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

“It was the anniversary of something bad.” This opening line had me intrigued and curious about J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison’s Fish Wielder from the get-go. It says so much about the style of writing to be expected. The slap-stick comedic storyline is so much fun, and I delighted in reading it.

Thoral Mighty Fist is, for all intents and purposes, in a rut. He is looking for adventure – or death – whichever comes first. He has nothing to look forward to, and because it is the anniversary, as we are told, of something bad, he is in a particularly gloomy mood. Thoral’s best friend and koi fish, Bradwell, has been pondering over his exceptionally handsome friend’s miserable mood. On the aforementioned anniversary, Brad informs Thoral of a quest that is up for grabs. The adventure begins almost immediately, and Brad breathes a sigh of relief.

The quest involves everything important for a good fairy-tale. However, this book is by no means a fairy-tale. It has the all the necessary characters including the elven princess who, once rescued, falls madly in love with Thoral (of course). It has the evil sorcerer who finds ways to come back to life continuously, the trusty steed aptly named Warlordhorse, and the bestie, Brad, who manages to do a lot – for a koi. Thoral needs to pull himself together in order to complete his quest and save Grome from destruction by the Bad Religion.

The in-your-face comedy that Hardison employs is so refreshing. It’s clean and silly, and I find with comedy becoming so vulgar these days, this was a welcome respite. I found his references to other fantasy works fun to pick out as well. His world is easily comparable to The Lord of the Rings as well as Pratchett’s Discworld. I enjoyed finding the connections throughout the book, and I can see that there is obviously a healthy respect for the infamous tales.

The development of the characters took me by surprise. With a story aimed at being whimsical, you would think that the characters would take a back seat as far as growth is concerned. I thought each character matured wonderfully, and I especially enjoyed Brad’s progression. He ended up reminding me a lot of Penny from Inspector Gadget – the actual brains behind the outfit.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I think it is a light-hearted story with a great cast. I would recommend it to people who aren’t looking for anything serious. This is the type of book that I would like to read after I’ve read an intense story that weighs on me a bit. Fish Wielder will bring anyone out of a funk, and I would happily recommend it. Because the editing was so stellar, I struggled to find anything that I didn’t enjoy about this book. I look forward to reading more by Mr. Hardison.

******
Fish Wielder
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Like Niski's review? Post a comment saying so!

Niski wrote: ↑09 Sep 2018, 08:38 The development of the characters took me by surprise. With a story aimed at being whimsical, you would think that the characters would take a back seat as far as growth is concerned. I thought each character matured wonderfully, and I especially enjoyed Brad’s progression. He ended up reminding me a lot of Penny from Inspector Gadget – the actual brains behind the outfit.

It appears Hardison thought of everything when he wrote this book. Personally, I've never rated any book 4 stars, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll definitely give it a shot.
Any work evocative of Pratchett, or Douglas Adams (as you probably can tell from my signature) automatically piques my interest.

Great review.

I agree with the idea of 'clean' comedy. It is refreshing, and I enjoyed this book, too, because of it.
Thanks for the great review!

Dentarthurdent wrote: ↑02 May 2019, 11:08

Niski wrote: ↑09 Sep 2018, 08:38 The development of the characters took me by surprise. With a story aimed at being whimsical, you would think that the characters would take a back seat as far as growth is concerned. I thought each character matured wonderfully, and I especially enjoyed Brad’s progression. He ended up reminding me a lot of Penny from Inspector Gadget – the actual brains behind the outfit.

It appears Hardison thought of everything when he wrote this book. Personally, I've never rated any book 4 stars, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll definitely give it a shot.
Any work evocative of Pratchett, or Douglas Adams (as you probably can tell from my signature) automatically piques my interest.

Great review.

I hope you find one to give a perfect score to!
Thanks for stopping by!

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑02 May 2019, 14:05 I agree with the idea of 'clean' comedy. It is refreshing, and I enjoyed this book, too, because of it.
Thanks for the great review!

Thank you for commenting!

I enjoyed your clever review. I guess there's something fishy in the book. I'm planning to catch it soon.

Impressive! Your writing is so precise, on-point. Indeed, the opening line is nothing short of spectacular. This is an incredible piece of comic art. I will find time to read this book. Thanks for sharing.

This book sounds incredible! It seems like the author really took pains to leave no stone unturned in writing this book. I love it when writers treat light-hearted and comedic books with that much respect and dedication! This is a clever review, and I enjoyed reading it, Niski! Thank you! I'll keep an eye out for this book.

This sounds like a wonderful and fun book to read. Thank you for a wonderful review!

Miriam Molina wrote: ↑03 May 2019, 04:19 I enjoyed your clever review. I guess there's something fishy in the book. I'm planning to catch it soon.

Hahaha, there was something fishy, for sure!
I hope you do reel it in - it's worth it
Thank you, Miriam!

chiefsimplex wrote: ↑03 May 2019, 05:29 Impressive! Your writing is so precise, on-point. Indeed, the opening line is nothing short of spectacular. This is an incredible piece of comic art. I will find time to read this book. Thanks for sharing.

I hope you do find time to read it, it's lots of fun!
Thanks for stopping by.

nooregano wrote: ↑05 May 2019, 04:13 This book sounds incredible! It seems like the author really took pains to leave no stone unturned in writing this book. I love it when writers treat light-hearted and comedic books with that much respect and dedication! This is a clever review, and I enjoyed reading it, Niski! Thank you! I'll keep an eye out for this book.

Thank you for reading my review! And for your lovely comments!
I really appreciate it

Prisallen wrote: ↑05 May 2019, 09:04 This sounds like a wonderful and fun book to read. Thank you for a wonderful review!

Thank you for taking the time to read it, I appreciate you stopping by!

I love it when author's take out their time to carefully develop an excellent storyline that is deviod of any major lapses. Your review clearly shows that the author did a great job on this one. I'm adding it to my shelve right away! Thank you for the great review.

daviddawud wrote: ↑12 May 2019, 05:22 I love it when author's take out their time to carefully develop an excellent storyline that is deviod of any major lapses. Your review clearly shows that the author did a great job on this one. I'm adding it to my shelve right away! Thank you for the great review.

Absolutely! I hope, if you do decide to read it, that you enjoy it as much as I did!
Thank you so much for commenting.