A review by danwillis
Death by Cliché by Bob Defendi

5.0

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. A less well known corollary is that you should never judge a book by it’s cliches. In Death by Cliche, Bob Defendi delivers the best of the worst cliches that Role Playing Games (RPGs) have to offer and turns them on their heads for the reader’s amusement. Anyone who’s ever played an RPG has found themselves in some version of The Worst Game Ever. The Worst Game Ever starts in a tavern, mysteriously built and flourishing in the middle of nowhere where the party is met by a mysterious stranger with a tale of a-little-to-obvious mystery or adventure. This is followed by the party being led around by the nose, conveniently encountering just the right strangers with just the right pieces of information to keep the plot going. It’s practically a rite of passage for gamers. What Bob has so diligently and lovingly done is take The Worst Game Ever, and force a professional writer and game designer to live every grueling minute of it to hilarious effect for the reader. From “Convenient Plot Exposition Man,” to one of the only self-aware villains in the history of game fiction, Death by Cliche is an enjoyable ride through the main character’s pain and eventual triumph. If you’re a fan of RPGs, Cliches, or just regular old human, Death by Cliche is for you. It’s the cat’s meow.