I am VERY excited that these fiction anthologies are being made for all the game lines, so I am going to rate this one or two stars higher than I ordinarily would for stories and writing of this caliber. I want more things like this to be done.
That being said, I sometimes feel like these authors just don't really 'get' the source material. Why are so many characters flinging around terms like, "He's a Dawn Caste Solar Exalted!"? That kind of thing is jarring, and it happens all the time here. 'Chosen of the Unconquered Sun' or 'Anathema' or something like that works a lot better. When I see "Dawn Caste Solar Exalted" it produces the same reaction in me as it would if R.A Salvatore were to introduce Drizzt by saying, "There he stood, a level 16 dark elf ranger". It's clunky, and game-term-y, and really shouldn't be used like that.
In the future, I would like to see more stories that are essentially the novelization of a short adventure that a real group of players might go on. I think that would probably be the most helpful thing for 'selling' the setting and its potential to people who haven't played it. And, as a Storyteller and player, that would probably be the most enjoyable kind of thing to read.
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!] |