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Monday, April 27, 2015

Best Review I've Ever Gotten!


This is the best review I've ever gotten for something I wrote -- Cyclopean Deeps vol 1 -- so I'm geeked. The first couple of paragraphs are about other things, but then it starts the review. The reviewer (who is apparently THE Pathfinder go-to reviewer) is covering the Pathfinder version of the book, not the Swords & Wizardry version, so there's some discussion of the mechanics, but as you'll see the review specifically focuses on the non-mechanical side. It's well timed, too, because the second volume is done and is an add-on to the Kickstarter for Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms, which is underway now.

But back to the review, 'cause I'm geeked. :)

"This manages to elicit a sense of cultural wonder akin to the writings of the classic titans like Gygax, a breath of the magical and uncanny, while also breathing the spirit of the mythos and classic pulp fiction akin to Howard or Haggard. Cyclopean Deeps managed to evoke something I almost never feel anymore these days – a sense of jamais-vu."

"As odd and alien the vistas portrayed herein are, they still feel uncannily organic, realistic and alive – which drives further home the point of this book being not only unique, but inspired in the very best way. "

"...a sense of decrepitude, of civilizations most vile, fallen to magics even worse, suffuses the paragraphs, with details upon details drawing a picture of a world that could be another, a place so wildly different, yet familiar, that it could be considered an escalation of the concept of the uncanny.

"This massive tome breathes more unique ideas in a chapter than some whole series of books."

"Author Matthew J. Finch delivers quite frankly one of the most imaginative, awesome books in the whole Frog God/Necromancer Games-canon"

9 comments:

  1. mmm....been on the fence about picking this up....

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  2. You know, it's one of the only things that you've done that I don't own. That said, I chipped in for both on the new KS a couple weeks back.

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  3. "Author Matthew J. Finch delivers quite frankly one of the most imaginative, awesome books in the whole Frog God/Necromancer Games-canon"

    This is pretty much my take. :)

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  4. I snagged this on one of the Frog God sales, like it enough that I am planning to spring a 5E conversion soon on my players.

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  6. I whole heartedly agree with this review. In fact, shocked at how quietly this work was received, I posted my own praise for it in the Frog God Games forums just last week. I hope it starts to get the recognition it deserves.

    https://www.froggodgames.com/forum/cyclopean-deeps-vol-1

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  7. Just reading volume 1 now and it's help me rediscover my love for the Underdark! I've decided to link up the Cyclopean Deeps to my own setting as well as to the original D-series adventures and "Night Below." Really digging the eldritch horror vibe so I'm also having it connect to Underborea since I recently dropped Hyperborea into our gaming world's north pole. Especially enjoy the Dark Folk city. They have been underused in my opinion, though I've always liked them as creepy villains.

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