Review by CozyBookCorner -- Fish Wielder
Posted: 06 May 2021, 20:06
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fish Wielder" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]
Fish Wielder simultaneously portrays everything that is wrong with the fantasy genre and everything that is so, so very right. J.R.R.R (Jim) Hardison has presented the greatest satire I have ever read through the accounts of his character Thoral Mighty Fist. The novel is filled to the brim with clichés often found in fantasy and adventure genres, enthusiastically laying them out to bare so that they may be openly mocked by both Jim and the reader. His humour really brings the story to life.
The story takes place in Grome, a magical land that is inhabited by knights, kings, and many of your favourite humanoid characters such as elves, gnomes, and talking animals. Naturally, the main character is a beautiful, forlorn, and mysterious hero who is tasked with vanquishing an evil organization bent on world domination. This hero, known as Thoral Mighty Fist, does not partake in adventures alone and he can always be found with his ever-present sidekick Brad the koi fish. Together they make it their sworn duty to protect Grome from the Bad Religion. When he’s not fighting monsters and evildoers Thoral can be found four pints deep at the local tavern.
In case you were having trouble picturing how ridiculous the story is, picture its 2004 and you’ve just sat down to watch Dave the Barbarian on the Disney channel. But instead of a children’s cartoon make it a book with adult characters aimed at a more mature audience. That was the atmosphere I had throughout the novel.
From start to finish I was entertained. I found Jim’s writing style played a large role in my enjoyment of the novel. He used stylistic writing to give the impression that a narrator was telling you the story and it added so much flavor, tone, and humour. Throughout the story he was prone to include many random adjuncts to enhance the scene he was setting. For example, the hero’s trusty stead quite unfortunately struggles with an inner ear disorder. One might not think that this is relevant information, but it does come up more than once and each time it is just as funny as the last. Another positive that came out of his style of humor was that any violent scenes were far less explicit feeling because each graphic scene was preceded or followed by such inane things that the violence depicted could not be taken seriously.
If I truly had to pick a negative, it would be that some of the made-up phrases that he used were not as fluid as I would have liked. Understandably, since it is based on a fictional world and meant to be a mockery there are plenty of names and phrases that are used to enhance the reader’s experience. For most of these instances the gist came across easily and the pun brought home the joke. However, there were some parts that did create some confusion, leaving me to contemplate if it was an example of neologism, a mistake, or perhaps a joke that had gone over my head.
I would still rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. The instances where I was confused were very minimal and it always brought a lighthearted end to my day. There were times when I laughed aloud, which is surly the goal of anyone writing such a novel, isn’t it?
There are some more mature themes and graphic content discussed in the novel, but I did not think anything was over the top. I would highly recommend it to any young adults or adults that enjoy fantasy adventures, or at least making fun of fantasy novels. It’s a great little adventure story for those not looking to take themselves too seriously.
******
Fish Wielder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Fish Wielder simultaneously portrays everything that is wrong with the fantasy genre and everything that is so, so very right. J.R.R.R (Jim) Hardison has presented the greatest satire I have ever read through the accounts of his character Thoral Mighty Fist. The novel is filled to the brim with clichés often found in fantasy and adventure genres, enthusiastically laying them out to bare so that they may be openly mocked by both Jim and the reader. His humour really brings the story to life.
The story takes place in Grome, a magical land that is inhabited by knights, kings, and many of your favourite humanoid characters such as elves, gnomes, and talking animals. Naturally, the main character is a beautiful, forlorn, and mysterious hero who is tasked with vanquishing an evil organization bent on world domination. This hero, known as Thoral Mighty Fist, does not partake in adventures alone and he can always be found with his ever-present sidekick Brad the koi fish. Together they make it their sworn duty to protect Grome from the Bad Religion. When he’s not fighting monsters and evildoers Thoral can be found four pints deep at the local tavern.
In case you were having trouble picturing how ridiculous the story is, picture its 2004 and you’ve just sat down to watch Dave the Barbarian on the Disney channel. But instead of a children’s cartoon make it a book with adult characters aimed at a more mature audience. That was the atmosphere I had throughout the novel.
From start to finish I was entertained. I found Jim’s writing style played a large role in my enjoyment of the novel. He used stylistic writing to give the impression that a narrator was telling you the story and it added so much flavor, tone, and humour. Throughout the story he was prone to include many random adjuncts to enhance the scene he was setting. For example, the hero’s trusty stead quite unfortunately struggles with an inner ear disorder. One might not think that this is relevant information, but it does come up more than once and each time it is just as funny as the last. Another positive that came out of his style of humor was that any violent scenes were far less explicit feeling because each graphic scene was preceded or followed by such inane things that the violence depicted could not be taken seriously.
If I truly had to pick a negative, it would be that some of the made-up phrases that he used were not as fluid as I would have liked. Understandably, since it is based on a fictional world and meant to be a mockery there are plenty of names and phrases that are used to enhance the reader’s experience. For most of these instances the gist came across easily and the pun brought home the joke. However, there were some parts that did create some confusion, leaving me to contemplate if it was an example of neologism, a mistake, or perhaps a joke that had gone over my head.
I would still rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. The instances where I was confused were very minimal and it always brought a lighthearted end to my day. There were times when I laughed aloud, which is surly the goal of anyone writing such a novel, isn’t it?
There are some more mature themes and graphic content discussed in the novel, but I did not think anything was over the top. I would highly recommend it to any young adults or adults that enjoy fantasy adventures, or at least making fun of fantasy novels. It’s a great little adventure story for those not looking to take themselves too seriously.
******
Fish Wielder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon