Mogworld

I really enjoyed reading this book. Unexpectedly well written for a guy known primarily for five minute video reviews of games. All of the wit, cynicism, and satire of said reviews are present; however, it is quite a bit less vulgar (for better or worse, depending on your taste).

Picked this up after browsing through the author's works on YouTube. The premise was uniquely interesting and offered a fresher take on the fantasy genre. It managed to subvert the standard rules of such creations and present them in a darkly humorous light. Well worth the read at any price.

Having been a fan of Yahtzee and the fantasy genre in general, for some time now I decided to try his first novel and I absolutely love it! Can't recommend it enough! If you're a fan of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett you should definitely pick this one up!

This novel was several hundred pages of chuckles, grins, smirks, and some outright laughs. Yahtzee has a singular wit that makes every page a new treat for the mind. Robert Aspirin and Douglas Adams are the only authors to ever keep a smile on my face for their whole books, but I can now happily add Yahtzee Croshaw to that list. Regardless of your proclivities for his setting, if your looking for a book to make you laugh then give Mogworld a try.

Yahtzee is a true revolutionary. From his vitriolic exploits on the Escapist, to this delightfully scathing novel, he is a true hero...sorry...protagonist.
First let me point out I already owe a lot to Yahtzee, he completely rewrote my outlook on Video-Games. However coming into this, his first novel, I was expecting little more than a comedic lengthy excuse for his review of WoW (World of Warcraft) in general...What I got was something else altogether.

You begin in Mogworld, a well done representation of WoW's epic story-world, complete with clever Pundits for town and region names. Having the world explained and explored First person through the main hero...sorry...protagonist's eyes gives a good idea of what it would be like if an NPC were actually sentient. Over the course you get embroiled in the ongoing story surrounding the main her...protagonist's story arc, and the entire way is made enjoyable by the character's moral indecisiveness, which greatly mirrors the same syndrome present in a lot of current day mmorpugers. The added 4th-wall plot-twist is excellent as well. Yathzee really cleans up the ratings with this excellent exhibit of mixed story-telling and comedy.

One of the most wonderful and terrifying things about becoming a novelist is there's no one "right way" to do it. It's wonderful because it means anybody with writing talent (and some without) can do it, and it's terrifying because it can be daunting to choose how to begin, where to go and what to do once you get there. Yahtzee Croshaw started out writing reviews of movies and games, short stories and freeware adventure games, and Mogworld is his first novel. After finishing it, I found myself hoping that it won't be his last. With Sir Terry Pratchett ill and Douglas Adams dead for almost a decade, someone had to step up and fill the shoes of the sarcastic British genre novelist.

Jim is an apprentice wizard, studying arcane magic and thankful to be away from his fathers' disgusting farm when his school is attacked by the neighboring war college. He's killed, only to wake up sixty years later as a zombie under the command of a necromancer. It's soon apparent that his world has become afflicted by some odd global condition that makes death a temporary inconvenience, but while some people wake up in a nearby church swathed in white robes when killed, Jim remains zombified. The prevailing sentiment among those still capable of coherent thought is that this condition needs to be fixed. Jim, however, could care less. Jim just wants to die permanently. Unfortunately, being an NPC in Mogworld, a massively multiplayer online game boasting revolutionary AI, this is easier said than done.

Yahtzee's writing shows evidence of subscription to two of the biggest rules for good writing: "show don't tell" and "less is more." Tackling the first, Yahtzee is careful to never just have his characters spout their feelings verbatim. They are shown through the timbre of the conversation, their expressions and actions, the decisions they make and so on. Likewise, Yahtzee avoids the tendency of many, many modern comics with his "less is more" mentality, using running gags sparingly and instead using circumstance, intelligence and sarcasm to maintain a high level of humor throughout the book. And make no mistake, this book is very, very funny.

Of course, this is Yahtzee we're talking about, so folks were probably expecting the humor. The existential angst, philosophical ramifications and metaphysical discussions, on the other hand, might catch some readers off-guard. The humor, in point of fact, begins to feel like something of a gateway drug. It's the hook that pulls you into the story so Yahtzee can drive home what he's really on about. The narrative goes some very dark places. It's well done and presented in a very interesting way, so it wasn't that jarring for me, but readers expecting the rapid-fire dirty jokes of Zero Punctuation may be filled with confusion.

If Mogworld has a flaw, it's the decision Yahtzee made to write the novel in the first person. While it does draw in the reader and underscores the sort of immersion Yahtzee is always discussing in his reviews, there are a few moments where it feels less like Jim is his own character and more a mouthpiece for Yahtzee's personal opinions and philosophies. Considering how much of Yahtzee's voice and humor permeates the novel, Jim comes dangerously close to becoming an Author Avatar. Thankfully, as the novel goes on it feels more like Yahtzee is flirting with that distinction rather than being completely ignorant of it or knowingly crossing the line to speak to us directly about how silly or stupid we are to believe whatever we do that he does not. It's gotta be hard to carry on a serious discussion on these subjects when your tongue is planted in your cheek, after all.

It's really hard to hold a flaw this minor against the overall result when the humor is this funny, the characters this memorable and the jibes this cutting. For a novel, Mogworld is very good. As a first novel, it's excellent, bordering on the fantastic. And for anybody out there struggling to put a novel together, it's a challenge. Yahtzee got this written, edited and published while maintaining his web series and opening the Mana Bar. It puts the following question to other writers: "What's your excuse?"

Being a fan of zero punctuation, I picked up this book thinking it would be just a silly laugh. I was surprised but not only how good the silly laughs were, but a look into seeing the state of current month games from a different perspective. The characters are interesting, distinct, and genuinely funny. Whether you're a fan of Yahtzee, fantasy, or videogames, I highly recommend this book.

Delightfully amusing and well written. The book is an awesome parody of all the serious witchcraft and fantasy fiction out there and has a very good narrative flow. I especially liked the language, very pompous but very natural at the same time, filled with metaphors and generally a great read. Wholeheartedly recommend it!

Lol I love Yahtzee! This book was great, but there are parts missing from the preview copy I got ahold of months ago. There were these two characters who would appear as a counterpoint to the main dude, Jim. They had awesome banter back and forth. Their names were Rickfordson Billbottom, and Estefan Shipshank.

I remember this one conversation they had, that was like a "who's on first, who's on second" bit. It went something like this:

RB: "Tag."
ES: "Tag what?"
RB: "No, just tag, you're it."
ES: "What is it?"
RB: "Tag?"
ES: "No, it."
RB: "It's what a tagged person is."
ES: "So it IS tag?"
RB: "Uh, I guess."
ES: "So if it is tag, then tag has to be it, which means I can't be - sorry."
RB: "Uh.. What?"
ES: "Tag. You're it."

(Hours later)

The two corpses stiffened slowly on the stones below. In the end, both Rickfordson Billbottom and Estefan Shipshank were tagged in the worst way - through the skull at 50 yards. As their souls lifted up, they both undertook a new adventure. To find their way back to the place they had come from. To find themselves together. To seek the most important answers of all.

Tag, you're it.

If you've never heard of Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee's video game review video series, do yourself a favor and watch it. A lot of Yahtzee's dry wit and criticism of MMORPGs shines through (namely, that they're dumb), and it makes the book a delight to read.

This is Yhatzee's first official book, but his free pdf on his website should get published along side this. I love his sarcastic wit and hope he continues to write more in addition to his video game review series on The Escapist. This book requires a general understanding of MMOs in order to get some of the more subtle humor and is a must read for any gamer.

I had high expectations for this book, seeing as I'm familiar with the author through Zero Punctuation. But Yahtzee delivered. And then some! I expected this book to be funny and witty, yet I didn't expect it to be hilariously exciting as well. A wonderful read fit for anyone.

Quite humorous and full of the snark expected of yahtzee. Despite its comical style it's well written and does lead to caring what happens to the characters. A recommended read to those who enjoy the satire of MMOs, fans of yahtzee, or anyone looking for a book with attitude.

I bought this book after reading Jam by Yahtzee, and I wasn't disappointed with my purchase. I especially like the fact that the two books are linked in a very creative way. you'll have to read the books to find out what I'm talking about

Macworld is a great adaption by Yahtzee of the world of an MMO from the perspective of NPCs. This book is good enough that even non gamers will enjoy it. If you have played anything like WoW or another MMORPG lately then you'll fall in love with it.

This is a hilarious and very well written book describing the adventures of an NPC in an MMO world. The sentient NPC wonders around his world, describing his surroundings with pithy comments and commentary about the nature of his reality. This book firmly places the author in the same league as the Discworld creator Terry Pratchett. If you like Terry Pratchett or gaming, I highly recommend this.

If you like Yahtzee’s humor in Zero Punctuation and enjoy playing a RPG at least occasionally thing check this book out. I recommend getting the audio book read by Yahtzee himself so you can hear the voice inflections and sounds has he meant for them to be read.

Mogworld is the first book by Croshaw that I have ever read and it was a huge success. If you enjoy the humor of Terry Pratchett or, to a lesser extent, Christopher Moore then you will find yourself chuckling from cover to cover. Once again great read.

Mogworld starts out as the story of your fairly typical reluctant protagonist. Dead right off the bat, about to receive his eternal reward, then... Boom! He's dragged screaming back down to life, or rather, back to un-life.

Thus begins the tale of Jim, a first year mage turned undead abomination, who's just looking for a chance to return to the grave. Naturally, this isn't as simple as it might appear, and his quest ends up taking him all across the world, and he meets some very colorful characters.

The real beauty of this story is how the truth about what is going on behind the scenes is revealed a little at a time, in such a way that the readers will grasp the plot long before the characters reach that point, and yet the story is still able to throw out twists that take the story in directions that you never quite expect. As a hint, the story isn't over when you think it is. Just keep reading, and I'm almost certain you'll leave satisfied.

I finished reading Mogworld last night, and it is one of the best books I've ever read. If you understand software development and read neuroscience journals for fun, then this is an important book for you and you should read it.