On the same day we received our tenth review from Games Gazette, the wonderful Brian Fitzpatrick of Game Knight Reviews posted his thoughts on DH:LoF to his excellent reviews site.
Brian was hugely complementary of the book in his in-depth review. Game Knight Reviews is a place we and many others would recommend, as the writing is excellent across the whole of the site. Check out the review and then have a wander around the rest of GKR. You won’t be disappointed.
Here’s some quotes from the review:
“This book manages to take a simple what if and transform it into one of the darkest, most interesting game settings I’ve read in years. Sure, Caladon Falls from Savage Mojo presented an awesome opening act with the heroes running for their lives in a fantasy setting. But Dark Harvest seamlessly merges the political climate of the late 1800s and early 1900s (pre-World War I) and the ideas found in Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein.”
“Promethea is like a rotten fruit that looks tasty on the outside, but is rotten to the core. And though dark, the first nearly 50 pages reads more like well written non-fiction about a real country in history than a setting. It is without a doubt the best world description I have ever seen and I was sold from the first page. The next 60 pages are just as interesting as they describe the country in great detail, with individual maps, geography and climate details, as well as five separate pieces of short fiction that show just how brutal life in Promethea actually is. (I thought the two stories – “Magdja’s Runner” and “Witness” – were particularly well written and powerful.)”
“Beyond the amazingly well-written background, stories, and rules, I found the layout to be beautifully simple and the artwork to be inspired. The cover art from Corlen Kruger summarizes the Victorian era and Frankenstein’s influences beautifully and the interior art from Kruger, Kim Roberts, Scott Purdy, and Rowena Aitken was both gorgeous and disturbing, as you might expect a world to look when being eviscerated while still alive and suffering the procedure exists. Oh, and I can’t forget the great index at the end. Yes, it has an index and I bet you can probably find what you’re looking for in it!”
“The world of Dark Harvest: The Legacy of Frankenstein would make a fascinating setting to explore for the right group, but it’s not going to be for everyone. The cruelty inherent in a world where the strong prey on the weak and the powerful can take what they want may be a tad bit serious for some. It’s a bit like exploring the dark world of Nazi Germany during World War II, with thoughts and images you may rather not deal with. However, if you had a serious group of roleplayers seeking something philosophically deeper than your usual dungeon delve, then I’d strongly encourage you to check it out!”
