Fantasy Review: 'Cave of the Kobolds' by Robert Bevan

For fans of the characters in the full length novel ‘Critical Failures’, this is a novelette set in the same world. To fully understand the setting, it’s better to read the novel first, but it probably works fine on its own. The idea is that a group of friends have become trapped in a real version of the roleplaying game 'Caverns and Creatures'. This story features three of my favourite characters from the book, Cooper the orc barbarian, Julian the elf sorcerer and Ravenus the... erm... raven. The plot is fairly flimsy, but it's the same fun and games ensuing, and the humour is as good as ever, although perhaps not quite as outrageously funny as the book. A good introduction to the author's work, and recommended for anyone a bit jaded by too much grimdark. Not recommended for anyone offended by frequent swearing and jokes about bodily functions. Three stars.