Queen of Thorns is a surprising departure from the norm for what I typically call "professional fanfic" -- novels within settings created for other media without simply being a novelization of the works in other media. Examples include film (e.g. Star Wars novels) and, as in this case, roleplaying games. Such professional fanfic novels litter the shelves in the science fiction sections of bookstores. While many people will talk about some of them being good and others bad, the truth of the matter is that when set side-by-side with novels of the not-fanfic variety they are overwhelmingly mediocre at best, and quite often simply bad. What makes this novel so distinctive is that it is one of only a handful "professional fanfic" novels I have encountered that is good enough to stand on its own. It does not simply overcome the handicaps of that general type of novel, but seems to erase them entirely and rise above the majority of decent novels in general.

The author's talent for evocative description without belaboring the details of a scene, his ability to infuse his narrative characters with distinctive and hilarious wit, and (best of all) his skillful obscuring of the mechanics of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game on which the story is based and in whose default setting it takes place rather than falling into the trap of bludgeoning the reader with its origins in immersion-breaking game mechanics, are all significant contributors to my enjoyment of the book. Even the last line of the novel is well-chosen and leaves me with a sense of satisfaction that is rarely achieved in other novels. Out of the four Pathfinder books I have read so far -- all four gifted to me by another roleplaying gamer who decided to give up Pathfinder RPG and move out of state, this being the last of them I have read and (I believed) surely the last Pathfinder novel I would read -- this is by far the best, and I am inspired to seek out more works by this author to see if his storycrafting holds up in further novels.

I believe he has written two other Pathfinder novels, at least, and judging by some of the references to the characters' pasts I suspect at least one of them details some of their earlier experiences. I plan to see if that is the case and, if so, perhaps read them as well.

In short: This book is not Great Literature, it is not Deeply Meaningful, it is not Art, and it is not Life-Altering. It is not even particularly insightful. It is, however, well-crafted storytelling supported by engaging characterization, and I found it highly entertaining. It is about as good as a book can be without being any of the things I just said it isn't, which is to say it's a really good read. ( )

The latest installment of the adventures of Varian Jeggare and his half-devil companion, Radovan. There's a lot of action in this book, starting almost from the beginning, but not too much. Varian is forced to search for his missing father and discover a secret of the Elven homeland. This book is based in the Pathfinder game world of Golarion and uses concepts from the Pathfinder roleplaying game. That doesn't detract from the book, the author does a good job of making this more of a novel than a game accessory. ( )

Another strong outing by Gross, who is happy to investigate the inner lives of his characters as much as new lands and challenges. The combo is appealing.

Varian and Radovan are off to the elven homeland of Kyonin. The original intent is to repair Varian's wrecked carriage, but the duo are quickly given new jobs by the Queen, along with some new companions. What they find in the forest is surprising, but what they find in Radovan is even more so.

Gross is developing into a latter-day Fritz Leiber, with Varian and Radovan his Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. Whilst he's not yet at those dizzying heights, the books, and characters, continue to grow in depth and the adventures are always enjoyable.

The setting is enjoyable, though I would have liked a little more of the Elven court - which is important in the story, but featured largely offscreen as the group plunges through the wilderness.

That said, the wilderness, as always, is very interesting, filled with monsters, spells and artefacts. The book comes to a very satisfying close and promises many adventures to come. Good stuff. ( )