Review by oi_person -- Fish Wielder

[oi_person]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Fish Wielder" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison’s Fish Wielder is a novel about the adventures of the rather melancholic (and neat freak) Thoral the Mighty Fist in his quest to defeat the necromancer Necrogrond and the evil organization the Bad Religion. Thoral is accompanied in his adventures by his ever-reliable and level-headed koi fish sidekick, Brad, and his trusty but over-cautious Brendylschmylyn tiger-striped stallion, Warlordhorse. Set in a whole new world of Grome, -- complete with elves, gnomes, magical swords and puddings, sorcerers and fantastical creatures, the Fish Wielder is a very entertaining read reminiscent of the books of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Series.

Given the abundance of humorous scenes, -- ranging from dry to outright slapstick comedy, the Fish Wielder is definitely not meant for serious fantasy readers who enjoy books like those in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the Shannara Series. The story in Fish Wielder would often take a rather outrageous turn making normally dire situations, like death of companions or loved ones, rather silly and absurd. The Fish Wielder is also not for readers who dislike too much violence and gore. The author is quite descriptive in this aspect to the point that it can be distracting. At times, the goriness would overwhelm the heroic feats accomplished by Thoral and his companions, and would give a rather anticlimactic end to a dramatic clash between good and evil. The Fish Wielder is for readers who enjoy fantasy stories and action-filled comedic romps. Even if the end goal of the heroes of the story is saving the world from a dark sinister organization, the whole story is light and comedic from start to end.

Overall, I will give the Fish Wielder a score of 3 out of 4 stars. The 3 stars are entirely for the story and the fantastic world imagined by the author. For imaginative and immersive readers like myself, the story-world of Grome and the characters of the Fish Wielder are a treat. Although at first glance it is the usual formula of a fantasy world with elves, magic, gnomes, and unworldly beasts, the way the author presented and meshed them together made the world different and unique. It helps that the author is quite descriptive in his writing and has the skill of making you experience and actually feel the story. I remember getting as annoyed as Thoral and Brad when an extremely slow and annoying character was introduced in the story. I also remember empathizing with the pain of the lead character when he recalled a very tragic event in his life.

With regard to the deducted star rating, this is for the number of “misplaced” comedy and gore throughout the story. There are a number of parts in the novel, -- usually during battle or heart-rending scenes, that the author would infuse unnecessary comedic side notes or slapstick antics that end up ruining the scenes, as well as make the heroes of the story less endearing and difficult to completely celebrate. It may have been the intention of the author to place humor in every nook and cranny of the story and laced it with rather explicit gore so that the Fish Wielder will be a genuine swashbuckling adventure comedy, but, instead of adding value to it, I believe it hindered all the potential there was in the story. Despite saying that and although the unnecessary gore and forced humor in a number of parts of the book can definitely be deal breakers, I would not lower my rating of the novel to only 2 stars. I believe such will not do justice to the story and characters of the book. Definitely, if you can filter out said bad aspects of the book, the Fish Wielder is a brilliant fantasy novel that can hold a candle against the leaders of the genre.

If asked what I liked best in the entire book, I would definitely say I liked the most the unexpected deep background story and character development of the main hero, Thoral. I honestly did not expect this from such a light and comedic adventure story. At first, I found the character of Thoral to be rather shallow and uninteresting. I honestly thought it would be the “fish” in the Fish Wielder, Brad, who will be the saving grace of the novel given his sarcastic and acerbic, but very relatable character. As the story, however, progressed, it was Thoral’s character and story that kept me reading and glued to the book.

As for what I liked the least, it was hands-down the unnecessary gore in the story. A close runner-up, however, to this will be the rather tasteless humor in some parts of the book, which, as I have mentioned, almost ruined the story. The gore described in action scenes in the Fish Wielder was really over the top and not really needed in the story. It reminded me of gruesome scenes in Deadpool movies, which made it or break it for viewers of the film. Aside from it adding utterly no literary value to the story, I believe the excessive and explicit gore in the Fish Wielder made the novel unlikeable and tasteless to even the most avid fans of the genre. I, for one, am a big fan of entertaining fantasy adventure stories. However, when I read the first chapters of the Fish Wielder, wherein there is a gruesome description of blood and mutilation caused by the heroes of the story when they defended themselves from their enemies, I already wanted to quit reading the book. Thankfully, I decided against it as I would have missed out on a great story.

Considering everything, I will recommend, especially to fans of the fantasy and adventure genres, to give the Fish Wielder a try. Amidst its pitfalls, it is a truly fun and entertaining read with a storyline that can certainly get you hooked.

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Fish Wielder
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[Erin Painter Baker]

Comedy within fantasy novels, especially ones that focus on battle, can be very hard to pull off. Given your review, I do have some concerns about misplaced comedy, but I will add this book to my "want to read" list.