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The Bitter Drop

August 22nd 2022

The Bitter Drop by E. Isherwood

"Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Crime"

Rating: 1 / 10

On date of checking, same date as this review note, the ``read book´´ link was dead aka dysfunctional!

Therefore, I can only hope that the handful of dead links I alread found on muses' list are one day checked by an admin.

An administrator, here, drawn into the unspeakable horror of discovering the magical salts, reading in the forbidden Necronomicon, and ready to raise his, her, or LGBTQIA equivalent, elder sign to thwart the foul and homicidal schemes of deranged cults and evil deities.

If, for whatever reason, the stars will be right on such an administrator, then we may either read the stories, or find the listings no longer include dozens of long-dead LINKS.

``It is no dead, what can eternal lie, but when an admin bans me, all my self-hype will die!´´ ;-)

Now, once again: When Belknap came up with the Hounds of Tindalos, he sure had no idea, how much fiercer the Critics of Tindalos are to us authors & content providers.

Cthulhu was the good guy, y'know?

Obsidian Trilogy

November 8th 2020

Obsidian Trilogy by Olga McArrow

"When the writer is also an artist"

Rating: 9 / 10

"Obsidian Trilogy" is not just a well-written story, it's also a well-illustrated story. Its author also makes a webcomic (Gifts of wandering ice), so she's not just a writer, she is also an artist. The site's design, the story, the sketchy-style drawings, they all give me that nice and cosy feeling of reading an old book. A mobile-friendly old book at that! 10/10 would recommend!

About the story. First of all, "Obsidian Trilogy" is a completed book. I know, I read it in Russian, long before the author decided to translate it into English. Second, it's great, just the type of fantasy that is both entertaining and not shallow. The translation is great too, even when it comes to poems.

If you're looking for a great read, give this story a go. It's definitely worth your time.

The Wandering Inn

July 4th 2020

The Wandering Inn by pirateaba

"Massive. Slice of life. For experienced readers."

Rating: 8 / 10

This story is largely slice of life though it will have a huge amount of combat, violence, intrigue, drama, and magic. But a staggeringly huge slice of life in a fantasy world is the best way to think of it.

For experienced readers, they will love the trope subversion, the diversity of the cast, the unique magical races, the LITRPG aspects, and how everyone takes the weirdness of their world for granted.

The downside, the scope of this story is so massive that it takes a long time to hit its stride. RElative to the length of the story it is tiny but it will be difficult for some when they start. Also, the way our friend the running Muay Thai lady is written is very jarring. Her voice stays distinct but the sometimes annoying way her character was originally written goes away.

I' de say wait until the upstairs is cleaned and until the adventurers become fixtures of the inn before you start judging.

Chapters are long and some of the dramatic speeches go a bit long but again, compared to the massive amount of content that gets put out several times a week it isn't even a blip of the radar.

This author is one of the most prolific professional writers out there and she deserves to be one of the few people able to live off her writing. This is a great master's class on how characters all have different 'normals' and how to have your characters tackle problems in ways that are consistent with their own motivation and capabilities.

(dragon and the cookie game scene was so amazing and so funny I almost lost my job reading it at work. Would have been worth it even if they fired me.)

The Zombie Knight

July 4th 2020

The Zombie Knight by George M. Frost

"Allow start but amazing"

Rating: 8 / 10

The story is difficult to read at first because the main character has crippling social anxiety and it is expressed in dialog and writing. As such it is uncomfortable to read. The same way it would be uncomfortable to say.

There is growth and the readability skyrockets. The story is excellent about being as clever as possible with power usage and always trying to break the game like an intelligent and motivated person would try to do.

The story doesn't shy away from getting super dark. And nit just blood and gore dark. There are some personal relationships and profoundly bleak, harsh things that just make you wince. It's powerful.

The best part of the story is that even though the main character constantly levels up and gets bigger things on his plate, and an expanded scope of projects/quests, it is always done in a way that is engaging. Because the character is making choices that feel unique to them, and the outcome matters to them, I care about political-economic things that would bore me to tear otherwise. As it stands I ended up spending ages personally looking into how banks work, the chemistry of boron, and details of castle architecture.

Amazing story, great fights, constant movement, good character development, and the scope of the world/magic is constantly growing.

Pact

July 4th 2020

Pact by Wildbow

"For Genre Save Readers"

Rating: 8 / 10

PAct breaks the format in a lot of ways. The magic system is very unique, the main character is a grey hero, may be an antihero, and the sense that he has any control over what is happening in the series is minimal.

It's a constant cascade of action, frantic pacing, skin of the teeth escapes, and then diving immediately into the next issue caused by whatever hair-brained bad idea saved you from failure at the last juncture.

A non-human main character becomes a thing and I adore how well and reasonable that character's motivations end up being written.

If you have read enough to want something fresh and to love a subversion then this is perfect for you.

The intense pace, highly conceptual and fluid magic system, intense cascade of consequences, and general complexity of the story may be rough for new readers.

I imagine people who enjoyed the Dresden Files or Twenty Palaces Series would like this

Pact

July 4th 2020

Pact by Wildbow

"For Genre Save Readers"

Rating: 8 / 10

PAct breaks the format in a lot of ways. The magic system is very unique, the main character is a grey hero, may be an antihero, and the sense that he has any control over what is happening in the series is minimal.

It's a constant cascade of action, frantic pacing, skin of the teeth escapes, and then diving immediately into the next issue caused by whatever hair-brained bad idea saved you from failure at the last juncture.

A non-human main character becomes a thing and I adore how well and reasonable that character's motivations end up being written.

If you have read enough to want something fresh and to love a subversion then this is perfect for you.

The intense pace, highly conceptual and fluid magic system, intense cascade of consequences, and general complexity of the story may be rough for new readers.

I imagine people who enjoyed the Dresden Files or Twenty Palaces Series would like this

Worm

July 4th 2020

Worm by Wildbow

"Iconic and revolutionary"

Rating: 9 / 10

This story defines a generation of web serials and showcases the best parts of this format. Every post has real growth and the story never rushes to finish up the way printed books have to. THings worth being seen are given a chapter and the world is flushed out.

Building a world and a magic system is hard, but making a logically consistent and realistic one that makes all the superhero tropes we love become logic is extraordinary.

The most clever, game-breaking use of powers, each character has a real motivation and real growth.

There is one time skip late int he series that I am not a fan of but otherwise this story is amazing and has phenomenal acting and action. I lost more than a week binge reading the series and it deserves to be considered the game-changer it is.

The way Taylor grows and makes decisions is so phenomenally well done.

Impractical Magic

July 4th 2020

Impractical Magic by S.B.B, Oberon, Nalta

"Thank you for reading"

Rating: 8 / 10

Hey everyone, This is S.B.B. the author of Yam Hist in this story.

I really appreciate you finding our page and, hopefully, giving a review. Obviously I can't give a glowing review of my own writing without it being all kinds of weird, but I do have strong feelings about my co-writers.

Oberon excels in windowpane prose and dips into stained glass writing very deliberately and strategically. That range is impressive, but the control is more so. They are also the most logically consistent writer I have come across. They figured out the math for population mechanics based on age, reproduction frequency, length of life, and average brood size so that monsters would make sense. When I first get a chance to read their chapters I have a really strong impression that Cal is the main character and that the world is a second character constantly acting in the scene. It's just too vivid, detailed, and possesses such a strong sense of ambiance. This dude calculates the actual energy their runes would take, translates it into heat, and has made more than one fantasy language just so the gibberish they write in italics isn't arbitrary. You could drown in the details they have put into the world but somehow write so you have the option to find a depth that is comfortable and engaging.

Natalia has the most unique voice of us all. Her literary background is heavily influenced by Tolkien's work. Oberson may make languages for fun, but Natalia has actually taught various dialects of elvish based on the Lord of The Rings series. Oberson and I are both, more or less intentionally, windowpane writers. Natalia writes stained glass words as beautiful as she can make them constantly. The effort it takes to craft a single beautiful paragraph or perfectly turned out line is staggering. She even will take a pen and paper and write them longhand so that the words will have the right feeling of age and intentionality. On top of that, she is drawing world maps and switching rapidly between soft and hard magic systems to keep a sense of wonder in the works.

As for me, Yam is my experiment with making a character with larger than life traits. Jim Butcher talks about how his graduate school teacher forced him to do it, and now I'm taking his word (after having read the original opinion in /The Fantasy Fiction Formula/) and am trying to do the same. Honestly Yam's voice and word choice don't always remain consistent, his chapter can drag on and do have the economy of language that can come across in Oberon's work. Despite being wordier Yam also lacks the rolling ornate style of Natalia's. My only consolation is the horror on people's faces when I mention something offhand like, 'Hey, what do you think would happen if Yam found stimulants?'.

Please tell me what you like, what you want more of and what you want less of. At least for my own writing, I appreciate the data. Every like and every follow is a genuine shock to us. And, in my mind, leaving a comment or showing this to someone makes you part of our team. And I appreciate the time you chose to spend on our team's story growing.

A Psychic's Scarlet Dream

April 5th 2020

A Psychic's Scarlet Dream by Abhay Singh

"Hidden Gem!"

Rating: 10 / 10

This truly is a hidden gem, an absolutely astounding book that deserves all the praise it can get.

So let me, one by one, go through all the aspects of the story that make me love it.

-> Characters - a department I'd rate Scarlet Dream a 12/10 in.

Kais - one of the best-written protagonists of all time. He's an intelligent but overly cautious protagonist who is fun to follow but the best part about his character is that he develops completely realistically.

Ethan, one of the best-written characters of all time and my favorite in the story. At this point, I think he is in my Top 10 Fictional Characters of All Time. Here's why. He starts off as a jester, and plays the role perfectly. The author puts an image of a cold, calculating and psychotic individual in your head at first. But as the story progresses, you learn that there are so many more sides to him. He's one of the most complex characters ever.

Sona - I have rarely ever seen a better female character in a webnovel Slowly and steadily, she has been cast into one of the most dynamic characters in the story with a backstory that completely explains all her actions.

-> Story - 10/10 The story is about a war that seems to be unstoppable, as it is the wish of the 'god' for it to happen. However, there are characters who want to stop it and by doing so, save the world. Yes, god is against saving the world from destruction. He wants to bring the destruction. Do you know why? Well, I don't know either. And wanting to know something like that, is what makes this supernatural/mystery, this second coming of Attack on Titan, the next masterpiece in the line of complicated, philosophical, monochromatic stories.

-> Writing Quality - 10/10 It doesn't feel like the first book that this author has written. It feels like the guy has 40 years of experience and knowledge and is using it all for this book. There's not much to be said here because it can be surmised by one word - perfect.

Finally, enjoyment - 10/10. I am never bored, not even for a single line in the story. It makes me think and I love it.

All in all, I can say that this book has three words to describe it -> Dark! Interesting! Fun!

And the combination we get is, yes, a MUST-READ.

P.S. I have become such a big fan of the authors. I hope to meet them someday. And to earn that someday, I'll work hard to promote this story as much as I can.

Keep writing, author! We need you to!

Dreams of the Dying

May 11th 2019

Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau

"Stands on its own"

Rating: 9 / 10

Caveat: I'm not a native speaker, so forgive any typos and odd wording.

Having been a fan of this writer's work ever since playing Enderal back in 2016, I was excited to hear he's expanding the universe. As it's a spin-off that centers on one of the fan-favorite characters, Jespar, I was a bit worried at first that the novel wouldn't speak to someone not obsessed with the guy. Four chapters in, I'm glad to say my fears were unfounded.

As a low-fantasy novel, "Dreams of the Dying" can easily stand comparison with famous works in the genre. The world building is excellent, the characters feel authentic, and the tropical setting is a breath of fresh air. It also touches on some interesting topics such as dream and reality and - at least that's I think where it's headed - the dangers of rampant capitalism. Ironically, if I had to find a flaw, it would be precisely this: Though the author avoids anachronisms, "Dreams of the Dying" does feel quite modern at times, both in terms of story and in writing. I don't personally don't mind this at all, but I could imagine some readers might chafe at it.

That being said, I'm excited to see where this story goes!

Dreams of the Dying

May 11th 2019

Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau

"What Dreams May Come"

Rating: 9 / 10

Novelizations of movies and video games are not my usual cup of tea, but I am willing to make an exception for this project.

Nicolas Lietzau was the lead writer of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim total conversion mod Enderal: Forgotten Stories, acclaimed for its gripping story, brilliant characterization, and beautiful setting and world. So, when he announced a book based in the same universe as Enderal (a world called Vyn, the setting of three other total conversions for games in The Elder Scrolls franchise), fans had every reason to be excited.

But I imagine even people who have never heard of Enderal or any of its predecessors will love what Dreams of the Dying, the first in a planned series by Lietzau called Every Day Like the Last, has to offer. Let's begin with Jespar Dal'Varek, who was a significant character in Enderal and is Dreams of the Dying's main character.

Jespar is an irreverent, young, silver-haired, blue-eyed sellsword hailing from the continent of Enderal, a religious, conservative land that he has left behind, ostensibly in search of adventure and purpose but also as a way to avoid the burdens of responsibility and a past that he wishes he could, but can't, forget. He is a complex character who is likable and funny but also roguish and deadly with a pair of daggers. In many ways, Jespar is our eyes and ears in the strange and wonderful world of Vyn, in particular, in the first of the many lands he will eventually visit, the archipelagic nation of Kilé.

Kilé couldn't be more different from Enderal. Where Enderal is a bastion of religious conservatism, Kilé almost couldn't be bothered with worshipping the Light-Born, the seven gods who rule over Vyn, being too busy caring about acquiring as much of the thing that makes the world go round: money. Whereas, in Enderal, people are born into caste-like "paths" in a system which highly encourages people to "know their place," an entirely different ethos rules over Kilé, one of striving and struggle to reach the top of the greasy pole, exalted as the highest virtue in a land of cutthroat merchants, towering ziggurats, and acute income inequality.

Jespar must come to Kilé for a mission whose importance he can barely understand, for he needs to help the country's most powerful man recover from a magically induced coma. The trouble is that Jespar does not have a single magical bone in his body!

So, how our lovable sellsword is going to succeed in this endeavor is anyone's guess, but we will just have to read more to find out!

Throughout the story, Dreams of the Dying will introduce us to terrifying visions of the subconscious, beautiful and feisty mages, radical revolutionaries, and people with the power to traverse entire worlds "where dreams may come."

Dreams of the Dying

May 10th 2019

Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau

"I'm many things, but I'm certainly not a hero. (c)"

Rating: 10 / 10

It is always hard to speak about things that you enjoy the most. Like there is some line, and when you've crossed it, your words are useless and you never can express your thoughts properly. I guess, I can only try.

"Dreams of the Dying" leads its reader to the breathtaking world of Enderal - deep and rich lore, dozens of interesting stories, tons of tiny details making it bright and alive, welcoming you in its "now", revealing some of its past. It is a world you want to explore.

The novel gets you to it - within the story of some cynical and attractive mercenary and his task. Life at stake, misteries, beautiful woman, some magic, promise of a priceless reward - all the things that should be in a good adventure. But there's more, because our guy is being followed by his own horrors. And who is not?

The story keeps perfect tension between intriguing and not overdosing with adrenaline. I love how beauty and horror, calm and fear, talking and fighting are balanced in it. Love the way it's written so I can almost feel myself all the colors, sounds, textures and scents. Love its characters - like them or not, they are not hollow decorations, and it is important. And the plot, sure, holds me tight.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to live a little in a world of Enderal with all his scary and beautiful wonders, for all emotions I've got so far and a pleasure of reading very good book.

Dreams of the Dying

May 9th 2019

Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau

"An excellent story so far."

Rating: 9 / 10

I've been a major fan of this guys work for some time, and Dreams of the Dying is excellent so far. Bringing in a unique setting that breathes off the page, good world building and a strong cast from the beginning, this novel is a serial series with new chapters every week. It's rare to have me wait eagerly for the next chapter in a book to come out, I usually prefer reading books in their entirety. However, this one breaks the rules for me, and that is hard for me to do.

There is a deep sense of mysticism in this world that just makes me want to explore it more, and the book so far has hooked me in. Which is what a book should set out to do!

Can't wait to read more.

Music Masters

March 8th 2019

Music Masters by Hejin57

"A colorful, popping jam"

Rating: 7 / 10

(originally written for Web Fiction Guide) Despite the tags, this is definitely a superhero story, about a group of four teenagers with music-based superpowers who save the world by fighting cartoonish villains who also have music-based superpowers.

While most of the web fiction community is focused on more serious sci-fi, fantasy, or drama, Music Masters goes full on Saturday Morning Cartoon on us, bringing a story quite unlike anything else you’ll find on the website. It really feels like a comic book brought into prose (and knowing Music Masters’s origins as a short-lived webcomic, this makes sense). A Worm-inspired angst story this is not.

There’s a lot of narrative gimmicks in the story to keep the pace bumping and the tone light— since the characters have superpowers activated by certain music songs, dozens upon dozens of songs appear embedded in the story for you to listen along. This is something that can be done in web fiction only, not in a book, so it’s great use of the internet as a medium. Also, the story makes very consistent use of omniscent POV; the story flows between characters within each scene, giving all of them inner thoughts rather than keeping to one character per scene. It gives the impression of comic book thought bubbles, with everyone getting their chance to weigh in on situations, and secrets, motivations kept in the open to the reader. There’s some good scenes to be had here.

The cast is large, and all the characters get a ton of development, with the usual teen romance plots thrown in if that’s your thing. No matter what kind of reader you are, you are likely to find at least one character that really gets you.

One major aspect of Music Masters is the huge amounts of fight scenes. Every single story arc has at least one major battle, and there’s a ton of stuff going on at any given time. While some of the fights when on a bit too long for my tastes, I’m not as big a fan of action in prose; if you like action stories, you’ll love this.

My only major complaint about the story is that, as of the end of Disc One, the main four heroes really don’t get very much time to act as a team—usually at least one member is separated from the rest—and there is not much downtime away from main plot activities for them to just hang out and grow with each other. It’s a growing process though and the story gets better at it as it goes on.

Still, if you like comic book action and music-infused coolness, Music Masters is for you. It’s one of a kind in the web fiction world.

Vacancy

September 13th 2018

Vacancy by A.K. Caggiano

"Fun read that leaves you wanting more"

Rating: 10 / 10

This is a fun and enthralling take on urban fantasy themes. The characters are well developed and not clichéd archetypes, the plot is engaging, and the writer balances the fun aspects of the story with some more serious sections, as well as some mystery. The plot flows very well, and I could see this being made into a captivating TV show.

My only wish is that the sections were longer, because I am always disappointed when I finish an episode and have to wait a week to find out what happens next. I would highly recommend this serial to anyone, but especially those who enjoy fantasy stories.

Music Masters

June 21st 2018

Music Masters by Hejin57

"Music is Alive and Well"

Rating: 9 / 10

Music Masters is definitely a story that should be read and remembered. Though it starts off slow-paced, everything gets into the swing of things soon enough.

The main cast is a lively group for sure, though they do fit a few archetypes that could be seen as overdone. I can overlook this mainly because everyone acts pretty human and in character at all times. The supporting cast is rather interesting as well, with most of them acting as their own functioning being who pop into the story for organic reasons.

Battles are some of the most interesting and intense I've read in years, with the abilities being used having their own unique style that really distinguishes them from each other. And the way that characters use them, Michael especially, are wonderfully engaging and ingenious. This combined with the fact that Michael's way of combat is often dancing around his opponent and none of the fights can truly be considered a bore.

Speaking of the powers, one of the biggest pulls for the story is the music offered and how it is used both in the story and out of it. I've actually found quite a few of my new favorites thanks to this story and I'm pretty sure others can as well. I really do recommend reading this on the books personal site for the best experience.

Grammar is great with little to no mistakes ever being seen, and the words used by both the author and characters really help to set the perfect tone for the story.

The story is broken up into tracks and each track tends to add to the overarching story, but make for some great self-contained ones as well.

Music Masters is a great and joyful read that not only music fans can enjoy. So check it out.

Into the Mire

April 29th 2018

Into the Mire by Casey Lucas aka Canticle

"Professional Quality for Free"

Rating: 9 / 10

This web serial has some of the greatest quality I've seen in novels period. From a technical perspective, grammar is perfect and writing is more than competent. From a story perspective, characters are rather interesting and the Mc definitely feels worth following, the world is developed expertly with no heavy chinks of exposition or the sort, and the world itself is rather fascinating. The only thing holding back a higher review is this serial's incompleteness, so I don't know if this quality will be maintained. With that said, if what we have so far is any indication, this is a definitely something you don't want to miss.

A Stitch in Rhyme

September 6th 2017

A Stitch in Rhyme by Laren Crawford

"A surprisingly unique presentation of fantasy"

Rating: 9 / 10

This fantasy novel is about two teens living in the town of Dinod-on-Neidr studying “arach manu”, the art of magical crochet. The story begins with the hero, Dilys, in the gaol for a crime he did not commit after being betrayed by Aeronwy, the girl he hoped would become more than a friend. Eventually we discover that everyone living in this land must speak in rhyme by royal decree and pity the poor person who cannot!

The author combines fantasy, rhyme, crochet, and photography to tell his tale in a setting that has an old-time, other-worldly feel. In a word – it is unique – you won’t find anything like it on the internet. The site itself can only be described as a work of art. Photographs illustrate the story with originally designed crocheted figures and fantastical creatures placed in sets the author creates himself.

At first, I was surprised to see that the novel is written in rhyme. But I soon came to believe that the use of verse gives the tale a beauty and flow that perhaps would not be present without it. So, while some might say the poetic form is its greatest challenge, others might say it is its greatest strength.

Be sure to click on the buttons at the top of the screen. The ‘people’ button particularly provides important background information about the characters.

In my opinion, this novel may not be for everyone. But for the right person – one who can fully appreciate the entirety of this work – it will be enchanting.

The Aliud, part 1: The New Thunder

August 27th 2017

The Aliud, part 1: The New Thunder by Mutalias

"A robust, exciting story in an incredibly lush original setting."

Rating: 9 / 10

This is wonderful fiction. The story centers around two characters, long-separated siblings together on a mission from the king of an embattled kingdom. As adults, a reader can readily see that Iri and Auri are very different people who remain united both in history and purpose. Their journey is playing out against the backdrop of a detailed setting that's introduced throughout at a considered pace that doesn't drag down the action but definitely gives the reader a deeply-textured sense of place.

Both characters have strong, well-defined personalities, and the author does not fall into the trap of creating stilted fantasy dialects, but rather defines the character voices through incredibly natural dialog that make them both approachable, but in different ways.

Throughout, the author moves between events of the present (centered around the perspective of the brother as an adult) and events of the past (centered around the perspective of the sister during chapters of her younger life). Often, I find that 'flashback' scenes tend to rob a narrative arc of urgency, or lack driving stakes since you know that, whatever happened, it must have worked out. However, in The Aliud, this dynamic works well as a dual-narrative that maintains a compelling plot in both timelines. It's reasonably well-timed post-for-post, as well, introducing detail chapter to chapter that keeps both stories relevant to one another rather than wandering through events that seem unrelated with the hope that there will be an unseen payoff at the end of the tunnel.

The chapters are a healthy length. This isn't a weekly bite of microfiction to flit through on your elevator-ride up to your office, but is well worth setting aside time with your Monday-morning coffee to join the adventure with these characters in this immersive world. It feels big, and it feels incredibly deliberate, like nothing is dropped in accidentally or incidentally. I look forward to the new chapter each week!

The Clockwork Raven

December 17th 2016

The Clockwork Raven by Samuel Chapman

"Strong fantasy in a unique and well-developed world."

Rating: 8 / 10

It might be a little early for a full review of The Clockwork Raven--as of my writing this, five chapters are up, and while the titular raven has been alluded to, it hasn't actually appeared.

With that said, things so far are looking really solid. The author does a great job of balancing the two main characters, and making them both distinct, but equally important. The story also does a great job of finding tension and excitement in small moments. The author does a great job balancing big problems with short-term tensions.

The story's website lists The Martian as an influence, and that's definitely apparent. From the get go, the author, the characters, and the readers are all acutely aware of the hard facts of this world. How much water to the characters have? How much rope? How much fabric or leather? It's a welcome change of pace--in a genre full of questions like "Since when can you do that?" and "Why don't you just shoot Voldemort?", The Clockwork Raven does a lot of legwork to stay aware of the exactly what its characters are capable of at any given moment.

The first few chapters also drop a lot of breadcrumbs for the future--you'll come away with a lot of questions about the broader world of the story, and I'm excited to see how things develop.

So far, I don't have a ton of issues with the story, though there are a few. While the world is really interesting, there are moments where things aren't explained super well to the audience. Fore example, there's a scene in the first installment involving a pulley-based transport system that I had to read over once or twice before I really got what was happening. Each subsequent post seems to handle that better, but it's still an issue here and there.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend it. It's a strong story with well-developed characters and and interesting plot. It's done a great job of laying groundwork for the long game while keeping things interesting in the here and now. A fun read, even if--like me--you aren't normally a fan of fantasy.