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Planescape Novels
Pages of Pain
She rules the city of Sigil from behind a veil of perfect silence. Feared by mortal and god alike, she flays her worshipers alive and casts her foes into inescapable labyrinths of despair. Only fools dare ask her to speak. And the Amnesian Hero has come with a question. When the god Poseidon tells a man with no memory how to recover his past, the unwitting warrior seeks out the Lady of Pain and finds himself banished to the Mazes. With the help of a beautiful - but dead - tiefling sorceress, a horned fiend with a dark disposition, and a deranged wind-priest who claims to be the center of the multiverse, he must discover the secret of the Lady's past - or confront a memory so horrifying it could tear him apart!
309 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
63 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
About the author
Troy Denning
186 books665 followersAlso known as Richard Awlinson.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Den...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Den...
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 25, 2012
What a chimera of a book this is. It has one foot in plain old fantasy, with quite a few battles, some spell-slinging, and a hero on a quest. The other foot is deep in myth. When I first read this book, around seven years ago, I didn't quite get it. I was already quite familiar with Planescape, the Dungeons & Dragons setting that forms the backdrop for this novel. However, in the novel, I found little of the vast vistas and wide-eyed wonder that typified the setting for me. Instead, the book's narrative is almost completely confined to a labyrinth, which offers only a few passing glimpses of all the imaginative places that make up the Planescape multiverse. However, upon a second reading and some brief reflection, I think I now see what Denning tried to do here.
There are two protagonists in Pages of Pain. The active one is the Amnesian Hero, a warrior chosen by Poseidon to deliver an amphora to the Lady of Pain, mystery-shrouded ruler of Sigil, the City of Doors, the place at the centre of the multiverse. The hero has no memories of his past life, except waking up at the shore of a river one day, and doing a bunch of awesome heroic deeds: i.e. slaying mythic beasts. However, the task imposed upon him isn't as easy as it sounds. The Lady of Pain does not grant audiences, and getting to her to deliver the amphora is a heroic task for which the hero isn't prepared.
The story is told from the perspective of that other protagonist: the Lady herself. In the Planescape setting, she is that all-important mystery, the divine-like force that guards the City of Doors, and prevents it from becoming the umpteenth battleground for gods, demons, and devils. In this book, though still a mystery, she is much more personal, revealing an obsession with physical and mental pains of different kinds, and also revealing that she might be an incarnation or avatar of the City itself.
As the story progresses, the Amnesian Hero is gradually exposed to the contents of the amphora he is tasked to deliver, but these contents seem more meant for him than for the Lady. Whilst seeking a path through the Lady's mazes with several unfortunate companions, he regains snatches of his memory, and the pains that come with it.
In a strange, almost anti-climactic way, the book ties up many strands in the end: the hero finds his path through the mazes, and defeats the monster of the labyrinth, but at the cost of death of some others and pain for all, to the strange sado-masochistic delight of the Lady, of whom we never become sure if she is *personally* tied to the Amnesian Hero and the amphora's memories or not.
As for the hero, his tale is retold in a different form by Morte in Planescape: Torment, that other brilliant piece of (digital) fiction based on the setting, also featuring an amnesiac protagonist. In a trading-of-tales, Morte, the sarcastic floating skull with hidden pains and depths tells the story of a man with no memory at all waking up in an alley. An old woman asks him what his *third* wish is to be. The man does not understand, but she tells him he has already had two. The man says: "I wish to know who I am". The woman chuckles sardonically and replies: "Funny, that was your first wish."
So, what is this book? In the end, it is much like the Planescape setting itself: an admixture of epic fantasy and mythic fiction, but at a level of imagination that surpasses most other settings of the Dungeons & Dragons tradition. The setting is based on the idea that all mortal beliefs have power and reality on certain levels (planes) of existence, and as such it can encompass all other mythologies. In the case of 'Pages of Pain', the story of Greek hero Theseus is grafted onto a fantasy setting, *and* a tale of regret, pain, memory, and amnesia in a way that is as weird and estranging as it is effective.
There are two protagonists in Pages of Pain. The active one is the Amnesian Hero, a warrior chosen by Poseidon to deliver an amphora to the Lady of Pain, mystery-shrouded ruler of Sigil, the City of Doors, the place at the centre of the multiverse. The hero has no memories of his past life, except waking up at the shore of a river one day, and doing a bunch of awesome heroic deeds: i.e. slaying mythic beasts. However, the task imposed upon him isn't as easy as it sounds. The Lady of Pain does not grant audiences, and getting to her to deliver the amphora is a heroic task for which the hero isn't prepared.
The story is told from the perspective of that other protagonist: the Lady herself. In the Planescape setting, she is that all-important mystery, the divine-like force that guards the City of Doors, and prevents it from becoming the umpteenth battleground for gods, demons, and devils. In this book, though still a mystery, she is much more personal, revealing an obsession with physical and mental pains of different kinds, and also revealing that she might be an incarnation or avatar of the City itself.
As the story progresses, the Amnesian Hero is gradually exposed to the contents of the amphora he is tasked to deliver, but these contents seem more meant for him than for the Lady. Whilst seeking a path through the Lady's mazes with several unfortunate companions, he regains snatches of his memory, and the pains that come with it.
In a strange, almost anti-climactic way, the book ties up many strands in the end: the hero finds his path through the mazes, and defeats the monster of the labyrinth, but at the cost of death of some others and pain for all, to the strange sado-masochistic delight of the Lady, of whom we never become sure if she is *personally* tied to the Amnesian Hero and the amphora's memories or not.
As for the hero, his tale is retold in a different form by Morte in Planescape: Torment, that other brilliant piece of (digital) fiction based on the setting, also featuring an amnesiac protagonist. In a trading-of-tales, Morte, the sarcastic floating skull with hidden pains and depths tells the story of a man with no memory at all waking up in an alley. An old woman asks him what his *third* wish is to be. The man does not understand, but she tells him he has already had two. The man says: "I wish to know who I am". The woman chuckles sardonically and replies: "Funny, that was your first wish."
So, what is this book? In the end, it is much like the Planescape setting itself: an admixture of epic fantasy and mythic fiction, but at a level of imagination that surpasses most other settings of the Dungeons & Dragons tradition. The setting is based on the idea that all mortal beliefs have power and reality on certain levels (planes) of existence, and as such it can encompass all other mythologies. In the case of 'Pages of Pain', the story of Greek hero Theseus is grafted onto a fantasy setting, *and* a tale of regret, pain, memory, and amnesia in a way that is as weird and estranging as it is effective.
March 1, 2018
The Pages of Pain deal with a surprising width of themes and as the characters continue to discuss memories, pain, identity, ideals and life the environment and plot gradually begins to merge with said themes. It gets you to think about what these things mean and how one should treat them. But there is more.
The pages in the mazes may seem boring and pointless at the first glance - they sure did to me - but they should be read with much attention. The characters as individuals always think of themselves in conflict with the others - the only way to act in my interest is to ignore and destroy yours. The Planescape universe is a place of extreme ideals and thus exaggerates this kind of thinking in its characters. In this respect, everyone has their own ideals, their own ultimate salvation which they hold exclusively for themselves and must achieve on behalf of their own responsibility. Ironically there is no way for any of them to achieve it alone
Knowing what the others seek may help you discover what you must find.
They are together, yet they must be alone. They are alone, yet they must be together. It is now that one understands why half of this transpires in a maze. For several people achieving exclusive ideals there must be two principles:
There are no commandments or codes in the mazes; the madman who looks for guidance is more lost than the fool who does not; he imagines reasons to turn one way and not the other; he waits upon signs that have no meaning; he does not act for fear of offending deities that cannot see him and would not care if they could.
If you do not look for guidance, you are lost. If you do, you are even more so. Yet still:
Is it not a law of the multiverse that there are a thousand meanings for every fact?
There are no meanings. There are thousands of meanings.
There mustn't be meanings to serve as a fertile earth for the growing and fulfillment of them. There must be thousands of meanings so they can shape and contrast each other. The other's ideals must be false for yours to be true. Yours must be false for others to be true.
And this is just one aspect of the novel - there is an endless play with these contraries, about being infinite and finite, about remembering and not remembering, believing and not believing. And yes this is a mass market dungeons and dragons novel. One can only wonder about what could have been hadn't WotC dropped the Planescape setting 20 years ago for it to never return (at least not by now).
The pages in the mazes may seem boring and pointless at the first glance - they sure did to me - but they should be read with much attention. The characters as individuals always think of themselves in conflict with the others - the only way to act in my interest is to ignore and destroy yours. The Planescape universe is a place of extreme ideals and thus exaggerates this kind of thinking in its characters. In this respect, everyone has their own ideals, their own ultimate salvation which they hold exclusively for themselves and must achieve on behalf of their own responsibility. Ironically there is no way for any of them to achieve it alone
Knowing what the others seek may help you discover what you must find.
They are together, yet they must be alone. They are alone, yet they must be together. It is now that one understands why half of this transpires in a maze. For several people achieving exclusive ideals there must be two principles:
There are no commandments or codes in the mazes; the madman who looks for guidance is more lost than the fool who does not; he imagines reasons to turn one way and not the other; he waits upon signs that have no meaning; he does not act for fear of offending deities that cannot see him and would not care if they could.
If you do not look for guidance, you are lost. If you do, you are even more so. Yet still:
Is it not a law of the multiverse that there are a thousand meanings for every fact?
There are no meanings. There are thousands of meanings.
There mustn't be meanings to serve as a fertile earth for the growing and fulfillment of them. There must be thousands of meanings so they can shape and contrast each other. The other's ideals must be false for yours to be true. Yours must be false for others to be true.
And this is just one aspect of the novel - there is an endless play with these contraries, about being infinite and finite, about remembering and not remembering, believing and not believing. And yes this is a mass market dungeons and dragons novel. One can only wonder about what could have been hadn't WotC dropped the Planescape setting 20 years ago for it to never return (at least not by now).
January 12, 2015
Allow that Pages of Pain primarily speaks to young adults, and this book's shortcomings become forgivable. I read this book to experience more of the ambiance of the Planescape setting, and I believe the book succeeded in that regard. I wish for a novel with more exposure to Sigil, but what little I received in Pages of Pain checked off some of the bullet points floating in my head.
The story itself is rather straightforward and the characters similarly simple. Troy Denning wrote some mystery into all of them, and they all either grew or refused to grow when plot created philosophical circumstances that challenged their beliefs and their ideas of self. I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed how Denning not only made real through the cast of characters the idea that, at least in Sigil and on the planes, not every evil or chaotic thing takes every opportunity to wreak havoc on others or its enemies. I also liked that the protagonist, the Amnesian Hero, understands this as little as any other clueless player of D&D when first encountering Planescape.
My complaint that finds no reconciliation even when discounting of the YA-nature of the novel, is the breaking of the fourth wall, particularly considering the source: the Lady of Pain, who has never been known to speak. That she narrated was difficult enough for me, but speaking directly to me was too much. I wanted to take a razor to the pages. Thankfully, those episodes are few and far between.
If you're not a fan of Planescape, or even a fan of D&D, I don't know that this novel will hold your interest. But if you are a clueless curious about walking the Planes or a blood curious to learn the dark of the lady's labyrinths, spend the jink and grab this book.
The story itself is rather straightforward and the characters similarly simple. Troy Denning wrote some mystery into all of them, and they all either grew or refused to grow when plot created philosophical circumstances that challenged their beliefs and their ideas of self. I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed how Denning not only made real through the cast of characters the idea that, at least in Sigil and on the planes, not every evil or chaotic thing takes every opportunity to wreak havoc on others or its enemies. I also liked that the protagonist, the Amnesian Hero, understands this as little as any other clueless player of D&D when first encountering Planescape.
My complaint that finds no reconciliation even when discounting of the YA-nature of the novel, is the breaking of the fourth wall, particularly considering the source: the Lady of Pain, who has never been known to speak. That she narrated was difficult enough for me, but speaking directly to me was too much. I wanted to take a razor to the pages. Thankfully, those episodes are few and far between.
If you're not a fan of Planescape, or even a fan of D&D, I don't know that this novel will hold your interest. But if you are a clueless curious about walking the Planes or a blood curious to learn the dark of the lady's labyrinths, spend the jink and grab this book.
July 10, 2019
I had enjoyed Denning's Dark Sun novels back when they were new, so I was well disposed to read his Planescape entry. I was not disappointed. This is a very ambitious work for a corporate tie-in novel, and it speaks volumes to the regard TSR had in its bench of writers (or perhaps lack of oversight?). Planescape was an ambitious project itself, trying to bring to 90s vintage edginess the ethical notions that DnD found itself burdened by during the Satanic Panic, and I think everyone agrees that it was executed with success. This novel takes advantage of the opening up of adult themes in the setting, and instead of delving in the bestiary of philosophies that populate it, it goes pretty heavy handedly for the heady themes of loss and pain. The scale is appropriately mythical with quite a bit of horror in the mix, and there is some very deft handling of POV switches. Nevertheless my reading was greatly hampered by what I felt was unnecessary padding up to the word limit. This really ought to be a short and punchy novella, and I wish an editor had allowed Denning to turn in a shorter manuscript. As far as Planescape is concerned, I think this is up there with The Plane Truth by Zeb Cook.
January 31, 2011
Okay, I'm openly embarrassed that I read this book as an adult, but I really wanted to see if I still liked this genre (when I was in high school I LOVED these books). If you take for granted that the writing is going to be horrible, inconsistent, and full of cliches, the story is really not bad at all. I was bored for about 40 pages in the middle, but the rest kept me turning the pages. It was fun. :)
November 23, 2024
I finish this book with admiration, yes, but also the feeling of much wasted potential, which hurts doubly only because it started with so much, and continued to have provocative writing throughout. Had it been shit from the getgo, I’d feel less upset. But as it stands, it earns this three stars, because it has ideas that were very much worth the slog, even if it ultimately falls short. I’ll try to explain why.
Planescape is a setting of limitless possibility, but its real golden goose is the city of Sigil, which is the sort of hub where each of the Dungeons and Dragons’ multiverse’s planes intersect. A magical metropolis of portals, grime, and torment, where you’re just as likely to see a demon and an angel sharing a drink at the pub as you are to be stabbed in an alley and left as food for the cranium rats. Obviously, in a city like Sigil, which is meant to connect to the other realms of existence, there are many places to go — but Sigil itself is the most interesting place in these sourcebooks by a longshot. It’s formulated around such steep philosophy and anachronism that it would be a shame to be allowed to write a story involving it, only to step out of the city and into a rather drab maze for the preceding two thirds of the narrative…
Now, Denning unfortunately was hoist by his own petard in this case: Planescape is also a setting of mythologies, and he borrowed from one rather heavily in crafting this story, and while I won’t say too much on where it all leads, it of course involves a minotaur and a maze. Furthermore, The Lady of Pain, ruler of Sigil, is a mysterious and enigmatic being capable of blasting the player character (in the tabletop game) into a “maze” of her creation, basically locking them out of ever getting back to the city proper. She’s supposed to be totally unknowable, too — an entity we don’t quite understand. Is she a goddess? A demigod? An avatar of some primordial power? Or something else? Naturally, fans of the setting are very gatekeep-y about keeping her mystery preserved, and I get that, but I’m not that way. D&D is about possibility, so why not explore the story of the Lady of Pain? So in that regard, a story about a character basically breaking that rule of never talking to the Lady and trying to get information from her in some way is very compelling indeed.
However, to be true to the setting in a story like Pages of Pain (which is about the hero’s journey of a man who WAS a hero, but has since lost his memory and is doing what he can to get it back) we must abide by the rules of the setting. Which basically means Denning *has* to lock the protagonist out of the Sigil, because by nature of being a fish-out-of-water and dicking around with the Lady, you get mazed.
This makes sense in all ways but one: and that’s audience engagement. While an amnesiac hero and his bumbling companions (all of which embodying one of the city’s philosophical factions) fighting through a deadly maze is a good way to craft a story that explores their philosophies and makes due on a mythological allegory, it’s just plain boring. I’m sorry, but it is. You had the most interesting setting in the property, and you craft a story about the protagonist getting kicked out of it. Why? I really don’t understand, for the entire length of the novel after the first part (which is very good, don’t get me wrong), I’m just overwhelmed with the enormity of this lost potential.
I hate criticism that is simply “this thing should’ve been a completely different thing, actually,” but this novel is a great example of the few times this critique is worthy. There are just components of the setting that need to be respected, but respecting them will inevitably create an enigma like this, which may be good in other circumstances, but missed the actual color and vibrance of the very setting it’s about.
Which is not to say the book is bad. For what it’s worth, I was actually pleasantly surprised with the common influx of philosophy and deeper thinking that is so necessary when adapting Planescape. It would be very unfair of me to judge the book only on its lack of Sigil, when Denning demonstrates his ability to craft unique characters and write breakneck action.
But I do have to say, this story would make literally no sense to someone who isn’t already familiar with the setting. It makes no real attempt to introduce the reader to the lingo of Sigil, nor the factions, nor how characters of said factions would view the world and express their beliefs. To someone who has no clue what solipsism is, or why a character in Planescape might BE a solipsist, then the character of Silverwind might be deeply confusing. To someone who doesn’t understand the Heralds of Dust and their beliefs of Acosmism, then Jayk’s corruption of it would float right over their heads. And if, gods forbid, a reader doesn’t know the story of Theseus, they will be lost altogether, utterly and completely.
Finally, though, I will say, the ending was actually pretty good, for what it’s worth. So I applaud the novel for having such depth, all said, but man, it was just a few chickens short of a roost.
Planescape is a setting of limitless possibility, but its real golden goose is the city of Sigil, which is the sort of hub where each of the Dungeons and Dragons’ multiverse’s planes intersect. A magical metropolis of portals, grime, and torment, where you’re just as likely to see a demon and an angel sharing a drink at the pub as you are to be stabbed in an alley and left as food for the cranium rats. Obviously, in a city like Sigil, which is meant to connect to the other realms of existence, there are many places to go — but Sigil itself is the most interesting place in these sourcebooks by a longshot. It’s formulated around such steep philosophy and anachronism that it would be a shame to be allowed to write a story involving it, only to step out of the city and into a rather drab maze for the preceding two thirds of the narrative…
Now, Denning unfortunately was hoist by his own petard in this case: Planescape is also a setting of mythologies, and he borrowed from one rather heavily in crafting this story, and while I won’t say too much on where it all leads, it of course involves a minotaur and a maze. Furthermore, The Lady of Pain, ruler of Sigil, is a mysterious and enigmatic being capable of blasting the player character (in the tabletop game) into a “maze” of her creation, basically locking them out of ever getting back to the city proper. She’s supposed to be totally unknowable, too — an entity we don’t quite understand. Is she a goddess? A demigod? An avatar of some primordial power? Or something else? Naturally, fans of the setting are very gatekeep-y about keeping her mystery preserved, and I get that, but I’m not that way. D&D is about possibility, so why not explore the story of the Lady of Pain? So in that regard, a story about a character basically breaking that rule of never talking to the Lady and trying to get information from her in some way is very compelling indeed.
However, to be true to the setting in a story like Pages of Pain (which is about the hero’s journey of a man who WAS a hero, but has since lost his memory and is doing what he can to get it back) we must abide by the rules of the setting. Which basically means Denning *has* to lock the protagonist out of the Sigil, because by nature of being a fish-out-of-water and dicking around with the Lady, you get mazed.
This makes sense in all ways but one: and that’s audience engagement. While an amnesiac hero and his bumbling companions (all of which embodying one of the city’s philosophical factions) fighting through a deadly maze is a good way to craft a story that explores their philosophies and makes due on a mythological allegory, it’s just plain boring. I’m sorry, but it is. You had the most interesting setting in the property, and you craft a story about the protagonist getting kicked out of it. Why? I really don’t understand, for the entire length of the novel after the first part (which is very good, don’t get me wrong), I’m just overwhelmed with the enormity of this lost potential.
I hate criticism that is simply “this thing should’ve been a completely different thing, actually,” but this novel is a great example of the few times this critique is worthy. There are just components of the setting that need to be respected, but respecting them will inevitably create an enigma like this, which may be good in other circumstances, but missed the actual color and vibrance of the very setting it’s about.
Which is not to say the book is bad. For what it’s worth, I was actually pleasantly surprised with the common influx of philosophy and deeper thinking that is so necessary when adapting Planescape. It would be very unfair of me to judge the book only on its lack of Sigil, when Denning demonstrates his ability to craft unique characters and write breakneck action.
But I do have to say, this story would make literally no sense to someone who isn’t already familiar with the setting. It makes no real attempt to introduce the reader to the lingo of Sigil, nor the factions, nor how characters of said factions would view the world and express their beliefs. To someone who has no clue what solipsism is, or why a character in Planescape might BE a solipsist, then the character of Silverwind might be deeply confusing. To someone who doesn’t understand the Heralds of Dust and their beliefs of Acosmism, then Jayk’s corruption of it would float right over their heads. And if, gods forbid, a reader doesn’t know the story of Theseus, they will be lost altogether, utterly and completely.
Finally, though, I will say, the ending was actually pretty good, for what it’s worth. So I applaud the novel for having such depth, all said, but man, it was just a few chickens short of a roost.
August 24, 2024
Set in possibly the most unique metaverse in the gaming history, I was excited to dive deeper into Sigal’ history, lore and characters.
So imagine my disappointment to find 95% of the source material to be widely ignored with a focus on poorly executed and badly shoehorned Greek mythology instead.
Setting the story around a mystery character, whose name and history is only revealed towards the end of the narrative; if you want to keep the reader in suspense, maybe *don’t* set the majority of the story in a labyrinth, and have that mystery character be (have you guessed it yet?) Theseus (of Minotaur and labyrinth fame….)
If I had to guess, author had limited prior knowledge of Planescape and even less interested in learning, a classical education and a contract that required delivering a book he didn’t actually want to write.
So imagine my disappointment to find 95% of the source material to be widely ignored with a focus on poorly executed and badly shoehorned Greek mythology instead.
Setting the story around a mystery character, whose name and history is only revealed towards the end of the narrative; if you want to keep the reader in suspense, maybe *don’t* set the majority of the story in a labyrinth, and have that mystery character be (have you guessed it yet?) Theseus (of Minotaur and labyrinth fame….)
If I had to guess, author had limited prior knowledge of Planescape and even less interested in learning, a classical education and a contract that required delivering a book he didn’t actually want to write.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2020
Шеметното, епично и лудо пътешествие - всичко, което може да се очаква от роман развиваш се в света на Planescape. Ако имам критика, то тя е, че тази книга не може да стигне до повече хора. Последното е така, защото от нея КРЕЩИ НА ФЕНЩИНА, НАСОЧЕНА КЪМ ВСЕКИ ПОЧИТАТЕЛ НА DUNGEONS&DRAGONS!
Сюжет въртящ се покрай легендарната Lady of Pain ; шантав и безумно смел герой ; неговият "отряд" от още по-причудливи спътници ; безумният свят на Сигил и Мултивселената - всичко е това е готова да избухне смес от приключение и "дарк" фентъзи. Освен всичко това, в романа се промъква и вълнуващата философия, изповядвана от различните фракции в Сигил и Planescape.
Нямам думи, с които да ви препоръчам този роман, освен - четете го !
Сюжет въртящ се покрай легендарната Lady of Pain ; шантав и безумно смел герой ; неговият "отряд" от още по-причудливи спътници ; безумният свят на Сигил и Мултивселената - всичко е това е готова да избухне смес от приключение и "дарк" фентъзи. Освен всичко това, в романа се промъква и вълнуващата философия, изповядвана от различните фракции в Сигил и Planescape.
Нямам думи, с които да ви препоръчам този роман, освен - четете го !
December 31, 2023
A modern retelling of a Greek myth through DND eyes. Exceptional writing with plenty of one-liner philosophical commentary. The Lady of Pain’s sections, though not always clearly marked in transistion, are vehemently passionate and everything they needed to be. The breaking of the fourth wall was immersive and clever and a worthwhile risk. The character development and arc worked well. The book did languish in the middle section but once you understand the monster and the maze and the extended metaphorical significance then it makes sense for that section to have been drawn out.
May 31, 2024
Denning elevated D&D to adulthood. His writing is dark, powerful, taking concepts from the RPG and taking tjem further. Nothing is what it seems, and the Lady of Pain and her Mazes acquire a new level of menace. His Sigil is nothing like other fantasy places, having a grandeur and darkness only beffiting some real-life monstruosities. The hero of this tale suffers for real, and absolute madness engulf him. The events are confusong at times, and many walls, including the 4th, are broken without mercy. That’s befuddling about this tale, but one can comprehend the leitmotif here: chaos unbound.
February 13, 2018
Oh so very quotable
The tale of the Amnesian Hero, as relayed by The Lady of Pain is a singular one, and beautifully brutal. If you can stomach watching characters suffer, and you're looking for some truly stellar turns of phrase around every twist and corner of the mazes, you're in for a great ride.
The tale of the Amnesian Hero, as relayed by The Lady of Pain is a singular one, and beautifully brutal. If you can stomach watching characters suffer, and you're looking for some truly stellar turns of phrase around every twist and corner of the mazes, you're in for a great ride.
February 10, 2025
I can't really recommend this one. I read this to get a bit of an insight into The Lady of Pain for a Planescape campaign I'm running. It was sorta worth it, but sorta not. There are fragments of her voice in here, and some brief and random episodes of violence committed by her hand, but not much else. The story is confused and wandering, though generally pretty well written.
Read
June 28, 2025Well, this novel was a bit of a trip. It starts out with a fun romp through Sigil and turns into a crazy maze-centered psychological madhouse. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing with a Planescape novel, but I'd be lying if I said some of this story didn't go over my head.
August 5, 2018
A slow burn, yet, thought provoking at every turn of the page.
August 27, 2021
I'm just not getting this book.
August 5, 2024
Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I’m really impressed with the mythic aspects, particular the Lady of Pain bits of the story.
August 23, 2012
I suppose my problem is that I thought the book would be something it's not -- always a mistake. But even that aside, I did expect a planescape journey at the very least, was led to believe early on it would be mostly set in Sigil, and that it would be 'more' about the lady of pain.'
::Spoilers Now::
As it turns out it's a continuation Theseus' story of greek myth -- and 95% of the story is about him, the Thrasson as he's called for most of it, and I just didn't care about this character.
Also, 3/4 of the book is set in the Ladies Maze which, from my own understanding, could be quite interesting at time with specialty situations, traps, etc. for those sent to it. In the books it's 4-5 fairly generic dungeonscapes with nothing in them. Again, fine for a retelling of Theseus in the Maze, boring and mundane for a Maze from the Lady of Pain.
Final Word: Had the author just thought up his own heroic-like figure for the book, someone more situated within the Planescape world, and not jammed a Greek Myth into it, I could have immersed myself better into the fantasy world.
::Spoilers Now::
As it turns out it's a continuation Theseus' story of greek myth -- and 95% of the story is about him, the Thrasson as he's called for most of it, and I just didn't care about this character.
Also, 3/4 of the book is set in the Ladies Maze which, from my own understanding, could be quite interesting at time with specialty situations, traps, etc. for those sent to it. In the books it's 4-5 fairly generic dungeonscapes with nothing in them. Again, fine for a retelling of Theseus in the Maze, boring and mundane for a Maze from the Lady of Pain.
Final Word: Had the author just thought up his own heroic-like figure for the book, someone more situated within the Planescape world, and not jammed a Greek Myth into it, I could have immersed myself better into the fantasy world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2013
A good book overall. But not a good introduction to the World(s) of Planescape. Especially Sigil, the city of doors and its plethora of intricacies could have been described in more detail.
The story is about an amnesian hero who is sent by a god to deliver a gift to Sigil's ruler, the mysterious Lady of Pain. He doesn't know yet, that this gift is actually a devioius trap and not just for the Lady of Pain...
The characters were more interesting than the story they wove, which dragged in the middle. (The ending felt kind of cheap too).
Also the author seemed to hint at some connection between different kinds of pain and a magical affliction that several characters would suffer from in this book but nothing substantial materialised from this.
But this book is a very unusual experience in the realm of fantasy books. (As it should be since it takes place in the Planescape Setting)
If you can stand a plot, that is interesting but slightly flawed, then i can recommend this book to you.
The story is about an amnesian hero who is sent by a god to deliver a gift to Sigil's ruler, the mysterious Lady of Pain. He doesn't know yet, that this gift is actually a devioius trap and not just for the Lady of Pain...
The characters were more interesting than the story they wove, which dragged in the middle. (The ending felt kind of cheap too).
Also the author seemed to hint at some connection between different kinds of pain and a magical affliction that several characters would suffer from in this book but nothing substantial materialised from this.
But this book is a very unusual experience in the realm of fantasy books. (As it should be since it takes place in the Planescape Setting)
If you can stand a plot, that is interesting but slightly flawed, then i can recommend this book to you.
November 25, 2015
Planescape is by far my favourite D&D setting, and it annoys me more than a little that there's so few novels set in it, but so many set in the dull generic fantasy Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms settings. Pages of Pain is the only standalone novel (other than the objectively terrible novelisation of "Torment") in the setting, and I was quite eager to get into it since it features The Lady prominently, one of my favourite characters.
This book is a little dry though, trading the expansive Planescape multiverse for a story that almost feels claustrophic, largely confined to one of the Lady's mazes. It does try to mess with the format a little and aspire to more than just a generic fantasy adventure, but it never quite comes together, with too many characters with too little to do, and the philosophical and adventure parts of the story never really gelling together. There are a few good moments, such as Jayk's eventual fate, but for the most part it comes off feeling a little dry and underdone.
This book is a little dry though, trading the expansive Planescape multiverse for a story that almost feels claustrophic, largely confined to one of the Lady's mazes. It does try to mess with the format a little and aspire to more than just a generic fantasy adventure, but it never quite comes together, with too many characters with too little to do, and the philosophical and adventure parts of the story never really gelling together. There are a few good moments, such as Jayk's eventual fate, but for the most part it comes off feeling a little dry and underdone.
April 25, 2013
Troy Denning jest rewelacyjnym projektantem gier, ale w swojej twóczości literackiej ociera się o granicę grafomanii. Zdaje się z nią flirtować, ale jeden fałszywy krok może sprawić. że jego powieść wyląduje w koszu z tanią książką w hipermarkecie.
Tak jest z "Pages of Pain". Powieść miała być w założeniu dojrzała i eksponować wieloznaczność oraz głębię Wieloświata, a tak naprawdę jest ciągiem przypadkowych walk, pościgów, spiętych wątłą intrygą i okraszoną tak sztampowymi bohaterami, że inni autorzy paperbacków powinni oskarżyć Denninga o nadużywanie konwencji.
Od książek pisanych na potrzeby settingów RPG nie wymagam zbyt wiele, jednak "Pages of Pain" nie zdołała zaspokoić nawet najniższych oczekiwań. Troy jednak z sukcesami kontynuuje karierę pisarską, dając nadzieję, że i innym rzemieślnikom niskiego kunsztu może się udać, co tchnie we mnie poczucie, że może powinienem dalej pisać...
Tak jest z "Pages of Pain". Powieść miała być w założeniu dojrzała i eksponować wieloznaczność oraz głębię Wieloświata, a tak naprawdę jest ciągiem przypadkowych walk, pościgów, spiętych wątłą intrygą i okraszoną tak sztampowymi bohaterami, że inni autorzy paperbacków powinni oskarżyć Denninga o nadużywanie konwencji.
Od książek pisanych na potrzeby settingów RPG nie wymagam zbyt wiele, jednak "Pages of Pain" nie zdołała zaspokoić nawet najniższych oczekiwań. Troy jednak z sukcesami kontynuuje karierę pisarską, dając nadzieję, że i innym rzemieślnikom niskiego kunsztu może się udać, co tchnie we mnie poczucie, że może powinienem dalej pisać...
March 23, 2014
"TSR's "Planescape" setting is about philosophies and ideologies of living. At the center of all the universes floats the weird city of Sigil, presided over by the mysterious Lady of Pain. Troy Denning develops the idea that she and the city are the source of all the explanations that people have tried to give for the central fact of suffering. Yet the Lady herself does not know her own origin. The hero is a famous figure from Western mythology, who finally asks the question, "Is it better to know who you are, or to forget?"
Planescape seems to derive from dark, philosophical "adult" comics books. "Pages of Pain" will appeal especially to people who like books about serious subjects that demand a lot from their thinking readers."
I personally found the book dark and gritty but interesting enough that I kept reading til the end.
Planescape seems to derive from dark, philosophical "adult" comics books. "Pages of Pain" will appeal especially to people who like books about serious subjects that demand a lot from their thinking readers."
I personally found the book dark and gritty but interesting enough that I kept reading til the end.
August 7, 2019
I guess I'm one of the rare readers of this book in that I didn't love it, nor did I hate it. I enjoyed it and think that it added to the Planescape setting, but since no one in the story knows what is true and what is a lie, you get to make the decision yourself as the reader. I reread this novel to get back in touch with Planescape since I'm going to be running a campaign there soon, and I was not disappointed. Will I use everything that was presented as the Lady of Pain's past? Maybe, maybe not, either way it doesn't ruin anything. POTENTIAL SPOILER AHEAD: I was disappointed in that the novel never really explained what Karfhud was up to. I can come up with my own explanations I suppose, but I would have preferred Denning's. Oh well, I guess that went with the overall theme of the book that nothing ever is fully known
January 19, 2013
A book with no audience almost. Set in TSR's opus setting Planescape that died on the vine as TSR died. You almost have to be initiated into Planescape to get the edges of this. Part Greek tragedy remix. Part D&D pulp adventure book. Part philosophical treatise on pain and suffering. Oh yeah, the narrator is a Quasi-diety. It's dreary. Tragic. Poetic. Madness.
A mess of a book and unfortunately, because the subset of readers into and accepting of Planescape, Greek mythology, pulp action, and philosophy looking for an obscure book from the 90s that you can't even find, it's unlikely that this odd gem will ever get the appreciation it deserves. It's most likely going to disappoint those that do stumble upon it.
A mess of a book and unfortunately, because the subset of readers into and accepting of Planescape, Greek mythology, pulp action, and philosophy looking for an obscure book from the 90s that you can't even find, it's unlikely that this odd gem will ever get the appreciation it deserves. It's most likely going to disappoint those that do stumble upon it.
September 28, 2012
The first 90% or so made up a really good book. It was thought provoking, it was just a little off from what you expect at each turn. But it rather fell into nonsense at the end. It's philosophical web it was spinning had me deeply intrigued, until I found the strands of web would not be connected.
February 24, 2016
if you're going to read dungeons & dragons pulp fantasy, go with the Planescape setting. everything's just bigger and cooler. instead of wizards and dragons, there are angels and dimensional portals.
January 28, 2012
It feels like this should be so much genre trash, but it's one of the only books that really had an impact on me, and I've read it several times trying to figure out why.
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