The Last Dragonlord

 What I Liked

*The world building:  For instance! Dragon Lords have an interesting origin, as related by the world's bards, and the fact that they deliberately obfuscate their own lore to keep "truehumans" in the dark is a further interesting wrinkle. Yeah, "truehumans" are actual humans and "truedragons" are actual dragons. Dragon Lords are were-dragons. 

*Sensory detail: The author is fantastic at laying out a scene on paper, whether it is riding out a storm in trade boat, riding through a town market, or flying over the countryside. 

*The use of rotating perspectives: the reader gets a sense for the sprawling intrigue of this regency crisis when they can see how many interested parties are doing stuff outside the council scenes, which would be difficult to convey from a more limited perspective.

*The relationship between the leads.  I was afraid that this would be one of those "dancing around each other until the final page" sort of things, particularly with the love triangle. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the case. 

*the ending: No cliffhanger or last-minute "got-cha". It is a satisfying resolution. 

What I didn't like

*The pacing: It takes forever for this book to get anywhere. About 100 pages pass before the two leads met face-to-face, and that was a "didn't recognize/get their name" sort of meeting. 

*The rotating perspectives: So many perspectives switching so quickly, and each one introduces more characters, often new characters that might not show up again until much later, it's hard to keep them all straight. I often found myself thinking "Who is this guy, and what is his deal again?"  It also contributes to the very slow pacing. 

*The climax (not the ending): A lot of Drama-Preserving Handicaps being thrown around in an attempt to maintain tension. At one point, I had to roll my eyes at a particularly egregious one. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Last Dragonlord" a B+

Click here for my previous book review:  PathFinder - First Edition - Core Rulebook

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

New book up! Catalyst for Glorious Change!

PathFinder - First Edition - Core Rulebook

After Wizards of the Coast did that One D&D OGL debacle, I decided to explore other TTRPG systems, and the first one on my list was Pathfinder. I've heard that the first edition was nicknamed "D&D 3.75 E", so I decided to start there for the similarities. 

My first impression: "A lot crunchier than D&D 5E". I had read the books for D&D 3.5 E, but I hadn't actually played it. My play experience is with 5E exclusively. There are a lot more skills in PF 1E, as well as tiers for status effects and conditions, and also a lot of different kinds of bonuses. On the one hand, I like this because D&D 5E can be pretty restrictive and limiting, and on the other hand, this is a lot more to keep track of. I spoke with someone at a Rennaissance Festival about this, and he remarked that he had to use a smart phone app to manage it all. 

I like greater depth in the classes compared to D&D 5E, the barbarian, for instance. In D&D 5E, there really is no reason not to rage immediately at the start of each encounter, because you could keep it up through the encounter and were unlikely to run out of rages in a single day. Here, raging is a more strategic resource, bestowing advantages and disadvantages (unable to spell-cast while raging is hardly a disadvantage). 

CRAFTING! I really like the idea of crafting items, but the rules in D&D 5E are so scant in terms of crafting, and those that exist are so onerous, that me and one of my players had to homebrew a system for his character to make more types of poisons than basic and in a reasonable amount of game time (we based it off how a wizard can learn new spells, but added a research function; he wanted to be this "artisan poison crafter"). 

All that said, I'm not sure what sort of a grade to assign, because the actual experience is in playing, and I'm not going to play 1st edition. By now, I suspect that PF 1E tables are going to be harder to find than PF 2E tables. I mostly read this to understand how it differs from both PF 2E and D&D 5E. Yes, I am a nerd! 

Trickster Eric Novels gives " PathFinder - First Edition - Core Rulebook" a Thumbs Up

Click here for my next book review: The Last Dragonlord

Click here for my previous book review: The Selection Series book 4 - The Heir

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

New book up! Catalyst for Glorious Change!

The Selection Series book 4 - The Heir"

This is the fourth book in the Selection Series, but it is the start of a new plot line, so it is a good jumping on point. I don't feel like I'm missing anything. In fact, starting here helps me empathize with the new protagonist, Princess Eadlyn, the daughter of the original two leads. 

Her country used to have a caste system based on numbers? That's weird. Her parents weren't ALWAYS this fairy-tail-style romantic couple that she sees every day? Outright bizzare. So it's nice that way.  

This is a first-person perspective and it has an engaging narrative voice. We have a front row seat to Eadlyn's perspective on things, which is a big deal when she's grown up showing a particular careful image to the press, and now has to get more intimate with the Selection Boys. 

It's basically The Bachelorette, but with much higher stakes. And this time, it's basically a long-term publicity stunt to buy time for her father. He needs something to distract the country from civil strife while he works on a solution. Eadlyn turns out to be /terrible/ at this, because, as written previously, she has grown up hiding her true self from basically everyone, including herself, so she has no sense of perspective. 

The overall narrative meanders a lot. There doesn't seem to have been any sort of plan for Eadlyn's Selection other than "gather a bunch boys and film Eadlyn interacting with them". Sometimes big things happen out of nowhere, like Rule of Drama. Especially the ending. 

The ending is a big load of drama. It makes sense, sort of. The very first page foreshadows the ending, with its big shift of weight, and Eadlyn's shift of focus. So that feels earned. The other half of the drama bomb feels staged. Yes, staged, like the author is staging the events of Eadlyn's life in the same haphazard way that Eadlyn is staging the events of the Selection. If not for that, then I would think more highly of the ending. As it is, it feels like a manufactured cliffhanger, rather than a shifting a narrative weight Insert-Disc-Two sort of thing. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Selection Series book 4 - The Heir" a C

Click here for my next book review:   PathFinder - First Edition - Core Rulebook

Click here for my previous book review: Shadow Guard - a Second Guard novel

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

PUBLISHED! Catalyst for Glorious Change!

 Hi everyone!

I finally published something! It's been years. The first time in the better part of a decade. I finally got something published.  It truly is a "Catalyst for Glorious Change". ( I hope that doesn't sound to presumptuous ^_~). 

It's not the final book of Journey to Chaos. Unfortunately, that journey continues. What I'm here to talk about now is the start of the journey. 

Yes, Catalyst for Glorious Change is a prequel. It shines a spotlight onto several major characters from Journey to Chaos and what they were doing before Eric arrived on Tariatla. Specifically, it is some of the prep work that Tasio did prior to inviting/bamboozling Eric to Tariatla. 

A lot of this is stuff I planned to include or allude to in the main Journey to Chaos series. In fact, the original draft of Book 5 had this sub-arc that focused on Tiza, and another one explored what growing up as The Trickster's Choice was like for Kallen. Those events were "returned to chaos" and they were reborn as this story, and they formed an adventuring party with similar events for other characters, like Nolien, Basilard and Annala.  

And I got a new cover illustrator! It's been a while.  Laura J Prevost created this for me! 

This is just the ebook cover. The paperback is even cooler! It's a wrap around that continues the motif!

Dropping a link to her website here because she's awesome

The ebook is available on pre-order right now. The release date is April 5th.  A paperback version will be available at that time as well. 

You can find the Amazon sales page at this link here

SO EXCITED THAT I FINALLY PUBLISHED ANOTHER BOOK!

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Just realized that this banner-thing is technically obsolete. Whatever.  I'm still writing Book 5 of Journey to Chaos - The Highest Power!

Read for fun: Shadow Guard - a Second Guard novel

 What I like: 

*the world-building such as the creation myths, the structure of the three guilds, and the role of the Fray in Quarry Town's culture.  

* The character development such as Brindl's budding friendships with Tonio and Xiomara, and the distinctions between the Far World ambassadors. It's really something how Lord Yonda shifts from seeming like the "Fat Bastard" trope to the "Big Fun" trope. 

*starting each chapter with an excerpt from a in-universe royal advice book, which compliments and contrasts its chapter. That's a neat literary device

*the epilogue. It addresses most of the plot threads for a satisfying conclusion. It is also plenty heartwarming while utilizing the same device as the chapter breaks, which creates a different sort of climax than the big fight.

What I DON'T like: 

*the ambigous supernatural element. Brindl is implied to have a kind of foresight at three points in the story, and the Diosa is also implied to have this same ability. Whether this is a real thing or just mundane intuition is never made clear, and not in the fun way. It feels like a plot contrivance. 

*the battle of the climax. It gives the impression that battles are won via the Rule of Drama rather than sound battle tactics, social organization, or sensible decision making. 

*starting the story off with an assassination attempt on Xiomara and then following up with a second one, only to completely drop that angle. All that remains of it is a half-hearted mention in the epilogue. Again, it feels like a tool for cheap drama without payoff. 

*Brindl feels too much like a Pinball Protagonist at times. Pulled in several directions, she seems more like a spectator or messenger than a participant in many events. This is NOT the case overall, as she makes decisions, on her own, that trigger great events and move the plot forward, but these are fewer in number. Like a player character in a scripted video game that can make meaningful choices at story branches, but otherwise does what the NPCs tell them to do.

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Shadow Guard, a Second Guard novel"  a B+

Click here for my next book review: The Selection Series book 4 - The Heir"

Click here for my previous book review: Witchnapped in Westerham (Paranormal Investigation Bureau book 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Witchnapped in Westerham (Paranormal Investigation Bureau book 1 (read for fun)

When I read the blurb on the back, I was expecting that to be the set-up. You know, all that stuff in the first couple of chapters. Instead, it's more like a synopsis of 80% of the book. The story takes its time getting started, and the protagonist is a Pinball Protagonist until the final act, and then gets literally shoved into a passive role for the rest of the book. 

The scenic detail is nice and seamlessly integrated into the narration because the protagonist is a professional photographer. Also, I appreciate the lack of twists for the sake of twists. My genre savvy told me that Angelica would be the mastermind or involved in the scheme somehow, but she is exactly what she told Lily she was from the start. The actual culprit is very obvious, which I found refreshing. It's a more satisfying culmination in the climax that way. 

Personally, it feels like mystery-box gimmicks and plot contrivance are the only reasons that this book extends for basically two hundred pages. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Witchnapped in Westerham (Paranormal Investigation Bureau book 1" a C-

Click here for my next book review:  Read for fun: Shadow Guard - a Second Guard novel 

Click here for my previous book review: Read for Fun - Sword Art Online - Alicization Uniting" Volume 14

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Read for Fun - Sword Art Online - Alicization Uniting" Volume 14

 This is the conclusion of the "Human Half" of the Alicization storyline. It is basically a sequence of battles on the top floor of Central Cathedral. In that sense, it is kind of like how the Final Boss of a RPG video game has multiple forms and/or stages. Fitting, isn't it? (Even though Underworld is not at all a game. This isn't Aincrad.)

Our heroes face off against Integrity Knight Synthesis 32, Prime Senator Chudelkin, Administrator's secret weapon and then finally, Administrator herself. The pacing is good. This plot structure doesn't feel like a boss slog, like in the above analogy. Each fight has its meaning for the characters and a purpose in the narrative. Reading about them is a different experience than watching the anime. 

The reader can feel Euego's guilt more deeply here, and Kirito's emotional state comes across more clearly as well. Here, in the source material, he is more like a normal boy who doesn't believe himself to be an epic hero. 

We also get a better sense for Quinella/Administrator. While she is translated well enough to animation, we don't get a sense for quite how uncanny/eldritch the author envisioned her to be. By the time Kirito meets her, she is this not-quite-human THING that is both terrifying and awe-inspiring. Even after she loses both arms, her hair is melted, and her face is cracked, her sheer presence radiates "unfathomable beauty" to him. 

Cardinal's fate is still stupid. When I saw it happen in the anime, I hoped that it had suffered adapation compression, and that the source material would have a better explanation. No, that is unfortunately not the case. It is basically the same here. It makes sense. Don't get me wrong. I can understand why Cardinal makes that choice, in that situation, but it is a stupid choice. 

On the other hand, I like the transition to the trouble outside Underworld better. I feel like the anime provided more information earlier to provide more context, and perhaps be less confusing, but that harms the narrative shift. In this volume, one can better sympathize with Kirito's W.t.F. reaction to hearing gunshots after previously going through the grueling boss fight and the calm that came after. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Sword Art Online - Alicization Uniting" Volume 14 a B+

Click here for my next book review:  Witchnapped in Westerham (Paranormal Investigation Bureau book 1

Click here for my previous book review: Robin Hood (Barefoot Books version)

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Robin Hood (Barefoot Books version)

 This is a collection of Robin Hood stories, "translated", so to speak, from the original ballads into a modern prose narrative. These include an origin story for Robin Hood himself, how he meets several of his allies such as Friar Tuck, Little John and Maid Marian, and the Golden Arrow contest. There is no definitive ending; the final chapter instead lists various "endings" that have been told in various tales, which range from Happily Ever After to Downer Ending. 

This was a fun read. If you want an example of Robin Hood stories, then this one will suit your needs. The individual chapters are quick reads in themselves. The final three stories are technically one story with three major events. 

There are color illustrations too, and sometimes even a full two-page spread. Those were treats to come across while reading. 

Note: This is my first experience reading Robin Hood stories, so I'm not sure how this compares to other renditions. 

Trickster Eric novels gives "Robin Hood (Barefoot Books version)" an A+

Click here for my next book review: Read for Fun - Sword Art Online - Alicization Uniting" Volume 14

Click here for my previous book review:   The Princess and the Goblin

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

The Princess and the Goblin

Reading this was an odd experience. It is a fairy-tail fantasy story from over a hundred years ago, so it an old fashion story but no where near old enough to be a "folk-tale" or anything like that. It's different, like the introduction says. The language used, both by characters and by the narration, is not something I am used to. Not better or worse, specifically, just different. 

Also, seeing the different concept of "fantasy" from the author's day is interesting. One can see the development of certain things between now and then. The goblins, for instance, don't look or sound like the goblins from many fantasy depictions today. They look kind of like demented dwarves, and the hogpoge creatures they domesticate are also really bizarre looking. 

As for the plot, its split between what Princess Irene does and what Miner Curdie does in relation to the goblins and such. While Curdie has a pretty clear thread of spying on the goblins after accidentally overhearing them talk about an evil-plan, I can't say as much about Irene. She is not a passive protagonist, but also often seems to be skirting the edges of the events. 

I'm not really sure what grade to give this book. I'm going to settle in the range of "I liked reading it". 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Princess and the Goblin" a B+

Click here for my next book review: Robin Hood (Barefoot Books version)

Click here for my previous book review:  Vidia and the Fairy Crown

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Vidia and the Fairy Crown

 I like this story for a strange reason. I'm not particularly fond of the Tinkerbell franchise, and I am way outside the target audience for this book, but I still found something fun. This book is like role-playing game's fetch quest. 

No, really! Going from one NPC to the next, talking to them and learning about the next step in the chain, and leading up to a chance-based mini-game, and all the while, one NPC is assisting the player, who is frustrated by this scenario. There's even the chance for Video-Game Cruelty Potential. I can imagine that being in a game with a morality meter. 

I also like this because it is totally an Aesop story but with a reverse angle. That is, it is a story with a moral to teach, but Vidia herself isn't the one who needs to learn anything. She really didn't do anything wrong. It is EVERYONE else who needs to learn the moral about not jumping to conclusions and the like. Furthermore, Prilla recounts a lesson that she already knows as if to remind herself; she didn't need to learn it, but it would be good for a real-life reader to learn it.

Finally, cute art! It is cute, and bright and whimsical; totally fitting the Disney idea of pixies. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Vidia and the Fairy Crown" an A+

Click here for my next book review:   The Princess and the Goblin

Click here for my previous book review:  Jewel Kingdom - the Emerald Princess Plays a Trick

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Book review - Jewel Kingdom - the Emerald Princess Plays a Trick

 A cute story about a nice and mischievous girl learning about empathy. It's fairly straightforward, being as it is for very young readers, but there is also some complexity here. 

Princess Emily is not a mean person. Her pranks are not in the least bit malicious. They are just harmless fun, and that is what Princess Emily thinks they are, moments of fun playing around with her friends. She is sincerely shocked that her friends/subjects don't enjoy her pranks and were just playing along because she has a higher social status than them. 

Thus, the immediate and explicit moral of the story is to practice empathy and read between the lines in one's relations with others, but there is another moral here. It is thus, "When someone does something that bothers you, just tell them". The only person in this story who straight-up tells Princess Emily to knock it off with the pranks is her cousin and fellow-princess, Roxanne. Even Arden, Princess's Emily advisor, has to be pushed by Roxanne to be honest.

This moral works because Princess Emily is a nice girl, not a bully. Telling an actual bully to stop would be less likely work because their motivation is different. The story makes this distinction. At the very start of the story, Princess Emily hugs Staghorn after pranking him and thanks him for being a good sport, because she thought that's what he was doing. She later tells Arden that she thinks of Staghorn as her grandfather, and so she doesn't want to upset him or have him be angry at her. 

 There's every reason to believe that if Staghorn had just told her the truth right then, she would have apologized. She probably wouldn't have stopped with the pranks, but she would have realized that he didn't enjoy that particular prank. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Jewel Kingdom - the Emerald Princess Plays a Trick" an A+

Click here for my next book review:  Vidia and the Fairy Crown

Click here for my previous book review:   The Magic Attic Club - Princess Megan

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

The Magic Attic Club - Princess Megan

I found this at a thrift shop, drawn by its beautiful cover. It is truly a gorgeous illustration of the protagonist in an archetypal medieval princess dress. Even the tall hat truly looks "elegant" as described in the book. There are other illustrations in this book, of Megan, of a unicorn, even of maids cleaning up in a room, and all of them fantastic. 

The story itself is very simple; rather it is simply written, but it involves some complex stuff. A scheduling conflict between Megan and her mother leads to stress and frustration for both, which then leads Megan to seek relief in the Magic Attic. This leads to a new adventure in fantasy medieval Europe, where the locals believe Megan to be a princess. 

The fantasy plot has a decent set-up and execution, though the conclusion feels weak. There isn't much space to really develop it, so there is room to argue that Michelle and her mother were worried over nothing. Even so, it is strangely engaging. I really wanted to read through it. The "real life" plot also a good resolution. To my surprise, I actually liked that resolution better than the fantasy plot's; I was thinking that the fantasy plot would be the main attraction and the real-life plot would be rushed, but I feel like it was the opposite. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Magic Attic Club -  Princess Megan" a B+

Click here for my next book review:  Book review - Jewel Kingdom - the Emerald Princess Plays a Trick

Click here for my previous book review:  She Proclaimed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - volume 2

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

She Proclaimed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - volume 2

This one has a strange introduction - setting the scene, a carriage hit-and-run which turns into some kind of black comedy and is ultimately rendered moot because the "victim" was a zombie. I suppose it is to set the tone for the story. What sounds like a crisis, actually is not. 

Mira's purpose here is two-fold, to travel to Karanak, the City of Requiem to investigate the nearby dungeon, the Ancient Temple Nebrapolis, and seek information about the recent demon incursion as well as the possible whereabouts of one of her fellow Wisemen, Soul Howl the Elder of Necromancy. What follows is much like the first volume. 

A lot more world-building: About the city of Karanak, the structure of the Mage's Guild, and how becoming " real" has changed the VRMMORPG game.

There's also more of Mira showing off her summoning skills as well as her "immortal arts", which are basically magical martial arts. What I like about this is that it is not "just" her showing off. It's not about a power-trip or just some vicarious power fantasy for the reader. No, Mira's showing off has a purpose. 

You see, Mira is a summoner who is passionate about summoning magic, but in the 30 years since Danbulf's disappearance, summoning has declined in popularity to the extent that summoners are rare. The fairly high-level party she encounters in this book, who has seen and done a lot over a long period of time, has no idea what she is capable of, because they have never seen a high-level summoner before. Thus, Mira's showing off is actually promotion of her profession in order to attract others to it. Given how under-staffed her kingdom is right now, and how a competent summoner can generate a small company of knights on a moment's notice, she has every reason to toot her own horn. 

Because I enjoyed all of the above in the first volume, I very much enjoyed this one as well. I think the author is enjoying plotting up drama or suspense only to immediately deflate it. There's this one scene where a boss-level enemy is introduced, and the narration talks up how difficult it would be to defeat, requiring a large group of high-level players, "Or one Wiseman".  

This is one of the perks in having an (over)powerful protagonist, there is no need to waste words or space trying to convince a reader that each and every situation is hopeless/perilous/etc. while simultaneously writing some sort of victory for the protagonist. The author can instead focus on some other goal, in this case, demonstrating the "immortal arts" and expositing on a goal of the protagonist besides "survive". 

Frankly, it is impressive that the author managed to hold my attention for over 270 pages without a central villain or major drama while still using the listed premise. Well, there is a wide-scale crisis at the climax, but no central villain just yet. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "She Proclaimed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - volume 2" an A+

Click here for my next book review:  The Magic Attic Club - Princess Megan

Click here for my previous book review:  Sword Art Online- Alicization volume 13

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Sword Art Online- Alicization volume 13

I've already watched the anime and I must say I'm enjoying reading the source material. There is so much context and additional material to found, it's like experiencing the story all over again. 

For instance, in the anime, we don't get such a strong sense of the bond between Kirito and Eugeo, and particularly their respective envy and admiration. 

On one side, Euego sees Kirito as this ace warrior: flawlessly confident, highly skilled, possessing the wisdom to know how to act in all situations, and can even toss a witty quip in combat while concentrating on a spell.

On the other side, Kirito sees Euego as this sword prodigy who will definitely surpass him in short order and who possesses the determination that he lacks. It's like he thinks of Euego as the real deal, a real swordsman hero out of a story, while thinking of himself as only a gamer who happens to have lots of experience playing such a role.

Because of this, they both see themselves as less capable facing their respective challenges in this volume than the other. It also underscores the setback each of them faces in the latter parts of the novel. 

I could go on about how much I like this story, such as Euego's cleverness in his duel with Bercouli, or Kirito talking Alice onto his side, and how Alice breaks the Seal of the Right Eye, the fair-folk way that Quinella charms Euego, and how all this is written, and the emotional content added to make it all more than simple exposition, but that would make this review too long. Suffice to say, the source material is well worth a read, even if and especially if you've watched the anime already. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Sword Art Online- Alicization volume 13 an A+

Click here for my next book review:  She Proclaimed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - volume 2

Click here for my previous book review:  Magical JxR volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Magical JxR volume 1 (read for fun)

 This is a find from a Friends of the Plymouth (Minnesota) Library book sale. It was a good find. This is a comic made by a Korean author ("Manhwa", which is distinct from the Japanese "Manga", perhaps to the same extent that they are both different from American "comicbook"). Anyway, this is the volume that won this author a best-new-author type of contest. 

Jay and Aru are apprentice wizards from "The Magic World", and to graduate from their magic school, they have to travel to the Human World and basically demonstrate their skill by making themselves useful to some specific human. To start with, they have to convince the skeptical Cho-Ah to give them the time of day, because she has more important things to do than listen to some crazy boys talk about magic and other worlds. 

It's a little odd, because the plot I just described doesn't start until chapter 3. Yeah, the first two chapters are A Minor Kidroduction to establish first Cho-Ah and then the magical pair, Jay and Aru. It's further odd because the volume starts with a minor In Media Res. But hey! It only appears odd in comparison to the book-back blurb. It makes perfect sense on its own. 

It is cute. It is fun. It starts a good story. Indeed, this volume is more prologue for the main story, and yet is still its own complete story. We see the main trio start their budding friendship and get a taste of all the fun magical shenanigans to come. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Magical JxR a B+

Click here for my next book review: Sword Art Online- Alicization volume 13

Click here for my previous book review:  I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 years and maxed Out My Level. Light novel volume 4

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.