Review of Fish Wielder
Posted: 01 Sep 2021, 07:23
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fish Wielder" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]
Many in the land of Grome have heard of the blond barbarian, Thoral Mighty Fist, but, despite his peculiar accent, no one knows where he is from, not even his devoted friend, the walking fish Bradfast. Together they embark on an epic adventure after the other, thus earning their living.
After defeating the evil sorcerer Necrogrond, Thoral finds Nalweegie, the beautiful princess of the Elves, imprisoned in the fortress. She falls deeply in love with her savior and leads Thoral and Brad to her realm, where King Elfrond asks the barbarian to help him vanquish the mysterious force that’s been killing his people.
Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison is a surprisingly enjoyable epic fantasy novel. I was completely hooked after just a few lines and it kept getting better with every page. The humorous mood of the narrative reminds of authors like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett: it is absolutely hilarious to read and keeps you engaged till the end. On multiple occasions, I had to stop reading and have a good laugh out loud.
There are various Easter eggs referencing pillars of fantasy fiction (e.g., The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, or The Wizard of Oz). The lovers of the genre will certainly appreciate it. The worldbuilding is very good and some features, despite the book being mostly parodic, are quite original. I love the diversity that you can see in the creatures inhabiting Grome: elves, gnomes, talking animals, sorcerers, and completely made-up monsters. Plus, there is a map included in the first pages that was really helpful to track the characters’ travels.
You could divide the story into a series of adventures, but there is a consistent subplot that keeps everything together. The pace is fast and gripping, and action scenes are amazingly described.
Our protagonist, Thoral, is one of the few humans that we come across. His character is very credible and likable. He rarely is completely sober, but we get to know what hides in his past and, hence, to understand his behavior. I was pleased to see that there were also more hushed and serious tones in this book: certainly, it made the reading experience more complete.
I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the fantasy genre, both teenagers and adults. The book was exceptionally edited, the writing immersive and the plot was brilliant. There is nothing I disliked about this novel: Fish Wielder easily places between the best books I have read this year, and I would be thrilled to have a second one. My rating is then: 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Fish Wielder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Many in the land of Grome have heard of the blond barbarian, Thoral Mighty Fist, but, despite his peculiar accent, no one knows where he is from, not even his devoted friend, the walking fish Bradfast. Together they embark on an epic adventure after the other, thus earning their living.
After defeating the evil sorcerer Necrogrond, Thoral finds Nalweegie, the beautiful princess of the Elves, imprisoned in the fortress. She falls deeply in love with her savior and leads Thoral and Brad to her realm, where King Elfrond asks the barbarian to help him vanquish the mysterious force that’s been killing his people.
Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison is a surprisingly enjoyable epic fantasy novel. I was completely hooked after just a few lines and it kept getting better with every page. The humorous mood of the narrative reminds of authors like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett: it is absolutely hilarious to read and keeps you engaged till the end. On multiple occasions, I had to stop reading and have a good laugh out loud.
There are various Easter eggs referencing pillars of fantasy fiction (e.g., The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, or The Wizard of Oz). The lovers of the genre will certainly appreciate it. The worldbuilding is very good and some features, despite the book being mostly parodic, are quite original. I love the diversity that you can see in the creatures inhabiting Grome: elves, gnomes, talking animals, sorcerers, and completely made-up monsters. Plus, there is a map included in the first pages that was really helpful to track the characters’ travels.
You could divide the story into a series of adventures, but there is a consistent subplot that keeps everything together. The pace is fast and gripping, and action scenes are amazingly described.
Our protagonist, Thoral, is one of the few humans that we come across. His character is very credible and likable. He rarely is completely sober, but we get to know what hides in his past and, hence, to understand his behavior. I was pleased to see that there were also more hushed and serious tones in this book: certainly, it made the reading experience more complete.
I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the fantasy genre, both teenagers and adults. The book was exceptionally edited, the writing immersive and the plot was brilliant. There is nothing I disliked about this novel: Fish Wielder easily places between the best books I have read this year, and I would be thrilled to have a second one. My rating is then: 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Fish Wielder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Thanks for the amazing review.
Thank you very much for this amazing review!
