Genre Fiction
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Critical Role: Vox Machina--Kith & Kin
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Explore the past of Critical Role's daring half-elf twins, Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan, in this original prequel novel to their adventures with Vox Machina.
Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn's elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria.
The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex's quick wit and Vax's quicker dagger, they've always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun, where the twins become entangled in a web spun by the thieves' guild known to many as the Clasp. Trapped by a hasty deal, Vex and Vax (along with Vex's faithful bear companion, Trinket) set out into the wilds to fulfill their debt to the infamous crime syndicate.
As the situation grows more complicated than they ever could have imagined, for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years.
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp, Critical Role: Vox Machina-Kith & Kin follows a brand-new adventure that delves into the twins' unexplored history, and returns to some of the iconic moments that forged Vox Machina's most unbreakable bond.
Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn's elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria.
The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex's quick wit and Vax's quicker dagger, they've always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun, where the twins become entangled in a web spun by the thieves' guild known to many as the Clasp. Trapped by a hasty deal, Vex and Vax (along with Vex's faithful bear companion, Trinket) set out into the wilds to fulfill their debt to the infamous crime syndicate.
As the situation grows more complicated than they ever could have imagined, for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years.
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp, Critical Role: Vox Machina-Kith & Kin follows a brand-new adventure that delves into the twins' unexplored history, and returns to some of the iconic moments that forged Vox Machina's most unbreakable bond.
Readers Top Reviews
Mr A JamesKindle
Great for fantasy fans or critical role fans. You can go into this with no knowledge of critical role and still enjoy a deep and well told fantasy tale. Or for fans of critical role it fills out a bit more of the twin’s backstory. I’ve been running a D&D campaign in Exandria so it was great finding out more about the places my players have been visiting.
Strega AnnAMr A J
Vex and Vax have spent most of their lives feeling like strangers in a strange land. After loosing their mother at 5 their father took them in as it was the "correct" and "expected" thing to do. That did not stop them form being tormented and snubbed as half breeds in the elite elven city of Syngorn. By 15 they ran away together eventually ending up in Westrun where they run afoul of the Clasp, a thieves guild. Set out on a complicated mission to retrieve a ring or be put to death the twins and Trinket must not steal a ring but solve a conflict and heal a town.
Michael WilliamsS
Sadly, I’ve never observed Critical Role’s web series. My introduction to ‘Vox Machina’ came from the (now) three comic limited series to date. Also the streaming animated series (that I can’t recommend highly enough!). Spoiler free review. This novel introduces two of the characters, the twins Vax and Vex. Their early lives are explained in clear detail as flashbacks while they deal with both the subtleties and ass kicking that is adventurer life in ‘fantasy RPG life’. Much about these awesome characters is revealed in this novel that explains their attitudes and ... >ahem< ... behavior in both the comic and animated series formats. Highly recommend this novel if you’re a fan of Bob Salvatore’s Drizzt books, but wish the dark elf would maybe lighten up a bit. (You know we live ya Bob!) Now....... on to Pike, Percy, Scanlon, Tiberius (🙏), and Grog origin novels please!!!!!
SirRogueMichael W
The dynamic between the twins has always been my favorite aspect of watching Critical Role. I got the audio book because I couldn't imagine having content about these characters without hearing it from these voices, and they did not disappoint. It is backed up by the author's solid grasp of the characters, their voices and motivations, and love for each other. Needless to say, it was the talent of Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien that forged these characters to begin with, and they continue to dazzle, reprising their inaugural Critical Role characters here. I came for the Vex-and-Vax of it all, but truly enjoyed the story as well. The plot was a compelling combination of the twins falling into a mess all of its own, and tying back into their ties to the Vox Machina campaign. It is fascinating to follow the points and flaws on each side of a very shades-of-gray conflict that keeps you guessing until the end. In addition, Robbie Daymond provides a solid foundational through-line to the audio book. His performance in EXU was tentative at best, leaving me uncertain about him as the narrator coming in, but all doubt evaporated before the end of the first chapter. His steady, gently lilting tones set a comforting mood and are offset well with an impressive array of character voices as he gives life to the cast that Vex and Vax interact with. It was easy to tell from this why he is described as a "veteran voice actor."
Marta MedinaSirRo
I got this as a gift for my kid and they just loved it.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
The spider crashed into the undergrowth with a dagger buried into one of its eyes, its claws still twitching and its jaw clicking. A large brown bear immediately leaped on top of it, his paws crushing the spider's legs, like branches that snapped underneath his weight.
Vex'ahlia Vessar shuddered at the crunching sound. "Ugh, gross. How about a cleaner kill next time, brother?"
"At least I brought one of them down," her brother Vax'ildan shot back, his eyes on the two other spiders that were still circling them. "Besides, who led us straight into their nest in the first place?"
"Trinket brought one of them down." Her bow fully drawn, Vex tracked one of the spiders with her arrow. Half-elf twins, they'd stumbled upon a nest, hidden away in the thicket, as they'd crossed into Bramblewood Forest on their way to Westruun. The trail they'd followed from the river to the city got swallowed up by the trees. Three spiders, concealed by the greens and browns around them, had scurried out of their burrow-and attacked before they'd been able to back away and change course. "And you wanted to take a shortcut."
"I'm f***ing tired of trees," Vax said, like that was a better reason to walk into a spider's nest. He took a new dagger from his belt. "And Trinket only helped."
"That spider was still moving."
"Twitching. It would have died eventually."
"Because Trinket killed it."
Still on top of the spider, Trinket growled and looked around the narrow clearing in the woods for the other arachnids, ready to jump on another one if the need arose.
Vex breathed out and focused on her target. One of the spiders scuttled up a large tree-dashing around the thorns that covered the bark, lending the forest its name-and circled the trunk. Like the first, it was the size of a large dog or a wolf, its hairy legs at sharp angles and its eyes focused on the twins. The four smallest eyes tracked their every movement, while the larger eyes on top reflected the speckled sunlight, giving them an eerie glow. It rounded the tree and when it reappeared, it darted across an overhanging branch and made to leap at Vex.
As soon as the spider jumped, Vex let her arrow fly. The bowstring reverberated next to her ear, and the wooden shaft of the arrow curved through the air. For the briefest of moments, no more than a heartbeat, both the spider and the arrow sped toward each other-then the arrow hit, with a satisfying thud, directly underneath the creature's jaw. Its leap interrupted, the spider crashed to the ground like the first one had.
Unlike the first one, this one fell and remained motionless, its legs broken and askew.
Vex raised an eyebrow at her brother. "That's how you kill a spider."
"Luck," he smirked. She elbowed him.
"Skill, thank you very much." She grabbed a new arrow from her quiver and placed it against the string, keeping an eye on the trees around them for the last spider and the largest of the three.
To anyone who might observe the half-elves and give them no more than a cursory glance, the two looked exactly the same. Dark-brown hair-messy from their time in the woods-slender physique, practical clothes, and deadly weapons. All angles and raw edges. To full-blooded elves, they might appear too young to be this weathered and wary, but to any perceptive observer, it was clear they came by their caution honestly, and they moved with a grace brought on by years of traveling around together.
Vax held blades in both his hands, and kept his back toward his sister as the remaining spider circled them. Back-to-back, they scanned the forest, ready to attack if the spider jumped at them.
To Vex's left, something crackled in the undergrowth. A twig snapped, and she reacted immediately, swinging her bow in the direction of the sound and letting an arrow loose. It hurtled through the air without a target and struck a tree.
A large shadow clambered into the trees and disappeared between the leaves. They could hear the spider rustle overhead. It was stealthy and cautious. The scarring along its thick legs indicated it had seen and survived its fair share of fights.
Vex twisted toward the movement, grabbed an arrow, and sent it toward the large arachnid. She heard it impact, but the spider kept prowling the trees overhead, seemingly unbothered by a meager arrow. She narrowed her eyes as the spider skittered up higher, until it disappeared from view. "Careful."
Vax held his daggers at the ready and squinted up at the trees too. He winced at the size of the creature. "Looks like we woke Mama Spider," he said.
Trinket ambled closer, snout pointed up and hesitation in his gait.
The spider crashed into the undergrowth with a dagger buried into one of its eyes, its claws still twitching and its jaw clicking. A large brown bear immediately leaped on top of it, his paws crushing the spider's legs, like branches that snapped underneath his weight.
Vex'ahlia Vessar shuddered at the crunching sound. "Ugh, gross. How about a cleaner kill next time, brother?"
"At least I brought one of them down," her brother Vax'ildan shot back, his eyes on the two other spiders that were still circling them. "Besides, who led us straight into their nest in the first place?"
"Trinket brought one of them down." Her bow fully drawn, Vex tracked one of the spiders with her arrow. Half-elf twins, they'd stumbled upon a nest, hidden away in the thicket, as they'd crossed into Bramblewood Forest on their way to Westruun. The trail they'd followed from the river to the city got swallowed up by the trees. Three spiders, concealed by the greens and browns around them, had scurried out of their burrow-and attacked before they'd been able to back away and change course. "And you wanted to take a shortcut."
"I'm f***ing tired of trees," Vax said, like that was a better reason to walk into a spider's nest. He took a new dagger from his belt. "And Trinket only helped."
"That spider was still moving."
"Twitching. It would have died eventually."
"Because Trinket killed it."
Still on top of the spider, Trinket growled and looked around the narrow clearing in the woods for the other arachnids, ready to jump on another one if the need arose.
Vex breathed out and focused on her target. One of the spiders scuttled up a large tree-dashing around the thorns that covered the bark, lending the forest its name-and circled the trunk. Like the first, it was the size of a large dog or a wolf, its hairy legs at sharp angles and its eyes focused on the twins. The four smallest eyes tracked their every movement, while the larger eyes on top reflected the speckled sunlight, giving them an eerie glow. It rounded the tree and when it reappeared, it darted across an overhanging branch and made to leap at Vex.
As soon as the spider jumped, Vex let her arrow fly. The bowstring reverberated next to her ear, and the wooden shaft of the arrow curved through the air. For the briefest of moments, no more than a heartbeat, both the spider and the arrow sped toward each other-then the arrow hit, with a satisfying thud, directly underneath the creature's jaw. Its leap interrupted, the spider crashed to the ground like the first one had.
Unlike the first one, this one fell and remained motionless, its legs broken and askew.
Vex raised an eyebrow at her brother. "That's how you kill a spider."
"Luck," he smirked. She elbowed him.
"Skill, thank you very much." She grabbed a new arrow from her quiver and placed it against the string, keeping an eye on the trees around them for the last spider and the largest of the three.
To anyone who might observe the half-elves and give them no more than a cursory glance, the two looked exactly the same. Dark-brown hair-messy from their time in the woods-slender physique, practical clothes, and deadly weapons. All angles and raw edges. To full-blooded elves, they might appear too young to be this weathered and wary, but to any perceptive observer, it was clear they came by their caution honestly, and they moved with a grace brought on by years of traveling around together.
Vax held blades in both his hands, and kept his back toward his sister as the remaining spider circled them. Back-to-back, they scanned the forest, ready to attack if the spider jumped at them.
To Vex's left, something crackled in the undergrowth. A twig snapped, and she reacted immediately, swinging her bow in the direction of the sound and letting an arrow loose. It hurtled through the air without a target and struck a tree.
A large shadow clambered into the trees and disappeared between the leaves. They could hear the spider rustle overhead. It was stealthy and cautious. The scarring along its thick legs indicated it had seen and survived its fair share of fights.
Vex twisted toward the movement, grabbed an arrow, and sent it toward the large arachnid. She heard it impact, but the spider kept prowling the trees overhead, seemingly unbothered by a meager arrow. She narrowed her eyes as the spider skittered up higher, until it disappeared from view. "Careful."
Vax held his daggers at the ready and squinted up at the trees too. He winced at the size of the creature. "Looks like we woke Mama Spider," he said.
Trinket ambled closer, snout pointed up and hesitation in his gait.
