Pathfinder Tales: King of Chaos

4.50/5 (based on 18 ratings)
Pathfinder Tales: King of Chaos
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Demon Apocalypse

After a century of imprisonment, demons have broken free of the wardstones surrounding the Worldwound. As fiends flood south into civilized lands, Count Varian Jeggare and his hellspawn bodyguard Radovan must search through the ruins of a fallen nation for the blasphemous text that opened the gate to the Abyss in the first place—and which might hold the key to closing it. In order to succeed, however, the heroes will need to join forces with pious crusaders, barbaric local warriors, and even one of the legendary god callers. It’s a race against time as the companions fight their way across a broken land, facing off against fiends, monsters, and a vampire intent on becoming the god of blood—but will unearthing the dangerous book save the world, or destroy it completely?

From best-selling author Dave Gross comes a new adventure set against the backdrop of the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

400-page mass market paperback
ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-558-7
ePub ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-559-4

King of Chaos is also available as a digital edition on the following sites:

King of Chaos is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Its Chronicle sheet is available as a free download (397 KB zip/PDF).

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4.50/5 (based on 18 ratings)

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The Duo go to war! A nice war story, interesting character development

4/5


Fantastic!

5/5

NO SPOILERS

Varian and Radovan are back! It's hard to say much more without spoiling stuff, but I can say the hilarious banter, edge-of-the-seat action scenes, detailed incorporation (and development) of world lore, and a new NPC's point-of-view (alternating with Varian and Radovan) are in this novel. Dave Gross' novels have been the mainstay of the Pathfinder Tales line, and King of Chaos definitely does not disappoint. I do suggest first reading the free four-part web fiction "Killing Time", which serves as a prequel to the novel, on the Paizo website: https://paizo.com/store/pathfinder/fiction/tales/serial/killingTime Things will make a bit more sense as Gross trusts readers to catch up as the story moves along.

SPOILERS!:

It's hard to summarise this novel concisely, because there's so much packed into it. Varian's rivalry against the vampire Prince Kasiya, Radovan's rivalry with a unicorn (hilarious!), and the elven paladin Oppara's battle against an anti-paladin! All of this is mixed into an incredibly exciting incursion into the Worldwound (a wasteland where the demons of the Abyss are able to pour forth into the Material Plane). King of Chaos ties into established continuity perhaps better than any other Pathfinder Tales novel, as it has characters from previous Varian and Radovan novels, setting details and monsters from The Worldwound campaign setting book, plot developments from Robin Laws' The Worldwound Gambit, and clear tie-ins to the Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path. One of the things that Dave Gross does so well is integrate setting lore, but he's also fantastic at integrating the mechanics of the game so that what the characters do is "believable" if they were PCs. But it's all done in a way that's interesting and seamless instead of clunky and bland. The plot is complex, and I admit to getting lost a time or two (I'd like to re-read this one). Still, I can't recommend this one enough for anyone interested in Varian and Radovan or The Worldwound. It's a witty, intelligent, action-packed page turner.


Keep 'em comin!

4/5

Another late review, as I read this earlier in the year, but I want to catch up w/ reviews of everything I've read.

Almost hard to write reviews that don't repeat what others have said, and also b/c I don't think reviews are a strength of mine. But I love the characters, I love that the world evolves around them and doesn't stay static, and I love new characters/companions keep getting introduced (some of whom find themselves in future books). Good stuff.

It should go w/out saying, but the fact that these books can sometimes be loosely tied to the themes of an AP make them all the more interesting to me. And more desirous to run said AP. Which is what I assume makes Paizo happy. Though I buy the APs anyway ;-)

Edit: somehow I forgot to rate this originally...


Immersive Pathfinder Fantasy

5/5

Some Pathfinder Tales can have the feel of a generic fantasy plot dropped on to the Pathfinder setting by way of lip service to the Inner Sea World Guide. Dave Gross makes the setting his own and his Pathfinder Tales would make a top class Fantasy series by themselves. The characters are nuanced and unfold with the pages. The plots and the series as a whole are cohesive and immersive. The writing is first class, making reading a joy. The setting becomes real rather than bolt-on. Here Oparal becomes a third narrator to break the previous Varian / Radovan alternating chapter pattern. The new perspective is refreshing and effective because it is so distinct. The horrific background of the Worldwound adds tension. I loved this novel. If you are considering whether Pathfinder Tales are worth a look, then start with Dave Gross, Radovan and Varian.


5/5


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Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Oh, and "Elfland"

I wasn't expecting the third narrator, and was kind of surprised.

Dark Archive Contributor

Excellent! That worked as intended, then.

Liberty's Edge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Adventure Subscriber

Dave,

I just finished Queen of Thorns, which I really enjoyed, and is probably my favorite of the first three novels. Looking forward to picking up this one next :)

Cheers!

Dark Archive Contributor

Mr Baron wrote:

Dave,

I just finished Queen of Thorns, which I really enjoyed, and is probably my favorite of the first three novels. Looking forward to picking up this one next :)

Cheers!

I hope you like the next one just as much. Thanks for the kind words.


Here's my review:
Most magical action yet!

About page 33 of the new Dave Gross Novel "King of Chaos" I realized it was part of a series. About page 44 I went ahead and ordered the other three books in the series, but since I was already hooked, I kept reading....

I like reading fantasy novels, sometimes including those set in a gaming universe. The problem with those is sometimes the authors are third tier , hired to crank out some hack books just to support the game side. Not so with Pathfinder Tales. James Sutter, the Editor, has taken great care to get some solid authors for his line of Pathfinder Tales fiction.

Now, sometimes the authors come out with a fantasy tale, which other than the setting, is not particularly ‘set” in that gaming universe. The characters don’t have “classes’, don’t use a lot of easily recognizable spells, and magic items are few and far between, unless they are a macguffin. This works as it gets in readers who don’t play that particular fantasy roleplaying game.

But as one of my friends was complaining, they don’t read as if they are set in one of those High Fantasy High Magic universes. I mean sure- the locations are there, but where’s the magic?

Well, this one does. There are scads of spells being tossed around here, not to mention magic items. Characters use scrolls, quaff healing potions, and fire spells which are clearly from the pages of the Player Handbook. Most of the characters (other than those with a mysterious secret background, of course!) are clearly identifiable as to their class, and those who track the spells, etc used can even get a fair guess as to level. Summoners summon their eidolons, wizards burn thru scrolls like it’s my Friday nite game, Paladins lay on hands, etc.

This is cool, fun & refreshing. And the combats! Ah here, Dave Gross excels! Our heroes are fighting a literal legion of demons from the depths, not to mention a despicable Undead Lord, who is definitely not sexy or sparkly.

In general, I am not fond of those books where the narrative shifts from character to character, but Dave handles that pretty well too, since the narrative stays with one of the three main Characters each chapter, and each is clearly labeled. I’ll also mention that our three main characters are well thought out with fascinating backgrounds and raison d'être .

Now yes, I imagine that those who don’t play Pathfinder or D&D might be a little lost (however there’s a complete glossary at the back) but those who do will love this book!

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Dr Deth,

Don't forget to check out the Wednesday Pathfinder fiction archives. Our heroes have a couple short stories that tie in as well.


Cool.

Dark Archive Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Thanks for that very metal review, Dr. Deth. Or maybe it's just your screen name makes it feel so metal.

The Exchange Contributor; Publisher, Kobold Press; RPG Superstar Judge

Reviews are cool! And I'm quite looking forward to this book on Kindle this weekend.

Somewhat related, if you want to give a star rating, you can use the separate "Reviews" tab here.

Dark Archive Contributor

On Wednesday I fly down to San Antonio for Worldcon. On Thursday, I'll be the first of many writers to stop by Reddit/fantasy for a "pop AMA" (Ask Me Anything).

A few of the regulars have already posted general questions, but I'd love to see some specific ones from Paizo people. Ask me anything about Radovan and the Count, King of Chaos, or any of the previous novels and stories.


Wolfgang Baur wrote:

Reviews are cool! And I'm quite looking forward to this book on Kindle this weekend.

Somewhat related, if you want to give a star rating, you can use the separate "Reviews" tab here.

Done!

Liberty's Edge

Hey there! When did King of Chaos officially release?

Webstore Gninja Minion

Marc Radle wrote:
Hey there! When did King of Chaos officially release?

August 15th (first day of GenCon 2013).

Liberty's Edge

I might expand my thoughts more in a full review, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this book. The third POV was a surprise and a fun one. This series gets passed around my gaming group quite a bit and all my Radovan and Jeggare books all show wear.

I'm expecting Radovan's terminology to show up around my table.

*I'll be terribly disappointed if our two heroes don't get Miniatures in the Legends of Golarion set.


Laschoni wrote:

I might expand my thoughts more in a full review, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this book. The third POV was a surprise and a fun one. This series gets passed around my gaming group quite a bit and all my Radovan and Jeggare books all show wear.

I'm expecting Radovan's terminology to show up around my table.

*I'll be terribly disappointed if our two heroes don't get Miniatures in the Legends of Golarion set.

There actually is a Radovan miniature I have one :). It's based off the image of him from The Lost Pathfinder short story. Correct me if I'm wrong

Liberty's Edge

1 person marked this as a favorite.

There was a 2011 exclusive Reaper pewter miniature of Radovan. The Legends of Golarion is the next wizkids prepainted set.

I really wish I had the time or patience to learn to paint pewter Miniatures.


Ahh, misunderstood my bad -_- I still haven't painted mine mostly because I don't want to mess it up.

Liberty's Edge

It is certainly tempting to pick up and try my hand at, but unfortunately it's a backorder. Which leaves my hopes in the hands of Erik Mona and his dominated wizkids sculptors.

*also, when are we going to get a giant compilation of these characters stories?


The cool thing about mine was I actually won it from Dave himself during a little contest they ran. I created a build for Radovan and he liked it enough that he chose it as one of the winners which was pretty cool.

Dark Archive Contributor

I splurged and hired one of the premiere miniatures painters, Meg Maples, to tackle both of the boys in a little diorama. She's posted a few early photos of the unpainted base, and I'm eager to see how they turn out over the next week or so.

Check out her work on Facebook under Arcane Paintworks. You might see her version of the boys before I do, depending on when she posts.

Dark Archive Contributor

havoc xiii wrote:
Laschoni wrote:

I might expand my thoughts more in a full review, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this book. The third POV was a surprise and a fun one. This series gets passed around my gaming group quite a bit and all my Radovan and Jeggare books all show wear.

I'm expecting Radovan's terminology to show up around my table.

*I'll be terribly disappointed if our two heroes don't get Miniatures in the Legends of Golarion set.

There actually is a Radovan miniature I have one :). It's based off the image of him from The Lost Pathfinder short story. Correct me if I'm wrong

You are correct. Eric Belisle's fabulous artwork is the basis for the Radovan & Varian miniatures.

Fiction and miniatures completists might also recognize the Hellknight Captain miniature as based off a certain paralictor's illustration in "Hell's Pawns." I would cite the artist, but I'm not sure who it was from the AP credits.


Are there any elements from Mythic Adventures in the novel?

Dark Archive Contributor

No, I didn't have access to Mythic while writing the novel. That said, there are some pretty big things, especially near the end, that I'd love to see someone convert to Mythic rules.

Sovereign Court

If I could comment on that, even though it wasn't intended as mythic, it certainly feels like it.

Justification (Contains Spoilers):
At the end of Queen of Thorns, we see both the Count and Radovan as being significantly more powerful then when we saw them back in Prince of Wolves. But I mean this can be explained by a few levels, Radovan now has a slew of Devil's inhabiting his body with multiple "Evolution Points" and the Count's magic is even more potent with his handicap.

Flash forward to the end of King of Chaos, with Radovan summoning all five devils into his body at once and fighting the demons. It almost feels like this was his moment of "ascension" and the Count using the book to feed his magic was his. Then we hit the epilogue and Radovan is back to the same devil from Prince of Wolves, and the Count has to "re-learn" magic just like in the first book. So it feels to me that the boys were rising to this climax, ascended to mythic status for the fight, and then it disappeared and they are left back to the beginning.

That's just what I felt about it anyways

Dark Archive Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Tierce is smart.

Sovereign Court

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I just capped off a day-and-a-half reading bender with King of Chaos, and I wanted to come say thank you. My house, laundry pile, and husband may not appreciate it, but glutting on Master of Devils, Queen of Thorns, and King of Chaos in such quick succession was definitely my idea of time well spent. That I read all three back to back when it's been months since I've found the time or motivation to pick up a book is a high compliment - promise!

If you don't mind, though, I have a couple of questions:

Regarding Radovan:
Poor Radovan has been through a lot throughout the last four books, but there's always been a pretty reasonable explanation for how he comes out alive on the other side. It's possible that I completely and totally missed it, but I was left confused this time around. One minute he's exploding into a fine mist of gore, and the next he's riding Bastiel butt-naked into battle. I kept waiting for an explanation for how he managed that one, but it never came. Am I just having a blonde moment and missing the obvious, or is this something that will be explored in more detail later?

And his love interests:
Prince of Wolves heavily inspired our Carrion Crown campaign. So much so, in fact, that when we needed an NPC to fill a temporary gap in our party, I suggested Azra and the GM went with it. Having read the other three novels, I'm beginning to think that was a bad idea. I know you can't/shouldn't/don't want to give away too much, but is it at all safe to assume that Azra will make another appearance in future stories?

We're at a crossroads in *our* story where we could part ways without ruining our enjoyment of future "official" appearances, I believe. We've found a fourth player to fill in, but she's new to TTRPGs, and while we were all thinking the GM would just hand over Azra's character sheet to her...we all sort of have a thing for keeping our campaigns in sync with the fiction line. We don't want to mess that up :).

Dark Archive Contributor

Olliepoppet wrote:

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I just capped off a day-and-a-half reading bender with King of Chaos, and I wanted to come say thank you. My house, laundry pile, and husband may not appreciate it, but glutting on Master of Devils, Queen of Thorns, and King of Chaos in such quick succession was definitely my idea of time well spent. That I read all three back to back when it's been months since I've found the time or motivation to pick up a book is a high compliment - promise!

If you don't mind, though, I have a couple of questions:
*...

Thanks for the kind words!

Here are some spoilery answers. I'm not kidding about spoilers. Don't read these if you haven't read King of Chaos or would rather avoid hints about possible future revelations.

Regarding Radovan:
I purposefully didn't have the boys over-explain what Radovan had been through, partly because Radovan doesn't know and Varian hasn't had time to figure it out, but also because I wanted to imply the truth without spoiling the next big reveal about Radovan's now-free-ranging devils. Suffice it to say that exactly what happened to him by the Stone Manse is something he's going to need to figure out in a later story. Hints: Keep in mind that devils and demons don't mix, and Quang's warning Radovan to stay away from the Worldwound was... Well, just keep in mind the thing that devils do best. I hope the description was enough for you to make some educated guesses, but not enough to give it away.

And His Loves:
I love that someone is playing Azra in your game! She's #1 with a bullet on the ever-growing list of supporting characters I feel deserve their own stories told.

Nothing is written outside of a few "One day I'd love to _____" notes I keep in my ideas folder, but yes, I do have some ideas on what has happened with Azra (and Malena, and Milosh, and quite a few others from Prince of Wolves), as you probably guessed from Chapter Two of King of Chaos. For now, those are only ideas, possibilities I might one day pick up. It's also entirely possible future stories will go in another direction.

I think the player portraying Azra should do whatever she likes with the character. That one is the Azra of your campaign. I like to think there are other Azras in other campaigns, some of them Clerics, others Witches, others Oracles, and all of them doing different things, unhindered by guessing what may happen with "my" Azra one day, if and when she returns to print.

That said, I appreciate your desire to keep it close to "canon." I felt the same way years ago when running a Forgotten Realms campaign and trying to include events from the novels.

Here's as much of a spoiler as I feel comfortable offering for the couple of years since Radovan left Ustalav: Azra continues to travel the land in that tinker's wagon, which is still drawn by the ornery Luminita, and they're still making stops at places like the village at the base of the Hungry Mountains to look after the most accursed and afflicted Ustalavs. If helping them requires, well, an adventure, then she's up for it.

Malena remains with her Sczarni clan, who between crimes and capers keep an eye on Azra now and then to ensure that the Anaphexis are keeping up their end of the bargain they made with Count Jeggare. The only difference is that now the Sczarni werewolves sing songs about the hoped-for return of their Prince of Wolves.

Sovereign Court

Oh wow, thanks! I really appreciate your input and the time you took to give it. You've made me feel MUCH better about the decisions we made in Carrion Crown.

"Our" Azra ended up as a special oracle built to suit, with a mute curse roughly based on the one used in Jade Regent. The early levels allow her to communicate empathically; I liked the idea that whatever Radovan might have thought, his ability to "read" her had less to do with his touch with the ladies and more to do with her magical abilities. We also gave her the bonded mount revelation, which allows an oracle to treat a mount as a druid's animal companion. That seemed to reflect her relationship with Luminita nicely.

I don't know why keeping to the fiction has become a sticking point for our group, especially when we've had no problem veering from the setting materials themselves. At least with Prince of Wolves, we all read it BEFORE we started playing Carrion Crown. For Shattered Star, I took the campaign trait that made you a disgraced member of a noble house, picked "Derexhi" from the list, and then bought a copy of Blood of the City to learn more about the family. I don't know if you've read that one, but if so you can imagine the creative acrobatics I had to go through to make it work. It was totally worth it, though!

Dark Archive Contributor

Since the books are so fresh in your memory, I look forward to your reviews here, at Amazon and Goodreads, and everywhere. :)


My review of Prince of Wolves is now on Amazon and here, and soon, Master of Devils.

Great reads. Kudos to you and James Sutter.


Folks, here are some other ways to help a fave author on Amazon (and these mostly work elsewhere) besides the usual buy the books, and write a review:

1. If the book is not out yet, add it to your Wish List, even if you plan on buying it straight from Paizo.

2. If you find a good review, mark it helpful. This adds verisimilitude to the review, which helps the book. It also makes the reviewer happy.

3. Look for other books by the same author.


Want this novel, for obvious reasons...but I don't want to have to mess with trying to get it to work on my Kindle Fire like the other books I have on it.

Why no Kindle version on Amazon? Seems like that would be losing revenue.

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