The Adventure Zone Series

by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch

SYNOPSIS:

I am recommending the entire series as each book is connected and chronological. McMillian Publishers provides the following about the series:

With Griffin McElroy’s Dungeon Master “guiding” his father, Clint, and brothers Justin, and Travis in their characters of Merle, the dwarf cleric, Taako, the elf wizard, and Magnus, the human warrior, their adventures quickly become snarky and hilarious misadventures.

“The warped fantasy lives of McElroy Sons and Dad are as addictively adorable and unstoppably hilarious as they are on their podcast (a popular mind comic); but somehow Carey Pietsch’s gorgeous and playful art makes this deep dive into their beautiful brains even richer, weirder, and more mandatory. This is a critical hit.”—New York Times bestselling author John Hodgman (on The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins)

REVIEW:

This series is perfect for anyone interested in roleplaying, Dungeons & Dragons, or fantasy. For someone somewhat new to D&D, it was a little hard to follow in the beginning, but you quickly adapted because the authors do an excellent job of explaining and providing context clues. The characters are well-developed with unique personalities and align well with the story. The story does a fantastic job of aligning with the podcast that inspired the books, and the artwork is well done.

There are a few areas where the first book required a reread of sections, but that was likely a learning curve versus author error. The only other critique I have is that there are points where the dialogue seems to go on and on without really any need for it, which does distract from the overall action.

INTERESTING FACT:

The McElroy Family's Dungeons & Dragons-inspired series is a #1 New York Times best-selling graphic novel series based on the popular podcast of the family playing in real-time.