After a reading funk brought on by too much "high literature" and non-fiction, I desperately needed a break from depression spawning titles. While I'm an avid reader of the Adventure Paths, I was awaiting the next release, and needed something to tide me over. From the description, Prince of Wolves seemed to fit that bill.
And boy, did it ever! I ate through 270 pages the first night, staying awake into the wee hours of the morning, lids heavy, chest cold slowly building steam. It's not that the writing is the best I've ever seen, or that the characters are the most dynamic, but the story takes hold and you never want to stop flipping pages. I finished it quickly the next evening. Perfectly sized, well paced, and very enjoyable.
(minor spoilers ahead)
While I haven't read setting-based fantasy fiction in nearly 10 years, David Gross seems to have partly broken out of the well worn format I fondly remember. In particular, there's sex (strictly PG-13, pushing R), characters you grow to like end up dead, and no one is saved from humiliation. It felt like a real world: everyone is flawed and somewhat amoral. Loved it. There are heroes, flaws and all.
(minor spoilers end)
So, bravo. I hope Gross keeps working on his prose, as it gets a little dry around the edges here and there, but I eagerly await his next Pathfinder novel!
