Title: Helm Greycastle: Book One
Published by: Top Crow Productions, Inc.
Created by: Henry Barajas & Bryan Valenza
ISBN: 9781534319622
Ages: 17+
Helm Greycastle Book One takes your hand, puts a battle axe in it, and takes you on a fantastical quest through Mesoamerica introducing Mexica culture and language along the way.
Seems like too much to handle? To weave these two tones together, the author cleverly uses fantasy role-playing structures to make the action easy to understand. The author takes great care to explain and exalt Mexica culture. Readers will benefit from prior knowledge of fantasy role-playing genre characters and plots.
World building is the name of the game in Helm Greycastle Book One. Don’t let the first few pages deceive you. This is not a historical fiction. After pitting Cortez and his Conquistadors against Montezuma, the narrative swerves into a fantasy realm. History and fantasy clash and merge. The initial chapters are jarring since readers start on a historical path in Mesoamerica only to be plunked into a fantasy. This world is dangerous. The action can be brutal. The characters are both familiar and unique with dwarves, orcs, elves as well as Mexica gods and warriors. Helm Greycastle Book One is fantasy role-playing adventure at its finest.
Although the name suggests this story will feature a single hero – Helm Greycastle – overcoming any challenge, the graphic novel highlights a team of friends who become embroiled in a political drama when a dragon prince is captured by the Aztec Lord Montezuma. While Helm Greycastle is very important to the plot and characters, he is often guided by his friends and his wife.
Helm Greycastle Book One is a delightful new world adding a different mythos to role-playing adventures. This first book has a decisive ending. This adventure has concluded, but Helm’s world can readily lead to new quests. In fact, there are three game stories for Game Masters eager to role the die and play in this world. So pick a favorite character and go beyond reading – play Helm Greycastle as well. Fans of Critical Role and Dungeons and Dragons can readily add Helm Greycastle Book One to their collections.
Angela Dabrowski, Senior Library Assistant
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