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Pathfinder Tales: Master of Devils

3.90/5 (based on 42 ratings)
Pathfinder Tales: Master of Devils
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Journey to the East

On a mysterious errand for the Pathfinder Society, Count Varian Jeggare and his hellspawn bodyguard Radovan journey to the distant land of Tian Xia, on the far side of the world. When disaster forces him to take shelter in a warrior monastery, "Brother" Jeggare finds himself competing with the disciples of Dragon Temple as he unravels a royal mystery. Meanwhile, Radovan—trapped in the body of a devil and held hostage by the legendary Quivering Palm attack—must serve a twisted master by defeating the land’s deadliest champions and learning the secret of slaying an immortal foe. Together with an unlikely army of beasts and spirits, the two companions must take the lead in an ancient conflict that will carry them through an exotic land, all the way to the Gates of Heaven and Hell and a final confrontation with the nefarious Master of Devils!

From fan-favorite author Dave Gross comes a new fantastical adventure set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

400-page mass market paperback
ISBN–13: 978-1-60125-357-6
ePub ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-358-3

Master of Devils is also available as a digital edition on the following sites:

Master of Devils is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Its Chronicle sheet and additional rules are a free download (229 KB zip/PDF).

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Average product rating:

3.90/5 (based on 42 ratings)

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Easily the best Pathfinder fiction yet

4/5 —

Despite my considerable lack of enthusiasm for Asian-inspired rpg elements, I personally this book to be excellent nevertheless.

The story is told in three first-person segments (not a first for Dave Gross) which allows for better characterisation; Master of Wolves had good characterisation whilst the other Pathfinder tales, including Winter Witch on which Gross had a byline, have really suffered somewhat from poorly-drawn characters, this multiple first-person device, in addition to the same, familiar characters appearing in their second full novel, makes Master of Devils into a significantly better book.

The plot is interesting, the supporting cast lively and the writing is tight. Once again Gross avoids hewing too slavishly to the rpg rules -- a failing which afflicted a great deal of the TSR/WotC rpg fiction -- instead using broad strokes to evoke the feel of the game without producing a campaign diary.

Gross doesn't waste our time explaining everything in tedious detail, meaning that there's more space for telling the story. Much of that story is a fairly standard "pupil learns at the feet of mentors" tale, but it's well-done and has plenty of Golarion flavour (albeit Tian Xia rather than the Inner Sea).

Overall and in my opinion, the best of the line yet and I'd give it four and a half stars if I were allowed. If I wanted to play in Tian Xia (which I don't) then this book would be doubly valuable for setting a mood and general scenes.

Perspective Shifting Annoying

3/5 —

I read through this book and it took a long time. It's definitely a slow read. I enjoyed the previous offering of Radovan and Jeggare, but this one never pushed over the top. As others have mentioned the constant shifting of first person narrative is distracting and annoying. Especially with the introduction of a third, almost silly narrative.

The oddest thing though was it took me a really long time to read this book. I read most of my books to and from work on Tempe buses. When I get close to my stop, I look and was always several pages short of where I would have expected to be.

Simply Awesome

5/5 —

This novel picks up after the Prince of Wolves. David Gross hits his stride as a writer and improves from his first Pathfinder novel. This book is all action with a heavy oriental focus that ties in to new classes and mechanics from Pathfinder RPG. As pointed out in other reviews, David writes from the perspective of a main character. I did not find this hard to follow nor did it give me any displeasure. What I liked was that one of main character was a dog!
I highly recommend this novel.

Here's my first person review!

5/5 —

Having struggled initially with Prince of Wolves, as I was unsure what exactly to expect from a Pathfinder novel, I had similar trepidations reading a book set in Tian Xia. Dave Gross once again dispelled my worries, having me hooked from the first chapter onwards.

The return of the good count Varian and his trusty sidekick Radovan is like a meeting with old friends and for those who’ve read through Prince of Wolves, the characters are the same as you’ve come to grow and love. From the onset, both of the characters (including an unlikely but absolutely perfect third) begin journeys of discovery throughout the distant land of Tian Xia.

Sprinkled references to the Inner Sea and ingrained Golarion lore lessen the blow of the culture shift, but do not be confused; this is a Tian Xia novel. Dave Gross does an excellent job of journeying into a new frontier of Golarion, while grounding us with characters from places we as readers are familiar with. The use of Asian themed concepts, names, and even locations is a jarring change for Gross’ characters, but somehow they fit in while still being ‘outsiders’ in this strange land.

As I don’t want to discuss spoilers here, all I want to say is this...

Master of Devils is the strongest entry in Pathfinder Novels to date despite being in such a far off land. It represents the best aspects of Pathfinder, and should be a source of inspiration for players and GMs alike, as well as being a fantastic read for anyone interested in the setting. You must read this book.

Who's Perspective?

3/5 —

It's a good book. My problem is it takes too long in each chapter to figure out who that chapter is focusing on. Would be nice to know who the focus is on in like the first paragraph or two.

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Dark Archive Contributor
Protoman wrote:
I loved this book! I ESPECIALLY love the appearance of my favorite simian demigod as I never get enough of him in any sorts of media. I've been wanting to read an asian-themed fantasy D&D story since I've started playing so I'm grateful you wrote it.

Anyone named Protoman is all right by me. Are you a fan of the band?

Dave Gross wrote:
Protoman wrote:
I loved this book! I ESPECIALLY love the appearance of my favorite simian demigod as I never get enough of him in any sorts of media. I've been wanting to read an asian-themed fantasy D&D story since I've started playing so I'm grateful you wrote it.

Anyone named Protoman is all right by me. Are you a fan of the band?

The band and the character.

I think I met you once in 2008. Played a LFR game at your place. Asian kid that kept talking too much lol
Dark Archive Contributor
Protoman wrote:
I loved this book! I ESPECIALLY love the appearance of my favorite simian demigod as I never get enough of him in any sorts of media. I've been wanting to read an asian-themed fantasy D&D story since I've started playing so I'm grateful you wrote it.

Also, I implore anyone who enjoyed the book to post a review here, at Amazon, Goodreads, Booksamillion, B&N, or anywhere you can spread the word about Pathfinder Tales. We're still in the early days of this book line, so the more word of mouth, the better for everyone.

I'm just about through this book and am loving it. Looks like Prince of Wolves is a must read for more of these characters, do they appear anywhere else? (Pathfinder...noob)
Contributor
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Zelq wrote:
I'm just about through this book and am loving it. Looks like Prince of Wolves is a must read for more of these characters, do they appear anywhere else? (Pathfinder...noob)

Jeggare & Radovan first appeared in the Pathfinder Journal for the Council of Thieves Adventure Path (available separately in "Hell's Pawns"). "The Lost Pathfinder" serves as an introduction or prequel to Prince of Wolves. "A Lesson in Taxonomy" features a much younger Varian Jeggare (which originally featured in Wayfinder #4). Master of Devils has Varian and Radovan in a very different set of circumstances, and the "Husks" serial featuring this dynamic duo are in the Jade Regent Adventure Path volumes.

Hope that helps!
Liz Courts wrote:

Jeggare & Radovan first appeared in the Pathfinder Journal for the Council of Thieves Adventure Path (available separately in "Hell's Pawns"). "The Lost Pathfinder" serves as an introduction or prequel to Prince of Wolves. "A Lesson in Taxonomy" features a much younger Varian Jeggare (which originally featured in Wayfinder #4). Master of Devils has Varian and Radovan in a very different set of circumstances, and the "Husks" serial featuring this dynamic duo are in the Jade Regent Adventure Path volumes.

Hope that helps!

Immensely! A shopping I must go :) Thank you!

Liberty's Edge
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Out of curiosity, are we going to get a wallpaper of the cover art? Or did I miss one? ^_^
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32

I finished this one a couple weeks ago, and I thought it was great. Especially

Spoiler:
"Radovan catches on fire more than anybody."

I freakin howled at that. But there are a lot of unanswered questions still about Radovan's nature. I'm wondering if
Spoiler:

the devil that occupied Radovan's space was a distinct entity and not a manifestation of his nature. In that case, killing a devil merely returns it to its native plane, with limitations on when it can return, correct? In that case, isn't it possible, and in fact likely, that Radovan may eventually encounter this being again, external to his own form, and the devil may want to renew the bond? Or seek vengeance of Radovan for letting him get killed. Even if this is not the case, there are still a number of questions about how the bond was formed in the first place. Or was this covered in the CoT AP fiction?

Anyway, the book was a lot of fun and I was sad to see it end. Thanks, Dave, for another great ripping yarn.
Dark Archive Contributor
Christopher Dudley wrote:

I finished this one a couple weeks ago, and I thought it was great. Especially ** spoiler omitted **

I freakin howled at that. But there are a lot of unanswered questions still about Radovan's nature. I'm wondering if ** spoiler omitted **

Anyway, the book was a lot of fun and I was sad to see it end. Thanks, Dave, for another great ripping yarn.

Thanks for the kind words! If you have a chance, it'd be great to see your review here and at amazon.com.

While there's a strong hint about the catalysing event in "Hell's Pawns," all of the information we have on Radovan's condition has come through the filter of his point of view. Since he doesn't have all the answers (yet), neither do we.

Master of Devils included some big hints of Radovan's unusual nature, and the next novel will include bigger revelations.

Much bigger.
Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
Dave Gross wrote:

Master of Devils included some big hints of Radovan's unusual nature, and the next novel will include bigger revelations.

Much bigger.

Does the next book have a title and release date?

Dark Archive Contributor
JoelF847 wrote:
Dave Gross wrote:

Master of Devils included some big hints of Radovan's unusual nature, and the next novel will include bigger revelations.

Much bigger.

Does the next book have a title and release date?

Officially, not until Paizo announces them, but I'm told it's okay to say there is another book in the works with these boys.

Very much looking forward to it...
Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
Dave Gross wrote:
JoelF847 wrote:
Dave Gross wrote:

Master of Devils included some big hints of Radovan's unusual nature, and the next novel will include bigger revelations.

Much bigger.

Does the next book have a title and release date?
Officially, not until Paizo announces them, but I'm told it's okay to say there is another book in the works with these boys.

Darn, you saw through my clever ruse!

I hope that "these boys" includes all 3 point of view characters.

Well done Dave Gross - I've put up my review for Master of Devils, and I am certainly looking forward to more. I'd be particularly happy if you could offer another glimpse of the Dragon Empires in more than a passing manner in a future novel! (Who could resist reading about the Monkey King in action?)
Dark Archive Contributor
LoreKeeper wrote:

Well done Dave Gross - I've put up my review for Master of Devils, and I am certainly looking forward to more. I'd be particularly happy if you could offer another glimpse of the Dragon Empires in more than a passing manner in a future novel! (Who could resist reading about the Monkey King in action?)

Thanks for that well-written and gratifying review.

While I could write nine more novels set in Tian Xia, I don't expect the boys to return soon. If you haven't been following the Jade Regent AP, you can look forward to "Husks," the Minkai-based prequel novella to Master of Devils, appearing via the web store later this year. If you have been following Jade Regent, then you've got most of it already.

Thanks for the swift response! I've mentioned it in a thread with James Jacobs before, but perhaps you could directly pitch such an idea to Paizo: I think there is ample opportunity to pen a "bigger" story.

By that I don't mean something more epic or world-shattering (Paizo has repeatedly confirmed that they are happy with the degree of impact the stories have, and I agree wholeheartedly). I mean that there is room for a story so rich and complex that it requires not one but eight books to complete.

Perhaps, to me, the perfect example is Neal Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle" (consisting of the three volumes: Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World). Many characters, complex relations, a fantastic story that conveys a tremendous sense of reality and insight into the psyche of the time.
Dark Archive Contributor

I share your love of long-form narrative and Tian Xia. If a lot of folks feel the same way and sales follow, who knows what might happen?

In the meantime, the boys' next adventure takes them to Kyonin, back in the Inner Sea region. And in case you haven't read Prince of Wolves, there's a tiny element of Asian fantasy in the otherwise Eastern European-influenced setting.

Have you read the Barry Hughart novels? That might satisfy your craving for more Chinese-influenced fantasy.

I'll keep my eyes open for them, thanks :)

Kyonin, you say? I think my ex will like that a lot.
Dave Gross wrote:
Also, I implore anyone who enjoyed the book to post a review here, at Amazon, Goodreads, Booksamillion, B&N, or anywhere you can spread the word about Pathfinder Tales. We're still in the early days of this book line, so the more word of mouth, the better for everyone.

I have posted my review on both Amazon (where I am a "Top Reviewer") and here. Thanks for the fun read!

The Barry Hughart novels are great. I highly suggest them.

Dave, in your last book, you put the name of the protagonist/narrator at the top of each chapter. Please continue this.
Dark Archive Contributor
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Thanks for the reviews, DrDeth.

I love Hughart's novels. It's a shame he hasn't written any more, giving up in despair with his publisher. Bridge of Birds remains one of my favorite novels.

In Queen of Thorns I started tagging the chapters with the POV character. It seems more important to do that when there are more than two, but I'm sure it's a permanent fixture.

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.
Dark Archive
Dave Gross wrote:

Thanks for the reviews, DrDeth.

I love Hughart's novels. It's a shame he hasn't written any more, giving up in despair with his publisher. Bridge of Birds remains one of my favorite novels.

In Queen of Thorns I started tagging the chapters with the POV character. It seems more important to do that when there are more than two, but I'm sure it's a permanent fixture.

Congratulations for your first sold out Pathfinder novel, Dave!

I'm sure the others will follow.
Anything new planned?

Absolutely brilliant, loved it.
So well written it was like watching an epic Kung Fu movie on a cinema screen.
Dave Gross is my new favourite author.
Let's hope for many more novels to come.
I have to say, Radovan reminds me a little of the Wolverine comic character, which is a very good parallel to have.
Vigilant Seal

Is this the sequel?
Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Laughnchill wrote:
Is this the sequel?

This is the second novel in the 5-book "Varian & Radovan" series, but each one can be read independently without too much confusion. There are certainly callbacks to events in previous stories, but nothing that will leave readers unable to follow the narrative at hand if they've skipped the prior entry.

If you want to read them in order, they are:

Prince of Wolves
Master of Devils
Queen of Thorns
King of Chaos
Lord of Runes

Hope you enjoy them!
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