by Gary Gygax, with an introduction by James Lowder
The Crown Jewels of the Maharajah of Delhi have been stolen, and only Magister Setne Inhetep, wizard-priest and detective in the service of the Ægyptian pharaoh, can get them back! Along with his beautiful amazon bodyguard Rachelle, Inhetep must face pirates and assassins, death cultists and black magic in order to voyage across thousands of miles to the lands of the Peacock Throne. Yet once there, the wizard-priest’s problems are only compounded. For in addition to the machinations of an evil witch, rebels intent on killing anyone assisting the current regime, and the cruel whims of the diabolical maharajah himself, Setne’s actions might just bring him up against Kali, Goddess of Death...
The father of fantasy roleplaying and co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Gary Gygax has had more influence on modern fantasy than any author since J. R. R. Tolkien. Take a ride through his dark and mysterious vision of ancient India and uncover a fantastic mystery from the man who redefined a genre.
"Gary Gygax serves up a thrilling fantasy yarn, steeped in the essence of the consulting detective tale and spiced with plenty of pulp adventure!"
—James Lowder, bestselling author of Prince of Lies
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.
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Death in Delhi is the third and final Gygax novel featuring Aegyptian detective Setne Inhetep and his bodyguard/companion Rachelle. Inhetep is an interesting spin on Sherlock Holmes, and as before, he quickly becomes embroiled in a mystery involving politics, royalty, and magic. In Death in Delhi, Inhetep accepts a commission to solve the mysterious theft of crown jewels from the locked vault of a distant nation. Inhetep and Rachelle are good characters and have a fun relationship, but the book is somewhat slow-paced. The two never seem to be in any real danger, as Inhetep is always one step ahead of his foes with a never-before mentioned spell on-hand to save the day. Even by the third book, Gygax was a below-average mystery writer. So although the main characters and setting are interesting, on the whole the book is only mediocre.
Fun, light read. However, there is not much mystery in this novel as the majority is taken up with Setne's journey to Hind. The mystery itself feels rather tacked on. That said, Gygax depicts a well drawn world with lively characters. The relationship and interaction between Rachelle and Setne grows providing many of the memorable scenes in the novel. The mystery's resolution works nicely and features a great scene with Setne and a certain deity.
Overall, not outstanding but enjoyable,
That being said, I'll have to pick this one up. I've always been fascinated with Kali and the Thugee.
A couple of Thug-related films to watch as you're waiting: Gunga Din (the 1939 Cary Grant classic) and The Stranglers of Bombay (a rather good 1959 Hammer production). Of course, the Thuggee are the main baddies in the Beatles romp Help!, too. I'm not as much of a fan of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or the Pierce Brosnan flick The Deceivers, but they do have plenty of Thugs.
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Lost Omens, Pathfinder Accessories, Rulebook Subscriber
Just curious...is this book in yet? The Store Blog on Jan 8th seemed to indicate that it had arrived, but it is still listed as "preorder expected January 2009".
I am hoping to purchase it (along with a bunch of other stuff) using the holiday discount. I plan to finalize and place my order in about a week or so.
I have just finished reading this book: the last of the four Gary Gygax Aerth novels published by Planet Stories. A thoroughly enjoyable series with The Anubis Murders probably my favourite of the four. Thank you Paizo, especially for the long lost one - what a shame we have no more tales of Ferret and Raker.
But what next?
The biography of Gygax always refers to the seven Gord the Rogue novels: Saga of Old City, Artifact of Evil, Sea of Death, City of Hawks, Night Arrant, Come Endless Darkness, and Dance of Demons.
Looking these up I cannot find new copies of them as they have been out of print for some time; I have checked some chums and they do not have them to lend either.
So, does Paizo have any plans to reprint this series - I do hope so?
The biography of Gygax always refers to the seven Gord the Rogue novels: Saga of Old City, Artifact of Evil, Sea of Death, City of Hawks, Night Arrant, Come Endless Darkness, and Dance of Demons.
Looking these up I cannot find new copies of them as they have been out of print for some time; I have checked some chums and they do not have them to lend either.
So, does Paizo have any plans to reprint this series - I do hope so?
Jason/Fleanetha,
Do you have access to any good used bookstores in your area, or do you use online bookstores like Amazon.com or Powels.com? From time to time I see these books in local Half Price Book Stores here in Columbus, OH, USA. Granted, that isn't the same as just ordering a brand new copy when you want, but a little patience may get you many if not all of Gygax's Gord books in used condition.
Speaking of Powells.com, right now they have two used copies available:
http://www.powells.com/s?kw=gygax+gord&class=
I have dealt with them in the past (ordering out of print books from their website) and have found them to be a reputable business.
Setni Inhotep was introduced as a new character just as Gygax was inroducing his new, post TSR, RPG "Dangerous Journeys". I still have my copies on the shelf. It was published by GDW (publishers of Traveller) but was shut down by lawsuit from TSR which challenged Gygax's ownership of his new IP. The judge seems to have decided that since D&D was an RPG developed by Gygax and TSR owned it that they must own this one as well. Ignorant half wit...
