melvalan's review
5.0
I acquired this book quite by accident, I was searching for Dungeons & Dragons books on my local book webstore, having picked out a few but needed something to round the price to free shipping. This book caught my eye, and slightly sceptically, but still intrigued, I added it to my basked.
When it arrived, it took me ~4 months to start reading it, but once I started, I couldn't put it down, finishing in roughly a day and a half. A mathematician by training I was immediately drawn in by the deep philosophical nature of this book. Taking vastly different aspects from D&D and looking at it through different philosopher's ideas and with the author's then adding their own interpretations to it, was fascinating. A breath of fresh air, one could almost say.
Apart from in maybe one or two of the articles in this book I found myself, often repeatedly, going "why have I never thought of that", or "that makes excellent sense", or "what a great point to make", or "that's an interesting way of looking at it". The book gave me new ways of viewing things in the game that I have already accepted as "facts", or "one of the few ways to do this", so in the regards to make you think more critically about Dungeons & Dragons and the impact that it has, it succeeded.
Finding yourself constantly stopping whilst reading and going "this has implications for x, y, z,..." is to me, something good and refreshing. After having read the book I feel slightly sad that I didn't pay more attention during philosophy courses in upper secondary school and university, as the points and arguments presented are very interesting, and at least to me, hard hitting.
I think that this book is good and that you should read it if you would like to read about D&D through lenses of different philosophies, ethics and so on. I think that by doing so, especially if you "get D&D", would open up an entirely new understanding not only of the world in which one plays, but also about the world in which we live.
So, if you're interested in philosophy (even if only slightly), like to have your thoughts and opinions challenged in discussion and "get D&D", then definitely read this book.
When it arrived, it took me ~4 months to start reading it, but once I started, I couldn't put it down, finishing in roughly a day and a half. A mathematician by training I was immediately drawn in by the deep philosophical nature of this book. Taking vastly different aspects from D&D and looking at it through different philosopher's ideas and with the author's then adding their own interpretations to it, was fascinating. A breath of fresh air, one could almost say.
Apart from in maybe one or two of the articles in this book I found myself, often repeatedly, going "why have I never thought of that", or "that makes excellent sense", or "what a great point to make", or "that's an interesting way of looking at it". The book gave me new ways of viewing things in the game that I have already accepted as "facts", or "one of the few ways to do this", so in the regards to make you think more critically about Dungeons & Dragons and the impact that it has, it succeeded.
Finding yourself constantly stopping whilst reading and going "this has implications for x, y, z,..." is to me, something good and refreshing. After having read the book I feel slightly sad that I didn't pay more attention during philosophy courses in upper secondary school and university, as the points and arguments presented are very interesting, and at least to me, hard hitting.
I think that this book is good and that you should read it if you would like to read about D&D through lenses of different philosophies, ethics and so on. I think that by doing so, especially if you "get D&D", would open up an entirely new understanding not only of the world in which one plays, but also about the world in which we live.
So, if you're interested in philosophy (even if only slightly), like to have your thoughts and opinions challenged in discussion and "get D&D", then definitely read this book.
tomovon's review
1.0
Two of my favourite subjects in life that unfortunately the essays made them sound unimaginative and boring.
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