This is the first Pathfinder novel that I have read, since getting into the world of Golarion as a DM and player I have wanted stories about it. Turns out there are quite a few available. This is my review of one of them.

First of all I am going to tell you the things I liked the most, then a brief plot description and some final thoughts.

One of the best things this book did was show that it is a Pathfinder story, not just a generic fantasy novel. Yes, the Pathfinder organization was briefly featured, but there was so much more than that to ground this book in the Inner Sea. The way the setting, peoples, places, culture, and even game mechanics was worked into the story really made it come alive. This was more than just mentioning nations and gods, going to Absalom, and using unique monsters. The culture of different areas was discussed, both while the characters were there and by the characters themselves, it felt like a living world that was straight out of the Inner Sea Campaign Setting.

After more than 10 years, GODLIKE: Superhero Roleplaying in a World on Fire, 1936-1946 now has a PDF edition with a paperback on the way. Editor and publisher, Shane Ivey, tells us what it was like running the Kickstarter and getting the game ready for these new versions.

Gamers have wanted GODLIKE in PDF from the very beginning, and gamers made it possible in the Kickstarter project that we held to raise money to get the ancient layout files converted to a modern format and to commission new cover art. We have sent the PDF to Kickstarter backers. Thank you, everyone who supported the project!

Conspiracy of Shadows: Apprentice is a short form, self-contained role-playing game centered around one man’s quest to take the place of his master. In the game, you and your friends will take on the role of a small band of northern warriors and the mysterious Apprentice as they travel the wild frozen north to find and destroy the Master. The goal of this kickstarter is to raise funds to publish this short form game, both as a traditional printed document and as a handcrafted artifact.

Terrors lurk in the darkness, subvert the souls, and corrupt the mind. Secret detachments of psychics remotely view our every move. Powerful occultists perform secret rituals in hidden locations, manipulating our world to their ends. Mysterious forces invade our very souls, twisting and distorting the weak into strong and violent predators. Creatures flee from humanity’s encroachment on their territories, then strike out when prying eyes get too close. Spirits haunt the edges of our silent fears.

This is the paranormal side of the world of Conspiracy X. Operatives struggle to uncover secret occult cabals, exorcise dangerous spirits, investigate the creatures of myth, and project their minds into future. The threat of alien invasion may loom, but the corruption of humanity by paranormal forces lurks behind every mission. Can you truly say you are prepared for the direst of humankind’s imaginings? The ageless battle against the paranormal continues.

The Paranormal Sourcebook is available now at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop!

Race to Adventure! is a fun, family-friendly board game for ages 8 and up that can be played in about half an hour. Fans of pulp will love the brightly-colored world of talking apes and flying jet-men, and busy families can have an evening of fun that doesn’t take over the whole night.

For experienced gamers who love the “role selection” dynamic in board and card games, Race to Adventure! offers a strong introduction to those concepts that your friends will find less intimidating than similar Euro-games, yet still packed with enough complexity and configurability to challenge everyone.

The Stoker-award winning editor of the acclaimed, eclectic anthology The New Dead returns with 21st Century Dead, and an all-new lineup of authors from all corners of the fiction world, shining a dark light on our fascination with tales of death and resurrection… with ZOMBIES!

The stellar stories in this volume includes a tale set in the world of Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse, the first published fiction by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, and a tale of love, family, and resurrection from the legendary Orson Scott Card. This new volume also includes stories also from other award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors, such as: Simon R. Green, Chelsea Cain, Jonathan Maberry, Duane Swiercyznski, Caitlin Kittredge, Brian Keene, Amber Benson, John Skipp, S. G. Browne, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Hollywood screenwriter Stephen Susco, National Book Award nominee Dan Chaon, and more!

Flames Rising is pleased to present an excerpt from this collection by editor Christopher Golden.

Summer is the best time ever. No more pencils, no more books, you know the deal. And this year, it’s going to be extra-awesome because you’re spending two weeks at Camp Howland Rolf where you’ll be swimming, playing sports, running around like crazy, fending off the attacks of ravenous woodland creatures… Wait—what was that last […]

“Godlike in their abilities, let us hope this new breed of man will carry the burden of a suffering world to our ultimate and unwavering goal — freedom for all the people of the Earth.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, November 10, 1941

At the dawn of World War II, a handful of people called “Talents” manifested strange powers that set them apart from the rest of humanity. With these powers man took to the air without mechanical aid, explored the depths of the sea without life support, and touched the rim of space.

To others, Talents seemed godlike in their power. Only the Talents themselves, pushed to the front lines of every battle, knew the truth — that these newfound powers seemed pointless in the face of death.

That their power set them apart from family, friends and enemies.

That it made them more, and yet somehow less.

These fears, like the power that feeds them, are godlike in their scope.

“The world is richly super [yet] delightfully bleak and war-torn…. Look, up in the sky — and take cover.” —Kenneth Hite, Out of the Box

A GAME LIKE NO OTHER

Our author design series continues today with a new essay from Corissa Baker, who tells us about her new novel The Shadow of Dracula; Harker’s Inheritance.

When I started the research process for The Shadow of Dracula; Harker’s Inheritance I knew that I had to be thorough and committed to Bram Stoker’s classic. From the beginning, I was writing this book for fans of this long-lasting pillar of literature. I was not, be assured, pinning a plot to the success of Dracula in order to capitalize on it.

Beyond the Dice enhances the overall gaming experience by adding emotional depth to the table-top gaming environment.

Phrygian Phish Musical Productions presents the first release in a new line of soundtracks specifically created for the tabletop gaming environment. Beyond the Dice: Symphonic Soundscapes features six dynamic symphonic scores and two bonus music tracks created to provide a musical reference for various gaming scenes.

The 24th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (“The Eisners”) was held last night in the Indigo Ballroom of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, showcasing the best in comics for 2011, and publisher Archaia is happy to announce it was honored with three awards for its original graphic novel hardcover, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand.

Award-winning publisher Archaia Entertainment is excited to announce a partnership with Ishimori Production Inc. of Japan to produce CYBORG 009, a modern adaptation of the classic manga series created by the legendary Shotaro Ishinomori, author of other such notable works as Kamen Rider, Goranger, Kikaider, and Skullman. This deluxe hardcover graphic novel will feature the classic characters and origin story from the original series, re-imagined for a new worldwide audience. The new edition will be written by F.J. DeSanto (The Spirit, Immortals: Gods and Heroes) and Bradley Cramp (Gattaca, the forthcoming film Invertigo), and illustrated by fan-favorite artist Marcus To (Red Robin, The Huntress).

I like writing about beautiful, horrible things. The Village by the Sea is a beautiful, horrible place. And I want to take you there.

The Guide covers neighborhoods, families and coverups and over a hundred years of history, for a town that exists outside of time and place. This could be the town you stopped in as a child on your way to see family. It might be your hometown. This could even be the town just down the road from yours.

The Village by the Sea was founded on the coast in 1850. Its founding families still exert force on the course of Village history, its borders have crept over devoured nearby settlements, and its piers are washed in blood. The monuments to dead sailors cast shadows in the park. There are always new missing posters outside the market.

Don’t look up. Don’t send your prayers skyward. Because the gods aren’t in the sky. They’re here. All of them.

After publishing Chuck Wendig’s debut novel Double Dead, in 2011 Abaddon Books is proud to announce that it is set to publish a brand new title from the inimitable author of Blackbirds.

Beyond the Wall is Smart Pop Books’ latest essay anthology. This book covers George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (from A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons) and features a foreward by New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore.

Editor, James Lowder is here with his take on the book, and putting together anthologies in general.

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization and Respect! Films are proud to announce that the SDCC panel for their Comics in Focus: The Image Revolution documentary will feature special guest panelist Marc Silvestri!

If you’re a fan of Image Comics and are going to be at the San Diego Comic Con on Thursday evening (July 12th), you won’t want to miss this panel! Moderated by F.J. DeSanto (co-producer of The Spirit), the panel will feature Image Revolution director Patrick Meaney (Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods, Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts), Sequart founder Julian Darius, and of course Marc Silvestri. The hour-long panel will feature over 10 minutes of exclusive footage from the documentary, behind-the-scenes info from Silvestri, and Q&A!

Whether you’re new to game mastering or have been running the same campaign since 1974, Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep will help you prepare for games faster, avoid common pitfalls, and have more fun in the process. To our knowledge, this is the first book entirely devoted to the process of prepping for tabletop RPGs.

Fabled Environments is proud to announce a PDF Charity Bundle to benefit the Michael Rohan Memorial Fund. 100% of the net proceeds from this bundle will go to The Michael Rohan Memorial Fund. The bundle will be available until August 1st.

Publishers currently included in the bundle are: Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Fat Goblin Games, Silver gryphon Games, ProFantasy, Reality Blurs, Misfit Studios and more!

The Michael Rohan Memorial Fund Charity RPG Bundle is available at the Flames Rising RPGNow Shop.

Avatar Press proudly announces the upcoming September 2012 launch of FASHION BEAST, an unearthed collaboration between legendary graphic novelist Alan Moore and punk rock pioneer Malcolm McLaren. Originally written as a screenplay, the ten-issue maxi-series is adapted to comics by longtime Moore partner Antony Johnston (The Courtyard, Daredevil) and beautifully illustrated by Facundo Percio (Anna Mercury). Set in a dystopian future dominated by a fashion house, FASHION BEAST reinvents the classic Beauty and the Beast fable in a society held together (quite literally) by a needle and a thread.

FASHION BEAST introduces young Doll Seguin, a spirited and sassy coat-checker working at a trendy nightclub. While the world outside fears an oncoming nuclear war, Doll escapes into the carefree lifestyle of music and decadence, a fantasy inspired by the fashion designs of the mysterious Celestine. Catching the deformed recluse’s eye, Doll is drawn helplessly into a sordid tale of tragic lies, false identities, fear, and violence.

With a feature film in the works at 20th Century Fox, a free interactive app on the Apple iPad, and now news that it has won a 2011 Book of the Year Award from ForeWord Reviews, things continue to look good for Royden Lepp’s graphic novel, Rust Vol. 1: Visitor in the Field, an all-ages book published by Archaia Entertainment about a mysterious boy with a jet pack. So it is with much excitement that Archaia is happy to announce that the next installment, Rust Vol. 2: Secrets of the Cell, is zooming into book stores and comic shops this Fall!

Rust transports readers to a struggling farm in an alternate history where the fatherless Taylor family comes to terms with the aftermath of a destructive war. When Jet Jones, a mysterious boy wearing a jet pack, crashes into their barn with a hulking, antique robot soldier from “Dad’s War” at his heels, life at the Taylor farm is forever changed. Jet eventually proves to be a reliable farmhand, working like a well-oiled machine while giving up very few answers about his mysterious origin.