Prince of Wolves

Prince of Wolves is another unassuming, yet satisfying sword and sorcery novel put out by RPG publisher Paizo. Whilst it's certainly not going to turn any heads, the book does an admirable job of serving up a a satisfying tale that is neither too smart nor too stupid.

Varian Jeggare is in gothic climes trying to track down a protege with his devilish bodyguard, Radovan. What should be a simple investigation quickly gets complicated with cults, werewolves, and a prisoned god threatening to escape.

Prince of Wolves did the job. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as my other Paizo novel to date, Death's Heretic; Gross is not as fluid with his prose. The beginning of the book is hampered by an awkward framing device - Varian is writing show more "letters" to his missing friend. It's a silly way to start a novel, inescapably false and mannered, and the book is much stronger once he abandons it.

Likewise, the characterisation, more Varian than Radovan, is on the simplistic side. There are times Gross's planning is clear and what the characters are saying and thinking is more to do with where he wants them to go than any organic development.

But that said, Gross does have a destination in mind - for both characters and plot - and that goes an almost depressingly long way in modern fantasy. By the end of the book, the story is wrapped up, our characters have grown and are poised for the next adventure.

I certainly wouldn't be recommending Prince of Wolves to anyone who doesn't read in the genre, and then with caveats. But these books are guilty pleasures for me, and it's nice to read a stand-alone fantasy, that clocks under a hundred thousand words, with a fun, pastiche-filled setting going beyond a rehashed dark ages.

These might be simple stories, but thus far the Pathfinder Tales have avoided many of the traps that fell more ambitious, weightier tomes in the genre. I'll definitely be reading more. show less

The Prince of Wolves is a novel set in the Pathfinder game world of Golarion. The story mostly takes place in the somewhat remote nation of Ustalav, part of which is overrun by undead. The book also features 2 of the author's recurring characters, Count Varian Jeggare and his associate/servant Radovan. Count Jeggare is a leader in the Pathfinder Society, a sort of Explorers Club that sends investigators after old knowledge and artifacts, Indian Jones style. When one of the Pathfinders disappears in Ustalav, the Count and Radovan go to investigate in person. They are promptly attacked and separated, and spend the rest of the book tracking both the missing agent and their own attackers, while getting tangled up with Sczarni (gypsies) and show more local inhabitants - and various undead. That makes this part mystery, part Pathfinder adventure novel, though at times it is heavy on the mystery. The author does a great job with the setting and including some rarely used creatures. show less

it starts a bit slow and i'm sorry to say the narative as through the eyes of the noble remains somewhat drier than the parts through the eys of the servent, but i bid readers to stick with it....this ends up being a fairly descent tale with plenty of twists that shall keep one reading. i must add a few spoilers: if you are a young lady in the protection of the count protaganist, panic....you'll suffer a horid death or worse within a short number of pages. also, how on earth did Radovan not stay? nice symbolisim with the pet to, i think. Anywho, this books gets my stamp of approval. The 1st person narative added to the story and took away at the same time, but all in all, a good tale.