What do you think?
Rate this book
Spells, Swords, & Stealth #5
Noble Roots
For generations, nobles have gathered at a scenic estate once per year to compete. What transpires there is spoken of only in rumors, save for the prizes. Potent, powerful, and precious; the winners are said to receive a gift from magic itself.
Reeling after their loss to Kalzidar, the adventurers from Maplebark can only press forward, following advice imparted by the gods. Their divine directions will lead them on a series of twisting paths, branching between old friends and new challenges, before ultimately pointing at a particular estate on a specific evening.
Thrust from the familiar comfort of the wilds, the party will have to navigate the perils of noble society while keeping themselves in the competition. Between scheming nobles, a hidden high priest, dangerous challenges, and too many familiar faces, just making it out alive will be a challenge. But surviving alone won’t be enough; not with a vengeful god scheming in the shadows, and a stolen soul waiting for rescue.
If the party wants their chance to strike back, they’ll have to find a way to emerge victorious.
Reeling after their loss to Kalzidar, the adventurers from Maplebark can only press forward, following advice imparted by the gods. Their divine directions will lead them on a series of twisting paths, branching between old friends and new challenges, before ultimately pointing at a particular estate on a specific evening.
Thrust from the familiar comfort of the wilds, the party will have to navigate the perils of noble society while keeping themselves in the competition. Between scheming nobles, a hidden high priest, dangerous challenges, and too many familiar faces, just making it out alive will be a challenge. But surviving alone won’t be enough; not with a vengeful god scheming in the shadows, and a stolen soul waiting for rescue.
If the party wants their chance to strike back, they’ll have to find a way to emerge victorious.
668 pages, Paperback
First published March 24, 2022
254 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
April 22, 2022
Entertaining enough (again), but could stand an editor and trimming - and more progress towards the underlying wtf is going on plotline, which, but for the addition of more questions/implications, has barely progressed.
October 6, 2022
Nice fun and entertaining book and series. I am enjoying this very much. Recommended
June 5, 2022
The plot thickens. Spoilers ahead for earlier books, and I don't think it really works standalone.
The archmage Dejy is woken by a message from a god. (You may remember him as Grumph's teacher.) He sets out to find our intrepid band.
Meanwhile, back in mundane reality, Russell's crew are invited to an event that lasts several days. Which means he needs his mother's permissions. It ends up that she lets him go, but she comes with them.
Back in the game world, Dejy gives the party their directions, and they split up for quests having to do with Kalzidar's hatred of them. Then they rejoin for a big one. Gabrielle is on a quest for the death goddess to deal with her problems in her undead status, and Thistle is still looking to rescue his wife's soul from Kalzidar.
Meanwhile, Russell's group decides to investigate a disappearing town.
Their adventures intersect minimally, though the reader can pick up clues. And there are revelations about the past of Russell's parents and the game with definite implications.
It also involves different editions, expanding Mr. Peppers's power to hide things, a competition for nobility where some try to assassinate each other, a forest made of wood including the birds, leaves, and rocks, a very nasty book, and more.
The archmage Dejy is woken by a message from a god. (You may remember him as Grumph's teacher.) He sets out to find our intrepid band.
Meanwhile, back in mundane reality, Russell's crew are invited to an event that lasts several days. Which means he needs his mother's permissions. It ends up that she lets him go, but she comes with them.
Back in the game world, Dejy gives the party their directions, and they split up for quests having to do with Kalzidar's hatred of them. Then they rejoin for a big one. Gabrielle is on a quest for the death goddess to deal with her problems in her undead status, and Thistle is still looking to rescue his wife's soul from Kalzidar.
Meanwhile, Russell's group decides to investigate a disappearing town.
Their adventures intersect minimally, though the reader can pick up clues. And there are revelations about the past of Russell's parents and the game with definite implications.
It also involves different editions, expanding Mr. Peppers's power to hide things, a competition for nobility where some try to assassinate each other, a forest made of wood including the birds, leaves, and rocks, a very nasty book, and more.
February 16, 2023
Review to come. Another excellent installment in this series that just leaves me needing the next book urgently.
April 1, 2022
Darn it, it's good
Yes Drew done it again another story that keeps you turning pages and looking at the clock thinking it's only 1.30am I can get another 30mins read. The biggest an only problem with drew stories is the time in-between them. All Drew's book are very very good and are storytelling at its very best. Well waiting for the next one now.
Yes Drew done it again another story that keeps you turning pages and looking at the clock thinking it's only 1.30am I can get another 30mins read. The biggest an only problem with drew stories is the time in-between them. All Drew's book are very very good and are storytelling at its very best. Well waiting for the next one now.
April 29, 2022
Drew Hayes has done it again another fantastic entry into the NPC world
April 15, 2022
the best book in the series so far
Read it! You won’t be disappointed. This is the best rpg series Ive read. I can’t wait for the next book!
Read it! You won’t be disappointed. This is the best rpg series Ive read. I can’t wait for the next book!
September 15, 2022
Absolutely loving this unique series that blends real world D&D campaigning with a fantasy world filled with likeable (and unlikely) party menbers. All this brought to the gamers by a mysterious publishing company that nobody seems to know anything about. Just when you thought it couldn't get more meta, well, it gets more meta. Five books in and we still don't know what is really going on. When is book 6 lol?
May 26, 2024
Best of this series yet! I started these books this month thinking for some reason that it was a completed series, so I was a little disappointed when I realized that the end is nowhere in sight. However, the plot and characters just keep getting better and better.
January 9, 2023
I love all the callbacks and little moments that became a big deal later on.
Can't wait for the next part
Can't wait for the next part
May 3, 2023
I can't believe our time has come to an end. I have so many questions and I hope Drew decides to make another book sometime down the road. This has been an enjoyable story! Thank you!
![Profile Image for [Name Redacted].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1347082397i%2F287915._UY200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
September 10, 2025
A long, slow trip to nowhere -- 700 pages of set-up with no payoff.
August 25, 2022
Another solid entry to this series. I wish we got some more answers in the book. There was some promising setup that made me think we'd be learning more than we actually did about the publishing company. There were also a few places where it felt like it could use some editing, but overall enjoyable.
The audiobook was really good as usual. Roger Wayne does a bunch of voices that make it easy to know who is talking and really adds that extra something to the book with his reading.
The audiobook was really good as usual. Roger Wayne does a bunch of voices that make it easy to know who is talking and really adds that extra something to the book with his reading.
March 30, 2022
D&D writing done right!
A continuation of a fantastic series based on D&D, this series is unrivaled in it's blending of the game system it lovingly references, and the characters and tropes spawned from decades of players. For those who have invested in this series, Noble Roots is the chart topper for action, excitement and plot progression you could want. So many questions answered, yet more asked.
If you love sword and sorcery, if you play tabletop RPGs, you are doing yourself a disservice by not reading this series.
A continuation of a fantastic series based on D&D, this series is unrivaled in it's blending of the game system it lovingly references, and the characters and tropes spawned from decades of players. For those who have invested in this series, Noble Roots is the chart topper for action, excitement and plot progression you could want. So many questions answered, yet more asked.
If you love sword and sorcery, if you play tabletop RPGs, you are doing yourself a disservice by not reading this series.
Read
April 4, 2022Again!!! He did it again!!!
So, I can’t rave enough about this series. It’s got multiple storylines in multiple interconnected realities. It’s like three dimensional chess. And it is truly amazing that it ALL WORKS! It’s possibly one of the most ambitious novels of its type and it’s so so good. Bravo Drew!
So, I can’t rave enough about this series. It’s got multiple storylines in multiple interconnected realities. It’s like three dimensional chess. And it is truly amazing that it ALL WORKS! It’s possibly one of the most ambitious novels of its type and it’s so so good. Bravo Drew!
October 31, 2025
Since D&D is now my personality I am obsessed with this series. The characters are great and so easy to root for. It did take a minute to get back into the world since it had been a bit since I read the last book a while back, but once I got into a few chapters it all came back. Can't wait for the next one!
February 3, 2023
This is a great installment of the Swords, Spells, and Stealth series! I loved it. (And I really loved listening to the audiobook. Roger Wayne does such an incredible job with these books.) My only problem is that now I've caught up, and I have to wait for the next one to be written, published, and narrated.
If you, like me, didn't remember exactly where we left off with the previous book, don't worry. Enough backstory is provided during this book to remind you of what else happened in the series. (And if you're new to the series, I would not recommend starting here. You really need to know what happened in prior books to understand where we are in this one, and who everyone is.)
One of my favorite parts of this book was something I hadn't realized I wanted: More time with Dejy, Grumph's wizard mentor and teacher. Dejy was an unexpected delight in this book, and I looked forward to each of his scenes. I also enjoyed seeing Gabrielle grow into new aspects of her powers, and realizing spoilers about Eric's parents before it was made obvious (though not explicitly stated) in the text. Thistle's part of the storyline was a bit more expected up until the very end: and the very final bits of the last scene have me looking forward to the next book even more than I'd thought possible. I have always wanted this story to continue, but now I'm more excited than usual.
If you are a fan of D&D and fantasy novels, this is one series that I'd say is worth a try for sure. Even if you're not a big fan of D&D you might enjoy this as well, since the D&D part doesn't take up a whole lot of the page time. Still, the concept of "what happens to the NPCs when the players are done for the day" is one that I've seen come up in stories before, and this is hands down my favorite version of that story. I'd recommend NPCs (book one in the series) to anyone who's even remotely interested.
If you, like me, didn't remember exactly where we left off with the previous book, don't worry. Enough backstory is provided during this book to remind you of what else happened in the series. (And if you're new to the series, I would not recommend starting here. You really need to know what happened in prior books to understand where we are in this one, and who everyone is.)
One of my favorite parts of this book was something I hadn't realized I wanted: More time with Dejy, Grumph's wizard mentor and teacher. Dejy was an unexpected delight in this book, and I looked forward to each of his scenes. I also enjoyed seeing Gabrielle grow into new aspects of her powers, and realizing spoilers about Eric's parents before it was made obvious (though not explicitly stated) in the text. Thistle's part of the storyline was a bit more expected up until the very end: and the very final bits of the last scene have me looking forward to the next book even more than I'd thought possible. I have always wanted this story to continue, but now I'm more excited than usual.
If you are a fan of D&D and fantasy novels, this is one series that I'd say is worth a try for sure. Even if you're not a big fan of D&D you might enjoy this as well, since the D&D part doesn't take up a whole lot of the page time. Still, the concept of "what happens to the NPCs when the players are done for the day" is one that I've seen come up in stories before, and this is hands down my favorite version of that story. I'd recommend NPCs (book one in the series) to anyone who's even remotely interested.
December 5, 2024
I liked this series but I'm not too familiar with dungeons and dragons, so some of the terminology went over my head
March 10, 2025
I figured out the main twist and I'm excited to see if my guess as to the overall connections are correct
April 2, 2022
Another fine addition
Drew’s writing is only getting better with age. His story crafting is simply amazing. I look forward to his next book.
Drew’s writing is only getting better with age. His story crafting is simply amazing. I look forward to his next book.
August 11, 2024
Another good one. I was delighted to find out that this isn’t the last book just the last one written so far. I guess with D&D there is always room for more adventure.
October 31, 2022
My favorite so far! Great story, great characters and a very smooth transition from previous books in the series.
April 11, 2022
I really do enjoy Drew Hayes novels, they are easy reading, fun and have good stories. These spells swords and stealth series is really the best litrpg that I have read, it does a great job of bridging over the gap between the players at the table and the characters actually adventuring and focuses on the adventure not the game. Some of the editing might leave something to be desired but it is really easy to get lost in the story and the characters, so many characters and all written very well.
Overall I think this is a great read for anyone into tabletop RPGs or fantasy novels. for readers of the series this takes the adventure to a new level and begins to set the stage for the climax. I did feel that some of the storyline got lost in this book but i didn't impact the story itself and the adventurers moved onward
Overall I think this is a great read for anyone into tabletop RPGs or fantasy novels. for readers of the series this takes the adventure to a new level and begins to set the stage for the climax. I did feel that some of the storyline got lost in this book but i didn't impact the story itself and the adventurers moved onward
May 27, 2024
Please note, i'm fresh off finishing this book, so right now, my brain is still all Skeletor Angry GIF at the ending, and by extension at Drew Hayes, so bear with me while i attempt to corral my thoughts into something that makes sense.
We start off with a mysterious mage having a mysterious dream and then we're back in "our world," where the gaming group of Russel, Cheri, Burt, Alexis, and Tim get an invite from Broken Bridge to an event celebrating Gorrian's Eve, and our, well ok, i don't care about how you feel about them, my favorite group of NPCs Gabrielle, Eric, Thistle, Grumph, and Timuscor get some very special Gorrian's Eve plans of their own, after they work through various preliminary tasks.
That's about all the high-level review i'm gonna give you, because well, others will do a better job and i hate to be redundant. So let's talk about what is most important to me, which is what i thought about this book. Given angry skeletor up there, you might have reason to think i was not a fan, but booooy would you be wrong, as you might also guess if you just looked at my rating.
This installment gave more depth to our NPCs (especially Gabrielle and Eric, but with a dash of Thistle) and to Russel and Cheri in the "our world" gaming group, in the form family stuff. You'll get to ponder some very interesting crossovers between the gaming group and our NPCs (yes, they're ours now, sorry Drew*). You'll get fighting, stealth, and magics galore. You'll get to see more of Kalzidar, Madroria, and a godly temper tantrum. You'll get to meet a new god in the SS&S pantheon, who feels a wee bit like a certain other god in another series. You'll get teamwork and a chaotic ultra battle. You'll get an old deed that is still impacting the current SS&S world. You'll get handed at least 3 different puzzles/potential plot lines for book 6.
All of these things, to me, are what i came to see. Read? Whatever.
You'll get to the last paragraph and maybe also feel Angry Skeletor-y. Then you might go to Drew's page and try to get it to tell you when Spells, Swords, & Stealth book 6 will be out. If the previous is true, i think you might be my new friend, because that's exactly what i did.
You may miss the gentle, but occasionally snarky humor of one god. You may wish the gaming group got a little more of the limelight. You may wish the gaming group had gotten a little more ... social? face time with groups who had similar situations? something along those lines. You may wish some other characters also got a deeper backstory.
Hopefully, regardless of the things you may wish there had been more of, you'll feel that this was a really great addition to the SS&S series, and be tapping your toes like me, waiting to throw your money at Drew for SS&S 6.
Let me know what you think. About the book, about the review, you know, whatever. If you feel the need for some reason, you can also see the very similar (some might say exactly alike) review to this on my blog. I wouldn't, but i'm not going to tell you what to do.
*not even really a bit sorry, Drew. you knew that was going to happen, right?
We start off with a mysterious mage having a mysterious dream and then we're back in "our world," where the gaming group of Russel, Cheri, Burt, Alexis, and Tim get an invite from Broken Bridge to an event celebrating Gorrian's Eve, and our, well ok, i don't care about how you feel about them, my favorite group of NPCs Gabrielle, Eric, Thistle, Grumph, and Timuscor get some very special Gorrian's Eve plans of their own, after they work through various preliminary tasks.
That's about all the high-level review i'm gonna give you, because well, others will do a better job and i hate to be redundant. So let's talk about what is most important to me, which is what i thought about this book. Given angry skeletor up there, you might have reason to think i was not a fan, but booooy would you be wrong, as you might also guess if you just looked at my rating.
This installment gave more depth to our NPCs (especially Gabrielle and Eric, but with a dash of Thistle) and to Russel and Cheri in the "our world" gaming group, in the form family stuff. You'll get to ponder some very interesting crossovers between the gaming group and our NPCs (yes, they're ours now, sorry Drew*). You'll get fighting, stealth, and magics galore. You'll get to see more of Kalzidar, Madroria, and a godly temper tantrum. You'll get to meet a new god in the SS&S pantheon, who feels a wee bit like a certain other god in another series. You'll get teamwork and a chaotic ultra battle. You'll get an old deed that is still impacting the current SS&S world. You'll get handed at least 3 different puzzles/potential plot lines for book 6.
All of these things, to me, are what i came to see. Read? Whatever.
You'll get to the last paragraph and maybe also feel Angry Skeletor-y. Then you might go to Drew's page and try to get it to tell you when Spells, Swords, & Stealth book 6 will be out. If the previous is true, i think you might be my new friend, because that's exactly what i did.
You may miss the gentle, but occasionally snarky humor of one god. You may wish the gaming group got a little more of the limelight. You may wish the gaming group had gotten a little more ... social? face time with groups who had similar situations? something along those lines. You may wish some other characters also got a deeper backstory.
Hopefully, regardless of the things you may wish there had been more of, you'll feel that this was a really great addition to the SS&S series, and be tapping your toes like me, waiting to throw your money at Drew for SS&S 6.
Let me know what you think. About the book, about the review, you know, whatever. If you feel the need for some reason, you can also see the very similar (some might say exactly alike) review to this on my blog. I wouldn't, but i'm not going to tell you what to do.
*not even really a bit sorry, Drew. you knew that was going to happen, right?
April 13, 2025
An impressive feat
Hello again to some old friends. Drew finally went back and finished another SS&S book! and it's not even Christmas.
It's been four years since the last book, Siege Tactics and usually when a series takes a hiatus that long the quality takes a nosedive, the tone & style change, or both. But not here.
Drew Hayes manages to take up a neglected project and carry on working with no visible seam from where he left off and that impresses the hell out of me. If I leave something unfinished for three days that's usually the end of it.
-This book contains answers! but not to any of the questions we were asking before. Those mysteries still abound. The party is getting much stronger, but so are the foes.
This book also contains Drew's usual mix of fun, action, and heart. Yeah, a little schmaltzy at times but this is the perfect antidote to grimdark & cynicism.
Hello again to some old friends. Drew finally went back and finished another SS&S book! and it's not even Christmas.
It's been four years since the last book, Siege Tactics and usually when a series takes a hiatus that long the quality takes a nosedive, the tone & style change, or both. But not here.
Drew Hayes manages to take up a neglected project and carry on working with no visible seam from where he left off and that impresses the hell out of me. If I leave something unfinished for three days that's usually the end of it.
-This book contains answers! but not to any of the questions we were asking before. Those mysteries still abound. The party is getting much stronger, but so are the foes.
This book also contains Drew's usual mix of fun, action, and heart. Yeah, a little schmaltzy at times but this is the perfect antidote to grimdark & cynicism.
June 11, 2025
“The patting on his back was gentle and short lived, an unexpected comfort from his sister. ‘I get it. I’m not stupid; this scares me too. But life . . . life is not often a magical thing. Very rarely, in fact. You opened the door, sure, but we all choose to walk through it every time we picked up those dice. Because a chance at magic, at getting to spit in the face of a grinding, unending, mundane reality? It’s the sort of opportunity that some people will risk everything for. Me included. We all made our choices. We all want to be there. Whatever comes of it.’”
-Drew Hayes, Spells, Swords, & Steslth V: Noble Roots
Noble Roots is the fifth and at present final volume of the epic story of NPCs, dice, dreams, and the bridge from reality to a place of magic. While parts here and there were a bit slow and over built up, other parts were beyond brilliant.
I think, and it took me a while to figure this out, this is an immersive work, that is meant to be meandered through and enjoyed. While I’d still say sometimes the combat sections dragged on a little to long, it wasn’t as bad as the previous work, and there were plenty of times were I was loving the pacing and draw in those same scenes. Talking about pacing, I felt like the “real world” table top sections with the other group was this time mostly used for pacing, to slow down and build up the tension for the plot of everyone’s favorite NPCs, which, while it worked, kind of didn’t seem fair as the real world party and characters are key too.
Regardless, what can be said? Not much more — this was a fine piece with a ton of feels, strong writing, action, adventure, philosophy, and magic all caught on the roll of a die, with a huge cast of characters. The mix of magic and nobility was rather nice, with fine tidbits like this:
“‘Should I emulate you then, good Duke? But I couldn’t hope to compete with your tantrum; clearly you have far more practice throwing them and have honed the art.’ Lord Prent’s grin taunted Duke Turgle even as he momentarily hid it behind his cup.”
While picking apart which noble was which was confusing at times just due to how huge the cast was, I felt like their interactions and the challenges were especially gripping. Hayes is really good at making fully fleshed out characters, even if they aren’t going to be around for long. I never have felt that any have been one dimensional, probably one of his best talents as an author. Indeed, some of the side characters that have rather quick ends I wish had survived longer, as I felt more was there, but that’s how it goes in the game, I suppose, so why not here too.
Here’s one more quote to conclude on that i really liked:
“‘You’ve made an interesting life for yourself. I won’t say I don’t understand. Adventuring can be . . . Thrilling, dangerous, terrifying, exciting, everything at once. But don’t forget to think about the end, about what comes after. Too many get lost in that world and meet their ends because of it. There is wonder and glory to be found in mundane life, too. The times I look back on most weren’t the ones where I wielded magic; it’s the years our family spent together.”
Overall, while very long, this story was also very good. I think the flow of tension and story was stronger than the prior books, and I hope and think this series will see at least one more volume. While you definitely should start with the first book in the series, I strongly recommend this book and gladly give it 4 out of 5 Astrafronds.
-Drew Hayes, Spells, Swords, & Steslth V: Noble Roots
Noble Roots is the fifth and at present final volume of the epic story of NPCs, dice, dreams, and the bridge from reality to a place of magic. While parts here and there were a bit slow and over built up, other parts were beyond brilliant.
I think, and it took me a while to figure this out, this is an immersive work, that is meant to be meandered through and enjoyed. While I’d still say sometimes the combat sections dragged on a little to long, it wasn’t as bad as the previous work, and there were plenty of times were I was loving the pacing and draw in those same scenes. Talking about pacing, I felt like the “real world” table top sections with the other group was this time mostly used for pacing, to slow down and build up the tension for the plot of everyone’s favorite NPCs, which, while it worked, kind of didn’t seem fair as the real world party and characters are key too.
Regardless, what can be said? Not much more — this was a fine piece with a ton of feels, strong writing, action, adventure, philosophy, and magic all caught on the roll of a die, with a huge cast of characters. The mix of magic and nobility was rather nice, with fine tidbits like this:
“‘Should I emulate you then, good Duke? But I couldn’t hope to compete with your tantrum; clearly you have far more practice throwing them and have honed the art.’ Lord Prent’s grin taunted Duke Turgle even as he momentarily hid it behind his cup.”
While picking apart which noble was which was confusing at times just due to how huge the cast was, I felt like their interactions and the challenges were especially gripping. Hayes is really good at making fully fleshed out characters, even if they aren’t going to be around for long. I never have felt that any have been one dimensional, probably one of his best talents as an author. Indeed, some of the side characters that have rather quick ends I wish had survived longer, as I felt more was there, but that’s how it goes in the game, I suppose, so why not here too.
Here’s one more quote to conclude on that i really liked:
“‘You’ve made an interesting life for yourself. I won’t say I don’t understand. Adventuring can be . . . Thrilling, dangerous, terrifying, exciting, everything at once. But don’t forget to think about the end, about what comes after. Too many get lost in that world and meet their ends because of it. There is wonder and glory to be found in mundane life, too. The times I look back on most weren’t the ones where I wielded magic; it’s the years our family spent together.”
Overall, while very long, this story was also very good. I think the flow of tension and story was stronger than the prior books, and I hope and think this series will see at least one more volume. While you definitely should start with the first book in the series, I strongly recommend this book and gladly give it 4 out of 5 Astrafronds.
November 12, 2023
Oops, now I've done it... I've gone and gotten myself embroiled in an ongoing series that's not fully published. I began to get an inkling in Book 3, when it seemed like the characters' personal arcs were still just getting underway rather than bending toward a halfway point. And I suspected it more strongly all the way through Book 4 and here in Book 5. Still, this book has an ending that's more than sufficiently satisfying, while reminding us there are more adventures yet to come.
After a slightly lackluster Book 4, this series returns to form with a fun and exciting adventure culminating in an elaborate locked-room game of cat-and-mouse where none of the participants really know whether they're the cat or the mouse. And there are more intriguing connections between the citizens of the game world and the players of SS&S in the “real world.” Just as our NPCs are heading for the Ardrane estate for a mysterious high-stakes competition, the real-world SS&S players are headed for an equally mysterious invitation-only all-expenses-paid gaming convention. And I have to admit, I didn't see the reveal of which of the competitors at the Ardrane estate was really the high priest of Kalzidar until Hayes meant for me to. Meanwhile, the connection between the NPCs' quest at the Ardrane estate and the module Russell's SS&S group are playing at the convention won't become really clear until the epilogue.
After I complained in Book 4 that we didn't spend time getting into the character's heads, we do a lot of it here – nearly everyone in our party of NPCs will face personal challenges and transformative moments in their arcs, and more thought will be given to the lives and families they left behind. There will be satisfactory resolutions to some of the unfinished business our NPCs abandoned when they fled their home.
And I'm also happy that five books, in, not one of the characters has been subjected to an obligatory romance arc – not even our two eligible young humans Eric and Gabrielle. In this book, their past as longtime best friends from toddling age in Maplebark is openly discussed, as well as the expectation of their parents and practically everyone else in Maplebark that they belonged together. They even tried it out once and quickly accepted there was no romantic spark between them – they were meant to be platonic best friends and nothing else.
Side Note: Once I noticed how badly Hayes overuses the word "however," I couldn't stop noticing it. And it continues to be an annoyance all the way through this damn book. I almost started counting them.
After a slightly lackluster Book 4, this series returns to form with a fun and exciting adventure culminating in an elaborate locked-room game of cat-and-mouse where none of the participants really know whether they're the cat or the mouse. And there are more intriguing connections between the citizens of the game world and the players of SS&S in the “real world.” Just as our NPCs are heading for the Ardrane estate for a mysterious high-stakes competition, the real-world SS&S players are headed for an equally mysterious invitation-only all-expenses-paid gaming convention. And I have to admit, I didn't see the reveal of which of the competitors at the Ardrane estate was really the high priest of Kalzidar until Hayes meant for me to. Meanwhile, the connection between the NPCs' quest at the Ardrane estate and the module Russell's SS&S group are playing at the convention won't become really clear until the epilogue.
After I complained in Book 4 that we didn't spend time getting into the character's heads, we do a lot of it here – nearly everyone in our party of NPCs will face personal challenges and transformative moments in their arcs, and more thought will be given to the lives and families they left behind. There will be satisfactory resolutions to some of the unfinished business our NPCs abandoned when they fled their home.
And I'm also happy that five books, in, not one of the characters has been subjected to an obligatory romance arc – not even our two eligible young humans Eric and Gabrielle. In this book, their past as longtime best friends from toddling age in Maplebark is openly discussed, as well as the expectation of their parents and practically everyone else in Maplebark that they belonged together. They even tried it out once and quickly accepted there was no romantic spark between them – they were meant to be platonic best friends and nothing else.
Side Note: Once I noticed how badly Hayes overuses the word "however," I couldn't stop noticing it. And it continues to be an annoyance all the way through this damn book. I almost started counting them.
September 9, 2022
There were certainly times when I felt like this novel wasn't five-star worthy, but I love the characters and I want to promote Drew Hayes' work, because he's great, as well.
The good: The inclusion of Russell's mother and her connection to the SS&S world.
The bad: All of the different characters vying for a seed. There were too many and it was so hard to keep track of them all.
Here is a summary so that I'm ready for for #6, whenever it comes out:
I think that's it...
The good: The inclusion of Russell's mother and her connection to the SS&S world.
The bad: All of the different characters vying for a seed. There were too many and it was so hard to keep track of them all.
Here is a summary so that I'm ready for for #6, whenever it comes out:
I think that's it...
June 12, 2024
My Audible revew: Spells, Swords, & Stealth book #5 is probably the second best entry in the series so far. The Big Mystery is still ongoing but it's not progressing as I expected. I'm not disappointed by that, as of yet.
Repeat: With this being the fifth book in the series, rehashing my complaints about the previous books is redundant. They are still present, but anyone reading this review can't be starting with book #5. You can find my previous reviews or realize that starting a series in the middle is, at best, bizarre.
I am still impressed with Roger Wayne's narration. Again, please see my previous reviews, but his reading has been consistent and enjoyable through the series.
The direction Hayes has taken with dividing the perspectives of the real-world players and their characters has only grown wider in this novel. It feels like this matters to the story, but, again, I might be overreaching.
This is the second audiobook in which I recognized a change in a character's voice. A fairly major character from the second novel has taken on a larger role once again and the voice assigned to them is vastly different from their previous appearance. As I said in a previous review, I cannot know the cause of this change, but it is fairly jarring from a back-to-back listener's perspective.
I'll rate this one, "Spells, Swords, & Stealth, as a whole, is improved by this novel."
Repeat: With this being the fifth book in the series, rehashing my complaints about the previous books is redundant. They are still present, but anyone reading this review can't be starting with book #5. You can find my previous reviews or realize that starting a series in the middle is, at best, bizarre.
I am still impressed with Roger Wayne's narration. Again, please see my previous reviews, but his reading has been consistent and enjoyable through the series.
The direction Hayes has taken with dividing the perspectives of the real-world players and their characters has only grown wider in this novel. It feels like this matters to the story, but, again, I might be overreaching.
This is the second audiobook in which I recognized a change in a character's voice. A fairly major character from the second novel has taken on a larger role once again and the voice assigned to them is vastly different from their previous appearance. As I said in a previous review, I cannot know the cause of this change, but it is fairly jarring from a back-to-back listener's perspective.
I'll rate this one, "Spells, Swords, & Stealth, as a whole, is improved by this novel."
April 30, 2022
A lot of the same awesomeness I've come to expect from this series. We get to see some returning characters, a few fun littel reveals and a satisfying conclusion that has me excited to read the next book as the plot starts to tighten around the overall Kazildar situation.
If I had any issue with this book it might be that some of the party balance feels like its starting to scew. Gabby and Timuscor,Gabby in paticular, kinda feel like there outlevelling the rest of the party.
She's strongest as she should be, but she's immune to poison, faster than the rogue, can see in the dark, and now has a patron god. The whole group progresses, and the book is slightly focused on Gab due to the stories noble connection so fair enough (that being said they all have their moments in this volume), but it kind of feels like the rest of the gang is only there to cause distractions and hold on till she can get in and get 90 % of the kills.
I make that sound a little too negative as things may change with Eric's new path, Grumph's possible enchating and syngery with his staff, and Thistle's wife/possible weapon. Its just in this volume I felt Gaby and Tim didnt really need the rest of the party, they made things easier but they didnt need them, while the same cant be said for the others.
If I had any issue with this book it might be that some of the party balance feels like its starting to scew. Gabby and Timuscor,Gabby in paticular, kinda feel like there outlevelling the rest of the party.
She's strongest as she should be, but she's immune to poison, faster than the rogue, can see in the dark, and now has a patron god. The whole group progresses, and the book is slightly focused on Gab due to the stories noble connection so fair enough (that being said they all have their moments in this volume), but it kind of feels like the rest of the gang is only there to cause distractions and hold on till she can get in and get 90 % of the kills.
I make that sound a little too negative as things may change with Eric's new path, Grumph's possible enchating and syngery with his staff, and Thistle's wife/possible weapon. Its just in this volume I felt Gaby and Tim didnt really need the rest of the party, they made things easier but they didnt need them, while the same cant be said for the others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews