So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 5 (book review)

For those of you who watched the anime first, or are planning to watch the anime, note this before you proceed.  Volume five marks the end of the anime adaptation's first season. 

This volume is structured by two separate conflicts. On Komoko's side, the invasion of Kent in the country of Sariella by an alliance of the nation of Ohts and the Word of God Church. On Shun's side, the assault upon the Elf Village by an alliance of the Renexandt Empire, the Demon Army and the Taratect Army. Part of the fun is seeing how the first influences and builds up to the second. 

I normally don't like shifting perspective novels, but Okina Baba makes it work. It works because the perspectives are always relevant to every other perspective. They provide information and perspective on the same things. 

For Komoko's side, this volume is basically a breather volume. Yes, the Demon Lord Ariel is still chasing her, but Komoko can avoid her with relative ease, and Ariel isn't even actively chasing her for a good chunk of the novel. Instead, Komoko gets to wipe out humanoid bandits easily and without any danger to herself, and be worshipped by a grateful town's population. They place offerings of fruit at the edge of the forest where she's taken up residence. Yes, being worshipped is unsettling for a socially awkward shut-in, but it's much better than constantly fighting for one's life against monsters. 

I'll say that again, for the first time, we get to see Komoko doing something other than Survive-by-fleeing-or-fighting. We get to see how her moral compass functions outside of life-and-death situations. It is really interesting. It's not concerned with either charity or selfishness; neither is her motivation. To put it concisely, the reasoning would be "I don't have a reason to /not/ heal the begging sick person. I'll only eat their cancerous organs, not their whole body, because I don't waste food." 

I couldn't make it more concise than that. On one hand, Komoko performs miracle-level healing upon a stranger simply because they asked her to. On the other hand, Komoko considers eating said stranger's limbs, and tries to justify it to herself by saying she could regenerate them. So she only eats the sick person's cancerous organs, and then regrew those, because she couldn't heal the organs outright. Do cancerous organs taste good? No, Komoko just has a mental block against leaving fresh meat to rot. It really is interesting to watch these ethical questions roll around in her head. 

Now for Shun's side of the story. 

Shun's side takes place entirely in the Elf Village. Like the last volume, we see some good character development going on, especially for Anna. I'm going to focus on her in my review because she has focus in the book. Fei has this great perspective chapter that ties her past as a school bully to the haughty behavior of the elves, but it is built on Anna's development. 

Anna is a half-elf woman who is basically Shun's surrogate mother. She has served Shun's family for several generations, first as a court mage and then retiring from that role to nurse baby Shun. She was born in the Elf Village, but was cast out for being a half-elf. Elves in this world are supremely arrogant and racist, and so they gave Anna a rough time of things when she was a kid. Not only does this give much character development to her but it also, at the same time, gives much development to the Elf Village and the elven people as a whole. It is world building created through character development that is 100% appropriate to the pacing of the story, supporting the here and now and also something that happens later on. 

These conflicts are tied together by numerous factors. The one that I find most interesting is Potimas's involvement in both of them. He is becoming an important character. Indeed, it starting to look like he could be a major villain. In the first volume, he was just "a reincarnation's father". Now I'm thinking he could be the Big Bad of this entire series.  That is an impressive development. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 5" an A+

Click here for my next book review: A Magical Medieval Society - Western Europe - Second Edition

Click here for my previous book review:   So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 4

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.

So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 4 (book review for fun)

 So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 4

It's safe to say that I am a major fan of this series by now. Okina Baba writes an amazing voice for "Komoko", but the way the story is structured is also amazing. It's like there are two stories that, when taken together, create a larger narrative, and thus a composite third story. For instance, this volume has Komoko's ongoing war with Mother, the Queen Taratect who laid her egg, as the first story. The second story is Shun's group traveling to the Elf Village. The composite story between them is the experience of the Great Elroe Labyrinth, and how it is effectively a microcosmos of the word itself. 

First, let's talk about Komoko's story. She is engaged in conflict with her mother, a Queen Taratect. She feels that Mother is a threat to her existence because of the influence that Mother has on her mind through Kin Control. It is this influence that led Komoko to finish off Fire Dragon Rend after Mother had weakened him. Komoko doesn't want to be a solider in Mother's army, so she sent her Parallel Minds to eat away at Mother's soul. She knows that she doesn't stand a chance against Mother in straight-forward combat, so she's taking this long-distance damage-over-time approach. As long as she stays alive long enough, her trio of Parallel Minds will eventually consume all of Mother's soul, killing her. 

Of course, Mother isn't going to let that happen. She knows all about tricks, traps and ambushes, and is far more experienced with them than her wayward daughter. She can monitor Komoko's position through Kin Control, and send out her army of taratects to move Komoko into vulnerable positions. And if that isn't enough, she can call in her own mother. 

Thus begins a game of cat-and-mouse to determine the superior taratect. It is super fun. There are many twists and turns, and not artificially so either. I've watched shows where there is a shifting of advantage every five seconds, as predictable as a pendulum, so that it becomes exhausting and trite, not clever. This is clever. It is based on established skills and traits. 

Second, let's talk about Shun's story. In this volume, Shun and his party are traveling to the Elf Village. Hugo seeks to destroy it out of petty vengeance on Mis. Oka, so Shun's party is going there to reinforce it and ideally settle their score with Hugo. This trip leads to a lot of character development. This is Shun's first outing as the official Hero, and so he has a lot of learning to do about what that means in practice. He gets advice from older veterans, and experience fighting monsters in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. 

Yes, the only way his party can travel to the Elf Village is through the Great Elroe Labyrinth, where Komoko was born and raised. We get an extensive look at what it is like for non-natives to travel through this place. It is dangerous. Even for competent warriors with a knowledgeable guide, it is dangerous. The perpetually dark and seemingly timeless environment causes a kind of psychological affliction that wears humans out. In addition to normal monsters, The Nightmare of the Labyrinth (i.e. Komoko) and its Remnants are one of the labyrinth's hazards, and they are one of the most feared of all, due to their dangerous abilities and their strange behavior. This is one of the elements that create the larger narrative. In Komoko's time, for instance, the prevailing advice was "burn any webs you see as a matter of course", and in Shun's time that advice has changed to "whatever you do, do NOT burn any webs." 

We also get to see how all the reincarnations have been doing. Since early on, Miss. Oka has been talking about how her village has been sheltering the reincarnations in this dangerous new world. Now we see that the situation is not quite so simple. This is what leads to the composite storyline. 

The third storyline is the Great Elroe Labyrinth. Both stories involve traveling through and surviving in this underground den of monsters. We see it from the perspective of the monsters who live here, killing and eating each other to survive. We see it from the perspective of humans traveling through it, avoiding conflict when possible and killing monsters when necessary. When viewed through the "Dark Secrets of the Other World" (chapter title), one sees that the Great Elroe Labyrinth is not exceptional in the world. It is fundamentally the same as the rest of the world. This shouldn't be too surprising, after all, the head administrator for this world is a self-proclaimed "evil god". 

Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 4 an A+

Click here for my next book review: So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 5

Click here for my previous 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.

Today's Menu at the Emiya Household volume one (read for fun)

Light and relaxing reading.  That is how I describe Today's Menu at the Emiya Household. It is also funny, but the comedy is a runner-up. The goal here is low-key warm fuzzies. 
 
This story is a spin-off of Type Moon's Fate Stay Night storylines. It is based on the idea that the Fifth Holy Grail War somehow ended with the vast majority of the cast surviving. Now they live peaceful and quiet lives in Fuyuki city. As part of this quiet life, Shiro Emiya spends a lot more time cooking than fighting. His household consists of the main cast, other masters and servants, who drop by to help cook or bring ingredients. Saber is the only person actually living with him. 

The volume is episodic. Each chapter starts with a particular event framework, and then Shiro (or someone else, but mostly Shiro) cooks a dish. He explains in brief how to cook the dish, and then his "household" enjoys the delicious result with him. At the end of the chapter is a full recipe for the dish in question. 

It really is relaxing. I read a chapter of this before going to sleep. Every now and then is a light chuckle, such as Shiro's response to Lancer selling fish, the incapacitating effect of the kotatsu, and Archer's general behavior where Shirou is involved (spoilers). 

The food, of course, looks fantastic. Even in black and white, it looks good. 

I picked up this volume at Barnes and Noble because I finished watching the anime. I wanted more. It surprised me how much fun a cooking manga could be (and not a super-competitive one like Food Wars). This volume here clearly provided the bulk of the material for the first and (as of this review,) currently the only season. It's a faithful adaptation. If you only want unfamiliar storylines, you should start with volumes 2 or 3. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Today's Menu at the Emiya Household - volume one" an A+

Click here for my next book review: So I'm a Spider So What - light novel volume 4

Click here for my previous book review:  A Tale of the Eternal Stones: Firestone

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.

A Witch's Printing Office - Volume 4 (Trickster Eric Novels review)

 I've been following this series since the start, and so when I saw this volume at my local library, I had to pick it up.  This volume delves into more serious matters than previous volumes. It is still goofy and comical, but the events are definitely delving on heavier subjects. 

The first chapter is something of an origins episode. We still don't see how or why Mika is in this fantasy world, but we do see that she had a rough-time of things prior to starting Protagonist Press. Suffice to say, Mika did not get an "isekai cheat" of any kind. 

We also see what Claire's life was like prior to meeting Mika, and why she is so affectionate to Mika in the present day. It is interesting stuff, and heavy with emotional content. Quite a bit different from previous chapters. 

Following chapters are sillier and more comical, such as the pixie that tries to repay a favor to Mika by giving her a break from work and fulfilling an order for her, only to cause a classical Fair Folk misunderstanding via mischief. 

Most surprising about this volume is the last story, which lasts an unprecedented three chapters. It is very serious indeed. It is still, fundamentally, comical and holding to the fantasy-parody that the series has a whole has been doing, but I didn't laugh at any part of it. 

It is totally an enjoyable volume, and each story is fun. I appreciate the backstory chapter. I was just caught off guard by the unusual seriousness. 

Also, the art. The art continues to be beautiful. The character designs, the landscapes, and the magical happenings of this series never fail to please. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives A Witch's Printing Office - Volume 4 an AB+- 

Yes, it is a weird score. I can't find fault with this story technically, but the last arc features a number of world building assumptions that aren't explored to my satisfaction. I enjoyed reading it but not as much as previous volumes for a reason that does not involve the writing or art. 

Click here for my previous book review: Bofuri: I don't want to get hurt so I'll max out my defense. 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.

Bofuri: I don't want to get hurt so I'll max out my defense. volume 1 (read for fun)

Alert!
If you're looking for drama, high stakes, and tension-filled fantasy action, you're in the wrong place. That is not what Bofuri is trying to do. This is a story about two friends having fun playing a virtual reality game. There is no death penalty for dying, and there is no driving motivation for them to take part. It's just low-stakes fun.

And it is really fun.

While it might seem weird to read a story about a girl playing a VMMORPG just to have fun, it is seriously fun. It is a peaceful, relaxing, sort of fun. It is the sort of thing you read when you don't want to get hurt, because Maple definitely doesn't want to get hurt.

It was interesting to see her thought process in creating this negate-all-damage-so-I-don't-feel-pain build. It's more than just allocating all her starting stat points to Vitality. The book includes a remark from another character who tried that and failed. It is a combination of Maple's unique thought-process, her creativity and how unprepared New World Online's admins were for both.

For instance, Maple's key skill is Absolute Defense, which increases her Vitality significantly in exchange for making it more difficult for her to level up some other stats. Its requirements are engaging a particular monster for one hour without taking or dealing any damage. One imagines that NWO's admins created this skill for a high-level player who prepared themselves to tank for their team against some dangerous creature. Instead, level 1 Maple earns it by allowing a trash mob to headbutt her for one hour -  one full hour -  while she encourages it. She does this because she thinks the trash mob is adorable, and cries when she accidentally kills it.

It's more than Achievements in Ignorance. Maple also learns quickly. After learning that skills can come from actions, she then seeks to obtain new skills for her maximum defense build. This is how she acquires Poison Immunity. Then there's her creativity. The admins definitely weren't expecting someone to fight a hydra like Maple does.

Even as she strives to max out her defense, Maple isn't a power-game or an optimizer. She has a build theme in mind, but that is not her goal. Her goal is to have fun. She is also a total sweetheart; friendly to great-shielders with different builds, and like a big sister mentor to younger players who maxed out strength instead of vitality. This makes her a charming protagonist.

What's more, everyone in NWO is pretty nice. There is no G.I.F.T. in NWO. When Maple asks a veteran player for advice, he gives her advice; sound, helpful, practical advice. When this veteran player tells some of his buddies about the cute novice he met earlier, they all decide to look out for her, because she's a novice in need of advice and also because she can do amazing things like sleep in a pile of monsters because the monsters literally can't hurt her.

One more thing - I read this after watching the anime. It was worth it. The book has more information than can be added to the anime, which was a nice bonus. Also, the narration is something of a Lemony Narrator. They are basically a Straight Man to Maple's activities, underscoring how unusual her thought process is, and how broken her build is becoming.

The appeal of this story is not high-drama stakes or high-tension fights. The appeal of this story is its charming protagonist having low-stakes fun with her best friend. If you want a thrilling fantasy adventure story, look somewhere else. This story offers a light and relaxing fantasy adventure story, and it is fun.

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: A Witch's Printing Office - Volume 4

Click here for my previous book review: Ciaphas Cain - HERO OF THE IMPERIUM

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.

Ciaphas Cain - HERO OF THE IMPERIUM (read for fun)

 Commissar Ciaphas Cain is a legend. His bravery is unmatched among The Emperor's servants. His sense of fairness and compassion are without equal in the history of the Officio Prefectus commissariat. His ability to slay The Emperor's enemies is exceeded only by his capability to inspire the men and women under his command. He is THE HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!

He is also a selfish and cowardly man who sincerely believes that his reputation is both nonsense and totally undeserved. He is just trying to survive in a job he never wanted. 

This book is a lot of fun to read. 

The key thing that makes this work, in my opinion, is the format of the narration. It is a first-person narrative, but it is more than that. It is the autobiography of Ciaphas Cain, which helps with certain problems of the first person narration format. This is not Cain writing down events shortly after they happen, but much later when he is much older. So the events depicted have this reflective air to them. There is no attempt at maintaining suspense, at least with regards to Cain's mortality. Cain regularly references events that occur after what he is currently narrating, so the reader doesn't have to struggle with suspending disbelief regarding whatever danger he finds himself in. 

The autobiography is not self-conscious or awkward because the reader is reading a document that exists in-universe. So, yes, Cain is talking to you, Unknown Reader. He is telling you his story in his own cowardly and self-interested words. He is able to do novel-style things like foreshadowing because it is couched in the reflective air of someone reminiscing about things that happened long ago. A phrase similar to "If I had known what danger I was going into, I wouldn't have gone there" serves as foreshadowing, or some joke that makes sense on its own at the time but gains additional meaning later. 

What's more, there is an additional step to the frame narrative, and that is what really pulls everything together. You see,  "autobiography of Ciaphas Cain" is only one part of it. The other part is that Inquisitor Amberly Vail is the editor of the "Cain Archive", as she calls it. She pulled together Cain's autobiography from small and disorganized pieces that Cain wrote prior to his eventual death. She is the one responsible for making this in-universe autobiography coherent. This then provides a justification for the other limitations in a first person narration. 

Amberly adds notes to flesh out some of the things that Cain says. She intersects the autobiographical parts with information from other sources that provide context to the situation, and explain events that are relevant to Cain's adventure that he did not take part in, and thus knew nothing about. So Cain can write his self-focused narrative about how he is a selfish coward who doesn't care about anything but surviving, and it can stay that way. The real life author, Sandy Mitchell, doesn't have to compromise the authenticity of the narrative voice by wedging in necessary information. 

In other words, the reader is given the experience of finding the "Cain Archive",  written by Ciaphas Cain and edited by Amberly Vail, and then reading it within the Warhammer 40K universe. 

It is a fun experience. The jokes that Cain makes, mostly at his own expense, are a good source of comedy, and there is plenty of black comedy as well. Cain derives a certain pleasure from Jurgen's use of a melta during the final mission of "For the Emperor". 

The stories themselves are good too. It is not just the narrative framework that makes them fun. The short story at the start of this collection, for instance, makes great use of the narrative framework. One can read Cain's account of his first mission and understand how he sees his actions as utterly self-serving, and then consider the events themselves from an external perspective and understand how so many people started thinking of him as this brave and brilliant hero. 

If I had to make one complaint, it would be that the climax for the story "For the Emperor" feels weak. I had the feeling of soggy bread as I read it. The reasoning "the inquisitor had cool tech that I didn't know about" feels like an asspull. However, it is totally appropriate, and would fit in-universe. In fact, I imagine someone who is more familiar with the gear that Inquisitors' have access to from playing a Warhammer 40K game would pick up on the foreshadowing. To me, it felt like an asspull rather than a Chekhov's Gun. As much as I dislike that, I don't feel justified in lowering the grade as a result, given the rest of the book as a whole. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Ciaphas Cain  - HERO OF THE IMPERIUM" an A+

Click here for my previous book review: Bofuri: I don't want to get hurt so I'll max out my defense

Click here for my previous book review: So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 3)

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.

So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 3) (read for fun)

Volume 3. Now things are getting really interesting. The spider-plot thickens, and the tempo kicks up in the Shun-side of things too, finally. But before that, a plug for your local library!

I found both volume 2 and 3 of So I'm a Spider, So What? on my last trip to my local library. While I was searching for them, I found another book that I had been wanting to read. So I've been doing very well on books lately. All thanks to the public library system!

Now for the review.

This volume is where things come together. It's like the first two volumes, while totally fun and interesting on their own, were to set up for the events of this volume here. Like I said, this is where things get interesting.

Komoko learns the truth of the world. Nothing is revealed to the reader, but our favorite spider protagonist is now aware of some pretty heavy truth. It changes her thought process from "live with pride in the labyrinth!" to something on a grander scale. But first she sets her sights on Earth Dragon Araba.

Yes, the same titan of a creature that first appeared in volume 1 and traumatized so terribly she decided to traverse the Middle Stratum to avoid running into him again. She's going to pick a fight with him. It is a magnificent fight.

Baba-sensei is able to show the fight to the reader while maintaining Komoko's engaging narrative voice. It is a lot of fun to read. What I particularly like is how Baba-sensei sets up the fight.

Komoko is an ambush predator. Her specialty is setting traps and sneaking up on her prey. Her "golden combo" is to wrap someone up in webs and then deliver a killing blow while they are helpless. So we see her prepare the area where she intends to confront Araba by setting up webs. She also makes mention of a "special poison" she has prepared for him, but doesn't go into details. So! When the fight reaches its final stage, and this special poison takes effect, it feels like a perfectly earned and prepared-for victory. Though the reader doesn't know what it is, because Komoko hasn't used it before, it is still a Chekhov's Gun instead of an asspull.

On the other side of things, Shun's side of the story picks up.

Thus far, the chapters that focused on Shun and his peers have mainly been about developing them as characters and providing worldbuilding that Komoko would not be privy to. Now, they have a plot to themselves. We see them take action, and they do some awesome things.

Shun performs a daring and heroic rescue. Ill-advised, definitely, but equally definitely a heroic thing to do it. He is on the path to learning the truth of the world himself, but there is character development before then.  Gaining the title of Hero causes a significant amount of it, both because of the responsibility inherit in the title and also because his admired older brother was the previous holder of the title.

Katia is not one to be left behind. A subplot with her that has been building since her introduction now reaches a critical point. It is a poignant scene. It is combined with an awesome moment even greater than Shun's (in my opinion), which lends it greater gravitas. Kudos for Baba-sensei in pulling that off. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider, so what? light novel volume 3 an A+

Click here for my next book review: Ciaphas Cain - HERO OF THE IMPERIUM

Click here for my previous book review: So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2)

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.

So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2) (read for fun)

A spider monster traversing lava land. That's what this volume is about. It is (almost literally) the crucible where Komoko becomes the legendary monster known among humans as "The Nightmare of the Labyrinth". Yet the whole time she's just trying to survive in the worst environment possible for an ambush thread-user like herself. It is a fun experience on all levels, and both forwards and backwards. 

By that I mean two things.
ONE, it is fun to read on its on as well as after watching the anime episodes that cover this arc, the Middle Stratum Arc. The anime splendidly brings Komoko's struggles to life, from the construction of the scenes themselves, the way relevant information is provided to the viewer, and the voice-acting of Aoi Yūki (I haven't watched the English dub yet, but Brianna Knickerbocker does a good job in the clips I've seen). It is fun, but it doesn't include everything. The light novel go further into her trek in the Middle Stratum and more of her thought process, especially as she now has a couple of Parallel Minds to talk to. 

TWO, this volume continues to develop the double perspective initially set up in the first volume. Namely, that Komoko was reborn before her classmates. This fact sets up some delightful dramatic irony that continues into volume three. For instance, after seeing Fei (a human girl reincarnated as an earth dragon) quickly gain power and evolve into a more powerful dragon-type creature, Shun shutters to think how powerful Fei would be if she had hatched in the Great Elroe Labyrinth (where her egg was discovered) and spent years living in there (just like Komoko is doing now/has already done). 

On that subject, the light novel does a much better job of developing characters outside of Komoko herself than the anime does. They have more time to themselves so that they can be established as actual characters. Yes, they are still kind of generic: Shun the All-Loving Hero protagonist, Hugo as this rude and aggressive Rival archetype, Kaita as the Patient Childhood Friend love interest etc. However, they are not simple archetypes in the light novel, and "generic" does necessarily mean "bad". Okina Baba breathes life and emotion into these characters. 

Now about the "crucible" thing that I mentioned earlier. Yes, the Middle Stratum is a place of tremendous growth for Komoko. In this area, the air is so hot that her spider thread burns up quickly, and the monsters who live here can hide out in magma when attacking her. So her usual methods of ambushing and thread control are not effective. She has to continue innovating to create new tactics, and continue conversing with Miss. Appraisal (^_^) to gain new information. This is where she becomes the Ruler of Pride, Perseverance and Wisdom, which all come together to shape her development. 

I suppose it's needless to say that I really enjoyed this second volume, but I have to. It's part of my grading system. SO!

Trickster Eric Novels gives So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2) an A+

Click here for my next book review:  So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 3)

Click here for my previous book review: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

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.

Dungeon of the Mad Mage (D&D adventure module) (read for fun)

I wanted to learn how to build dungeons and stock with them encounters. I do not just mean monsters to fight or traps to avoid but a full adventure. So I looked to the professionals of the "world's greatest roleplaying game" and picked up the mega-dungeon known as Undermountain. 

This is a review for "Dungeon of the Mad Mage".

Wow, this module is versatile. The flexibility written into this mega-dungeon is amazing. I was expecting something that was a one-size-fits all sort of thing. You know, something like the modules that Adventure's League DMs run: the players arrive for X reason, and then Y happens. Let the players react and then tell them to do Z. This book isn't written like that at all. In fact, it is so flexible it is less of a pre-written adventure and more like a pre-written setting that includes set-piece events for a DM to use or adapt for their own adventure. 

For instance, the first chapter provides adventure hooks for the party but acknowledges that players can have their own reasons for entering Undermountain. The players aren't locked into a particular quest or storyline. A DM could make up their own reason. This is an easy thing to do. I found myself coming up with several hooks for venturing to particular levels; hooks that didn't have anything to do with the specific adventure suggested but just the setting provided. 

The same chapter has this sidebar listing off possible motivations for Halaster Blackcloak, the Mad Mage himself, to tolerate the adventurers intruding in his lair. There are six in total, and they can change whenever the DM wants without explanation. As the book says, "he is the Mad Mage, after all". So the DM could make up some totally bonkers motivation, and that would be totally legit. If they don't want to include him, then they can leave Halaster in the background. 

The dungeon levels themselves are flexible. Each level map is created with tunnels that lead off the established area. These are marked as "tunnel leads to expanded dungeon".  So the DM can add rooms and events if they want, or they can pretend those tunnels don't exist and treat the area as a solid wall.

 A list of wandering monsters is often provided that the DM can include if they want to shake up an existing room. Even if a player has read this book, they can still be surprised by these wandering creatures, or who may or may not appear. 

Finally, while each level is written with its own storyline, the book acknowledge multiple ways that the players could resolve it, or even ignore it. This is tacit encouragement for the DM to tweak things to fit their own narrative. I see the levels more as "template settings" than hard-coded adventures. Indeed, one doesn't even have to use them for Undermountain.

Each level is designed to work within Undermountain. Of course, it is, because they are included in this book. However, they can take place elsewhere. A little tweaking of lore or re-flavoring of certain factions or items, and any given level can be its own stand-alone adventure. For example, there is no reason why Dweomercore, the school for evil mages, has to be inside Undermountain. It could be some isolated mansion in the woods, or part of an urban city with either a public reputation or secret existence. 

I do not mean that this flexibility is nothing but options. There is a concrete path to walk if you choose to walk it. A DM can run this adventure exactly as it is, no changes necessary, and it would still be a complete adventure. There are storylines, individual events, monster encounters, and treasures of all kinds already provided. 

Each level of the dungeon is supposed to be balanced to the party's level, and there's even a in-universe mechanic to prevent players from going to levels they may not be ready for (if the DM wants to use it). The experience gained from each level will help the party level up and be ready for the next one. As for being balanced treasure-wise, that is something I want to address.

I don't really understand the value of the wealth-per-level thing. It sounds too rigid for storytelling. Why should the same dungeon contain more or less treasure for parties of different levels? It sounds like game-ism for the sake of game-ism. The treasure found in Undermountain makes a great deal of sense with its story.

The majority of the treasure found here is from other people who have set up shop in Undermountain. The bandits, the Drow Houses, the Hobgoblin army, other adventuring parties (living or dead, but mostly dead) etc. are the ones with the treasure. This is because the player's party is not the first to go into Undermountain. Heck, the main entrance to Level One is basically a tourist attraction in the Yawning Portal tavern. Lots of adventurers have gone in and searched for loot. So the book mentions empty treasure chests, already-looted vaults, and other signs of previous adventuring parties. There is STILL treasure to be found, but it is going to be on deeper levels, in better hiding places, etc. I find this a fantastic thematic device.

The artwork and maps and all that stuff look good too. I just don't want to go into detail about it. Rest assured that flipping between the map and the descriptions of the rooms keyed to the map is an easy thing to do. I did just that when I was reading through the book to get a sense for how the level was laid out. 

As a dungeon master, my reaction to reading even the first several levels was, "I want to play through this with someone."

Trickster Eric Novels gives Dungeon of the Mad Mage an A+

Click here for my next book review:  So I'm a Spider, So What? (light novel 2)

Click here for my previous book review: Pendragon's Heir (book 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.

Pendragon's Heir (book 1) (read for fun)

 
This is a book I found in the local library. I didn't look for it. It just happened to be on the same shelf as another book that I was deliberately looking for. That's one of the fun things about a local library. You can browse the shelves freely, with nothing but the Dewey Decimal System arranging the books in front of you (no algorithms!). 

Anyway, the premise of this book is a schoolgirl discovering that she has inborn powers of clairvoyance when a terrorist organization tries to kidnap her for them. This leads to a Meele a Tois between said terrorist organization (basically the Illuminati), an international crime-fighting organization known as L.A.N.C.E. , and the private army of robots commanded by superhero Arthur Keep. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it? 

It it, kind of, but the way it is presented removes any feeling of info dump or confusion. The only confusion here is the budding Seer's own confusion. See, Elaine is a first-person narrator, so the reader experiences her confusion at the sudden 180 shift in her peaceful and boring life. The information provided to her (and thus the reader) comes in a steady and easily digestible stream, though she finds it frustratingly slow, which is understandable. Personally, I found it was surprisingly easy to keep track of everything. 

There are a couple things I want to address. They are concerns I had when I started reading this book. 1.) Will Reddington, Elaine's love interest, would be a hot-seductive-dangerous stereotype, and lack anything else of a personality. 2.) Elaine's clairvoyance would never amount to much, and just serve as a macguffin to make people fight over her and keep her involved in the plot; she herself would just be an observer of the plot. 

I have read a book with a similar premise to this: a girl with psychic powers who is involved with secret agent type schemes and whom the villain wants to recruit for her powers. It was one of the worst books I have ever read. Even now, years later, I can remember it clearly, and I use it as the standard for books that deserve an "F" by my grading scale. I am not joking at all. However, with this book, Pendragon's Heir, all of my concerns were unfounded. 

Will Reddington has a full-developed character. He has an existence separate from Elaine. He never tries to seduce her, and has his own character arc unfold alongside hers. He has a purpose in the narrative beyond "being an attractive love interest".  

Also, Elaine develops her powers over the course of the story, thanks to mentoring by a much older and experienced Seer (so she's not a unique special person either). At the start of the story, Elaine's powers are latent. They manifest as images that superimpose themselves over her literal eyesight. By the climax, she learns multiple uses for them, from spying on enemies to combat clairvoyance. Furthermore, all these uses have clear rules and limitations. So the clairvoyance is never used for an I Just Know sort of situation. 

As for being an observer to the plot, defying that idea is part of Elaine's personal conflict throughout the book. All four of her parents (two blood parents and two step-parents), want to keep her away from the fighting, because she is a civilian without training or experience in combat. So she is basically grounded in her father's tower for most of the story and surrounded by his army of robotic knights. She has to endure a good deal of combat training and physical conditioning, bond with her father to develop a level of mutual trust, and execute some covert maneuvers to prevent her caring-but-overprotective father from sidelining her. The climatic chapter is even titled, "Where I refuse to be sidelined no matter what". In other words, Elaine tries very hard to avoid being reduced to an observer. 

Did you notice the phrases "father's tower" and "small army of robotic knights"? Yes, those are literal statements. Elaine's blood father is Arthur Keep, an eccentric gazillionaire inventor who is the world's biggest fan of the King Arthur Mythos. Arthur Keep lives in Keep Tower, which is styled like a medieval European fortified tower (albeit with modern construction and technology) and one of his inventions is a type of combat robot who can either become literal armor for a human or move independently. Also, they are named after the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's fatherly petname for Elaine is "princess", because that is basically what she is, legal heir to the Keep Incorporated kingdom. 

Aside from that, Arthur Keep is definitely based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Tony Stark. He prefers working in his laboratory to doing anything business-management related, rarely takes anything seriously, is a public superhero in powered armor he invented himself and grabbles with trust issues, except when it comes to his wife, a very professional and business-savy woman to whom he delegates any and all CEO duties, to the point where she IS the CEO of Keep Incorporated. The book was published in 2019, after many MCU movies featuring Iron Man. 

The first chapter is a bit slow and boring, but this is a necessity to show the contrast of her life before and after the initiation event of the plot. It is not a "make the protagonist a lowest common denominator" sort of chapter. It is actually more focused on introducing her budding clairvoyance, which becomes immediately relevant. It also leads to my final point. 

This is a Like Reality Unless Otherwise Noted sort of fiction story. Just because it takes place in a fictional version of America does not mean that it is exactly like the real life version. At no point does Elaine state that clairvoyance itself is fake/impossible/fiction. 

No. Elaine knows that clairvoyance is a real thing. Everyone in her setting, even and including the muggles, know that clairvoyance is a real thing. Superheroes and Fair Folk are real things too. There is no Masquerade at all. It is such a refreshing set up that I have to mention it. 

When I was growing up, every single fantasy book I read that took place in the modern day included a Masquerade. Every fantastical thing had to hide from the non-fantasy humans for some reason, or no reason at all. It was some implied rule of fantasy literature that the modern era had to be exactly the same as real life, with all the fantasy elements partitioned into some hidden area. Mixing them was taboo, both in-universe and out. I think it had to do with some meta-idea of the reader "discovering" the hidden fantasy world as they read the story. 

That is not the case here. When Elaine protests about having clairvoyance, it is because she doesn't believe that she, herself, has the power of clairvoyance. It is common knowledge in her setting that clairvoyance follows bloodlines, so if neither of your parents are clairvoyant then you aren't either. It is a rational idea, and I prefer it to a protagonist who denies a plainly visible truth (i.e. Flat Earth Atheist). 

Aside from all that, it looks good on a technical level. I don't recall much in the way of spelling errors or grammar issues. I give authors more leeway on grammar when they use a first-person narration, because really, how many people think in perfect grammar? 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Pendragon's Heir an A+

Check here for my next book review: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (D&D adventure module

Click here for my previous book review: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior

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.

Connecting Things to Connect to Readers -

As a novelist, I write stories. I want to entertain readers with stories they will enjoy. This requires connecting them to the story, and all the elements of the story together. I think I neglected this aspect in Transcending Limitations. I also think it is why The Highest Power is taking so long to finish. 

I recognize the emptiness in the earlier drafts for The Highest Power but I couldn't figure out why they were so empty. I described the image in my head and tried to convey the emotion of what I saw and the energy that I felt so I could share it all with the reader. Yet everything fell flat. I didn't understand where the disconnect was until I realized it was in the book itself. 

I wasn't connecting things in the book itself. I didn't connect the feelings of the characters. I didn't connect events. I didn't connect motives. All the connections were in my head. All I did was present an image of the events through impersonal words. I didn't realize how distant this image was from a reader who lacked my internal connections. 

I could write SEVERAL blog posts about this idea of connections. In fact, if I tried hard enough, I could probably write a whole book about it.  Transcending Limitations was a significant learning experience. 

This post will focus on just one connection, the viewpoint character. You can also call them The Protagonist (which is different from The Hero). 

The viewpoint character is the connection within the connection. The book itself is the connection between the writer and the reader. The book itself, be it a paper book or an ebook or an audio book, links the reader to the writer. However, the connection is not really the book itself, but the story elements inside the book. It is the narration and the action of the characters, particularly the viewpoint character. 

(Related aside -  I'm not sure if this very article is connecting to the reader. It is a different sort of writing than a novel, so my learning experience with novels might not be helping here. After all, there is no viewpoint character, unless of course you consider the viewpoint character to be the one writing the article. Hey, maybe that's the thing.)

The viewpoint character is the connection within the connection. He or she (or "they", I guess) is the means by which the writer connects to the reader. The writer uses them to connect things in the story for the reader. This viewpoint character experiences the events of the story, and feels a certain way about them. They connect the story dots but in a way that is unique to them, which may or may not be accurate. 

The viewpoint characters see the events of the story in a certain way, which is the way that the story connects to them.  They interpret events according to their understanding. The reader sees this (or hears it, whatever) and that is their connection to the story. The energy, emotion and image that I have, that I want to share with the reader, is delivered by this viewpoint character. 

The story is filtered through this character's perspective. The lore that is relevant to the story is presented to the reader from their perspective. This keeps the story focused and coherent. I tried to portray this one scene from everyone's perspective and that was a mess!

The events that are shown in the story are the events that the viewpoint character takes part in, which does not include all the events that happen. Those "off-page" events still need to be made known to the reader, so the reader can understand the whole story, but they must be from the viewpoint character's perspective to maintain a consistent perspective. 

I realize now that this is why I hear so much advise about "relatable" viewpoint characters and "identifying" with viewpoint characters. Being able to relate to or identify with a viewpoint character helps the reader to understand their perspective, which then aids the connection, which then builds up the significance of events and aids the transmission of emotion. It is not necessary, in my opinion, but it is helpful. 

In fact, I think it can be more harmful than helpful, because trying to guess who is going to pick up your book is tricky. Yes, I know about targeted adds and information collecting algorithms, but making presumptions about any given reader is likely to come across as offensive. There are a lot of tropes on Tvtropes that make fun of this tactic, such as This Loser Is You. 

So I think it is better to be authentic. Present the authentic feelings of one character as they are. Allow them to be the author's connection to the reader, whoever the reader is. Doing this enables the reader to get inside the character's mind and experience their viewpoint. That is a connection. The reader can understand the character this way, and thus understand that they are not a flat character, empty of emotions and motives (unless, of course, the goal of the author is an empty audience surrogate). 

I coined a phrase for this -  standing behind their shoulder. Going into detail about that would be another post entirely. 

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.

News from my Journey to Chaos! (June 2021)

 Hello Fans and the general Internet,

I felt it was necessary to make a general update on the progress of my upcoming novels. Part of this is because it has been several years since I have published something. Another part is because there is a lot of stuff to cover. The third part is because I have published nothing here, on this blog, except for book reviews for quite some time, and that was annoying me. 

So! Update. 

Number 1

The fifth book of the Journey to Chaos series is currently titled "The Highest Power". I am poised to start the fifth draft soon, probably in July or August at the latest. I basically rewrote the story in the fourth draft. I had to rewrite it three times in order to get a result that I liked. Because I made so many changes, I will most likely get a beta reader after I read through the fifth draft. After I receive feedback, I will start the sixth draft. Assuming that draft goes well, I can go into more technical polishing and then send it to my editor for the pre-publishing process. It may or may not be published this year. You will know when I get close because A.) I will tell you here or somewhere and B.) I'm planning on doing a bigger advertising push than I did for "Transcending Limitations". 

Number 2

What will definitely get published this year is a much shorter work,  a prequel to Journey to Chaos. It is a collection of short stories focusing on Journey to Chaos major characters: Nolien, Tiza, Basilard, Annala and Kallen. What were they up to before Eric arrived on Tariatla? These stories are the answer to that question. 

I have finished the second draft. It is about 50 pages right now. I will have someone beta-read it, and then begin the third draft. After that, assuming all goes well, I can begin the pre-publishing process. Hopefully, it will be enough to tide over Journey to Chaos fans while I finish the final book in that series. 

Number 3

Finally, the first book in my new series. I have not named it yet. Rather, I don't want to reveal the name yet. I think it is a superstitious thing. Anyway, I am working on the second draft (counting from draft zero) right now. If I do not finish this draft sometime in the next month then I will take a break from it to continue working on the final two Journey to Chaos projects. 

This is a more long-term project. After I finish the current draft, I will let it lay fallow for a bit and work on something else. Then, after I finish the third draft (counting from draft zero), I will send it out for beta reading. Somewhere in this process, I will announce what I will call this new series and this book in particular. 

Thank you for your patience. I endeavor to craft stories worthy of it. 

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.