What do you think?
Rate this book
Pathfinder Tales #17
Stalking the Beast
When a mysterious monster carves a path of destruction across the southern River Kingdoms, desperate townsfolk look to the famed elven ranger Elyana and her half-orc companion Drelm for salvation. For Drelm, however, the mission is about more than simple justice, as without a great victory proving his worth, a prejudiced populace will never allow him to marry the human woman he loves. Together with a fresh band of allies, including the mysterious gunslinger Lisette, the heroes must set off into the wilderness, hunting a terrifying beast that will test their abilities—and their friendships—to the breaking point and beyond.
From acclaimed author Howard Andrew Jones comes a new adventure of love, death, and unnatural creatures, set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
From acclaimed author Howard Andrew Jones comes a new adventure of love, death, and unnatural creatures, set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
9 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Howard Andrew Jones
68 books370 followersHoward Andrew Jones was an American speculative fiction and fantasy author and editor, known for The Chronicles of Hanuvar series, The Chronicles of Sword and Sand series and The Ring-Sworn trilogy. He had also written Pathfinder Tales, tie-in fiction novels in the world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, published by Paizo. He was the editor of Tales from the Magician's Skull and had served as a Managing Editor at Black Gate since 2004. He assembled and edited a series of eight volumes of the short fiction of Harold Lamb for publication by Bison Books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 17, 2022
This is the fourth (technically third) Pathfinder Tale in Jones’s stories centred around the badass Elf Elyana Sadrastis. I’ve enjoyed the journey very much and this last entry is certainly the best.
While the premiss is kind of shallow and straight forward, the plot thickens throughout (though never reaches too deeply to distract from the adventure) the book and it is the decently complex web of characters that makes this story truly shine.
The titular hunt for a rampaging beasty starts off as a standard adventure and includes an overwhelmingly big hunting part of at least 14 people.
There’s a lot of action on their path and the body count is high. The fact that in-between fights we get to catch up with the motives and deeper characteristics of the hunters combined with that extremely high death toll make this large cast both manageable and endearing.
While I have come to expect action-heavy storytelling from Jones, it takes on a new height in this novel. The violence is tense, snappy, dreadful and often extremely vicious. It reminded me more of a Warhammer novel in that regard, which often is a good thing.
While I might have been fatigued by the amount of action going on at times, it serves a good purpose of raising the stakes and instilling fear for both the wellbeing of the characters and the prowess of the antagonists. Yes plural.
As said, the plot starts out very basic but quickly develops to be thicker and more mysterious. By the halfway point, without spoiling too much,
All this detailing and involvement with the larger Pathfinder universe makes it that, out of these 4 stories in the series, this is the one that requires the most extended knowledge of the setting. While it stands quite well on its own, the reader is expected to know, or look up, some finer details in the lore to catch the full impact of the implications of events.
As said, I really enjoyed the large and diverse cast. First and foremost, for Elyana and Drelm, I loved their friendship in Plage of Shadows and this novel builds tremendously off of that. Elyana’s path is interwoven with that of Drelm and they balance each other out. The Half-Orc's arc is very well done and the way his simple and pure worldviews are displayed is great.
The third main character, Lisette Dumonde, was introduced in the previous short story Bells of the Dead and has fast grown to be a favourite of mine. She’s sharp, cynical and constantly tested to her reasoning in her chosen profession of bounty hunting.
Other characters that grew on me quickly were Drutha the rational Halfling Alchemist, Cyrelle the husky and seasoned huntress and the red-haired Vatok the sorcerer.
I won’t write much about the journey they undertake physically and mentally for that is best to experience along with them.
So, other than perhaps a tad too much violence for my appetite and spoiling the looks of the beast with the cover, I very much enjoyed this entry in the series. It’s been a while now but I truly hope we haven’t seen the last of Elyana’s adventures! I still have Jones’s Beyond the Pool of Stars to read, so will be looking forward to that.
While the premiss is kind of shallow and straight forward, the plot thickens throughout (though never reaches too deeply to distract from the adventure) the book and it is the decently complex web of characters that makes this story truly shine.
The titular hunt for a rampaging beasty starts off as a standard adventure and includes an overwhelmingly big hunting part of at least 14 people.
There’s a lot of action on their path and the body count is high. The fact that in-between fights we get to catch up with the motives and deeper characteristics of the hunters combined with that extremely high death toll make this large cast both manageable and endearing.
While I have come to expect action-heavy storytelling from Jones, it takes on a new height in this novel. The violence is tense, snappy, dreadful and often extremely vicious. It reminded me more of a Warhammer novel in that regard, which often is a good thing.
While I might have been fatigued by the amount of action going on at times, it serves a good purpose of raising the stakes and instilling fear for both the wellbeing of the characters and the prowess of the antagonists. Yes plural.
As said, the plot starts out very basic but quickly develops to be thicker and more mysterious. By the halfway point, without spoiling too much,
All this detailing and involvement with the larger Pathfinder universe makes it that, out of these 4 stories in the series, this is the one that requires the most extended knowledge of the setting. While it stands quite well on its own, the reader is expected to know, or look up, some finer details in the lore to catch the full impact of the implications of events.
As said, I really enjoyed the large and diverse cast. First and foremost, for Elyana and Drelm, I loved their friendship in Plage of Shadows and this novel builds tremendously off of that. Elyana’s path is interwoven with that of Drelm and they balance each other out. The Half-Orc's arc is very well done and the way his simple and pure worldviews are displayed is great.
The third main character, Lisette Dumonde, was introduced in the previous short story Bells of the Dead and has fast grown to be a favourite of mine. She’s sharp, cynical and constantly tested to her reasoning in her chosen profession of bounty hunting.
Other characters that grew on me quickly were Drutha the rational Halfling Alchemist, Cyrelle the husky and seasoned huntress and the red-haired Vatok the sorcerer.
I won’t write much about the journey they undertake physically and mentally for that is best to experience along with them.
So, other than perhaps a tad too much violence for my appetite and spoiling the looks of the beast with the cover, I very much enjoyed this entry in the series. It’s been a while now but I truly hope we haven’t seen the last of Elyana’s adventures! I still have Jones’s Beyond the Pool of Stars to read, so will be looking forward to that.
April 8, 2022
I’m not a Pathfinder player, but I am a fan of HAJ. This novel does not disappoint. Lots of action with a twisty plot of deception. He juggles a large cast, but focuses on three characters. Good snappy fiction, and it matters not if you know nothing of Pathfinder (I do not). There is a glossary in the back that explains anything you don’t know of the world; however, I never needed it. HAJ interwove any information needed through context without annoying information dumps.
This is not the first novel that contains two of the main characters, Elyana and Drelm. It does contain spoilers for Plague of Shadows, so if you have the option, read it first.
This is not the first novel that contains two of the main characters, Elyana and Drelm. It does contain spoilers for Plague of Shadows, so if you have the option, read it first.
February 23, 2025
One of Howard Andrew Jones’ best novels. I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. Pathfinder is a derivative of a derivative so it presents an author with a fairly limited canvas from which to create. HAJ makes this particular novel shine be infusing elements of crime fiction into the high fantasy setting. Taking the best of another genre’s style and imbuing colors one would not think possible given the limitations of the setting.
The fact that HAJ did this so well makes sense. His Ringsworn trilogy and this novel’s direct prequel “Plauge of Shadows” infuse game derived epic fantasy with Sword and Sorcery’s brevity and directness. This remains true for this volume as well. The prose is brisk, fairly minimalist, and the story action-packed without unnecessary downtime.
There’s some really awesome genre fusion here. The opening chapter feels like a moment in a procedural police drama, even if it’s an epic fantasy battle. The hunt for the beast feels like the hunt for a serial killer and as the story unfolds that analogous sense only intensifies.
There’s a tremendous turns towards the end of the story that are just awesome and unexpected.
There are a ton of characters and they are well done and engaging. The new POV character Lisette is compelling and her story as it progresses is arresting. She adds a Western quality to the story both with her action as a gunslinger and her outlaw demeanor and motivations.
There’s also a really powerful moment in a dialogue sequence between Elyana and another character. Subversion has become vastly overrated in genre fiction, and often feels like people are being subversive for being subversive’s sake. However, here we have HAJ, primarily known as Sword and Sorcery fiction have his itinerant wanderer protagonist comment that people who live in the moment are usually evil. This is quite a philosophical shift from the genre’s archetype Conan. I thought it was a really cool and unexpected moment of temporizing.
Overall. I loved this novel. It deserves to be a movie and would make a great one at that. I’m sad that HAJ never returned to this set of characters but grateful for the journey he took me on.
The fact that HAJ did this so well makes sense. His Ringsworn trilogy and this novel’s direct prequel “Plauge of Shadows” infuse game derived epic fantasy with Sword and Sorcery’s brevity and directness. This remains true for this volume as well. The prose is brisk, fairly minimalist, and the story action-packed without unnecessary downtime.
There’s some really awesome genre fusion here. The opening chapter feels like a moment in a procedural police drama, even if it’s an epic fantasy battle. The hunt for the beast feels like the hunt for a serial killer and as the story unfolds that analogous sense only intensifies.
There’s a tremendous turns towards the end of the story that are just awesome and unexpected.
There are a ton of characters and they are well done and engaging. The new POV character Lisette is compelling and her story as it progresses is arresting. She adds a Western quality to the story both with her action as a gunslinger and her outlaw demeanor and motivations.
There’s also a really powerful moment in a dialogue sequence between Elyana and another character. Subversion has become vastly overrated in genre fiction, and often feels like people are being subversive for being subversive’s sake. However, here we have HAJ, primarily known as Sword and Sorcery fiction have his itinerant wanderer protagonist comment that people who live in the moment are usually evil. This is quite a philosophical shift from the genre’s archetype Conan. I thought it was a really cool and unexpected moment of temporizing.
Overall. I loved this novel. It deserves to be a movie and would make a great one at that. I’m sad that HAJ never returned to this set of characters but grateful for the journey he took me on.
December 29, 2013
Stalking The Beast brings back some familiar faces from Plague Of Shadows, but this one can stand alone very well, if you don't mind mild spoilers like - duh - the main characters surviving the events in that previous book.
Elyana Sadrastis, our battle-hardened elven ranger, is currently staying awhile in the small town of Delgar, generally giving her BFF, the half-orc Drelm, her moral support and expertise. She's pleased that Drelm has finally found a woman who would love him despite his looks and him being a half-orc (look at those fangs, not pretty), and Drelm has won the support of the people and even the mayor (his fiancée's father) to become the captain of the guard. Once Drelm settles down, however, Elyana wonders what she will do with herself.
Things are never boring in fantasy worlds, however, and soon, an invisible monster starts going on a rampage in the neighborhood, leaving piles of dead bodies in its wake. Elyana and Drelm, along with some of her elven buddies, begin organizing a hunting party to take down the beast. Meanwhile, a bounty hunter, Lisette Demonde, shows up in town with her impressive guns and her grouchy dwarven assistant. She soon proves to be a skilled warrior worthy of tagging along with the party, but those people have no clue that she has another motive to tag along: she is hired by Drelm's future father-in-law to kill the half-orc. Ho, ho, ho!
Stalking The Beast is not a deep story, but my goodness, it is such a fast-paced non-stop action-packed adventure romp that I can't put down this book at all until I reach the last page. This is fantastic feel-good vicarious adventure material. There are many well-written scenes of combat and carnage, lots of violence and a high body count, and plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting.
This story is also brimming with girl power. I thought Elyana quite bland in the previous story, and well, she is still quite bland here and it's almost a punchline how every guy finds her too hot for words, but she also gets more opportunity to kick some rear ends with super bad-ass style here. Lisette is the more interesting character here - she's the anti-heroic foil to Elyana, cynical and pragmatic, but of course she soon finds herself liking her companions too much to pull the trigger. Drelm is a tough guy, but his simple and uncomplicated way of looking at things can be sometimes unexpectedly humorous, especially when contrasted with his female comrades' tendency to analyze things a little more thoroughly. They and an assorted secondary characters make a good team.
The author also tosses in themes like friendship, loyalty, and what not. Nothing too deep to distract from the mayhem, of course, but enough to give the story some depths to go with the blood and guts.
What you see is what you get when it comes to Stalking The Beast: these guys really are stalking some monsters, and it's all fun from start to finish. This is a great popcorn read, and I'm actually sad to reach the last chapter because the party was so entertaining while it lasted. Give me more, I want more!
Elyana Sadrastis, our battle-hardened elven ranger, is currently staying awhile in the small town of Delgar, generally giving her BFF, the half-orc Drelm, her moral support and expertise. She's pleased that Drelm has finally found a woman who would love him despite his looks and him being a half-orc (look at those fangs, not pretty), and Drelm has won the support of the people and even the mayor (his fiancée's father) to become the captain of the guard. Once Drelm settles down, however, Elyana wonders what she will do with herself.
Things are never boring in fantasy worlds, however, and soon, an invisible monster starts going on a rampage in the neighborhood, leaving piles of dead bodies in its wake. Elyana and Drelm, along with some of her elven buddies, begin organizing a hunting party to take down the beast. Meanwhile, a bounty hunter, Lisette Demonde, shows up in town with her impressive guns and her grouchy dwarven assistant. She soon proves to be a skilled warrior worthy of tagging along with the party, but those people have no clue that she has another motive to tag along: she is hired by Drelm's future father-in-law to kill the half-orc. Ho, ho, ho!
Stalking The Beast is not a deep story, but my goodness, it is such a fast-paced non-stop action-packed adventure romp that I can't put down this book at all until I reach the last page. This is fantastic feel-good vicarious adventure material. There are many well-written scenes of combat and carnage, lots of violence and a high body count, and plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting.
This story is also brimming with girl power. I thought Elyana quite bland in the previous story, and well, she is still quite bland here and it's almost a punchline how every guy finds her too hot for words, but she also gets more opportunity to kick some rear ends with super bad-ass style here. Lisette is the more interesting character here - she's the anti-heroic foil to Elyana, cynical and pragmatic, but of course she soon finds herself liking her companions too much to pull the trigger. Drelm is a tough guy, but his simple and uncomplicated way of looking at things can be sometimes unexpectedly humorous, especially when contrasted with his female comrades' tendency to analyze things a little more thoroughly. They and an assorted secondary characters make a good team.
The author also tosses in themes like friendship, loyalty, and what not. Nothing too deep to distract from the mayhem, of course, but enough to give the story some depths to go with the blood and guts.
What you see is what you get when it comes to Stalking The Beast: these guys really are stalking some monsters, and it's all fun from start to finish. This is a great popcorn read, and I'm actually sad to reach the last chapter because the party was so entertaining while it lasted. Give me more, I want more!
February 1, 2014
Howard Andrew Jones delivers another great addition to the Pathfinder Tales line. Stalking the beast is another adventure of Elyana and Drelm, characters from his first Pathfinder book, Plague of Shadows. They've relocated to the River Kingdoms, and when a strange invisible monster starts killing and destroying across multiple kingdoms, they organize a posse to hunt and kill the beast.
Jones does an amazing job of introducing and managing a dozen new characters for the hunting party, as well as several others that have ties to Elyana and Drelm, making them all stand out as individuals. He also breathes life into the River Kingdoms, impressively capturing the flavor of that part of Golarion from the game books, and impressing on the reader that it's a melting pot of all sorts of undesirables who have fled there to escape their pasts, as well as those looking to simply make a clean start.
In Stalking the Beast, Jones has three point of view characters, which also helps show multiple facets of not only the three main characters, but their different views of the others in the posse, helping to round them out. As for the plot, he keeps the reader on edge, creating a sense of being hunted by their prey that is always one step ahead of them, and seems more than capable of turning the hunters into the hunted. Long before the end of the book, Jones has turned the reader's expectations around several times, multiplying the sense of discovery beyond what a more simply straightforward plot would have allowed.
I'm looking forward to his next Pathfinder book, and also, plan to check out his original fiction as well.
Jones does an amazing job of introducing and managing a dozen new characters for the hunting party, as well as several others that have ties to Elyana and Drelm, making them all stand out as individuals. He also breathes life into the River Kingdoms, impressively capturing the flavor of that part of Golarion from the game books, and impressing on the reader that it's a melting pot of all sorts of undesirables who have fled there to escape their pasts, as well as those looking to simply make a clean start.
In Stalking the Beast, Jones has three point of view characters, which also helps show multiple facets of not only the three main characters, but their different views of the others in the posse, helping to round them out. As for the plot, he keeps the reader on edge, creating a sense of being hunted by their prey that is always one step ahead of them, and seems more than capable of turning the hunters into the hunted. Long before the end of the book, Jones has turned the reader's expectations around several times, multiplying the sense of discovery beyond what a more simply straightforward plot would have allowed.
I'm looking forward to his next Pathfinder book, and also, plan to check out his original fiction as well.
July 10, 2017
A very engaging story -- enough so that I am going back to ready previous books by this author about the characters
March 1, 2023
I enjoied the reading, the plot and the main characters. I also liked the descriptions of some settings and locations.
In my opinion, the second half of the book felt described in hurry. Moreover, some characters of the band were not well detailed and therefore you could tell they would be the "next victims"! :D
In my opinion, the second half of the book felt described in hurry. Moreover, some characters of the band were not well detailed and therefore you could tell they would be the "next victims"! :D
June 19, 2018
A Satisfying Adventure Tale!
Well written, this novel has many nods to the PFRPG players out there!
It's a whole lot of fun & reads incredibly quickly!
Well written, this novel has many nods to the PFRPG players out there!
It's a whole lot of fun & reads incredibly quickly!
September 18, 2021
This was a strong story. I liked the twists and turns along the way. There were several characters ill enjoy seeing in other books.
December 27, 2021
A good story that went places I was not expecting.
May 23, 2023
Not a bad read, I thoroughly enjoyed the Pathfinder backdrop. The characters were engaging, and there is a plot twist I did not see coming. Definitely recommend picking up for any Pathfinder fan.
July 12, 2023
One of the most enjoyable Pathfinder Tales I've read so far.
December 29, 2020
I found this a slog, largely I think due to a bloated cast of "just here to die as proof the bad guy is tough" extras who were never developed much beyond a name.
January 9, 2019
This book was so awesome! I loved it, great characters, great story and great pacing! I loved reading it and even telling my friends about it! The book is about hunting down a beast but it gets really complicated, I want this book to become a youtube series or even a movie. It would be a nice movie to watch!
February 13, 2014
Here is the latest in the Pathfinder Tales series. This story stars the female elven ranger Elyana and her stuffy (read here Lawful Good, D&D nerds) half-orc companion, Drelm. The action centers around the hunt for a mysterious invisible beast that is marauding through the countryside. The city of Delgar puts together a group of experienced professional hunters, led by Elyana and Drelm, who go looking for the monster and get more than they bargained for.
This was an easy read for me. The story was fairly complex, which kept my interest; there have been some novels in this series that were extremely simplistic. Characterization was somewhat predictable. Which is OK, I suppose. It was not poor characterization. Though I still do not understand the Mayor's motivation; I really thought we would find out later that he had been possessed, charmed or something of the sort. Elyana and Drelm are a pretty neat pair; the free-spirited ranger with the stoic and staid half-orc provide interesting conflict. These guys are becoming my second-favorite Pathfinder couple (right behind, as with everyone, Count Varian Jeggare and Radovan). I hope we get to see another story.
This was an easy read for me. The story was fairly complex, which kept my interest; there have been some novels in this series that were extremely simplistic. Characterization was somewhat predictable. Which is OK, I suppose. It was not poor characterization. Though I still do not understand the Mayor's motivation; I really thought we would find out later that he had been possessed, charmed or something of the sort. Elyana and Drelm are a pretty neat pair; the free-spirited ranger with the stoic and staid half-orc provide interesting conflict. These guys are becoming my second-favorite Pathfinder couple (right behind, as with everyone, Count Varian Jeggare and Radovan). I hope we get to see another story.
October 7, 2015
This is the second (pathfinder tale) book by Howard Andrew Jones that I read, and even though I gave both of them 3 stars, this one is the better of the two. This is more than a three star book, but it lives not completely up to the standard for a 4 star book.
In this story we join Elayna and Drelm who together with a whole bunch of hirelings go out to find a beast that is running rampant through the river kingdoms. In the end there seems that the story is more complicated than that. I will not go further into detail to avoid spoilers.
The story has quite the pathfinder feel, which of course is excellent. When you read a pathfinder tale you want it to evoke the feeling of a pathfinder RPG campaign. The magic and the way magic works in pathfinder is very nicely incorporated in this book. I also felt that the book has a sort of western theme going on. A bunch of capable adventures set out to face a menace that threatens a frontier town. It even ends with the surviving members all leaving in the morning and meeting up one last time in the horse stables before riding of in the sunset.
In this story we join Elayna and Drelm who together with a whole bunch of hirelings go out to find a beast that is running rampant through the river kingdoms. In the end there seems that the story is more complicated than that. I will not go further into detail to avoid spoilers.
The story has quite the pathfinder feel, which of course is excellent. When you read a pathfinder tale you want it to evoke the feeling of a pathfinder RPG campaign. The magic and the way magic works in pathfinder is very nicely incorporated in this book. I also felt that the book has a sort of western theme going on. A bunch of capable adventures set out to face a menace that threatens a frontier town. It even ends with the surviving members all leaving in the morning and meeting up one last time in the horse stables before riding of in the sunset.
January 12, 2014
This might just be the best of the Pathfinder Tales novels. Well, it's the best of the six or seven I've read to date.
Yeah, it's a quest to kill a beast that's been tormenting a number of villages. But it turns in to a lot more. One of the characters was a bit abrupt in her actions, and that could have used a little more exposition, but it's a minor nit.
This story follows on a couple years after the end of Plague of Shadows, but they're both standalone stories.
Definitely entertaining. Hoping for more from this author.
Yeah, it's a quest to kill a beast that's been tormenting a number of villages. But it turns in to a lot more. One of the characters was a bit abrupt in her actions, and that could have used a little more exposition, but it's a minor nit.
This story follows on a couple years after the end of Plague of Shadows, but they're both standalone stories.
Definitely entertaining. Hoping for more from this author.
September 2, 2016
Fun adventuring book about a collection of would-be heroes tracking down a savage beast rampaging their home in the Pathfinder world. The book is exciting, with plenty of action scenes. The writing is good, fast paced when it needs to be and strong in character development of the main characters. Outside of the three main characters, you barely get to know any of the others making them quite forgettable. The plot is a bit simple but was still looking forward to the big finish. A good book to get to know more about the Pathfinder world.
January 11, 2014
It took about a third of the book for me to really get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.
The Gunslinger Lisette is a wonderful new character and I hope that we get to see more of her in the future.
The Gunslinger Lisette is a wonderful new character and I hope that we get to see more of her in the future.
December 27, 2013
An enjoyable Pathfinder novel. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it. After that, there were plenty of storylines and twists to keep me engaged and want to read the next chapter, and the next, and the next.
December 31, 2013
Fun fantasy adventure set in the River Kingdoms of Pathfinder. This is the second of a series but I don't think you need to read the first. A nice fun fantasy adventure without too many complications.
December 5, 2015
Grabbed this for a beach read. Gotta say, I love these easy reading fantasy type books. Easy to jump into without knowing the intimacies of their universe. Interesting characters, fun plot twists. Great light reading.
August 31, 2016
Entertaining fantasy based on the Pathfinder RPG. Books like these always make a lot of references to the game, and so I would generally only recommend this to people interested in gaming. Fun just the same.
February 2, 2014
This book very much felt like an rpg adventure.
March 23, 2014
Read my full review of the book here at BLACK GATE Online: http://www.blackgate.com/2014/03/18/r...
February 9, 2016
This is a very fun action filled story. I would call it a Fantasy western with a bunch of characters saddling up to take down a menace on the Riverlands.
October 23, 2015
Adventure! Drama! Fell Sorcery!
Comrades in Arms Overcoming Adversity!
If you like any of these, you'll like this story.
Comrades in Arms Overcoming Adversity!
If you like any of these, you'll like this story.
March 4, 2014
Above average, worthy tie-in fiction.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews