Book Recommendation: ‘The Adventure Zone, Vol. 1: Here There Be Gerblins’

book by authors Clint, Griffin, Justin and Travis McElroy; and author/illustrator Carey Pietsch

Recommended by GRACE JOHNSON, Assistant Editor, Peninsula Pulse

The Adventure Zone started as a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) podcast featuring the McElroy brothers – of My Brother, My Brother and Me podcast fame – and their father, Clint. The camaraderie among the brothers and their father was always so engaging and entertaining that I was excited to see that it was adapted into a graphic novel. This is the first of five volumes so far.

In Here There Be Gerblins, we meet our adventuring crew: Taako the elf wizard, Merle the dwarf cleric and Magnus the human warrior, along with their snarky Dungeon Master. The party helps Merle’s cousin Gundren find and reclaim his family’s lost treasures, but the group is quickly dragged into a conspiracy involving a powerful, magical weapon of mass destruction, a war no one seems to remember, and the mysterious Bureau of Balance, which seeks to keep it all hidden.

This is a fun, romping adventure that both D&D fans – as well as those who are unfamiliar with the popular game – will enjoy.