Review of Fish Wielder
- Saumya Gupta Gupta
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Review of Fish Wielder
Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison is the first installment of an epic fantasy trilogy. As Hardison’s books usually go, this one also presents itself with a humorous take on the otherwise grim and morose genre. This book takes all the usual tropes of a fantasy novel, adds a dash of humor and lots of relatability, and presents to the reader a perfect blend of lighthearted questing. Fish Wielder introduces us to the faraway land of Grome, where a mighty warrior named Thoral Mighty Fist fights all the extraordinarily threatening creatures of Grome alongside his best friend, a talking koi fish called Bradfast and a tiger-striped steed called Warlordhorse. It is a very weird group for us Earthlings to fathom, but in the land of Grome where elves and gnomes roam freely, a human is the weirdest creature. But something, or should I say someone is brewing trouble in the land of Grome and it is up to Thoral Mighty Fist and his friends to save Grome and all of its creatures.
This book had me gasping for breath, made me cry tears of laughter, and almost popped my brains out with the epic, and totally unexpected twists throughout the story. The characters, the plot, the world of Grome, everything was perfectly manufactured and brought to life. The multiple references to already established fantasy realms, the subtle but smart wordplay, all these tiny aspects kept me focused all through the story in search of more of these little treasures. Also, Hardison has included repetition to add comedic flair to the novel, using both words and scenes to achieve this. It was a delight reading this novel.
Hardison has also beautifully personified his characters, giving them seemingly peculiar habits and attributes, which start to make sense as the reader moves forward in the book. The author has also included everyday tasks in his writing, which are often forgotten or sidelined in fantasy novels to give attention to more important events. But in Fish Wielder, these tasks are as important as the epic fantasy questing. This made the novel, and its characters feel a bit more relatable. Also, the fact that chocolate puddings are the Gromish equivalent of powerful potions and elixirs, doesn’t hurt one bit.
There was hardly anything unlikeable about this book and the author’s writing style. Surely, this type of genre would raise mixed reviews, but I think readers fond of the fantasy genre should give it a read. This book is something fresh, gruesome, whimsical, and action-packed. Skeptical readers might come out loving this book.
I would also suggest this book for anyone who wants to read about mystical adventures, but doesn’t want it to be too serious and morose. The book has no profanity or erotic scenes (except for some kissing), making it suitable for a younger audience as well. There were a couple of errors in my copy of the book, but they don’t take anything away from the reading experience and thus I would like to give Fish Wielder a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
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Fish Wielder
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