Review by marj_ -- Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison

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marj_
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Review by marj_ -- Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Fish Wielder" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Fish Wielder is a fantasy novel by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison set in “the mystical world of Grome.” In the first chapter, the Fist Wielder is introduced; I was puzzled since the title of the book was Fish Wielder. I couldn’t help but think that the author had mistakenly put ‘fish’ instead of ‘fist’. Later, I found out that it wasn’t some accident after all. Although I would’ve preferred the title Fist Wielder, it was a nice touch to the book; and the part where readers find out why the title is Fish Wielder was pretty hilarious to read.

Fish Wielder follows the adventures of the main character, Thoral Mighty Fist, with his sidekicks, Warlordhorse and Brad. Warlordhorse was a horse that had been previously owned by his wizard mentor, Yiz. Brad was a talking koi that Thoral once saved from drowning. The book started with Thoral moping over a misfortune that happened years ago and wanting to give up on life and adventuring. However, Brad encourages him to go on an adventure again, reasoning that he might die. Realizing the sense in what Brad is saying, Thoral listens to him and immediately goes on a venture. Thoral isn’t afraid, and he willingly seeks out to destroy the wicked with the help of his sidekicks and other companions he meets along the way.

The author definitely doesn’t take things slow. In the first chapter, there was already an attempt on Thoral’s life. At that moment, I knew I was in for an adventure, and I liked it. As I read, I became aware of the fact that irony and luck are evident features in this book. You wouldn’t believe how lucky Thoral was when faced with his first enemies; it was a situation in which you would want to facepalm while reading. Of course, Thoral also has skills and is a good fighter, so it isn’t all about chances.

When you read the narration of Fish Wielder, it sometimes feels like you’re watching one of those comedy movies with voice-overs that narrate the story; you either laugh at it or get annoyed by it. To those who get irritated by such voice-overs, I wouldn’t suggest reading this book. However, to those who find it comical, I’d recommend giving this book a try. Anyhow, the narration didn’t deter me.

I find it amusing how the author narrates something that’s funny in a serious way, e.g. “He had practiced that move a lot because it was so cool looking and never failed to surprise his enemies.” The humor in the book wasn’t enough to make me laugh out loud, but it was a sufficient amount to bring a small smile to my face. Personally, I find nothing wrong with the author’s writing style. It made the book entertaining, and the book was never dull.

Overall, Fish Wielder was worth the read; it certainly had unexpected twists and turns that kept the book action-packed. On that account, I rate Fish Wielder 4 out of 4 stars.

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Fish Wielder
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