Review: THE WORLD OF CRITICAL ROLE Is Amazing for Fans of the Series
Critical Role is possibly the most popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast/stream. It wasn’t always this way though. It was once just a group of voice actors getting together and playing an RPG. Well, in the new book from Ten Speed Press and Penguin Random House, The World of Critical Role, Critters (fans of Critical Role) will be given a peek behind the curtain. The book is written by Liz Marsham and the cast of Critical Role and is available now at your favorite retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target. A big thanks to Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of the book to go through.
The World of Critical Role starts with a beautiful foreward by Felicia Day, and then it goes into all the other goodies. Each chapter is titled using a line(s) from the Critical Role theme song, which is very clever, and there’s a whole slew of information. Whether you want to learn how the stream got started, about the actors, about the characters, about the world of Exandria, and so much more. Heck, I really got sucked in reading about the experiences the cast members besides Matt Mercer have had DMing for the show in various one-shots.
I am not the biggest Critter. I enjoy Critical Role, but I often don’t even identify myself as a Critter. However, this book is so dang interesting, and the art is so freaking incredible. It just sucks you in and doesn’t let go. I do want to note that the photographs come from Ray Kachatorian and the illustrations come from Oliver Barrett with additional art from Rich Kelly and Francesca Baerald. They all deserve huge shout outs as the art and photos are amazing to look at.
There is so much in The World of Critical Role that I can’t hope to cover it all. If you like Critical Role, do yourself a favor and get it. If you know someone who likes Critical Role and they don’t get it before the holiday season, this would be an excellent gift. What’s your favorite part of the book?
