The first novel set in Greyhawk (well, nominally the second as Andre Norton’s Quag Keep already had scenes set in the city of Greyhawk, although it predated the official TSR novels), this would be one of only two official TSR Greyhawk novels written by Gygax. There would be a follow up, Artifact of Evil, in early 1986, but with Gygax exit from the company that year it would be the end of the official TSR Greyhawk novels starring Gord, the Rogue. It wouldn’t be the end of the story though, as Gygax would continue to write Gord, the Rogue and publish these novels in his new label, New Infinities. These would consist of three more volumes in 1987 and two more in 1988. 

Greyhawk as an official TSR setting would survive Gygax’s exit as would novels set in that world. Rose Estes would pick up on the world and write six more novels after Gygax’s exit up to 1989. Then the world would be pretty much dead in terms of fiction up until the 2000 when a couple more novels, adapting adventure modules, mostly, would come out. It would never reach close to the level of popularity of the novels set in Dragonlance or the Forgotten Realms. 

In terms of story Saga of Old City is a good introduction to the Gord character, you follow him from being a young orphan abused by a relative who got saddled with him, and then see him take on an Oliver Twist twist, by becoming a beggar under the control of a Fagin-like Beggarmaster. Later on, freed from beggar bondage Gord develops his thieving skills and eventually becomes a kind of mercenary/adventurer by the time the novel ends. A bildungsroman set in a fantasy world, it isn’t that great at characterizing Greyhawk as a setting and it often feels too indebted to Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser to be its own thing. Shockingly enough for an official TSR novel it also has plenty of profanity and amoral actions by the “heroes”, something that would eventually disappear with the institution of a more stringent official TSR “code of ethics” in the early 90s. A pity.