Review of Fish Wielder

kirthana_shivakumar · Post by **kirthana_shivakumar** » 26 Oct 2021, 08:37

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

4 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. Hardison is a fantasy novel that is also a satire. It mocks fantasy novels and their usual characters, settings, plots and themes. This irony makes for an incredibly interesting read.

The story follows Thoral, a human and his closest companion, Brad, a talking fish. They set out on an adventure together to prevent the rise of the Bad Religion and ultimately, to save Grome, the name of their world. As they journey on this adventure, they meet a lot of creatures, some who are allies and some who are enemies. They also have numerous funny and dangerous encounters.

Firstly, the dialogue was simply superb and kept me thoroughly entertained throughout the book. Secondly, the description of the world and all its intricacies was captivating and clever. It transports you right into the world and holds you captive right up till the end. Thirdly, the writing itself was a real treat. It was very enjoyable because of the hilariously creative metaphors and analogies, and the occasional modern phrases peppered in. Fourthly, the characters seemed to be quite cliched and shallow at the beginning yet they seamlessly developed into real, relatable people whom I got deeply attached to. Overall, the book often made fun of itself, yet it simultaneously felt serious and immersive at some parts, and that duality was engaging. The surprising twists and turns added to that too.

I truly cannot think of any huge flaws in this book. The writing style, plot, characters and world were beautiful. The only tiny issue I had with the book was how one female character was shown to be constantly swooning over the male main character and acting irrational when it came to him. This felt slightly anti-feminist to me, yet it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book too much because I realised that the intention was to simply portray a female love interest the way most fantasy novels do these days. Apart from that character, the female representation was not very negative so it made up for that one aspect.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was engaging, funny and could be read in a single sitting. It was also perfectly edited as I noticed no errors.

I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16 as it has some gore and mildly mature themes but not an overpowering amount. Two oddly specific groups of people who would enjoy this book are fantasy readers who are looking for a laugh, and people who read other genres and want to make fun of fantasy novels.

******
Fish Wielder
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Raluca_Mihaila · Post by **Raluca_Mihaila** » 03 Nov 2021, 10:31

I enjoyed the book immensely, so I totally agree with your rating. I miss Brad and his educational lines

. Great job with the review!

kirthana_shivakumar · Post by **kirthana_shivakumar** » 05 Nov 2021, 01:12

Raluca_Mihaila wrote: ↑03 Nov 2021, 10:31 I enjoyed the book immensely, so I totally agree with your rating. I miss Brad and his educational lines . Great job with the review!

Yes! Brad's lines were wonderful. Thank you!

dumbbunny · Post by **dumbbunny** » 05 Nov 2021, 01:50

Wow, a book with no flaws? I will surely read this. I'm also an avid lover of fantasy novels so this should be a blast. The review was written well!

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 06 Nov 2021, 01:44

Satirical irony would thoroughly bring these sorts of fantasy characters to life! It sounds like the dialogue and descriptive components were positively engaging. Thank you for a lovely review.

Astral Magi · Post by **Astral Magi** » 06 Nov 2021, 03:54

Talking fish... I wonder how this story will pan out. Thanks for a lovely review.

asa luxe · Post by **asa luxe** » 10 Nov 2021, 01:27

This sounds incredibly interesting. I have always enjoyed books with interesting new worlds, so I'll be sure to give this a shot. Thanks for the review.