For half-elven Pathfinder Varian Jeggare and his devil-blooded bodyguard Radovan, things are rarely as they seem. Yet not even the notorious crime-solving duo is prepared for what they find when a search for a missing Pathfinder takes them into the gothic and mist-shrouded mountains of Ustalav. Beset on all sides by noble intrigue, mysterious locals, and the deadly creatures of the night, Varian and Radovan must use both sword and spell to track the strange rumors to their source and uncover a secret of unimaginable proportions, aided in their quest by a pack of sinister werewolves and a mysterious mute priestess. But it'll take more than merely solving the mystery to finish this job. For shadowy figures have taken note of the pair's investigations, and the forces of darkness are set on making sure neither man gets out of Ustalav alive...
From fan-favorite author Dave Gross comes a new fantastical mystery set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
300-page mass market paperback
ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-287-6
ePub ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-331-6
Prince of Wolves is also available as a digital edition on the following sites:
I loved this book so much! The writing was excellent and the dialogue was very believable (which I think is the hardest aspect of writing a good story).
Excellent entry into what I hope will be a long line of Pathfinder fiction!
The writing is well done, the characters are enjoyable and I enjoyed the back and forth between perspectives. After this book, I intend to go on to purchase others as they become available. Well done on all aspects. Kudos to the author!
Kudos to Dave Gross and Paizo. Honestly, I didn't hold out much hope that this would be a great book. I thought it might be an 'ok' novel of a great game. But this novel is quite good. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the plot....pretty much everything. I hope we get more from Dave Gross soon.
After several years of reading endless 'save the world' stories from WoTC, this novel isn't just a breath of fresh air, it's more like a hurricane sweeping bad memories away. A story about low-level but important to the characters goals, that properly uses the world it's in and has decidedly imperfect yet still actually heroic characters doing the right thing (not always without some prompting, but...), and all of it done with some very competent prose? Pure gold!
I also liked the use of non-standard characters in Lord Varian Jeggare, a failed wizard turned investigator, basically a Golarion version of Sherlock Holmes, and his devil-blooded bodyguard Radovan, with the latter becoming part of a love triangle involving a female gypsy werewolf and a mute priestess (very well done, and quite funny); the aformentioned werewolf and her pack, who aren't insanely evil even if they're nowhere near 'good', and priestess (how many well-done mute characters do you see in fiction?), and so many more.
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!
I want more from Arnisant! I loved the attention and character development he got in Master of Devils and was sad to see him back in an ancillary role during Queen of Thorns.
BTW, have you seen this contest? An Arnisant entry would be very interesting.
Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Deidre Tiriel wrote:
Is there ever going to be a PFS chronicle for Prince of Wolves? It's the only Pathfinder Tales without one, as far as I can tell.
I am rereading Prince of Wolves. Well, I'm rereading the entire Varian Jeggare/ Radovan series, and I'm currently in Prince of Wolves.
I really enjoy the way that Dave Gross writes Radovan. Some of what I like is embodied in this line that I just encountered:
"Despite their frightening appearances, not a one of [the villagers] tried to bury me alive or set me on fire. That made them my favorite villagers in all of Ustalav, so far."
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