Review of Fish Wielder

[TalJB22]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Fish Wielder by J. R. R. R. (Jim) Hardison is a delightful and hilarious fantasy adventure story. The reader is transported into the land of Grome, a place full of dark secrets, horrible monsters, and epic heroes. We are immediately introduced to the hero of the story, Thoral Mighty Fist. He and his trusty steed, Warlordhorse, along with his faithful sidekick, a koi named Bradfast, aimlessly jump from adventure to adventure seeking, they hardly know what. In between adventures, Thoral does his best to drown out the sorrows from a dark and secretive past.

Throughout his journey, Thoral gains both friends and enemies. Nalweegie, the princess of the elves, and her father, Elfrod, are among Thoral’s chief allies. On his many quests, he encounters horrific monsters, such as the dreaded grode, as well as adorable little creatures, like Tyncie, the flying squirrel. Despite the humorous overall nature of the story, Thoral does have some very difficult decisions to make as he faces his greatest foe, the Heartless One, leader of the Bad Religion.

I really enjoyed this story. The author did a wonderful job of capturing the excitement and magic of a fantasy story, while also poking fun at the many cliches and tropes in the genre. I particularly enjoyed when he gave the name of certain places, and then he also gave the name that the elves use for the same location because “they have to have their own name for everything.” And I enjoyed the use of puddings as the magical potions of Grome, especially when some of these puddings were powerful enough to reattach a nearly severed limb!

I cannot think of anything I disliked in this book. The dialogue is occasionally a bit awkward and clunky, but I think that fits with the overall tone of the book. I appreciated that even though the book is meant to be a humorous parody of so many fantasy cliches, the author still produced a good and entertaining story. I was still surprised by certain twists and felt real emotion for the characters.

I gladly give Fish Wielder four out of four stars. It’s a comical, entertaining piece of fantasy. I found very few errors while I read, so the story appears to have been both written and edited well. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre, but doesn’t mind making fun of the typical tropes. It’s an easy, enjoyable book to get lost in.

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Fish Wielder
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