The Bookwyrm's Review of The Blighted City by Scott Kaelen

Author: Scott Kaelen

Length: 392 Pages/19 Hours, 29 Minutes (audio)

Publisher: Scott Kaelen

Release Date: January 15, 2018/August 23, 2019 (audio)

Narrator: Todd Menesses

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Rating: 4/5

This is one of those books I had recommended to me by friends, and had in my To Be Read pile for a while. It just got lost in the shuffle of a lot of books hitting me at the same time for review. When the audiobook came out, I was offered a copy to review and decided now was a good time to see if the recommends panned out. I'm happy to say they were. In a crowded marketplace of fetch quests and chosen one narratives, this one takes some of those tropes and turns them right on their head, leading to an exciting romp through to true danger.

PLOT SUMMARY  

Four hundred years ago, Mallak Ammenfar brought a curse down upon the city of Lachyla. The city was blighted, and the city gates closed as the population died off. To this day, the city and the area around it are considered cursed, and people don't go anywhere near the city, since people who go in don't come back out. Since the fall of Lachyla, all the kings of the land of Himaera have fallen, and it now has no ruler, just a bunch of independent towns and hamlets, with free blades the closest thing to the law, and they are just hired to clean out bandits and monsters, not to enforce law. 

The best of these free blade teams is led by blade master Jalis, along with journeyman blades Dagra and Orik. Bounties have been slow of late, but when a juicy contract to collect a family heirloom comes up, with a years pay for completion, the team has to seriously consider it, even though it leads to, you guessed it, the blighted city. Dagra, being superstitious,  doesn't want to go, but allows himself to be talked into it. 

Leaving on the journey, they make good progress intitially. They start encountering challenges as they get further into uninhabited land, having several run ins with monsters. Getting past these, they make their way to the city, climbing over the wall and going to the family crypt where the gem they came for is stored. While  walking through the tunnels of the crypt, they notice weird fungus and spider webs all over the place. Dagra accidentally breaks one of the fungus and gets it on his face, but nothing happens, so they move on. Finding the stone, but being freaked out by the creepyness of the tomb, they make their way to the surface, where they get a rather unpleasant surprise. It seems that even though the blight killed the citizens of the city, that hasn't stopped them from walking around. What follows is a pitched battle, as the three sell swords have to fight against overwhelming odds to try and escape the city with their prize.

Effecting their escape, the group heads back to collect the bounty. However, they are slowed a bit as Dagra was somewhat injured in their escape and they need to attend to him. Dagra seems lethargic, but they put that to his injury. Waking up the next morning, they discover Dagra is gone. They also discover a strange girl watching their camp. Capturing her, they discover Dagra has returned to the city with the stone. They also discover there is a village of the cities descendants that escaped before the blight struck the city down, who will do anything to hide the fact of their existence. Following him back to the city, Jalis and Orik sneak back into the city, and meet an inhabitant who is not feral. It turns out there are two types of inhabitants, and those closer to the city are still thinking. 

This is where the story takes some major twists and turns, as we learn the true history f the blight and the city. We learn what really happened to the inhabitatnts, and that the story that got out isn't necessarily the whole truth. The city was hit by the blight, but the effects weren't quite as permanent as advertised. What this means for the city if this gets out is unknown, since there are larger forces at play elsewhere, and if anyone found out about the city being inhabited, it could lead to a rush to conquer. This is the issue the adventurers face, as well as keeping themselves from getting killed by xenophobic villagers trying to hide there existence. Will the free blades be able to deal with this while being able to complete their bounty? You'll have to read to see what happens.

WORLDBUILDING AND CHARACTERS  

A lot of indie and small press books you read now days have worldbuilding as deep as a kiddie pool. The backstory might be mentioned, but a lot of time it's forgotten by the next page. Not so with Blighted City, since the backstory is front and center in the narrative. Its well thought out and introduced very organically. You really get the feel you are right there in the story, running for your life with the blighted right on your heels. 

The characters are so well written. The three main characters, Jalis, Dagra and Orik get so much attention. Their lives are slowly spun out before us, and you really get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses, which they all have. Their relationships, asperations and motivations play out right on the page, giving them the feel of real people. The secondary characters are a mixed bag, but in a good way, having a lot of variety in there various personalities. The book has unconventional antagonists, but I cant go into more detail without spoiling things. They get a lot of attention too as well, so they have as realistic motivations as the protagonists. 

Narration  

The narration is excellently handled by Todd Menesses. He has an excellent narrative voice with outstanding pacing, so you never feel he falls into a monotonous rut. He does an excellent job bringing the various characters to their own unique life, using a variety of tones and accents to differentiate them. His voice just draws you right into the story, and he is one of my favorite narrators working today,

FINAL THOUGHTS   

I do go through a lot of books, and am always on the look for new series. This is definitely a good way to keep my attention for future installments. Is it perfect? No, because while it does have a good premise and good execution, it does have some scenes and plot lines that could use some pairing down, in my opinin. While not a deal breaker by any stretch, the hidden village plot line seemed a bit more than the story needed. That being said, it shouldn't scare anyone away from trying this book out, and who knows, you might think that's a strength. I definitely recommend this book to fantasy fans looking for an engaging mix of strong worldbuilding, excellent characters and solid plotting. I am looking forward to see where the story goes from here.

The Bookwyrm's Review of Way of the Immortals: Path of the Divine by Harmon Cooper

Author: Harmon Cooper

Length: 563 Pages/ 9 Hours 11 Minutes (audio)

Release Date: August 20, 2019/ September 26, 2019

Publisher: Boycott Books, LLC

Narrator: Neil Hellegers

Genre: Portal Fantasy/Wuxia Cultivation

Rating: 4.5/5

I have quite a few of Harmon Cooper's books I've collected over the years, so I had an idea what to expect going into this one. I wasn't disappointed, either, even though this one is a bit of a change from his usual more light hearted fare. It is a well constructed story that really draws the reader in.

PLOT SUMMARY

Nick Barnette, an average guy in his mid-twenties, has gotten together with some his fiends to throw a friend his bachelor party. All good to go, until a purple portal opens up, and purple tendrils drag them all into the portal. Nick ends up landing on a breakwater with a couple of the others, while one of the friends is dropped out in the water. This wouldn't be a problem except for the sea dragon that surfaces. While one friend dove in to help their friend, Nick and another friend proceed down the beach looking for help. What they find are armored soldiers who try and arrest them. Nick manages to escape into the woods, and proceeds to get away. 

Meeting a group on the road in distress, Nick discovers they have a daughter possessed by a spirit. Nick somehow dispels the spirit, and the family rewards him in a most unusual way. Unfortunately for Nick, the result of that reward ends up with his enslaved by the group, and sold off to the local ruler, Madame Mabel. He is tested for abilities, and has the ability to slow time, but can't control it, and is defeated in the testing, meaning he will be a field hand, not a guard slave. 

Weeks later, as Nick is attempting his escape, the plantation is attacked by rebels, and Nick manages to escape. He ends up at a monastery, where the head monk, the Enlightened One, agrees to help Nick develop his abilities through Karma cultivation. The method of teaching is not what Nick expects, and he starts to lose it. Three weeks in, one of the monks comes to him telling him the monastery was attacked by treasure hunters looking for magical relics, and killed all the monks and the Enlightened One. 

Deciding to help the monk, who's name is Alton, they decide its imperative to track down the treasure hunters and keep them from getting the relic they were really seeking, a magical flaming sword. This is where the story really takes off, as Nick and Alton track them down, leading to a series of events which will see Nick have tremendous successes and failures, as he and Alton retrieve the relic sword, and start carving a path through history. Along the way, they meet new enemies, as well as stop an evil world changing plan cooked up by one of the people brought through the portal, using Earth history for inspiration to effect the plan. Nick will discover he has a destiny to fulfill, if only he will seize it and develop all his abilities to their fullest. The fact that there are forces arrayed against him doing this won't stop Nick, who may be on the path of the divine, from trying to reach that potential.

WORLD BUILDING AND CHARACTERS  

There is a definite sense of what the author was trying to create with the world. It definitely has a wuxia world feel to it, with all the over the top martial arts action and magic that entails. The cultivation elements are smartly plotted, with consistent elements and skills increasing. There are various paths of magic and skills, with very definite rules and limits. It is definitely a world readers won't be completely unfamiliar with.

Characters are definitely given attention in development. Nick is an especially interesting character. While he starts off as the usual fish out of water in a new world, he has a really creative power increase path, with his instincts from our world conflicting with the path that destiny has for him. The secondary characters are definitely a strength, being given well rounded personalities, and act in some surprising ways. The villains are more than just mustache twirling stereotypes, with various motivations guiding their actions, and some surprising twists with them make for great characters. All in all, definitely a strength in this book.

NARRATION  

The narration is handled by one of my favorite narrators, Neil Hellegers. He has such an awesome voice, really keeping the narrative flowing, while creating a host of voices to really differentiate the various characters, bringing them to vivid life.  He uses various tones and accents to give each character their own distinct personality in the narration, really setting them apart. Another ace performance on his part.

FINAL THOUGHTS  

If you go into this thinking this is your average, harem infused light hearted romp, prepare to have your expectations subverted. This is definitely a change of pace for Harmon, and not in a bad way. Focusing more one Nick's relationship with the world, as opposed to his relationships with various characters, gives this story a focus and drive I was quite happy to lose myself in, and can't wait to see where the story goes in the next book. This book is very much recommended.

The Bookwyrm's Review of The Barrow King by C.M. Carney

Author: C.M. Carney

Length: 533 Pages/ 13 hours, 30 minutes (Audio)

Release Date: February 28, 2018/ August 15, 2018

Publisher: Book Room Press

Narrator: Armen Taylor

Genre: LitRPG/Portal Fantasy

Series: The Realms (Book 1)

Rating: 4.75/5

As a lifelong reader and gamer, who has read some of the formative books in the genre that eventually became LitRPG and GameLit, I will be honest that I find the genre really hit or miss. I'd seen Barrow King for a while but hadn't gotten around to reading it. I was offered the chance to review it, so decided to give it a go. Great decision on my part. This was definitely on the hit side of the equation.

PLOT SUMMARY

Finn Caldwell is in hiding from a past that has lethal consequences if he's found. When his sister, an executive at the worlds biggest game company, sends him a clandestine message that her life is in danger, and instructions how to save her by going full immersion into the video game her company has developed, Finn decides to go through with it, both to save his sister and get further off the grid.

Entering the game, he discovers the conspiracy his sister warned him of is very real, when his sister's boss, now playing as the head god in the game that may just be real in more ways than could be imagined, tries to kill him. Finn, taking on the name Gryff, escapes through a portal, but is separated from his AI companion, which has all the details needed to play through the game and uncover the conspiracy. Gryff finds himself in a barrow dungeon, which is filled  monsters and enemies Gryff is only partially equipped to deal with. The main threat to Gryff in the barrow is the Barrow King himself, an ancient necromancer turned Lich, who gains power sucking the life energy out of beings in the barrow. 

As he proceeds through the dungeon, Gryff discovers he has attributes of a game character, such as being able to improve his abilities through stat building. He also slots a godhead stone into his attributes, which allows for phenomenal power if he can figure out how to build on it. Progressing though the barrow, Gryff meets others along the way, such as a pair of gnome adventurers trapped when their party was wiped out exploring the barrow, as well as a warrior monk, who helps Gryff proceed in a way that will maximize his growth potential. Fighting through hordes of monsters and even the Barrow King himself possessing bodies along the way, Gryff has to confront the Barrow King in person, as well dealing with the even greater threat the gods play in his life. 

WORLD BUILDING AND CHARACTERS

The world building in the Barrow King is not the typical LitRPG game world seen in so many books and games. You are immersed in it, feeling as though you are right there moving through the corridors, discovering various locations that feel more real than they should for just a simulations. You get the idea that things are not what they seem at surface level, and that reality may be closer to the surface than you'd think. 

The characters are rock solid, with Finn/Gryff and his nemesis, the Barrow King, really standing out. They each get such attention regarding their back stories and motivations, and they are realistic and flawed, acting in ways a real person could see themselves doing. The secondary characters, from the gnomes to the various monsters throughout the Barrow are also given attention, raising them up above the level of the usual cardboard cutout NPCs. Gryff's mission is front and center, but the other characters motivations are also laid out, and the character's progress toward accomplishing their own goals along with Gryff's, making for a much more well rounded story. If there's any weakness to the book, its that the second story plotline involving Gryff's AI isn't really explored a lot yet, and it just felt like a loose end I'm sure will be rectified in book two. 

NARRATION

Narration is handled by the talented Armen Taylor. He was an excellent choice to record this book. He has a really pleasing narrative voice, and has outstanding pacing when he narrates. His use of tone and inflections, as well as accents, really helps individualize the various characters, and he has a real knack for finding just the right voice for each character. I can't wait to hear him narrate further books in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have to be honest, this is definitely in my top ten, maybe even top five, LitRPG books of all time. I don't want to compare it to other books in the genre, but I do think fans of the genre should find something to enjoy in this book, and have a positive reaction to it. I enthusiastically recommend this book to LitRPG and epic fantasy fans alike.