''The Rod of Seven Parts'' is a fantasy novel by

Douglas Niles Douglas Niles (born December 1, 1954, in Brookfield, Wisconsin) is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, the ''Star Frontiers'' space o ...

, 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, published in 1996.

Plot summary

Kip Kayle, a

thief Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

, accidentally gets involved in a quest to restore the

Rod of Seven Parts ''The Rod of Seven Parts'' is a 1996 accessory for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, written by Skip Williams. It focuses on the artifact of the same name, which was originally introduced in the 19 ...

, and as the quest progresses it leads to a vast cosmic battle between the forces of Law and Chaos.

Reception

Trenton Webb reviewed ''The Rod of Seven Parts'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 7 out of 10 overall. He commented that "''The Rod Of Seven Parts'' doesn't even pretend to be a 'proper' book; glibly ignoring such trifling conventions as characterisation, pacing and structure. It's a work of reportage that (almost too) accurately recreates the feel of an actual game in play which - as a teaser for the forthcoming campaign based on the 'legendary' artifact - is exactly what it should be." He continued by saying "The story starts with a furious duel between a Wind Duke and Lycosyd, and from that moment on, the pace is unrelenting. This speed of delivery helps paper over a few cracks. The characters are functional class/race archetypes, while their dialogue has the air of 'real' conversations culled from players under pressure, rather than being considered character-developing speech. The plot pushes everything on at such a rate that many questions are left unanswered." Webb went on to say that "The resolution of cliffhangers is often illogical and regularly beyond the control of the central cast. All their escapes seem plausible at first, but on reflection are increasingly dissatisfying, Yet somehow the sensation of gamers at play surfaces, because when logic falls foul of fun, the characters (players?) are winging it. Such 'amateurish' elements should both damn the book to the same plane of hell as the main villain Miska; but don't." He added, "The mix of monsters is right, escalating from ogres through to top- notch tannari. The setting continually changes, moving swiftly from the familiar dungeon environment through city streets to the planes of Pandemonium. There are big heroes and big villains. And you get to meet and fight them both." Webb concludes the review by saying, "The flaws restrict rather than cripple ''The Rod Of Seven Parts'', (even though the way it handles laws regarding alignment is extremely annoying). Aimed at a hard-core ''D&D'' audience, it's an enjoyable tale told with enough raw enthusiasm to maintain the 'live and direct from the tabletop' feel. If your gaming palette has become jaded of late, it's an ideal tonic."

Reviews

*Review by Don D'Ammassa (1998) in

Science Fiction Chronicle DNA Publications was an American publishing company that existed from 1993 to 2007 and was run by the husband-and-wife team of Warren Lapine and Angela Kessler. Initially based in Massachusetts, DNA Publications relocated to Radford, Virginia. A ...

, #197 May–June 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rod of Seven Parts 1996 novels Novels based on Dungeons & Dragons