Review by Mekkinism -- Fish Wielder
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Mekkinism
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Review by Mekkinism -- Fish Wielder
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fish Wielder" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Thoral Mighty Fist is the fiercest warrior in all of Grome. He and his friend Brad, a talking koi fish, have adventured all across the land, battling monsters and rescuing maidens. But behind his gorgeous tawny locks, rippling muscles, and mysteriously foreign accent lies a tragic backstory Thoral can barely stand to talk about.
When Thoral’s latest adventure leads to him slaying the necromancer, Necromonger, and freeing the elven princess Nalweegie, the mighty warrior sets off a chain of events that will lead him to confront his tragic and mysterious past, battle his fiercest enemies yet, and fight to keep the Pudding of Power from finding its way into the hands of the Heartless One, leader of the Bad Religion. The fate of all of Grome rests on Thoral’s manly, capable shoulders.
Fish Wielder is a humorous romp through fantasy land. An obvious fan of the genre, J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison lovingly skewers everything from prophecies to the silly naming conventions that litter classics like Conan the Barbarian and The Lord of the Rings.
A fast-paced action adventure with a surprising amount of heart, the book drags on a little at the start but makes up for it in its second half. Despite the silly and occasionally meandering jokes, the plot is surprisingly tight. The humor has a Mel Brooks-esque, rapid-fire feel, coming so quickly that if one joke doesn’t land, you hardly have time to notice before you’re on to the next. It’s hard to get too specific about the plot without spoiling it but sufficed to say this book is much less straightforward than it first appears.
Nevertheless, on the whole, Fish Wielder suffers from some tone and point-of-view problems. It can’t make up its mind as to whether it is more parody or pastiche and it doesn’t seem sure who its audience really is. The humor in some parts seems juvenile enough to appeal more to older children, but the levels of gore and occasional presence of more adult content would probably make many parents uncomfortable. Novel length humorous genre fiction is a tricky thing to do well, and it’s hard not to compare Hardison’s debut novel to the works of beloved established authors such as Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Piers Anthony. Unfortunately, Fish Wielder is not as grounded as Pratchett, as funny as Adams, or as original as Anthony.
The prose is distractingly weak in some places. I recognize this may be a stylistic choice by the author, as a way to parody the poor writing that marks a lot of the genre schlock, but even if so, I find it a poor choice. Parodic exposition is just as dull as regular exposition. Intentional or not, overuse of adjectives and adverbs distract from both the humor and the action.
Overall, I would give Fish Wielder 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to my friends, but only with the proviso that they stick it out to the middle of the book when things really start to get good. This was an ambitious project for first-time novelist Jim Hardison, perhaps too ambitious. Still, despite the problems I had with it, by the time I finished the book I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I had enjoyed the ride.
******
Fish Wielder
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3 out of 4 stars
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Thoral Mighty Fist is the fiercest warrior in all of Grome. He and his friend Brad, a talking koi fish, have adventured all across the land, battling monsters and rescuing maidens. But behind his gorgeous tawny locks, rippling muscles, and mysteriously foreign accent lies a tragic backstory Thoral can barely stand to talk about.
When Thoral’s latest adventure leads to him slaying the necromancer, Necromonger, and freeing the elven princess Nalweegie, the mighty warrior sets off a chain of events that will lead him to confront his tragic and mysterious past, battle his fiercest enemies yet, and fight to keep the Pudding of Power from finding its way into the hands of the Heartless One, leader of the Bad Religion. The fate of all of Grome rests on Thoral’s manly, capable shoulders.
Fish Wielder is a humorous romp through fantasy land. An obvious fan of the genre, J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison lovingly skewers everything from prophecies to the silly naming conventions that litter classics like Conan the Barbarian and The Lord of the Rings.
A fast-paced action adventure with a surprising amount of heart, the book drags on a little at the start but makes up for it in its second half. Despite the silly and occasionally meandering jokes, the plot is surprisingly tight. The humor has a Mel Brooks-esque, rapid-fire feel, coming so quickly that if one joke doesn’t land, you hardly have time to notice before you’re on to the next. It’s hard to get too specific about the plot without spoiling it but sufficed to say this book is much less straightforward than it first appears.
Nevertheless, on the whole, Fish Wielder suffers from some tone and point-of-view problems. It can’t make up its mind as to whether it is more parody or pastiche and it doesn’t seem sure who its audience really is. The humor in some parts seems juvenile enough to appeal more to older children, but the levels of gore and occasional presence of more adult content would probably make many parents uncomfortable. Novel length humorous genre fiction is a tricky thing to do well, and it’s hard not to compare Hardison’s debut novel to the works of beloved established authors such as Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Piers Anthony. Unfortunately, Fish Wielder is not as grounded as Pratchett, as funny as Adams, or as original as Anthony.
The prose is distractingly weak in some places. I recognize this may be a stylistic choice by the author, as a way to parody the poor writing that marks a lot of the genre schlock, but even if so, I find it a poor choice. Parodic exposition is just as dull as regular exposition. Intentional or not, overuse of adjectives and adverbs distract from both the humor and the action.
Overall, I would give Fish Wielder 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to my friends, but only with the proviso that they stick it out to the middle of the book when things really start to get good. This was an ambitious project for first-time novelist Jim Hardison, perhaps too ambitious. Still, despite the problems I had with it, by the time I finished the book I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I had enjoyed the ride.
******
Fish Wielder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Mekkinism's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin
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vinodsai
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Fab review. I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. A barbaric warrior named Thoral who carries a magic sword and a talking fish named Bradford who go on an adventure to save Grome. Love to read this book. Thank you.
