4 out of 4 stars
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I was not sure what to expect when I began reading Fish Wielder, I have never read a book quite like it and am glad I did. I admit it took me by surprise. I have been an avid reader of the fantasy genre for years and this was one of the best takes on the fantasy world that I have read. While you get the action and adventure you expect from such a novel, mixed with humorous, and outlandish aspects that makes this book truly one of a kind.
As we read, we follow the adventures of Thoral Mighty Fish and his friend Brad, a talking koi fish..who also can breathe air, as they make their way through Grome. The evil leader of the Bad Religion is trying to recover the lost Pudding of Power, the most powerful chocolate dessert ever made. This pudding will give the Heartless One the power to enslave the citizens of Grome and Thoral must find a way to stop him and save Grome from total desctruction. In order to complete their quest Thoral and his odd grouping of friends must face peril and utter danger which includes facing off with the Heartless One himself. Will everyone make it out alive?
While this novel is utterly silly and will have your sides hurting from laughing, Hardison does not slack in his writing. He makes the balance between humor and action/adventure work well for this story and really sets the stage for what readers can expect in any upcoming novels. Thoral, while a rather odd character, is one readers come to love and just might have someone in their lives like him. Quite often we see him brush close to death countless times only to make it out at the last minute. It almost gives readers that “oh no” feeling as we read through it.
It is very much a parody of the typical fantasy novel with the hero, villain, sidekick and mentor type figure. He pokes fun at these characters, but tells a compelling story at the same time. This book brings the fun into reading. You can tell he had fun while writing it, and I imagine he was chuckling to himself as he wrote certain parts. Those sometimes are my favorite books, when you can tell the author had just as much fun writing as you do reading.
While this is intended for the young adult market, I can see many adults loving it just as much. I give Fish Wielder a 4 out of 4 rating because it was a great book to read. I am recommending it to anyone who loves a good fantasy adventure novel mixed with comedy.
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Fish Wielder
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