Night Watch: Murder By Magic

by Robin Wayne Bailey

All the fabled Seers of Greyhawk have been killed on the same night, each by their own instruments of divination. And the only unusual sign is the ominous number of black birds in the skies of late. The mystery is dumped in the lap of Garett Starlen, commander of the night shift of the City Watch, who discovers that a web of evil has been tightly drawn around the great city.
As if murder by magic were not enough, strange beasts decend on the citiznery, and the powerful Guild of Wizards is vanguished by an unseen force. Can nothing stop the deadly zalots of the Horned Society?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Mystery

311 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

About the author

Robin Wayne Bailey is an American fantasy and science fiction author and is a past president (2005-2007) of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Robin also served as SFWA's South-Central Regional Director for nine years and has hosted three of SFWA's annual Nebula Awards weekends; two of those Nebula events were held in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri.

Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.

Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.

Reviews

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story; the author shows a real feel for the setting. Told entirely from the main characters perspective, the other characters are also well written, with clear personalities and motivations. A hard book to put down, especially at the action filled climax. Recommended!

Robin Wayne Bailey was at one-time president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He wrote this in four months at the request of TSR, who were trying to revamp their Greyhawk product line. This book came out the same year as R.A. Salvatore's first Drizzt book, and ultimately Forgotten Realms ended up the winner on the fiction shelves. Bailey was known for Thieves World stories before this, but this was his first bestseller.

Greyhawk is the fantasy world that I have used for nearly all of my D&D games, and I am very familiar with the history and setting. Bailey got a few minor things wrong, and his story doesn't fit in the canon timeline - but we are talking about a universe much less defined than say, Star Trek. The minor discrepancies are more than made up for in plot and storytelling - this is a ripping good yarn. Descriptions of combat are exciting, putting the reader in the scene, and the bad guys are suitably evil. Finally, the humor - mostly between members of the Nightwatch - really adds to the story.

When asked if he would write another Greyhawk novel, the author stated he would consider it. He would like to revisit Garret Starlyn and his team, and I think that would make for another great tale.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a quick fun read. At just over 300 pages, it felt like a fast read because of the non stop action. Sometimes, too often it seems, authors feel they need to fill in so much backstory that it takes forever to get a feeling for the story. In Night Watch, Murder b Magic, Robin Wayne Bailey provides a great mystery that sits on top of a D&D world city. Any 80s gamer nerd who knows of Greyhawk and the world of Oreth will surely find the background an exciting trip back to their gaming past. However, I would argue that Bailey's book would be just as fresh to any RPG fan today who had never read or played in a TSR game. It is a good mystery story and a good fantasy setting that does not require knowing the history or Greyhawk to enjoy. However, as I shared to a friend, reading the book felt like a BBC mystery had somehow merged with the old AD&D games we used to play as teenagers. This is a good book. If you enjoy fantasy and can track it down, give it a read.

[Nicole Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a comforting novel to a fantasy lover like myself; how refreshing that it takes itself seriously!

I'm much more familiar with the Forgotten Realms, and this is set in the Greyhawk world. That said, though this is a well-established setting, this story starts from scratch, assuming nothing.

Straightforward plot. A hero. Faithful and interesting supporting characters. Exciting developments and satisfying ending. This is the kind of book I used to scoop up at B&N while my dad leafed through magazines and sipped coffee while he waited for me.

This might be the best testimony: I immediately ordered the trilogy of paperbacks that Tor advertised in the back pages as soon as I finished this book. I want more of THIS right here!!

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters are relatable and interesting, but they are not in interesting places or doing interesting things. This is a set of mostly-reliable civil servants doing their job in the midst of workplace and city politics, not a band of unlikely misfits out for trouble or on some grand-sounding quest involving travel and weird monster opponents. The investigation leads to a larger plot and threat, but at no point did I find a remarkable set piece or grand setting idea to capture the imagination.

The overall impression that this produces is CSI: Lankhmar, and this doesn't really work when the city is described as being essentially corrupt and dysfunctional. It could be a version of film noir, but frankly the main characters are too decent.

[Jeff Jellets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best of the Greyhawk-inspired novels.

Before Dungeons and Dragons creator Gary Gygax unceremoniously departed TSR, the World of Greyhawk was my first campaign setting with the box set’s double maps proudly occupying premium wall space in my adolescent bedroom. There were even a few novels released – by Gygax and later Rose Estes – but by the time these hit the shelves, I was already moving on to the bait of TSR’s next hook: the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms books (which remain some of my favorite fantasy fiction bar none).

Which makes Robin Wayne Baily’s Night Watch: Murder by Magic all the more interesting. Released sometime after TSR had made the decision to jump ship from Greyhawk – and released under the TSR generic book banner rather than the Greyhawk trade logo no less – Baily’s tale of the necropolis with its guilds of thieves, lamplighters, assassins, tradesmen, and spellcasters is an atlas obscura to the old city and an entertaining sword and sorcery yarn to boot. There’s murder afoot in Greyhawk when all city’s seers are slain in macabre manner on the same night, prompting Garrett Starlen, the after-hours captain of the night watch, to summon up his most trusted cohorts and go on the hunt for the killer.

In addition to giving us a great feel for the fabled city, Baily is able to pack in quite a bit of city politics, a side-quest for a fabled sword, some spelunking in the sewers, the Horned Society, a wizardly duel, a dragon-induced catastrophe, and a cameo by the fabled Mordenkainen (who – if you played D&D – ya know!). In fact, there’s so much here, that it could have become cluttered, but Baily keeps it all on track, adding multiple layers to his onion of a mystery, before peeling them away in no holds barred final battle.

I liked that Baily was able to bring Greyhawk to life, making the city as much a character as his guardsmen (and women!). I also liked how he was able to steadily rachet up the tension; there’s definitely the feeling that something bad is lingering in the air, stifling like the heavy clouds and heat that hang over the city walls, and that the stakes are getting higher and more dangerous the more Garrett digs into the murders. Most importantly, I liked that Baily gave us an ending. I’m sure at one point someone at TSR thought Greyhawk was going to be a thing and Night Watch was just the starting point for multi-book series.

But alas, it was not to be!

Baily, at least, gives us closure on what turned out to be a great standalone novel.

P.S. If you really want to take a deep dive into publishing fits and starts of the World of Greyhawk, check out https://www.greyhawkonline.com/greyha...

[Makmorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great murder mystery set in the fantasy World of Greyhawk!

[Nobbynob Littlun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good characters, a swift plot, witty dialogue, attention to detail. Some fighting, some magic, some politics, a bit of this, a bit of that. Excellent!