''Escape from Undermountain'' is a fantasy novel by Mark Anthony, set in the world of the

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...

, and based on the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

'' role-playing game. It is the third novel published in the series "

The Nobles ''The Nobles'' is a series of novels by David Cook, Victor Milán, Mark Anthony, Brian Thomsen, Paul Kidd, and Lynn Abbey, set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Plot summary The books all touch on the schemes of the nobility in Faerûn, an ...

". It was published in paperback, February 1996.

Plot summary

''Escape from Undermountain'' is a novel in which a half-orc must rescue a nobleman in Undermountain within 48-hours, using a small golden box which creates a magical gate to take them out of the monster-filled subterranean labyrinth. For rescuing the nobleman, all crimes that the rogue Artek Ar'talen the Knife has committed in the past will be pardoned. During the journey, he makes unlikely allies as they navigate the dangerous labyrinth made by mad wizard Halaster, trying to find a way out, before time runs out.

Reception

Jonathan Palmer reviewed ''Escape from Undermountain'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 6 out of 10 overall. He says of the story, "This is real ''Dungeons & Dragons''" and feels that "Something inevitably has to go wrong." Palmer concludes the review by saying, "Mark Anthony writes to formula and what little plot there is he spells out early. That said, ''Escape'' is engaging and witty, so novices may find this Forgotten Realms novel a good introduction to the concepts of fantasy roleplaying."

References

{{D&D topics 1996 American novels Forgotten Realms novels