by Gary Gygax, with an introduction by Erik Mona
Gygax's Final Fantasy!
Action abounds in this new, never-before-published novel from the author who
redefined a genre!
The underworld of the Iberian Peninsula is a dangerous place, filled with
cutthroats and swindlers, and no pair is more infamous than the gaunt man
known as Ferret and the broad-shouldered mercenary Raker. Yet when the
swashbuckling comrades are framed for the one crime they didn’t commit, the
scoundrels are faced with a choice: bring the true culprits to justice, or dance
a gallows jig. In order to do so, they’ll need to pull out all their tricks, stretching
magic and muscle to their limit as they invade castles, battle subterranean
monsters, and bluff their way through courts of nobles and shape-shifters in
their search for revenge. Yet can even this canny, ruthless duo prevail against
the beautiful witch that plots their downfall?
The father of fantasy roleplaying and the co-creator of Dungeons &
Dragons, Gary Gygax has had more influence on modern fantasy than any
author since J. R. R. Tolkien. Now, in the last novel written before his death,
dive into Gygax’s lavishly imagined version of medieval Europe and discover
a sword-swinging romp of high adventure and loose morals.
“A pioneer of the imagination.” —The New York Times
“One of America’s most talented writers.” —The Guardian
Infernal Sorceress takes place on Aerth, a fantastic planet informed by Earth in the Dark Ages and medieval period. It's also the setting for Gygax's novels The Anubis Murders and The Samarkand Solution, also available from Planet Stories.
264-page softcover trade paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-117-6
About the Author
In 1974, Gary Gygax (1938–2008) co-created the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, forever changing the face of fantasy. The hand-assembled first print run of 1000 boxed rulesets sold out in nine months, and by 1978 the game’s explosion in popularity warranted a three-volume harcover rules expansion called Advanced Dungeons & Dragons authored by Gygax. The release of AD&D coincided with the explosive popularity that catapulted the game into a true cultural phenomenon, introducing fantasy to a generation of new readers. D&D’s literary roots drew upon the sword and sorcery work of authors like Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, and Robert E. Howard, and by the mid-1980s D&D’s publisher, TSR, began to release their own line of fantasy fiction.
Thus was born Gord the Rogue, Gygax’s rakish, metropolitan thief whose daring adventures span seven novels: Saga of Old City, Artifact of Evil, Sea of Death, City of Hawks, Night Arrant, Come Endless Darkness, and Dance of Demons. Years later he introduced a new character, the crime-solving Ægyptian wizard-priest Magister Setne Inhetep, in a trilogy of novels: The Anubis Murders, The Samarkand Solution, and Death in Delhi.
Gygax's importance to American popular culture was solidified with an animated cameo alongside Al Gore, Stephen Hawking, and Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols in a 2000 episode of Futurama.
Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at
webmaster@paizo.com.
Sign in
to create or edit a product
review.
So despite Gygax's protestations that his book was nothing like Leiber's famuos duo I couldn't help but think of Fafhrd and the Mouser the entire time I was reading it. That, and what 1e Monster Manual artwork of ferretfolk would look like.
Not that, that is entirely a bad thing. Planet Stories gives us another novel of Aerth based around Gygax's briefly lived Dangerous Journeys RPG.
His duo of swordsman, Ferret and Raker are, despite the shadow of Leiber, an amusing pair. Their banter and rivalries give colour and it is always nice to have adventurers be adventurers. That is rakish, uncouth, not entirely honourable and rather self-serving. These guys aren't out to defeat some dark lord. Do the job, get the reward, exact revenge and move on.
Gygax paces the novel well. Neva, the villain is certainly the book's weakpoint as she serves as a poor foil and comes across as pretty two dimensional.
Gygax's spanish influenced setting gives the book some needed novelty though beyond name dropping and a few touches Gygax doesn't use it to its full extent. And alas there is no spanish swordsman called Inigo looking for a six fingered man.
Overall a light enjoyable read of sword swinging with some derring-do and a dash of intrigue. It's still a cut well above most rpg fiction.
Top Sellers
Nikosandros
(Paizo Charter Superscriber),
Vic Wertz
(Technical Director),
Zaister
(Paizo Charter Superscriber),
