The Complete Griselda

by Oliver Dickinson

Genres: Fantasy

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Richard Hands · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here's the thing. This is a collection of short stories set in the fantasy world of Glorantha, which was the original setting for the roleplaying game RuneQuest. It would be a bit unkind to describe them as Glorantha fan-fic, as Dickinson is a reasonable writer and a professor of ancient history into the bargain, but still - they kind of are superior fan-fic (I mean knocks spots of 50 Shades of Grey - which started life as Twilight fan-fic). Most of them were originally published in the late, lamented White Dwarf magazine, but there were plenty here I hadn't read in spite of that.

Dickinson pitches us into the seamier side of life in the bustling, multi-cultural and often downright dangerous city of New Pavis, an adjunct for exploration of the ancient ruins of Old Pavis (aka 'The Big Rubble') next door, and kind of Adventurer Central, ruled over warily by the military colonisers of the distant Lunar Empire. I think the setting works without you knowing much about Glorantha, but a bit of a grounding does go a long way. But for me the best thing about the stories by far is that they are written as Damon Runyon pastiche, with Griselda and her crew part of the wise guys and hustling dolls of a setting every bit as colourful as 30s New York, and turning minor non-player characters sometimes mentioned only in passing in a game supplement into memorable turns. So provided you're not expecting a fully polished, professional writing job, it's well worth your time strapping on your armour and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Loud Lilina, Treasure-Trove Hurbi, Lucky Eddi and Rowdy Djo Lo, and if you're already a Glorantha fan, then I am thinking to myself that it is really high time that you used your noggin and caught up with what it is that is going down.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I expected it to be. A collection of entertaining short stories about the adventuress/rogue Griselda in the world of Glorantha. Most of the tales take place in and around the city of Pavis, a gathering place of adventurers in the roleplaying game RuneQuest.

The stories are written as a pastiche of Damon Runyon. Not having read any Runyon, the most obvious result of this is the use of the term "doll" to refer to a woman. This was jarringly anachronistic at first, but I became more or less accustomed to it after a few stories.

[Andrew Staples · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered Oliver Dickinson's short stories in White Dwarf. Later I picked up The Collected Griselda, which, uh, collected the stories from multiple periodicals in one volume. The Complete Griselda is largely the same as the collected edition, but includes another three or four stories published later.

It may take a newcomer a little while to appreciate the stories. These are not your typical fantasy fare. Dickinson writes in a pastiche of Damon Runyon (present tense, no contractions, 1920s New York slang). All the stories are set in the city of Pavis, in the RuneQuest roleplaying game world of Glorantha.

The result is a distinctive, knowing and humorous view into the game world. Game fiction is of notoriously variable quality; Griselda is among the very best.

[Baron Greystone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading this collection. I had read some of these short stories in various places over the years, and not in any particular order. Having them all together in chronological order was a real treat. The stories are set in the Runequest role-playing game's fictional world of Glorantha, and reading this has given me a strong desire to run a game in the city of Pavis. The stories (all but the last) are written in the style of author Damon Runyon, whom you should look up. It's unique, and I'm thinking of playing my game with an attempt at using Runyon's language as a pidgin Trade/Common language. Check it out and see what you think.

[Richard Perry80 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently got a signed copy from the author and its been fun to read the stories. Makes me want to play RQ or Herowars again. Short, witty sroties means a book you can pick up and put down as you get the time to rread it.