Hey, bear in mind manner again once we have been speaking about D&D novels and the way there’s a new one being launched to tie into the Honor Amongst Thieves film that’s popping out? Effectively, seems there’s a couple of. Whereas the Highway to Neverwinter explains how Holga, Edgin, Simon, and Forge met, The Druid’s Name is a narrative that delves into the backstory of Doric, who doesn’t look like a member of the crew till the occasions of the film transpire.
Disclaimer
In case you learn my First Impression of The Highway to Neverwinter, you’ll know that I paid for these books out of my very own pocket, as a consequence of my very own private curiosity about what could be portrayed in these tie-in novels. No evaluation copies for me this time round. My first impression goes to be primarily based on the audiobook, which is how I consumed this story.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves-The Druid’s Name
Creator: E.Okay. Johnston
Web page Rely: 304 pages
Narrator (Audiobook): Emily Lawrence
Runtime (Audiobook): 6 hours and 59 minutes
Younger Grownup Books
In recent times, sure style tie-in media has been marketed on a number of tracks, particularly in relation to novels. It’s not unusual for there to be one “grownup” novel and one “younger grownup” novel to advertise the identical property, normally with distinct tales.
What makes this somewhat unusual is that always the properties that obtain this remedy don’t actually have “grownup” novels which might be presenting a considerably totally different expertise than the “younger grownup” novel. In truth, I’ve undoubtedly seen the “younger grownup” e book be the superior tie-in novel previously. Misplaced Stars remains to be among the finest Star Wars novels to come back out within the Disney-era, and sarcastically, there’s much more “grownup” relationship improvement in that e book than most “grownup” Star Wars novels.
I don’t need to get too far into the weeds on how firms market books. I’m simply saying that the one important distinction within the sort of style story between The Highway to Neverwinter and The Druid’s Name is that the protagonist of The Highway to Neverwinter is an grownup man, and The Druid’s Name’s protagonist is a younger lady.
The Creator
The Highway to Neverwinter was written by Jaleigh Johnson, who had a number of Forgotten Realms novels below her belt going into this project. The creator of this novel, E.Okay. Johnston, hasn’t written a Forgotten Realms novel earlier than, however she’s been writing a lot of Star Wars novels, together with Ahsoka, Queen’s Hope, Queen’s Shadow, and Queen’s Peril. I’ve learn Ahsoka, so I used to be wanting ahead to Johnston’s tackle the Realms.
The Coronary heart of the Story
The principle narrative weight of this novel revolves round Doric, a tiefling born to human dad and mom, searching for her place on this world. Shunned by her dad and mom, she leads to a group of wooden elves within the Neverwinter Woods. Whereas I don’t need to delve too deeply into spoiler territory, Doric begins off not being and druid, and begins the upcoming D&D film as a druid, so that you could possibly surmise a few of what occurs on this e book.
Travelogue
Like The Highway to Neverwinter, whereas we don’t get a deep dive into the lore of a number of areas within the Forgotten Realms, we additionally don’t ignore established areas within the setting. The connection between the individuals residing within the Neverwinter Woods and retailers from Neverwinter is a crucial side of this story. We’re additionally handled to a change in geothermal stability because the motion shifts from the Neverwinter Woods to Ardeep Forest, close to Waterdeep.
Perspective
The Highway to Neverwinter was a 3rd get together narrative that leaned into Edgin’s standpoint, but additionally instructed the story of the crew because it gained extra members. The main target of The Druid’s Name is way more private to Doric. Whereas there’s an ongoing battle that drives Doric and supplies some stakes for her dwelling and adopted household, the narrative weight of the novel is way more centered on Doric, each in how she interacts with individuals she meets, and along with her historical past, as we’re offered flashbacks to her childhood.
The trailers which have come out for Honor Amongst Thieves up to now have portrayed Xenk, the paladin character, as essentially the most severe and herocially motivated of the crew, but when this novel is in keeping with Doric’s portrayal within the film, Doric shares a few of these traits with Xenk. She much less of an adventurer, and extra a personality pushed to do issues for the sake of others, and maybe to show herself, somewhat than being a thrill seeker or motivated by need for something, be it gold or magic.
D&D-isms
For higher or worse, Doric’s most talked about capacity, primarily based on the trailers, is defined within the novel, and is particularly addressed as not being a standard capacity to druids. The novel throws in a good quantity of D&D particular issues like spell names and creatures distinctive to the IP, though there are some narrative mismatches in case you are paying shut consideration from the lens of sport guidelines. For instance, a personality portrayed as being in coaching whipping out a named spell that’s fifth stage within the present version of the foundations.
Whereas The Highway to Neverwinter use loads of in-world phrases, The Druid’s Name is a little more free with utilizing terminology that will or might not really feel diegetic. For instance, whereas The Highway to Neverwinter refers to sorcerers as an outlined ingredient of the setting, it doesn’t describe different bundles of expertise when it comes to class names. For instance, The Highway to Neverwinter by no means refers to Holga, Edgin, or Forge when it comes to character class. Holga isn’t actually referred to as a barbarian, however the closest we get is figuring out that she comes from the Elk Tribe of Rheghed barbarians.
The Druid’s Name doesn’t have an issue with saying that some characters are rangers or barbarians, and doesn’t actually hassle to outline these phrases after utilizing them. The implication is that rangers are good at searching, however barbarians aren’t actually outlined in any respect as a title, apart from noting that they often affiliate with rangers and druids.
There’s a character that’s particularly not assigned a personality class all by way of The Highway to Neverwinter that’s assigned one very casually on this novel, and actually, I believed they weren’t utilizing the time period within the earlier e book to level out the distinction between somebody having the ability to do one thing nicely, and being educated to do it magically. However I assume not?
Ultimate Ideas
I loved the Highway to Neverwinter a bit extra. It felt prefer it was somewhat higher at tossing in D&D-isms as components of the world, versus tossing out phrases as if the world actually works precisely as the foundations play out within the tabletop sport. That stated, I believe Doric’s story is a bit stronger and extra partaking than Edgin’s. The most important drawback is tha the decision to the continuing battle in The Druid’s Name is nearly an afterthought, the backdrop to Doric’s character journey, whereas the climax to the Highway to Neverwinter is a full blown motion set piece with its personal stakes.
Doric’s story, being mistreated by her dad and mom, and mistrusted as a result of she is born a tiefling, may be a narrative that’s troublesome for some readers to have interaction with, so I believe it’s vital to convey up that there’s particular widespread bias in opposition to tieflings that may be a plot ingredient. It’s value noting that each novels, nevertheless, painting a variety of humanoid creatures as being frequent and accepted in additional metropolitan settings.
It don’t assume it rises to the extent of spoiler, since most of those characters aren’t even important supporting characters, however its not unusual to see orcs, goblins, firbolgs, tabaxi, and different species referenced in crowd scenes. It isn’t a serious story ingredient that anybody reacts poorly to orcs in a metropolis, for instance. They’re one of many species you discover in Faerun.
Total, this novel is pleasurable, however I want the decision of the battle had performed a much bigger half within the novel, and I want just a few extra of the tough edges of referencing D&D guidelines immediately may have been sanded down. However this novel remains to be a great distance from the Swimming pools of Radiance novel from the 80s referring to the “lawful good” alignment that Tyranthraxus needed to suppress when possessing a dragon, or the early Greyhawk novels throwing in references to alignment languages.
