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Inquisitors' Guild #1, 2, 4
Flames Over Frosthelm / The Outcast Crown / The Woeling Lass
This is a three-book collection of novels from the Inquisitor's Guild of Frosthelm. The three books included are:
Flames Over Frosthelm
The Outcast Crown
The Woeling Lass
These stories tell the tale of investigators from the Inquisitors' Guild, a group of detectives, soldiers, and spies in the city of Frosthelm. Expect magic, swordplay, intrigue, scheming nobles, dire threats, and a grand adventure in each book. Each story is a complete stand-alone mystery.
Flames Over Frosthelm
The Outcast Crown
The Woeling Lass
These stories tell the tale of investigators from the Inquisitors' Guild, a group of detectives, soldiers, and spies in the city of Frosthelm. Expect magic, swordplay, intrigue, scheming nobles, dire threats, and a grand adventure in each book. Each story is a complete stand-alone mystery.
1215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2022
327 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Dave Dobson
12 books85 followersA native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, boardgames, computer games, improv comedy, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids.
Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. Dave first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent game is Scryptix, a word game for cell phones.
Dave taught geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College for 24 years before stepping away to write full time. He does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kinda cool.
Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. Dave first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent game is Scryptix, a word game for cell phones.
Dave taught geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College for 24 years before stepping away to write full time. He does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kinda cool.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 14, 2025
A rich and rewarding tale.
The Inquisitors’ Guild trio has been a fantastic diversion from the (March/April 2025) events around the world.
I admire the perseverance that got the first story published, the world building, interesting characters and intrigue. Each following tale has a new lead and new perspective on Frosthelm and its surroundings, while continuing to growing the overall world. I want more. I want maps! I want more about the neighbouring kingdoms, islands, empires. Magic, ruins and myth!
Dave Dobson can keep on writing more tales and has at least one very willing buyer.
The Inquisitors’ Guild trio has been a fantastic diversion from the (March/April 2025) events around the world.
I admire the perseverance that got the first story published, the world building, interesting characters and intrigue. Each following tale has a new lead and new perspective on Frosthelm and its surroundings, while continuing to growing the overall world. I want more. I want maps! I want more about the neighbouring kingdoms, islands, empires. Magic, ruins and myth!
Dave Dobson can keep on writing more tales and has at least one very willing buyer.
April 2, 2023
This was fun, and well executed, a series of exciting struggles against world-ending or at least city-ending disaster and conspiracy by ethical, brave, determined and capable young investigators.
Sure, it needed another round of editing, not least to get the punctuation of "Inquisitors' Guild" consistent. There's more than one inquisitor, so the apostrophe goes at the end (as per the collection title), but in the text it's consistently wrong in the first book and sometimes right but slightly more often wrong in the second and third books; there's even an instance where there's no apostrophe at all. There are other misplaced apostrophes, too, a few sentences of dialog not punctuated correctly, and a couple of occasions where "aught" (anything) is used where it should be "naught" (nothing). A few misplaced commas, a few more vocabulary glitches, the odd word missing or inserted in a sentence, sometimes a missing past perfect tense, an occasional continuity error. There are plenty of worse-edited books out there, and these are simple fixes. It scores a place on my "deserves-better-editing" shelf, reserved for books that are enjoyable, well-told stories but scruffy in their presentation.
Some other things bugged me slightly and almost, but not quite, dragged it down from the Silver tier of my Best of the Year list (representing a sound piece of work that I enjoyed) to the Bronze tier (representing a book with significant flaws that I still recommend). Rabbits are twice incorrectly referred to as rodents; they were classified as such until the early 20th century, so you could argue for this one on grounds of the level of biological knowledge of the characters, but I suspect it's because of the knowledge of the author. In the first book, the viewpoint character is constantly passing out - it must happen six or seven times, and becomes a bit ridiculous as a way of ending a scene. The chapter titles often refer to, or pun on, something in our world, which pulled me out of immersion in the secondary world. And there's a character in the second book with an accent, whose pronunciation of "tale" and a number of other words that rhyme with it is spelled as "tael" (or whatever), which I personally would pronounce the same as "tale"; I'm not clear what the difference is supposed to be, so rather than helping to make her voice distinctive it's just a distraction, as the representation of accents on the page often is.
In the third book, a couple of outright coincidences are necessary to bring characters together in the same location. I give the coincidences a pass, though, because they don't wipe out character agency; the characters are all very active in driving the plots of all three books, showing determination and courage and resourcefulness in the service of their ideals, which is exactly the kind of characters I like to read about.
Each book follows different main characters, and the tone is consequently a little different between the three. Boog, the narrator of the second book, is frequently funny in a way that his more serious friend Marten, narrator of the first book, isn't. (They reminded me a little of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser at first, but mostly because of their physicality; the massive Boog is smarter than he looks, and Marten is more wizard than rogue.) All three books involve the loss, or believed loss, or near loss, of friends, mentors, beloveds, and family members, but in the third book I really felt the impact of the loss in a way I didn't in the other two. No doubt this is the author getting better at his craft. He also manages, in the third book, to pull off a narrator who started out unsympathetic and grew on me. This character has a small arc from minor antagonist to minor ally in the first book, but he's still snobbish and self-centred at the start of the third. There is a second viewpoint character in the third book (third-person rather than first-person, for good reasons that the author discusses in an afterword, and it works), and she is admirable from the beginning, making her something of a foil for the other main character, at least at first.
What the books have in common is that powerful, ruthless people are trying to become even more powerful at the expense of ordinary citizens, and the young Inspectors of the Inquisitors' Guild find out about it and are willing to pay any price to put a stop to it. All three involve magical artefacts, too, from ancient times when magic was apparently better understood. These mostly avoid being mere McGuffins; their origins or abilities often play specific roles in the resolution of the plots.
I read a lot of bad fantasy fiction, because I'm willing to take a chance on something that hasn't been through the hype machine and may be a hidden gem. (Honestly, too, most of what comes through the hype machine these days isn't much to my taste.) This trilogy definitely falls on the "hidden gem" side, even though the gem could do with more polishing in places. It's not just a bunch of clichés and tropes inexpertly laid side by side; it's a capable piece of engaging fiction that's had some thought and work put into it, and its characters shine brightly in a dark world.
Sure, it needed another round of editing, not least to get the punctuation of "Inquisitors' Guild" consistent. There's more than one inquisitor, so the apostrophe goes at the end (as per the collection title), but in the text it's consistently wrong in the first book and sometimes right but slightly more often wrong in the second and third books; there's even an instance where there's no apostrophe at all. There are other misplaced apostrophes, too, a few sentences of dialog not punctuated correctly, and a couple of occasions where "aught" (anything) is used where it should be "naught" (nothing). A few misplaced commas, a few more vocabulary glitches, the odd word missing or inserted in a sentence, sometimes a missing past perfect tense, an occasional continuity error. There are plenty of worse-edited books out there, and these are simple fixes. It scores a place on my "deserves-better-editing" shelf, reserved for books that are enjoyable, well-told stories but scruffy in their presentation.
Some other things bugged me slightly and almost, but not quite, dragged it down from the Silver tier of my Best of the Year list (representing a sound piece of work that I enjoyed) to the Bronze tier (representing a book with significant flaws that I still recommend). Rabbits are twice incorrectly referred to as rodents; they were classified as such until the early 20th century, so you could argue for this one on grounds of the level of biological knowledge of the characters, but I suspect it's because of the knowledge of the author. In the first book, the viewpoint character is constantly passing out - it must happen six or seven times, and becomes a bit ridiculous as a way of ending a scene. The chapter titles often refer to, or pun on, something in our world, which pulled me out of immersion in the secondary world. And there's a character in the second book with an accent, whose pronunciation of "tale" and a number of other words that rhyme with it is spelled as "tael" (or whatever), which I personally would pronounce the same as "tale"; I'm not clear what the difference is supposed to be, so rather than helping to make her voice distinctive it's just a distraction, as the representation of accents on the page often is.
In the third book, a couple of outright coincidences are necessary to bring characters together in the same location. I give the coincidences a pass, though, because they don't wipe out character agency; the characters are all very active in driving the plots of all three books, showing determination and courage and resourcefulness in the service of their ideals, which is exactly the kind of characters I like to read about.
Each book follows different main characters, and the tone is consequently a little different between the three. Boog, the narrator of the second book, is frequently funny in a way that his more serious friend Marten, narrator of the first book, isn't. (They reminded me a little of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser at first, but mostly because of their physicality; the massive Boog is smarter than he looks, and Marten is more wizard than rogue.) All three books involve the loss, or believed loss, or near loss, of friends, mentors, beloveds, and family members, but in the third book I really felt the impact of the loss in a way I didn't in the other two. No doubt this is the author getting better at his craft. He also manages, in the third book, to pull off a narrator who started out unsympathetic and grew on me. This character has a small arc from minor antagonist to minor ally in the first book, but he's still snobbish and self-centred at the start of the third. There is a second viewpoint character in the third book (third-person rather than first-person, for good reasons that the author discusses in an afterword, and it works), and she is admirable from the beginning, making her something of a foil for the other main character, at least at first.
What the books have in common is that powerful, ruthless people are trying to become even more powerful at the expense of ordinary citizens, and the young Inspectors of the Inquisitors' Guild find out about it and are willing to pay any price to put a stop to it. All three involve magical artefacts, too, from ancient times when magic was apparently better understood. These mostly avoid being mere McGuffins; their origins or abilities often play specific roles in the resolution of the plots.
I read a lot of bad fantasy fiction, because I'm willing to take a chance on something that hasn't been through the hype machine and may be a hidden gem. (Honestly, too, most of what comes through the hype machine these days isn't much to my taste.) This trilogy definitely falls on the "hidden gem" side, even though the gem could do with more polishing in places. It's not just a bunch of clichés and tropes inexpertly laid side by side; it's a capable piece of engaging fiction that's had some thought and work put into it, and its characters shine brightly in a dark world.
March 14, 2025
Flames Over Frosthelm: This is first person, but narratively third person, even with the MC addressing me, a reader of this apparently in-the-moment narrative. It is not, in other words, the best kind of first person in my opinion. Also, it took awhile to 'get' this MC. this character. His abilities and competence seemed all over the place. The plot is okay, the prose is okay. I just wonder what the author was thinking with this character. And... at the end of this book, we have this guy who's supposed to be Very Observant and all that--yet misses some glaringly obvious things, like why the bad guys are unsure during the final confrontation.
I'm glad I got the set on sale, it was worth a try, I did finish the first novel. But I'm done now.
I'm glad I got the set on sale, it was worth a try, I did finish the first novel. But I'm done now.
September 11, 2024
Gets better as author becomes full-time
The 3 novels in the collection are Flames Over Frosthelm, The Outcast Crown & The Woeling Lass. I enjoyed them all but, for me, The Woeling Lass (the author’s fifth novel) was considerably better written. The character development was much clearer, the two person narrative worked much better than the one person narrative of the previous two novels. The convoluted plot was extremely well navigated to the extent that I was prompted to buy the author’s puzzle card game, Doctor Esker’s Notebook.
Very enjoyable series that got better as it went on.
The 3 novels in the collection are Flames Over Frosthelm, The Outcast Crown & The Woeling Lass. I enjoyed them all but, for me, The Woeling Lass (the author’s fifth novel) was considerably better written. The character development was much clearer, the two person narrative worked much better than the one person narrative of the previous two novels. The convoluted plot was extremely well navigated to the extent that I was prompted to buy the author’s puzzle card game, Doctor Esker’s Notebook.
Very enjoyable series that got better as it went on.
March 3, 2025
I found this to be an excellent read.
If you enjoy quirky characters and a good laugh or two enjoyable with your fantasy and action adventure then you will love this book.
I don't really eally enjoy ratings that compare authors to other authors but I can't help but think of Glen Cook's books when I read the first book, and I loved his books.
If you enjoy quirky characters and a good laugh or two enjoyable with your fantasy and action adventure then you will love this book.
I don't really eally enjoy ratings that compare authors to other authors but I can't help but think of Glen Cook's books when I read the first book, and I loved his books.
June 9, 2025
Fun Read with Likeable Characters
This collection was a nice, light read with enough variation of characters, sticky situations, mystery and evil villains to keep me well entertained. Plots were engaging and the multitude of characters and world play remained consistent and believable.
This collection was a nice, light read with enough variation of characters, sticky situations, mystery and evil villains to keep me well entertained. Plots were engaging and the multitude of characters and world play remained consistent and believable.
March 2, 2025
Frosthelm
I liked the character development and continuity of the stories. The transformation of a unknowing ,
somewhat callous individual to a nicer person. Great story lines in each book. Plenty of action.
I liked the character development and continuity of the stories. The transformation of a unknowing ,
somewhat callous individual to a nicer person. Great story lines in each book. Plenty of action.
July 9, 2025
A nice read
This is just a good fantasy series. The basic storyline is easy to understand with the right amount of magic ,medieval weapons, intrigue and romance to while away the time with little effort needed by the reader. Highly recommended.
This is just a good fantasy series. The basic storyline is easy to understand with the right amount of magic ,medieval weapons, intrigue and romance to while away the time with little effort needed by the reader. Highly recommended.
May 28, 2023
I particularly enjoyed the first book - Flames over Frosthelm - because of the interesting characters and the humor in the writing style. Also fine worldbuilding - easy to dive right in. (I am frequently daunted by fantasy fiction that begins with several pages of intro listing zillions of characters, zillions of family names, zillions of locations. And many of those listings include names that are strange, oddly spelled, and generally hard to keep straight. These books are not like that. Still with me? Read on.... ) I agree with another reviewer who noted that the first book is the best -- although I enjoyed all three. (And also the prequel, Traitors Unseen.) I would happily read additional books set in Frosthelm!
February 10, 2025
Great Stuff
Every element in Dobson's stories is hard-wired to build the story, build the characters, build the world, and build a great deal of reader enjoyment. Right from the start, his work bristles with originality. While the settings borrow some of the political structure of Venice at its peak, the plots mix detective noir with magic and the protagonists run the gamut of society from top to bottom. Realistic people in a solidly-created world. No fantasy princes, romantic heroines, or unlikely quest companies. If I had to tie these tales stylistically to other authors's works, I'd identify some tiny touches that recall Ankh-Morpork, and a splash or two reminiscent of Thraxas or the Gentlemen Bastards books. That said, nevertheless, these tales are very much their own thing: gripping and entertaining.
Every element in Dobson's stories is hard-wired to build the story, build the characters, build the world, and build a great deal of reader enjoyment. Right from the start, his work bristles with originality. While the settings borrow some of the political structure of Venice at its peak, the plots mix detective noir with magic and the protagonists run the gamut of society from top to bottom. Realistic people in a solidly-created world. No fantasy princes, romantic heroines, or unlikely quest companies. If I had to tie these tales stylistically to other authors's works, I'd identify some tiny touches that recall Ankh-Morpork, and a splash or two reminiscent of Thraxas or the Gentlemen Bastards books. That said, nevertheless, these tales are very much their own thing: gripping and entertaining.
April 8, 2025
This captivating book collection will transport readers to fantastical realms filled with mystery and adventure. With fast-paced plots and witty humor, these stories are perfect for those who crave excitement and intrigue. The books delve into complex political landscapes, where alliances shift and betrayals lurk around every corner. Dynamic duos take center stage, their relationships evolving as they face perilous quests and uncover dark secrets.
Readers who enjoy unraveling mysteries will be captivated by the intricate puzzles woven throughout these narratives. The unpredictable twists and turns will keep them guessing until the very end. With vivid world-building and compelling characters, these books offer an unforgettable escape into the realm of fantasy.
Readers who enjoy unraveling mysteries will be captivated by the intricate puzzles woven throughout these narratives. The unpredictable twists and turns will keep them guessing until the very end. With vivid world-building and compelling characters, these books offer an unforgettable escape into the realm of fantasy.
March 28, 2025
excellent adventure
I really enjoyed all three books of this Inquisitors’ Guild collection. In addition to being satisfying adventures, I really enjoyed the fact that this is set in a truly equal society: men and women are equal in all roles. It’s just a natural part of the stories and never dwelled on. It’s a world I’d like to live in.
I really enjoyed all three books of this Inquisitors’ Guild collection. In addition to being satisfying adventures, I really enjoyed the fact that this is set in a truly equal society: men and women are equal in all roles. It’s just a natural part of the stories and never dwelled on. It’s a world I’d like to live in.
April 20, 2025
The stories are very entertaining, the characters are relatable, and the sprinkle of humor throughout is fantastic! There are some grammatical errors here and there, but not so much that it interferes with the overall enjoyment of the books. Would read again.
March 25, 2023
From start until the very end these books captured me completely. I didn’t want them to end. Loved the characters and twists and turns of the plots.
March 4, 2025
Legalities,Magic and Morald
A ripping and compelling story in an alternate world. Difficult choices evaluated and made. Many puns in the chapter headings.
A ripping and compelling story in an alternate world. Difficult choices evaluated and made. Many puns in the chapter headings.
June 28, 2025
Great read, wonderful characters, wild adventures
I could read Dave Dobson all day. The twists and turns he puts his characters through are full of surprises, evil doers and heroes , with a light sprinkling of magic.
I could read Dave Dobson all day. The twists and turns he puts his characters through are full of surprises, evil doers and heroes , with a light sprinkling of magic.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews