A review by sunnyphantic
The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity by Jon Peterson

funny informative medium-paced

5.0

I really enjoyed reading this- it's a great book for those who enjoy D&D (maybe especially for those who get heated about it on Reddit) and can handle a bit of a denser text. Although Peterson isn't really cracking jokes throughout, he contextualizes and analyzes his sources in such a way that made me laugh out loud a few times. I thoroughly enjoyed this earnest yet not-too-serious history of TTRPGs generally and D&D specifically. I appreciated that Peterson doesn't pick a side in his writing (although I definitely do have a side), and instead mostly let sources speak for and define themselves. Great stuff, loved every minute of reading this