Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures Book 1)

Nothing mind blowing but it was a quick and enjoyable read. The best part about the book is that it made me want to read more "D&D" based fiction. Just not necessarily the next book in this particular series.

While this will never be mistaken for classic literature, Critical Failures is a fun read for anyone who has ever played a role-playing game. You will likely be reminded of people you have played with, or perhaps even some of your own exploits that may be cringe-worthy now.

These books had a lot of potential, a fairly common trope of modern minded people in fantasy settings with the bend that they are all in a classic D&D game (reskinned to avoid infringement).
But they are so laced with out of place profanity that they feel like they were written by drunken high school kids. I have known some people with foul mouths, but the assumption in these books is that you literally cannot have a single person create an entire paragraph without a few f*s and s***. Giving it a final sense of the author not knowing what to write.
Personally I would suggest NPCs by Drew Hayes for a better spin on the D&D game gone wrong.

This was a great read, and a great way to view the whole rpg gaming session from a different view. I want my half orc monk dragging me into that world!! Haha, fun stuff and the two other books should be read as well. Can't wait for more from Bevan!!

The characters were somewhat unlikeable, and constantly used curse words. Most of the explaining done in the first part of the book had to be re-explained very tediously again halfway through for the benefit of two characters.

Holy Christ! A great read! Chuckles in the first 5 pages, and a gradual progression through the laugh spectrum, right up to launching a skidder into my couch cushions right near the 2/3 point! If you ever gamed, you know these guys! If you never gamed, the book will make you want to try!

SHORT VERSION
As the curse word on the front cover indicates - bodily functions and vulgar language abound in this book. The book is unashamedly what it is - take it or don't. About a group of loser guy gamers, the story follows them when a gaming session becomes too real.

LONG VERSION
More bodily functions than a preschool with a diarrhea virus being traded between the toddlers, the story contains equal amounts of potty mouth and vomit - the author never shies from an explosion of liquid, including blood. Combined with the homophobic and misogynistic insults, especially in the first two chapters, the book is an unlikable read. Just like the characters. Eleven chapters in (46% on a kindle), I still have no sympathy or caring for any of the characters. They are mean and juvenile.

The author does a lovely job of recreating the crazy nuttiness of a game once a reader wades through the first two introductory chapters. The scenery and NPC descriptions once the people are actually within the game read like a gamemaster verbally describing the situation while sitting behind his/her screen. The actions and plot are pure game and pitch-on perfect.

This was my second attempt to read the book. I couldn't get through the first two chapters the first time, but was rewarded (kind-of) the second time through. I stopped for the night at the 46% mark and decided while the game part of the story is interesting, it didn't overcome the pure explosive-potty-fluid and unlikable characters - so I am stopping here. I picked up the story while free on kindle on the recommendation of a friend.

I've read other works where a RPG becomes real, and have personally played and gamemastered RPG. I think one of my least favorite aspects of this story is portraying the roll-players as charisma-four losers. I've been part of RPGs in five different states with groups including children to adults with Master degrees. The one thing in common is the pure imagination required to be part of the game - these are people who want to interact with a story, think things out (while shooting magic out of their fingers), rather than just sit and watch television. They need to push themselves mentally as part of a relaxation cycle instead of just drink and play cards. Those that push mental prowess as part of their relaxation cycle rarely are out-and-out losers like this book portrays. Roleplayers, at least in part, write a bit of magic into their lives and create their own adventures.

The book captures a bit of the magic but is far too weighed down by the unlikable aspects. It's like unicorn farts without the glitter and rainbows.

I'm torn because the idea of the book sounds like a fun read but I don't want to continue reading as the characters are shallow and generally unlikable. The metaphors are crude and distracting. There is an excessive amount of uncreative foul language. Began seems to have borrowed too heavily from South Park without any of the intelligence and heart.

The premise is imaginative enough, but the characters are horrible. They're immature and raunchy to the point of not being interesting. If my players were like this, I would have lost interest in gaming and faith in humanity.

I suppose if you game with people such as these, you will likely be amused.

I ordered this book because I enjoy reading the "real life fantasy role players get dropped into fantasy world" genre of books and stories. While I ultimately liked this book enough to buy the second book (which I have just started as of this writing), it took a considerable part of the book and a concerted effort on my part to get to the point of "like." Why? Pretty much all of the major characters in the book are complete and total jerks! They use foul language and their humor is exceedingly crude and vulgar. I'm not sure if the author did this intentionally to make his characters dislikeable at the beginning so he could have his characters develop into more sympathetic characters at some point or if he just enjoys writing his characters that way, but it took a considerable effort at several points to keep reading the book and give it a chance. I'm not disappointed that I kept reading, but the jury is still out as to whether a good plot can make up for the author's crude characters. If you don't mind crass, juvenile humor you'll probably like this story just fine.

Couldn't finish this. Its just so dull. The problem is that the bad guy is both all powerful and pathetic. The fact that its a board game also limits my enjoyment because unlike Play to Live the NPCs are very one dimensional.

For me this was a story about a band of average and indistinguishable guys getting a bad ride from a guy i felt both sorry for and annoyed by.

Some more inspiring characters would have changed the entire story, but then, a point to the story beyond escaping the game would have too. So really being a different book would have made it better.

I wanted to like this, because the concept had real potential, but in the end it's full of more immature banter, offensive insults, and gross out moments than could really be tolerated, and that ruined it for me. Some of the writing is just plain comical as well, and not in a good or purposeful way. But it was free, and you get what you pay for.

The first installment of Robert Bevan's series is just poor writing. The premise of Critical Failures appealed to me, but the writing is awful. Bevan attempts to cover up his lack of art with prepubescent vulgarity. It is quite possible that an anti-social pre-teen might enjoy this novel, but anyone beyond the age of reason probably will not.

I did not enjoy his writing style or characters.

To be fair, this novel isn't of a genre that I would normally read but the sample seemed engaging enough to encourage me to buy it (Kindle version). What started out as a promising plot (tumbling into another world as part of a game) turned out to be a major slog of a read. This happened...and that happened...and he said this and then that...and the novel ends.
My personal preference is for a character driven story as opposed to a plot driven one...but this has no character development worth speaking of, in fact, each character is the same as he/she was at the very beginning, and not one of them is remotely likable so there's no one to even root for or be interested in.
It's all boring plot here, and it's written in juvenile prose with so many F bombs as to be distracting . I was so relieved to reach the miserable end of this novel and I will definitely not be purchasing part 2.

Story idea is kinda fun -- three, maybe 3.5 stars -- but the foul language just ruins it for me. Yeah, I get it; some people really do use the F-bomb at least once a sentence, but it doesn't mean I gotta like it.
I give it two stars only because I'm (barely) interested enough to slog through to find out what happens.

Most of the plot of this book has been covered in other reviews, so I won't rehash it. In short, CRITICAL FAILURES is Jumanji meets The Hangover, or what would happen if Tucker Max wrote LOTR fan fiction. If you like adventure and ribald humor, if you still giggle when someone farts at an inappropriate time, and if you can't listen to certain classical pieces without singing dirty lyrics, you will get this book, and what's more, you will probably laugh your ass off. This is not a book for the high-toned old Christian women of Wallace Steven's poem, and if you fancy yourself a literary connoisseur, think "The Miller's Tale" by Chaucer, re-imagined by Piers Anthony and the cast of Animal House. High praise? Maybe it's low-brow praise and you just don't get it. I have a Master's in English, but I love books like this to cleanse my palate after an afternoon of James Joyce. This book sets out to be fun ... it shoots, it scores!

Warning – This book uses the F-word a LOT. Like, a ridiculously unnecessary amount. I usually don’t care about people using the F-word, but I thought it was too much! So, just a heads up, (especially if you are listening to it on Audiobook like I did) there are a LOT of F-bombs!

Not taking into account the excessive use of the F-word, I thought this book was just ok. I liked the premise well enough but the execution was poor.

The story is about a group of friends who get sent into a game of Caverns and Creatures. (aka Dungeons and Dragons) They have become their characters and must overcome the obstacles within Caverns and Creatures. It sounds awesome!

I have only ever played one Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but there was always a path, of sorts, to follow. There were quests, side quests, and a main objective. Caverns and Creatures didn’t seem to have that. The characters floundered around a lot with no direction, which was kind of annoying.

I enjoyed the action scenes and the problem solving. I also liked the main characters a lot, but I did not like the antagonists. They were too wishy-washy. They were “good guys” who were trying to bring the main characters to justice, but then they kept forming temporary truces and then complaining about them the whole time. It would have been nice to see the protagonists fight real foes, or take on a quest.

I also hated the ending. I thought it was awful! At the time I didn’t realize this was a full series, so the ending makes a little bit of sense, in that the series can now continue, but I still didn’t like it!

Overall I liked the characters but not the plot. So it gets a 3 out of 5 rating because it was “meh” I will not be reading the rest of the series.

I picked this one up for free on Prime and it's honestly not the worst thing I've read on here (I actually finished it instead of giving up like I do with alot of the self-published, poorly edited garbage out there). I was actually interested in finding out what happened because I love this sort of story and the writer does a decent job of keeping it interesting. Taking people out of their time and place and forcing them into a fantasy world is totally my jam and the execution was ok but that's the thing, it was only just ok. The major pros are that the story was interesting and it was a short read. I also appreciated how the author explained major aspects of RPGs without getting overly technical or in the weeds. The major cons are that none of the characters are very likable. I like a good "your mom" joke as much as the next guy but it got old pretty fast. None of the characters were that distinct from each other and by the end they all kind of annoyed me. In summary, it was a good idea but the execution was middling at best. It wasn't bad enough to make me throw it away in disgust but it wasn't good enough for me to ever want to pay money for the rest of the stories (or even to really waste my time reading them).

It sounded like the author wanted to sound complex with that spell... but it won’t do much other than protect personal care products from gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Every time Julian shouted that “spell”, I died a little inside. In fact, every time Cooper pooped himself, barfed, or blew snot, I questioned the author’s maturity. I mean, I completely understand the lack of charisma, but it was overdone and overdone, most likely catering to the pre-pubescents in the audience. I can appreciate crude humor, but when it slaps you in the face nearly every page, it gets tiresome. I didn’t laugh one time- and couldn’t sympathize with any of the characters. Some reviewers said that you could switch dialogue with any of them and it wouldn’t matter since all personalities were the same and unlikeable. I tend to agree. I gave it 2 stars because I was interested enough to finish the book, as I liked the premise, and I liked the ending. However, it was a long slog through dick and fart jokes, with lots of vomit and poop... Surprising considering the characters didn’t eat much to produce the volume of vomit and diarrhea exploding everywhere.

This book is garbage, save your money for actual D&D. Mysogony AND homophobia rampant in the first few pages, this book is written like some middle school fan fiction by someone that just learned to swear.

PREFACE: This is reviewed by Melissa's husband

I know just how much Mr. Bevan loves his negative reviews, alas I will not bear his wrath with this post as I would simply be lying to myself.

The Critical Failures series is by far one of the best set of books I have ever read (listened to, in my case. Thanks Audible). The story follows a fairly simplistic story that is brought into a complex plot line through fantastic character development, characters that bring me back to my childhood days of playing D&D, and top notch story telling. Mr. Bevan has a knack for depicting the very nature of what made these games so much fun. I found myself so drawn into every aspect of the story as this group of friends annoys their Caverns and Creatures (C&C) cavern master by using jokes he does not appreciate. These jokes are then met by the rolling of magical dice which result in their being thrown into a world controlled by Mordrid (the CM), and a struggle to come to grasps with the eccentricities and fine skills required to truly master this game.

From the insults, the degrading humor against one another (what teenager didn't do this with their close friends growing up), to the ever-present toilet humor brought about by a half-orc with a low charisma score, this story truly has it all. What starts as a simple exercise in understanding their world by attacking an NPC turns into a quest for survival, friendship, and character development (After all, who doesn't want to level up?). The tie in between the role of the CM, what happens to the characters when he is off for the night, and the different types of alcohol required to give different character classes a buzz really make this a truly wonderful tale.

And with that, I rolled a 1, dropped a deuce, and lost my boss fight. You will thoroughly enjoy this story if you have ever dabbled in the fun that is D&D. Mr. Bevan does not disappoint!

OK where to start? Tim is a normal 20 something nerd That likes to play Caverns & Creatures (generic Dungeons & Dragons) with his friends Dave and Cooper while getting drunk. They play in Tim's family restaurant the Chicken Hut after hours. Julian is Dave's friend from work and playing C&C for the first time. They also have a new Cavern master they found on Craig's list. When the CM shows up wearing a cape I was already falling in love with this book.
After only playing for a few minutes they come to a town and Cooper says he wants to kill the guard for not letting him in because he is a Half Orc barbarian he rolls and chops the guys head off then puts it in his bag. Soon Cooper goes a bit too far in making fun of the CM and he uses his magic dice to actually send them in to the game as their characters and Cooper is carrying a bag with a head in it as the rest of the city guards chase them.
Tim is the Halfling Rogue. Dave is the Dwarf Priest. Julian is a Half Elf Magic User. Poor Cooper is a Half Orc Barbarian with a charisma score of 2 so he always has snot running down his face and is constantly s***ing himself. They are a unlikely group to adventure together but they will have to if they ever want to get home.
This is filled with juvenile humor of the most profane sort. In other words I loved it. I listened to the audio book narrated by Jonathan Sleep. He did a excellent job at giving each character their own voice and adding much to the experience. I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I've been looking for something to read, but everything I picked up just wasn't holding my attention. So many other things were vying for, and winning my precious time. When I started reading the C&C 1st book, I couldn't put it down.
A masterpiece it is not, but it hit all the right notes for me. The writing is simple but good. The story combines youthful memories of tabletop rpg gaming with a story that is unique from the genre.
The basic story of a group of friends being transported into a fantasy gaming world is not new. There are many barely passable stories out there.
Just like the 2017 movie Logan was, for me, the first movie to feel like a comic book, Critical Failures was the first reality to fantasy story to feel like I was experiencing a game of D&D.
Kudos to the author and everyone who helped!

Most of the plot of this book has been covered in other reviews, so I won't rehash it. In short, CRITICAL FAILURES is Jumanji meets The Hangover, or what would happen if Tucker Max wrote LOTR fan fiction. If you like adventure and ribald humor, if you still giggle when someone farts at an inappropriate time, and if you can't listen to certain classical pieces without singing dirty lyrics, you will get this book, and what's more, you will probably laugh your ass off. This is not a book for the high-toned old Christian women of Wallace Steven's poem, and if you fancy yourself a literary connoisseur, think "The Miller's Tale" by Chaucer, re-imagined by Piers Anthony and the cast of Animal House. High praise? Maybe it's low-brow praise and you just don't get it. I have a Master's in English, but I love books like this to cleanse my palate after an afternoon of James Joyce. This book sets out to be fun ... it shoots, it scores!

Warning – This book uses the F-word a LOT. Like, a ridiculously unnecessary amount. I usually don’t care about people using the F-word, but I thought it was too much! So, just a heads up, (especially if you are listening to it on Audiobook like I did) there are a LOT of F-bombs!

Not taking into account the excessive use of the F-word, I thought this book was just ok. I liked the premise well enough but the execution was poor.

The story is about a group of friends who get sent into a game of Caverns and Creatures. (aka Dungeons and Dragons) They have become their characters and must overcome the obstacles within Caverns and Creatures. It sounds awesome!

I have only ever played one Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but there was always a path, of sorts, to follow. There were quests, side quests, and a main objective. Caverns and Creatures didn’t seem to have that. The characters floundered around a lot with no direction, which was kind of annoying.

I enjoyed the action scenes and the problem solving. I also liked the main characters a lot, but I did not like the antagonists. They were too wishy-washy. They were “good guys” who were trying to bring the main characters to justice, but then they kept forming temporary truces and then complaining about them the whole time. It would have been nice to see the protagonists fight real foes, or take on a quest.

I also hated the ending. I thought it was awful! At the time I didn’t realize this was a full series, so the ending makes a little bit of sense, in that the series can now continue, but I still didn’t like it!

Overall I liked the characters but not the plot. So it gets a 3 out of 5 rating because it was “meh” I will not be reading the rest of the series.

I picked this one up for free on Prime and it's honestly not the worst thing I've read on here (I actually finished it instead of giving up like I do with alot of the self-published, poorly edited garbage out there). I was actually interested in finding out what happened because I love this sort of story and the writer does a decent job of keeping it interesting. Taking people out of their time and place and forcing them into a fantasy world is totally my jam and the execution was ok but that's the thing, it was only just ok. The major pros are that the story was interesting and it was a short read. I also appreciated how the author explained major aspects of RPGs without getting overly technical or in the weeds. The major cons are that none of the characters are very likable. I like a good "your mom" joke as much as the next guy but it got old pretty fast. None of the characters were that distinct from each other and by the end they all kind of annoyed me. In summary, it was a good idea but the execution was middling at best. It wasn't bad enough to make me throw it away in disgust but it wasn't good enough for me to ever want to pay money for the rest of the stories (or even to really waste my time reading them).

It sounded like the author wanted to sound complex with that spell... but it won’t do much other than protect personal care products from gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Every time Julian shouted that “spell”, I died a little inside. In fact, every time Cooper pooped himself, barfed, or blew snot, I questioned the author’s maturity. I mean, I completely understand the lack of charisma, but it was overdone and overdone, most likely catering to the pre-pubescents in the audience. I can appreciate crude humor, but when it slaps you in the face nearly every page, it gets tiresome. I didn’t laugh one time- and couldn’t sympathize with any of the characters. Some reviewers said that you could switch dialogue with any of them and it wouldn’t matter since all personalities were the same and unlikeable. I tend to agree. I gave it 2 stars because I was interested enough to finish the book, as I liked the premise, and I liked the ending. However, it was a long slog through dick and fart jokes, with lots of vomit and poop... Surprising considering the characters didn’t eat much to produce the volume of vomit and diarrhea exploding everywhere.

This book is garbage, save your money for actual D&D. Mysogony AND homophobia rampant in the first few pages, this book is written like some middle school fan fiction by someone that just learned to swear.

So, disclaimer here. I am a 40 year old hardcore D&D nerd that started playing in 2nd edition. The premise of this game is going to appeal to me by it's very nature for sure. I'd also like to comment about what some of the other reviewers are citing as lack-luster writing. This book is very much targeted toward the high school level reader. Do not expect Tolken or RR Martin. This is not trying to be that kind of story. It IS however, a great story with believable scenarios, good consistent characters and some seriously interesting twists and comedy.

The first book in the series is good. Not amazing or anything but certainly enough to keep my attention and the author does a great job of translating classic D&D rules into workable story points. The characters are aware they're in a game and they routinely manipulate the scenario to their advantage because they know the game rules as meta knowledge. I love how the author works this into the plot. That's very entertaining. I also love to see how the author uses spells and game mechanics in a novel way to their advantage.

I'm currently on book 2 and i gotta say the 2nd installment in the series had me howling in laughter at a couple of points. I'm VERY glad i picked up the 2nd book and i'm looking forward to getting into the 3rd as the story in book 2 winds down. I'm anxious to see what this author comes up with in future projects, especially as he grows as a writer!

I also listened on audio book and really think the chosen narrator did the story justice.

PREFACE: This is reviewed by Melissa's husband

I know just how much Mr. Bevan loves his negative reviews, alas I will not bear his wrath with this post as I would simply be lying to myself.

The Critical Failures series is by far one of the best set of books I have ever read (listened to, in my case. Thanks Audible). The story follows a fairly simplistic story that is brought into a complex plot line through fantastic character development, characters that bring me back to my childhood days of playing D&D, and top notch story telling. Mr. Bevan has a knack for depicting the very nature of what made these games so much fun. I found myself so drawn into every aspect of the story as this group of friends annoys their Caverns and Creatures (C&C) cavern master by using jokes he does not appreciate. These jokes are then met by the rolling of magical dice which result in their being thrown into a world controlled by Mordrid (the CM), and a struggle to come to grasps with the eccentricities and fine skills required to truly master this game.

From the insults, the degrading humor against one another (what teenager didn't do this with their close friends growing up), to the ever-present toilet humor brought about by a half-orc with a low charisma score, this story truly has it all. What starts as a simple exercise in understanding their world by attacking an NPC turns into a quest for survival, friendship, and character development (After all, who doesn't want to level up?). The tie in between the role of the CM, what happens to the characters when he is off for the night, and the different types of alcohol required to give different character classes a buzz really make this a truly wonderful tale.

And with that, I rolled a 1, dropped a deuce, and lost my boss fight. You will thoroughly enjoy this story if you have ever dabbled in the fun that is D&D. Mr. Bevan does not disappoint!

OK where to start? Tim is a normal 20 something nerd That likes to play Caverns & Creatures (generic Dungeons & Dragons) with his friends Dave and Cooper while getting drunk. They play in Tim's family restaurant the Chicken Hut after hours. Julian is Dave's friend from work and playing C&C for the first time. They also have a new Cavern master they found on Craig's list. When the CM shows up wearing a cape I was already falling in love with this book.
After only playing for a few minutes they come to a town and Cooper says he wants to kill the guard for not letting him in because he is a Half Orc barbarian he rolls and chops the guys head off then puts it in his bag. Soon Cooper goes a bit too far in making fun of the CM and he uses his magic dice to actually send them in to the game as their characters and Cooper is carrying a bag with a head in it as the rest of the city guards chase them.
Tim is the Halfling Rogue. Dave is the Dwarf Priest. Julian is a Half Elf Magic User. Poor Cooper is a Half Orc Barbarian with a charisma score of 2 so he always has snot running down his face and is constantly s***ing himself. They are a unlikely group to adventure together but they will have to if they ever want to get home.
This is filled with juvenile humor of the most profane sort. In other words I loved it. I listened to the audio book narrated by Jonathan Sleep. He did a excellent job at giving each character their own voice and adding much to the experience. I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I've been looking for something to read, but everything I picked up just wasn't holding my attention. So many other things were vying for, and winning my precious time. When I started reading the C&C 1st book, I couldn't put it down.
A masterpiece it is not, but it hit all the right notes for me. The writing is simple but good. The story combines youthful memories of tabletop rpg gaming with a story that is unique from the genre.
The basic story of a group of friends being transported into a fantasy gaming world is not new. There are many barely passable stories out there.
Just like the 2017 movie Logan was, for me, the first movie to feel like a comic book, Critical Failures was the first reality to fantasy story to feel like I was experiencing a game of D&D.
Kudos to the author and everyone who helped!

I typically review books on a 5 point scale in an attempt to place some modicum of objectivity into a subjective process. That being said, each point could have a different weight depending on what you're looking for in a book, so please feel free to ignore the overall rating in favor of your personal interests.

Bottom line up front: This book is entertaining, interesting, and well written, but overtly simplistic and extremely juvenile. If you like a good old fashioned "C&C" book with tons of fart, pee, diarrhea, and vomit jokes, this the book for you!

Prose: Well written as a whole. You could tell that the author knows how to write a decent novel without too many discrepancies or long-winded paragraphs. The editing had a few minor errors, but nothing too distracting.

Entertainment: I was actually somewhat entertained by the jokes alone. While it wasn't an all-nighter by any means, it was interesting enough to pass the time. There were at least 4-5 LOL moments, where my wife asked me what was so funny, which I declined to answer based on the ridiculousness of the joke content.

Character Development: Basically goes nowhere. While the characters show some minimal advancement and separation in their individual traits, overall character interest is overshadowed by the numerous frat jokes (fart jokes too). The author finally starts to develop the character foils in the fourth book, but its too little, too late (and even that is done with an extreme lack of subtlety).

Plot: Not a brain stretch. This is a basic frat, LitRPG novel, without a whole lot of detail planned for the RPG portion of the plot (how to advance characters, cool loot, etc.) (SPOILERish: they only advance three levels over four books and don't get ANY loot until the fourth one...). Don't expect a twist or a Clancyesque thriller, this book is get-what-you-see.

Misc (as always the largest category): This book (and series) intrigued me for its throw back to Joel Rosenburg, but lost me in its constant diarrhea and vomit jokes. It was enough to get me to catch up to the fourth novel, but I had a hard time finishing the last one, and probably won't pick up the next one. If you're looking for violent, explosive, juvenile jokes, constant swearing, and a way to pass some time in a mind-numbing (albeit occasionally hilarious) fashion, this is probably the book (and series) for you.

I bought this on audible and listened to it in a couple of weeks. I have to be honest here, I thought the narrator was a bit annoying. Some of the voices he used to bring the characters to life was a bit cringeworthy.

I played a bit of DnD as a kid, and love me some nerd fantasy.

The book is very creative, the author has a good crude sense of humor that can be really funny at times but sometimes caused me to groan in my head.

The book dragged on in the middle quite a bit, it got a monotonous as the characters kept missing each other then spent a lot of time trying to regroup and then make food. I managed to finish the whole thing pretty quickly and when it was over, I immediately bought the rest of the books in the series ... so I guess you can say I really liked it.

I would love to see this in movie format. The bard is my favorite character in the book.

I typically don't leave reviews for things online, but seeing this on the "must read" section got me a bit worked up. This is by far one of the worst books I've ever tried to get through. Full disclosure, I only listened up until the first bit where they were transported into the game world, but I feel with a book like this, that's as far as you really need to get. Each character sounded exactly like the last. The writing is terrible, the dialog horrendous. Dialog is typically followed with "XXXXXX" said (character). Nobody every yells, or whispers, or suggests, always "said".

Fun book for anyone who has played fantasy role-playing games, for any player who has put up with an eccentric and hardcore dungeon master, or for any DM who has endured the sophomoric humor and lazy indifference of players.

Critical Failures was a great tongue-in-cheek that poked fun at both role-playing games and the people who play them. The characters were stereotypical yet believable enough as typical D&D gamers. Cooper's disgusting half orc character was a barbaric hoot, and taking Chaz's tattooed motorcycle riding tough guy and dropping him into this world as a flamboyant bard was hilarious.

However, I have to wonder about the book's appeal to those who have never seen a d20 (or d4, d8, d10 or d12). So much of the subtle humor relies on familiarity with the RPG world that non-gamers would likely be lost or bored.

But as someone who has played D&D since the days of Gary Gygax and TSR, I find myself looking forward to the second book in the series.

If an over caffeinated, very rude fifteen year old boy were to recount the D&D games he played with his friends, it would greatly resemble this book. It was mostly a long string of sick and fart jokes.

As a weekly D&D/Pathfinder player it definitely reads like a group of people that are playing the game. It never really gets put into perspective how things you do in game would look in a real world. And while you should still stick to your chosen alignment, being forced to actually act that way would be difficult in life or death situations.
Over ask the whole story is hilarious but kinda sad, but not necessarily in a bad way. In a "you feel for them" kind of way. And the ending was just kinda depressing in a sense, but you want to keep going. But the situations they get into just because of the dumb stuff they say are hilarious. And I'm sure my halfling rogue could relate.
Great book to read for fun on vacation. Especially if you're a D&D or Pathfinder player.

Critical Failures is full of crude and rude and downright disgusting. It’s also positively hilarious at times, and the puns come out of nowhere and leave you snickering. It’s also got a smattering of entirely horrible innuendos in it, and while none of the characters are particularly charismatic (even if they did have a high die roll on that), they’re just real enough to find yourself rooting for them even as you want to slap them upside the head.

Whilst I’ve never actually played any of the tabletop role-playing games, the idea of the mechanics and the stories that could come from the game have fascinated me. The way the author, Robert Bevan, handles it is perfect. Yes, he could have tried to turn it into a serious adventure, but instead what you get is an adventure sure to delight every geek – at least that has a sense of humor – in existence. The Cavern Master that starts all of this is the stereotypical never-got-laid, physically unattractive, with the thinnest skin around kid that we all knew in high school. Except this one’s grown up and has no excuse for being a fussyface. Makes it much easier to hate him with a passion.

Not one I’d recommend to let young kids read due to the more adult nature of some of the gags, but definitely one I’d recommend to gamers in general, Critical Failures is a highly amusing romp which is sure to endear you or gross you out, or both. I actually think I fall along the “both” line, because some of the snotting in here is absolutely disgusting. Anyways, definitely highly recommend it, and it’s the first book of a series, too!

I didn't listen to previous reviews about how hostile and horrible these gamers are. How bad could they be? Incredibly horrible. They are so toxic that they are not believable. There was nothing that I liked about this.

Ok. So two stars may not be warranted it probably deserves two and a half. The issue lies in the fact that the concept and idea is great. You will get from this book what you likely expect story-wise. A group of players in a D&D like game get transported to their fantasy setting. My issue with this book is most of the characters are utterly unlikable. Tim and Julian seem ok. Just like in a normal game party the cleric is mainly there to heal people. Cooper has no redeemable qualities whatsoever. He treats everyone like dirt even once inside the game doesn't become any better. The Cavern Master is a super neckbeard stereotype.The overly childish humor and potty jokes are not going to be to everyone's liking. To be honest. This book is not horrible except for the heroes. I like the residents of the realm and what happens in the game but damn.....those heroes need to re-roll their personalities. That being said I will probably pick up book two.

If you ever played old school, pencil and paper RPGs, particularly D&D, this is a must read. After being an avid gamer through my late teens, I had been on a 20 something year hiatus when I came across Caverns and Creatures. It was like stepping into a time machine and going back 20 years to my regular D&D group. The same inside jokes, personality conflicts, abuse of npcs, ridiculous in game situations/discussions, lowbrow humor, and crude language were abundant from the start. It really brought back some fond memories of gaming sessions in the good old days.

Some of the reviews are somewhat critical of the "foul" language or "vulgar" humor. I think that these miss the point entirely. In fact, for me, the humor played a large part in recreating my experiences as a gamer. The "real world" similarity to (in our case), a bunch of angst ridden teens frustrating the best laid plans of several DMs in idiotic and frequently disgusting ways is exactly what makes the series. If you weren't a gamer, as an adolescent or young adult, you just aren't going to get the full effect. If you were, you will be chuckling at familiar situations and at times laughing at loud at the in game antics of some of the characters.

If you ever (accidentally), burned down the Keep on the Borderlands before even making it to the Temple of Elemental Evil, you are going to enjoy this book.

Have you ever read The Lord of the Rings and come away feeling that, while it was a good read, it really lacked in the dick joke department? Ever felt that after putting down A Song of Ice and Fire, that if King Robert had only been afflicted with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Eddard Stark wore a serape, it would have improved the whole reading experience? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then look no further because your ship has arrived!

One of the funniest books I’ve read. Great if you have ever played RPGs, but completely understandable if you haven’t. If you need a laugh this is a great place to start.

One of my first forays into the Kindle Unlimited plan netted me this. It's funny but make no mistake, it often takes its humor out of very crude situations. For example, the player who becomes his Half Orc barbarian has an extremely low charisma score. This is reflected not just in his appearance but poor hygiene and bodily function control. He also forgets how to read because of his low rolled Int score.

The story is not original, people becoming their characters is a storyline as old as gaming (Quag Keep, any number of Dragon Magazine stories, Erfworld etc) but it has some original ideas and uses some ideas not used often such as the reaction of a person suddenly finding themselves having 4 hit points and facing a monster.

It is a quick read, and fun watching the players try to survive their blunders in unconventional ways. I'd give it a 5 except for the over reliance on bodily function humor.

A very fun read. I will definitely be reading the whole series. What gamer, even a old PnP player like me, hasn't once dreamed up such a scenario themselves. I love the situation they characters find themselves in, and how they deal with it. I do wish there was a lot less cursing because I feel like it detracts from the story. I am hoping for a little less in the way of cliches and more character development in the rest of the story. If any old D*D gamer is looking for a fun read, take a chance on this .

A good book and a funny, if slightly rocky start to a great series. Total chaos ensues when a group of irreverent gamers gets sucked into the game by a vindictive GM. Anyone who has been a gamer for a little while knows people (or perhaps is someone) exactly like the characters in this book, and will get plenty of laughs from their hapless antics.

I loved this book through and through. Yes, it's crass and immature and foul and completely politically incorrect, and those are just a few of the reasons I loved it so much. People whining about how "low-brow" these novels are need to [SPOILER ALERT] remove the dick-shaped stake from their asses, lighten up, and live a little. The only other authors who have made me laugh this hard are Christopher Moore and Terry Pratchett, so I'd say Robert Bevan is in some pretty good literary company. 10/10, would read again, Long Live Cooper.

Critical Failures isn't bad. It has a decent premise, though not super original. The story moves along at an "okay" pace. As someone who played a lot of D&D as a kid, that part of the story resonated with me and brought back good memories of the "good ol' days".

Where the book falls short, is in the dialog. There is a lot of dialog and most of it is nonsensical. The characters' over use of the f-bomb just doesn't add anything. And, I'd argue that it makes the guys just that much less appealing as characters. Maybe, it's just that I don't have friends that cuss that much, and when they do, it's for emphasis and not as a filler word. In the end, it just makes the book feel a bit juvenile.

All in all, while the book isn't great, it also isn't terrible. There are a few genuinely hilarious moments. I wouldn't recommend this book if you are looking for a serious read, but as a fluffy popcorn kind of book, it's good enough.

I'm currently in the middle of two pathfinder campaigns, but they're only my second and third experience with roleplay tabletop gaming. Even so, I am still able to recognize a myriad of terms, and can easily relate to Julian's bewilderment. The personalities are believable, and entertaining. If you can handle an F-bomb or three per page, amidst varying levels of innuendo, you'll find yourself cackling almost unreservedly, especially at Cooper's stupid mom jokes.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if this were the author's adventure logs from previous campaigns. Do yourself a favor and roll a few D20's. You're in for a critical hit with "Critical Failures"
BTW, this would be a crack up indie film.

I wanted to like this book and it might be ok, but just having trouble getting over the terrible language in it. It seems like Bevan throws in swear words just to throw them in. I have left this book and went on to some others. I will try to come back to it sometime and see if i can get over the language and it might actualy be a good book.

So, I have to admit that it was the description that pulled me in. A twist on D&D with foul-mouthed characters?

It was an interesting experience that I found myself inexplicably drawn into. Seemed like a great book to read to fall asleep and the next thing I know, it's late and I'm typing this review.

Thanks for the great trip, sir. Now, to stay up later and read book 2...

Listen if you want a kid friendly story about being pulled into your game world then this isn't your book. If you want to read a story that is exactly what it would be like if you got pulled in and felt like you were tripping then here you go! I'm not a huge reader but in less than a month I'm at the start of book 5. Laughing, crying, calling up old game buddies to share the laughs.

The book is a time passer, but if I hadn't been reading it on the plane without other options I may not have finished it. While other people have commented on the crudeness, I would say that the characters themselves are not differentiated well enough. Bevan relies on the character races and classes to define the characters, but at their core everyone is mostly the same. Yes, Cooper is the most crass of the lot, but the other characters are all willing to laugh at the same jokes, and everyone is willing to make a horrible comment to someone. It's fine to create a character like Cooper where that's just part of who they are, but for some of these characters it seems out of character to insult someone in a vile way. Julian, for example, doesn't seem like someone who would make a vile comment. When he does, it feels jarring. I wanted Julian to be the guy who gets into the game and grows from being the guy who knew nothing to the guy who navigates the rules better than anyone else. I wanted Tim to be the guy who grows into the reluctant leader. I wanted Dave to embrace some empathy in his role as a healer. And yes, I wanted Cooper to stay the world's biggest jerk because that's who he is. Instead we end up with every character willing to be degrading to someone else at any time, and as a result the book never becomes what it could be. Hopefully that's addressed in the sequels.

And please... enough of the gay jokes. It's not ok to write reams of dialogue where the accepted world rule is that the worst thing one man can say to another is something about their sexuality. This isn't just a social justice thing. Think about your marketing! A lot of kids who got into D&D did so because they felt like social outcasts, and for many of them they felt that way because they were gay. Your book hits them in the face with the same painful experiences that got them into D&D in the first place, ergo lost readers.

One last thing... the proofreading is terrible. Spelling the number "two" as "too"? C'mon guy, you're better than that. Not the only example BTW.

A highly amusing tale, Critical Failures brings us into a world where role playing suddenly becomes real with the help of a pair of magic dice. Tim, a young man with serious geek personality brings together his group of friends to play a version of fantasy role playing cards under the mysterious tutelage of Mordred, a creepy fat guy in a purple cape. The gang thinks they are just there for the usual night of beer drinking and role-playing. But one member, Conner, with a serious 'tude, pushes to many of the dungeon master's buttons and Mordred dumps the whole group into the world itself. Thus we follow the players in the suddenly very real world of orcs, elves, knights and other fantasy nasties. What is one to do when you actually are a level one wizard with low intelligence? Will they get out alive?

Bevan does a brilliant job in bringing out the inner geek in all of us. He plays with the secretive longing of every fantasy fan out there by making come true what every gamer wishes, the game a reality. In an absurd and often funny prose, we follow the antics of a group of geeks asked to walk the walk. The prose is well done, the story is amusing and the setting is fantastic. I highly recommend this read to anyone who has never participated in role-playing, but has always been curious. It was quite eye-opening to me and made me want to go find a D&D group and dungeon master.

Warning, however, the bodily functions of said characters (ie orcs, trolls) are well described if not graphically so. It was almost to a point of too much, and I found myself skimming some of the descriptions, not so much in disgust but boredom of the same gross depiction of troll fluids and orc snot. My other small complaint would be the insane amount of use of the f-word. I don't mind the occasional curse word here or there, it can make sh*t real. But the way the f-bomb was thrown about in the character's dialogue bordered on the ridiculous, if not downright unbelievable. Nobody talks that way and it was to a point that it distracted from the dialogue.

However, if you are willing to wade through some bodily fluids and ignore the gratuitous cursing, then you are in for a treat. Critical Failures is an absorbing, fast-paced, enjoyable fantasy read. The end leaves you hanging but satisfied, happily anticipating the sequel.

I found the book to be a well-written, fun read. I've never played Dungeons and Dragons or any other RPGs like the one this book is centered around. I suspect that because such games are not really my cup of tea, I didn't feel like some other reviewers that this was the greatest book I've ever read, but that's not the fault of the book so I gave it 5 stars. I think those who really are into such games would enjoy this book and series very much.

This book was Amazing! I was a faithful player of "C&C," (well we all know the actual game)! This saga was every RPG'ers dream, to actually live the game! As a Third level Human Cleric of Pelor this book kept me on the edge of my seat, and laughed out loud several times! I can't wait for the next installment!

I was never a D&D player but had a brother who used to be very much into Warhammer and other games, so was familiar enough with the premise of RPG to understand Bevin's story. While much of it was indeed immature, that of course was part of the charm. At times I found the constant joking to become tedious, but ultimately I did enjoy the read and have no regrets. Looking forward to seeing this writer develop further.

Omg.

I had to put the book down a few times because I was cracking up too much. Seriously, I was. I had too many flashbacks to my gaming days whenever some seriously crazy stuff came up. In fact, the book got too intense that I actually had to put it down. Go to a different book to break the pace. Then come back once I was calmed down.

So if you LOVE that crazy humor and had some nutty times back in the day. Give this a shot.

Heck if you loved the movie: The Hangover and imagined them playing a roleplaying game. This is your book.

Mr. Bevan: You write. I will keep reading.

Absolutely loved the book. it takes the typical Jumanji like trope of players getting caught in a game, a non infringing name change of D&D, and tells the stories of the players within the game.

Characters are extremely relatable (guessing in their 20's?) and have the back and forth banter you'd expect of people that age, no holding back on the ragging, joking, and sarcasm.

I honestly can't remember the last time a book had me laughing so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. Can't wait to continue reading the series.

So I came across these books in Audible at first and after listening to the first one, it got me completely hooked. I then had to devour the rest of the Audiobooks, and after I finished all of those, I had to be like a chump and read it for myself in the 4th book of the series. If you are easily offended by crude humor or bodily excretion describe in vivid detail, you may enjoy this book...if you don't care about such things then you may also enjoy the book. Mainly just read the f'ing book and enjoy the absurdity and humor as it pours into your soul.

This is my first review ever, and I usually don't bother, but I really wanted to take some time and give kudos to the author.

I loved this book! It was a quick and light read, and was legit funny (and I do mean the embarrassing, snorting, about-to-pee-myself kinda laugh).
I never played D&D in my life, and am not super familiar with all things nerd, yet still enjoyed the fantasy and humor of the book.

If you need to get away from an otherwise depressing and/or stressful reality, and you actually have a sense of humor (i.e. You are not offended by pretty much everything like some people do), then this book is for you.

I can't give it 5 stars though, mainly because of the slightly hackneyed and stereotypical character and plot development, which I realize is completely appropriate as satire/slapstick, but bothers me nonetheless (there is only one female character, and she exhibits the disinterested, popular, slightly slutty, and oh so clueless girl everyone expects- oh and, she has a nice rack... like... common dude!).

Otherwise, it's awesome. Will totally read the rest.

For a Comedy book there is not a single joke. unless someone shitting in the road is a punchline and set up and delivery. Not only are the characters flat as paper. they are unlikable as well. The word that is the authors go to for any character is the F word.
The thing I'm surprised no other review has not already stated is that this book is horribly racist. I would say half the jokes are bodily fluids the others are a race joke, under the premise that "haha there is a race section on a character sheet" its pathetic. Even more pathetic is the "But I'm not racist" line after any character says something not funny and racist.
I cant understand why this book is a "Must Read" im sad i cant get my time back for finishing it.

Immediately after buying this book my credit card information got stolen.

But it was worth it. That's how good this insane journey is. The journey of some poor souls just trying to enjoy some "C&C" when they get totally screwed by the dice. I think we can all relate to bring screwed by dice.

When the new 'game master' takes over, the stuff gets real! I don't know how many times I've heard a gamer talk about how cool it would be if they really had those skills. This story is hilarious and a bit spooky. Definitely a feel good story for serious gamers.

I have always been a fan of D&D. The book held my attention. And I was able envision what the author was writing about in the book. Something I haven't been able to do since I had a stroke several years back.
I am anxious to start reading the rest of the series.

Sort of funny, but I just didn't care for it. It's a really interesting premise, but I didn't actually like any of the characters. I'm still not sure who the protagonist is. I don't mean to spoil anything but I didn't care when bad things happened to anyone in the story; everyone's pretty much a jerk. Sure, it's funny here and there but I won't be getting any of the sequels because I just don't care what happens to any of the characters.

Bevan is a nutcase. Critical Failures is the product of a delusional mind. It's hilarious.

On top of that, it's actually a good story and well written. I hope Bevan continues this quality of work and that his friends and fans make sure that he can't find his medication.

A huge problem I have with books that market themselves as "funny," is, most of the time, there's not much of value behind the jokes. This book suffers that same problem, but the jokes also suck. It's lazy, hacky, derivative humor.

I listed to MANY audio books as I drive long distances for my work. This book is one of the most entertaining and funny books I have finished in a very long time. Having played D&D when I was younger, I actually knew most of the references and was shocked as to how much of the game I remembered. Loved this book.

I have never played D&D in my life and know very little about the game. That being said, this book caused me to look like a spastic nut job as I literally laughed out loud. I can honestly say that I have never laughed so hard while reading a book. The other books in the series are equally hilarious and I can't wait for the next one. Well played Mr Bevan. Well played.

Seriously, this book was enjoyable and laugh out loud funny at times. If you want to be transported to a new World full of imagination and Juvenile humor, you've arrived at the right place. I cannot wait to read more!

This is a well-written and amusing story about a group of gamers sucked into their own game. A familiar premise for fantasy, but done well.

If you play D&D now or at some point in history, or if (like me) you know the system because of video games like Neverwinter Nights, you'll be able to appreciate the story and the gags found in Critical Failures, which to a fairly large extent depend on that knowledge. If you are a fan of the Order of the Stick or Erfworld webcomics, this book has some of the same brand of metahumor.

The story and the action are pretty good, and to the author's credit I never found the action to read like a session of table-top gaming (which would have been boring, most likely). There are also some moments which are, quite frankly, hilarious and inventive.

This book is not what I'd call character-driven. Some of the characters are fine, others seem a bit thinner, and one is basically just a spigot for harsh language and "your mom" jokes (some of which are funny, but the character has little depth). My only other gripe is that while the plot has a satisfying resolution in some senses, it does not really answer any of the large questions raised in the course of events, making the whole story seem like a set up for "Further Adventures Of..."

Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing.

At the beginning, I had some trouble getting into it. It was a little too "Bro-y" for my initial tastes, but I've had a D&D itch recently so I pushed through the first chapter and my personal hatred of Cooper and his awful "role playing" style. However, right after getting over that, it was a fantastic read. Nice and light, scratched my fantasy role playing itch, and uniquely funny. I will be purchasing the next book for sure, and almost definitely purchase the rest of the Critical Failures series -- a rare thing for me.

I have read all three of these books, and I can now say with confidence: this is not a book about caverns. Lots of creatures, yes - the main characters are a bunch of jackasses, pigs, and boars -- but no caverns. Taverns, wyverns, leathern gear, yes -- but not one cavern. If you are looking for a great spelunking epic, keep looking.

Once I got past the juvenile and crude humor, the scatological humor, the kind of pathetic sexual humor one hears from a certain type of guy who never dated in high school and hopes no one realizes and, of course, the lack of caverns --- it's not bad. Book 1 was good enough to keep going, Book 2 was not bad, and I thoroughly enjoyed book 3.

Almost good in spite of Violent Racist, sexist, and Homophobic humor. Also people getting pooped on and pissed on, a lot.
Honestly I would have rated it higher if the writing was better. Parts of it were very engaging once you are desensitized to the KKK jokes.

The humor in this book took me back to my days in high school. My wife looked at me and rolled her eyes every time I would burst out laughing because of an immature joke. Story line also kept me thoroughly intrigued. The only negative was that some scenes were not described very well and were difficult to follow. I repeatedly had to reread to figure out if I had missed something as the scenes sometimes changed dramatically within a single page.

This book is hilarious, irreverent, and extremely clever. If you ever played D&D or read a novel from that universe as a kid, you’re bound to enjoy the silly adventure found here.

If you find vomiting or pants-shitting orcs offensive, move along. Cooper’s charisma score is frighteningly low.

If you've ever played a role-playing game, you'll be laughing the whole time through this. It's the book equivalent of a half-hour tv sitcom, that brings lots of laughs, never takes itself too seriously, and leaves you impatiently waiting for the next episode to air ;)

Loved the entire book. Of course I can't help feel a bit of oh NO mixed with oh YA! Even though I have a pretty good life I can't help letting my inner child wish it would happen to me. Hopefully I would be the guard at the gate or Henderson ( except I would have laughed at the your mom jokes.)

Fantastic read!

This was everything I could have hoped for as a D&D nerd who has played out a very similar story IN D&D before. It's crude, the jokes are the perfect shade of off-color, and the story actually sucks you in pretty quickly.

Bevan is a nutcase. Critical Failures is the product of a delusional mind. It's hilarious.

On top of that, it's actually a good story and well written. I hope Bevan continues this quality of work and that his friends and fans make sure that he can't find his medication.

A huge problem I have with books that market themselves as "funny," is, most of the time, there's not much of value behind the jokes. This book suffers that same problem, but the jokes also suck. It's lazy, hacky, derivative humor.

I listed to MANY audio books as I drive long distances for my work. This book is one of the most entertaining and funny books I have finished in a very long time. Having played D&D when I was younger, I actually knew most of the references and was shocked as to how much of the game I remembered. Loved this book.

I have never played D&D in my life and know very little about the game. That being said, this book caused me to look like a spastic nut job as I literally laughed out loud. I can honestly say that I have never laughed so hard while reading a book. The other books in the series are equally hilarious and I can't wait for the next one. Well played Mr Bevan. Well played.

Seriously, this book was enjoyable and laugh out loud funny at times. If you want to be transported to a new World full of imagination and Juvenile humor, you've arrived at the right place. I cannot wait to read more!

This is a well-written and amusing story about a group of gamers sucked into their own game. A familiar premise for fantasy, but done well.

If you play D&D now or at some point in history, or if (like me) you know the system because of video games like Neverwinter Nights, you'll be able to appreciate the story and the gags found in Critical Failures, which to a fairly large extent depend on that knowledge. If you are a fan of the Order of the Stick or Erfworld webcomics, this book has some of the same brand of metahumor.

The story and the action are pretty good, and to the author's credit I never found the action to read like a session of table-top gaming (which would have been boring, most likely). There are also some moments which are, quite frankly, hilarious and inventive.

This book is not what I'd call character-driven. Some of the characters are fine, others seem a bit thinner, and one is basically just a spigot for harsh language and "your mom" jokes (some of which are funny, but the character has little depth). My only other gripe is that while the plot has a satisfying resolution in some senses, it does not really answer any of the large questions raised in the course of events, making the whole story seem like a set up for "Further Adventures Of..."

Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing.

At the beginning, I had some trouble getting into it. It was a little too "Bro-y" for my initial tastes, but I've had a D&D itch recently so I pushed through the first chapter and my personal hatred of Cooper and his awful "role playing" style. However, right after getting over that, it was a fantastic read. Nice and light, scratched my fantasy role playing itch, and uniquely funny. I will be purchasing the next book for sure, and almost definitely purchase the rest of the Critical Failures series -- a rare thing for me.

I have read all three of these books, and I can now say with confidence: this is not a book about caverns. Lots of creatures, yes - the main characters are a bunch of jackasses, pigs, and boars -- but no caverns. Taverns, wyverns, leathern gear, yes -- but not one cavern. If you are looking for a great spelunking epic, keep looking.

Once I got past the juvenile and crude humor, the scatological humor, the kind of pathetic sexual humor one hears from a certain type of guy who never dated in high school and hopes no one realizes and, of course, the lack of caverns --- it's not bad. Book 1 was good enough to keep going, Book 2 was not bad, and I thoroughly enjoyed book 3.

Almost good in spite of Violent Racist, sexist, and Homophobic humor. Also people getting pooped on and pissed on, a lot.
Honestly I would have rated it higher if the writing was better. Parts of it were very engaging once you are desensitized to the KKK jokes.

The humor in this book took me back to my days in high school. My wife looked at me and rolled her eyes every time I would burst out laughing because of an immature joke. Story line also kept me thoroughly intrigued. The only negative was that some scenes were not described very well and were difficult to follow. I repeatedly had to reread to figure out if I had missed something as the scenes sometimes changed dramatically within a single page.

This book is hilarious, irreverent, and extremely clever. If you ever played D&D or read a novel from that universe as a kid, you’re bound to enjoy the silly adventure found here.

If you find vomiting or pants-shitting orcs offensive, move along. Cooper’s charisma score is frighteningly low.

If you've ever played a role-playing game, you'll be laughing the whole time through this. It's the book equivalent of a half-hour tv sitcom, that brings lots of laughs, never takes itself too seriously, and leaves you impatiently waiting for the next episode to air ;)

I laughed, loudly and inappropriately while listening to the audiobook at work. I've since listened to all of the books on audio book, and the shorts, and I'm now READING the 4th book and series of shorts. Hilariously inappropriate, rude, funny, and nerdy.

Loved the entire book. Of course I can't help feel a bit of oh NO mixed with oh YA! Even though I have a pretty good life I can't help letting my inner child wish it would happen to me. Hopefully I would be the guard at the gate or Henderson ( except I would have laughed at the your mom jokes.)

Fantastic read!

This was everything I could have hoped for as a D&D nerd who has played out a very similar story IN D&D before. It's crude, the jokes are the perfect shade of off-color, and the story actually sucks you in pretty quickly.

Critical Failures is an interesting blend of a novel. The story starts with a group of lads Tim, Cooper, Julian and Dave awaiting the arrival of a new Games Master for their weekly game of Caverns and Creatures, a Dungeons and Dragons style role playing game. As you might expect the author takes every opportunity to poke fun at the stereotype gamer, nerds with absolutely no prospect of ever finding a girlfriend. When the Games Master finally arrives, wearing a cape, they all take the opportunity to have some fun at his expense. Matters go from bad to worse and our "heroes" find themselves magically transported to the Games World with the GM having full control over this environment.

Bevan neatly combines the fantasy and comedy genres with quite a lot of action for the characters but with them of course fully aware of their game characters strengths and weaknesses. The strength of this novel lies in the humour. I found myself laughing out loud a lot but also rooting for our hapless heroes. Fantasy and RPG fans will get the jokes and find this funny. Anyone who is partial to slapstick humour will enjoy this also I'd imagine. It's not a high brow book and the humour isn't subtle but we all need a laugh sometimes and Critical Failures does this effortlessly.

I don't think any book (series) has ever made me laugh so much. These books are really funny, but also are better than most books in the genre. What I think is brilliant is the fact that you don't really have to be a gamer to appreciate this series. If you like to laugh and enjoy a good story then get this series. It's not a bunch of game mechanics (snore) with a terrible story where everyone just happens to have just the skills needed at the perfect time that no one else could have possibly attained in just the right order to conquer the bad guy.

Even though I had no clue as to how to play D&D the story didn't make it heavy on needing how to play it explains why situations happen and I found it enjoyable to the point that I might play D&D

'Critical Failures' is the story of a geek called Tim who arranges weekly a role playing game similar to Dungeons & Dragons. Tim & three friends make the mistake of inviting stranger Mordred to play with them and they end up at his mercy when he puts them inside the game after they insult him.

It isn't hard to grasp any of the role playing game rules if you're unfamiliar with them, things are explained as the story moves along and it all makes sense. How exactly Mordred puts them inside the game doesn't really get fully explained but that wasn't a concern for me, it was an interesting enough concept not to question it too much.

The characters are brilliant, particulary Cooper who winds up an Orc with a horrendously low charisma score which makes him utterly disgusting to be around - I don't think I've ever thought 'Yuck!' so much in my life! The dialogue is fantastic, it really brings the characters to life and adds to the humorous tone. There's honestly nothing I didn't like about this book. Even the situations Bevan puts his characters in seem to be designed for maximum hilarity.

To sum up, this book really made me laugh. I loved it. The ending made me want a sequel, right now!

It's been years since I've laughed shoo hard reading a book. This is comic genius at is best! I don't think I've read a book that made me laugh like this before. The closest thing to style that I can come to is a vampire book series about a nerd vampire called The Tomb of Bill

I’ve recently got into the LitTPG genre and everything has been VR based. I’m a PC gamer and have never played a table top... but holy crap this books makes me want to. This is the first book in this genre I felt like it was legit. No over powered MC, rare exotic class that’s never been seen before, nothing’s handed to these guys but a hard time. If my friends and I were magically sucked into a game, this would be us. Clueless, mad, but taking trash the whole time and taking it as it comes. Great book! Starting #2 now!

This is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. Started reading after work Friday finished 230pm Saturday as I couldn't put it down. The jokes the characters the story all worked for me. I have played DND off and on since the mid eighties and have seen these people and characters over the years across the tabletops. Brought back good memories of great friends and great games. Got this free from the store prime and will be buying more from this author. Well done sir.

It is crude. It is rude. It doesn't care if it offends. In all honesty I enjoyed almost every part of this book. The story has an interesting premise and delivers funny one liners and plot. Yes plot. There is a story and a goal. These guys just chose to use their heads, as hammers.

I really enjoyed this series and the short story books D6,2D6, 3D6 as well. For a really immersive experience I recommend paying extra for the audible versions. They are very well narrated by a talented reader.
geeky
low brow
D&D (or rather "C&C")
humor

Very enjoyable light reading. Some crass humor which is offset by the implications involved in the story. If you've ever played D&D with alcohol involved or some other form of "medicinal" medicines then this is a walk down memory lane but with real consequences to you half thought out actions.

After reading several zombie apocalypse e-books over the last month I wanted to try a little fantasy and picked this up. I was not sure if I would like it but as a lifelong d&d player I was hooked after the 2nd chapter. A great intro to a well written story that comes straight from several of my late night d&d sessions. Characters are alive and interesting and I found myself laughing out loud more then once. Can't wait to start the next book. Highly recommend if you ever played d&d with friends or enjoy dark humor and fantasy.

Omg SO freaking creative and enjoyable. Crude, irreverent, brilliant humor. Just incredible fun. Read. This. Freaking. Book. Bonus points for enjoyment if you ever played D&D, but hardly a prerequisite. Just shut up and buy the freaking book.

This book is incredible. Honestly, the whole series is. My husband and I are still laughing and talking about what happened months later. Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good story and loves to laugh.

My friends told me to get the audiobook, but I read it instead. Entertaining and hilarious...actually laughed out loud (in front of my high school students. Was grabbing a few minutes before class began).

great book, only con that i could find was it took longer then normal for me to finish the book as i kept having to put it down to laugh out loud. Lots and lots of sophomoric humor, but still an excellent start to an excellent series. This book will not be for everyone but I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed the critical failures storyline. The idea of people being transported into a d and d game is not a new one, but the comedic conversations that Mr. Bevan put into this story set his apart from the rest. Highly recommended, and I took my own advice and read the other two books in the last couple of weeks. I look forward to any new stories about these characters in the future!

I'm the odd one out because this book has great reviews but personally I found it horrible. It's incredibly juvenile and poorly written. I found nothing to like about the characters, they're pretty much exactly the type of people I would never game with, and swearing and vulgar humor for no real reason really detracted from the overall story.

Excellent story, well written. As a tapletop RPG player it was really fun to read and reminded me of a one-off campaign our group played for the holidays one year. I don't think I've laughed as much or felt more at home in a book. Definitely want to read the rest of the series!

A must read for any D&D player. Bevan does a wonderful job pointing out intricacies in the game that often go unnoticed or unplayed. All the while keeping the reader in stitches and sometimes sympathetic to the heroes.

The editing really bugged me. There were many missing letters and punctuation. This is the main reason I gave it a 4. Otherwise, a fun piece of fiction!

Like any first; it has to set the stage on the characters so you do not get a whole lot of story action. As an RPG player I found similarities between my own players and the books characters. I liked the premise of the story and am looking forward to reading the 2nd volume to see what the characters get themselves into.

I understand that the author was going for an authentic game group experience but the over abundance of crudeness really holds the tone of the book back. Is it for adults? Is it for teens? Definitely not for everyone.

I wanted to like this book, but the author made it impossible. If you go out of your way to show what a generally unlikable bunch your supposed heroes are right off the bat, do not be surprised if people do not like them. And me, I tend to not read about people who I do not like. So, I got a few chapters in and gave it up.

The writing was OK, better than a lot of what is out there on KU, but you have to provide more than well written prose, you have to have a story people want to read.

It's OK, I didn't like Silverlock either.

I'm rating this 5 stars because the book makes you think. I've never thought of characters in games as anything more than character. This book posses the idea that they are all much more than characters. These are people in another world living their lives. This is a really good book for anyone that loves games and character development. If you play DnD or fave an interest in games you should read this.

Funniest series I've ever read, hands down. And this is coming from a 41 year-old that hasn't played an RPG in 23 years. Absolutely frikkin hilarious. If you're okay with the F-bomb and relatively crude humor, you can't go wrong with this series.

I enjoyed this a lot, having had some friends (nerds) who were into Dungeons and Dragons way back when, this novel made some delightful fun of them.

This story is a very clever idea, full of humour, and kept me entertained throughout.

Looking forward to reading some more, but I don't think I'll ever look at a Raven quite the same way again!

I must say, this series as a whole has been a great influence on my friends. I mention small bits of it and they crack up and start laughing just as hard is I did when I read it. It has gotten many if my friends to start reading fantasy books, and others to start playing D&D. Funny, loud, and crass at just the right times, I do recommend this book to anyone with a good sense of humor.

I'm the odd one out because this book has great reviews but personally I found it horrible. It's incredibly juvenile and poorly written. I found nothing to like about the characters, they're pretty much exactly the type of people I would never game with, and swearing and vulgar humor for no real reason really detracted from the overall story.

Excellent story, well written. As a tapletop RPG player it was really fun to read and reminded me of a one-off campaign our group played for the holidays one year. I don't think I've laughed as much or felt more at home in a book. Definitely want to read the rest of the series!

A must read for any D&D player. Bevan does a wonderful job pointing out intricacies in the game that often go unnoticed or unplayed. All the while keeping the reader in stitches and sometimes sympathetic to the heroes.

The editing really bugged me. There were many missing letters and punctuation. This is the main reason I gave it a 4. Otherwise, a fun piece of fiction!

Like any first; it has to set the stage on the characters so you do not get a whole lot of story action. As an RPG player I found similarities between my own players and the books characters. I liked the premise of the story and am looking forward to reading the 2nd volume to see what the characters get themselves into.

I understand that the author was going for an authentic game group experience but the over abundance of crudeness really holds the tone of the book back. Is it for adults? Is it for teens? Definitely not for everyone.

I wanted to like this book, but the author made it impossible. If you go out of your way to show what a generally unlikable bunch your supposed heroes are right off the bat, do not be surprised if people do not like them. And me, I tend to not read about people who I do not like. So, I got a few chapters in and gave it up.

The writing was OK, better than a lot of what is out there on KU, but you have to provide more than well written prose, you have to have a story people want to read.

It's OK, I didn't like Silverlock either.

I'm rating this 5 stars because the book makes you think. I've never thought of characters in games as anything more than character. This book posses the idea that they are all much more than characters. These are people in another world living their lives. This is a really good book for anyone that loves games and character development. If you play DnD or fave an interest in games you should read this.

Funniest series I've ever read, hands down. And this is coming from a 41 year-old that hasn't played an RPG in 23 years. Absolutely frikkin hilarious. If you're okay with the F-bomb and relatively crude humor, you can't go wrong with this series.

I enjoyed this a lot, having had some friends (nerds) who were into Dungeons and Dragons way back when, this novel made some delightful fun of them.

This story is a very clever idea, full of humour, and kept me entertained throughout.

Looking forward to reading some more, but I don't think I'll ever look at a Raven quite the same way again!

I must say, this series as a whole has been a great influence on my friends. I mention small bits of it and they crack up and start laughing just as hard is I did when I read it. It has gotten many if my friends to start reading fantasy books, and others to start playing D&D. Funny, loud, and crass at just the right times, I do recommend this book to anyone with a good sense of humor.

This was a humorous story that is easy to follow even if you are not a gamer. If you do happen to be a gamer it just adds to the humor. Easy to follow and a nice variety of characters. A little short but a promising start to what is likely a great series!

Been meaning to review this book for a while. I tend to get very wordy, but I'll keep this short. If you love this book any less than 4 stars you have no sense of humor and need to reevaluate how you view life. These books are hysterical, and as I've said of other books in the series the best thing in my opinion is the character development. I rarely legitimately laugh out loud when I'm sitting alone reading, but I have several times with every one of the books in this series. Can't wait for the next one! P.s. Check out the audiobook, excellent production.

I basically keep my kindle unlimited subscription to re-read critical failures, and to have access to all the short stories that Robert puts out. It's probably costing me more in the long run, but it works for me.

I am a sucker for the plot device of the game becoming real for people. That is what drew me to read this book. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing going for it, at least by my reckoning.

First, the characters. There is no depth at all to them...to say they are one-dimensional might be pushing it, I'm not even sure there's one dimension. What they are is just a ball of stupidity and self-centeredness. There are no redeeming qualities. There is absolutely nothing that makes me want to see what happens to them. I honestly would have been happy with a TPK. Rocks fall, everybody dies.

Second, the plot. I got no feeling of coherence or of an organic plot growth. The flow was very erratic, and it seemed like things were just thrown in. Oh, we need more characters, let's pop a couple more into the world. It seemed like it was more a vehicle for making jokes about roleplaying systems than an actual plot.

Finally, the prose was really lacking. There was an overly heavy reliance on vulgarities. Also, the author really needs to invest in a quality editor, there are way too many rookie mistakes.

I finished the book...I almost didn't, I had to switch to another book. There are much better books out there. I'm just glad I didn't pay any actual money for this one.

Really enjoyed this first book. I myself am a beginner D&D player and the language used in this book is pin point accurate the way my buddies and I talk to each other. Good story, easy read, and can't wait to start the next one!

I have now bought a total of four autographed copies of this book. Upon receiving my first two copies I realized I can heal sick children! After ordering the second two I realized that I had a mutant ability to calm jittery squirrels and communicate with ears of corn !

You like fantasy? You like realism? You like the fact that this book is awesome and you haven't even read it yet? I thought so. This book weaves a grand tale with great twists and wonderful characters that you will love.

Never a dull moment. The action in this story is constant. The characters are diverse and well ranged. I started reading this book thinking it would pass the time, but I find myself craving more. I'm definitely going to read this series to the end.

Picked this up on kindle unlimited for some light funny reading material. It most certainly is not great literature but if you like cheesy humor and think you would enjoy reading about a bunch of people getting transported into a dungeons and dragon game then I recommend giving this book a shot. I liked it enough that I am going on to the second book right now.

Unlike many reviewers, I was not offended by the cursing - in fact it seemed to fit the ages and personalities of the characters. My problem was the story itself. Once you are past the abrupt premise of being tossed into an imaginary magical game and the potential for complete chaos and hilarity, there was just no progression until the last couple chapters when the rug gets pulled out from under them. It got started a couple times only to jerk into a new direction. I expected a bit more from something to highly rated.

Really, I've been thrilled with these book (I read d6 first). There isn't enough room here for all the praise I'd like to heap on this series. Get them, read them and I guarantee you will enjoy them too!

Let me first state this: if you can read and know anything about d&d, you will enjoy this series. mr. bevan reminds me of myself, smart, witty and talented. All he has to do now is write the rest of the series instead of complaining to me about his lack of reviews. lazy bastard!

This is a good light read. I think you need to be familure with D&D to really enjoy the book. I've never played the game but have friends who did so I could easily follow what was happening and why. I hope that as the books progress you get a better in depth view of the characters.

A fun read that's a light diversion from my heavier reading. It also does remind me of my gaming adventures from years ago.
It's not a page turner, griping thriller, or nuanced novel that illuminates the soul. However, if you're into gaming, this might be a nice diversion for vacation reading.

Been meaning to review this book for a while. I tend to get very wordy, but I'll keep this short. If you love this book any less than 4 stars you have no sense of humor and need to reevaluate how you view life. These books are hysterical, and as I've said of other books in the series the best thing in my opinion is the character development. I rarely legitimately laugh out loud when I'm sitting alone reading, but I have several times with every one of the books in this series. Can't wait for the next one! P.s. Check out the audiobook, excellent production.

I basically keep my kindle unlimited subscription to re-read critical failures, and to have access to all the short stories that Robert puts out. It's probably costing me more in the long run, but it works for me.

I am a sucker for the plot device of the game becoming real for people. That is what drew me to read this book. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing going for it, at least by my reckoning.

First, the characters. There is no depth at all to them...to say they are one-dimensional might be pushing it, I'm not even sure there's one dimension. What they are is just a ball of stupidity and self-centeredness. There are no redeeming qualities. There is absolutely nothing that makes me want to see what happens to them. I honestly would have been happy with a TPK. Rocks fall, everybody dies.

Second, the plot. I got no feeling of coherence or of an organic plot growth. The flow was very erratic, and it seemed like things were just thrown in. Oh, we need more characters, let's pop a couple more into the world. It seemed like it was more a vehicle for making jokes about roleplaying systems than an actual plot.

Finally, the prose was really lacking. There was an overly heavy reliance on vulgarities. Also, the author really needs to invest in a quality editor, there are way too many rookie mistakes.

I finished the book...I almost didn't, I had to switch to another book. There are much better books out there. I'm just glad I didn't pay any actual money for this one.

I purchased this on kindle and got the audio version as well so i could listen while on a plane. Get the audiobook version. The narrator is perfect and And brings out all of the humor that i think can be missed by just reading the book.

Really enjoyed this first book. I myself am a beginner D&D player and the language used in this book is pin point accurate the way my buddies and I talk to each other. Good story, easy read, and can't wait to start the next one!

I have now bought a total of four autographed copies of this book. Upon receiving my first two copies I realized I can heal sick children! After ordering the second two I realized that I had a mutant ability to calm jittery squirrels and communicate with ears of corn !

You like fantasy? You like realism? You like the fact that this book is awesome and you haven't even read it yet? I thought so. This book weaves a grand tale with great twists and wonderful characters that you will love.

Never a dull moment. The action in this story is constant. The characters are diverse and well ranged. I started reading this book thinking it would pass the time, but I find myself craving more. I'm definitely going to read this series to the end.

Picked this up on kindle unlimited for some light funny reading material. It most certainly is not great literature but if you like cheesy humor and think you would enjoy reading about a bunch of people getting transported into a dungeons and dragon game then I recommend giving this book a shot. I liked it enough that I am going on to the second book right now.

Unlike many reviewers, I was not offended by the cursing - in fact it seemed to fit the ages and personalities of the characters. My problem was the story itself. Once you are past the abrupt premise of being tossed into an imaginary magical game and the potential for complete chaos and hilarity, there was just no progression until the last couple chapters when the rug gets pulled out from under them. It got started a couple times only to jerk into a new direction. I expected a bit more from something to highly rated.

Really, I've been thrilled with these book (I read d6 first). There isn't enough room here for all the praise I'd like to heap on this series. Get them, read them and I guarantee you will enjoy them too!

Let me first state this: if you can read and know anything about d&d, you will enjoy this series. mr. bevan reminds me of myself, smart, witty and talented. All he has to do now is write the rest of the series instead of complaining to me about his lack of reviews. lazy bastard!

Sometimes I lost which characters were which until about halfway through the book, could have used some more character development. This book was very good regardless. Very modern book, the vocabulary used was something I'm very used to, being in the gaming community and this book hit right at home. Very enjoyable.

The book kept losing my attention but overall it was okay. It became funnier towards the end of the book, kind of feels like maybe this whole first book was just setting the stage for the characters. I will read the second book to see if it keeps the pace of the end of the book.

These are really fun books. A bit heavy on the potty humor, but still an entertaining read. My suggestion to the author is to somehow give Cooper a charisma bonus in a future book. Maybe he can drink from the blue barrel...

I was surprised to find myself choosing to read this after an impulse buy over all the other books that I have slated to read. I finished it and will buy the next in the series. I think that most tabletop RPG gamers will enjoy it, though some might be put off by the course language and "your mom" jokes.

I've given and recommended this book to gamers and nongamers alike and everyone has enjoyed it. My weekly game now references CFs everytime, although my DM wouldn't allow Jesus to be my paladin's deity. It's worth your time and money if you like to laugh.

This is easily one of my favorite series. Lots of thought put into developing the storyline and relatable characters. Jonathan Sleep adds much to this wonderful series on the Audible versions. Can't wait for more from both Robert and Jonathan.

Great story ruined by profanity. Let me state that I read constantly and although I do not care for nor use profanity, I am certainly use to encountering it and I do not expect books to not contain it. That being said, the amount of profanity in this book was to the point that it was beyond distracting. You can barely get through any passage without encountering the F-bomb.

If you can get past the overuse of profanity, or if it does not bother you, then the story is good. The characters are funny, the humor and game related jokes liven the story and it moves along well.

I also posted this as a precaution to parents who might be considering this for younger readers and wanted to at least warn them of the preponderance of profanity.

These books made me snort-laugh. It was so bad that my wife had to keep kicking me out of bed because I was shaking the bed with my suppressed laughter. Completely juvenile, gutter humor, and I absolutely loved them!

Mr. Bevan grabbed my attention, kept it and forced me to like each of the dual-characters in this simply fun tale. It's been 33 years since I last rolled a 20-sided die wondering if I would live to map another 10 feet of dungeon and suddenly I'm ready to dust off the books and get a group together.

Thanks for keeping it real and reminding me that the simplest events in-game can be the best if you stay in character.

Can't wait to find out what happens next to our flawed band of reluctant adventurers!

Fun characters and interesting premise. The entire series is buried under a large pile of unnecessary cursing. I'm not against cursing and it can do a lot set a character in your mind, but a little bit goes a long way. In my opinion, it went too far here. With less, this could easily have been 3 stars.

Great characters. I recommend this book to anyone who likes RPG and has a sense of humor. Overall fun adventure. Looking forward to the other books. Only difficulty is recommending it to younger readers due to mature language.

An entertaining, clever, and hilarious adventure surrounding the culture of role-playing games. My wife and I enjoyed it immensely (and she's not a fan of role-playing games). Well done Robert Bevan!

I decided to write this review when I read the word "faggy" for the fifth time. The author isn't using a homophobic word to highlight or make some commentary about how inappropriate the use of the word is, rather, it sounds like Mr. Bevan is writing something he's totally comfortable saying. The characters are funny, the story is cute, but there's just no reason to use homophobic slang to highlight that your protagonists are a-holes. To me it highlights how little this matters to you. I felt like I was reading a book that was written in the nineties.

Critical Failures is the aptly named. The characters are idiots, the story relies heavily on the readers obscure knowledge of roll playing games, and the author is clearly hung up on immature potty humor.

And that's why I loved reading this book.

If you want a book that is fun to read then this is the series for you. I enjoyed the entire series. There were part that had me roaring literally. This is not a book for those that are looking for a serious hardcore fantasy read. but if you have an hour or two to kill pick up this series. It is a lot of fun. A wonderful break from the norm.

Well done Mr.Bevan!

A terrible work, rescued for totally terrible--infelicities of style and plot, an inability to hold to develop or hold to an interesting conceit--only by a never-ending stream of vulgarity (poop jokes are the tamest of the lot), profanity, and an occasional bit of weird gore. Don't spend even the paltry amount asked for the Kindle version.

The writing is filled with dialogue that is often religious as each character in the group at different times voices their thoughts on a given topic. With a large number of characters this leads to half the book devolving into useless repetition.

The antagonist is given no explanation for the degree of his cruelty other than a feeble 'They were mean to me.' The story would have potential if additional subplots were added and additional description of the world /environment the characters were in.

If you've ever played a pen and paper RPG with obnoxious friends, this book is for you. I purchased it in audio format and have to say that while the book is awesome, the narrator kicks it up a notch.

Just be careful of who you call orc scum...

Neat concept but poor execution. I should preface this review as I'm a fan of D&D and fantasy. But this was just poor writing. The slapstick humor and dick joke tangents were one too many and made pushing on rather cringe worthy. Not even the 'cliffhanger' ending can get me to read the sequels. Honestly, the characters seem to have zero redeeming qualities that when their lives are in jeopardy you can't find the enthusiasm to cheer them on.

I can put up with a sadly embarrassing amount of crudeness. Toilet humor is maybe the basest, most primitive form of humor…but it can be funny.

This series starts that way but ultimately descends from dumb, gross, adolescent absurdity to the truly heinous. Vile, disturbing, insulting, bigoted, sickening and well past perverted. Toxic stuff that I ultimately had to put down out of self-respect and self-preservation. I am ashamed that I allowed myself to read as much as I did.

As I read through the book "Critical Failures", I have a very split opinion of the book. First off, I dislike the overly used profound language used throughout the story. The profanity needs to be seriously toned down, but being a teen I can pass over SOME use of cussing and not be a deal-breaker. The main reason I continued to read is the fairly interesting characters and plot. I am probably going to continue the other books and trilogy nonetheless due to my interest on how it turns out. I just hope the author cuts down mainly on the F-BOMB. If you like fantasy, D&D, and a fair amount of suspense and can handle A LOT of cursing, I would actually recommend this book.

If you want a book that is fun to read then this is the series for you. I enjoyed the entire series. There were part that had me roaring literally. This is not a book for those that are looking for a serious hardcore fantasy read. but if you have an hour or two to kill pick up this series. It is a lot of fun. A wonderful break from the norm.

Well done Mr.Bevan!

A terrible work, rescued for totally terrible--infelicities of style and plot, an inability to hold to develop or hold to an interesting conceit--only by a never-ending stream of vulgarity (poop jokes are the tamest of the lot), profanity, and an occasional bit of weird gore. Don't spend even the paltry amount asked for the Kindle version.

The writing is filled with dialogue that is often religious as each character in the group at different times voices their thoughts on a given topic. With a large number of characters this leads to half the book devolving into useless repetition.

The antagonist is given no explanation for the degree of his cruelty other than a feeble 'They were mean to me.' The story would have potential if additional subplots were added and additional description of the world /environment the characters were in.

If you've ever played a pen and paper RPG with obnoxious friends, this book is for you. I purchased it in audio format and have to say that while the book is awesome, the narrator kicks it up a notch.

Just be careful of who you call orc scum...

Neat concept but poor execution. I should preface this review as I'm a fan of D&D and fantasy. But this was just poor writing. The slapstick humor and dick joke tangents were one too many and made pushing on rather cringe worthy. Not even the 'cliffhanger' ending can get me to read the sequels. Honestly, the characters seem to have zero redeeming qualities that when their lives are in jeopardy you can't find the enthusiasm to cheer them on.

I can put up with a sadly embarrassing amount of crudeness. Toilet humor is maybe the basest, most primitive form of humor…but it can be funny.

This series starts that way but ultimately descends from dumb, gross, adolescent absurdity to the truly heinous. Vile, disturbing, insulting, bigoted, sickening and well past perverted. Toxic stuff that I ultimately had to put down out of self-respect and self-preservation. I am ashamed that I allowed myself to read as much as I did.