''The Binding Stone'' is a fantasy novel by

Don Bassingthwaite Don Bassingthwaite is a Canadian author from Toronto. Early life and education Bassingthwaite was born in Meaford, Ontario. He played ''Dungeons & Dragons'' in high school, attending the Georgian Bay District Secondary School where his project o ...

, set in the world of

Eberron Eberron is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. The game is set primarily on the continent of Khorvaire following a vast destructive war. Eberron is designed to accommodate traditional ''D&D'' elements 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 first novel in "The Dragon Below" series. It was published in paperback in August 2005.

Plot summary

''The Binding Stone'' follows the stories of shifter Geth and human shaman Adolan as they join kalashtar psychic Dandra and Lieutenant Singe.

Reception

Pat Ferrara of mania.com comments: "First of all I gotta say this guy can write and this book was a great introduction to a new series. Don immediately sets up characters that are unique and memorable, so much so that I actually cringed when a favorite persona got killed off (which I haven’t done in a long while). Although you do have your archetypal good and evil forms, the author avoids a common pitfall of fantasy literature by painting characters with a spectrum of moral hues. Not only does this add realism to a lush world but also makes the motivations far more believable and above all leads ample room for character growth. This is evident in Singe and Geth’s haunting back story as well as the addition of a new major player: Ashi. A former foe of the Bonetree clan, Ashi transforms from a stereotypical opponent to a dynamic individual throughout the novel. A great opener." ''The Binding Stone'' was #2 on '' CBR'''s 2020 "10 Of The Best DnD Stories To Start Off With" list — the article states that "Not only is ''The Binding Stone'' worth a read on its own merits, its great source of inspiration for DMs and players wanting to play in the ''Eberron'' setting. Many of the book's main characters highlight the races unique to the setting and the setting's greyer morally. It also introduces the Bonetree clan, a more nuanced take on the barbarian horde."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Binding Stone 2005 American novels Eberron novels