This second book is quite different, though just as enjoyable as the first. As it's now a self-published series it has the distinction of being the onThis second book is quite different, though just as enjoyable as the first. As it's now a self-published series it has the distinction of being the only self-published fantasy book that I've given five stars. Depending on how I'm feeling on a given day, I could state that it's the best self-published work I've ever read. That may not say much, so I'll also state that it's one of the more enjoyable books I've read. Even better, the third book is set to release later this year, only a few months after the second. Molle's website says that Season 1 concludes this year, which makes me hopeful that there's much more to come. At the rate this series is going, it may become one of my all-time favorites. That astounds me and really demonstrates how much an author's writing can improve over the years. I find it difficult not to overhype, because as I'm far as I'm concerned it's the most underread fantasy series relative to its quality that I've read. It does and has almost everything I could want. It has a brisk pace and a suitable length. You should be reading this if you enjoy epic and/or military fantasy.
So, how does it differ? As compared to the first book, there's much less military campaigning. In its place intrigue comes to the fore. Various factions are developed and represented, each with their own overlapping and competing interests. There are few friends, but many allies of convenience, and often desperation. Ideals give way to the necessity of circumstance. Today's allies may be tomorrow's enemies, but one has to survive until tomorrow for that to pass. Each character has to decide with which faction to align, as to be on their own is certain death. Often it may not be much of a choice, but still its their own decision.
There are four main viewpoints. The two from the first book and the orphan and the Queen. The questions they must each answer are: How much of what I'm doing is to survive and how much of it is to improve the lives of my chosen group? Is this the righteous path or am I falling into an ever deeper darkness and killing all my companions? Will the future we seek be worth the ruination wrought?
Those are the questions asked on a personal level. Many factional and societal questions are posed as well. Who ought to shoulder the burden of a society's progress? Is there a better way, and if so, does that matter? How much suffering of others is permissible for our own comfort and convenience? Given that the resources fueling our progress are known to be limited, should any thought be given to management?
That's not to say this is an introspective and discussion oriented book, because it isn't. Most of the above questions are asked and answered through their actions. They're all too busy trying to stay alive, so it's mostly for the reader to consider what relevance they have for the story and their own lives. I appreciate that. ...more
The Redemption of Time is a fanfiction webnovel written by Li Jun under his Baoshu pseudonym, which literally means divine tree. It was originally posThe Redemption of Time is a fanfiction webnovel written by Li Jun under his Baoshu pseudonym, which literally means divine tree. It was originally posted online less than a month after Death's End was published as Three Body X: Aeon of Contemplation. It's not officially canon, but it was approved by Cixin Liu and published by the same publisher. This is the first novel length work of fanfiction that I've read. It definitely reads like it is. If you have high expectations, you may want to reconsider them.
This book is in many ways an apologia, a formal defense of Death's End, primarily told through Yun Tianming's perspective, though various other perspectives are used as well. It's not only that it provides additional explanations for several events, it's specifically ones that I believed to be idiotic or glossed over. That leads me to assume that a significant number of others thought they were as well, hence the need for providing additional detail so that what happened seems more reasonable and rational. I can appreciate a fan's dedication to an author, but I would've really preferred there to be more narrative rather than scene after scene telling me why I should've trusted that whatever was offpage was amazing and had faith that the author knew what he was doing.
Speaking of faith, I was surprised by how much Christianity was included in here. It's certainly a different take on heaven, angels, eden, God, and satan. I don't know how literally versus metaphorically it's meant to be taken considering how explicitly everything is presented, including bible verses. Other religions are mentioned in passing, but the focus is on Christianity. Li Jun attended a Catholic university in Belgium for a philosophy degree, but I didn't know that until after I finished reading.
What amused me the most were the anime references, especially citing the Endless Eight episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime as justification for his actions. The Legend of the Galactic Heroes epigraph was nice as well. There's also various literary references, which are around as common as referencing the same Japanese porn star over and over. The ending is a metafictional display of admiration, which I found to be entirely silly, but it's not terrible.
This novel was published in English in 2019, which means that his later written short fiction was translated and published in English before this novel was. "What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear" is a great story and it was the first story I read from him. Unfortunately, everything afterwards has been disappointing. I read it mostly for the sake of completion, but also because I thought there would be a chance it could be decent. There doesn't seem to be any reason to me to read it other than for a perhaps misguided sense of completion or simply because anything more suffices....more
Starting from the title this went wrong for me. The premise is that a zombie starts from knowing nothing about anything, except for all the stuff it dStarting from the title this went wrong for me. The premise is that a zombie starts from knowing nothing about anything, except for all the stuff it does know and conveniently remembers when plot relevant. I didn't know what to expect from the title. Was it going to be rationalist fiction or simply a zombie that maintained some higher level functions? I don't know what it was intended, but it's definitely the latter and much more empiricism than rationalism. Most of the time I felt like I was reading about a biological AI than a zombie. However, the zombie does experience emotions.
I can only assume that the initial draw was the progression-like acquirement of basic knowledge that was continually built upon which then led to steady improvement of skills. The zombie starts as intelligent though ignorant, so it's a rather odd mismatch that leads to all sorts of misunderstandings. This results in an overall utilitarian approach to what it does. That is to say that it does whatever it believes to be efficient and effective without the slightest regard to morality or ethics. I don't know if it was intended to be an utility monster, but that's close enough to what it is in practice.
I've read a fair bit of zombie fiction, mostly short fiction, and quite a few about have been from the zombie's perspective. One in particular was about zombies that formed their own community and could communicate among themselves. I'd have to count this among the worst of zombie fiction I've finished. The reasons for that are the dismal quality of its prose, the choice of having every perspective be first person stream of consciousness, it was boring and repetitive, and nothing about it interested me.
I'm not usually one to say much about prose unless it's an outlier in quality to me. As long as it meets a certain subjective threshold I usually won't have any complaints. This doesn't get anywhere near that threshold. Usually I when I read something that doesn't reach the threshold it's because it's self-published and without an editor. This was originally published on RoyalRoad, a webnovel site that focuses on progression fiction. (Un?)fortunately I'm not one who can appreciate something when I believe it to be terribly written. I don't personally think my threshold is that high, but I could be wrong.
The problem with the perspective is mostly one of personal annoyance. When there are several perspectives that are all "I" it may not be immediately obvious who it's about, especially when it's a new character that has been just added in, so I would've liked to have seen a chapter heading with the viewpoint character's name. Most of the human perspectives weren't differentiated enough for my preference. I doubt this was a stylistic choice to show that the humans were all the same while the zombie was the one individual.
The entirety of the book is the zombie going from location to location killing all the prey (humans). Fortunately for the zombie, the humans have bows at most and mostly improvised melee weapons to fend for themselves. They're also usually incredibly dumb and irrational. As in how-can-you-possibly-be-this-idiotic horror movie levels. It's much more often that the zombie wins because of happenstance, incompetence, and disbelief than skill on their part. Yes, how this is all done changes over time to be more and more elaborate, which I have issues with as well on a practical basis, but it's all really the same.
This is a clearly meant to be a horror novel and there are some moments that would seem to be gross out scenes, but their matter-of-fact and straightforward presentation saps them of any impact. Maybe it's me, but when the characters are dispassionate about everything it's difficult to feel much about what they're doing. Nothing else that it was supposed to be about interested me either. Maybe it was meant to some have greater depth, but if it did, I didn't notice it. There are a few offhand comments that make statements, but that's all they were. I read what others have written and I still don't specifically understand what they enjoyed about it. Novelty? Not to me. An amoral utilitarian protagonist? Meh. Basic and limited progression as it were? Yawn. Wish fulfillment and power fantasy? Uh, was it though? I don't so. Honestly, I don't know what's meant to be interesting about it.
I didn't hate this, it didn't offend me, and I otherwise don't have any strong feelings about it, not even disappointment. Really, it's amazing how apathetic I feel about it. I've written a decent amount, though my feelings can be summed up as, "Huh." It wasn't even a waste of time because it was sufficiently informative in how and why I don't like certain types of books. The rating is because I would never personally recommend reading this and that it's just nothing to me. Maybe that's too harsh for its circumstances, but I don't believe in judging it differently than I would otherwise simply because it wasn't traditionally published. So, yeah, enjoy what you will or won't either way....more
Crash Bin'Syan is one of the highest ranked analysts for the Sigurd-Lem corporation. She has a Mirror, a cybernetic twin that she shares a dual consciCrash Bin'Syan is one of the highest ranked analysts for the Sigurd-Lem corporation. She has a Mirror, a cybernetic twin that she shares a dual consciousness with, though they can mentally split apart and act independently. For the last decade or so she's been analyzing the quarantined alien ruins on planet Vija. Thirty years ago an alien AI was unleased there that made what humanity had built become a new layer of ruins. However, it's now believed to have been only a testing grounds to create a prison for a far worse AI. Somehow it's a second transition point to The Eye. What's happening at The Eye threatens all of human existence.
This book is significantly different from the first, of which it takes place before, during, and after. I enjoyed it less, if only because I found it to be less interesting. There's much less emphasis on Shells (mecha), combat, and thrills. It's much more investigations and travelling. The writing and the atmosphere it created remained pleasing, but that wasn't enough for me. As with the first book the relationship with the protagonist and their mechanical counterpart is a primary focus. The characters from the first book are present in this one as well, though only at the very end.
Writing about this, and rating it possibly more so, presents its own difficulties in that as of this writing it's the only review on Goodreads and one of the few anywhere else. As such, I don't want to present further challenges, but I also don't want to write or rate differently than what I feel. What I feel is that this is a 3.5 rounded down. I felt the same about the first book, though I liked it somewhat more, and even then it was a very near thing that I rounded that one up. My main problems is that it reads like a side story. The most it does to justify its existence is providing a new ending and explaining the downfall of the alien civilizations. Although Crash does a considerable amount of self-reflection with her Mirror which provides for questioning, I don't think it went far enough. The same goes for the attempt at romance, which seemed almost more like a nod to Gundam The Witch From Mercury which began the prior month than an organic relationship.
None of this is to say that you shouldn't read the first book then this one. The main problem with reading this one first is that much of scant worldbuilding isn't repeated from the first, so it may be confusing in that it doesn't explain everything all over again. I do believe that reading both of these is a worthwhile due to the different perspective it provides. The first book was traditionally published though this one was self-published, then co-published. I haven't any idea whether this is the final book in this setting. This storyline seems to have ended, though it is somewhat ambiguous.
The United States has collapsed due to a Worst Case Scenario, in this case the FURY bacteria, which makes its victims immune to pain and wanting to kiThe United States has collapsed due to a Worst Case Scenario, in this case the FURY bacteria, which makes its victims immune to pain and wanting to kill everyone else. It's also highly contagious. In preparation for these circumstances, a top secret program was initiated to select those who would rebuild the country. 237 candidates underwent Primary Selection, but only 48 were chosen, one for each of the lower 48 states, to each be isolated in a Hole so that 30 days later they'd emerge and reestablish the country. Captain Lee Harden, an ex-Ranger, is one of those 48. He doesn't want to be believe that the Worst Case Scenario has happened. After he comes to terms with that he'll have to set out into the world to accomplish his goals: Survive. Rescue. Rebuild. Anyone who gets in the way of those goals must be killed without mercy or hesitation.
This book was originally self-published in 2012 and that really shows, even after all the editing it must've went through before being republished. It's rough, but there were glimmers of the fun that I had from reading his fantasy novel, A Harvest of Ash and Blood, which was the first book I read from Molles. I decided to read this, his first published novel and see how that'd go. A lot can change in 10+ years of writing and that's abundantly evident here. The action is moderately thrilling, but overall it's a rather lacking experience. Lee searches, he finds, he rescues the weak and kills the predators. He tells them that's here to help. There's nothing particularly exciting about that in terms of plot.
As is all too common for my preference, this version of Earth hasn't slightest concept of zombies or the undead, so they haven't the slightest clue what's going on for a while. The premise and much else is entirely ridiculous, though it's not that difficult to just go along with it. Lee isn't a super soldier or otherwise all-powerful, so a lot can and does go wrong. I can't really comment on how accurate it would be, though perhaps much of his failings can be attributed to shock. There's not really all that much to say about him, or any other of the characters. It really is all survival action with horror elements, though I'm sure the later novels because considerably more complex and the characters much more developed.
There are currently 14 novels and 2 novellas in the series, which seems like it could go far towards Lee's stated goals, though perhaps life just doesn't go that way. I don't want to go through an unknown number of books to get to something that may be interesting and worthwhile. This book is on the borderline between being bad and mediocre. Sometime later I'll look at his most recent releases to see whether it's only the one book that I like from him. A Harvest of Blood and Ash is getting a sequel so there's that for me at least. It's interesting to see how much he's improved and I'm glad that he had the opportunity to be able do to so.
Wow, so much happens. This may be my favorite of the series thus far. It's also the longest book yet, listed at ~700 pages for the Kindle edition. SurWow, so much happens. This may be my favorite of the series thus far. It's also the longest book yet, listed at ~700 pages for the Kindle edition. Surprisingly I didn't mind the length at all, though what constitutes filler will vary by reader. After the opening recap and prologue, the first few chapters are mostly about going through rewards, achievements, processing what happened from the end of the previous book, and talking over about what the current floor will be about. The story didn't seem to really begin until the 5th chapter and by that point it's already at 10%, so roughly 70 pages. Turns out I didn't mind all the preparatory material. The story continuously goes all over the place, but it's a fun wild ride and I wouldn't have it be any other way.
The background setting for the floor is the real world and there's an explicit focus on folklore, particularly of the cryptozoological sort, though the aliens corrupt a lot of it. There's also various religious sorts included as well. As you may have noticed, there's an Uzi Jesus on the cover. The depiction of Jesus may be offensive to some readers, because Dinniman doesn't hold back. Personally, I found it hilarious in how absurd it was all.
As also shown on the cover, the primary mechanic this time is explicitly stated to be an active time battle version of Pokémon combined with Yu-Gi-Oh. It's quite something, especially their summoning intros and quips. Does it make any sense? No. Is it entirely broken in terms of fairness and balance? Yes. Sometimes they just kill their opponent before a card/trainer match can initiate. Everyone knows how silly it is though and that's part of the fun. The fun is what matters the most for me.
There's considerably more focus on the space opera and events outside of the dungeon in general. I wouldn't be surprised that at the end of the next book the space opera becomes the primary narrative and the dungeon becomes the background. I'm withholding judgment on that because the dungeon is what's so fun about it and while I certainly enjoy space opera, I don't know that that's what I want from this. The space opera could end up being an extremely amusing black comedy though and I wouldn't mind that at all.
Rating: 4.5/5 (tentatively rounded up to 5)...more
The Butcher's Masquerade is a return to the RPG stylings of the second book and to traditional fantasy more generally. I don't know what the primary rThe Butcher's Masquerade is a return to the RPG stylings of the second book and to traditional fantasy more generally. I don't know what the primary references for this one would be. Maybe Grimms' Fairy Tales, global folk tales, 19th century literary nonsense, and a splash of webcomics. There weren't any specific games that came to mind. The characters compare what they're doing to media, but they don't really think that's what it is either. I wrote that the first book may not had have had anything that was was original, but with each book that's been less and less the case, or may it be that I know what's being referenced less and less. In that way it may be becoming more accessible with each book rather than less, though that may not have any basis in reality. It's odd. Regardless, I'm still enjoying it quite a lot.
This time the floor premise is that the crawlers are being actively hunted down. As noted in the previous book preparations for a counterattack are now underway. Even so, that's easier said than done, though the new guild system allows for greater cooperation. They're certainly need as it their numbers continue to dwindle, inside the dungeon anyway.
There's certainly no lack of named characters to continue to die, which means that either more will have to be named, or there will be a tighter focus on those that remain. It makes me wonder how this will all end, especially considering that Dinniman wrote that he's never written a happy ending. This is the only series of his I've read so I'm unable to assess that claim. I've experienced various media works that have ended with all the characters dead, or otherwise have a bad ending for everyone, and it hasn't been one that I've preferred almost ever. I've found that it's rarely done well. Even of this series does go that, I don't think that would retroactively destroy my enjoyment.
Unlike the previous books, I don't know quite why I enjoyed this one as much as I did. Maybe it's the shift in focus and the promise of greater scope. I'm certainly very sympathetic to where the story seems to be heading, but less so about the methods and the possible end result. Regardless of anything else, I'm amazed by how much fun it continues to be.
The Gate of the Feral Gods is definitely the most conflicted I've felt about the series thus far. However, there's still considerably more that I likeThe Gate of the Feral Gods is definitely the most conflicted I've felt about the series thus far. However, there's still considerably more that I like about it than what I don't, though it also has more that I dislike than any previous book.
I've liked this setting the least so far. That's mostly personal bias and possibly because I'm unable to relate it to games or quite as well. I'd hazard a guess that the more relevant references here are Indiana Jones, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Middle Eastern fables, and Egyptian tales. What concerns me more than the setting is Carl's personal development.
After reading this book I looked at Dinniman's comment history on Reddit to see whether he had commented on my concerns, and he had, and it wasn't reassuring. That's not how I'd prefer the narrative to go if it does, as it's what I most dislike most about a lot of the progression protagonists I've tried reading, but at least I know that it's a likely possibility and can prepare myself for it.
Once again I felt the latter half was stronger than the first half, especially the last quarter which was all kinds of absurdities. For this and the last book I haven't been liking it as much until it gets to the rising action. It's not so much that it's filler as it that I find it uneven in terms of how much I'm interested in it.
This fourth book seems to be a turning point for the series, as it may now be halfway over, at least in terms of book count if not word count. In 2022, Dinniman commented on Reddit that he currently expected the series to last for 8 or 9 books. Based on what happens by the end of this book I fully believe it could be that long. The background space opera certainly made overtures to share the foreground, though that may up end being less overall than I'm now expecting....more
For most of the book I thought that I would have to rate it lower. The setting is basically many metro stations with a complex arrangement of crisscroFor most of the book I thought that I would have to rate it lower. The setting is basically many metro stations with a complex arrangement of crisscrossing train lines of two primary types. It's meant to a be a puzzle. The preface notes that the reader doesn't have to understand what's going on. A lot was done with the setting later on that made me laugh and chuckle at the outrageous developments, so although I didn't like it at first it ended well.
The previously mentioned stuff that would be available on the fourth floor didn't disappoint. The personal spaces reminded me of the base building in Fallout 4. The sponsorships added a bit to the intrigue, of which there was more than I expected. The background space opera continued on. Various other foreshadowed events occurred. I assume that stating how the future floors will be is in-book marketing hype, which probably does well enough, but it also may be a bit overdone.
I still don't like Mongo. Katia was a lot better by the end. Many other characters played more of a role, mostly through the chat function, which showed that a greater community was beginning to form. I await seeing how that progresses. My primary concern is that each book is longer than the previous which may mean that I'll feel like there's a lot of filler and have to lower my rating. Hopefully even if there is, it'll be sufficiently enjoyable.
I'm pleased that the second book is at least as enjoyable as the first. It's amazing how absurdly fun it is. I have negligible problems with the humorI'm pleased that the second book is at least as enjoyable as the first. It's amazing how absurdly fun it is. I have negligible problems with the humor now. I don't know whether that's because I acclimatized and/or because it aligns more with my preferences. I still don't know whether this series can be recommended widely as requires experience in various forms of gaming to fully appreciate it. Maybe that matters less than I think it does though.
This floor is an open world RPG type. The focus is on the town and quests. I was reminded of a variety of games such as Baldur's Gate II, Dragon Age, Skyrim, Final Fantasy XI(V), Dragon Quest, and various others. It's delightful how much it plays with RPG conventions and tropes. There's a lot of other pop culture and memes that I didn't mind at all that in other books I may have.
I was mostly indifferent to Princess Donut in the first book, but now I'm lukewarm. She serves her narrative role well and mitigates other concerns. However, judging by the banner image on Dinniman's twitter account some people have unfortunate ideas regardless, which can't be helped. I'm leaning towards dislike of Mongo. I haven't read enough about the new character to have an opinion yet.
I'll be finishing what's out of this series in short order. There continues to be a lot of rough edges and curious decisions, which is why I've rounded the previous and this book down to four stars from its 4.5. Even so, this is quickly becoming my all-time favorite self-published series. There isn't much competition in that regard, so it may stay as such for a long time.
When I first tried reading this I didn't get past the introduction. The initial set up and premise simply have to be accepted and moved on from, whichWhen I first tried reading this I didn't get past the introduction. The initial set up and premise simply have to be accepted and moved on from, which requires significant suspension of disbelief. After I settled in I found it to be greatly enjoyable. This isn't Dinniman's debut novel - that was twenty years ago. He's been traditionally published and has self-published. At nearly fifty years old he's probably at the older end of those writing in this space. With that age and experience he's demonstrated a surprisingly considerate take on gaming, reality tv, social media, and content creation.
Dinniman's depth of knowledge is readily made apparent through his understanding and proper usage of the conventions from the sources that he references. I wouldn't surprised if there was barely anything original here. Quite possibly almost everything could be traced back to something else. He excels in the execution of bringing these disparate elements together. If this were a literary novel it could be called densely intertextual. The downside to this is that it assumes the reader is familiar with what's being referenced. Those without a background in the relevant subjects may struggle to understand how and why anything happens for the reasons it does. There are a lot of general pop culture references as well. The references are mostly presented as they are, with a few notable exceptions. The contemporary Japanese interpretation of orcs is used rather than the Tolkien or later Western revisions. What I assume to be the Kuo-Tuo are called Kua-Tin due to Wizards of the Coast's active enforcement. Despite Nintendo's litigious nature their references are unchanged.
After decades of preparation an alien corporation is ready for the newest season of Dungeon Crawler World, a death game broadcasted throughout the known universe that's extremely profitable. It begins by instantly destroying all of Earth's infrastructure and putting up entrances to the dungeon everywhere. The goal for the crawlers is to reach the 18th floor within the time limit to win back their planet. Unfortunately for them that's never happened before. There's also a bit about what's happening outside of the dungeon.
The two primary characters are Carl, the first person viewpoint character, and Princess Donut, a talking cat. There are around 13 million concurrent cralwers to start, which is a considerable amount for a massive multiplayer dungeon crawler. In this first book though they don't come across all that many other crawlers. However, since the monsters are real Carl engages in conversation with those that can, when not gruesomely murdering them. He'd rather not massacre sapients when possible. There are also player killers, which are shown by how many skulls they have when examining them.
The game mechanics are both practical and an aesthetic. They're a rather incoherent mixture from many different sources. The d20 System Reference Document is a major influence, from the levels, stats, magic, classes, equipment, and much else. Combat is entirely freeform and free of minutiae, aside from the occasional mention of how much of a healthbar is remaining. There's a hotbar, cooldown timers, healing potions, and other similar mechanics displayed through the HUD. The focus seems to be more on clever solutions than brute force. Grinding is mostly skimmed over. The inventory system reminded me of Fallout, both in terms of hoarding literally anything the protagonist comes across and being functionally unlimited, though without the carried weight limitations. Borderlands seemed to be a primary influence in terms of its humor, active and passive abilities, challenges/achievements, and boss fights.
In terms of dungeon crawling there are primarily hallways that have connecting rooms. Fog of war is present and what's been explored can be viewed through the minimap, which is filled with the relevant colored icons. There are a lot of menus, though they're mostly applicable to peace mode. A few other mechanics are that skills increase through usage, any notable event may give a treasure box, and there are various chat functions. Overall it provides a distinct feeling of both tabletop and video gaming without being overly concerned with trying to exactly replicate the experience.
The story leans into ludonarrative dissonance through agency, or lack thereof. Rather than a crawler trying to get as much entertainment out of the game as possible, the game tries to get as much entertainment as it can from the crawler, adapting as needed to do so. Situations similar to Spec Ops: The Line's White Phosphorous and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's No Russian scenes occur where a crawler is all but forced to commit atrocities to progress the gameplay, though unlike the former example, no self-reflection is intended. The only moral judgement is how well it plays to the audience.
As this is a for-profit death game, merit doesn't matter at all relative to how much money any given crawler can make for the corporation producing the show. To that end, the crawlers want to have as many viewers watching, following, and favoriting them in order to attract sponsors who can help them survive. After their activity stats are activated, the beginning of each chapter shows their current views, follows, and favorites. It's one of many numbers that go up and down. Crawlers also need to develop their own catchphrases, forced memes, and whatever else that helps them go viral. They may also have to do interviews on talk shows and participate in game shows as required. Even the fetishes of the sentient algorithm must be indulged. Those who are dependent on patrons for survival may have to make a lot of compromises, or even let them assume direct control.
This is the twelfth and final book in the series, though it's only the one I've written about other than the first book. That's because I didn't see aThis is the twelfth and final book in the series, though it's only the one I've written about other than the first book. That's because I didn't see any reason to do so after summarizing the series with what I wrote about the first book and later added onto it. I don't know what else I would've written. Now that I've finished the series I ought to rewrite what I initially thought, but that's unlikely. I've written almost twice my usual length because it covers my thoughts on the series as a whole and other related thoughts.
The final book isn't exempt from the usual formula of training and fighting to the exclusion of almost all else. If you've read this far you ought to know how it goes. That doesn't seem the case for those who have built up unrealistic expectations over time and thought it would turn out some other way. These aren't serious books and those who who begin to examine the specifics or try to enjoy them in a cerebral way are going to be in for a bad time. I wouldn't go as far as those who I've seen say that they half-listen to them as background noise and are unable to understand why anyone would give their full attention. The vast majority use audiobooks for this series, which I have strong preference against, and I give my undivided attention to whatever I'm reading.
There's certainly a lot that happens in this book and its progression may feel rushed compared to the previous books that took their time and gave a greater sense of substance to their advancements. This is the last book and several of the characters needed to be much more powerful than they were, so it's powerleveling time. I understand how this could bother those who take the books very seriously and feel that it cheapens everything. Just because something is a common practice in the relevant videogames and shonen battle manga doesn't mean it's acceptable. Sometimes there are narrative trade-offs that aren't going to satisfy everyone and that's how it is. The most that can be done is to minimize dissatisfaction. Maybe I simply never saw it, but the Dragon Ball series does this ever more greatly, though I suppose that isn't what it's being read for. Perhaps those same people would have the same complaints, which to me is a problem with having a very narrow set of interests and expectations.
The Abidan parts are fine by me and I think the complaints that they trivialize anything that happens on Cradle because of power level differences are very silly. However, I agree that they weren't integrated all that well and Wight may have initially included them because it showed what it could eventually become. Considering the relatively few pages devoted to that though, having the characters and readers be completely amazed by it all being introduced for the first time in this book probably wouldn't have worked out. There are definitely a lot of structural issues that could be considered.
Waybound may be the most blatant about how much Wight uses from other works since Unsouled. It's one thing to use from other works and make it your own and another to be obvious with it. I don't know whether it was because Wight chose not to do so out of appreciation for what he used or some other reason. It would be considerably more difficult to get away with if he wasn't self-published. The bloopers as usual do away with any pretense. I'm indifferent to them, though they unreasonably upset at least a few readers. The ending and what leads up to it may be similar to the bloopers. I didn't expect the isekai parody scene and I wonder whether Wight thought it wasn't out of place at all.
Reading this series has been a worthwhile experience though it's hard to say how much my enjoyment has been from it being different and due to a lack of easy comparison to what else I've read. My rating system doesn't categorize it well. I liked it more than my rating would indicate but I can't rate it any higher than I have. Saying this makes me feel like those who would say the same of any genre fiction, which is an attitude that I dislike, but it's how I feel. I understand how wonderful this must be for its most appropriate audience, which I would've been a part of in my teenage years. I can still appreciate some similar works more, but that's only because of my long-standing relationship with them. From what I've looked at of Wight's other works I'm not interested, though I'm open to what else he does in the future.
I still don't think I could enjoy translated xianxia from what I've looked at, though that may be more about the webnovel format than anything else. I'm appreciative that this series wasn't written that way as it's become ever more apparent that I have fundamental disagreements with it. That doesn't mean serialized works in general because there's plenty of short fiction that I've read over time in magazines that I've enjoyed greatly. Regardless, that doesn't mean that I'll stop trying to do so though. Now that I've finished this series it's a suitable time to give a sincere try to what else is out there. Will I regret it? If so, I won't mind because regretting in moderation isn't all that bad.
I don't know if I would've come across this series if it weren't for /sffg/, or self-published works more widely for that matter. Whether that's a good thing overall is debatable, especially when considering how overzealous some become with what they're pushing for whatever reasons they have to do so in every thread. That's unfortunately understandable because even if something is in every thread that doesn't mean that it will be noticed. The vast majority of lurkers likely aren't regulars so for them if it isn't always it's never. That doesn't mean it ought to be allowed.
Apologies for being longer. Gratitude for having read....more
This was the debut novel of German author Marko Kloos, who after serving his mandatory military service came to the United States. Ten years later he This was the debut novel of German author Marko Kloos, who after serving his mandatory military service came to the United States. Ten years later he self-published this military science fiction novel on Amazon and it sold well, so it was acquired by Amazon.
The protagonist, Andrew Grayson, 21, lives in a welfare housing district and will do anything to escape the shame of poverty. For him and most others, the military is their only chance, but with a 10% application acceptance rate and 50% washing-out before finishing basic training, it's not that easy. Homesteading a colonial planet is the dream, or really, anywhere other than being stuck with those he describes as the welfare rats who are content to subsist on recycled bodily waste and mutual violation. The narrative is told through a first person perspective that provides his personal thoughts, though they didn't add much for me.
Some books offer more of an opportunity for contemplation and others offer the opposite. This was one of the latter. You can think about it, though that may only detract from the enjoyment. That's not to say that it's entirely action filled, because it isn't. Much of the book's duration is spent outside out of duty, which also isn't to say that this is a book heavy on character development, because it isn't. The plot is mostly going through basic training and a few months afterwards. The ending sets up the series, which is currently at eight books. Saying what the series is about awkward because looking at anything else about it makes it obvious, but since it isn't revealed until the end, just saying what it is would be a spoiler, though it's nothing surprising. It's (view spoiler)[ First contact and immediate war against huge aliens. (hide spoiler)] Functionally that makes this first book an introduction to the protagonist and the processes of their military and little else.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that one of the major scenes of the novel could be a dealbreaker. The military is sent in to deal with unrest in the Detroit slums which leads to (view spoiler)[ the protagonist slaughtering those involved and then some uninvolved civilians during the ensuring chaos. It doesn't go well for them either. This is mostly brushed off later and treated as just something that happened by all involved. (hide spoiler)]Apparently it's covered more in Measures of Absolution.
I read this with others, as I probably wouldn't have read it by myself. I've now read the first books of Kloos's two series, the other being The Palladium Wars. I found the other to be significantly better. Unfortunately, what bothered me the most about it was present here as well. The series is sliced too thinly. That's been commercially successful for Kloos. It's common for TV series to have most of the plot in the premiere and finale, but I don't like how it came across here. This may be the last work by him that I read.
A Debt to the Stars is a self-published novel that is competently written. However, I believe it could've greatly benefitted from someone reining in tA Debt to the Stars is a self-published novel that is competently written. However, I believe it could've greatly benefitted from someone reining in the author's excesses and reminding them to focus on their strengths. As for its genre, it's a science fiction comedy thriller. There's aliens, fantastical technology, mysterious happenings, a foulmouthed comedic relief companion, villainous caricatures, blockchain explanations, financial dealings, lip service romance, and much that may be allegorical and/or ideological. Several have compared it to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is a decent comparison. That's not all it is though, and its lack of focus may have been to its detriment. Aside from the occasional infodumps about cryptocurrency, blockchain, financial dealings and similar, which were mildly reminiscent of the sort in Snow Crash, though not nearly done as well, this is mostly an action adventure thriller. As for the characters, well, they exist. The comedic companion carries a heavy load in that regard. The protagonist is mostly to drive the narrative forward.
The book also has some social science fiction aspects, mostly resulting from which the aliens provided to humanity. Augmentation and the obelisks alleviate the need for much, as humans no longer become senescent, gain regenerative capabilities, and have all their basic needs provided for. From a human perspective, it's a very robust welfare state, or even Luxury Communism. This is depicted as having been disastrous for humanity, which perhaps it could be, but I find the specifics presented here to be implausible. It reminded me in some ways of Brave New World or Childhood's End. Unfortunately, this is mostly reduced to that those born before Augmentation become obsessives and those afterwards are fearless, ignorant, and unproductive unless raised properly from birth. The antagonists are the capitalists, both of the human and alien variety. The human antagonist organization is very much a caricature, or satire, of market fundamentalist beliefs. Their goal is world domination to restore the capitalist regime and bring scarcity back to the world. The alien capitalists are more predatory, financially speaking.
This is the first book in an intended series. It's not my sort of comedy, the social aspects were disagreeable and implausible within their context, the economics were often nonsensical, and the ending was unacceptable in its plot convenience. Those who can ignore the details will probably enjoy this more than me. I can easily imagine a version of this book that I would've enjoyed much more. I hope the author heeds what seems to be the consensus opinion about what works and doesn't. The second may be far more pleasing to a wider audience by doing so.
I received this book from the author through NetGalley.
Yumi and the Nightmare painter is different from almost all of Sanderson's other work, as these secret projects have all been, in that it's romance-orYumi and the Nightmare painter is different from almost all of Sanderson's other work, as these secret projects have all been, in that it's romance-oriented. I'd specifically describe this novel as a romantic comedy with dramatic elements featuring an atypical body swap that results in a stranger in a strange land scenario, though they stay together. Sanderson explicitly states his inspirations in the postscript. The starting idea came from the manga, Hikaru no Go, though he cites Your Name, Final Fantasy X, and a story he can't remember the name of as influences. I'd also throw Loop Hero in there as well, mostly as a joke. The influences are decidedly Southeast Asian and so is this new setting, as it's based on South Korea (where he served as a missionary) and Japan. The interior art is by Aliya Chen, which in combination with everything else previously mentioned really gives this a feel of being a Western light novel in everything but name.
The two main characters are Yumi and Nikaro. Hoid is the narrator and almost nothing else. Yumi is a priestess of the spirits who has been raised in a very traditional, orthodox, and conservative manner that's filled with with rituals and abnegation of the self. Most of the story is her coming to realize she's her own person. It could be described as her Rumspringa. Nikaro, the Nightmare Painter, is almost always referred to as Painter. To paraphrase Hoid, he's a essential frontline worker who is underpaid and feels unappreciated. As a Nightmare Painter, he, along with his many colleagues, prevent incursions from literal manifestations of living darkness. Although this is basically a romance, it's still Sanderson, so the most they do is some light touching and a single kiss. However, because it's also influenced by manga tropes, it has a few awkward situations of them being nude together, including at a hot springs. The mutual nudity is part of the interior art, though nothing sensitive is shown.
I don't have much to say about the worldbuilding. It suffices. Nikaro/Painter is in a near contemporary setting that somehow has developed to that level despite the entire world being shrouded in darkness and the population seeming to be relatively minimal. The main gimmick is the Hion, which serves as their magic as technology, though in a rather mundane way. Yumi's setting is a harsh wasteland of flying foliage, burning ground, geysers, and a dependence on spirits to be technology. Both settings are rather inhospitable in their own ways. As for the story itself, which seems to take place rather deep into the Cosmere timeline, it's about them trying to figure out why they body swap and how to resolve that. Through the course of doing so they learn more about themselves, each other, and where they're from. The story probably isn't that important by comparison to them just being together....more
Sanderson wrote that he intended this to be adjacent to a grown-up fairy tale and in that regard I think it's a complete success. I was surprised by hSanderson wrote that he intended this to be adjacent to a grown-up fairy tale and in that regard I think it's a complete success. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. He also wrote that it was only shared with his wife, as a gift to her, and I think the passion of that also comes through. It's different in meaningful ways from anything I've ever read from him, which may be a problem for those expecting more of the same that's typical of his Cosmere writings. It's by far the most humorous work I've read from him, not so far in that I'd call this a comedy or a satire, but it goes a long way towards that. His humor for me has mostly been a miss, but I found it amusing enough this time around. He's definitely become more proficient in a style of humor of being crude and lewd in an obscured way. His practice of making suggestive political and social commentary while also providing life lessons is also here as well. I don't find anything wrong with that, but some might.
The primary theme for this novel is about taking chances and pushing your boundaries because then you may discover what truly motivates you in life, and it may well be something you hadn't even the slightest idea that it could be. It's a tale told by Hoid of self-discovery, courage, determination, friendship, loyalty, and of course, love. If you find those ideas to be trite, then this book will have substantially less to offer you. For me it was a considerable amount of visceral joy, especially near the end.
What was most surprising for me is how little I minded the length considering its content. Usually when I'm reading Sanderson I think that it could be much shorter. It's not even that he's necessarily better at short length, he has some awful short fiction. The content for a full three-quarters of the book is being on ships sailing. I don't know if that makes it nautical fantasy, but there's certainly an argument for it. There's not much to do fill several hundred pages worth of being on a ship other than discussion, experimentation, and a few dangerous events on the high pollen seas. Yes, the seas are filled with pollen, twelve varieties around the world that each have their own magical effects.
There's a twist, but considering the extensive foreshadowing it receives to where it's all but stated multiple times, I don't know if it really counts as one. I thought I caught it early on, but at the end, the book literally tells the reader when the earliest point they could've known and how. Considering how obvious it was in retrospect, I was rightfully put in my place. As to whom Hoid is telling all of this, it's indirectly stated near the very end, but that requires having read the relevant novella and remembering. As to why he is, I guess that's just a Hoid thing to do.
I'm very pleased by this simple and straightforward story that's filled with heart....more
What a surprising start to my reading two books per month that were voted on for me to read. This is a Chinese gay romance/danmei cultivation/xianxia What a surprising start to my reading two books per month that were voted on for me to read. This is a Chinese gay romance/danmei cultivation/xianxia written by a Chinese woman for Chinese women that has an official translation. I don't mind reading what I otherwise wouldn't from time to time, and that's certainly what this is. This is the first gay romance and first Asian cultivation novel that I've finished.
This began as a serialized webnovel that after it ended it was revised and became a novel. As far as I know that isn't uncommon for webnovels that become novel series. Sometimes they're completely rewritten. I think that at least partially accounts for its quality of writing, the dialogue is especially horrendous, even after considering that it's been translated. I'm unable to comment on the original work, so I can't say whether the !!!s, ???s, and various phrases in ALL CAPS are appropriate or not, as stylistic standards in originally self-published works are much looser. There are interspersed illustrations. This has adaptations in various types of media.
The protagonist is a mass murdering flute playing grandmaster of demonic cultivation/necromancer with a kill count in the several thousands at least. Also, he's already died before the story begins. Thirteen years later a teenage male homosexual sacrifices his soul to summon an evil spirit to slaughter his own family, and so the protagonist takes residence in his new body. The protagonist decides to jokingly go along with the homosexuality to antagonize and disgust everyone. Since he doesn't have any powers from his former body, he's rather useless overall. Not entirely so, but enough to where it doesn't matter much. Most of the book is him being escorted by the man in love with him and their previous school life together. The assumedly mid-30s man doesn't mind that the man he fell in love with is in a teenager's body that's roughly the same age as when they first met.
In this first volume in there isn't much romance. The most that they do by the end of this is arguably cuddling, if it can be called that, since it's arguably coerced. The protagonist carries on with the "I'll do gay stuff to disgust him, oh no why isn't it working?" act the entire volume. It's difficult to believe that he's this dense about what's going on, but it's a common trope, so it's probably exactly what's happening. I don't know if this eventually becomes a "I'm not gay, I only love you" sort of thing, or something else, but clearly their relationship deepens in some way.
There wasn't much of anything for me to enjoy in this, which I suppose is to be expected. It didn't enrage me, make me regret my life decisions, or wail in anguish, so I can't it give it my lowest rating, not even rounded down. Some of my one star ratings don't mean that, but they almost all do.
Did You Read The News? is an ambitious self-published book that tries to accomplish a lot in relatively few pages, but unfortunately the author isn't Did You Read The News? is an ambitious self-published book that tries to accomplish a lot in relatively few pages, but unfortunately the author isn't quite able to follow through, which is especially evident near the end where both the pacing and melodrama really ramp up. The speed and unevenness of the latter parts of the book are like a runaway train on a coastal mountain that went off the tracks and is now soaring through the air until it makes quite the splash. It would've been better for me instead if proceeded at a leisurely pace and took in the scenery. That's an apt description of how the book goes at the beginning. The early parts remind me of a mix of Maureen F. McHugh's China Mountain Zhang and Bao Shu's What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear. By that I mean it's about the character's daily life as everything changes around him for the worse, or at least for the different, and he doesn't quite understand why at first.
This is science fiction, though that's mostly to establish the setting. I don't know that I'd quite call it social science fiction, but it's close. Romance plays a significant role, but this isn't a romance book in the way that Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone's This Is How You Lose the Time War was. Possibly the closest description would be that it's a book about coming of age in a collapsing dystopia filled with ethnic conflict and how to survive that regardless of the costs. Horrific and ugly decisions are made out of malice, ignorance, or simply wanting to survive. This isn't misery porn though because it doesn't delight in its tragedies, but rather presents them as The Way Things Are Now.
Almost the entire book takes place in a single city on an outer world whose colonization was supported by all three members of the Triumvirate, the ultimate authorities of humankind. Their approach is questionable and reminded me of the Ekumen in Ursula K. LeGuin's Hainish Cycle if they were instead short-sighted, ineffective, and created various problems for themselves without realizing, or perhaps not caring. The usual sort of world powers stuff.
The story follows a young man throughout the course of his life, which when considering the length of this book has to be by necessity rather condensed. The ambiguous ages and chronology in general are a particular sticking point for me. At the start he's naïve and thoroughly indoctrinated in ideals not dissimilar from North Korea's Juche or other variants of Marxism-Leninism. Those ideals entirely suffuse their society which provides for a somewhat different perspective than usual. The narrative is presented in first person present which ought to allow for more understanding of the protagonist, but his inner thoughts and commentary don't add much. His actions are far greater than anything else and story may suffer for the closeness of its perspective.
This was better than I expected from an author's self-published debut, especially considering how unknown it is. If it had maintained its highest level of quality I could recommend it with some reservations, but as it is, I can't. I don't regret reading it though and I'm open to giving the author another chance, which is more than I can say for a lot of other authors.
Rating: 2.5/5
Disclosure: The author messaged me asking for a review and gifted me a digital copy of the book for me to do so. I wasn't compensated in any other way. I accepted doing so mostly on a whim, but also because he's on my friend list, a member of a group that I founded, and he had a relevant presence elsewhere. More importantly though he was courteous and genial. This write-up was not seen by the author before its posting, though I did provide him my thoughts and criticisms before writing this. His feedback had no affect on what I've written. ...more
The Dragon's Banker is exactly what it seems like based on the title. A banker is forced to be in service to a dragon for the purpose of transitioningThe Dragon's Banker is exactly what it seems like based on the title. A banker is forced to be in service to a dragon for the purpose of transitioning his wealth from the old economic system to the new one that's entirely fiat. It's set in a mostly standard fantasy world. There are humans, nomadic elves, dwarves who only live in the cold, jungle-dwelling orcs, goblin laborers, and a new race that's humanoid and loves blasting powder. Dragons have become a myth. Magic exists, but has very little place in the story. Overall, I'd describe this story as jaunty.
The focus is on matters relating to the dragon's investments from start to finish. Economics are involved, but more so in brief theoretical terms and practical applications than anything that requires much understanding of how it works. The only adventure is that which is required of the financial endeavors, whether that be traveling for a week to complete a trade deal in person or testing out new discoveries to corner the market. As a banker, physical conflict is avoided whenever possible as he hasn't the slightest martial prowess. There's some intrigue on his part, but not much. Romance and similar matters are almost non-existent.
This standalone novel is told in a straightforward manner without much depth to the plot, characters, setting, ideas, or whatever else. I primarily derived enjoyment from its simple pleasures and that it was different than much else I've read. I didn't dislike anything about it, which makes it all the more unfortunate that it wasn't better developed and didn't fully commit to its ideals. I suppose that would've made for a different book that as a social fantasy may have been less accessible and with lesser appeal, maybe. For me this put it in an position where if I read more that's similar but better done, I may have to later lower its estimation. However, for now I'll give it the benefit of the doubt as a fun self-published read and encourage those whose find it interesting to give it a try.
Rating: 3.5/5
A novelette is included at the end which has seemingly nothing to do with the book called "Forgo Quest". It's a parody of The Chosen One and similar tropes. There's almost nothing to it aside from that idea, so it's more like an extended comedy skit than anything else. Even so, I found it rather amusing. Enjoyable...more
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