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Pathfinder Tales #28
Pathfinder Tales. L'isola del traditore
Un'emozionante avventura ispirata al gioco di ruolo più popolare del mondo
Lui è Rodrick, un truffatore di alto rango, dotato di un potente fascino e di un’astuzia straordinaria. Lei è Hrym, una spada parlante, fatta di un ghiaccio che mai potrà sciogliersi, e custode dell’anima e degli incantesimi di un antico drago. Inseparabili, viaggiano per il mondo, rubando oro e oggetti preziosi, e condannando al gelo eterno chiunque osi ostacolarli. Ma, giunti sulla meravigliosa isola di Jalmeray, dovranno prepararsi a uno scontro senza precedenti. Riusciranno ingegno e coraggio a contrastare i poteri occulti del malvagio re dell’isola? E Hyrm riuscirà, ancora una volta, a salvare la vita di Rodrick?
Lui è Rodrick, un truffatore di alto rango, dotato di un potente fascino e di un’astuzia straordinaria. Lei è Hrym, una spada parlante, fatta di un ghiaccio che mai potrà sciogliersi, e custode dell’anima e degli incantesimi di un antico drago. Inseparabili, viaggiano per il mondo, rubando oro e oggetti preziosi, e condannando al gelo eterno chiunque osi ostacolarli. Ma, giunti sulla meravigliosa isola di Jalmeray, dovranno prepararsi a uno scontro senza precedenti. Riusciranno ingegno e coraggio a contrastare i poteri occulti del malvagio re dell’isola? E Hyrm riuscirà, ancora una volta, a salvare la vita di Rodrick?
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
16 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 5, 2015
Previously Published at TheQwillery.com
Tim Pratt knows how to write a fun fantasy. Liar's Island was just what I needed after reading a stinker. It's light and refreshing, like a palette cleanser for my soul and a reminder of why I love fantasy. It has great characters, an interesting story and a great pace. This is my first Pathfinder novel, but it reminds me a lot of the Forgotten Realms novels I started reading in middle school.
Pratt's characters are easy to like and have personality without trying hard to prove it. Everything comes across so effortlessly that I got lost in the story and enjoyed myself. Our hero Rodrick and his sword Hrym work well together as the sword has more personality than a lot of actual human characters I've tried to connect to.
I'm not going to focus too much on the Pathfinder world building itself, as it is a shared world and I'm not familiar with it enough to know how much of it Pratt helped create. Regardless, it is rich in history and well developed. I would honestly like reading another Pathfinder book just to explore the world more.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was how much the narrative voice would explain things far more than was needed. That being said, I understand that there is a wide age range of readers that would be interested in the book and I'm sure there are some younger readers that need the additional explanations to follow the story.
Pratt's Liar's Island is a wonderful fantasy story perfect for readers that need a refreshing read after a bout of bad books. There isn't an issue with language. Minor acts of violence and only suggested sexual situations making it appropriate for teens and adults. Treat yourself and pick up your own copy today.
Tim Pratt knows how to write a fun fantasy. Liar's Island was just what I needed after reading a stinker. It's light and refreshing, like a palette cleanser for my soul and a reminder of why I love fantasy. It has great characters, an interesting story and a great pace. This is my first Pathfinder novel, but it reminds me a lot of the Forgotten Realms novels I started reading in middle school.
Pratt's characters are easy to like and have personality without trying hard to prove it. Everything comes across so effortlessly that I got lost in the story and enjoyed myself. Our hero Rodrick and his sword Hrym work well together as the sword has more personality than a lot of actual human characters I've tried to connect to.
I'm not going to focus too much on the Pathfinder world building itself, as it is a shared world and I'm not familiar with it enough to know how much of it Pratt helped create. Regardless, it is rich in history and well developed. I would honestly like reading another Pathfinder book just to explore the world more.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was how much the narrative voice would explain things far more than was needed. That being said, I understand that there is a wide age range of readers that would be interested in the book and I'm sure there are some younger readers that need the additional explanations to follow the story.
Pratt's Liar's Island is a wonderful fantasy story perfect for readers that need a refreshing read after a bout of bad books. There isn't an issue with language. Minor acts of violence and only suggested sexual situations making it appropriate for teens and adults. Treat yourself and pick up your own copy today.
January 22, 2016
This is a book in the Pathfinder Tales series. It features Rodrick (a con-man) and his magical, intelligent sword made of ice, Hrym. The story centers around the pair’s travels to the island nation of Jalmaray, where they become embroiled in some serious politics between a cult of a goddess of destruction and deceit and the thakur, the ruler of Jalmaray. Throw in some of the Indian legendary creatures like rakshasas and a couple of were-tigers, and you have an interesting situation. Can Rodrick pull of a con of three different groups?
I enjoyed the story. It has a tongue-in-cheek feel throughout and many of the characters, both protagonists and antagonists are very sarcastic, but I can forgive the tone. I appreciated the character development, and the scenes at the end of the story set up future stories for Rodrick to grow more and become more “good.” Or at least good hearted. It was an enjoyable light read.
I enjoyed the story. It has a tongue-in-cheek feel throughout and many of the characters, both protagonists and antagonists are very sarcastic, but I can forgive the tone. I appreciated the character development, and the scenes at the end of the story set up future stories for Rodrick to grow more and become more “good.” Or at least good hearted. It was an enjoyable light read.
September 6, 2015
I love these books, but wish they were easier to find. I first stumbled on Pathfinder Tales at BEA in 2013. And loved them. They are so hard to find though. NO library in the entire state of Maine owns ANY. So the only way for me to get any is to buy them, and while I love supporting authors, books are expensive.
Anyway, this is a sequel to Liar's Blade, which I picked up at BEA. This story picks up a little over a year after Liar's Blade. It is very much a fantasy adventure story, but not the old fashioned typical ones. Roderick is a thief and trickster. He's accompanied by his best friend Hyrm, a sentient talking sword of ice. The two are getting into typical thiefy trouble when a djinn invites them to a remote island nation as a guest of the local ruler. Not being stupid, they accept and embark on an adventure full of magic, thievery, and treasure.
Anyway, this is a sequel to Liar's Blade, which I picked up at BEA. This story picks up a little over a year after Liar's Blade. It is very much a fantasy adventure story, but not the old fashioned typical ones. Roderick is a thief and trickster. He's accompanied by his best friend Hyrm, a sentient talking sword of ice. The two are getting into typical thiefy trouble when a djinn invites them to a remote island nation as a guest of the local ruler. Not being stupid, they accept and embark on an adventure full of magic, thievery, and treasure.
September 2, 2015
Solid adventure story.
December 20, 2017
Rodrick and his magical sword, Hrym, have been making a living through thievery and tricks for a long time, but they’re about to face their biggest challenge yet when they arrive on the island of Jalmeray. The ruler there wants to buy Hrym as a gift for a friend, but the chief advisor has darker plans of assassination and chaos. Before long, Rodrick and Hrym have been sucked into a deeper plot, and it’s up to them and a few allies to stop an evil cult from taking over the island!
Author Tim Pratt brings readers another story centered around the charming con man Rodrick and his icy sword, Hrym, and this adventure is as fun and fast-paced as readers could hope for! “Liar’s Island” is part of the “Pathfinder Tales” series, and is set in the world of the Pathfinder role-playing game. But knowledge of the game is completely unnecessary to enjoy this book; readers will love immersing themselves in Rodrick’s adventure even if they haven’t read the book that came before it. Rodrick is smooth and has a great sense of humor; he’s the adventure many of us secretly wish we could be. Hrym, with the soul of an ice dragon, is sarcastic and powerful, and he’s a great partner to Rodrick. This is a fun book!
(Review originally written for San Francisco Book Review.)
Author Tim Pratt brings readers another story centered around the charming con man Rodrick and his icy sword, Hrym, and this adventure is as fun and fast-paced as readers could hope for! “Liar’s Island” is part of the “Pathfinder Tales” series, and is set in the world of the Pathfinder role-playing game. But knowledge of the game is completely unnecessary to enjoy this book; readers will love immersing themselves in Rodrick’s adventure even if they haven’t read the book that came before it. Rodrick is smooth and has a great sense of humor; he’s the adventure many of us secretly wish we could be. Hrym, with the soul of an ice dragon, is sarcastic and powerful, and he’s a great partner to Rodrick. This is a fun book!
(Review originally written for San Francisco Book Review.)
August 29, 2017
The earliest fantasy fiction was essentially a roguish person (often with a foil, the character type, not sword) who wandered around the fantasy world getting into trouble usually doing something nefarious. Conan, Elak of Atlantis, The Grey Mouser, Jirel of Joiry, etc. Unfortunately the popularity of Lord of the Rings pretty much squished this sort of fantasy in favor of ultra long (and my mind mind, boring) epics. Tim Pratt's Pathfinder novels hark back to the old style of fantasy, in this case featuring Rodrick a con man who has a very magical sword that talks (in this case a foil that is a foil. Well, longsword).
In this case, he visits fantasy India (or possibly more like Sri Lanka or Ceylon, as it's an island) and gets involved in two different but ultimately convergent schemes that go awry and ends up wandering around a lot while fleeing. There's even some dungeon exploring, albeit a small one.
While there's not a lot of action (as Rodrick mostly has his sword shoot people with ice), but the characters he meets are quite interesting and the location is both exotic and D&Dish, if a bit more Pathfinder than traditional.
In this case, he visits fantasy India (or possibly more like Sri Lanka or Ceylon, as it's an island) and gets involved in two different but ultimately convergent schemes that go awry and ends up wandering around a lot while fleeing. There's even some dungeon exploring, albeit a small one.
While there's not a lot of action (as Rodrick mostly has his sword shoot people with ice), but the characters he meets are quite interesting and the location is both exotic and D&Dish, if a bit more Pathfinder than traditional.
May 5, 2019
I loved this sequel. The first story was great. I love the idea of a thief and his greedy blade, who just so happen to be roped into situations where the best choice is sometimes to be the hero, whether they want to or not. It's not grimdark or gritty but it is pure fun. I am eager to read the third novel. Worth a read!!
May 4, 2017
entertaining fantasy fare with jungles, genies and sultans.
The ending was a bit hurried, but the characters are well fleshed out and easy to follow in them falling from one problem into the next.
The ending was a bit hurried, but the characters are well fleshed out and easy to follow in them falling from one problem into the next.
June 15, 2017
Very strong, very enjoyable, enough twists and turns to keep any fan of adventure fiction interested. The banter between Rodrick and his sword, of course, is the best part of this series.
July 2, 2017
a slow start, where I felt the writer was trying too hard to be funny.
But it got better as the story progressed and the plot wasn't too predictable
But it got better as the story progressed and the plot wasn't too predictable
May 2, 2019
This book was a big surprise for me. I love the character and the story flows really well throughout the book. Plus who doesn’t love a talking magical sword!
February 23, 2020
One of the better Pathfinder Tales in a great setting. Enjoyed the cool characters and monsters.
May 29, 2020
Pretty good book, but I thought the curse of Hrym was glossed over and entirely too easily dismissed. Everything just seemed so coincidental in this book that it took some enjoyment out of it.
May 20, 2024
The book has a slow start, but once the story blends together the plot is very good & introduces some ideas for use in actual Pathfinder play.
October 18, 2015
This book is part of a series of novels based on the roleplaying game Pathfinder.
I haven't played Pathfinder, but played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, and read my fair share of novels based on roleplaying games, so I was sure any knowledge of the setting wasn't necessary.
And indeed: This story is easy to follow without any knowledge of the world (or roleplaying in general), and even without having read Liar's Blade, an earlier Pathfinder novel that also features Rodrick and Hrym.
The story begins in the middle of action and soon you get a feel of Rodrick and Hrym. I must say there were no surprises there: Charming rogue with a snarky talking sword. Been there, done that. Anyone who has read some Fantasy novels, or has played a Fantasy RPG will be familiar with this trope.
But I can't say I minded: Rodrick and Hrym are a fun pair of unlikely heroes to read about. After an action packed introduction, the story slows down a bit to set up the main plot, but it never gets dull. And once Rodrick and Hrym manage to get themselves in trouble, the action starts up again and they have to be resourceful to stay alive.
As with many Fantasy settings, the Pathfinder world borrows heavily from mythology, in this case both from Eastern and Norse mythology that I noticed, and I might have missed some references. Again: this is not a bad thing. It makes for interesting world building, and certain elements of the story being familiar, makes that you can easily picture the setting and the people and creatures Rodrick and Hrym encounter.
Overall this is fun and very enjoyable read. I can advice this book to anyone who likes an entertaining Fantasy romp. I might give Liar's Blade a try if I come across it. I will also investigate what other books Pratt has written.
I haven't played Pathfinder, but played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, and read my fair share of novels based on roleplaying games, so I was sure any knowledge of the setting wasn't necessary.
And indeed: This story is easy to follow without any knowledge of the world (or roleplaying in general), and even without having read Liar's Blade, an earlier Pathfinder novel that also features Rodrick and Hrym.
The story begins in the middle of action and soon you get a feel of Rodrick and Hrym. I must say there were no surprises there: Charming rogue with a snarky talking sword. Been there, done that. Anyone who has read some Fantasy novels, or has played a Fantasy RPG will be familiar with this trope.
But I can't say I minded: Rodrick and Hrym are a fun pair of unlikely heroes to read about. After an action packed introduction, the story slows down a bit to set up the main plot, but it never gets dull. And once Rodrick and Hrym manage to get themselves in trouble, the action starts up again and they have to be resourceful to stay alive.
As with many Fantasy settings, the Pathfinder world borrows heavily from mythology, in this case both from Eastern and Norse mythology that I noticed, and I might have missed some references. Again: this is not a bad thing. It makes for interesting world building, and certain elements of the story being familiar, makes that you can easily picture the setting and the people and creatures Rodrick and Hrym encounter.
Overall this is fun and very enjoyable read. I can advice this book to anyone who likes an entertaining Fantasy romp. I might give Liar's Blade a try if I come across it. I will also investigate what other books Pratt has written.
March 12, 2016
Taking a welcome break for horror novels, I decided to pick up some novels based off the tabletop gaming system that I partake in: Pathfinder. Liar's Blade is my first dive into the Pathfinder Tales series. I found the book to be quite enjoyable, driven by some fun characters.
Liar's Island begins with a heist interrupted as our main protags (protagonists) on the run from a posse of houseguards. Just as Rodrick and his talking sword of ice magic, Hrym are about to be captured, a djinn appears to ward off their would-be enemies. The djinn has been sent by a Thakur (ruler of the island nation of Jalmeray, which is widely stylized by Ancient and Modern Indian culture).
Rodrick and Hrym are thrust into the middle of a conspiracy as a deadly cult seeks to bring down the island nation and use it as a base of operations to sow their goals of deceit and treachery. What follows is a jungle adventure with weretigers and an ominous weapon of untold power.
Rodrick and Hrym really fuel this story. They are fun anti-heroes who are just looking to make a quick buck. Towards the end they act somewhat out of character, but considering what they had gone through beforehand, it makes the moral turns plausible. The support characters work well within the story. I also enjoyed the action when it came. The wonderous items featured from the Pathfinder game made this book more enjoyable. I felt the author did borrow heavily from the tales and legends of India and the Middle East.
This was a very easy read. Simple, not overly complicated plot. Fun characters and even more fun elements of the tabletop game mixed in. I wouldn't mind incorporating some of the wonderous items described into my own game.
Liar's Island begins with a heist interrupted as our main protags (protagonists) on the run from a posse of houseguards. Just as Rodrick and his talking sword of ice magic, Hrym are about to be captured, a djinn appears to ward off their would-be enemies. The djinn has been sent by a Thakur (ruler of the island nation of Jalmeray, which is widely stylized by Ancient and Modern Indian culture).
Rodrick and Hrym are thrust into the middle of a conspiracy as a deadly cult seeks to bring down the island nation and use it as a base of operations to sow their goals of deceit and treachery. What follows is a jungle adventure with weretigers and an ominous weapon of untold power.
Rodrick and Hrym really fuel this story. They are fun anti-heroes who are just looking to make a quick buck. Towards the end they act somewhat out of character, but considering what they had gone through beforehand, it makes the moral turns plausible. The support characters work well within the story. I also enjoyed the action when it came. The wonderous items featured from the Pathfinder game made this book more enjoyable. I felt the author did borrow heavily from the tales and legends of India and the Middle East.
This was a very easy read. Simple, not overly complicated plot. Fun characters and even more fun elements of the tabletop game mixed in. I wouldn't mind incorporating some of the wonderous items described into my own game.
January 20, 2016
What's a man and his sword to do when they're invited by a Djini to the Impossible Island of Jalmeray to meet the king? When the man is Rodrick and his sword is the intelligent magical sword Hrym, they of course accept the offer, with every intention of finding a way to bilk the king for as much gold as possible while doing as little work as possible. The second entry in their series is another delightful romp of a mostly harmless but utterly selfish duo. Of course they wind up in far more trouble than they imagined from their initial plan of simply conning their host, and from there must put their considerable powers of trickery (with a healthy dose of deadly ice magic at Hrym's control) to use saving their own hide.
Matters are complicated by Hrym's "condition". It seems he might be tainted by demonic forces and acting unpredictably, which can be slightly problematic when he can loose shards of ice at will. Also by the plots without plots that surround the palace, from enemies both internal and external...oh, and the rakasha, cult of killers, and the worst enemy of all....a conscious. Strongly recommended, and full of many points that had me laughing out loud and getting odd looks on the bus.
Matters are complicated by Hrym's "condition". It seems he might be tainted by demonic forces and acting unpredictably, which can be slightly problematic when he can loose shards of ice at will. Also by the plots without plots that surround the palace, from enemies both internal and external...oh, and the rakasha, cult of killers, and the worst enemy of all....a conscious. Strongly recommended, and full of many points that had me laughing out loud and getting odd looks on the bus.
June 17, 2018
One of the qualities I admire in Tim Pratt is his ability to write quick and funny banter. His characters are always very likable and witty. In the opening scenes of this book he went a bit overboard with that as if he was trying to pay homage to Terry Pratchett. And even though I like Pratchett's satirical books, I was hoping that my Roderick and Hyrm book was a bit more serious. After that opening scene the book changed the tone somewhat to the light hearted adventure tone that Pratt is such a master in. Great fun.
September 10, 2015
It was awesome! I love the Pathfinder world as a whole and seeing it brought to life in such an awesome way is great! And the story; in retrospect I realize happens over the course of a few weeks at best, is so action packed! The chemistry between Hrym and Rodrick is great, shows off how deep their friendship runs. Great book overall, left me wanting to read more, can't wait until their next adventure!
March 16, 2023
An enjoyable light-hearted novel. The relationship between the main character and his intelligent sword is very nice and original.
I am a Pathfinder 2e DM and liked the Golarion lore inside the book. I honestly did not get much inspiration to add in my sessions, but it is a very good read nonetheless!
I am a Pathfinder 2e DM and liked the Golarion lore inside the book. I honestly did not get much inspiration to add in my sessions, but it is a very good read nonetheless!
May 25, 2015
The book has a slow start, but once the story blends together the plot is very good & introduces some ideas for use in actual Pathfinder play.
September 16, 2015
Rodrick and Hrym are the recurring characters that I find least interesting in the Pathfinder novels. The stort was decent, but my disinterest in the characters makes it less enjoyable to read.
December 22, 2015
Quite a nice book. It is set in Jalmeray, which is a different area of the Inner Sea area, more of an Indian theme. It was fun to see that area and the adventures and characters were good.
December 21, 2016
A fun adventure. As a gamer it wasn't overly surprising, but still entertaining.
Read
May 17, 2018A fun story largely built around the back and forth between it's two main characters. I wouldn't expect anything paticularly deep, but the adventure is fun and the banter is satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews