Deltora Quest - book 1 - Forest of Silence

This was a fun read. It was a quick read. I think it was written for a pre-teen audience, but that does not mean it is shallow in the least. 

This story has the Big Bad Evil Guy spend a thousand years slowly subverting a country by the gradual accumulation of rules and traditions. He essentially already rules the country at the start, long before launching the official conquest. That's deep stuff, but it is presented in such a direct way that I think a child would understand. 

It's also a vivid and persuasive defense of the value of history and the importance of accessible public libraries. So that's extra bonus points from me. 

I imagine this book was quite innovative in its time, because even now its conventions are seldom used. At least, as far as I've seen. 

 Jarred is not the hero of this story, even though it starts with him. The main trio includes two swordsmen, yet no problems are solved with sword fights. Neither Anna, Sharn nor Jasmine are passive characters whose primary role is to be a love interest. The concept of "destiny guided me" is used a lot for the heroes, but if the Shadow Lord is allowed to have an unbroken chain of royal advisors stretching across a thousand years, then I'm willing to give the heroes a similarly huge boon. 

Finally, this feels like a TTRPG adventure. Think about it - receive a quest, travel, make skill checks, go through a dungeon, final boss, and then loot. More extra bonus points. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Deltora Quest - book 1 - Forest of Silence" an A+

Click here for my next book review:  Today's Menu for the Emiya Family - volume 3 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:   Elemental Masters novel - Blood Red (Read for fun)

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!

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon? Manga Volume 7

 I read this after watching the anime cover the same story, and I was not disappointed. It has its own way of telling the story. It's definitely worth the read. 

This volume starts with the Denatus to decide Bell Cranel's title as a level 2 adventurer, and proceeds to cover how Welf Crozzo joins Bell's adventuring party. It ends where light novel 5 begins, Bell's party's first dive into the middle floors of the Dungeon. 

I feel like the manga does a better job of conveying exposition than the anime, such as the history of the Crozzo family, while still being a quick read. So, I feel like I understand the story better. The light novel likely has more info still, but it would take longer to read. 

Also, the manga is a gold mine of reaction shots. Such as the male gods trying to choose a new nickname for Aiz followed by Loki's death glare, or the transparent jealousy on Hestia's face when she says that Bell will be "safer" with Welf in his party instead of being alone with "Miss. Supporter". 

The artwork for Welf's forging scene at the end is intense. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon? Manga Volume 7" an A+

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

Click here for my previous book review: Rising of the Shield Hero volume 3

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.

Rising of the Shield Hero volume 3 (Read for Fun)

 The third volume of this series reveals the author's template for this series. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. You can also see that the author is trying new things as well. I'll go into that here. 

First, we have the arc heroine. In each volume thus far, the author has introduced a female character who gets focus during that volume. In volume 1, it was Raphtalia. In volume 2, it was Filo. Now it is Melty, the second princess of Melromarc and the heir to the throne. I like this for several reasons. 

1.) Melty's friendship with Filo is adorable. 2.) it provides opportunity for both narrative and character development, given Naofumi's long-standing and well-justified grudge against Melty's family as well Melty's sweet and polite disposition. Really, she's the opposite of her elder sister. 3.) Through Melty, we learn about her mother the queen, who is the true ruler of Melromarc, and what she has been doing since the waves began. Finally, Naofumi notices this pattern himself, and his narration about it is funny. 

Second, Spear Hero Motoyatysu is still being a jerk and still trying to take the arc heroine away from Naofumi. He seems to have lost interest in Raphtalia, and now is totally into Filo and also thinks Naofumi kidnapped Melty. It's ridiculous how much he tries to get in Naofumi's way; he must be supremely gullible. 

Bow Hero Itsuki finally gets focus, but it is so minor and inconsequential that it was only glancingly mentioned in the adaptation of anime season 1. His dislike and suspicion of Naofumi is even more frustrating than Motoyatsu, because Motoyatsu has the excuse of Malty whispering poison in his ears. Itsuki has no excuse, yet he tries to blame Naofumi for things without any reason. Seriously, there's a scene where Naofumi asks him the reason why, and he says nothing. 

We get nothing from Ren Sword Hero, except that he might not be quite as thick-headed as the other two.

Third point is the Third Wave. Again, the Waves of Destruction are not the true climax. This one is, in fact, the midpoint of the volume, and the set up for the next arc. Yes, the major story arc gets set up in the midpoint of this novel. The novel feels a little unfocused until then. Instead, the climax is another fight between the Cardinal Heroes. It is a mess. A big mess that achieves nothing and is closed by an outside force. It's not quite a deus-ex-machina, but it has the same narrative purpose.

I say "closed", instead of "resolved" because the end of the climax battle is not decisive. I think this is one of the ways the author is trying something new. I certainly did not expect it, even though I watched the anime prior to this. 

The epilogue is good. A nice denouement to close up the volume. It has a sweet moment that has been built up through the volume, and that is good volume closure. 

There's also a side-story that wasn't included in the anime. It is the story of how Melty left her mother's side in another country and ended up in the Melromarc countryside surrounded by filolials, where she meets Naofumi. It is eventful. It also has a lot of information that would have been nice to see in the anime. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Rising of the Shield Hero volume 3 a B+

Click here for my next book review:  Wandering Witch volume 3

Click here for my previous book review: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? volume 5

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.

Kikuchi's Sushi (read for fun)

This is a book I found at a Friends of the Plymouth Library book sale. It is a children's picture book that gives an overview of sushi - ingredients, preparation and eating-  along with some other concepts in Japanese culture. 

It is presented as the tale of a talking fox learning from this old and successful sushi chef, Kikuchi. It is a cute tale, simple but informative, and cutely illustrated. Seriously, these illustrations have a simplistic design, almost like a children's cartoon, that is endearing. 

The tale includes other tidbits of Japanese culture. The idea of the "Bento", or boxed lunch, is included here, as well as certain festivals like Boy's Day and Girl's Day. 

It's a very quick read. It's the sort of thing to read aloud with your kids. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Kikuchi's Sushi" an A+

 

Click here for my next book review:  ARIA the Masterpiece volume 2 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  How Not to Summon a Demon Lord - volume 5

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.

Generation Witch - volume 1

This is something I found while browsing my local library. You can find a lot of good stuff by browsing your local library. 

This book here is a slice-of-life fantasy about witches in modern life. In this setting, witches live openly in human society. To be a witch is just like having a natual talent for something; if you are born with it, then you can do it. Your parents might brag about you, and your peers might tease you, but that's it. No need to hide.

Does anyone reading this remember the time when it was a given that magical societies were hidden? Especially in modern day settings, it was expected for magical folk and creatures etc. to hide from the non-magicals. I wrote a blog post about that. Anyway, back to the review. 

This volumes contains four short stories featuring the lives of four different witches. They are unrelated, though the first three cameo in the story for the fourth. 

You know, it kind of reminds of Issac Asimov's "I, Robot". That's a strange comparison, isn't it? But let me explain. Issac Asimov wrote short stories to examine different aspects of The Three Laws of Robotics, different situations to show how they would work in detail. It's kind of like that here. What we have are four snap-shots of this magical modern society. 

In the first one, we glimpse something of a "normal" situation, a witch-in-training and her relationship with her younger sister. We take the perspective of the younger sister, who wants to have a study date without interruptions. The elder sister wants to help! Well, that particular witch is not quite "normal", but I imagine is close. The story is cute. 

In the second one, we see two witches. Thus, we have two perspectives. One is a girl who is basically shunned for embracing the image of a witch (in a "ignore that weirdo" sense instead of a "burn the unclean!" sense), and the other is a boy who doesn't like the fact that he has magical powers. Yes, males with magical powers are still called "witches" in this verse (Not "Witcher", ^_~), but it is more rare for this to happen. He has image problems himself. So, two witches with image problems work together on a small-scale quest using their magical abilities.  

This one has a lot of feels. It has more emotional heft than the first one because it has a weightier storyline.  There is more struggle. The first witch was an apprentice to the Great High Witch, and these two appear to be self-taught and raw ability.  So making the magic happen is part of the challenge. 

In the third one, well, I don't want to say much about the third one. It is an unfolding situation that shifts the reader's understanding. It is an experience. Saying much of anything can ruin that initial experience. It is a bittersweet experience. 

In the fourth one, we see a cultural celebration and a period of mourning. It is a most somber story. Having a girlfriend who can predict the future can lead to painful misunderstandings. All I can say about that one is that I am thankful for the epilogue joke to lighten the mood. 

I would appreciate more lore in the stories. Like the history of witch society, how magic is performed, how it is inherited through bloodlines, that sort of thing. It interests me. However, I understand why it is not included. This is a story about the lives of witches. It is not about their magic. The focus of the story is where it should be. 

The art is good. It is cute during light moments and it can also be stark in heavy moments. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Generation Witch - volume 1" an A+

Click here for my next book review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House - volume 1

Click here for my previous book review:   The Isolator - Realization of Absolute Solitude. manga volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor 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.

A Tale of the Eternal Stones: Firestone (review request)

This is a review request for Ryan Carriere.

NOTE: Between when I received this book and now when I am publishing my review, I think the author changed the book's title and perhaps other information. So the factual contents of my review are accurate according to the copy that I have and not the copy that you might find these days on Amazon.

This story has a fantastic opening. It shows our young hero-protagonist dropped off on a beach, and resolving not to cry from homesickness on her first mission.  It is an attention-grabbing opening that springboards into the main action. But more importantly, for this reader at least,  it sounds like the plot hook for a D&D campaign. 

Seriously, that is what it comes off to me and that is what hooked my interest. The hero-protagonist, Stephanie, is a musician who comes from a family of merchants. She is drafted to join the Crystal Hunters, quickly trained as a crystal hunter, and sent to join her new team in the field. This is a concise way to establish who the hero-protagonist is and what she is doing here, on this adventure, given her background and personality. It justifies things like "why is a merchant bard on a team with two fighters?" It gets better.

What follows is like a prologue mission from a video game. It is an immediate dungeon with traps and monsters and puzzles and treasure. We see what Stephanie is immediately capable of, and we see some foreshadowing for later. This is a great set up for the rest of her adventure. 

See, after this first mission, which establishes the core cast in a quick action sequence, we get to see the wider world. It's like an opening sandbox. More world building, more exposition, and the establishment of the main mission. 

It's all well-executed and interesting. The set-up of Atlantean society and all the ominous splendor that the leader of the Crystal Hunters sets up around himself both count as interesting. The guy's name is "Sin". So, yes, he is ominous. 

While she adventures, Stephanie draws in her sketchbook. She is an artist in addition to a musician, and so she makes sketches of the landscapes, people, and creatures that she meets. The end of each of her chapters is marked by actual pages in her journal. The pages of the book itself are stylized to look like brown leather-y pages from the journal, complete with sketches and Stephanie's notes. I really like those. 

Now, did you notice that I wrote "her chapters", just now? Yeah, Stephanie is not the only hero-protagonist in this book. There is another one. His name is Roeg Stoneholder, and his narrative is completely separate from Stephanie's. 

It is related to Stephanie's narrative, taking place in the same society and general area, but they never meet up. It's teased at one point, but it never happens. The two narratives are only tangentially related, and it takes several chapters before even that develops. At first, I was like 'why is Roeg's narrative included'?  

I think that is why I didn't like this book as much as I was expecting to, based on the start of Stephanie's narrative. It is why it took so long for me to finish reading this book. Every chapter of this cool, interesting, exciting, D&D-style adventure was interrupted by this slice-of-life style narrative in a totally other place. Even after Roeg starts on his own adventure, it doesn't really feel like an adventure. It feels more like a field-trip with his grandfather. 

That is seriously what it feels like. For reasons, Roeg isn't allowed to go on this special hunting trip with the other villagers, which is a huge deal in his hunter/gatherer society. So his de-facto grandfather, the village shaman, takes him on this special trip for a spiritual/supernatural purpose. What happens is walking through the wilderness, gathering water, avoiding wild animals, and not much of substance about the special purpose of this trip until much later. 

This double narrative, in my opinion, harms the story because it bogs both narratives down. Any momentum built up by either is broken by the switch. As I said, they are only tangentially related. Whenever I was reading Stephanie's narrative, I would look forward to what happened next for her. Roeg's narrative was boring. It was a distraction from what I wanted to read about, but I didn't skip over it because I felt that something important would happen. It did happen. 

Eventually, the reader comes to learn that Roeg's adventure is actually more important than Stephanie's. In fact, Stephanie's group is subjected to dramatic irony. The reader knows that her group is working towards something that is going to make everything worse for everyone, but she and her group have no idea. 

Roeg's adventure becomes interesting towards the end. I'd say the time when his de-facto grandfather leaves is when the change begins, which is a pity, because I found him to be the most developed character at the time. Roeg learns of his journey's purpose, and so the adventure feels more like an adventure instead of a field trip. His two companions stop looking like the same character due to divergent growth.  It took a while to get there, and it doesn't really feel worth it. 

I don't understand how Roeg resolved his adventure's climax at the end. It feels like a plot contrivance. There could be a lore-based reason, but there isn't sufficient exposition present to make this clear. It feels like it comes out of nowhere, and so it falls flat, at least for me. 

Now Stephanie's climax! That climax is fantastic. It is a true consequence of all of the build-up that has taken place in her adventure, and so there is a satisfying pay-off at the end of the book.  It shows great development of her character. It shows the growth of her skills, and how she uses those skills to accomplish her goals. 

The book looks good. I don't recall many, if any, technical mistakes. 

Stephanie's sketches add a lot of character to her and her quest. It's not something you see in many novels. This isn't, you know, "polished" real-life artwork but the rough sketches of someone who was drawing a harpie while they were ridding a boat and actually watching a harpy fly on nearby cliffs. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "A Tale to the Eternal Stones: Firestone" a B+

This has been a free review request. The author asked for my honest opinion in exchange for a free copy of their book. 

Click here for my previous book review:  A Witch's Printing Office - Volume 4

Click here for my next book review: Today's Menu at the Emiya Household - volume one

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor 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.

Witch's Printing Office volume 3

There was quite a cliffhanger last time, wasn't there? An open letter from a Japanese guy isekai-ed into this world to other people from his country (or at least his own world). This volume picks up there.

The "greeting" of Mika and her fluffy employee was a nice touch. I had been waiting to see these characters again.

As it turns out, this second isekai-ed guy, Kyouhei Yamanoto, is just as clueless as Mika when it comes to the why and how of their coming to this world. While they naturally agree to work together to get home, they seem a lot more passionate about their joint business venture.

See, he's decided to open a bookstore, but it has pitiful stock. There are some funny gags from Mika reacting to all the stuff he tries to show off. Ultimately, she connects him with some of the independent artists who frequent her Magiket event. This way they can continue to sell books outside of Magiket, Yamanoto can pull in a steady supply of new books, and Mika's Protagonist Press has a regular customer outside of the Magikiet season. It is a publishing house and book store partnership with independent creators; the content just happens to be spells.

It's a fun thing. This guy is like Mika, a truly ordinary person trying to make a living in the book business; no special stereotypical isekai stuff for him either. Speaking of which, there is a parody of such in another chapter.

I really like this one, so I hope you'll forgive me for spoiling it entirely. It is such a splendid parody. It's very funny, not at all mean-spirited, and yet fulfills the same narrative role as the straight version. So, SPOILER! BEWARE OF SPOILER!

Spoiler.

 You see, the chapter starts with this arcane looking ritual being performed by hooded mages.  One of them shouts, "savior from another world", and who shows up by Mika herself! It is enough to fool a reader into thinking that this is a flashback story, showing how Mika arrived in the world that the story takes place in, and perhaps the origins of Protagonist Press. Not even close.

This is not a flashback arc. The summoner pulled her away from her office during a busy period. The "another world" part of the spell is not accurate; it did not grab some super powerful magic creature, nor did it even reach across to another world. The mages are actually embarrassed when they learn who Mika is and where she is from.

The task they hoped the result of their spell would accomplish was save their village from being consolidated with other villages, because of a declining birth rate and lack of anything special about it. Mika can't do anything about that, so she plans to take the first airship back home.

That is a week from now, so the summoner offers to put Mika up in her house as an apology for basically kidnapping her. This works out to a vacation for Mika; no overtime at her printing office, eating delicious local cuisine, soaking in hot springs, and she doesn't have to pay for any of it.

So Mika's employees are naturally wondering were she is, and they find her living it up while they're working their (in some cases, literal) tails off. This leads to them jumping on the airship that is going towards Mika's location, not to retrieve her but to sample all the goodies she has been indulging in. 

So the town is inundated with the staff of Protagonist Press, and the clients of Protagonist Press, and THEN the regulars of Protagonist Press's Magiket events. This turns the town into a tourist destination, and it gets especially busy during Magiket. Which, incidentally, spares it from being consolidated by its lord. So, without doing anything heroic, or really anything at all, and purely by accident, Mika really does become the town's savior. 

It is such a light-hearted parody that makes so much sense it becomes hilarious!

That is just one example. I could go on but I don't want to. This review is already too long. The author has a talent for making these kinds of stories, and the artist for bringing them to life. 

Speaking of the artist, the art continues to look really good. It is cute and appealing without overdoing things. It has the right balance between cute and serious. I could imagine a legitimate, serious, played-for-epic dungeons-and-dungeons style story being in this art style. Except, when the adventurers finally reached the dragon's lair and discovered its treasure, they would not find gold or jewels but mint-condition scrolls from independent creators (that or may not be magical). 

Trickster Eric Novels gives " A Witch's Printing Office volume 3" an A+

Click here for my next book review:  Spiral - Bonds of Reasoning volume 2

Click here for my previous book review:  I've been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level, light novel volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor 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.

My realization about the pursuit of reader identification

I'm not sure why I didn't post this earlier. I guess it was because it was more of a stream-of-conscious self-reflection thing then something for my blog. However, it is something that I want to share. This self-reflection was triggered by "Canterlot Boutique", the 14th episode of the fifth season in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

The monotony of the same thing over and over again; the thrill of inspiration; satisfaction from others enjoying one's work;  trying new things; as an artist (albeit an author rather than a seamstress) I can relate to that. This could be my favorite of the season and high up there in the series as a whole. Is this the appeal of identification? It is certain relating. I could understand the joy at the start, the frustration at the middle, the shift between financial concerns and artistic direction. Yet, I didn't think that I was Rarity, in her shoes, or anything like that. Rather, it made me want to start writing. To enjoy my own craft. Yet I wanted to get my thoughts down first.

The pursuit of reader identification is a thing that has bothered me for some time. While I look through articles about writing and marketing books, I see "identify this" and "identify that". How important it supposedly is for a given reader to be able to identify with the main character (or some other prominent character) is regularly mentioned.  I saw this in a book about bats when the author spoke of the initial inspiration as if it were a self-imposed challenge. I believe the words were "could kids identify with a bat?" I see it in several places on Tvtropes, such as the tropes This Loser Is You, Audience Surrogate, and Lowest Common Denominator, among others. I even saw it in a Just For Fun page, "So You Want To Be a Voice Actor". The line was "the audience sees themselves in you". All this bothered me because it didn't make any sense.

Identify with a character? That's nuts. Emphasize with? Sure. Relate to? Yes. Understand their situation and trouble? Definitely. But think that I am the character or that the character represents me? No. I bring this up because "Canterlot Boutique" helped me achieve a moment of clarity.

A lot my own fears regarding my career as a novelist are here.
1. Someone taking over the process and taking credit for everything.
---> That's why I hesitated so long before publishing my first book. It took more mustered up courage and resolve to upload it to KDP than anything else I've done, including my driver's license test and the promotion for my black belt in Tae Known Do. It was like jumping off a cliff into cold water.
2. The fear of doing something dull and monotone endlessly; writing the exact same thing at the command of someone else (be it a publisher, agent, marketing team etc.).
---> That's the biggest reason I ultimately decided to be an independent author.
3. The fear of losing inspiration
----> ......I don't even want to go there.

There's also the joys that I experience as a novelist.
1. A flash of inspiration from a random thought or experience. A lot of ideas came that way.
2. The exhilaration of a review from someone who truly enjoyed my book. There are few bigger intrinsic highs for me.
3. The satisfaction of announcing a new book (i.e. grand opening).



It's not identifying in the sense that the reader thinks they are this character. Rather, it is a connection to them that goes deeper than sympathy or understanding. I can sympathize with and feel sorry for, say, Bill Yoast in "Remember the Titans" when he struggles between his ambition for the Hall of Fame and defending his fellow coach and players from racism but there's a disconnect because I'm not into Football (or any sort of team sport for that matter). I can relate to Ron Weasley of "Harry Potter" fame more than Bill Yoast when he's trying to make his homework report a little bit longer because I've been there and I understand the problem, but this is only a shallow thing because I am otherwise nothing like Ron. I had a bigger, deeper, more intense emotional experience with Rarity's dilemma because I felt like it spoke to me personally. I can understand why a writer would want to be able to evoke that in their audience. However, I still don't like the idea of trying to distill such a experience.

That leads to things like lowest common denominator and mass market appeal; a character generic enough to fit anyone in a given demographic doesn't fit anyone within it at all. Indeed, that was the surface conflict of the episode; making dresses that were exactly the same. Rarity has an Imagine Spot of everyone outside her shop wearing one of her dress designs and it saddens and depresses her because they are all wearing the exact same design. The idea of an assembly line making the dresses horrifies her. The satisfaction (and, yes, success too) comes from reaching customers individually. In other words, identifying them as individuals rather than a faceless demographic.

What do you think? Have you ever had a moment like this from a show/book/game etc.?


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