Scan barcode
full_quieting's review
4.0
It wasn't a perfect scholarly biography, but I didn't need it to be. It's a good story about an interesting person. It's a biography of Gygax, not of D&D itself, such that it's obvious from reading this that there are other sides to the story. Still. Much enjoyed. Makes me want to play.
worldofbookcraft's review
4.0
i very very very recently started playing dnd, and found this book so i got the audiobook and started listening.
DnD is pretty new to me, but empire that it, and Gary Gygax has spawned because of it, I'm pretty intimately familliar with (World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, fantasy books, RPG's in general).
While the first part of the book, which details Gary's early life wasn't that interesting to me, it was still entertaining. Where the book really started heating up was when it detailed DnD's life, and how Gary's life changed with DnD. There's always been a stigma surrounding DnD, so it's SO interesting hearing about how this negative stigma originated. It's also funny how the creator of a game that many people belive to be a form of "Satan worship" is actually a Christian.
Hearing about the lawsuits, and how corporate business people can change a game about imagination and fellowship into an icky copyright mess was also highly interesting.
Seeing Gary Gygax evolve and change from a boy who only cared about games and adventure into a man that treasured his family, his friends, his imagination, and inspired a phleothora of talented creators, AND created a genre that millions of people love (including me!) was amazing. I got a little misty eyed at the end when the book details Gary's prepration for death, his death, and all the people who honoured his memory, and his impact on pop culture and art itself.
SUPER interesting read! Listened to it while sewing and crafting a Vault Dweller cosplay, and it was a wonderful couple hours. Definietly way more excited to keep delving into the DnD world (my first character is a Wizard Wood Elf named Saturn Stormflower who has blue hair and is a netural chaotic).
If the begining wasn't so slow, it would be a five, but for now it's a low 4/high 3! Recommended!
DnD is pretty new to me, but empire that it, and Gary Gygax has spawned because of it, I'm pretty intimately familliar with (World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, fantasy books, RPG's in general).
While the first part of the book, which details Gary's early life wasn't that interesting to me, it was still entertaining. Where the book really started heating up was when it detailed DnD's life, and how Gary's life changed with DnD. There's always been a stigma surrounding DnD, so it's SO interesting hearing about how this negative stigma originated. It's also funny how the creator of a game that many people belive to be a form of "Satan worship" is actually a Christian.
Hearing about the lawsuits, and how corporate business people can change a game about imagination and fellowship into an icky copyright mess was also highly interesting.
Seeing Gary Gygax evolve and change from a boy who only cared about games and adventure into a man that treasured his family, his friends, his imagination, and inspired a phleothora of talented creators, AND created a genre that millions of people love (including me!) was amazing. I got a little misty eyed at the end when the book details Gary's prepration for death, his death, and all the people who honoured his memory, and his impact on pop culture and art itself.
SUPER interesting read! Listened to it while sewing and crafting a Vault Dweller cosplay, and it was a wonderful couple hours. Definietly way more excited to keep delving into the DnD world (my first character is a Wizard Wood Elf named Saturn Stormflower who has blue hair and is a netural chaotic).
If the begining wasn't so slow, it would be a five, but for now it's a low 4/high 3! Recommended!
henrismum's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Take away: An interesting life. The book made good points about business, friendship and creativity. I would have liked more depth, but it wasn't a shallow story.
Narration: Sam Witwer - Mr. Witwer's manner of giggling during the reading was both enduring and annoying.
Normal Speed- Accelerated Speed
New - Second - Third - Committed
Series - Non Series - Non-Fiction - Author
Listening to this book was a chore.
I'm glad I listened to this book.
I didn't want this book to end. (I cried and I wanted to post-pone the tears.)
I could not wait to be done with this book.
Average, but better than anything I've written.
Narration: Sam Witwer - Mr. Witwer's manner of giggling during the reading was both enduring and annoying.
Normal Speed
New - Second - Third - Committed
Series - Non Series -
I didn't want this book to end. (I cried and I wanted to post-pone the tears.)
Average, but better than anything I've written.
ericthec's review
4.0
Good biography which brought back fond memories of playing the game into the wee hours and with so many friends.
runehallow's review
2.0
Two stars, mostly because I learned a few things I hadn't known before. Aside from this smattering of interesting facts, the book isn't terribly compelling or useful. Witwer lionizes Gygaz at every turn; this is less a biography and more a fawning, fanboy paen to someone that the author idolizes & is maybe a little in love with?? There's a lot of fluff in this book, starting with the cheesy framing device of starting many chapters with an excerpt from a symbolic D&D game meant to evoke certain dramatic suggestions about the course of Gygax's life (i.e.: a PC companion falls to trolls in a short dialogue just before a chapter about the death of Gygax's best friend). Many scenes from Gygax's life are extrapolated and fictionalized, albeit not in a particularly elegant or illuminating way. There's just too much blind devotion here.
darthshep's review
4.0
I love DnD and whenever I get the chance I love learning about the history of nit only the game but those that made the game. And this book gives us a look at Gary Gygax and all that he went through from beginning to end. So if you too are interested in learning about Gary I suggest picking up this book.