Customer Reviews

AGNST GIANTS:GREYHK CLS

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the real problem that i fould with the book was that during certain battles the author would leave out some of the people. the worst is when it came to malowan

This book attempted to take three really fine D&D modules and cram them into one small novel. The results are scattered plotlines, undeveloped characters, and frankly unbelieveable resolutions. Emerson did a decent job of uniting the three modules into a plausible storyline, but so much was going on that in truth this needed to be 2 or 3 books, not one. Because she had to fit so much in, the author glossed over character development and ran the group through some tough situations so easily that at times the reader would snort in disbelief. At times the action would stop just long enough to allow the group (and the reader) time to catch their breath and actually interact with one another, then- zoom! Off they go again. By the end of the book they were actually running to get done before they ran out of pages! Kind of ridiculous.
There are many disappointments waiting the D&D purist, as Emerson here commits so many faux paus that either she had never played the game before, or she was playing a different one than I did as a kid. In particular the mage, Nemis, apparently had access to an almost unlimited supply of magic spells, and he always seemed to have another "non-detection" spell memorized when the party needed it. Now how many times did that happen in the game? And giants, which were pretty tough adversaries both in the game and in most other literature, fell like nine-pins to almost everyone in the party, even to the main charcter Lhors, who was just a farm kid! The party was always apprehensive about attacking the giants, but when they did they easily overcame them, often without anyone getting hurt. So are the giants tough or not? And the "climatic" fight at the end, which the party was dreading the whole book, is carried off virtually without a hitch (save for the sacrificing of 2 characters, neither of whom were very central to the story). Of course, they were almost out of pages by then!
In summary, let me say that no matter whether you have played the game and these modules and are reading for nostalgia, or are just looking for something new, I'm afraid you are in for a disappointment here. All of the other Grayhawk Classic books are better than this one, and you'd be better off going to any one of them, even the other one by Emerson, the Keep on the Borderlands.

About a third of the way in, I could only think, "Who the hell is Ru Emerson, and why did WOTC let her write a book about a classic module which she's obviously never played?"

About halfway in, I just gave up. Terrible characters, zero plot, nothing to hold my interest.

I have to thank Ru for one thing, though -- she's given me hope as to actually becoming a published writer one day. There's no way I could do a worse job than this. Then again, neither could a half-drunk wildebeast.

...I didn't expect much, but I at least hoped this book would answer some of the mysteries in the original module, or provide one possible explanation for what was going on. What was that temple under the Hill Giant Steading, for example?

....Unfortunately, this book provides less detail and explanation than the modules themselves. Not one single question from the old D&D modules is answered in this book, and much of the good stuff in the modules is left out. They only visit three rooms out of each of the last two modules, for example.

.....Many have pointed out that this reads like a bad module, not a book. All the dialogue are lines like "I have memorized 3 beneath notice and two reveal spells today," or "Remember, as a Paladin, I have the ability to detect evil," etc. It stops just short of using terms like hit points and saving throws. The wizard was the worst character for this - it was like listening to a teenage D&D player tell you what move he is making next.
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.... If you were looking for a good strategy on how the giants' places should have been assaulted - forget it! Apparently, you can walk right in the front door (past the guards) of every one of them. What are the chances that every single guard in all three modules is asleep when they run into them?

.... Beyond that, the whole thing was too hokey and sweet. The adventurers were so pure and kind that you thought they were going to lead the giants in some kind of rehab support group instead of kill them. Would anyone really have a 5-minute conference in the middle of an enemy dungeon about whether it is OK to kill torturers while they sleep? All the human kings, princes and army guys that they dealt with were totally legit and honest. Rowan, the female ranger and the Berserker had a little depth. Some day, I would like to see a D&D story with flawed heroes, a Dirty Dozen kind of group. Not here.

....Also, I thought it was cheap the way the wizard basically assured that the heroes could detect everything, but everything they did was invisible and inaudible and wiped from the giants' memories.

....The Paladin was basically a pacifist. He wouldn't kill a mosquito if it was carrying the next plague.

.... And was anyone else annoyed by whom Rowan latches onto at the end? She flirted with the young guy Lhors for the whole book, what happened to that?

The latest round of greyhawk books came out bases on the old D&D module Against the Giants. I read this book and was completely baffled. Here we have these chump characters, waltzing through the largest encampment of giants known to man, and they get out with barely a scratch on them! HOW,WHAT,WHEN,WHY?!?!?!?!?!?

Obviously the writer did not read the module, play the module, nor understand the breadth of the concept. With the level of the characters there is no POSSIBLE way for a frontal assault to occur and survive! Yet they managed to go through all 3 giant liars on nothing more than bows and arrows and some minor sword work!

Against the Giants G1-2-3 has always been for me the pinnacle of assault, conquer, loot, and plunder forts and dungeons (The whole series is fantastic if you ask me..) but this abortion of a book should never have made it off the printer. Too many improbabilities and mistakes that anyone who read through the module or played it once would have understood.

This is the worst fantasy novel since Quag Keep. Skip straight to White Plume Mountains, light-years better.

I have been a huge fan of the Giants' Modules for years. I have played once as a player, and ran the Module as a GM about 3 times. Ru's writing brought the true flavor of the series and even in a idea of what was actualy going on... (in the series, the modules never gave a clue of what was going on). Ru's vivid writing style made it a book I could not put down. If you have played the series or are planning to run it, this book should be read, and Ideas used.

This definitely read more like a module than a novel - and a bad module at that. I love Greyhawk, and literally couldn't finish reading this book, it was too painful. Going back and reading some Dragonlance novels is slowly restoring my faith in TSR novels...

I agree whis Marc E. Broom "this book read like a module and less like a novel". But I find it very interesting and enjoible reading, never the less. I play this module not once as player and DM, and it's very interesting to see how someone anather will make out the situation you once had been.

I agree whis Marc E. Broom "this book read like a module and less like a novel". But I find it very interesting and enjoible reading, never the less. I play this module not once as player and DM, and it's very interesting to see how someone anather will make out the situation you once had been.