Guardians of the Flame: The Warriors by Joel Rosenberg

When I was a teen, I read a book that I really enjoyed. All I really remembered was that some high school kids were playing D&D and suddenly they were actually in the world of D&D. One of the kids was in a wheelchair and he was a hale dwarf in the D&D land and while the rest of the party was trying to get back to the real world for, you know, dental care and fewer swords, the kid in the wheelchair did not want to go back.  

I was reading a thread on reddit when someone else basically summed up this book and asked what it was and everyone said it was The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg and IT WAS. I ate this UP when I was a teen. In retrospect, the 1983 publishing date makes some of it cringey (oh, man, when the wheelchair user calls himself a cripple, I cowered), but here's what I learned about myself while reading this book. 

1) My brain protected me from remembering the worst of this book, which includes some pretty terrible violence against women and ableism. 

2) I still really dig this book, mostly because I remember how cool the dragon was and the dragon is still cool.

3) The kids weren't in high school, they were in college. But I had most of the plot points right. 

You guys, this is the first book in a series and to get the first book, I had to get the omnibus, so I'm going to definitely be reading the first three books in this series. 

3.5/5 stars (mostly because of the datedness of some of it)

Things I looked up:

Benjamin Bathurst (page 55) - a British diplomat who disappeared in Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars; modern research suggests the circumstances of Bathurst's disappearance were wildly embellished, and that he was almost certainly murdered

Ambrose Bierce (page 55) - an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran; in 1913, Bierce told reporters that he was travelling to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution where he disappeared. He was never seen again. 

This cover! Also, the omnibus is huge at 722 pages. 

******************

The next book up was The Sword and the Chain. The party is back in the fantasy world and there's no going back. They decide (or have a choice foisted up on them) to end slavery in this world. They build a home in a valley for all the newly freed slaves who have no home to return to. Battles, fires, and an archenemy ensue. 

Still lots of violence against women, still lots of 1980s language, but guess what? I still like it! 4/5 stars

Things I looked up:

manriki-gusari (page 265 and then over and over again) - Also known as Kusari-fundo, a handheld weapon used in feudal Japan consisting of a length of chain (kusari) with a weight (fundo) attached to each end of the chain

By Samuraiantiqueworld - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10356864

Washington Reobling (page 309) - an American civil engineer who supervised the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, designed by his father John A. Roebling

chotte (page 314) - It's an ingredient in a stew in the context of the book, but I think it must not be an English word or it's a made-up fantasy word? Anyone know?

burdock (page 314) - Raw burdock root has a crunchy and crisp texture similar to radish. Once cooked and softened, burdock root takes on an earthy, nutty flavor that pairs well with chicken or pork, and with rice or potatoes.

maikhe (page 314) - Much like chotte, it's an ingredient in a stew, but I can't find it. 

tacktob (page 314) - Another word in the stew I can't find. 

copra (page 326) - the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted

kyokoshinkai (page 333) - a full-contact style of stand-up fighting originating in Japan and rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training

Yanamamo (page 381) - a group of approximately 35,000 indigenous people who live in some 200–250 villages in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil. In early anthropological studies the Yanomami culture was described as being permeated with violence. The Yanomami people have a history of acting violently not only towards other tribes, but towards one another. The Haximu massacre, also known as the Yanomami massacre, was an armed conflict in 1993, just outside Haximu, Brazil, close to the border with Venezuela. A group of garimpeiros (independent gold miners) killed approximately 16 Yanomami. In turn, Yanomami warriors killed at least two garimpeiros and wounded two more. Basically, the Yanomami want to be left alone and that's not possible in the modern world. 

Does a porthole have to be round? (page 492) - Not technically, but it usually is because it puts the least amount of pressure on the boat. 

Hat mentions:

Cullihane glared at him for a moment, then relaxed, his hand miming tipping a hat. (page 311)

******************

Then the third book in the series was The Silver Crown. We jump ahead in the timeline five years and our group is pretty settled in their little valley, with their job freeing slaves, and everything his hunky dory. That is, until the archenemy comes back. This time with guns.

This book was filled with battle and political maneuverings and if that's the part of A Song of Fire and Ice that you like, you'll like this, too. I found the endless fight scenes boring and wanted more about what was going on in the day-to-day world, but you do you. 3/5 stars

Hat mentions:

*Well? I brought the fatted calf - where are the party hats?*

******************

Overall, I am glad I read this series. It's certainly dated, but there's a dragon! magic! so much sexual assault! I think you'll know from the brief descriptions here of whether or not this would be a series for you.