In Review! The New Death and Others

With rare exception, the things I review on the blog are games of varying pedigree. So imagine my surprise when an author contacted me, requesting I review his book! Feeling like a fancy lady, I agreed, and now after absorbing the text, I feel I'm ready to offer a review.

Written by James Hutchings, "The New Death" is a collection of stories and poetry that sits in a peculiar place. One part fiction, one part Aesopian dialogue, the text reads in a charming tone that I associate with the late eighteen and early nineteen hundreds.  The stories range from engaging, to feeling a bit forced, but as a whole, I enjoyed it. Several of the stories contained fodder for gaming purposes, too. From the sorceress Abi-Simti to death himself, there are multiple characters just ripe to be placed into a campaign setting, and I'll be filching (with due honor), certain aspects to be seen at my table.

Unfortunately, some of these characters are buried amidst somewhat clunky writing. While not bad, per se, there were several places that could have used another pass or two of editing.

That said, I suggest folks acquire a copy for themselves. The cost of entry is extremely friendly, and there are handfuls of diamonds to be found.

PS, read the introductory piece, it's ripe for laying the foundations of a pantheon. "The Face In The Hill" is an excellent read, too. It tries (and for the most part succeeds), in meeting a voice that reads like something from Amazing Stories.