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Greyhawk Classics #7
The Tomb of Horrors
Kaerion Whitehart was once a mighty paladin, but sins of the past have cast him far from the light. Together with an elf mercenary, he now survives by the might of his sword alone.
In exchange for a hefty purse, the two friends agree to accompany a band of patriots into a tomb haunted by fear and legend. They soon find the mission growing beyond their control. As warring factions vie for the ultimate prize of a long-dead wizard, Kaerion finds himself caught between death and redemption.
In exchange for a hefty purse, the two friends agree to accompany a band of patriots into a tomb haunted by fear and legend. They soon find the mission growing beyond their control. As warring factions vie for the ultimate prize of a long-dead wizard, Kaerion finds himself caught between death and redemption.
310 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 19, 2024
Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, John Carradine, and Peter Cushing sit in Asmodeus’ Lounge and BBQ on the fifth plane of Hell. They are playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons and, while playing, also discuss Keith Francis Strohm’s 2002 Greyhawk classic Tomb of Horrors.
Lee: Damn! I rolled a bleeding one! Curses! I failed the savings throw!
Price [acting as DM]: Indeed, old friend, and your sorcerer falls unconscious. BTW, you know that I once DMed a Tomb of Horrors campaign?
Carradine: Oh do tell! For the hundredth time!
Cushing: Ha! Vincent, we are all painfully aware of that past campaign.
Price: Well! I suppose I have mentioned that game a time or two before. What of Strohm’s novel based upon the old classic module?
Lee: I found it passable. I did not despise it.
Carradine: Strohm is a gifted writer, but a fresher approach was warranted.
Cushing: A fresher approach, John? Strohm was paying homage to the spirit of the old game, he has reinvigorated the tome, as it were.
[All laugh]
Price: Well played, sir.
Cushing: I do believe that Strohm’s version of events was inspired, yet he breathed new life into the story.
Lee: An old tale, but tried and true.
Price: But will any besides D&D aficionados be able to grasp the significance of the story, as a hallmark, a veritable foundation of this wonderful game?
Cushing: They will, his prose is strong enough to lift from the ashes this ancient text and bring it alive from Frankenstein’s electric table.
Carradine: Essentially, Strohm has set the scene for a visit with Gygax’ vision, and has reanimated the corpse.
Lee: Now you are channeling Lovecraft!
Cushing: There were some Lovecraftian elements here that I found entertaining and even refreshing.
Price: We follow the paths treaded by the great Gygax and find these same to be illuminated by Strohm. But perhaps this will only be treasured by those with knowledge and history with the game. Alright, Peter, Christopher’s sorcerer is down, the party is on life support, what says your cleric?
Cushing: I look into the demon’s eyes and say thrice: Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!
Price: No!
Beetlejuice: It’s party time!
Lee: Damn! I rolled a bleeding one! Curses! I failed the savings throw!
Price [acting as DM]: Indeed, old friend, and your sorcerer falls unconscious. BTW, you know that I once DMed a Tomb of Horrors campaign?
Carradine: Oh do tell! For the hundredth time!
Cushing: Ha! Vincent, we are all painfully aware of that past campaign.
Price: Well! I suppose I have mentioned that game a time or two before. What of Strohm’s novel based upon the old classic module?
Lee: I found it passable. I did not despise it.
Carradine: Strohm is a gifted writer, but a fresher approach was warranted.
Cushing: A fresher approach, John? Strohm was paying homage to the spirit of the old game, he has reinvigorated the tome, as it were.
[All laugh]
Price: Well played, sir.
Cushing: I do believe that Strohm’s version of events was inspired, yet he breathed new life into the story.
Lee: An old tale, but tried and true.
Price: But will any besides D&D aficionados be able to grasp the significance of the story, as a hallmark, a veritable foundation of this wonderful game?
Cushing: They will, his prose is strong enough to lift from the ashes this ancient text and bring it alive from Frankenstein’s electric table.
Carradine: Essentially, Strohm has set the scene for a visit with Gygax’ vision, and has reanimated the corpse.
Lee: Now you are channeling Lovecraft!
Cushing: There were some Lovecraftian elements here that I found entertaining and even refreshing.
Price: We follow the paths treaded by the great Gygax and find these same to be illuminated by Strohm. But perhaps this will only be treasured by those with knowledge and history with the game. Alright, Peter, Christopher’s sorcerer is down, the party is on life support, what says your cleric?
Cushing: I look into the demon’s eyes and say thrice: Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!
Price: No!
Beetlejuice: It’s party time!
June 16, 2015
This book is a decent, quick read. It has a couple of major problems...
The first is, like the last book I read in the series (The Temple of Elemental Evil) there is very little character development. The main character has a tiny bit of growth, but it does mimic the growth of a character in a D&D game, so it was a bit of fun.
The second problem is that the ending felt very rushed. They spend four-fifth's of the book getting to the tomb, and then only spent a tiny amount of time in the tomb. The most fantastical place in the book and it gets the smallest portion of it. The interaction between the groups (good guys vs bad guys) was kept to a very minimal amount, which was disappointing after such a long build-up.
The journey was pretty good and the juxtaposition of the "good guys" and the "bad guys" was well done. The reader gets a real sense that the evil group is pursuing and harrying the good guys every step of the way through the swamp. But the interactions, as I said, were very minimal in the tomb, which is what I was waiting for - a big confrontation! It never really happened, so it fell short.
The ending was so small/short that it felt truncated. It made sense, and it was fitting for the main character, but overall it was a let down after an extreme buildup with the main bad guy. I liked it a bit less than ToEE, but still give it three stars for the nostalgia. It's a quick read, but if you aren't a D&D fan, you probably won't enjoy it as much as I did.
The first is, like the last book I read in the series (The Temple of Elemental Evil) there is very little character development. The main character has a tiny bit of growth, but it does mimic the growth of a character in a D&D game, so it was a bit of fun.
The second problem is that the ending felt very rushed. They spend four-fifth's of the book getting to the tomb, and then only spent a tiny amount of time in the tomb. The most fantastical place in the book and it gets the smallest portion of it. The interaction between the groups (good guys vs bad guys) was kept to a very minimal amount, which was disappointing after such a long build-up.
The journey was pretty good and the juxtaposition of the "good guys" and the "bad guys" was well done. The reader gets a real sense that the evil group is pursuing and harrying the good guys every step of the way through the swamp. But the interactions, as I said, were very minimal in the tomb, which is what I was waiting for - a big confrontation! It never really happened, so it fell short.
The ending was so small/short that it felt truncated. It made sense, and it was fitting for the main character, but overall it was a let down after an extreme buildup with the main bad guy. I liked it a bit less than ToEE, but still give it three stars for the nostalgia. It's a quick read, but if you aren't a D&D fan, you probably won't enjoy it as much as I did.
August 4, 2014
Why do I keep doing this to myself? It seems that no matter what promise I make to myself about reading the rest of the Greyhawk Classics series, the pain and disappointment from the previous has just enough time to fade before the next book appears in front of me.
Like all the Greyhawk Classics line, the story serves two masters: the natural progression of the characters and plot, and the expectations of the eponymous structure or feature. In hindsight I can't fault Strohm for structuring it such that the Tomb only makes its appearance at around page 200. Reading the blow-by-blow of a pure trap-and-monsters dungeon crawl isn't particularly interesting if you have a good idea of how things are going to play out. Especially given that a certain number of set pieces--a certain green devil face, for example--are required to appear.
In all, it was a trudging journey. The characters all develop in completely expected ways with relatively expected outcomes.
Like all the Greyhawk Classics line, the story serves two masters: the natural progression of the characters and plot, and the expectations of the eponymous structure or feature. In hindsight I can't fault Strohm for structuring it such that the Tomb only makes its appearance at around page 200. Reading the blow-by-blow of a pure trap-and-monsters dungeon crawl isn't particularly interesting if you have a good idea of how things are going to play out. Especially given that a certain number of set pieces--a certain green devil face, for example--are required to appear.
In all, it was a trudging journey. The characters all develop in completely expected ways with relatively expected outcomes.
July 24, 2015
Tons of spoilers below.
This was the 7th and final book in the "modules-turned-novels" series that I'd read. I *really* wanted to like this book, since I was so familiar with the module, but parts of it just prevented the review from rising above 3 stars. Let's begin with the upsides:
1) An *actual D&D party* is used. No "orphaned kid" coming along on an adventure for high level characters. No "fairies and sphinxes" in the party. Just a nice mix of races and classes.
2) The Tomb crawl itself follows the module well
3) Most characters stuck to actual D&D abilities they had
Now the downsides:
1) It is well into page 200 of 300 before we get to the bloody Tomb!
2) The whole "evil party following a good party into the Tomb" thing was an unnecessary plot device
3) The whole connection to Tharizdun was also unnecessary
4) There were far too many times that characters did things that are NOT allowed in D&D:
a) A fallen paladin can NEVER regain his/her paladinhood
b) The soul-sucking power of a Demi-Lich has no defense. No save. No spell. Nothing should stop it. Yet the party's mage fights it off with some unnamed spell like power. Unless he was casting WISH as a defense, the mage should've found himself in Acerack's left eye diamond.
c) A single blow from a paladin with a holy sword will NOT destroy a Demi-Lich
d) "blunt tip arrows" are not a "thing" in D&D. Even if a DM allowed it, they would NOT do the kind of damage a hammer or mace would do!
5) There were incredibly important times when the author SHOULD have done something, but failed to do so, indicating the author was NOT a D&D player:
a) Upon regaining his paladinhood, the main character should have LAID ON HANDS to heal the guy who was dying in the last few pages of the book
b) The party followed Acerack's "poem" to solve the Tomb, UNTIL THE VERY LAST LINE which got ignored!!!!! "You've left and left and found my tomb, and now your soul must die". The "left and left" part was SO INTEGRAL to finding Acerack that EVERY party EVER that I've DM'd through this module, relied upon it. The author wholeheartedly skips over the use of that clue, and we fast forward to them standing before the final resting place of Acerack like it was not difficult!
c) The "false tomb" part of the module is HUGE! It's the make-or-break point for most parties that I've DM'd. Was that really Acerack? Did we win? Why do we feel like there was more to the Tomb? That whole part was skipped.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm putting this footer on all 7 of my reviews of "Greyhawk Classics", for consistency.
Note that I read them them in LEVEL ORDER, not publication order. I wanted an overall review of the series of 8 in one spot, so here ya go:
1) (6th published) Keep on the Borderlands - Levels 1-3 : 2 stars
2) (4th published) The Temple of Elemental Evil - Levels 1-3 : 3 stars
3) (2nd published) White Plume Mountain - Levels 5-10 : 4 stars
4) (1st published) Against the Giants - Levels 8-12 : 3 stars
5) (3rd published) Descent into the Depths of the Earth - Levels 9-14 : 4 stars
6) (5th published) Queen of the Demonweb Pits - Levels 10-14 : 3 stars
7) (7th published) Tomb of Horrors - Levels 10-14 : 3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was the 7th and final book in the "modules-turned-novels" series that I'd read. I *really* wanted to like this book, since I was so familiar with the module, but parts of it just prevented the review from rising above 3 stars. Let's begin with the upsides:
1) An *actual D&D party* is used. No "orphaned kid" coming along on an adventure for high level characters. No "fairies and sphinxes" in the party. Just a nice mix of races and classes.
2) The Tomb crawl itself follows the module well
3) Most characters stuck to actual D&D abilities they had
Now the downsides:
1) It is well into page 200 of 300 before we get to the bloody Tomb!
2) The whole "evil party following a good party into the Tomb" thing was an unnecessary plot device
3) The whole connection to Tharizdun was also unnecessary
4) There were far too many times that characters did things that are NOT allowed in D&D:
a) A fallen paladin can NEVER regain his/her paladinhood
b) The soul-sucking power of a Demi-Lich has no defense. No save. No spell. Nothing should stop it. Yet the party's mage fights it off with some unnamed spell like power. Unless he was casting WISH as a defense, the mage should've found himself in Acerack's left eye diamond.
c) A single blow from a paladin with a holy sword will NOT destroy a Demi-Lich
d) "blunt tip arrows" are not a "thing" in D&D. Even if a DM allowed it, they would NOT do the kind of damage a hammer or mace would do!
5) There were incredibly important times when the author SHOULD have done something, but failed to do so, indicating the author was NOT a D&D player:
a) Upon regaining his paladinhood, the main character should have LAID ON HANDS to heal the guy who was dying in the last few pages of the book
b) The party followed Acerack's "poem" to solve the Tomb, UNTIL THE VERY LAST LINE which got ignored!!!!! "You've left and left and found my tomb, and now your soul must die". The "left and left" part was SO INTEGRAL to finding Acerack that EVERY party EVER that I've DM'd through this module, relied upon it. The author wholeheartedly skips over the use of that clue, and we fast forward to them standing before the final resting place of Acerack like it was not difficult!
c) The "false tomb" part of the module is HUGE! It's the make-or-break point for most parties that I've DM'd. Was that really Acerack? Did we win? Why do we feel like there was more to the Tomb? That whole part was skipped.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm putting this footer on all 7 of my reviews of "Greyhawk Classics", for consistency.
Note that I read them them in LEVEL ORDER, not publication order. I wanted an overall review of the series of 8 in one spot, so here ya go:
1) (6th published) Keep on the Borderlands - Levels 1-3 : 2 stars
2) (4th published) The Temple of Elemental Evil - Levels 1-3 : 3 stars
3) (2nd published) White Plume Mountain - Levels 5-10 : 4 stars
4) (1st published) Against the Giants - Levels 8-12 : 3 stars
5) (3rd published) Descent into the Depths of the Earth - Levels 9-14 : 4 stars
6) (5th published) Queen of the Demonweb Pits - Levels 10-14 : 3 stars
7) (7th published) Tomb of Horrors - Levels 10-14 : 3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 1, 2022
Definitely a stand out in the Greyhawk Classics series. We skip over the standard recruitment drive in a local tavern, to instead meet our party partially formed and already adventuring. Afterwards they team up with some local noble and set up a massive caravan of heroes and guards, to take on a quest that leads them into the Tomb of Acererak. I liked this approach and the characters were all very quickly likeable.
The descriptive writing for the environment was generally sensational and made each setting instantly palpable for me. I actually had a good sense of the map in my head for once too. The descriptions of people and emotions were less appealing, sometimes plain but other times clever.
Our band of heroes are not the only ones seeking access to the Tomb, the dark cleric Durgoth leads a cohort of Tharizdun cultists with plans to awaken their imprisoned god. As evil plans go, Durgoth teams up with a local thieves guild but even this union is doomed with separate objectives.
After the failure of a surprise attack by Durgoth's minions, the "evil genius" thinks up a cunning plan which is supposedly as evil as the dark lord himself, but it is exceedingly obvious and Frankly rather lazy. Think about the scenario and see if you can guess it, I guessed it. Durgoth announces the plan only a few pages later. It's sort of the classic Indiana Jones set up.
Durgoth is unjustifiably self-assured so damn frequently that it actually started to become annoying and I don't mean unjustifiable in the sense that we know the good guys will win, much more simply he congratulates himself for the brilliance of his own plan based on nothing, no evidence, no reason. It's barely a plan really.
But don't get me wrong, I thought the idea of shadowing the main party was a good move.
I noticed other little inconsistencies throughout, the following is just one example that I jotted down but there were many before and after it. The sorceress Sydra was performing a ritual and we read Durgoth thinking to himself that he didn't care much for the details, that he only wanted to see the outcome. Only a page or two later we catch Durgoth "staring at the arcane display with great interest".
Although it's handled a bit plainly, it was nice to have a character dealing with a sort of fall from grace background and overcoming alcohol dependence. The power of friendship and other "nice" themes are prevalent in this redemption arc.
As noted in other reviews, the ending is quite abrupt but I didn't see anyone else comment on just how brutal it is. It's a short but sweet end to this adventure.
The descriptive writing for the environment was generally sensational and made each setting instantly palpable for me. I actually had a good sense of the map in my head for once too. The descriptions of people and emotions were less appealing, sometimes plain but other times clever.
Our band of heroes are not the only ones seeking access to the Tomb, the dark cleric Durgoth leads a cohort of Tharizdun cultists with plans to awaken their imprisoned god. As evil plans go, Durgoth teams up with a local thieves guild but even this union is doomed with separate objectives.
After the failure of a surprise attack by Durgoth's minions, the "evil genius" thinks up a cunning plan which is supposedly as evil as the dark lord himself, but it is exceedingly obvious and Frankly rather lazy. Think about the scenario and see if you can guess it, I guessed it. Durgoth announces the plan only a few pages later. It's sort of the classic Indiana Jones set up.
Durgoth is unjustifiably self-assured so damn frequently that it actually started to become annoying and I don't mean unjustifiable in the sense that we know the good guys will win, much more simply he congratulates himself for the brilliance of his own plan based on nothing, no evidence, no reason. It's barely a plan really.
But don't get me wrong, I thought the idea of shadowing the main party was a good move.
I noticed other little inconsistencies throughout, the following is just one example that I jotted down but there were many before and after it. The sorceress Sydra was performing a ritual and we read Durgoth thinking to himself that he didn't care much for the details, that he only wanted to see the outcome. Only a page or two later we catch Durgoth "staring at the arcane display with great interest".
Although it's handled a bit plainly, it was nice to have a character dealing with a sort of fall from grace background and overcoming alcohol dependence. The power of friendship and other "nice" themes are prevalent in this redemption arc.
As noted in other reviews, the ending is quite abrupt but I didn't see anyone else comment on just how brutal it is. It's a short but sweet end to this adventure.
May 29, 2013
A good read (surprisingly so). An amusing feature - the adventure party is bringing along guards. Yes, that's right - their armor wasn't explicitly refered to as "red", but it might as well have been...
While D&D novels that I've read in the past have been an unimpressive lot, but this is part of a series of books (unrelated, except the general world setting) based on classic AD&D dungeons that have been quite good so far.
While D&D novels that I've read in the past have been an unimpressive lot, but this is part of a series of books (unrelated, except the general world setting) based on classic AD&D dungeons that have been quite good so far.
June 11, 2022
Here's a life hack: you can make this book yourself, for free! Just gather your group, and run the Tomb of Annihilation's final dungeon, but just as you begin the session, climb on to the table and take a massive shit. You have effectively reproduced the experience of running or playing through this dungeon.
December 30, 2016
I read this out of a sense of boyhood nostalgia. This book is related to a 1978 ( !!!! ) D&D adventure that earned the tag "infamous" - it was designed to be way too hard, killing off all players via hidden traps before they even get to the "fun part" of the undead demi-lich that also is guaranteed to kill them. It was adventures like this that made players think "The DM hates us."
Anyway, the novelization was a fun distraction but seemed to be paced oddly... Too much set-up and then it raced through the dungeon adventure. On the positive side, I didn't die.
Anyway, the novelization was a fun distraction but seemed to be paced oddly... Too much set-up and then it raced through the dungeon adventure. On the positive side, I didn't die.
October 22, 2022
A great dungeon crawl that ends with the redemption of a paladin. A very epic tale that I found very enjoyable with a decent open ending.
Second time I listened to the audiobook version. The two opposing parties of good and evil adventurers makes for a better foray into this dungeon of death.
Second time I listened to the audiobook version. The two opposing parties of good and evil adventurers makes for a better foray into this dungeon of death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2018
The Seventh in the Greyhawk's Classics series follows the adventure of fallen paladin Kaerion Whitehart and his friend Gerwyth as they are pulled into a quest to clear the fabled Tomb of Horrors. Like the other books in the series it is based on a classic D&D adventure module of the same name. In general this is a good book that tries to create characters of interest while staying true to the story line of the module. Its one of the more serious in tone books as the Kaerion address his fall from grace, his significant drinking and his inability to accept forgiveness for what he did in the past.
While there is other character development, Kaerion's is the main focus of the story. While his fall from grace is eventually resolved, the manner in which it is seems half hearted. The story builds towards an epic redemption story only to go with a more benign 'you were never fallen, you were tricked' resolution. While this doesn't takeaway from the overall story line....it does lessen the impact a bit.
While there is other character development, Kaerion's is the main focus of the story. While his fall from grace is eventually resolved, the manner in which it is seems half hearted. The story builds towards an epic redemption story only to go with a more benign 'you were never fallen, you were tricked' resolution. While this doesn't takeaway from the overall story line....it does lessen the impact a bit.
December 16, 2018
A good entertaining read about redemption in the face of great evil.
Kaerion Whiteheart, once the greatest of all paladins in service to Heironeous, years ago fell from grace and wandered the world selling his sword along with a single companion.
Ten years have passed since the paladin's shame and although he doesn't know it, an opportunity for redemption under the eyes of a stern cleric of Heironeous and his own is surprisingly presented by his friend. Along the way he will face an evil as great as that which defeated him years before, but he is determined to never again fail his mighty master the Valorous One.
Very good story with likeable characters and a powerful hero who is someone readers can sympathize with as he fights his inner demons to again be the virtuous knight he was born to be.
Kaerion Whiteheart, once the greatest of all paladins in service to Heironeous, years ago fell from grace and wandered the world selling his sword along with a single companion.
Ten years have passed since the paladin's shame and although he doesn't know it, an opportunity for redemption under the eyes of a stern cleric of Heironeous and his own is surprisingly presented by his friend. Along the way he will face an evil as great as that which defeated him years before, but he is determined to never again fail his mighty master the Valorous One.
Very good story with likeable characters and a powerful hero who is someone readers can sympathize with as he fights his inner demons to again be the virtuous knight he was born to be.
June 5, 2019
It had progress and I’m a huge fan of this module but I’m disappointed. I listened to the audio book version which wasn’t bad but the author really needed to double the size of the book and flesh out all the characters. They were basically just standard 2 dimensional D&d stereotypes. I liked the idea of getting the villains point of view; however, to me that only works if he offers something the audience can sympathize with which doesn’t happen here. And really I wanted more of the tomb. There was a lot about it that wasn’t addressed. I’m guessing the author had a page limit but these were my issues. I wanted to like it and I liked the end. Oh and the dialogue was cringy at times. I did like the authors descriptions and action I thought that was well done but I just can’t rate it very high.
November 24, 2017
Many of the Nineties DnD fiction novels remind me of Chipotle tacos. Sure they're fine, but they're nothing you really want to brag about having consumed. This book had some interesting parts - I enjoyed the redemption of the main character, but I couldn't really get around how all the other characters existed only to help the main character find that resolution.
If you are looking for an afternoon or an evening of fun mindless reading, then this book will help you through. If you were planning on running the Tomb of Horrors / Tomb of Annihilation then this book would probably add some fun insight. However, while I don't mind having read this I'm feeling the opportunity cost might have been too high, as I wonder what other (and better) books I could have been reading instead.
If you are looking for an afternoon or an evening of fun mindless reading, then this book will help you through. If you were planning on running the Tomb of Horrors / Tomb of Annihilation then this book would probably add some fun insight. However, while I don't mind having read this I'm feeling the opportunity cost might have been too high, as I wonder what other (and better) books I could have been reading instead.
March 25, 2023
Reading through some of the other reviews and now having listened to the book, I fully understand the people that greatly disliked and the people that really liked it. This Book is very much the type that is going to appeal to some and definitely not to others. I know, the same can be said about anything, but this, at it's very core, is going to be divisive. I fall on the side that really didn't like it, but I can recognize that it isn't a bad book, it just isn't for me. The major thing I kept bumping into is that I kept feeling like it would be so much better to read these characters in a book not connected to D&D. To that end, I will be seeking books by this author not forced to exist in the confines of an old adventure module.
March 2, 2020
Agreeing with what seems to be the majority of the reviews here. Quite a lot of build up to a rushed ending. And the very end did absolutely feel rushed.
However, I must say I enjoyed reading it. Especially after going through the D&D module, it was fun to see how the author took his made up D&D party too and through the Tomb of Horrors.
Maybe not a masterpiece, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it for DMs and players.
However, I must say I enjoyed reading it. Especially after going through the D&D module, it was fun to see how the author took his made up D&D party too and through the Tomb of Horrors.
Maybe not a masterpiece, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it for DMs and players.
September 21, 2024
3,5/5. Bad characterizations? Check. Lack of lore regarding one of the most famous D&D locales? Check. Slooooow beginning, sugar coated romance? Check. Great action in the last third including deus ex machina? CHECK! Highlight: the main villain. Greatly done cliché! This is what you expect for a novelization of a D&D module: dumb fun, specially if you have played the adventure module.
February 3, 2026
3.2 stars.
I thought this one was okay. It's part of the Greyhawk Legendary Modules turned into novels series. The last in fact.
If you enjoy the old modules of old, then this might appeal to you. If you want a good fantasy novel then . . . well, not so much.
I'm glad I read the entire Greyhawk run, but much prefer the Gygax, Gord the Rogue novels more.
I thought this one was okay. It's part of the Greyhawk Legendary Modules turned into novels series. The last in fact.
If you enjoy the old modules of old, then this might appeal to you. If you want a good fantasy novel then . . . well, not so much.
I'm glad I read the entire Greyhawk run, but much prefer the Gygax, Gord the Rogue novels more.
May 10, 2018
Unless you're intimately familiar with the real Tomb of Horrors and its history, I wouldn't bother. The Forgotten Realms/Greyhawk books are fun if you appreciate them for what they are, but I couldn't bring myself to recommend these books to anyone.
August 31, 2022
I picked up this book in a charity shop for the sole reason that it's based on a campaign game that is mentioned in Ready Player One. As it's part of a game-to-book series, I wasn't expecting anything particularly groundbreaking. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually a pretty good book! More fool me for “looking down on” books in game related series where each book is penned by a different author; they can still have literary merit.
Overall it was a fun “quest” fantasy. The characters were interesting and the MC had a better character arc than in some much more “highly regarded” literary fiction I've come across. The plot was nothing majorly ground breaking or surprising, but there were definitely some great action scenes and good character death build-ups etc. Although it sometimes felt surprisingly slow for a book which was so action-heavy, I did rather enjoy the ride. No, I would not really want to read it again but I think Keith Francis Strohm should be given more credit for writing a well-rounded novel to match this game. Not that I've ever played the game lol.
The one thing that irked me (only slightly) was that common fantasy / fanfic -esque tendency of calling characters by a characteristic rather than a name or pronoun. E.g., “the mage did X” or “the blond did Y”. You know what I mean? You never seem to find this in published fiction usually – somehow – and yet it's so prevalent in online works. So it was a little weird to experience that in a book. But overall, not particularly jarring.
I also wasn't expecting religion to get the pedestal it receives in this story; aka magic trumps combat, but religion trumps magic. It was interesting though!
To amend my dodgy rating system where nearly everything I read is 4.25* (thanks Jenny), I'm now using the CAWPILE rating system to determine a fairer score for my books and also enable readers to see why they score in such a way.
Characters: 6/10 (characters weren't complete 2D cutouts for the most part but only the MC was fully fleshed out)
Atmosphere: 8/10 actually pretty good on this front
Writing: 7/10 not bad, literally just that fanfic descriptor thing and some cheesy villain writing
Plot: 7/10 standard quest with basic disturbances along the way
Intrigue: 7/10 although you kind of knew how things mostly would pan out, there was good intrigue built about what secret from his past the MC was hiding from his crew
Logic: 8/10 solid, in world logic
Enjoyment: 8/10
CAWPILE average: 7.29/10
= 3.6* on goodreads, so my original 3.75 guess was pretty close to the mark!
_________
Surprising 3.75* RTC
Overall it was a fun “quest” fantasy. The characters were interesting and the MC had a better character arc than in some much more “highly regarded” literary fiction I've come across. The plot was nothing majorly ground breaking or surprising, but there were definitely some great action scenes and good character death build-ups etc. Although it sometimes felt surprisingly slow for a book which was so action-heavy, I did rather enjoy the ride. No, I would not really want to read it again but I think Keith Francis Strohm should be given more credit for writing a well-rounded novel to match this game. Not that I've ever played the game lol.
The one thing that irked me (only slightly) was that common fantasy / fanfic -esque tendency of calling characters by a characteristic rather than a name or pronoun. E.g., “the mage did X” or “the blond did Y”. You know what I mean? You never seem to find this in published fiction usually – somehow – and yet it's so prevalent in online works. So it was a little weird to experience that in a book. But overall, not particularly jarring.
I also wasn't expecting religion to get the pedestal it receives in this story; aka magic trumps combat, but religion trumps magic. It was interesting though!
To amend my dodgy rating system where nearly everything I read is 4.25* (thanks Jenny), I'm now using the CAWPILE rating system to determine a fairer score for my books and also enable readers to see why they score in such a way.
Characters: 6/10 (characters weren't complete 2D cutouts for the most part but only the MC was fully fleshed out)
Atmosphere: 8/10 actually pretty good on this front
Writing: 7/10 not bad, literally just that fanfic descriptor thing and some cheesy villain writing
Plot: 7/10 standard quest with basic disturbances along the way
Intrigue: 7/10 although you kind of knew how things mostly would pan out, there was good intrigue built about what secret from his past the MC was hiding from his crew
Logic: 8/10 solid, in world logic
Enjoyment: 8/10
CAWPILE average: 7.29/10
= 3.6* on goodreads, so my original 3.75 guess was pretty close to the mark!
_________
Surprising 3.75* RTC
April 22, 2019
A Classic
Taking you back to simple D&D fun, in a fantastic classic dungeon. I forgot how much fun this style of writing was.
Taking you back to simple D&D fun, in a fantastic classic dungeon. I forgot how much fun this style of writing was.
November 3, 2019
A faithful and not brilliant adaptation of the module into a book. Nice to read if you're an avid D&D player; a definite no-no otherwise.
May 29, 2022
Almost A Two-Party TPK. I loved the characters and it felt like I was part of the story. The over all story line was fantastic and I highly recommend it.
October 26, 2024
Over half the book is about the journey to the dungeon; it's not a bad story, just hard to get invested in the characters. Plus, the ending is a bit deus ex machina.
June 19, 2025
This book should never be read by anyone. It is that bad. Boring, nonsensical and stupid will ordinarily get you a two star. Throw in insane, well, that’s a 1 star
February 16, 2024
Just finished reading this for the second time. Really well written, descriptive, with interesting characters, and a satisfying immersion in a classic D&D adventure module. There is no need to be familiar with the world of D&D to enjoy the novel, but if you are it's even better.
The author spends the first two thirds of the book introducing the characters as they gear up for the dungeon crawl. The tomb itself comes into play much later, but that really worked for me. By the time the party got there I was invested.
I would have loved to read more from the author about the continuing adventures of the protagonist(s)!
The author spends the first two thirds of the book introducing the characters as they gear up for the dungeon crawl. The tomb itself comes into play much later, but that really worked for me. By the time the party got there I was invested.
I would have loved to read more from the author about the continuing adventures of the protagonist(s)!
May 25, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. This was my first book of 2015, and I'm sad to admit that it took almost 5 months to finish reading it. By the end of the book, I felt that I had gone with, and shared the hardships of the characters. Although, this might be because it took roughly the same amount of time to read the book as how long the journey of the characters took.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to others.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to others.
August 11, 2016
I actually thought this is one of the better D&D books I've ever read. I've never been through or read the original module - maybe my opinion would change if I had - but D&D books on a whole are really pretty terrible reads, and I found myself not entirely disappointed by this one.
It is a shame the dungeon itself doesn't present itself until the last 1/3 of the book, and the characters are painfully thin, but all-in-all I actually enjoyed it.
It is a shame the dungeon itself doesn't present itself until the last 1/3 of the book, and the characters are painfully thin, but all-in-all I actually enjoyed it.
October 23, 2023
This is a fantastic read! I return to it time and again for a return to the brighter side of mankind in the midst of the chaos of those who seek selfless goals. There are friends who lead our hero in the right direction even when he does not know what the right direction is. This book will remain on my bookshelf.
February 3, 2008
As an old gamer of the module itself, I was excited. The book was fine, but really didn't get cooking until they made it to the actual tomb, which was well into the final third.
February 27, 2010
was very surprised w/ this book. I read it simply to read something and it was an easy read. decent story that was predictable but good overall.
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