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The Wandering Inn Book 2: Fae and Fare by Pirate Aba (2019)
The first book of The Wandering Inn was a textbook example of how to start off a long running series. It introduced the main characters and the world, has a fantastic and explosive self-contained plot and ends with a nice juicy hook to get you to read the next one.
It was also, and I didn’t notice this until I was writing this review, surprisingly constrained. There were references to the bigger world out there but apart from a couple of very brief chapters all the action took place within a relatively small area in the middle of the continent of Izril. Which is honestly amazing considering how big the world already felt. But the first book ended with the larger world forcibly introducing itself into the story and taking a prominence it refuses to give up. From here on we get stories and perspectives from occasional characters on other continents, tying everything that’s happening into a fascinating larger perspective.
In a lot of ways it’s more restrained than the first book. There’s not the same level of threat to all of our characters as happened at the end of that one. This is about recovering from the ordeal they all went through, picking up the pieces and trying to make something new and better. Which isn’t to say that there isn’t action and adventure, oh boy is there, but it’s not at the same level as it was before.
And that’s a good thing. A rollercoaster can’t be all dives and swoops. You have to build up to the bigger drops, creating the anticipation for the fall. Because when it comes it’ll be fast, sudden and leave you breathless.
And that’s what this book is, a lot of set up for what’ll come later, a moment to breath before things become crazy again. And I love it. The normality of everyday life (or as normal as things ever get for Erin and Ryoka) is lovely to experience. It’s a breath of cold winter air, refreshing, before you take off running again.
And it’s still full of great moments. The Otherworldly Party, the Mindreading Chess Game of Chess, the Unfortunate Sleighride and Game of Riddles (which added special effects) are all fantastic chapters that I went back and read again and again as I was reading this. And the ending still managed to be perfect, a pause in the moment with the expectation of something amazing to keep you hooked. All in all the first book was a great start and this one just builds upon it.
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The Wandering Inn: Book 1 by Pirate Aba (2018)
I love the Wandering Inn series too much, to a point that I have to limit my exposure to it. It’s a web serial and, historically, once I start reading those I keep on reading and I can’t stop until I reach the end (thanks ADHD). And I know that The Wandering Inn would be one of those that would suck me in, so I’m really thankful that it’s here in book form.
In expectation of the 9th book, Tears of Liscor, coming out I’ve been reading back through all the other 8 and it’s been really interesting. And that’s where this review is coming from, a fan that’s read a lot of the books already and is retrospective.
And the first thing that hit me with this book was that it had a surprisingly slow start. Which is not to say that nothing happens to begin with. On the contrary it pretty much throws you right in and it’s a good introduction to the series as a whole. But, as the title suggests, this is a series primarily centring around an inn and I don’t think it really begins until the inn gets some customers. Which doesn’t happen until 6% of the way into the book.
Once those first guests arrive though we’re off. And what a journey we’re about to embark on.
Web serials don’t always make the best books, because the format doesn’t always work well if you cut it into chunks. That’s not a problem this book has though. It’s a fantastic book on it’s own, though at over a thousand pages it is pretty long. And those pages are not wasted. This book contains so much. It’s got humour, action, excitement, politics and horror, all expertly written. It’s doing a lot of setting things up for the rest of the series going forward but it contains a perfect arc, all of the different elements introduced coming together in an explosive finale. And it’s got a great hook to get you interested in the next book as well.
What I personally found really interesting though was some of the changes that were made later on. This is just the first book in a long series and, while a lot of things were set up, you can see other parts where ideas are introduced that are later changed or discarded. A lot of the characters are introduced here that will have changed quite a bit after a few books. And not in a ‘the character evolved’ way, just that their backstories have been subtly tweaked and changed. It’s also fascinating to see subtle hints even this early on to what they will eventually become.
And speaking of the characters, that’s what really drives this series. Oh, the world is interesting and intricate and the LitRPG setting is nice in it’s minimalism but the characters are what’s going to keep drawing you back. There’s Erin, the accidental Innkeeper, who went to the bathroom and ended up in another world. Pisces, the outcast Necromancer, who is a character that has layers. Ryoka, who likes running more than she likes people. These are deep characters who will surprise you as the story goes along, even if just because you’ve forgotten who they really are deep down.
And this book is a fantastic introduction to all of it. It shows you a world of wonders and horrors, of friendship and enemies. It introduces great characters and makes you weep at their deaths. It all begins here, in this amazing book and then it invites you to read the next one, where things get even better.
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Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher (2023)
This is the second book in the Unorthodox Chronicles by James J Butcher, about Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby, a wizard in Boston working for the magic FBI. Well, the second in the series, the first where he’s actually working for said Department. In the first book, Dead Man’s Hand, he was working as a children’s magician and hating every moment of it before he got sort of accidentally framed for a murder and his now partner Mayflower came looking to kill him.
It was a fun read and left me looking forward to the sequel, where I hoped to find a more composed Grimsby beginning to grow into his own. And I was disappointed.
I’ll be frank, I did not like the character of Grimsby. He is a bit of an idiot, which is forgivable, and a huge wet blanket, which is harder to get past. Most of the book is him uncertain and miserable at the position he is in with his job, which was more acceptable when he was having Mexican food stapled to his back and being forced to be the Taco Fairy. But despite getting his dream job, which you’d hope would pay better, he’s still depressed that it isn’t what he expected it to be and is wondering if he made a mistake in taking it in the first place. If there was some end goal with this whining or some self-reflection, then I’d be grudgingly ok with that but it doesn’t really seem to be.
While we’re in a complaining mood, this book takes ages to start. This is a detective novel at its heart so you’d expect most of the book to be centred around solving a case. And while the case is picked up relatively quickly we’re a third of the way in before Grimsby even opens the file. Before that there isn’t a plot as such, more just characters doing things. When he went on an errand to an alternative dimension I actually had to pause and try and work out why I was actually reading the book in the first place.
Happily, that’s about all I have to complain about. After the plot does start is a very enjoyable read and I zipped through the rest of the book. And I loved the way everything resolved. As for other characters, Grimsby is really the only one I can complain about. Mayflower being a grumpy, used-to-be-retired cop who regrets what he’s done with his life, is great and he interacts with Grimsby in a fantastic way. Honestly, I wish he was the main character but whatever. The other characters are also fun and some of the writing and turn of phrase is just great. I’d love to quote my favourite Mayflower line but it’s right at the end so instead I’m putting my second favourite line by someone else: ‘The point is, we’re making certain every I is spectacled and every T is sipped before we make any moves.’
All in all I ended this book much like I ended the last one. Satisfied, willing to buy the next one and hoping the Grimsby is a different person by the time it comes out.
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Mark of the Fool 5 by J.M. Clarke (2023)
If Mark of the Fool 4 was a lot of set up, and it was, book 5 is where all this pays off.
Mark of the Fool 4 started and ended on really strong notes. It was all about Alex Roth coming back to Thameland and ended with a battle that he fought by himself (ok, and with a golem and army of summons but under his own power) showing how much stronger he’d gotten while he was away. But for all that it was quite a fragmented book. It was busy setting up a lot of future plot points and jumping around. I wouldn’t say that Alex was a minority character in the book but it wasn’t all about him this time, as we saw from the perspective of the Heroes, the church and various other characters.
Book 5 goes in completely the opposite direction. We’ve had the set up and now it’s all getting paid off. This book is incredibly focused, maybe more than the others before it. I was reading through it, waiting for the segment I was on to end and for us to get a time skip of some kind and it just didn’t happen. In fact the first half of the book is a single, solid segment and it is great.
The ending is fantastic as well. Alex and his friends have gotten stronger but the enemy has stepped up to meet and overcome him. It ends with a fantastic battle that really got my hyped up.
Not that this book is all about action. The plot is great as well, with several mysteries and secrets threaded through it. The theme of scientific investigation, which has been present throughout the series, is still going strong here, answering some questions and unearthing several more. And the answers to those questions are going to be earth breaking, one way or another.
In short this was a fantastic continuation of the series, leaving you satisfied and looking forward to what happens next.
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Whispers from the Poisoned Isle by Travis M. Riddle (2023)
I ended my last review of the previous book by saying that everything up until now felt like the set up. With this book focusing on tracking down the Facet and navigating a plague-blighted isle that seems to be even more true.
If anything the first two books in the Jekua series (On Lavender Tides and A Fracture in the Qwisdeep) felt almost like a slice of life Pokémon adventure. Pretty chill, just wandering around, collecting Jekua and seeing the sights. This is definitely not what’s going on in this book. For the first time the location actually seems to have an effect on the Jekua that they come across. I mean, sure, the previous books had certain biomes that meant that only certain Jekua would live here. But the ones on Yuluhu have been warped by the plague that rages across the island, as have the people who live there.
Because of this it’s a step up in terms of combat. People die in this book, Jekua have to be killed to stop them from attacking, whereas before mostly people just got knocked out. It comes on suddenly and was a bit unexpected. But so was the first Jekua attack so that kind of makes sense.
In general though, this book continues to give me everything I’m wanting from it. A slightly more serious Pokémon adventure, interesting locations and new Jekua to see. In fact this book introduced what might be my favourite Jekua yet. And the ending is fantastic by the way. It’s a big fight and it’s just so cool. I don’t want to spoil any of it but when it started I almost squealed in delight.
If I have one complaint it’s that something was revealed towards the end of the book and it didn’t have much of an impact on me. Mostly because I thought we already knew about it and had since the first book. But it nicely sets up the groups plans for the next book.
Speaking of, the book ends on one of the dumbest suggestions I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to see what they do about it, or if they even go through with it. And it’s those sort of questions that keep me reading.
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Dead Man’s Hand by James J. Butcher (2022)
Ok, let’s get this out of the way now. James Butcher is the son of Jim Butcher, who wrote the Dresden Files among other things. And when your famous dad writes an urban fantasy book about wizards and you write an urban fantasy book about wizards, there’s going to be comparisons.
Luckily for James, those comparisons come up favourably. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Dresden Files but honestly the first two aren’t that great. Storm Front is fine but not what I’d call inspired. Honestly, after reading it I had no desire to read the rest of the series and it was only a kind of fluke that I did.
Dead Man’s Hand, however, has a lot of flare that Storm Front lacked. The main character is more interesting, initially. Whereas Dresden was a wizard PI, which is cool but also a little vague, Grimsby tried to become a wizard detective, failed, and is now working in a children’s fun palace and hating it. The other main character, Mayflower, is the old, grizzled cop of the duo and he’s retired after seeing way too much. But one last death drags him back in.
It’s this interaction between the two leads that really drives the book. Grimsby is a little weak as a character on his own and tends to flip between enthusiasm and dread. Whereas Mayflower has determination you could bend a steel bar around. The two cover for each other’s flaws as characters a lot.
The plot itself is fine and fairly direct. They have to find a maguffin and that takes them to various places. The world is nicely realised, though one Grimsby is oddly unaware of. The magic is also nicely restrained. While Dresden has a bunch of spells that he can throw out on a moment’s notice, Grimsby has two but he has to use them in inventive ways. I’m always a big fan of characters who has restrictions put on them and I liked this one.
All in all it was a decent novel and, though a bit wobbly in places, its in ways that are forgivable in a first novel. It definitely left me more enthusiastic to keep reading than Storm Front and I think that’s the highest compliment I can offer.
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The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones (2022)
The Bone Houses was a great book, steeped in Welsh mythology and telling a tale of a world where magic had almost completely faded away. But the remnants were still dangerous and stories about them are still told. It was fantastic mix of fairy tale and reality.
And when I heard that The Drowned Woods was set in the same world and contained a magical heist I knew I had to read it.
Set a couple of hundred years before The Bone Houses the world here is still full of magic and mysticism. While before it was really only artifacts that had magic power, here it is very much in the hands of the people. Diviners are those with a calling to control certain elements, like rock or water, and they are born, not taught. And when the ex-spy master of a king tracks down the water diviner his master was hunting and offers her freedom and riches the con is on.
There is some great story telling moments in here. The shifting loyalties and uncertain goals from every good heist story work brilliantly against a backdrop of cruel kings and vicious magic. Obviously I don’t want to risk spoiling anything, as the plot twists and reveals are what make heist stories great. I’ll just say that the crew put together was fascinating and engaging, though maybe a few were not as developed as I’d have liked. But it was the world building, the food that they ate and the lives that people lived that really caught my imagination. I enjoyed reading through it all and I almost wish we got to see more of the world and it’s inhabitants.
And yet if I had to pick a complaint about the book it’s that I think it carried on a little too long. Not by much, maybe a chapter. But that chapter and the epilogue seem determined to tie this book as tightly to The Bone Houses as possible. And after a fantastic book it seemed a shame not to let it just finish by itself, maybe with a few odd references to things that were relevant but leaving it vague. You still don’t need to read the other book but the last wee bit is basically just a big wink to those who had. And it’s a shame because I feel it makes the world a little smaller.
So all in all it’s a fantastic and vibrant book that manages to stumble just a bit at the end.
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Mark of the Fool 4 by J.M. Clarke (2023)
Mark of the Fool 3 was a lot of fun but, as I said in my last review, it felt almost like a break from the main plot. A fun break but a break non-the-less. But Mark of the Fool 4 picks back up and we finally get to see Alex Roth’s return to Thameland.
And if the last book was a break then this one is definitely not, setting up a lot of plot threads going forward. For one, we get chapters from the perspective of other characters. While we did get these before they were only on occasion. There’s a lot more of them here and they give some much needed context to what’s happening. I wouldn’t say that Alex was relegated from his position as main character but in terms of what actually happens, more in happening in the background than the foreground of this novel. There’s plots being hatched, power being gathered, enemies, allies and others moving about. And what’s Alex doing? We’ll what he’s always done. Studying, preparing and bettering himself.
Oddly my favourite part of this book was where Alex started seriously hitting the gym. It’s not a long section and it’s intercut with other parts but there was something very satisfying about watching him set a slightly crazy exercise routine, stick to it and get much stronger. It’s the progression part of progression fantasy, sure, but condensed and about the physical.
And the progress he’s made, not just in the gym but in all parts of his life, was shown very nicely in the last few chapters. It was a great ending for the book, not wrapping up many plot threads per say but definitely giving a good snapshot of where Alex Roth is as a person. The last chapter is almost a moment of calm before whatever happens next and I’m looking forward to what that’ll be.
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The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (2019)
The Bone Houses is a fantastic fairy tale-esque story, though it comes at it from a slightly different direction than I’m used to. For a start it’s based on a Welsh mythos, which is one I’m not as familiar with. As such I kept getting echoes of Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain in it. Which is not a bad thing, far from it. The other slightly odd part was that most fairy tales relevant stories are either written when you’re in the middle of a world of fae and fate or when it’s a distant memory. However The Bone Houses managed to strike a balance between the two. The fae have left, the magic is draining and people are forgetting. However there’s enough left behind for some people to remember and keep to the old ways.
Ryn is the gravedigger of the village of Colbren, tasked with putting the dead in the ground. This occasionally includes the bone houses, people that have died but risen again into a cursed second life. Ellis is a mapmaker that grew up with the royal family but isn’t one of them. He’s come to Colbren to make maps of his own. But when the bone houses, that have up until now stayed to the forest, start venturing out and attacking the town both of them must team up to find out what changed and put a stop to it, if they can. It’s a good premise and they’re both strong characters that compliment each other. The world is great as well, built on a solid foundation of myth and legends.
The heart of fairy tales are that they tell truths and pass on messages, maybe not ones that we want to know. So although on the surface this is a story about zombies and adventure, it’s actually about death, pain and loss. And it tells that story so well. It’s about things that we must all face at some point in our lives, the death of a loved one or our own mortality. But despite the depressing topic the message is uplifting and the last sentence is beautifully profound.
All in all, this book was a lot of fun, with bitterly poignant bits to it. If you like fairy tales or Welsh myths then I can heartily recommend that you read it.
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The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie (2019)
Man, this is a great book.
Anne Leckie writes wonderful plots and characters but it is in the sheer skill of her technical writing that she really shines. The words and how she uses them impacts the reader and makes them think about what they’re reading. For example, in her Ancillary trilogy she made the interesting choice to refer to everyone by female pronouns, as the language of the culture it was set in didn’t have multiple sets of pronouns. It was astonishing how such a small change really emphasised how different this culture was and made you think more closely about what you were reading. And The Raven Tower does a similar thing.
This is a story narrated by a being whose every word is correct. And that’s really all I can say about it because anything else risks spoiling the amazing conclusion. So let me just say that, like her previous books, this is a fantastic piece of technical writing and was a joy to read.
The rest of it was good as well, of course. The world is interesting, filled with gods that perform various services for one reason or another. The plot itself is based in the town Vastai and the rest of the world we only see though stories. It’s deceptively simple and familiar, the heir to a position of power returns to find that their inheritance has been usurped and they and their faithful retainer must discover the heart of a plot of intrigue and deception. But what makes this more interesting is that there are some rules that must be, agreements that have been made with gods and so are inviolable and words that must be the truth. And yet nothing makes sense and the mystery gets ever deeper.
As this is faithfully narrated from a single point of view you don’t get to know the different characters thoughts on matters, only what they do and that too is part of the charm of the story. Which leads me back to just how technically sound this book is.
I apologise. Whenever I read this book, and I’ve read it a few times, all I can see is the sheer skill on show and wonder at that usually overshadows the interesting characters, fascinating world and excellent plot. But this really is a book all writers should read. Every time I do I find some new neat trick that I haven’t noticed before and my respect for the writer grows.
Library of Alexander 