Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures) (Volume 1)

This was an entertaining story. The major characters were 'interesting'. For the most part they were jerks, but the kind of somewhat likable jerks that many of us have met at a gaming table at some point. Even though none of them were people I would want at my table for very long, there was none of them that I was hoping would get killed off or imprisoned and be written out of the story. The plot was fairly lightweight as you would expect for a humor story of this sort, it was entertaining though so well worth the read. As a word of warning, there is a fair amount of rude and crude language in here. If you think about the sort of things people find funny at midnight with a few beers in them (exactly the situation the main characters are in at the beginning of the story) you will have an idea what these characters think is fun.

For example the joke about race where one character perceives it as talking about white or black nut in fact they are talking about different races such as elves, orcs etc. It reads a bit fake. The reaction and the joke in general are not what a person would say. Even just finding a single person of the current generatiin that does not know what an elf is, is quote dubious.

If you have never experienced roleplaying this might be an interesting introduction for you. In general it is a short tale, and the premise is interesting, but I don't think I will be picking up the next book in the series.

Poop makes the world go 'round. It also makes you giggle like a small child. It also seems to extricate itself from Cooper, the half-orc, on a regular basis. This isn't Shakespeare. This isn't Asimov. This isn't even Rowling. What this is, is 4 guys(and a few others along the way) getting trapped in a D&D type world - living life based on their character stat sheets. It's fun. It's silly. It's one of the few book series that has actually made me laugh out loud.

4 stars, with one extra star awarded above the proper rating of 3 because of the very high amount of rpg-D&D-nerdiness recognition packed into the novel.

I had fun reading it and had many moments where it felt like I relived one of the Dungeons and Dragons session from my youth. In that respect the novel really shines.

However ... In other regards this is a novel that really would have benefited from professional editing. In many ways it is a typical first novel, its space of action is very small and it relies heavily on dialogue to drive the action. Unfortunately the author has chosen a very coarse and rude language for the dialogues which detracted from my reading experience.

Having said that, I really enjoyed reading this and, warts and all, highly recommend anyone who played Dungeons & Dragons back in the day to pick this book up.

This is a really humorous take on RPG gamers that entertained me from cover to cover. As a warning language is a bit course but not over the top. I definitely recommend this book and for those of you willing to admit to time gathered somewhere rolling various shaped die, some of the book might even bring back memories from your past.

As a late comer to the series I have gone ahead and purchased the rest of the books because I enjoyed this one so much.

Great plot idea! Crude, irreverent, tongue in cheek. Most of all, FUNNY!
This book is like a magical night out with your best buddies. Full of great insults, funny situations, entertaining gratuitous violence, sexual slurs, bathroom humor, and other great stuff. WARNING!! This book is NOT politically correct, and should be read by every guy over 18. The exceptional girl will enjoy it as well.

Gift this book to your friends... if they tell you it's gross and insensitive, and they hate it, dump them! They take themself much too seriously.

Surprisingly good. A bit crude, but fond memories of D&D are really stirred up by the story. It doesn't take itself too seriously and that can lead to a fun read. I ended up finishing it within about 24 hours, as I was hooked.

Bought them for my boyfriend's birthday. Took a couple days and a few youtube tutorials to know how to use them to their full potential but so worth it. He says these are some of the best poi he had owned. He has been doing this for almost 15 years and has his fair share.
The first night he spun them to a song was incredible!! They are so vibrant!

This book and its companions are the only books that I have felt compelled to read over again within weeks of finishing, they are just that hilarious. In addition, the audiobook versions are masterpieces in production. If you are on the fence on whether to check it out, do it. There is absolutely no reason you should not. If you need any more incentive just hit up the authors website to get a feel for his style (caverns-and-creatures). You can't go wrong here.

I found the book somewhat entertaining. Perhaps it's because I have barbarous tastes or an elf's sense of humor, but it's probably because I have fond memories of playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends as a teen. This book will never be confused for great literature or epic fantasy by the likes of George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien or Michael Moorcock. But if you're a fan of fantasy books and not scared by sophomoric humor, give it a shot. The character development is decent. It kind of reminds me of HBO's "Entourage."

This is my second or third time reading through this series, and every time I seem to enjoy it more and more. It is a great example of real people thrust into very strange circumstances, and all the characters come across as genuine human beings and not stuff fantasy characters. Also, everyone should check out the Authors & Dragons podcast which features Robert Bevan and a bunch of other great authors. Yes, I am shamelessly plugging my favorite podcast in a review.

I bought this based on the recommendation of a friend and found it to be very entertaining. It's difficult to talk about this book without mentioning Ready Player One or Scott Meyer's Magic 2.0 series as they seem to share a little bit of DNA (all inherited from Tron, really). I think what I like most about CF is it feels very natural and stream of consciousness like when I was a kid playing D&D with my friends. The conversational style reads like I imagine people actually interact with each other. The basic premise isn't anything groundbreaking but it was well written and frickin' hilarious.

This book is great, and even better in the audiobook format. The narrator did a spectacular job, and I'd love to see the other stories in this world in audiobook format. If you get the audiobook version, don't listen to it while driving. I was laughing so much I almost ran off the road. I ended up getting all the other stories and read them all in a couple of nights.

This book is the most accurate representation of what would happen if you and your friends were magically transported into the fantasy realm of your favorite table top game. It's hilarious and brilliant at the same time. Totally hooked and will absolutely read the entire series!

All of these books are fantastic. Bevan is not only consistently hilarious, he is really a phenomenal writer. The story is always crisp, the characters three dimensional and believable, and the action filled with creative nuance and attention to detail. Very well done. His editor has done an amazing job as well, these do not read like self-published books. and I strongly recommend you get the audible version. Voice actor Jonathan Sleep brings these characters alive and adds a whole new dimension to these already wonderfully entertaining books. Definite 5 stars here, and an absolute must for D&D fans.

Hilarious book! As a person who constantly comes up with off-color comments that I keep to myself, I enjoyed seeing a book full of them. The characters diverse and the story unique. I love the series.

When I started this book I thought, "guardians of the flame?" But soon realized that this was something else entirely. No benevolent albeit misguided game master here. Just an epic telling of a critical failure gone horribly horribly wrong. The pace was rapid quick, the character development was hilarious, and the outcome of the first novel is..."what happens next?"
Great jumping off point; onwards Mr. Bevan!

I honestly found this book randomly after finishing another figuring to just give it a shot and loved it. It did take a chapter or two for me to really get engrossed, but once I was I rarely put the book down. Definitely one to read for anyone a fan of a DnD, or CnC in this case.

I find this to be extremely hilarious. I started reading it and was almost immediately laughing, and have been ever since. If you are looking to fill a D&D craving, or a fantasy itch, or a a dark comedy desire, this is your book.

The first installment of Critical Failure will leave you in stitches. The humor is deliciously lowbrow but that doesn't distract from the plot, and is used in a way that actually drives the narrative. This is certainly one of the best comedy books I've ever had the fortune of running across. I would suggest this to anyone into the fantasy and comedy.

This book was fantastic. Its a very fast read and lends itself very well to the idea of a tv show. I recommend buying the ebook then adding the audio book. Its much cheaper than just buying the audio book.

Any old-school fan or roleplaying will see the tropes that everyone has had in at least one of their games. Elven Wizard, Dwarven Cleric, Orcish Barbarian, Halfling Rogue, They're all here, and they're all endearingly unique, despite their stereotypical nature. A must read for all traditional D&D gamers.

Robert Bevan has managed to blur the difference between the tabletop role playing world of D&D and a fantasy book, and for this interesting spin on things alone he deserves praise.

As an old fashioned table top gamer myself, I enjoyed this book, even laughing heartily in a couple of places. I am concerned however that it's appeal may be somewhat limited to current and former gamers. Plenty of toilet humour in this one, and so it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Will probably buy the second book.

When i started reading this book i didnt bave high hopes. It takes a lot of talent to make a group of charecters THAT unlikeable, and after having finished it i still think the only really likeable charecter is the british bird, but the story was actually pretty engrossing and i found myself actually caring for these horrible, horrible induviduals, so gold star.

The plot is covered in many other reviews, so this will be brief. The story is very funny, and while much of it is low-brow humor, it's done well. The quality of writing and editing is very good for what is basically a self-published novel. If you're looking for a fun, humorous read about D&D players sucked into the fantasy world they're used to enjoying from the outside, you'll like this.

This book requires some background to the realm of D&D to completely get the jokes that are going on. At the same time Bevan does an excellent job of keeping it so that those not experienced in the world actually can join the Adventure with Tim and his gang. It is laugh out loud worthy, witting and just pure fun if you're okay with crude humor and foul language. I'm seriously looking forward to the next book.

This is what the world has come to, Godless clerics. Had to stop reading the book in bed, wife was getting tired of me trying to stifle my laughing. I haven't gamed in over 30 years, tried to explain to my son that we used dice, paper, and pencils. The look of disgust he gave me was the longest he could deliver while taking his eyes off the xbox. That's ok, the book has given me a bunch of "your mom" insults to use on him.

Was lucky and got the next two in the series and the short stories while in countdown. Would have payed full price, enjoyed it that much!

Crude humor and immaturity galore. What's not to love? This is a great series to get into if you are looking for a break from the normal reading list. It kind of feels like going to Mardi Gras after a 60 hour work week.

Pretty enjoyable, but felt a bit unfinished. Like, there should have been about half as much again, because the ending seemed too abrupt. Maybe it's just leaving room for a sequel or something, but my first thought on finishing was "OK, then what happens?"

The framing problem of the story was essentially resolved for the moment, and the immediate danger had passed, but it kind of leaves a lot just hanging there.

This book was a surprise. Because of the price, I figured it would be a mediocre at best. I was wrong! It is hilarious in an Animal House meets Dungeons and Dragons sort of way. If you are easily offended by profanity or "anatomical" humor, think twice. If you are looking for a fun read that does not tax your critical thinking skills, this book is for you. I laughed throughout the read and, while I didn't come out with newfound knowledge, I had a great time reading it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a funny, wild, exciting ride that was hard to put down each night for sleep! Great suspense and, what I thought was, a surprise ending.

The formatting was a bit odd for a novel--empty lines between paragraphs--but those things fade to the background when the story is well told.

I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Absolutely love the humor in these books. The characters are nothing short of wonderful, this will have you laughing out loud, and you'll be hooked. If you're in for a good Litrpg book, start here. Excellent!!

My landlord offhandedly mebtioned this book to me, so i bought it to read during my cross country flight when i moved out of state. I was laughing so often and thoroughly, i made the women sitting next to me nervous the whole time.

Best flight ever, and an awesome book.