'Pages of Pain' by Troy Denning
(c) 1996 TSR, Inc.
Distributed by Random House
$19.99 hc $5.99 ppb
Speak not of the Lady, lest ye discover why her name is Pain.
The god Poseidon has a grt for the Lady of Pain, the ruler of the city Sigil. A grt that could very well be a trap and the Lady knows it. He has sent a warrior to deliver it -- a self-righteous and overconfident warrior who has no idea of who he really is or where he originally came from. All he can remember is the time from when he first awoke on one of the layers of Arborea to the present. It’s promised that when the Lady receives the treasure-laden amphora he will have his memories returned. The Amnesian Hero of Thrassos is the name he must temporarily endure.
The Lady thrives on the pain and suffering of others. The slightest touch from her spirit can cause blistering welts of the four true pains -- agony, anguish, misery, and despair. She fully embraces the warrior, burying these blisters deep within his soul. From above she then watches and enjoys as the city does its best to keep him from making his delivery.
Along the way, the Amnesian Hero reluctantly enlists the aid of various misfits, two of my favorites being Jayk -- a spellcasting tiefling with serpentine features (bad cliché -- Jayk the Snake) and a huge, addle-minded bariaur by the name of Silverwind.
The story consists of a simple plot with several interesting twists. There is plenty of action and the story is continually moving. It was on my second reading of this novel that I finally began to visualize the city of Sigil and its inhabitants as Mr. Denning has portrayed. I felt drawn into the story. I could envision the city, imagine the heat from the forges, and understand the characters’ driving force thanks to wonderfully detailed descriptions. Once, I caught myself actually talking to the book cheering on one of the characters. The well-defined and accurately-portrayed characters show depth and would translate excellently to the gaming campaign. Combat sequences are innovative and well-coordinated. A dungeon master or player who is looking to improve their game would do well to read this book and see how various personalities interact, especially those in the planar campaigns where what would normally be a monster could very well be your best friend or savior.
This is one of only four books set in the AD&D PlaneScape game setting to date. It is, in my opinion, the best of this class.
(review (c) 1999 / Patrick Collins )