Marvel Universe Doctor Strange (read for fun)

This is a collection of Doctor Strange adventures.  I found it at a used book sale put on by The Friends of the Plymouth Library in Minnesota. 

Some of them are one-shots staring the Sorcerer Supreme and others appear to be stories of other characters where he appears, such a Spiderman and Hulk. 

These are fun reads, but kinda lack-luster. The first one, with the villain Nightmare, feels like the final issue of a longer story, and so its resolution falls flat here. The one with Hulk is a status-quo sort of thing. The one with the reality-eating creatures is better because it has a good set up, execution and resolution. Likewise with the Captain-America one. However, the best one here is the one in Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #9: Contractual Discombobulations. The sight of an evil and unstoppable reality warper forced to obey silly rules is hilarious. The resolution is perfect. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Marvel Universe Doctor Strange " a C+

Click here for my next book review:   How Not to Summon a Demon Lord - volume 5 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:   She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - Volume 1 (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.

Nature Walk - April 2023. Relaxing and Inspiring

 I had a rough day the other day, earlier this month, so I decided to treat myself to a nature walk. It was the first thing I did when I got home. I parked my car and set off on the trail leading through the wooded area around a nearby lake. It was just what I needed. 

So peaceful and quiet. I could just walk and breathe and listen to nothing in particular. I could hear water running, ducks quacking and that was it. The leaves under my feet were too wet to crunch. After all the demands of me, of my attention and problem-solving, it was so nice to walk through a place that asked for nothing at all. It was a great way to decompress. 

And that's not all. 

This was a time of transition. After winter but before spring, there was no snow on the ground and only buds on the trees. It was the start of a time of renewal. It was invigorating to be amongst that. I couldn't see any buildings. The tree cover was enough that I could look forward and see only the path. It was so...not modern/urban/etc. that I could imagine walking around the bend and stepping into the Shire. That was a fun thing to imagine; to keep in my heart. 

That's still not all. 

There is this curved bridge that spans part of the lake, or an adjacent pond. I don't know how its divided. Anyway, I walked across this bridge, and I saw a person standing there. She had a camera. She was taking pictures and/or video of a duck on the pond. It was a nice little walk-by encounter; a thing that would only happen on that day and at that time. A special event for those present. 

By the time I made a loop around the lake, I felt refreshed. 

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.

Novels have layers (writing tip)

As a wise ogre once said, "ogres are like onions". This is not because they make people cry nor because they turn brown if you leave them in the sun too long. It is because they have layers. There is more to them than the surface, and there is still more to them just one thing underneath that surface. The same is true for novels. 

Recently, I read a Facebook post where the Original Poster shared something from another novelist. This novelist was reacting to a review that they had read and were commenting on. The reviewer remarked that the story they read sounded like the author made it up as they went along. The novelist in the shared post wrote something along the lines of "I hate to break it to you but...." with laughing emoj, signifying that, yes, stories tend to be made up as the author goes along. Someone replying to this post, that someone shared, about a novelist remarking on a review for a story written by yet another novelist expressed skepticism.

 (Yes, this Facebook post also has layers! ^_~)

Surely, this commentor on Facebook said, stories are not written as the author goes along. Surely, the author has some plan going in. Surely, they know what they are doing. 

Well....Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't.  The creative process can be messy. 

 Please allow me to break it down for you. 

Draft # 0 - make everything up as you go.

Draft # 1 -  read over what you wrote and try to make sense of it. 

Draft # 2 - tie everything together, remove and add where necessary.

Draft# 3 - check for consistency of foreshadowing, build-up, resolution, etc.

Draft # 4 - repeat, creating new drafts as necessary. 

To go into more detail...

Draft # 0. Yes, I'm starting the count at zero. This is because, in my experience at least, the initial draft is a mess. It might not even be a complete draft, but a sequence of scenes held together by embryonic themes and casual notes. This is because it is the first time that the author's idea for the story comes out into words. For it is one thing to see an idea in one's head and have it play out in the gestalt of thoughts and ideas and images, and quite another to translate that into a linear sequence of words. 
Things can happen in that translation:
Story developments take place as the plot unfolds.
Characters develop as the author gets to know them more personally.
Questions of tone and atmosphere must be answered, because the background of the author's mind can no longer support the scenes on (digital) paper. 

An author such as Neil Gaiman, in a commercial for his MasterClass Art of Storytelling class, compared writing a story to driving through fog. One only sees what is closest. The novelist is writing the scene, because they only see that scene and what was written immediately before that scene. They don't see what comes after or before. 

In this way, they are making it up as they go. Indeed, in the same commercial, Neil Gaiman says that the second draft is about making it appear as though you knew what you were doing all along. 

( Link for the curious -  Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling (masterclass.com). This is not an affiliate link or anything like that. It's just so you know I'm not making this up.)

Draft #1

This is the first "official" draft because it is the first draft that is complete, at least in the most technical sense. The author takes stock of what they wrote, what happens, when, and why, and attempts to get a sense of the whole. They fill in the notes they left in Draft # 0. The novel is still rough, but it is now more than a glorified outline. 

Draft # 2

This is where the author can tie the scenes together. They have a complete story, and they have a sense of it as both a whole and as a sequence of parts. This is where they can bring it all together. They remove scenes, add scenes, re-write scenes as necessary. This is where the novel starts to resemble what the eventual reader will see.

Draft # 3

Now that the story is technically complete, the author has a sense of its parts and unity, and has tied them together, they can go deeper. They can refine what they have made thus far. Adding foreshadowing to point the way to the next events, they create a path for the eventual reader to follow. Foreshadowing is the greatest illusion of planning-it-out-ahead-of-time. Because the reader sees something in Scene A hinting at or building to Scene H, they think the author planned that out ahead of time. No, not necessarily. That is the process of revision, the luxury of going forwards and then backwards.  Indeed, only in foreshadowing between stories published separately does this luxury not exist. 

Draft #4 

Repeat as necessary. There is beta-reading in this process, which creates another layer as the author considers the feedback and incorporates it into a new draft. The author might discover some critical error in need of correcting or discover some opportunity to better tell the story they want. They might even decide that some other angle is more interesting or effective than the one they were pursuing. All of these create more layers. These layers are not evident in the final version. Only the polished surface is seen by the eventual reader. 

I'm not saying that all authors follow the above process. This is not to say that outlines never happen. I can only speak to my own experience, and, in my experience, there is a lot more revision than pre-planning. It is a layered experience. 

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.

Dungeons and Dragons - Honor Among Thieves (movie review)

This is truly a Dungeons and Dragons movie. It is not just a medieval-Europe fantasy movie with the D&D name on it. It doesn't merely use lore from an official D&D setting (Forgotten Realms in this case). This really is the experience of D&D as a movie. 

You can see it in the way the plot is set-up and executed. You can see it in the way the main cast members interact. You can see it in the way battles play-out, especially with the magic. Yes, the magic system in the movie obeys similar rules as the game. It's a lot of fun to watch this play out.  Fun. To describe the movie in a word, that is what it is. This is a fun movie. 

Fitting for a movie sub-titled "honor among thieves", this movie can be called The Heist at a very high level. Edgin Darvis is a bard and he is putting a team together so they can steal from a dangerous and powerful individual.  As this mission develops, you can see the Game Master setting up the goals and challenges for the player party. Each set-piece is a challenge for the players to overcome through the use of their skills and their creativity and their teamwork.
Travel scenes are boring, so the Game Master typically skips over them.

This is a team that works together, but its members also bicker. There is a scene where they argue about the plan is going to be. That is precisely what it is like to be in a D&D party about to go on a mission; they argue about what to do and who is going to do what.  The scene in the battlefield graveyard, where they use the Speak with Dead spell, is quintessentially a party trying to find the information they need. 

Everyone gets their character moments; moments to shine and moments to roleplay are shared by all of the main cast, and no one interrupts. When Edgin is expositing on his backstory, he gets to do this bard thing (story-telling and persuasion) and he also dispenses Bardic Inspiration. Holga, a barbarian, gets to be a total badass in a fight scene with guards and also a personal roleplay scene with her ex-husband. Doric, a druid, has this amazing wild-shape chase scene. Yendar shows gets moments to be paragon of both mighty stoic warriors and compassionate holy warriors. Everyone gets their moment to be important and contribute to the success of the mission, because D&D is a communal experience; it is people coming together to tell a story together. 

Magic! There is legit D&D magic in this movie. I noticed Meteor Swarm, Polymorph, Misty Step, Gravity Reverse, Prestidigitation, and even Bigsby's Hand! Atunning to a magical item is a plot-point and it becomes an awesome moment, too. Blink and you'll miss it, but there is a clutch break-the-caster's concentration moment in the climax. 

Having said all this, it is not necessary to be a fan of D&D or to know anything about it to appreciate or understand the film. It works perfectly well as a generic fantasy adventure story. The "attuning to a magic item" thing I mentioned is presented as "I have to do this thing or the item won't work", which is all a viewer needs to know. Knowledge of D&D just makes for a richer experience. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Dungeons and Dragons - Honor Among Thieves" an A+

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 Professed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - Volume 1 (read for fun)

I picked this book up after watching the first season of the anime. It has an intriguing title. I was expecting a story about a girl attempting to follow in her mentor's footsteps. Haha, no. That turns out to be a cover story. She is the "wiseman", herself. 

Sakamori Kagami is "Danblf" in the MMORPG "Ark Earth Online", a classic aged wizard with the associated wrinkles and long white beard. On a lark, he decides to alter Danblf's appearance to a classic magical girl instead, small and delicate, and with long silver hair. At that very moment, after he finishes the alterations but before he can click "cancel", a supernatural occurrence materializes the game into full reality.  Now Kagami is no longer "Danblf" but "Mira", who is Danblf's pupil. Saying anything else is too much trouble, both for Mira and the suddenly real kingdom she wants to protect. 

In other words, this is an Isekai, but so far few of the usual cliches have shown up. This book is much more interested in world-building than harem antics or power-fantasies. 

Much of this book is concerned with world building. In fact, this book does what few others do and gives details about the world that Kagami left when he became Mira in the world of Ark Earth Online. It was a world with fully realized virtual reality. It was used as much for business applications as entertainment; office space no longer existed in physical reality because the same effect could be achieved virtually (think COVID-19 Pandemic web conferences but without any of the downsides). Then, the author uses that to contrast with the pros and cons of the magical medieval-Europe analog of the game-turned-reality.

We see the history of this game world, the events and conflicts that shaped its kingdoms. We see player politics both before and after the supernatural event. We see the development of both mechanical engineering and the magical arts. We see management of dungeons for public safety. We see how Early Game Hell has stifled the development of summoners now that summoning must be learned in real life. Even the climatic battle is less of a "oh no! How will our hero ever survive?!" suspenseful confrontation and is more of a "I wonder what would happen if I did this" experimentation and examination of the new world's rules. 

And yes, the reason that "Danblf" must go by "Mira" has a detailed discussion behind it, and it is very fun. 

Also, yes, the author does get a lot of mileage out of Kagami adjusting to life as a girl. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - Volume 1" an A+

Click here for my next book review: Marvel Universe Doctor Strange (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  Dungeon and Dragons module - Dragon Heist

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.

Dungeon and Dragons module - Dragon Heist

Welcome to Waterdeep, grandest city on the Swordcoast!

This book is advertised as an adventure module for D&D 5E, but it's actually a lore book about the setting for the adventure, Waterdeep. This is a good thing. This is why. 

The story takes place in the city of Waterdeep and is set up for new characters, those just starting their careers as adventurers. This starting adventure provides them with a home base in the city, invitations to the various Factions, and many things to do other than the Dragon Heist. Indeed, the "main story" as it were, doesn't start until chapter 3 and is only truly focused on during chapter 4. There are a total of eight chapters. The Dragon Heist is clearly not the focus of the book. 

No, the focus of the book is clearly establishing Water Deep as a city of adventure and providing the Game Master with the tools to tell their own story. 

The first chapter is a rescue mission tangentially related to the Dragon Heist. It gets the party involved with some of the city's residents, earns them some fame/credibility as adventurers, and rewards them with a home base. This is not just a house but a tavern. It is a place of business, which is then connected to other businesses and guilds. It is the start of adventures. As the saying goes, "You All Meet in an Inn". 

The second chapter focuses in on these connections. It speaks of how the guilds operate in relation to the tavern. It speaks of the tavern's neighbors, shop owners forming a self-contained community. It speaks of the Factions, and how one or more of them seek to recruit one or more members of the player party. It speaks of the missions those who accept such an invitation can go on.  Even the start of chapter 3 speaks of how the player party only gets involved in the main plot because of how this plot impacts this web of connections. 

Four chapters are given over to describing the lairs of the various villains. The book outright states that going to any of them is purely optional, and likely only to happen if the player party fails at some scripted encounter in chapter 4. So, there are four dungeons fully described with maps and treasures and thugs primarily included to sketch out a villain's organization. 

The final main chapter is a tour guide of the city. Literally, it is framed as something written for an in-universe reader. It describes the city's history, layout of its wards, guild system, law code, methods of moving around, and even tourist traps.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the Dragon Heist. It is just here to further flesh out the city. Which is just as well, because the Dragon Heist is pretty lame as written. 

Chapter 4 is the only chapter solely focused on the Dragon Heist. It is comprised of a series of scripted encounters where the player party scrambles to acquire the Macguffin before the villain does. There are 4 villains to choose from, and each villain has its own encounter sequence. Which is great for replay value, theoretically at least. Reading through it, I felt it relies on rail-roading to stay on track. One scene says the player party gets arrested, just arrested, like Cutscene Impotence in a video game. The book even suggests corrective measures if the player party gets the Macguffin too quickly. 

The artwork is fantastic. It looks great. It shows the many sides of Waterdeep in all its seasons. Occasionally, I came across two-page full spreads of a given scene. A pleasant surprise indeed. 

If this were an actual lore book instead of an adventure module, I'd give it full marks. Because the adventure itself is lack-luster and rail-roady, it loses points. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Dungeon and Dragons module -  Dragon Heist" a B+

Click here for my previous book review:  She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wiseman - Volume 1 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review: Today's Menu for the Emiya Family volume 2 (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.

Today's Menu for the Emiya Family volume 2 (Read for fun)

I liked the first one, so I picked up the second one. These stories are the perfect kind of relaxing read. They are cute and funny and totally low drama. Each is self-contained and short, which makes them perfect for quick reads when one has a little bit of time. 

Some chapters stand out for me, like the Christmas one. It takes place at the Einzbern castle, a perfect winter wonderland setting, since the Fourth Grail War isn't taking place. There's something really wholesome and endearing about Berserker bringing in the Christmas tree, and Illya baking sugar cookies for him is adorable. 

We also get to see Lancer being a Shipper on Deck for Shirou and Rin, which is funny. The author says that the chapter where this scene takes place in is inspired by the anime adaptation of Unlimited Blade Works. 

Finally, whenever Archer cooks something and someone thinks that Shiro did it makes me laugh in Dramatic Irony. 

The art is as good as in the first volume. It is that perfect mix of cute and, for lack of a better word, non-epic, that fits the slice-of-life atmosphere.

There is no difference between this volume and the first. It is more of the same. So, if you liked the first, then you will like the second. This is not a series where you should expect novelty in each volume, except perhaps in the dishes prepared. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Today's Menu for the Emiya Family volume 2 an A+

Click here for my next book review:  Dungeon and Dragons module - Dragon Heist

Click here for my previous book review: The Ring Breaker by Jean Gill (hall of fame)

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 review: The Ring Breaker by Jean Gill

 Hello everyone!

The Ring Breaker is a new book by one of my favorite authors, Jean Gill. I don't say that lightly. She is currently the only author in my blog's hall of fame. I will examine Plot, Character and Polish, and then assign a grade. 

PLOT

Ring Breaker is a historical fiction chronicling the coming of age of Skarf, a skald in 12th century Orkneyjar (part of Norway). A skald is a type of poet, reciting tales of the Norse gods and ancient heroes or events that they themselves witnessed. This is more than simply records of battle, far from it, though Skarf does not realize this at first. Indeed, the definition of a "saga" and what is worthy to be immortalized in a skald's verse is a major story thread. 

It is kind of meta-fiction, if you think about it. Skarf is the skald of this story, and his training and talent is in telling stories. So, Miss.Gill is telling the story of how Skarf learns to tell stories of others, which he does by learning from grown men famed for their poetic skill, who transform the events that he lives through into saga by the way they frame the events through words and lore. 

The plot here is Skarf's life as he grows up, his trials and tribulations, and his relationship with Hlif, who is the local ruler's ward and housekeeper. This means that there is no single string of events or plot line that runs through the whole book. Instead, there are distinct events that begin and end. At several points, there are time skips of years, and plot threads are dropped or introduced. The plot may seem to flounder at times or appear directionless but fear not.  Miss. Gill knows what she is doing. This is Skarf's life, after all. 

The climax here is surprising. Its essential nature has all the necessary elements presented and developed, but the event itself is not something I expected. It is truly a climax worthy of a skald. 

CHARACTERS

Skarf is our protagonist. He is an orphan who is adopted/mentored by a veteran skald to be one himself. He has something of a love-hate relationship with this profession, for various reasons that I won't state here (spoilers!). It's funny how much he tries to distance himself from the life of a skald, only for events to force him back on that path. 

He grows from a young boy to a young man, which means Miss. Gill has to emulate him maturing over the course of many years, along with all the missteps, swings of opinion, and confusion that comes from that. If I were to plot it out here on a timeline, it would look like nonsense, but the way it develops makes total sense. 

I have some special fondness for Skarf because I am a novelist myself. I can totally relate to his frustrations with his verses. 

Hlif is our leading lady, Skarf's love interest. Her first meeting with him lingers in my mind. It is epic, in a quiet way, if that makes sense. She is believed to be "cursed" because her father killed a man who would later be recognized as a saint. Now she is the ward of the local ruler because she is an orphan like Skarf.

The way she reacts to her image as a "cursed girl" shifts and develops much like Skarf's does to being a skald. Also, like Skarf, she has similar awkwardness and swings of opinion, and her own knowledge of divine lore. I want to call her a Tsundere because of how much trouble she gives Skarf despite (because of?) her budding affection and interest in him. 
She also calls herself his "Valkyrie", which is both sweet and kind of ominous. 

It is difficult to name a villain here. There are definitely antagonists, and one character in particular is a nasty piece of work lacking in morality and prone to violence, but in terms of "the villain of the story", there isn't one. Just like this story is about story-telling, so too does perception of a character change based on the story that Skarf tells himself about them. 

POLISH

This story looks good. I didn't see much in the way of technical errors. There is a setting map at the start. Most impressive is that Miss. Gill uses Norse spellings for personal names and places. As she says, it does give a more "authentic feel". 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Ring Breaker by Jean Gill" an A+

Click here for my next book review:   Today's Menu for the Emiya Family volume 2

Click here for my previous book review:   The Gamemaster's Book of Non-Player Characters

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.

Nature Walk by My Home - Winter 2023

Nature walks are wonderful, regardless of the season.

After work today, I closed up my work computer, put on my shoes and coat, and then headed out the front door for a nature walk. There is a trail next to my house that wraps around a lake. It has other paths, but I chose to stick close to the lake so I wouldn't get lost. Sunset was due in about 20 minutes. I planned it that way, so I could watch the sun go down. 

It was beautiful. This gradient of purple, yellow and then blue up to the sky; these bands of color stretching as far as I could see. I stopped to watch it several times. I turned around to look at it from the other direction. Red and orange, more vibrant and brilliant than the other side, sliding beneath trees and out of side. I wanted to see it all. 

The front lake provided a great platform to see it all. Yes, I walked out onto a frozen lake. I think that is the first time I did that. At least, such that I can remember. At first, I thought it was this big open area that I hadn't seen before. No, it was the lake and/or pond that I had passed by before on previous walks. The abundant snow and all the tracks through that snow disguised the pond as this surprise area. So, I walked across it for the experience, a new experience. It was pretty exciting. 

I was not the only one out and about. I passed by a handful of people walking the trail from other directions. I said "hi" as we crossed paths. There was even a guy out on a larger lake playing fetch with his dog. I didn't want my own walk to end quite yet, so I crossed this lake too, and I picked a steeper area of the bank to ascend back to the path. I wanted to experience that so I could better emulate the experience for my characters.

I'm writing a couple fantasy novels right now, and I've discovered that I am lacking tactile experience with certain environments. One cast is going through a forest, a deep and dense forest. What I have nearby isn't nearly a match, but I still enjoy it. I enjoy filling in those gaps, for the help it does for my writing, but also for the experience itself. When I arrived back at the housing area, I avoided the pavement for a steep and snowy area on the lake bank, just to prolong the walk a little longer. My socks stayed remarkably dry, considering I wasn't wearing boots and was up to my knees in snow. 

It was a new experience, the whole walk. The change in season made all the difference. It's like the theme song for Pokemon's first season in the Johto region, 

"It's a whole new world we live in. It's a whole new way to see. It's a whole new place, with a brand-new attitude, but you still gotta catch'em all, and be the best that you can be!"

To read about my spring nature walk in 2020, click here

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 Gamemaster's Book of Non-Player Characters (read for fun)

This is a book I spotted at Barnes and Nobles while browsing. It sounded useful, and it was a hardcover book at a decent price, so I decided to give it a shot. I have mixed feelings about it. 

First,

There are three one-shot adventures.  I can't say I'm a fan of them. All three are basically guided tours by an NPC, and not a friendly one either. All three are based on one NPC leading the characters through specific events on the way to a climax; the first two are deceivers responsible for the trouble in the adventure, and the third is not because they are a prison warden overseeing an earn-your-freedom ritual. It is totally rail-roading. The sidebars even try to pre-empt any attempt at deducing these first two NPCs are liars to keep the adventure on track. If a single high Insight check can derail the whole module, then, in my opinion, that is a shoddy module. 

I get that these are one-shots, meant to be completed within a single session, and so there is little room for deviation, but this is not a video game. This is a tabletop roleplaying game. Players have agency. If you're going to set up something like this, then you should have alternative routes or just remove the single point of failure all together. 

Now, the first adventure is a lot more vulnerable to this than the second. The second DOES acknowledge that the player party can call the NPC on their lies and accommodates this in a way that allows the adventure to continue basically as written.

Second,

The majority of the book is filled with full character pages. They are divided between location and then further by categories such as Rulers, Commoners, Lawbreakers and Criminals, and finally, Outcasts. There really are a lot of characters here, so the author is not exaggerating when they say the book contains hundreds of unique characters. However, I wouldn't say they are all "fully realized", as the back of the book claims. 

Some of them are, to be sure. A solid backstory, clear motives, interesting twist in their "secret" or "obstacle" section and further details in what they are carrying. Those are fun to read. Others are frustrating. 

You see, some of these "fully realized" characters have too much baggage to be easily used in a campaign. Their backstory might have certain requirements of the setting. Their goals might be vague; clear enough in concept but requiring building out in details to actually be used in practice. Who wants to roleplay the results of an accounting error?

Many of them leave dangling questions. This one is particularly frustrating because the author states at the start of the book that the book doesn't have "all the answers", and then provides characters that are more questions than answers.  

So, this character is pregnant with a "child of prophecy". What prophecy?

So, this character is attempting to keep a terrible creature sealed. What terrible creature?

So, this character wants to prevent their hometown from changing in some undescribed manner and decides to do that by flooding it, killing everyone and destroying the town itself. How does that accomplish anything?

Then there are characters that are written in a way that implies certain things rather than stating them. I think this is to make the character more flexible, open to interpretation, but it can also make the character less coherent overall. 

Some of these homebrew abilities are ridiculous, such as a lawful evil humanoid lion that enslaves humanoids. They can use this ability thrice per long rest, humanoids have disadvantage on the save, it lasts for 24 hours (no secondary save) and the reasoning is simple overwhelming charisma.  A DM would have to put a lot of context around such a character to make fighting this guy fun instead of frustrating. 

I also find issue with how, if family members are mentioned in the backstories, they are either dead or antagonistic. The former is too close to the trope "Stuffed Into a Fridge" for my taste, and the latter mandates using the family as villains if this NPC is used; to not use them as villains removes a significant chunk of characterization, thus making the decision pointless. 

Overall, a lot of these "fully realized" characters have to be modified, trimmed, adapted etc. to be used in a given campaign. It's not a plug-and-play thing, like I was expecting. There is a section for much simpler character outlines, more easily selected and used on the spot. I think those are meant to be selected during the session and the rest are meant for planning stages between sessions. 

Some characters have full page artwork, which is nice. It is good art. 

This is definitely a useful book for a gamemaster. The important thing is to set your expectations. This is useful for character inspiration, side quest fundamentals, campaign reference, and that is mostly it. During a session, it will, at best, slow things down. Use a generator app instead. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Gamemaster's Book of Non-Player characters" a C+

Click here for my next book review: The Ring Breaker (Blog Hall of Fame author)

Click here for my previous book review:  Valkyrie by Katie O'Hearn (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.

Valkyrie by Katie O'Hearn (read for fun)

 I found this book at a book sale conducted by my local Friends of the Library group. It sounded interesting. And it is interesting, for most of the story. The author has a solid grasp on motivating emotion and develops it well. It is a pity that this doesn't carry into the final act. 

First,

This story has good emotional torque. What I mean by that is that it is very much driven by character emotion and the decisions they make based on those emotions. It is very clear that running away from home is an objectively bad idea that could lead to a lot of trouble, but it makes sense why Freya would do this, nonetheless. The loneliness she feels, the disconnection from other valkyries, and how long this has been going on (centuries), are well-established, and so the compulsion that Freya feels to leave Asgard and then stay on Midgard are understandable, even relatable. 

The author unscores this with Orus, Freya's raven advisor. He is basically a flying lampshade hanging, constantly pointing out the ill-considered nature of Freya's actions and pointing out their consequences, such as defying the Angels of Death, risking Odin's wrath, or exposing her true identity to humanity. If she sees someone in trouble, then she will help them, and if she makes a promise, then she will keep it. Other considerations are irrelevant. Orus's role makes clear the fact that Freya is not stupid, she just has an extreme case of Honor Before Reason. 

Although I do wonder how she was going to explain the whole "cut her hair short and dyed it crimson red" thing to her mother when she returned. 

Second, 

This story is like a reverse Isekai. Seriously, it is. We have a de-facto teenager who feels unhappy, out-of-place, lonely and listless in her home world. Then she runs away to a different world, (different realm) entirely. Suddenly, everything gets better for her. She makes friends. She gets to be "special", both in terms of being this beautiful, popular, transfer student with a raven "service animal", and also as a superhero. She finds fullfillment she never had before. The only box that isn't checked is a harem of love interests, but she does create this group of people who admire her platonically, because she improves their lives through confidence-building self-defense and group solidarity. 

 Seriously, the majority of the book is how much better Freya's life becomes when she leaves for another world. That is the Isekai genre in a nutshell. She just happens to be a supernatural creature entering a mundane world instead of the opposite. 

To be clear, this is NOT a mark against the story. I actually found it fun. 

Third,

The final act has a lot of trouble. Until now, everything has been guided by character motivations. It all makes sense as constructed, a natural outcome of character actions. Even Loki's seemingly contradictory actions make sense if you assume that he is doing all this For the Evulz / It Amused Me. Then we get to the final act and everything crumbles.

 I don't want to go through every little plothole, because there are too many to list. I will just say that JP transforms from a legit character to a plot device to prop up the climax that the author wanted to write. It's not even necessary for him to be in that last scene. If he were to vanish in his prior scene, or the one before that, then the story could still proceed more or les as written but with fewer plotholes. 

This problem-riddled third act is the main reason for the grade. If, at the very least, there was an explanation for Loki's actions, then I would consider a higher grade. As it is, Loki feels like JP, not a real character but a plot prop. 

The author resolves everything well enough in the falling action. It feels like the resolution is held together with duct tape, but it is sufficient. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Valkyrie" by Katie O'Hearn, a C+

Click here for my next book review:  The Gamemaster's Book of Non-Player characters (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  So I'm a Spider, So What? volume 6 (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.

So I'm a Spider, So What? volume 6 (read for fun)

This volume marks a change from previous volumes. It shows in the character focus, the selection of chapters and the overall arc of the story. It is fun. It is interesting. It is a change of pace. 

For character focus, Komoko is not front and center. This is actually a breather volume for her. She spends it traveling with Ariel, Sophia and Merazophis and the puppet spiders, and she passes time by experimenting with Divine Thread cloth weaving. It is basically a road trip with her grandmother while she plays with her cousins. That is heartwarming. It is nice to see her not have to fight for her life every minute for once. That is not to say she DOESN'T have a terrible challenge to face before the end. 

For the selection of chapters, this is the first volume that doesn't switch between time periods. Yeah, prior volumes would switch between Spider chapters, focusing on Komoko, and Shun chapters that take place about 20 or so years later. All this volume's chapters take place in the "Spider" time period, which is not to say that there is no differing of viewpoints. Indeed, this volume has several viewpoints, all developing several characters. In fact, all of Komoko's party members get viewpoint chapters, as well as Rondandt. All of them have their own character arcs. It really is impressive how the author manages to develop and bring to completion so many character arcs without bloating or dragging the narrative. 

For the overall arc of the story, more of the myth arc is revealed. Remember some volumes ago when Komoko maxed out Taboo and learned the truth of the world? Yeah, it was an Unreveal at the time, and now we get to learn more of what is going on behind the scenes. Beyond the human-demon war of the Shun chapters, we see more of what is truly happening during "the present". Not everything is revealed, because the discussion takes place from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't have the frame of reference for it, but the reader can piece it together. 

This ties into the terrible challenge which Komoko must confront. 

It is a nice change of pace and another homerun for the author. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "So I'm a Spider, So What? volume 6" an A+

Click here for my previous book review:  "Valkyrie" by Katie O'Hearn (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  BOFURI : I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense volume 3 (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.

Surprising Readers is Easy but Not Always Wise

"I saw that coming. That story is so predictable". 

This is often a derogatory statement. I read reviews for books, movies, tv shows etc. and I rarely fail to find complaints of this nature (typically in speculative fiction, but that is another topic). Whatever medium it was in, the perceived flaw is lack of originality. The story's theme was tired, the plot elements over-used, seen it before a million times, etc. Rarely do I find complaints that the plot was non-sensical.

In this way, a surprising twist or a shock to readers is seen as originality. The failure to do this is lacking originality, tantamount to regurgitating a previous story. If there is nothing new, nothing fresh, nothing unexpected, then there is supposedly nothing worth seeing. It is seen as a critical flaw. If only the writer(s) did something surprising...

I understand this sentiment. If one experiences enough stories, then one starts to see patterns. One spots common elements. These are properly called "Tropes". Learning enough tropes enables one to make predictions, and thus feel as though they have already experienced the story. This can lead to disappointment. On Tvtropes, this feeling is called "Tvtrope Will Ruin Your Life", because it diminishes the pleasure of the story. 

Certainly, surprise is part of a story's appeal, but it is a narrow slice of it. What these criticisms miss is that surprising a reader is actually an easy thing to do. It is just not always a wise thing to do. 

All a writer has to do to surprise a reader is do something unexpected. That is, to do something that goes against a reader's expectations. Now, all readers are different because they have different experiences, so all readers do not have the same expectations. However, their expectations of a particular genre are likely to be the same.

Some examples -  (These have most likely happened in one story of another -  Zeroth Law of Trope Examples)

If you have a Medieval Fantasy setting with a Quest narrative, then readers expect lots of traveling and monster fighting. Perhaps a dungeon dive or two. Something unexpected would be to have the climatic shown down with the Evil Overlord take place as a literal cooking duel. 

If you have a realistic fiction murder mystery taking place in modern day, then readers expect a list of clues, presentation of multiple suspects, and then a summation at the end, where the culprit is revealed. Something unexpected would be for the culprit to be fingered mid-way through, and the rest of the story to be a long discussion about the appeal of woolen undergarments. 

If you have a romantic comedy that takes place in an outer space/futuristic setting, then readers expect romantic moments between the two leads, silly hi-jinks about their courtship, a Third Act Break-Up and then a happy wedding at the end. Something unexpected would be a talking octopus appearing out of nowhere and telling the leads that they are the reincarnations of gods who are needed to fight evil in another world; no wedding, no comedy, just a bunch of high action monster-slaying that is not resolved at the end. 

No reader would expect that. It would definitely surprise them. This is because it goes against their expectation of the genre.

This is because all entries in a genre are likely to be the same. That is what makes them a genre. Tvtropes even has a page called "From Clones to Genre", which documents the birth of genres, because if you get enough similar works together then you get a genre. There is a self-aware teen slasher' subgenre, seriously, there is. 

No one can say that those three examples are NOT original.  I had to wrack my brain to find something that I hadn't seen before. I haven't seen everything, and the Zeroth Law of Trope Examples is a thing, but I'm pretty sure those examples are not common. 

But are they any good? Maybe, probably not, but maybe. It would take a masterclass of storytelling to pull that off.  A lot of foreshadowing would be necessary to make sense of such a story.  If a new element or story direction comes out of nowhere, then the reader would call foul, right? The story wouldn't make any sense if its tone/genre/etc. changed without any warning. That is something TvTropes calls Shocking Swerve. So, the writer needs to add plenty of build-up and foreshadowing so the surprising and original development makes sense. 

Yet any foreshadowing would tip the reader off, and therefore it would not be surprising.  Therefore, not original, right?

No, it would be original. Maybe. Zeroth Law of Trope Example. Someone has probably done that before, at some point, somewhere. But it would totally be original to a large group of people. But again, would it be any good? 

If someone sits down to read a Medieval Fantasy setting with a Quest narrative, then do they want to see the hero and villain settle things by preparing meals in a kitchen?

If someone sits down to read a realistic fiction murder mystery taking place in modern day, then do they want an Author Tract about the appeal of woolen undergarments?

If someone sits down to read a romantic comedy that takes place in an outer space/futuristic setting, then do they want a mid-story twist into a fantasy isekai? 

Again, maybe. Some people like being surprised. I imagine this includes the reviewers that I mentioned at the start of this post. If someone reviews stories professionally, then they probably see so many stories so often that Tvtropes Will Ruin Your Life kicks in for them and so they seek novelty. But not everyone seeks novelty. Even those seeking novelty would likely prefer a story that makes sense, even if it is not as "original" as they would like. 

If you surprise readers with originality so much that you confuse them, then what have you gained? An upset reader. That is the worst outcome. An upset reader is likely to stop reading and then mock you on social media. Originality is not originality if it causes confusion. It's just a mess. Even if it isn't a mess, does that make it any good? 

Again, maybe. I've said that a lot in this post, because it is an opinion, and opinions vary. Your Mileage May Vary, as we say on Tvtropes. I'm sure there is a group that puts a premium on "originality", even if the resulting story doesn't make as much sense as a more conventional story. Nonsense Poetry is also a genre. Unless you're writing that genre, it would be better to avoid confusing readers. 

That means foreshadowing. It means uses tropes. It means forming a path that your reader might be able to guess. It means crafting a story that your reader will enjoy even if they ARE able to guess. Because you create anticipation, wetting the reader's appetite, and deliver a satisfying fulfillment of that anticipation. 

In my experience, that can be more difficult than surprising a reader. To surprise, you just have to do something unexpected, which is like pulling something out of nowhere. It is easy. To build and fulfill anticipation, you have to actually build something. That requires wisdom. In this way, Surprising Readers is Easy but Not Always Wise.

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.

BOFURI : I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense volume 3 (read for fun)

The Slice of Life defense build continues, as fun and charming as ever. This volumes focuses on the formation of Maple Tree, the guild that Maple and Sally start with friends they've made in the game. As such, there is a lot of focus on the various members of the guild. This series is not exclusively about Maple anymore.

We get to see Kanade solving another library puzzle and experimenting with his Akashic Records. We see Chrome stumble into a special dungeon and challenge it solo (technically he has Syrup to help). We see Iz tackle a crafter-only area in search of material. There is also a pair of new characters, Mai and Yui, who created extreme builds like Maple, and we see Maple Tree nurture them into the unstoppable force to compliment Maple's unmovable object.

These scenes flesh out the world of the story by showing other players and other play styles. The way Mai and Yui play is completely different from Maple, and so they need different skills and tactics. It is also super cute and heartwarming to see a gamer veteran like Sally take them under her wing, and Maple to take them on speed runs to level grind. 

Of course, Maple herself isn't excluded. She has several solo adventures which see her gain three transformation skills. This provides more fodder for "she's the final boss" jokes.  This also shows her development as a gamer, as she tries to keep them secret in anticipation for the Fourth Event.

Yes, the Fourth Event. Like volume 2, volume 4 is looking to be a volume-long event, a guild war styled like Capture the Flag. The "Plot" of volume 3 can be described as Maple Tree preparing for this event. Naturally, other guilds are making their own preparations, and Maple Tree is on their radar. 

This is another fun and light-hearted adventure. If you liked the first two volumes, then you will like this one. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives " BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense" an A+

Click here for my next book review:  So I'm a Spider, So What? volume 6 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  Curse of Strahd - D&D 5E module (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.