Phoenix Down Under: Mogworld

Mogworld is a novel written by the internet famous "Yahtzee" Croshaw. But is this particular novel worth reading?

I do love to read things. Both on the internet and... not on the internet. I actually pre-ordered Yahtzee's first published novel Mogworld upon first hearing of its existence, yet I've only recently gotten my dirty paws on it. This is because, as the author himself states -
"Amazon is run by chimps."

Nevertheless, once my grubby hands were able to caress its cover, I opened it up and was blown away. Pure joy. And I hadn't even started the first chapter yet.

Note that I may be a little biased, as I'm somewhat of a Yahtzee fan-boy. I remember seeing his original video reviews on Youtube before his move to The Escapist, and I especially enjoyed his writing on his website. His musings, reviews, and especially his story "Fog Juice."

Yahtzee shows his stuff once more - Mogworld does not disappoint. It follows the story of Jim. A a low-level mage in a newly developing MMORPG who gets whacked off in the first chapter. After being revived by a groovy necromancer, he searches high and low for a way to die for good, because it turns out life just isn't his thing. On the way, of course, he meets many an interesting character and finds himself in various dangerous situations - even for an undead guy.

The novel is written well, showing that Yahtzee isn't just a one-trick pony... to be fair though, his trick was writing to begin with. The writing style is superb and wacky, while still taking itself seriously enough as a piece of literature to keep your interest beyond the initial "Oh Yahtzee, you're so craaaaazy" phase.

The characters are all unique and interesting, from Jim himself, to Dreadgrave the necromancer, to Slippery John, who always makes me think of Bob from the tv show Becker. The premise (a MMORPG setting) could have easily gone wrong, but is pulled off extremely well by the author, and doesn't alienate those who have little knowledge of the workings of the genre.

So order it from Amazon, or from places where they sell books to people in exchange for currency, because Mogworld is a novel you can't miss. Even if you aren't a gaming fan. Of course, I assume you are.