Hobgoblin (book)
Encyclopedia
Hobgoblin by John Coyne
is a 1981 horror
novel
about Scott Gardiner, a teenaged boy who becomes obsessed with Hobgoblin, a fantasy
roleplaying game based on Irish mythology
, as his life in the game and in reality slowly blend.
by Rona Jaffe
, this is a species of problem novel
(although not aimed at young adult readers) by an established writer, which treats the playing of roleplaying games as indicative of deep neurotic
needs. In both books, the protagonist is (or at least appears to be) suffering from schizophrenia
(or some analogous condition); in both books, the attainment of mature adulthood is accompanied by the abandonment of role-playing games.
Like the Jaffe book, this was published at the height of Dungeons and Dragons popularity and soon after the intense media coverage of the Egbert steam tunnel incident
(urban myths wherein roleplaying gamers enacting live action role-playing games perish, often in the utility tunnel
s below their university campuses).
John Coyne (writer)
John Coyne is an American writer. He is the author of more than twenty-five nonfiction and fiction books, including a number of horror novels, while his short stories have been collected in "best of" anthologies such as Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror...
is a 1981 horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
about Scott Gardiner, a teenaged boy who becomes obsessed with Hobgoblin, a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game based on Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
, as his life in the game and in reality slowly blend.
Description
Like the contemporaneously-published Mazes and MonstersMazes and Monsters (novel)
Mazes and Monsters is a 1981 novel by Rona Jaffe. The novel is a cautionary tale regarding the then-new hobby of fantasy role-playing games. The book was adapted into a made-for-television movie by the same name in 1982 starring young Tom Hanks....
by Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe was a popular American novelist, publishing numerous works from 1958-2003. She may have been best known for her controversial novel, Mazes and Monsters...
, this is a species of problem novel
Problem novel
Problem novel is a term used to refer to a sub-genre of young adult literature that deal exclusively with an adolescent's first confrontation with a social or personal ill. The term was first used in the late 1960s to differentiate contemporary works like The Outsiders from earlier fiction for...
(although not aimed at young adult readers) by an established writer, which treats the playing of roleplaying games as indicative of deep neurotic
Neurosis
Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...
needs. In both books, the protagonist is (or at least appears to be) suffering from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
(or some analogous condition); in both books, the attainment of mature adulthood is accompanied by the abandonment of role-playing games.
Like the Jaffe book, this was published at the height of Dungeons and Dragons popularity and soon after the intense media coverage of the Egbert steam tunnel incident
Steam tunnel incident
James Dallas Egbert III was a student at Michigan State University who was incorrectly alleged to have disappeared into the school's steam tunnels for reasons related to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons ....
(urban myths wherein roleplaying gamers enacting live action role-playing games perish, often in the utility tunnel
Utility tunnel
A utility tunnel is a space for wires, conduits, pipes, and other conveyances used in the delivery of utilities with enough room for a human to enter. Modern pipes and cables need less attention and space than older varieties, so the construction of utility tunnels declined in the late 20th century...
s below their university campuses).