Review of "Impossible Lands" (4 stars): "Impossible Lands" is not without its flaws, but nevertheless a good read
The Impossible Lands are another regional sourcebook for the #Pathfinder setting of #Golarion, showcasing a region in northeastern Garund that has been shaped by the millennia-old conflict between the archwizards Nex and Geb and their namesake countries. After providing us with a few further character options, the bulk of the book is dedicated to regional descriptions.
The city-state of Alkenstar is the primary source of firearms in the Inner Sea region. Since it is located in the Mana Wastes, where magic is unreliable, the inhabitants had to rely on technology to protect themselves, and the city has a strong "clockpunk" vibe. It also has a strong "American frontier city" vibe as well, including similar ethnical values and well/class structures - perhaps too much so, and it feels somewhat out of place in northwestern Garund. Furthermore - and this is a major trend within this book - its population of a mere 53,600 people seems far too small to support this much industry. Its allied city of Dogun Hold, one of the major dwarven Sky Citadels, is more interesting for me - I am always enjoying more variant cultures of the major nonhuman ancestries that show that they aren't all monocultures.
The isle of Bhopan, inhabited by Beastkin, Fey, and Fey-Touched Humans, is a domain right out of the First World. If you want to run a adventure with fairy tale whimsy, this is the place. There seems to be some metaplot attached to some Pathfinder Society adventures ("The Perennial Crown") that might be worth looking up if you want to learn more about this place. Even more so than with Alkenstar, its population (1,017) seems ludicrously small to support a city with such a massive court and palace. But it could work if you focus on the fairy tale atmosphere. People and places exist and fulfill roles because that's what the story needs, and not because it makes socio-economic sense. A GM who puts some thoughts into this could drive more rationally-inclined player characters nuts here.
Geb is one of the two "Great Powers" of the region. It is a nation ruled by undead, and has survived for thousands of years as a fairly stable society. You get a good idea of how it works and why it works, and why and how the living participate in this society. Whether the PCs are here on missions of commerce or diplomacy, as revolutionaries, or as ambitious citizens, Geb has a lot to offer for a campaign.
The island of Jalmeray was colonized by Vudra a long time ago, and thus serves as the best place in the Inner Sea region for adventures inspired by Indian culture and folklore, while . Of particular interest to player characters are the four local martial arts schools, based on four of the elements. Personally, I am most intrigued by the so-called "Curse Shepherds", a sect who abduct curse-afflicted individuals and imprison them on an island off the coast.
The Mana Wastes are one of the major regions of Golarion where you can have adventures in a post-apocalyptic landscape (Numeria and the Sarkosis Scar being the others). Here, the landscape was devastated by wild magic, and any kind of mutated creature (including warbeasts from the conflict between Nex and Geb) might appear here. However, unless you have parties that primarily rely on nonmagical abilities, I would use this environment sparingly - every spell that is cast has a chance to go wild, and an entire campaign set in this area could quickly become tedious for spellcasting characters.
The last entry is Nex, the other Great Power - instead of undead, this nation is run by mages who have next to no restrained when it comes to experimenting with their powers. The region reminds me of the setting of Monte Cook's Numenera - a fever dream of the fantastic that bears little resemblance to any real world cultures. The jargon, too, is fairly dense - a GM preparing to run adventures in this nation will probably need to re-read this chapter once or twice to get a grasp on its culture. Additionally, the nation relies heavily on "fleshforged" creatures, but I would have appreciated it if the book had some introductory text that explained what such creatures actually are (beyond mage-shaped monstrosities). On a final note, while Geb's cultural stasis for the last four thousand years is understandable because of its undead rulers, the same cannot be said for Nex. Yet I do not get any sense that there have been major cultural or political shifts in the last four millenia since its founder vanished. How many real world cultures have changed so little in such a long time?
This book is uneven in its quality. Nevertheless, the Impossible Lands are a fantastic place for adventures, and - keeping recent metaplot developments in mind - it will likely crucial to future developments in the Inner Sea region. Thus, it's well worth reading for Golarion fans.
