-
Pyresouls Apocalypse: Rewind by James T Callum (2020)
I had to ban myself from playing Elden Ring for a while because I was getting too sucked into it. Instead I decided to read this, which scratched the itch nicely.
Oddly enough, considering how big the franchise is, I haven’t read a Dark Souls inspired LitRPG before and this one was a strong start. Interestingly enough it’s both a ‘suddenly RPG Apocalypse’ and a ‘trapped in a videogame’ story. The general premise is that about a decade before someone unleashed a demon from the VR game Pyresouls, which smashed him and then dragged all the dark and dismal creatures from the game into the real world, along with the underlying game mechanics. Mankind was not prepared and, with weapons that didn’t really work and stats that couldn’t be changed outside of the game, they quickly fell. Only a few pockets of resistance remained.
In a last desperate attempt to save the world our main character is sent back in time to play the game, get to the demon first and stop the apocalypse. But he’s in a race against all the other players because whoever finishes the game first is promised massive wealth.
It nicely solves my main problem with most ‘trapped in a videogame’ LitRPGs by having actual stakes. Even when you just respawn at a bonfire after you die there’s an ever present ticking clock and actions have real consequences. This conveys a good sense of urgency.
It’s also nice to see the main character reacting to having all his stats nerfed from battling in the real world and being sent back to the basics. He still has all his experience but lacks the muscle memory to use the sword skills he’s mastered. I’m a bit of a sucker for a swordfighter so watching him relearn how to fight with a sword and begin to use other weapons as well was fun to watch.
It all was fun, really. There’s a nice air of mystery to the novel as the lines between what’s obviously a game and what isn’t become blurred. There’s good character interactions, there’s good combat scenes and in general it’s a fun read. I really loved the end because it’s exactly what I would have wanted it to be and was very fitting with the tone and composition of the novel.
-
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (2016)
Ninefox Gambit is what I’d describe as Hard Sci-fi. Hard Sci-fi is one that really gets into the nitty-gritty of the science, where there’s new technology explained to you or complicated maths to follow. It plays up the sci more than the fi. Soft sci-fi would be something that more just uses the setting. To make it simple, star trek is hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi is star wars.
Usually I tend to stay clear of hard sci-fi. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that it requires more effort to follow. This was not the case for Ninefox Gambit.
I will say straight up that I don’t understand much of the technology involved. I get that if you control the calendar then you can influence reality, meaning that certain ‘exotic’ weapons can be used and that certain military formations will generate certain effects. Everything else is beyond me. But I don’t need to know more. With that basic understanding everything else is very readable and I can just sit back and enjoy the story.
And what a story! It’s a siege tale and I love siege tales. A central fortress has fallen to heretics and to take it back the hexarchate sends a captain attached to one of their greatest generals. Who is undead and also insane. The two characters work well together. Shuos Jedao, the Immolation Fox, the general who has never lost a battle, is fantastic. With his constant plotting, his strokes of genius and his melancholia he is engaging and fascinating. Compared to him Captain Kel Cheris does seem a little lacking. She is the main character and most of the story is told from her perspective. And she’s mostly focused on the war effort and trying not to lead everyone into a slaughter. As such we don’t get as much of an insight into her. She’s methodical and careful and cares and she likes watching ridiculous melodramas and talking to servitors but apart from that she is overshadowed a lot. Still, she’s a solid character and gets the job done.
I say that most of the story is told from her perspective. There are the occasional parts of chapters told from others, always one offs. These work wonderfully to give a broader sense of the action and generate a lot of very moving moments. We also get the occasional email from one of the rebels to the rebel leader. These are light, fluffy and wonderful, while giving a great perspective on what’s happening inside the fortress. It’s a wonderful way to tell a story and gives each action the right amount of impact. Sadly these are mostly from the boots on the ground infantry and we don’t really get anyone’s opinions on Cheris or Jedao, which would certainly flesh out her character.
The great thing about siege tales is the plotting and planning, the pulling of desperate schemes to try and win. Usually you read about them from the perspective of the defenders but this was a refreshing change of pace. It is here that Jedao really comes alive, scheming and manipulating everyone around him to try and win. It’s a lot of fun to read.
The whole thing is a blast, really. The technology is a little impenetrable as I said but you really don’t need to understand it, just accept that it works. The descriptions are sparse but detailed enough to paint a beautiful picture. And the plot bounces along quickly. Honestly the only complaint is that Cheris’s character could have been more developed but that’s what the next few books are for and I can’t wait to read them.
-
The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska (2022)
I was halfway through The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska when I saw someone on Twitter complain that there weren’t enough books about sapphic villains, girls doing evil and competing while yearning for each other. Which was weird because that describes this book to a T.
Embracing the fairy-tale setting, the main characters are the three servants of three witches. Morning, Midday and Midnight are sent out to steal the hearts of princes to empower their masters. While Morning and Midday will work together on occasion, Midnight works alone, forbidden to socialise with the other two girls. But when they are all ordered to retrieve the heart of a prince during the midwinter festival all three are swept together.
And I do mean swept. There’s magic in the air outside of the spells being cast. The book captures the hustle and bustle of the holiday season with the wild parties and merriment to push back the dark and the cold of the season. The plot drags you along at a fast pace, swirling you along and making you drag the ending. But all stories must end and this one does in the same spectacular way it does everything else.
Set in a fantasy medieval Polish aesthetic this is a book that oozes style. The descriptions of the colourful clothing, the festival, the different activities that are going on and the different types of magic all exude such a vivid feeling that it seems almost gluttonous to your imagination. This is the type of story to read on cold winters night to keep you warm.
By the end of the book I went back and told that person on Twitter that they had to read this. And so should you. Because it’s just that good.
Library of Alexander 