Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin

By: Jaleigh Johnson

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Meet the newest Dungeons & Dragons party in the first epic adventure of The Fallbacks.

To become renowned adventurers, this party needs to survive their first job.

Tessalynde is an ambitious young rogue who dreams of leading Faerûn’s foremost adventuring party. While the crew she’s gathered isn’t the stuff of legend yet, she’s confident her guidance can get them there.

The team: Anson, a fighter too stubborn to stay down, even when the odds are stacked against him. Cazrin, a self-taught wizard determined to test her theoretical mettle against the real world. Baldric, a cleric who refuses to tie himself to a single deity when he can trade favors with them all. Lark, a bard with as many secrets as songs. And, of course, Uggie, a monstrous pet otyugh who loves giving hugs and eating trash.

Their first job: recovering a mysterious spellbook from a lost temple for a hefty payout. Tess hopes this assignment can turn her group of fledgling freelancers into a true team. But when their client is killed, their coin and his murderer both vanish, leaving the party to take the fall.

Stuck with a sentient, bloodthirsty grimoire and pursued by mercenaries and the undead, this is hardly the mission Tess envisioned. Her crew must save the day, get the gold, and clear the party’s name—which they haven’t even agreed upon yet! With the threats against them mounting, a single mistake will see this party over before it even begins.

Can this band of mismatched misfits stay together in the face of danger? Or are they bound for ruin?

©2024 Jaleigh Johnson (P)2024 Random House Audio

The elegance of imagination

Typically you look at these fantasy books and your expectations are always as high as possible. I was so impressed with this books writing and style of elegant wordplay combined with exciting characters and an amazing story. Much of the dialogue was so very impressive as it was way through a very good story. It was a very exciting journey from the beginning to the end. I really loved it and recommend it for any one that loves fantasy stories, or the world of dungeons and dragons.

A Great Addition to the Realms

Jaleigh Johnson is a master at writing novels that feel like D&D campaigns. I could easily see the events of the book being part of a D&D adventure, all the while the characters do things like try to figure out what their party name should be. Speaking of, introducing five protagonists (or rather, six, sorry Uggie!) may seem daunting, but the book handles it splendidly. If you enjoyed "The Road to Neverwinter," you'll enjoy this as well, and vice versa.

Unique story

Great character development. Excellent narration made it easy to follow. Can’t wait for the next installment. Story brought to a good closing.

enjoyed

enjoyable short novel and an good opening for a series. the narrator did a very good job

A surprisingly good find.

This story was much more serious than I expected, I assumed it would be a heavily comedy based story loaded with gaming jokes. This expectation was reinforced by the pet otyugh, among other things. I recommend it, however be warned, if you are seeking an Introduction to the DnD world this is not the book. It assumes that the readers already have a decent understanding of the lore of Faerun. I hope for a second book.

Fun Straightforward DnD Adventure Story

The Fallbacks definitely feels like it's trying to get in on the Baldur's Gate fervor without hitting readers over the head with references. Definitely a great entry point for anyone interested in Faerun as a setting. The story isn't overly complex. A small time adventuring party gets in over their head and has to stop evil from doing evil stuff.

The characters are little paint by numbers. The bard is a selfish performer, the wizard is a shy introvert, the dwarf cleric is gruff, and so on. It's very much a classic adventuring party and very much plays into the tropes of a DnD campaign. I think it captures the spirit well and feels like a nice almost cozy adventure.

The book is also pretty accessible to younger readers. There's mild swearing and some drinking but overall a very lighthearted fantasy novel. If you have a teen interested in DnD, this might be a good option. Overall I was pretty engaged throughout but the middle definitely dragged for me. I was worried I might not finish it but it picked up in the last quarter a really regained my attention. Overall I enjoyed The Fallbacks and would definitely go on adventure with them again.

Fun romp in Faerûn!

The story reads like a really fun one shot that could open into a full campaign. I hope we get more out of The Fallbacks. I really hope to follow the adventures of Lark, Tess, Kaz, Ansen, and Uggy in the future!

Uggy

Great story. I would definitely follow this series. Uggy is the best. Hopefully a movie is next.

Feels like a campaign I want to play in!

Fantastic group of divers characters with individual goals, but with a strong bond! Hoping for a book 2!

Ok story, but

The narrator definitely brings nothing to the table here. This was almost a DNF for me only because of the narrator. The story itself is decent and the writing is okay.