This article originally appeared in Pyramid #30

Pyramid Pick
cover art

Pierced Heart

Published by Atlas Games
A novel by Robin Laws
$14.95

Pierced Heart, the first novel from Robin Laws, is ostensibly a murder mystery, much in the way that Al Amarja (its Mediterranean setting) is just a city, and the Illuminati are just a social club. A modern novel with some science-fiction trappings, it tells the tale of a sister who lives, and her sister who died, and the people involved in between. It's one of those works that takes longer to describe than to just read the entire thing. So put down this review, buy the book and start enjoying it!

Still here? I'll elaborate. It's not a gaming novel. Throw that idea right out. Gaming novels have genre-based characters, situation-oriented plots and copious references to arcane mechanics. Pierced Heart just happens to be set in the same world as a game, and just happens to be written by an author of game books. Got that? You certainly don't have to know the On/Over the Edge universe in order to enjoy it.

In the course of enjoying it, you explore the nature of God and why people kill themselves. You see the meaning of family, and the purpose of human existence. You take in a few blood-drenched combat sequences. You enjoy a strange drug called "Communion" that may or may not be a direct line to God. You start to worry about Alex (the main protagonist) on her quest for knowledge and understanding. You feel for the characters, even when you might disagree with them.

The tangle of initial characters all merge, separate . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: May 8, 1998

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