Review of Usurper of Fire

[Justin Christensen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Usurper of Fire" by Adam Guthro.]

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2 out of 5 stars

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Usurper of Fire by Adam Guthro is a surprisingly interesting fantasy epic that is sadly hamstrung by poor writing, worse editing, and the author’s tremendously immature sense of humor.

The story opens with a prologue that can best be described as a juvenile parody of the opening act of The Lord of the Rings. A tall and mystical man journeys to a land of pint-sized people to visit his old friend, Drobo, and convince the small man to join him on an epic adventure. The early chapters of the book introduce the reader to a diverse cast of characters at breakneck speed, with the author including perspectives from four unrelated characters before finally returning to the story's primary character, Cadivus. Cadivus is a being known as a Hybrid who has supernatural strength and toughness and the ability to summon fire. After several chapters of hurried set-up, the story begins in earnest when Cadivus encounters a mustachioed man who is able to force him to activate his mystical Hybrid fire ability against his will. This kicks off a catastrophe resulting in Cadivus’ exile from his hometown, and his subsequent quest to find the man and prove himself innocent. Throughout this quest Cadivus crosses paths with each of the other main characters introduced in the early chapters, and through these interactions learns truths about himself and his past that cause him to question everything he knows.

Nearly every paragraph on every page of this entire book is punctuated with bad jokes, wonton violence, jarring sexual references, and immature vulgarity. The writing makes Guthro sound like a misogynistic teenager. No male character can make it through a page without commenting on someone else’s sexuality or sexual attributes. Every female character is a sex object, an idiot, a joke, or all three. One of the four main characters, Adverity, is the leader of an all-female cult that almost starved after getting rid of all the men because they couldn’t open any of their pickle jars. Every event in the entire book is a joke, or is punctuated by a joke, and every joke falls flat. On top of the poor quality of the writing, the book is littered with typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing.

After reading two chapters of Usurper of Fire, I was sure it was going to be the worst book I had ever read. Once I desensitized myself to the many issues with the writing and editing, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth that the story hides. Guthro has very creatively woven multiple narrative threads together in a way that could really work. There were twists that I genuinely did not expect (particularly the eventual connection between Cadivus and an emo kid named Darion in one of the final chapters), and the book ended with cliffhangers for each of the main characters that were tantalizing, rather than frustrating.

I unfortunately can’t recommend this book in its current state. Right now I would rate it only 2 out of 5 stars. I do think, however, that it could be considered a promising first draft. I don’t mean to imply that the book needs to be humorless and rated 'G' to be a good book, but I would recommend that the author write a second draft where humor is allowed to take a back-seat to other, more powerful emotions in many of the scenes. It is my honest opinion that with some effort this could become a truly great fantasy novel, and I look forward to reading another version of it in the future.

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Usurper of Fire
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[NetMassimo]

The impressions I get from this review is of a fantasy epic written by Donald Trump that turns into an involuntary parody by his bad humor. The bad editing doesn't help to appreciate the result. A professional editor might help the author in properly develop the novel. Thank you for your honest review!

[Jonas da Silveira]

Usurper of Fire começa com uma vibe de paródia de O Senhor dos Anéis, mas logo vira um show de piadas ruins, violência sem noção e um humor meio vulgar. Cadivus, o protagonista, é um cara com poderes de fogo que acaba sendo exilado depois que ativam a habilidade dele à força. A partir daí, ele parte numa missão pra provar sua inocência e encontra outros personagens bizarros no caminho. Apesar de ser meio mal escrito e com um humor imaturo, a trama surpreende com algumas reviravoltas interessantes. No fim, a história tem seus problemas, mas prende a atenção e deixa uns ganchos que até despertam curiosidade.

[Mary John 10]

Usurper of Fire by Adam Guthro is a fantasy epic with an intriguing premise but hindered by poor writing and editing. The story opens with a parody of The Lord of the Rings, introducing a mystical man and a land of pint-sized people. The narrative quickly jumps between multiple characters before focusing on Cadivus, a Hybrid with supernatural abilities. After a series of events, Cadivus is exiled and embarks on a quest to clear his name, encountering others along the way and uncovering truths about himself and his past. The story is interesting but marred by the author’s immature humor and rushed pacing.

[Leslie coccia]

This book seems like it would be so good, because of the premise about the main character being able to summon fire. I don’t think I’d get through it though, because of the immaturity and vulgarity. This review is a great analysis.

[Naimah Agboluaje]

Review: After thoroughly reading the review above, it becomes apparent that "Usurper of Fire" by Adam Guthro falls short in multiple aspects. The book's poor writing, crass humor, and immature content act as major detractors. Furthermore, the excessive use of bad jokes, violent scenes, and sexual references greatly diminish the overall quality of the story. The author's writing style and editing leave much to be desired, as the book is plagued with numerous typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing.

Despite its shortcomings, the review does acknowledge some potential in the book. The interwoven narrative threads and unexpected twists offer a glimmer of promise, showcasing the depth of the story. However, the potential is overshadowed by the overpowering issues with the writing and content.

Given the review's assessment, I cannot recommend "Usurper of Fire" in its current state. With the current flaws, I would rate it only 2 out of 5 stars. However, if the author were to rework the book, emphasizing stronger emotions over humor and addressing the various shortcomings, it has the potential to become a truly great fantasy novel. I await a revised version with anticipation. Atmospheric tension, kept me hooked throughout.