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272nd out of 347 books
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483 voters
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Quag Keep (Quag Keep (Greyhawk) #1)
by
Andre Norton
Quag Keep was the first novel based on the world of Dungeons & Dragons by the legendary grand mistress of SF/Fantasy, Andre Norton.
Once, they were role-playing gamers in our world.
They came from different places and different backgrounds.
Now they're summoned together by some magical force…to a land that mirrors the games they used to play.
Quag Keep
Can they band toge...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
May 2nd 2006
by Tor Books
(first published 1978)
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This was given a 1 because -5 is not an option.
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The relationship to D&D is explicit (it's on the dedication page). Less obvious is the part Donald A Wollheim played in getting books published in affordable editions, introducing new authors, etc. It's not an accident that this is a DAW book.
It's an indication of Norton's prejudices that she set up a crude dichotomy ('law=good, chaos=evil'), and that neutrals are marginalized and often despised. I played only rarely, but I remember clearly that there were characters whose alignme...more
It's an indication of Norton's prejudices that she set up a crude dichotomy ('law=good, chaos=evil'), and that neutrals are marginalized and often despised. I played only rarely, but I remember clearly that there were characters whose alignme...more
The book itself was good. That's about all I can say for it. It had some nice people and places but in the end no one was really fleshed out all that well. I found the ending to be a bit of a disappointment. Throughout I felt they were building to some great mystery and in the end it was really lacking. It left me with a very ho-hum feeling. The characters themselves had some really nice visuals but in the end I don't feel like I got to know them at all. Everything felt a little hollow. Fighting...more
The very first Andre Norton novel I read, and still among my favorites. There is a sequel as well. Ms. Norton deserved more attention than she got from the general sci-fi fan base, and I know this because I heard from a friend that she was very ill (a few years before she died), and he gave me an e-mail address through which I could send get-well wishes. I got a very touching answer from her personal assistant, who thanked me for being among the fairly small number of fans that wrote and how ...more
hehehe.... only Niven and Norton on my shelf starting with N... might have to fix that... but in the meantime, I have gone with Norton with a revisit to Quag Keep... because the good Lord knows my life has been one game after another, and wouldn't it be soooo cool to actually BE in one! :-D
So not the literary genius one would guess at, nor was it what I remember... nice walk down memory lane... I found myself spending more time remembering gaming sessions than concentrating on...more
So not the literary genius one would guess at, nor was it what I remember... nice walk down memory lane... I found myself spending more time remembering gaming sessions than concentrating on...more
Sometimes all you want or need from a fantasy novel is to have a bunch of guys with swords go on a quest and fight some monsters.
That really is all there is here and Norton only makes the slightest effort to pretend she's trying to do more than that.
We get a nice mix of various fantasy 'types' with the bare minimum of characterization, as they travel exotic locals and fight everything from evil druids to zombies to a dragon.
You read it, every couple chapters mutter 'Oh, ...more
That really is all there is here and Norton only makes the slightest effort to pretend she's trying to do more than that.
We get a nice mix of various fantasy 'types' with the bare minimum of characterization, as they travel exotic locals and fight everything from evil druids to zombies to a dragon.
You read it, every couple chapters mutter 'Oh, ...more
I read this before I ever got my hands on a set of multiply-shaped dice (that would be years later). It was fascinating to me then, and remained so even after I'd played D&D, AD&D, and god knows what else.
Why? Because, if you do it correctly, you should have some sense of the character you're playing. This novel takes that a step further—what if the character has some sense of you?
Why? Because, if you do it correctly, you should have some sense of the character you're playing. This novel takes that a step further—what if the character has some sense of you?
This is one of the first books I ever purchased with my own money as a kid. Got it from a used book store / comic shop I used to frequent. I haven't read it since I was about 10 I would guess so we'll have to see how it holds up. I still have it sitting on my book shelf.
Silas
added it
It definitely showed its age. Having just read a bunch of R.A. Salvatore books, it wasn't quite as enjoyable as that. It is quite an old book. The phrasing is somewhat awkward, and it was kind of odd, but it was alright, I suppose.
I couldn't get into it. The characters were indistinguishable from each other, the setting was opaque and a plot never seemed to emerge. I recognized some Greyhawk place names, but nothing beyond that.
Sort of an amazing return to 12-year-old me. A novel version of the original Dungeons and Dragons world, and as such, supremely, nostalgically nerdy. And delightful.
Classic Andre Norton. Loved it as a teenager, but found it a bit simplistic now.
Fantasy where RPGers get sucked into their game.
Hannah
rated it
Recommended to Hannah by:
Small town libarary
Shelves:
for-fun-but-with-some-substance
This story totally maxed out my weirdness at the time. Several years latter I heard about D&D and figured out what the story was based or structured by. It was slightly less mysterious after that.
The sequel (written by another author) lost this mystery entirely and promptly started killing off main characters. Made me ill to skim it.
Andre Norton knew when a story should trump random dice rolls and probabilities.
The sequel (written by another author) lost this mystery entirely and promptly started killing off main characters. Made me ill to skim it.
Andre Norton knew when a story should trump random dice rolls and probabilities.
I enjoyed this book much more when I was a kid.
While I think this is a 3 star writing, it get an extra star for the nostalgia factor and the fact that it is one of, if not the first, fantasy novel to be set in the D&D universe. I still have fond memories of reading this book for the first time.
Had nothing to do with D&D other than being vanilla D&D fantasy. The transition between real-world and the fantasy world didn't make sense, much less worked. A terrible read.
This one is a kind of original fantasy meets D&D story. A group of game players end up in the game world and a quest ensues. Pretty good, although not Norton's best.
Wizard of Oz meets Dungeons and Dragons ("I don't think we're in the basement anymore, Toto"). Geeky goodness from one of the masters.
Possibly the first D&D novel. Sadly, foreshadows the standard of most D&D novels being generic and bland.
An excellent intro to D&D. Wonderful read.
Charlie
added it
AWFUL DO NOT READ
read 12.04.85
Emily
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Born February 17, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio, Alice Mary Norton has always had an affinity to the humanities. She started writing in her teens, inspired by a charismatic high school teacher. First contacts with the publishing world led her, as many other contemporary female writers targeting a male-dominated market, to choose a literary pseudonym. In 1934 she legally changed her name to Andre Alice. ...more
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