Shades of the 1960s Hammer Films all throughout this folk-horror adventure. Investigation and subterfuge win the day. Small village with a dark secret... check it out!

Building on the strengths of the original Chronicles of Aeres, this product showcases the same love of its source material, with the author(s) clearly having poured their hearts and souls into the work. It does a great job of capturing that Sword & Sorcery vibe whilst also meshing it with traditional D&Disms - it is incredibly rare to see an S&S-type setting that doesn't fall into the cliche of "only humans an be playable", and that makes it all the more satisfying to see one that actively subverts it. Speaking of races, they all really work well into the setting; the Froskvir as "pulpy counterparts to the rattevir works well enough, the Atrathians really capture that "Neo-Cimmerian" vibe, the Orinvir are a solid "hawkman" race in the vein of Flash Gordon, and the Sliskvir... I truly love the Sliskvir, who take the pulp concept of "lizardfolk as the primal race" and then switch it up by making that translate into making them the Chaotic Race, driven by emotion and passion, rather than the cliche lawful-leaning Neutral race defined by being coldhearted, logic-driven and pragmatic.

There are some disappointments that keep me from giving this a perfect score, however. First and foremost, this book is clearly written as an adventure path book rather than a worldbook; roughly half its content is taken up by the built-in campaign and relatively little effort is put into helping DMs run their own quests and stories, in stark contrast to the Chronicles of Aeres that came before it. The other major disappointment is the lack of subclasses, retreading the same flaws in that regard from the Chronicles of Aeres. There is no discussion of what subclasses would be most appropriate - we know that orinvir paladin is an iconic race/class combo, but not what Paladin Oath is the best mesh for it (though extrapolation suggests the Oaths of Vengeance and the Crown). And likewise there's no attempt made to add any new setting specific subclasses, which is a terrible missed opportunity in my opinion. Another S&S setting for 5e, Primeval Thule, has a small Player's Handbook supplement which features subclasses like the Path of the Slayer Barbarian and the Oath of Victory Paladin that I feel would be absolutely perfect fits for Astreas, so it's disappointing to see that no such effort was made to address that niche.

Despite these flaws, this is still a very solidly written book, and I'm looking forward both to my print copy and to seeing where these writers will take us next in the world of Aeres; perhaps the "Classic Mytholog" flavored" region they hinted at in the original setting handbook?

There's a lot to love here. In terms of "feel", as an homage to the heroic fantasy of the 80s and 90s, this setting hits things out of the park. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and it does so with pride, and the results speak for themselves. The history feels like a classic fantasy world, the races really mesh well with the setting, and the gazeteer section truly sings by providing not only a basic historical/cultural overview of all the major locations on Aeres, but also ensuring that each comes with an associated plot point. I really love the Natural Inclinations mechanic for race design, which reminds me of 4th edition's approach to racial ability sore modifiers - it's the perfect balance between flavor and flexibility, and I've incorporated it into all my own work. I love the effort put into the rattevir, the kobolds work great, and this setting has one of my favorite interpretations of halflings ever; I love the "plucky adventurer" flavored hinterlings, and wanderlings basically do everything TSR was trying to do with the Vistani in Ravenloft, but better, to the point I would probably incorporate a wanderlings-esque race into my own dark fantasy setting.

For all its strengths, it does have some flaws. The elfs and dwarfs feel kind of generic, even knowing the flavor they're going for; the fact that both races have the same "one people was divided into two when a king suddenly got religion and went off to study mysticism" backstory doesn't help that much, and I was disappointed with the Frostvaegr, who simply do not live up to their "mystical dwarf subrace" potential in my eyes. The gladefolk are perfectly fine as "generic" beastfolk, but I do feel a little more effort could have been put into them mechanically - it feels weird to have squirrelfolk who can't climb, otterfolk who can't swim, and rabbitfolk who can't jump good. The unique clalsses, whilst certainly flavorful, were a disappointment in execution, because I found them overly complex and gimmicky, but underwhelming on a mechanical level, especially the witch. Finally, the biggest disappointment I had was subclasses; not only the dearth of any setting unique subclasses, but the lack of attention put into discussing what canonical subclasses would be most appropriate. It's one thing to say that Paladins would exist because of the Wilderguard and the Order of the Silver Flame, but it would be helpful to know that, say, the former are Oath of the Fey and the latter are Oath of Devotion. The Cleric in particular is a problem.

Despite these nitpicks, this is still a very solid book, especially for a first publication, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in running heroic fantasy games!

This massive campaign guide is packed full of illustrations, maps, lore, and quests in addition to the setting specific rules crunch. The world lore is interwoven nicely and feels diffent from most standard fantasy settings I've read. Even though it is a high fantasy world, infused with an abundance of magic, it also has a sword and sorcery flavor that shines through. You can tell a lot of heart went into designing this.

Very well put together books. Interesting class options, and fun races, with an old-school feel.  Most of the art is amazing.  The adventure itself is worth the price of the bundle.  Treat yourself to this.

Very much enjoyed reading this book, and love some of the unique features added to 5e mechanics. Well done!

Wonderfully written and full of breathtaking art! Would absolutely recommend to anyone who wants a fairy tale world that isn't sunshine and rainbows yet carries the feeling of optimism along rather than submitting to grim darkness.

Very flavorful and evocative so far! I love the writing and feel of this one!

Great add on to the original content! Love the characters and places within.

Fantastic lore and great campaign setting! Will be using this to play with the family!

another fantastic piece by the author, with a magnificent setting lore and fun adventure in the spirit of the setting. i look forward to seeing more products!

In short, very well thought out lore.

In long: I have not often been excited with the 5e editions, setting books, or products with few exceptions. This is one of them.

I'm reminded of the shows and movies of my youth, and the way it's embraced these facets made me smile, at times cry, and always want to touch the world. Nimh, Dark Crystal, Neverending Story all have influenced this work, while even gaming such as Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, and The Legend of Zelda aren't far away in the uniting goal of the coming dawn banishing the terrible night.

I have taken a long look at the lore and read through the history, and thus is a setting that feels appropriately set for high adventure against dark things that need the brightest light to vanquish. Heroics are to be expected and embraced, good deeds done, and the darkness can be pushed back, if but good people place themselves on the line for what, for whom, they love.

This game is a story of Hope, and hard work. It's polished, and it's masterfully put together.

The game mechanics look as good as I've seen. I'm not an expert on them, so will not comment further.

5/5