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A review by fieldofhats
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Druid's Call by E.K. Johnston
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was one of the best fantasy books I have read in a very long time. Great characters, interesting magic, beautiful themes, and genuine queer representation. For a book that’s a prequel to a mainstream movie, this went way above and beyond.
This book feels like the most fantastical elements of Dungeons & Dragons and I love it. It’s not often we get a druid-focused book, and this story explores druid culture and lifestyle absolutely wonderfully. It focuses on the elven and druid culture in one specific region, and it feels alive. The elven culture in the Neverwinter Wood is very stereotypical of fantasy elven cultures, but in a way that feels cozy. E.K. Johnston uses the conventional setting to ground us in this fantasy world so that we can focus on the characters. The Emerald Enclave isn’t anything special, either (in fact, it feels very similar to the Neverwinter Wood), but just like the elven settlement, the spotlight is on the characters and their relationships. All of the spells Doric and her colleagues learn are taken directly from the D&D druid spell list, and the various races and creatures we meet are unmistakably native to the Forgotten Realms.
The formula of this novel is amazing — an ominous (but far-off) threat is set up in the beginning, the main character goes on a journey to train and get better at what she’s good at, then she’s called back home to face the threat. It’s a basic three-act, magical training plot that’s done with ease and tact. The threat is an environmental one, which works perfectly for a druid-based story — and the parallels to the real world are poignant in an accessible and pressing manner. The power progression of Doric feels natural and earned. We actively see Doric and her colleagues train and fail and learn from those failures, just as they’re forced into action by unexpected forces. All the spells and abilities she learns how to cast and control feel earned and reasonable.
The theme development is simple, but good; it doesn’t do anything more than it needs to. Doric wants to belong, to feel wanted — not only does she find a way to do this, she realizes that the more important thing is to have friends that value and respect her, no matter what others think. She doesn’t want people to fear her — so she learns how to harness the power and nature and help it and the people who inhabit it. There is also a strong theme of found family. Doric was abandoned by her birth parents, but she finds family among the elves and the druids, particularly with Liavaris (her adoptive mother) and Torrieth (her best friend since childhood). One other theme that deserves a mention is that of nature vs. humans — almost none of the characters in this novel are human, except the villains. Taken literally, this story claims that humans are the antithesis to nature, and implies that they should strive to be more attune with it. It’s really nice to see a strong environmentalist theme explored in a YA fantasy like this.
The LGBTQ+ representation is subtle, surprising, and absolutely refreshing. Palanus, the head instructor for the druids in the Emerald Enclave, is non-binary. As a non-binary person who loves fantasy, it’s hard to describe how happy this makes me. There are probably other fantasy novels with non-binary characters, but this was the first one I have ever read. There are a few other characters who use they/them pronouns, but most of them are minor. Johnston addresses this in a perfect manner — when referring to a character in narration, she uses specific pronouns for them to indicate to the audience which set they use, and all the characters seemingly already know. This allows for casual, but vital, representation, for all gender identities. There is also a queer couple that is mentioned, and one of them, Ash, uses ze/zer pronouns (although ze play a minor role, I thought it worth mentioning nonetheless).
I cannot recommend this book enough. Even if you have no idea what D&D, you will enjoy this book. If you like fantasy at all in any capacity, definitely give this one a read.
Edit after watching the movie:
This book did a fantastic job developing Doric’s character and setting her up to be in the film. She doesn’t get a whole lot of development in the movie, but the development she does get feels fuller since I had background knowledge.
This book feels like the most fantastical elements of Dungeons & Dragons and I love it. It’s not often we get a druid-focused book, and this story explores druid culture and lifestyle absolutely wonderfully. It focuses on the elven and druid culture in one specific region, and it feels alive. The elven culture in the Neverwinter Wood is very stereotypical of fantasy elven cultures, but in a way that feels cozy. E.K. Johnston uses the conventional setting to ground us in this fantasy world so that we can focus on the characters. The Emerald Enclave isn’t anything special, either (in fact, it feels very similar to the Neverwinter Wood), but just like the elven settlement, the spotlight is on the characters and their relationships. All of the spells Doric and her colleagues learn are taken directly from the D&D druid spell list, and the various races and creatures we meet are unmistakably native to the Forgotten Realms.
The formula of this novel is amazing — an ominous (but far-off) threat is set up in the beginning, the main character goes on a journey to train and get better at what she’s good at, then she’s called back home to face the threat. It’s a basic three-act, magical training plot that’s done with ease and tact. The threat is an environmental one, which works perfectly for a druid-based story — and the parallels to the real world are poignant in an accessible and pressing manner. The power progression of Doric feels natural and earned. We actively see Doric and her colleagues train and fail and learn from those failures, just as they’re forced into action by unexpected forces. All the spells and abilities she learns how to cast and control feel earned and reasonable.
The theme development is simple, but good; it doesn’t do anything more than it needs to. Doric wants to belong, to feel wanted — not only does she find a way to do this, she realizes that the more important thing is to have friends that value and respect her, no matter what others think. She doesn’t want people to fear her — so she learns how to harness the power and nature and help it and the people who inhabit it. There is also a strong theme of found family. Doric was abandoned by her birth parents, but she finds family among the elves and the druids, particularly with Liavaris (her adoptive mother) and Torrieth (her best friend since childhood). One other theme that deserves a mention is that of nature vs. humans — almost none of the characters in this novel are human, except the villains. Taken literally, this story claims that humans are the antithesis to nature, and implies that they should strive to be more attune with it. It’s really nice to see a strong environmentalist theme explored in a YA fantasy like this.
The LGBTQ+ representation is subtle, surprising, and absolutely refreshing. Palanus, the head instructor for the druids in the Emerald Enclave, is non-binary. As a non-binary person who loves fantasy, it’s hard to describe how happy this makes me. There are probably other fantasy novels with non-binary characters, but this was the first one I have ever read. There are a few other characters who use they/them pronouns, but most of them are minor. Johnston addresses this in a perfect manner — when referring to a character in narration, she uses specific pronouns for them to indicate to the audience which set they use, and all the characters seemingly already know. This allows for casual, but vital, representation, for all gender identities. There is also a queer couple that is mentioned, and one of them, Ash, uses ze/zer pronouns (although ze play a minor role, I thought it worth mentioning nonetheless).
I cannot recommend this book enough. Even if you have no idea what D&D, you will enjoy this book. If you like fantasy at all in any capacity, definitely give this one a read.
Edit after watching the movie:
This book did a fantastic job developing Doric’s character and setting her up to be in the film. She doesn’t get a whole lot of development in the movie, but the development she does get feels fuller since I had background knowledge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment