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Vigilant: Through Shadow and Dreams Book One $2.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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Vigilant: Through Shadow and Dreams Book One
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Vigilant: Through Shadow and Dreams Book One
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Austin [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/24/2023 19:57:28

The Scarred Lands was a creative and impressively detailed setting that was brought to a close far too soon. With 5th edition the setting has been thankfully revived, and with that revival comes a beefy novel to provide us with a closer look at the setting.

The first thing to note is that the synopsis and opening chapter are misleading. The reader is led to believe that this book serves as an adaptation of the "Serpent Amphora Cycle" adventure modules that were published for the original setting. In actuality, the majority of the book is focused on the career of the Vigilante Eochaid Lenahr.

It's easy to see that this book was written by a huge fan of the setting. References to the gods, the setting's history, locations, creatures, spells and even prestige classes can be found throughout the book. It's exactly what I'd want to see in a book for the Scarred Lands and I love getting to explore the setting from an on-the-ground perspective. The banter between the characters is excellent and makes their adventures entertaining even when they aren't in battle.

As a caveat, instead of focusing on a singular plot the majority of the book is focused on the day-to-day workings of the the Vigilant companies. Those who read the book who don't already have a significant investment in the setting may find it tedious. The dialogue can also be a bit too vulgar for my liking. Making the characters' speech patterns too modern can reduce the flavor of medieval themed fantasy.

Although it's been awhile since the book was originally published, the author assures us that a follow-up is still in the making. I look forward to it, and whatever other books may come from the setting's revival. Let's hope that someday, the Scarred Lands gain the recognition that they deserve.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Vigilant: Through Shadow and Dreams Book One
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Timothy B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/29/2020 00:27:26

To provide a bit of context, I'm someone who has never played an adventure in the Scarred Lands setting. I've read a trilogy of novels and have some of the materials for D&D, but haven't "lived" in the world with my own player character. I appreciate that this book is approachable to a reader who isn't deeply steeped in the lore. It focuses on only a handful of locations, and fleshes them out sufficiently for me to get a good sense of what makes each unique.

This book is an interesting contrast to the other trilogy that I read. The characters, while still fantasy characters, are much more down-to-earth. The story is more personal, rather than epic in scope. It goes a long way to showing that the setting is capable of telling different types of stories within various sub-genres.

I found the book to be an entertaining read. It touches on some dark themes, particularly around warfare, so be aware of that if you're sensitive to descriptions of violence. By the end, I was quite curious to discover more about the main character, Eochaid's, story. I hope there will be additional books in this series so I'll get the opportunity to read the continuation of his tale.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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