Pages of Pain is an AD&D novel by Troy Denning set in the Planescape campaign in the city of Sigil. Narrated from the perspective of The Lady of Pain, it tells the tale of an Amnesian Hero that cannot remember his name, a Dustman, a Bleaker, a Signer, and a tanar'ri, as they some how meet up with the Amnesian Hero who has accepted the task of seeking out The Lady to recall who he once was. Truly an excellent read for any fan of the Planescape setting. It has factions, fiends, and well written fighting. I was lucky enough to stop by my local non franchised small book store to discover that they had the out of print hardcover first printing of this book. I quickly snapped it up without even thinking twice, not even caring what to expect. To say the least I was seriously blown away, the author of this novel has succeded in creating a strong hero character with a whole mess of intriguing flaws. This is a great book, but you don't have to take my word for it*. Be warned however, if you are not familiar with any of the Planescape terminology, it may make absolutley no sense whatsoever. (Suggestion, play the computer RPG Planescape Torment.)
Pages of Pain
Troy Denning
1996 TSR Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Number 95-62250
ISBN 0-7869-0508-5
* - I belive this was a trademark catch phrase from the
PBS childrens' show
Reading Rainbow, hosted by
Levar Burton...and no the scars are still healing from those early dull educational programming years.
Additional Thoughts
The telling of the story from the perspective of The Lady of Pain was quite interesting. She is given some normal un-godlike traits by Denning, mainly a hint of compassion, and a little bit of caring, worry and loving in her narrations. Then she pops up out of the filthy sigilian smog and does the whole Lady of Pain routine dishing out punishment and thwarting her clueless enemies.