After dominating the tabletop world of actual-play streaming and podcasts, misty-stepping into not just comic series but their very own D&D supplement, and then getting a tell-all book about the long road to getting such a wild place, Critical Role is finally going somewhere it’s never been before: an actual novel. Gizmodo has the first look today at the first-ever novel released in the world of Critical Role’s tabletop fantasy universe, Vox Machina: Kith & Kin.
Penned by This Is Where It Ends’ Marieke Nijkamp, the novel is a prequel to the adventures of the legendary adventuring group from the series’ very first campaign. Following twin half-elven siblings Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan (played by Laura Bailey and Liam O’Brien in the campaign, respectively), Kith & Kin sees the duo — plus Vex’s companion bear, Trinket — on their own and fending for themselves. But their bond is tested when an encounter with the criminal guild The Clasp forces Vex and Vax apart, placing them on opposite sides of a conflict that will test their bond as brother and sister…if they can survive an undead legion or two, that is.
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“It’s hard for me to think of something more central to all my memories of Critical Role than the bond between the twins,” Liam O’Brien said in a statement provided to Gizmodo. “Discovering and creating their story and their friendship with Laura has been one of the greatest parts of this entire journey and I’m thrilled to dive deeper into their past together with this book.”
“I spent so much of my time growing up pouring over fantasy series,” Bailey added. “I always searched for new ways to find out more about the characters I loved. It’s kind of surreal to get to do that now with characters we created. The twins are a part of Liam and I, deeply ingrained, and I can’t wait to uncover more of their relationship with this story.”
Critical Role: Vox Machina–Kith & Kin will release on October 26, and is available to pre-order now.
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