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:
Dennis Baker
(Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16)
—
When I first picked up this book I struggled to get into the story. The first chapter is a very painful read-though of a really long, boring letter with no action. Then it transitions to some court intrigue which nearly made me put the book down...
I am glad I pushed through the frustrating bits, the book overall is an excellent read with lots of likeable characters and a good bit of well exciting, cinematic action sequences. There is also just the perfect amount of romance in the book as far as I'm concerned (which is to say enough where it drives plot in fun ways without getting sloppy).
This is somewhere between 3-4 stars for me due largely to the slow start. Radovan and some of the secondary characters really bring this story alive.
I picked this up at a local bookstore on a whim, but enjoyed it enough to subscribe to the line, which, in itself, only speaks positively for the novel. The story was interesting, though it moved a bit slow for my tastes. The print was very small in this book, but feels like it has gotten larger in subsequent tales, which is good on account of my poor eyesight. There is no map in the front of this book, unlike the newer novels, which is mildly disappointing. In alternating chapters the book shifted which character was in the main focus as well as shifting between a third and first person narrative. I found this annoying, but didn’t let it sour my opinion of the tale itself. The characters feel well developed, though the count can be a bit of a bore. There seemed to be a few minor oversights/plot holes, but nothing world shattering. Overall while reading the book I noticed the writing style seemed much more geared for adults over children, which is refreshing in the fantasy genre. Whenever I read a book I like to ask myself if I would go out of my way to find and read other works by the same author, and after reading this the answer is a resounding yes. A good read.
After some disappointments, I'd shied away from RPG-related fiction for several years. Several people around here suggested I check it out, so I did... and Dave Gross delivered. The book was excellent. It was an engaging story with developing characters; one of the interesting experiences I had while reading it is that I didn't particularly like either one of them at first, and I kind of loved them for that. ^_^ They weren't one dimensional, and Radovan and Varian very much grew on me as their story progressed.
This book was one of my introductions to Golarion, since I picked it up around when I started playing PF. It worked so well for this purpose that I've picked up other copies and used them to hook other people, and been pretty successful in those efforts. ^_^
I found the characters a lot of fun to read and was quickly drawn into the story. By the end of the book, I was wishing I already had another book about them. The development of the relationships was interesting and believable. The effect of flashing back and forth between scenes moved the story in such a way that you feel like you're traveling with them. Great book. One I could read repeatedly.
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."
I am re-listening to this on Audible. Superb book with my only complaint, that the future books fixes, is that each chapter don't start with the PoV of the moment and you have to sus it out in the text itself.
9.5/10
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