Booknote: Dungeons and Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate, Volume 1

Max Dunbar, Dungeons and Dragons: Legends of Baldur's Gate, Volume 1. San Diego, CA: IDW, 2015. ISBN: 9781631402500. 

Genre: comics and graphic novels
Subgenre: fantasy, role playing games
Format: e-book galley
Source: NetGalley

If you are familiar with tales set in Baldur's Gate, or perhaps you are familiar with the video games (I've played the Dark Alliance title for PS2), then you will likely enjoy this. This work is a tie-in to the D&D 5th edition role playing game. However, let me reassure you that no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this tale. The tale of a group of misfits coming together to save the day stands alone just fine.

An elf magess comes to Baldur's Gate in search of her lost brother. It seems he is in some kind of trouble, and whatever it is, they may want her out of the way too. When confronting some thugs, she accidentally gives life to a statue of Minsc, a local ranger and hero who strives for virtue and has a hamster as a companion. They team up with a couple of rogues to keep searching for the brother, but they soon discover greater danger and dark forces at play.

This is a light, entertaining read with some fun turns, a hijink or two, and a good amount of action. Basically, it's a nice popcorn read in the tradition of D&D fantasies. I thought the art was nice. Minsc embodies your basic role playing do-gooder hero, and it's entertaining to see him strive for goodness in a place as corrupt as Baldur's Gate. In the end, this is a title I liked. It would make a good selection for public libraries with graphic novel collections; this is especially so if you also have some gamers among your teen readers (or older. The title is basically teens and up).

3 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2015 Reading Challenges: