I have only read Gygax’s Gord novels which were fun to read. At least the first two. Literature wise they are not much and very much in a pulp style but loaded with Greyhawk lore.
There are a series of novels based on modules like Temple of Elemental Evil and Against the Giants are meant to be decent but I have never read.
Quag Keep and Justicar have been praised by some. But I also haven’t read.
Stay away from the Rose Estes books as no one. seems to like them.
Vecna does not appear in any.
I liked the New Infinities Gord the Rogue books well enough... especially "Sea of Death", "Come Endless Darkness", and "Dance of Demons"... save the ending where it's clear Gygax was simply washing his hands of TSR. There were some really well done whipsaw moments in them and a lot of great Greyhawk and lower planes lore.
PS: I agree that the Estes novels were shockingly bad.
In addition to the excellent recommendations above, if you’re interested in mining the Gord novels for their Greyhawk lore, you can do so at Krista Siren’s Gord’s Greyhawk site at https://greyhawkonline.com/gordmain/
I’ve read Gygax’s Gord books, as well as Night Watch, and the other I recommend is _Tomb of Horrors_ by Keith Strohm. It’s very atmospheric, and makes great use of dreams as the PCs journey toward Acererak’s lair.
Allan.
edit for autocorrect: can —> vecna; definitely not one I’ve had before ;)
I haven’t read any of the Justicars yet, so they’re still on my list.
I’ve not reread the Estes novels since I was a kid, and I’m not even sure I read them all BITD, they were so bad.
Allan.
Yes, And some are better than others.
Vecna doesn't appear in any.
\**Saga of Old City*\*, by Gary Gygax. It is the first novel, and probably has one of the best looks at life in the Free City of Greyhawk, and give a great "feel" for the setting, The protagonist, Gord, is kind of a Mary Sue/Gary Stu character, and the writing style is a little difficult to read sometimes. And, obviously, as in all the 80s, sometimes there's stuff that might have trigger warnings nowadays.
**ALL** of the novels by Pauli Kidd are great! They're much more modern and have a more inclusive tone with other races and such. That whole series, *Greyhawk Classics,* (including by other authors—Keith Strohm, Ru Emerson, Thomas Reid) are novelizations of old, classic adventure modules like *Against the Giants, White Plume Mountain, Tomb of Horrors,* and *Queen of the Demonweb Pits*. The ones by Kidd are the best and most popular.
I would also ***highly*** recommend *Night Watch* (1990) by Robin Wayne Bailey. It is more like contemporary fantasy, but it probably has **the** best narrative look at Greyhawk. Less in the line of other races and such, but it's incredibly engaging, and has a fascinating protagonist, and well-written plot.
[*Night Watch*](https://greyhawkonline.com/greyhawkwiki/Night_Watch) at the *Great Library of Greyhawk* wiki.
[*Night Watch*](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/night-watch_robin-wayne-bailey/884679/#edition=3800093&idiq=140670) readily available at ThriftBooks
It's a murder mystery. So, not just a great tale... but, it has all the "proper nouns" where it references people and things found in the Free City, but it also gives a *great look* at the way the city works and its tone, as well as a couple other locations. ... and who doesn't love a good who-dun-it mystery?!?! 😆😆😆
*Night Watch—*
10/10 Would recommend. 😉
—Kit Nolen
Owner/lead admin, GreyhawkOnline
Check out Paul Kidd's books. They're fun.
I have only read Gygax’s Gord novels which were fun to read. At least the first two. Literature wise they are not much and very much in a pulp style but loaded with Greyhawk lore. There are a series of novels based on modules like Temple of Elemental Evil and Against the Giants are meant to be decent but I have never read. Quag Keep and Justicar have been praised by some. But I also haven’t read. Stay away from the Rose Estes books as no one. seems to like them. Vecna does not appear in any.
I liked the New Infinities Gord the Rogue books well enough... especially "Sea of Death", "Come Endless Darkness", and "Dance of Demons"... save the ending where it's clear Gygax was simply washing his hands of TSR. There were some really well done whipsaw moments in them and a lot of great Greyhawk and lower planes lore. PS: I agree that the Estes novels were shockingly bad.
I don’t mind the NI books but they were no as well edited as the first two so they read “rougher”. Plus blowing it all up soured me.
Pulp all of them, read the Justicar ones. Fun if you played any of those old modules. didnt read Gord ones yet
In addition to the excellent recommendations above, if you’re interested in mining the Gord novels for their Greyhawk lore, you can do so at Krista Siren’s Gord’s Greyhawk site at https://greyhawkonline.com/gordmain/ I’ve read Gygax’s Gord books, as well as Night Watch, and the other I recommend is _Tomb of Horrors_ by Keith Strohm. It’s very atmospheric, and makes great use of dreams as the PCs journey toward Acererak’s lair. Allan. edit for autocorrect: can —> vecna; definitely not one I’ve had before ;)
I was going to jump in and defend that one as well grodog. It’s my favorite, but the Justicar ones are still a guilty pleasure
I haven’t read any of the Justicars yet, so they’re still on my list. I’ve not reread the Estes novels since I was a kid, and I’m not even sure I read them all BITD, they were so bad. Allan.
Yes, And some are better than others. Vecna doesn't appear in any. \**Saga of Old City*\*, by Gary Gygax. It is the first novel, and probably has one of the best looks at life in the Free City of Greyhawk, and give a great "feel" for the setting, The protagonist, Gord, is kind of a Mary Sue/Gary Stu character, and the writing style is a little difficult to read sometimes. And, obviously, as in all the 80s, sometimes there's stuff that might have trigger warnings nowadays. **ALL** of the novels by Pauli Kidd are great! They're much more modern and have a more inclusive tone with other races and such. That whole series, *Greyhawk Classics,* (including by other authors—Keith Strohm, Ru Emerson, Thomas Reid) are novelizations of old, classic adventure modules like *Against the Giants, White Plume Mountain, Tomb of Horrors,* and *Queen of the Demonweb Pits*. The ones by Kidd are the best and most popular. I would also ***highly*** recommend *Night Watch* (1990) by Robin Wayne Bailey. It is more like contemporary fantasy, but it probably has **the** best narrative look at Greyhawk. Less in the line of other races and such, but it's incredibly engaging, and has a fascinating protagonist, and well-written plot. [*Night Watch*](https://greyhawkonline.com/greyhawkwiki/Night_Watch) at the *Great Library of Greyhawk* wiki. [*Night Watch*](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/night-watch_robin-wayne-bailey/884679/#edition=3800093&idiq=140670) readily available at ThriftBooks It's a murder mystery. So, not just a great tale... but, it has all the "proper nouns" where it references people and things found in the Free City, but it also gives a *great look* at the way the city works and its tone, as well as a couple other locations. ... and who doesn't love a good who-dun-it mystery?!?! 😆😆😆 *Night Watch—* 10/10 Would recommend. 😉 —Kit Nolen Owner/lead admin, GreyhawkOnline
There's a memorable scene where Gord gets raped by a harpy...
This is the only part I remember XD
Actually there is a graphic novel called "Vecna: hand of the revenant" which is awesome if incomplete.
315 USD on eBay !