Saga of Old City (Greyhawk Adventures, #1) by E. Gary Gygax

Saga of Old City (Greyhawk Adventures, #1) Reviews

• 
  Mike

  This was the first book i ever bought myself, at the age of nine while in a used book store with my mother i found a with a cool picture of a demon on the cover. Little did i know in the twenty one plus years ive owned my copy i would read it over fifty times.
  My opinion is biased since this is the book that opened up the worlds of fantasy to me. Though i truly believe that its a great story, and if youve ever played d&d or read any forgotten realms novels you should pick this up. Gygax was one of the minds behind the game, and this is the world he ran in and loved, the one he designed and Gord his char. Even after splitting with tsr Gygax continued writing about gord.
• 
  James

  I'd always wanted to read Gary Gygax's fiction as a D&D-devoted teenager, but I'd never heard anything good about it and it wasn't carried in any local libraries, so I wasn't about to lay down any cash on a bookstore special order. And, in retrospect, I wasn't missing much. Whatever else one says about the first Gord the Rogue novel, it's not good. It's a lazily-constructed picaresque that slaloms erratically between styles, starting off as a promising Peake-ish phantasmagoria but quickly cleaving to its roleplaying game roots, and spending a chapter each on a heist, a great escape, a land battle, a dungeon adventure, as well as a variety of highly game-flavored scenes of character development.
  
  It's not hard to see why the series never had the traction of, say, its DragonLance contemporaries.
  
  Still, if you're a fan (or recovering fan) of Dungeons & Dragons, it's a fun read. There's an unmistakeable Gygaxian flavor throughout: there are glaive-guisarmes and fauchard-forks, the color ochre rears its head at least once, a druid casts a reverse Sticks to Snakes, and you can almost pinpoint the moment after each adventure when Gord levels up. The world of Greyhawk emerges in a more personal and evocative manner than was possible in the sourcebooks.
  
  And beyond all that, Gygax's love for his source material-- Lieber, Howard, Vance, et al.-- shines through it all. Never mind that the man couldn't craft a city as sordid as Lankhmar or a leading man as roguish and interesting as Conan. He did his best, and his enthusiasm carries the books, even when the plot fails him. I'm not going to be rushing into reading the rest of the series, but I'm glad I finally got around to this one. And I've got book #2 waiting for the next time nostalgia takes hold.
  
  Thanks, Mr. Gygax. Thygax.
• 
  Derek

  I wanted to like this more, but Gygax has some real limitations in his writing. The story only intermittently fires on all cylinders.
  
  The overall effect is a Grand Tour of the Flanaess as Gord travels, adventures, and becomes more awesome, with hints of an eventual story arc emerging by the end. Unfortunately it means devoting thirty pages or less to each adventure or region when in many cases each idea is potentially bigger. And, incomprehensibly, the most interesting parts are filled in afterwards as exposition or narration.
  
  For instance, the guild war between the Beggars' Union and the Thieves' Guild, with the Beggarmaster overweeningly ambitious but completely outclassed and not knowing it, and the eventual collapse of his empire. Everything about it is worth more than forty pages, but limiting the story to only Gord's point of view removes all the complexity and potential. Then explaining the aftermath in a needless flashback speaks of an author impatient to move on.
  
  He has a thing for framed flashbacks. Almost as much as he does for fauchard-forks and glaive-guisarmes and, potentially, fauchard-glaive-guisarmes.
  
  Even in this early book, it's clear that Gord is the author's Precious. Much of the story is about him acquiring awesomeness by either training or obtaining objects, and is thus is more an investment in the character. Sadly, Gord really doesn't distinguish himself.
  
  It is thankfully free of the bitterness that poisoned the New Infinities Productions sequels, as well as the cosmic warfare that made them so tedious. Gord might be the special snowflake of the author, but at least he's no savior or chosen one.
• 
  Ross Kitson

  As I'm re-visiting my adolescent love of Dungeons and Dragons, and running the adbetures in the World of Greyhawk, it seemed appropriate to read the books that Gary Gygax, Godfather of DnD, and latterly Rose Etes, wrote. From the outset it's fair to say that this particular book is probably only of interest to those with a background or curiosity about the hobby. Even compared to other DnD books (Paul Kidd's DnD classic module offerings, and Salvatore's dark elf books) it's not the best of the bunch. But to a fan of Gygax, and the magic he created with Dungeons and Dragons, whether the manuals, the modules, or the world of Greyhawk, it's fun reading.
  
  The hero is Gord the Rogue, a solid adventuring thief who we follow from humble beginnings as a cutpurse and beggar-thief in the sprawling City of Greyhawk. The first section of the book takes us along his early encounters, fleshing out the City vividly, and Gord's involvement in a 'turf war.' Gord comes across as a likeable character, with a suitable charm and wit, and his tricks and scams make easy reading. The middle third of the book then takes us on a tour of Gygax's world, with Gord adventuring, romancing, and scrapping his way from Greyhawk City, across the vast Nyr Dyv, and then around the Bandit Lands, Urnst, the Theocracy of the Pale, Nyrond, and ultimately to the edge of the Great Kingdom. Now to me as a gamer currently reading the source material of the Flanaess, and Greyhawk, this was a great tour—the depth and detail to each area is a real bonus. But for a more casual reader the lack of a central driving plot beyond a series of vaguely related encounters could be frustrating. The plot through this stage feels half way between a bunch of DnD scenarios and a travelogue. We do get some development of him as a character, but rarely a decent in depth insight into him that a book this length should provide.
  
  In fact the lack of a real purpose beyond Gord getting some cool weapons, picking up skills, and ducking/diving, is a real weakness. The book has a patched together episodic feel, which I suppose in some ways emulates the pulp fantasy that inspired Gygax's original DnD game (Robert E Howard, Fritz Leiber, Moorcock). I could just imagine reading it serialised in Dragon magazine.
  In the last third of the novel Gord links up with some more substantial characters: Gellor, a mysterious spy/bard; Chert, a barbarian (reminiscent of Fafhrd, from Lankhmar); and Curly, a plump bald druid-ranger (my favourite). We then get a trip out to a dungeon, and a suitably nasty demon to sort out. This part of the book at least had the right balance of action, purpose, characters and humour. It felt as if Gygax had got into the swing of things, and as I recall from Book 2, he continued this momentum and developed a fairly solid plotline.
  
  So much in the way that superhero origin films never feel all that good, as they establish a history and a setting, this book is very much an intro, both to the world and to the character who ultimately sees us through five or so books (as Gygax departed TSR). It's a 4 star for fans, probably a 3 star for those DnD-naïve.
  
• 
  Ulrich Krieghund

  Another review on here offered that this book feels like a D&D novel, given that it was written by D&D's co-creator, Gary Gygax. Well, Fuck Yeah! I was thinking about D&D as I was walking my dog and contemplating this review. It's great that this reads like a D&D adventure because Dungeons and Dragons is perhaps the coolest thing ever invented for entertainment. It surpasses movies and books because those are passive activities. With tabletop gaming, you can actually have an impact on the outcome of the story. That said, you should never play Dungeons and Dragons with people who do not read, because all of their references come from comic books and movies. They are idiots to be shunned.
  
  This tale is in the gritty category of fantasy and reads like the early days of the Gray Mouser from Lankhmar. Gord adds companions to his adventures, one of which is clearly similar to Fafhrd the barbarian.
  
  As with the sword and sorcery genre, no world spanning events take place in this tale--just survival and adventure. There are city and forest adventures, as well as an actual dungeon. A dragon would have completed the circle.
  
  As a bonus, Gygax even gives the D&D stats for Gord at the end of the story. How's that for badass? Pick up this book and read it--unless you have a tabletop game to play tonight.
• 
  Andrew Obrigewitsch

  I read this in '98 or '99 when I was a teenager. It's basically a novelized version of someones D&D adventures. It was fun for a teenager, but really was not well written or anything.
• 
  Dartharagorn

  I gave this a 3. The story wasn't very good in my opinion. It jumped all over the place. What I did enjoy was the lore and extra Greyhawk goodness that I was looking for. The story read like a bunch of random encounters like others have said. I couldn't agree more. At this point I'm not sure if I will read the next one or not. If you're a person looking for more Greyhawk lore. I'd say definitely give it a read. If not. You might want to pass.
• 
  Matthew Bates II

  Nice throwback to the early days of D&D. No world threatening danger. Just the story of Gord an orphan in Greyhawk and several of his adventures after leaving the city. I wish they would put the rest of the series out in digital format. Physical copies are a bit expensive.
• 
  Timothy Boyd

  Good fantasy story based on the D&D world. Written by the creator of D&D . Recommended
• 
  Samuel

  General Overview: This is a pretty decent, relatively light read. The book tells the story of how the main character (a thief named Gord) learned and honed his various skills, while also showing off important regions of the Flannaes (the portion of the World of Greyhawk in which the novel takes place) and the various peoples who live there. The first 3/4 of the book reads like a series of short stories strung together across the years. The final 1/4 is the beginning of the main campaign that will bring us into the rest of the series.
  
  From a Modern Point of View: This is a work of pure joy for an old World of Greyhawk Dungeons & Dragons fan, but it *does* show its age. There are several places where the "woman's place" in society, and the ideas that men in that society have about said women, is on full display. And folks, it ain't pretty by today's standards, but does mimic the generic idea of how a feudal society operates, and honestly, how a good percentage of men in today's world still think about women. Examples of things depicted or stated by characters in the book:
  1. Women are generally incapable of doing the same things men can do
  2. All Women want to ultimately settle down and have kids and raise a family (even the barbarian woodswoman who was the captain of their team in the war)
  3. Women need to rely on a man for stability and their greatest use is as a pawn to be married off to solidify a father's power
  4. A soiled/non-virgin woman is worth nothing in polite society, and if she is noble-born, the father now pays a steep dowry to her husband because she is impure
  
  Is Anything Good? Aside from that jarring, but 100% expected depiction of women, I thought the book a decent read. Many will say that Gygax is a hack, and that's fine... you can have your opinion. He *does* often use a 50 dollar word where a 5 dollar word would suffice (flambeaux, horripilation, ordure). He *does* have a particular style and way of describing his world that is not high literature and occasionally comes off as trying too hard or condescending - we call that authoritative voice High Gygaxian and while it grates on some, for me it carries a certain nostaligia laden charm. Gygax *does* delight in his own prose and indulge himself in overwrought descriptions of Greyhawk... it is surely obvious to the reader that he loves the main character and the setting. However, As a pulpy introduction to the world and a good intro to the main character of a seven book series, I think Gygax did well with this first book and met his desired goals. The job was to introduce a young character, show how that character gains and retains skills, show off the world, and then set up a longer campaign story-line that pulls the reader into the next book. Those goals were met with this book.
  
  For me, a person who happens to be a Dungeons and Dragons fan and a fan of the World of Greyhawk from the early days, it was a great AD&D-like story that was easy to follow, didn't have confusing plotting, and evoked the AD&D game at its core.
  
  I give this a solid 3 stars - and if you are a fan of Greyhawk or Gygax, you might even push this to 4 stars.
• 
  Francisco

  The first novel set in Greyhawk (well, nominally the second as Andre Norton's Quag Keep already had scenes set in the city of Greyhawk, although it predated the official TSR novels), this would be one of only two official TSR Greyhawk novels written by Gygax. There would be a follow up, Artifact of Evil, in early 1986, but with Gygax exit from the company that year it would be the end of the official TSR Greyhawk novels starring Gord, the Rogue. It wouldn't be the end of the story though, as Gygax would continue to write Gord, the Rogue and publish these novels in his new label, New Infinities. These would consist of three more volumes in 1987 and two more in 1988.
  
  Greyhawk as an official TSR setting would survive Gygax's exit as would novels set in that world. Rose Estes would pick up on the world and write six more novels after Gygax's exit up to 1989. Then the world would be pretty much dead in terms of fiction up until the 2000 when a couple more novels, adapting adventure modules, mostly, would come out. It would never reach close to the level of popularity of the novels set in Dragonlance or the Forgotten Realms.
  
  In terms of story Saga of Old City is a good introduction to the Gord character, you follow him from being a young orphan abused by a relative who got saddled with him, and then see him take on an Oliver Twist twist, by becoming a beggar under the control of a Fagin-like Beggarmaster. Later on, freed from beggar bondage Gord develops his thieving skills and eventually becomes a kind of mercenary/adventurer by the time the novel ends. A bildungsroman set in a fantasy world, it isn't that great at characterizing Greyhawk as a setting and it often feels too indebted to Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser to be its own thing. Shockingly enough for an official TSR novel it also has plenty of profanity and amoral actions by the "heroes", something that would eventually disappear with the institution of a more stringent official TSR "code of ethics" in the early 90s. A pity.
• 
  Thom

  Gord leaves the "Old City" of Greyhawk about 90 pages in, and from that point this is a travelogue of the World of Greyhawk (or more properly, the Flanaess). There is character growth and conflict, and even a love interest or two, but in general this isn't a great novel.
  
  In fact, most chapters read like individual stories. One or two involve discussions of large troop movements (which mirrors what was published for dungeon masters in Dragon magazine at the time). Besides being dull to read, one quickly wonders just who has this visibility into various armies - no radio, no satellites, and magic doesn't work quite that way.
  
  While I read a lot of D&D related books back in the day, I somehow never read this series. Will read at least the next book, and at least consider the final three. Was reading this on GM's day, which is also the anniversary of the authors death.
• 
  David Sarkies

  Another Greyhawk Novel
  28 December 2012
  
  The problem with trying to comment on the writing style of a book that I read when I was a teenager is that I cannot remember exactly how it was written and how it compares to many of the true classics of the genre. Granted, I doubt that Gary Gygax ever set out to write a work of literature, but rather write a book that hordes of pimply roleplaying geeks would spend their money on because it was connected with Dungeons and Dragons.
  
  I was fortunate in that the State Library of South Australia did carry a number of these old books, and moreso that I had a friend that would pretty much purchase every Dungeons and Dragons book that was published (and I tell you what, his collection was massive). As such I could go and borrow his books (after he finished reading them of course), or the library's, and then read them myself.
  
  I have said it before, and I will say it again, there are really only two reasons these books were written: simply to cash in on a captive market, and provide players and dungeon masters with examples of how a certain world comes together. It is simply an exercise in imagination, and particularly since the Hollywood scene at the time did not have much in the way of fantasy films (Willow was pretty much the best fantasy film around then – oh, that's right, there was also Conan), all of us fantasy aficionados simply had to resort to books, and if we wanted something that was specifically Dungeons and Dragons related, we have to wait for such a book to be released.
• 
  Adam Calhoun

  I found this on the $1 rack at half-price books in Seattle and immediately recognized the name Gary Gygax as the father of Dungeons and Dragons. How cool am I?
  
  In any event, the writing is pretty bad - obviously he Gygax never heard of the 'show, don't tell' dictum; every line is just more telling. Fortunately, the plot moves rapidly and is full of nonstop action. The first half of the book is entertaining as the eponymous Gord runs around causing havoc and stealing for his own benefit. I would rate this a solid three stars: nothing special, but fun to read nonetheless. Unfortunately, the book gets bogged down in its need for action and it becomes one meaningless loot-filled battle after another. You stop caring about the characters as the only drive to the plot is to get yet another stash of rubies or glowing sword. That half drags this down to a 'meh' and two stars.
• 
  DavidO

  Gary Gygax can't write fiction, even a story based on a D&D gaming session. This thing is worse written than the Endless Quest (choose your own adventure style) books by D&D. It is just so boring. So incredibly boring. The story itself is fine but its written in the most boring style imaginable.
  
  Did I mention it was boring?
• 
  Alan Edwards

  One of my favorite fantasy novels when I was a kid and I lived and breathed all things DnD and Gygax. I still have incredibly fond memories of the book, written in the style of Fritz Leiber. Gord the rogue made thieves cool to me for the first time.
• 
  Bryan457

  Follows the adventures of Gord the rogue. It is based on a D&D game,so it is all about developing the character's abilities while exploring the fantasy world of Greyhawk.
  
  Another one of my favorite books from when I was younger.
• 
  tara! Cronin

  one of my favorite childhood series!!
• 
  Brian Rogers

  This isn't technically a 'Gaming' book because there are no rules or mechanics, but it is because it's very much AD&D. Not a surprise given its author and publisher. I've read this book a good half dozen times since it came out, and it's a fall back quick read comfort book for me.
  
  Is it great? No. Gygax isn't a thrilling prose stylist, but his vocabulary is expansive, his love of the material is clear and his ability to pastiche the stories of Conan and his contemporaries is solid. That makes it a workable book as a fantasy adventure bildungsroman. If the book were actually framed as a set of novellas and short stories about Gord it would be better, but that's absolutely what it is - a series of 20-60 page tales of a young AD&D thief from his childhood and training (easily the best part of the book) to being a con man, to falling in with fantasy Romany for a while, to political skulduggery in Not-Chicago (Stoink is ruled entirely by thieves, under the control of Boss Dhaley), to wartime encounters to a classic "party of adventurers against a monster" dungeon crawl (easily the weakest part of the book).
  
  Reading it again as an adult, and in this age, the casual misogyny is more noticeable. Gygax is writing in 1984, trying to write like he's working for the pulps in the 1930s, and for some reason that makes his treatment of female characters somehow worse than the Conan stories - all of the women are hapless foils or motivational tools, and none of them are as fleshed out as the women who appear in the tales Gygax is striving to emulate. It's a drag on the book overall, and pulls my rating down.
• 
  Eric

  Written from the creator of Dungeons and Dragons, this book provides an interesting look into how Gary Gygax envisioned the D&D world of Greyhawk coming to life. The story follows Gord (the rogue) as he grows from street brat/beggar to a renowned thief and adventurer.
  
  The story is relatively easy to follow as each couple of chapters is kind of its own self contained story. Aside from Gord's personal growth (experience, gear and otherwise), what happens in one part of the book only serves to push him into his next adventure. Gord has a collection of conspirators, colleagues and friends that accompany him on his journey which add a counter point to how he views the world.
  
  One very cool part of the book is the appendix. Gygax translates Gord's adventures into D&D-speak. He talks about the levels he goes through, what magic items (and specific bonuses) Gord collects and describes how various D&D skills are portrayed in the book. Its really interesting to see how the creator of D&D envisioned the game coming to life.
  
  While the story is enjoyable and entertaining, I gave this story a 3 out of 5 because the writting isn't particularly good (or bad), and there are parts of the story that get bogged down. Gygax writes very compelling 'dungeon crawl' portions of the book, but travel and political intrigue are hard to follow and lack a certain 'something'. In addition, the title of the book is a little misleading. The book feels like a collection of short stories versus the 'saga' in the title, and most of the book takes place away from the old city.
  
• 
  Kevin

  I wanted to read this because I’ve read works by Gygax before, namely the 3 core rule books for first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (should I review those?). I’m not as familiar with the world of Greyhawk, but since it’s a fantasy novel and includes a map I figured I knew a lot about his vision already and what I didn’t I could pick up from context. First, the title is not quite accurate because the story may start off in the city, but it soon tracks the main character across a broad section of the continent over the course of 8 years. Second, Gygax’s prose isn’t as dry as his rule book explanations, but he’s no Charles Dickens either. Be prepared for a lot of rare words, some that even I had to look up, and for a bunch of missed opportunities for character relationship development. The story is about an adventurer in the D&D sense of the word, meaning that Gord is constantly improving and adding to his skill set while globetrotting and getting himself into all sorts of dangerous situations. The women he “loves” tend to come and go, and the people he teams up with matter little in the subsequent events after he goes off on his own way. The stats for the most important characters and their gear are worked in prose in the afterward, but the exceptions to the rules he created for D&D, such as why “training” is enough to overcome the off-hand penalty of two weapon use, are not explained. I guess writers tend to make their own characters exceptions to those rules… I’m looking at you R. A. Salvatore and your 5 attacks per round brainchild Drizzt.
• 
  Joshua Lee: Fallaw

  This is the first fantasy book in a long time that I haven't even been able to finish. It's not particularly bad—in fact, it's pretty solid action adventure pulp, not much different from many others. The fact that it's by one of the creators of D&D should make this a lot better, but in fact that's actually what makes it worse. As others have pointed out, it reads exactly like a series of teenage D&D sessions; Gord gets a job as a thief, learns the art of thievery, gets a girl, defeats the top thief (or warrior or mage or whatever), gets treasure, and levels up. Then Gord goes to the next town, gets a job as a mercenary, learns the art of battle, gets a new girl, defeats the enemy, gets some treasure, and levels up. Then Gord goes to the next town... I think you get it. I only got about two thirds of the way through the book after reading... five? versions of the exact same story, only set in different places and featuring different people, as Gord quests across the continent winning magical items, women, and treasure.
  
  I just got bored.
• 
  Michael

  Alright, real talk: this book is awful. Written in 1985, this is--I believe--Gygax's first foray into long-form fiction. The dialogue is terrible, the female characters are leaden sex objects, and the whole thing is just terrible. As far as a glimpse into the home campaign setting of Greyhawk goes, it's fine: this is how Gygax imagined a character moving through his fantasy world, so as a bit of an almanac, the book is useful. The main character, Gord the Rogue, begins as a level zero noone and grows in power and skills throughout the story, mimicking the level progression of a D&D character, so as a bit of a primer on how a Dungeons&Dragons campaign could work, I suppose it's useful.
  
  I think I actually read some of this book when I was in high school and abandoned it. I skim-read the last 20% of this stinker. I love you, Gary, but man!
• 
  Filbi

  Extremely weak start that builds to a slightly more satisfying second act, becoming a fairly interesting sword and sorcery bildungsroman. The book never escapes from Gary Gygax's failures as a writer: he constantly breezes over important scene-setting, telling instead of showing, and having characters talk to themselves to express their feelings to the reader. Not to mention the author's staggering misogyny (every female character is either a bitch, a burden, or both), racism in the form of his Romani stand-ins, and casual homophobia.
  
  Gygax is good at fast-paced, punchy action (even if you can sometimes hear the dice rolling) and creating atmospheric settings. Unfortunately his failings as an author and the book's meandering lack of direction make it a frustrating read at best.
• 
  Justin Alferman

  The narrative of this adventure should be seen for what it is, a D&D campaign. The entire book is one adventure after another, tied together loosely to form a larger story of Gord. I will suggest to any reader to keep going through the loosely connected stories, as they paint a larger growing story later on. Very good adventure, full of action and intrigue. I would suggest downloading a map of greyhawk, as it will aid in understanding the landscape as well.