'An all-new tale of epic scope and flair that combines the elements of story telling and action that make every adventure so fun!
'When war threatens the Moonshae Isles, legendary heroes return to defeat the forces of an unthinkable foe. The Forgotten Realms are changed forever as young wizard Helene and her friends grow from raw recruits on the streets of Mintarn into powerful warriors.'
Dungeons and Dragons is a franchise that's existed for decades, and is beloved across the world. With how long the franchise has been around you'd thin that there would be more books, shows, and films, set within its universe. But the problem is, the very nature of the game means that there aren't really characters or stories that you follow; you make your own. And whilst that makes for a lot of fun when playing, it makes it harder for people to create fiction for fans to consume.
Dungeons and Dragons: A Darkened Wish tries to create a story that spans decades and builds towards an epic conclusion, but because I'd never come across these characters or there world before I found it hard to be really drawn into the story.
This isn't the fault of the creators, writer B. Dave Walters manages to create some interesting scenarios and characters that were intriguing, but it felt like the story was trying to draw upon emotions that just weren't there. I didn't really care that one of the heroes got turned to darkness, because I didn't know him, or care about the relationships he had with the other heroes. I didn't care when one of the good guys died horribly, because other than them having 'levelled up' between issues I didn't really have a sense of who they were or why I should be bothered by their demise.
The story jumps around in time a lot too, and each issue takes place in a different time across decades. Whilst this means that we get to see some highlights from the lives of this group of heroes, we don't get to spend any down time with them getting to know who they are, what they think of each other, and why we should care about them. When each issue focuses on action over characterisation it leaves the whole thing feeling a little lacking.
I don't want this to sound too negative, as there was a lot of good in the book too; Solivigant the Kenku was pretty awesome throughout. The artwork by Tess Fowler is also great, and she manages to craft a very lived in world, with lots of details and small parts that make the world feel real and old. She also does some great work with the character designs, and the team of heroes aren't just distinct from each other, but their younger versions and older versions all go through some great visual changes.
Dungeons and Dragons: A Darkened Wish isn't the best fantasy book I've ever read, but it's far from the worst. It has some interesting ideas and tries to tell a bold and epic story, which is braver than most limited series runs.
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