Review by Ms_Friday_13 -- Fish Wielder

[Ms_Friday_13]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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Fish Wielder by Jim Hardison is the first book of a trilogy. One thousand and two years ago the Dark Lord Mauron created the dessert to rule them all, the Pudding of Power, made with darkest of chocolates and a hint of cumin. For only with its power could one wield the Bracelet of Evil. After the Dark Lord’s defeat it was believe to be lost. But now the devious group known as the Bad Religion and their leader the nefarious Heartless One are on the move. But fear not my friends for Thoral Mighty Fist and his allies are more than ready to face them. Will are heroes succeed? Open this 288 page epic and find out!

With that description you can tell, this is a story not meant to be taken too seriously. But that is where the magic comes from, its intent is to show you familiar elements and get a chuckle out of you. It starts a kind of slow and little lost on where the characters are heading. Later on it starts building itself, so when events unfold it makes sense within the context of the world and the rules set in place. It has a few twist and turns that some may see coming after the first one, but it’s still an enjoyable ride. A fair warning is that this book ends in a cliffhanger.

Thoral is a legendary warrior in the world of Grome. He fills the heroic checklist quite well: powerful enchanted sword, animal companion, loyal steed, Elizabeth Taylor eyes and a mysterious past. Nonetheless, it may take some time to warm up to him or get used to him hammering bits information to no end. Most of the humor that comes from him are related to his issues with the language (Gromish), keeping a straight face no matter what happens and having moments where his overly dramatic.

This book is about a ridiculous adventure that plays with the epic fantasy genre. It contain the amount of gore that one would expect in a fantasy setting, so I would place it for teen and up. If you want to spend a nice afternoon and have a laugh I recommend you read few chapters. However it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, as previously said it take its time. I give this book a 3 out of 4. I think it started weak but the rest of the story made up for it.

You will like Fish Wielder if you like fantasy and love seeing references to Lord of the Rings, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Lovecraft, Wizard of Oz and Narnia. The light-hearted approach can be a breath of fresh air, especially at a time when it looks like everything needs to be grim and gritty. But remember the second and third part are yet to be published, so you will need to wait to see the conclusion.

[amazon=][/amazon] | [bn=][/bn]

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Fish Wielder
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[Satwik Mohanty]

It's true, the beginning was a bit confusing. But the twists and reveals made up for it perfectly! And I liked how the author referred to some of the most popular fantasy titles. Thanks for the detailed review!