The one thing that I seem to find missing from these books that are obviously a novelisation of gaming sessions that the writers had played in is the moments when the entire gaming table simply bursts into laughter when one of the characters either behaves in such a way that we literally need to put the game on hold as we all compose ourselves, or the dungeon master describes the results of a failed action in such a way that not only beggars belief but also is somehow surprisingly real. In many ways these books, as I seem to always repeat whenever I am commenting on one of them, is to simply add detail to a game world to help the players who may be playing games set in that world to experience the richness and the depth that is possible in a roleplaying game.
While escapist fantasy and adventure (especially the adventure) is all fun and good, and the fact that one can experience multiple near death experiences without actually running the risk of actually dying (though there are always players that throw tantrums whenever something bad happens to their characters) is a thrill in itself, the one thing that I love about roleplaying is the fun and the laughter that we as a group of friends have in the afternoon or evening when we get together to roleplay. Obviously, now that I am 700 kms away from my fortnightly roleplaying group that is something that I am going to miss, but I guess that is the price you have to pay for levelling up (not that I really have the time to dedicate to a fortnightly roleplaying game anymore, though I do play Euro-games once a month).
As I mentioned, there are always going to be those people that take roleplaying just that little too seriously, and I guess that is one of the things that I really don't like about these books, and that is that they tend to be serious and simply lack the light hearted comedy that can come out of a really well run game. To those people, I would suggest that they lighten up and accept the game for what it is, a game. Yes, this world may be harsh, but one thing that I have learnt from years of roleplaying is that if your ambition in life is to create the most powerful character that you can create, then I am afraid that you are focussing all of your energy in the wrong direction. You seem to know what it takes and what is required to get to the next level, as is dictated by the rules, but why not take that energy out of the game and put it into the real world. Yes, granted, there are no rules about what constitutes leveling up, but guess what, the wonderful thing about the real world is that you can set your own goals, and not big ones, but small ones, and when you achieve that goal, you can jump up in joy, claim that you have reached the next level, and then aim for that next step to level up again.
Hey, for all you know, by the day you die, you might actually become that level 300 street bum that you have always dreamed about (but I suggest that you try not to become a fighter and base your success on the number of people you have killed). ( )

If you enjoyed Gygax's first Greyhawk novel, then you will like this one as well. Compared to the more hack and slash fantasy novels of R.A. Salvatore (the later Drizzt Do'Urden books), it's refreshingly cerebral. It's clearly based upon Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition, but you don't need to be a D&D game buff to enjoy it. I think it's sword and sorcery in the tradition of Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Sprague de Camp, and Michael Moorcock, and has less in common with Tolkien or British fantasy. Although there are Tolkien-esque elements--like dwarves and elves--the world is much more complex, dynamic, and morally realistic (i.e. the world is ruthless) than Tolkien's black and white world. The main character, once again, is Gord the Rogue, and Gygax really gives him a chance to display his acrobatic skills and stealthy ways. I'm always impressed by the consistency of Gygax's world. His dialog is somewhat stilted, but the slightly archaic way that the characters speak seem to fit right into the world he has created. If you're interested in reading what I would call some quintessential 80's fantasy, read this. ( )

Part 2 in the Gord series of original AD&D novels. This book continues the saga of the heroes as they steadily get into greater and greater trouble. Deliberately and accidentally, they try to prevent the agents of evil from causing great harm to Greyhawk, though its not exactly clear what that harm would be.
Like its predecessor, this is a great example of AD&D based fiction, and a good fantasy novel. Not a lot of romance, but great atmosphere and action. ( )