiobook and thought the voice narration was enjoyable and intelligible at 1.5x speed.

The story has some nice setup and surprise. Some things are telegraphed but still enjoyable when they transpire. I'll try more of these PF stories in the future.

[Victoria Zigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you're a fan of the Pathfinder roleplaying system or not, this book makes for an excellent read. In fact, the whole series with Jeggare and Radovan - and Arnisant the dog, of course - makes for an excellent read, with a fantastic cast of characters, as well as an exciting and entertaining plot.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best count Jeggare and Radovan book so far. Good story. good characters and nice flowing dialogue. And since the book takes place in Korvosa, Kaer Maga and involves a runelord it is peppered with references to existing pathfinder adventure paths. Very well done.

[Rysm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pathfinder tour of lore

A masterful tale of intrigue, mystery, and tons of pathfinder lore. If you like Pathfinder you are going to like this book. Just start reading and the adventure will pull you right in.

[Matthew Bane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Pathfinder book and it was pretty solid. The last battle, and the one the right before the last were rather fast in my opinion. They should have had more gravitas since they were the grand finale. The ending chapter was really cute.

[Jasem Mutlaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic!

Thoroughly enjoyed my first pathfinder novel. The author did a fantastic job portraying the characters and I Thoroughly enjoyed the narrative switch between the two primary characters. Epic story that ought to be translated one day to film.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun adventure read. Great characters, lots going on.

[Lorenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mysteries, good plot and good character development.
I even learned some Golarion lore I never read in Pathfinder 2e sources.

[Vinciente Verrazzano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an easy read & quickly immersed me in the story to the point of caring what was going to happen to the characters as each part of the story unfolded.

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great on the genre and draws a lot from other published world building works

[Alyssa Malinoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect end to a great series. The characters will be missed. Also just a great story overall with a great supporting cast as always.

[Andries van Wyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK: wow what an absolutely great and entertaining book from cover to cover. The audio book is really well read.

[Brigid · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been some years since I played Pathfinder, the tabletop roleplaying game where this novel’s universe takes place. I happen to be married to someone who loves Pathfinder quite a bit, so much that he recently acquired this book to read and use as supplemental material for his current campaign. When Mike gave me this book to see if I would also enjoy it, I gave Lord of Runes a chance less out of genuine interest (I didn’t know anything about the plot) and more out of my strong passion about discussing books with other people. I had plenty to say about this book to Mike, because it was very engaging and exciting.

Did I understand every Pathfinder reference in Lord of Runes? Absolutely not! Now and then I would come across a familiar city or character name, but for the most part, I tried to just keep my head above water when it came to remembering Golarion geography. But this was a short-lived concern, as I was completely absorbed in the adventures of Count Varian Jeggare and his bodyguard Radovan. The atmosphere and world-building in this book is extremely well-developed, and even if I didn’t catch every little treat tossed to the truest fans, I was fully invested in this story’s mystery from start to finish.

The narrative alternates each chapter between the perspectives Varian and Radovan. Although I was most enthralled with the Radovan chapters because of his interesting insights and many jokes, Varian was also pretty fascinating in his own right—ESPECIALLY as things become more and more difficult for him! Varian investigates the recent death of Professor Benigno Ygresta, “a friend of a sort” who surprises Varian by naming him as executor of his estate. Although Ygrestra’s estate is described by Varian as “meager,” more questions (rather than answers) build up the more Varian examines the odd and varied circumstances of Ygresta’s life.

Varian and Radovan are joined by several other companions who assist them throughout the story, all of whom are interesting characters, but none more mysterious than Lady Illyria. An aristocratic necromancer, Lady Illyria confounds Varian as she inserts herself uninvited into his plans. Varian and Illyria come across a blank codex early on, and Varian notices that blood has been spilled on its pages: “‘How interesting.’ I raised an eyebrow. She wrinkled her nose. ‘I mean, how gruesome.’”

Varian is distrustful of Illyria’s intentions and treats her suspiciously, partly because she is a necromancer, but also because she seems unnaturally interested in what is supposed to be a private investigation: “Illyria had been my sole source of intelligence from the Acadamae since my expulsion, leading me to wonder whether she had ulterior motives for helping me. Did she act independently or as someone’s accomplice? Had Benigno Ygresta entrusted her with some task after his death? Was she, in fact, his murderer?”

Radovan doesn’t seem to have the same prejudiced distrust of Illyria as Varian does, and enjoys observing Illyria’s “impertinence” toward Varian, such as catching up to their carriage before they can sneak off without her: “She rode up alongside the carriage. The way she peered down her nose at the carriage window, I guessed the boss had drawn the curtains. I’d seen that man take down half a dozen demons while crusaders healed themselves to get back into the fray, but his courage didn’t always extend to the ladies.”

Radovan is a most loyal bodyguard to Varian, but is also somewhat uncertain of his actual place within Varian’s life: “Over the years, my arrangement with the boss had changed. He’d called me his friend, but that only goes so far when one of you’s a lord of Cheliax and the other’s whatever the hell I am.” Lord of Runes by Dave Gross is a very funny and exciting book, and its ending was very emotionally satisfying, too! I rate this book as four-out-of-five-stars and recommend it to mystery lovers who also like some magic mixed in, too.

[Jaim Grymauch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conosco Pathfinder perché faceva da sfondo ad un paio di campagne RPG che ho giocato qualche anno fa, la Seconda Oscurità e il Concilio dei Ladri. In particolare nell’avventure path del Concilio dei Ladri avevo trovato un racconto di Dave Gross (credo fosse Hell’s Pawns) che presentava un paio di interessanti personaggi: il conte Varian Jeggare, mago di non troppo successo ma abile investigatore che mi ricordava Sherlock Holmes e l’ex criminale Radovan Virholt, valletto e guardia del corpo del conte.
La coppia non aveva molto in comune, ad eccezione del fatto di essere entrambi mezzosangue in un regno, il Cheliax, che aveva una certa allergia per tutti quelli privi del giusto pedigree, però funzionava bene.
Il colto e brillante Varian, era la mente e rappresentava il punto di vista classe alta e della nobiltà; l’astuto Radovan il braccio, si muoveva nel sottobosco criminale, nei bassifondi popolani e nel modo della servitù. Il racconto proseguiva parallelo alternando il punto di vista di entrambi con la chimica giusta, seguendo una struttura tipica dei gialli più che dei racconti fantasy. C’erano mistero da svelare piuttosto che una cerca da perseguire.
Fu così che, allo scopo di far pratica con l'inglese, ebbi la poco geniale idea di leggermi Prince of Wolves e Queen of Thorns, scritti sempre da Dave Gross e con gli stessi protagonisti pensando che non fossero troppo impegnativi.
In realtà come avrei scoperto di lì a poco, storia non impegnativa non significa inglese non impegnativo. In particolare quando raccontava dal pov di Varian, Dave Gross usava un linguaggio ricercato e forbito per rendere nobiltà e erudizione del Conte e facevo molta fatica a proseguire nella lettura.
In breve ho mollato dopo il secondo volume e ho lasciato che la serie andasse avanti senza il sottoscritto anche se le storie di Varian e Radovan non mi erano dispiaciute per nulla, tanto che quando ho scoperto che Tre60 stava traducendo il franchise e pubblicava il Signore delle Rune non ho saputo resistere ed ho acquistato il volume.
Seguono tre osservazioni negative e tre positive.
Gross mantiene una vena umoristica per tutto il romanzo, il che in genere mi piace ma nella storia ci sono momenti in cui proprio ci starebbe bene un cambio di atmosfera anche solo per non risultare troppo monocorde.
Ho ritrovato un Varian meno brillante del solito, anche se ha delle giustificazioni, era meno in grado di incidere negli eventi rispetto a quanto ricordavo, molto meno detective e più avventuriero.
Infine Gross non è per nulla didascalico e da pochissime spiegazioni, il lore è minimo, la conoscenza del background Varisia e Signori delle Rune, le città di Korvosa, Ridlleport e Kaer Maga, la piaga del mondo e la relativa crociata è data per scontata, c’è il rischio di non capir tutto fino in fondo.
La lettura resta piacevole e scorrevole, il pov di Radovan è sempre molto divertente.
Il cast dei personaggi secondari è cresciuto bene e credo che avremo duo o tre figure ricorrenti da ora in poi.
Soprattutto ho apprezzato molto l’evoluzione dei due personaggi Radovan e Varian.
Nelle serie mi piace molto che le storie non siano state scritte (e lette) invano e che le esperienze fatte dai protagonisti abbiano impatto sulla loro vita e lascino una traccia nella loro personalità. Il termine del romanzo la relazione tra il conte e il valletto cambia per sempre e, in questo caso Gross è assolutamente didascalico, sarà pure chiaro cosa spingera uno dei due a modificare il rapporto.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Note: This is my husband, Seth's, review. He is a guest reviewer on my blog, and is helping me to decrease my review tbr.*

I recently had the pleasure of reading Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes by Dave Gross. The story was great, I easily could imagine something like it playing out in the gaming groups I play with on occasion. I especially enjoyed the viewpoints swapping back and forth from the ‘boss’, Varian, and the ‘bodyguard’ Radovan. I get the feeling that there is an overarching storyline somewhere in the past, mostly because of all of the references made by the two characters. However, I am not left feeling lost. This book could easily be a standalone if it isn’t already.

Okay, so I got the niceties out of the way. Let’s get down to brass tacks. The way I understand it, the copy I received was not an advanced reader copy like I am accustomed to reading. It is a fully published and released copy. Having said that, I find the spelling mistakes inside of the book to be slightly aggravating. A simple spell check probably could have caught them. There aren’t many of them, but there are enough to make the back of my brain itch in irritation.

Anyways, aside from the mechanical errors in the book, it is a decidedly good read. In between my job and playing Minecraft I made quite a bit of time to read this book as quickly as I could. Were it not for the afore mentioned errors, I would be giving this book a half point higher on my grading scale.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun sword & sorcery adventure with Count Varian Jeggare and his bodyguard (and part Hellspawn) Radovan in the Pathfinder world. This time around they were up against necromancers, a dangerous grimoire and a curse. The epilogue made me go "Aww".

Quibble: The stakes started off rather low as Varian's curse initially appeared to be more amusing than life-threatening.