White Plume Mountain Trilogy Review

Book: White Plume Mountain
Author: Pauli Kidd
Pages: 310
Hard Core Scale:3/8
Normal Scale: 8/10
Publish Date: 1999
About: The Justicarr seeks to get to the bottom of a caravan attacks, but after a run in with a fairy, demons, and warring priests he finds his patience wearing thin on the long road to White Plume Mountain.


Review: So fun, what Pauli does best. Perhaps I am too nice though…  The conflict is maddening, an obfuscating stupendous evil villain whose plan is outright benighted, but due to how tongue and cheek here it could perhaps be left to slide. Some of those plot points could be debated cut as they seem a means to an end and gunk up space, or perhaps it was just word contract and reflecting the bat shit insanity of Gygax dungeons over Anderson Dungeons. The beginning reeks of late 90s and early 2000s fantasy aesthetic. However, by act two Pauli cracks open the fun and gives monsters the goodness the genre at this period often lack. I love Enid and Cinder a lot. His real-world penchant for equipment accuracy versus DND tropes a laugh riot. I have to wrinkle at costume destruction, but it stays within reason. At the same time, the dungeoneering spelunking in the book very much captures the spirit of the game. A fun and well worth it read.

 

 

 

Book: Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Author: Pauli Kidd
Pages: 310
Hard Core Scale: 3/4
Normal Scale: 8/10
Publish Date: 2000
About: After their victory at White Plume Mountain, the Justicar and the fairy enjoy their rewards. Odd happenings, strange plots, and kidnapped innocents take them on a new adventure deep within the earth.
Review: Curse of the middle. A slow start. Some royal yous and contrived plot of convenience. However, another Pauli Kidd romp. Some of the charm is gone from the first one. The repeat costume destruction of the fairy was a bit of a turn off. Also, some 2000s action sequences of mass heroic murder atypical of Kidd who likes to pride themselves on the reasonable with conflict. Still, just fun.

Book: Queen of the Demon Web Pitts
Author: Pauli Kidd
Pages: 309
Hard Core Scale: 2.5/4
Normal Scale: 8/10
Publish Date: 2000
About: The demon queen Loth plots her revenge against a fairy and warrior
Review: Pure fun as always. Some stuff to cut. I almost feel like I should make a Pauli bingo at this rate. The scenes of Loth outside the prologue are a bit bothersome. An ancient demon god acts like a stupid hussy instead of a dark ancient power. The scenes serve to draw attention to a deus ex character, a common archetype for Pauli, the secretary. Kind of takes from the fun a bit. Also some weird plot points stacked in there and a fast passed ending of eternity opened for more adventure, clearly not answered by Wizards. Over all though still fun, just some clogging hurting it in the old escalation game. Though I to share Teratophilia with Pauli, the the forced together romances here come out of nowhere and are very strange and did not have to be. Noticed the Vance Moor advertisement on the back of this thing. I apologize Pauli that your work had to advertise that train wreck. 

 


                                                     White Plume Mountain Cover, by Raven woodWizards of the Coast.

 

 

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