Novels and Fiction

Alas, whereas science fiction shelves are awash with media tie in books– excessively so– including an obscene number of books for other AD&D settings, Planescape only ever received four novels.

• Pages of Pain, by Troy Denning
• The Blood Wars Trilogy, by J. Robert King
  • Blood Hostages
  • Abyssal Warriors
  • Planar Powers

Pages of Pain

by Troy Denning

(TSR #2627, 1996; ISBN 0-7869-0508-5)

A hero arrives in Sigil with a "gift" for the Lady of Pain from the god Poseidon; this hero cannot remember his own past or his own name. Naturally, this is a trap for the Lady of Pain, for every Power out there would love to be able to break into Sigil and get his hands on it. The "Amnesian Hero", as he is called, does not know this, however; honorable to a fault, he only believes he is bringing a gift to the Lady, and that it is his duty to do so. (He's not so honorable, though, to also realize that he'd damn well better complete his task given that he was assigned it by a god.) The hero arrives in Sigil, and goes through a series of misadventures, managing to hook up with a few other people from various factions in Sigil in the process. People familiar with the Planescape source material on Sigil (e.g., In the Cage and The Factol's Manifesto) will recognize the names of some minor (and even one major) characers in the book.

What makes the book interesting, though, is that the whole thing is narrated by the Lady of Pain. For long passages, it is possible to forget this, and believe that you are reading a normal third person narrative. The Lady of Pain is Sigil, in this book, and watches and can be aware of anything going on in Sigil. Just as you are getting complacent, though, the narrative switches to first person as the Lady of Pain either comments, often cynically, on what the Amnesian Hero is doing, or interacts more directly with what is going on. There is an interesting description of just what happens when the Lady becomes visible, floating through the streets, to the denizens of Sigil. The lady is closely watching the Amnesian Hero because not only does he represent a would-be threat to her, but also because he has with him the potential means for revelaing unknown elements of her own past to her. And, indeed, the novel does contain some revelations about the history of the Lady of Pain– although we are left uncertain as to whether they are true, or simply lies concocted as part of a trap for the Lady.

An interesting novel, and highly recommended for Planescape fans. Not only is it rich with the cynical feel of Sigil and does it provide an interesting travelogue for Sigil, but it also provides a deep and provocative look at one possible interpretation of just who the Lady of Pain might be, and how she might approach her role as the guardian of Sigil.

I have only ever found this book in hardback. I have received a report from somebody who has a paperback copy, so in principle you ought to be able to find it, although the run must have been very limited. You can find frequently find it for sale on eBay, but expect to pay used hardback prices for it.

The Blood Wars Trilogy

by J. Robert King

Blood Hostages
Abyssal Warriors
Planar Powers

I have not read these books. From what I've heard, they aren't very good. Moreover, they apparently don't really conform very well at all to either the spirit or the facts of the Planescape setting. I'm probably too influenced by the reviews I've read, but this has lead me to believe that they're probably the worst sort of spin-off novel: written quickly as a market spin-off by somebody who didn't really know the setting and didn't bother to get to know the setting, and marketed by a company cynically believeing that its readership wouldn't care.

If they were reputed to be good novels, I would forgive that. If they were decent Planescape setting source (or inspiration, or flavor) material, I might just be willing to forgive their being not the best written novels in the world. As it is, there are enough other things I want to read that I've never been motivated to search these out.