Review by Booklover Becca -- Fish Wielder

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 03 May 2021, 20:42

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison, is a hilariously epic story that takes place in the mystical world of Grome. Imagine a combination of Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Dungeons and Dragons with a healthy dose of humor. Thoral Mighty Fist is the epitome of a hero: he has huge muscles, tawny locks, chiseled features, and larger than life strength. His trusty sidekick Bradfast, or Brad, is a koi fish who is an expert in sarcasm and pointing out how needlessly complicated their plans get.

We meet Thoral as he is depressed and brooding after a bad day, sipping on warm ale, which he hates. He and Brad the koi fish decide to embark on a quest to lift Thoral’s spirits. Seemingly random events occur and suddenly Thoral, Brad the fish, Thoral’s new Elfen love interest Nalweegie, and the entire Elfen Force are launched into a series of quests to save Grome. They must prevent the Heartless One, leader of the Bad Religion, from consuming the Pudding of Power and donning the Bracelet of Evil to stop the Goomy Prophecy of Doom from coming to pass. Will the group be able to defeat each villain they encounter and stop the Heartless One from destroying Grome?

I would like to first point out how well Hardison wrote his characters. Each one is well-rounded and multi-dimensional, even characters who only appear in passing. As large and strong as Thoral is, he also laments each death he causes and bursts in poetry in emotional moments. Brad the fish is filled with sarcasm but cares deeply for his friend and is willing to risk his life for Thoral. He can even be seen on the book’s cover raising his little fins in fisticuffs. Even the villains are full of character. Necrogrond the Sorcerer, for example, uses his last floating spell to glide down the stairs just to look cool.

The writing style creates a relaxed and entertaining tone with sufficient tension every time Thoral almost succumbs to death. The descriptions of scenes and events are filled with pure creativity and almost slapstick humor at times. Thoral’s hair blows “heroically” in the wind while Brad uses “vibrations of his koi whiskers” to lead the way out of enchanted mazes. There are so many twists and turns that it’s almost difficult to give examples for fear of giving away a spoiler.

I truly could not find anything negative within this book. It combines humor, fantasy lands, and hero cliches. The story was left quite open-ended which had me immediately searching for a second book. Based on all the information above, I give this book an enthusiastic four out of four stars. I believe it was professionally edited, as well, since I found only one grammatical error.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for entertainment, humor, and a trip through a fantastical land. There were no inappropriate scenes and, therefore, would suggest the story for young teenagers and up. The range of diversity within the characters shows anyone can be a hero and I hope the readers will take that to heart.

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Fish Wielder
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smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 20 May 2021, 06:57

This book seems hilarious, I already like Brad and his sarcasm. Great job on the review, I enjoyed reading it!

Marcel Cantu · Post by **Marcel Cantu** » 20 May 2021, 08:09

It is fun to have humor in this setting of storytelling! Great review!

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 20 May 2021, 10:50

smolbird wrote: ↑20 May 2021, 06:57 This book seems hilarious, I already like Brad and his sarcasm. Great job on the review, I enjoyed reading it!

It really was hilarious. I couldn’t stop myself laughing at several parts. I’m still hoping the author comes out with a second!

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 20 May 2021, 10:53

Marcel Cantu wrote: ↑20 May 2021, 08:09 It is fun to have humor in this setting of storytelling! Great review!

It really is! It made the story that much more enjoyable. Thanks for stopping by

Kavita Shah · Post by **Kavita Shah** » 20 May 2021, 14:38

It sounds like a funny book with the right character mix. Brad is quite the sensible koi fish.
I am adding this to my want to read shelf. Thank you for a wonderful review!

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 20 May 2021, 15:57

Kavita Shah wrote: ↑20 May 2021, 14:38 It sounds like a funny book with the right character mix. Brad is quite the sensible koi fish.
I am adding this to my want to read shelf. Thank you for a wonderful review!

It’s hard to have favorite characters in this book cause they’re all so great, but if I had one it would be Brad. He’s not at all what you’d expect from an adventure/quest book like this, but he adds so much humor. Thanks for the comment

Mwatu · Post by **Mwatu** » 21 May 2021, 03:16

The Pudding of Power had me laughing out loud. Glad to read the book employs more of this humour and that the storyline and characters are well-developed. Thank you for a lovely review!

Brendan Donaghy · Post by **Brendan Donaghy** » 21 May 2021, 04:34

Thanks for another excellent review! This wouldn't normally be the type of book I'd pick up, but you make it sound hugely entertaining. That said, I think you write so well that you could make a dictionary sound interesting

- keep up the good work!

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 21 May 2021, 07:58

Mwatu wrote: ↑21 May 2021, 03:16 The Pudding of Power had me laughing out loud. Glad to read the book employs more of this humour and that the storyline and characters are well-developed. Thank you for a lovely review!

That’s not even the half of it! Hardison sprinkles names of prophecies or groups and such throughout the book kind of as side notes, but they’re all just as ridiculously and hilariously named. Thanks for stopping by

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 21 May 2021, 08:00

Brendan Donaghy wrote: ↑21 May 2021, 04:34 Thanks for another excellent review! This wouldn't normally be the type of book I'd pick up, but you make it sound hugely entertaining. That said, I think you write so well that you could make a dictionary sound interesting - keep up the good work!

Wow! Thank you so much for that. I’m not always sure I know what I’m doing, so that means a lot!

markodim721 · Post by **markodim721** » 23 May 2021, 13:52

It is clear that the author was inspired by Germanic mythology. Thanks for the objective review.

Saint Bruno · Post by **Saint Bruno** » 24 May 2021, 03:35

The storyline is intriguing and unique. Thanks for detailed and insightful review.

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 24 May 2021, 07:45

markodim721 wrote: ↑23 May 2021, 13:52 It is clear that the author was inspired by Germanic mythology. Thanks for the objective review.

I thought the same thing! I’m really looking forward to more from him. Thanks for stopping by

Janet Kimetto · Post by **Janet Kimetto** » 25 May 2021, 08:42

This is exactly the kind of book I usually pick, I'm adding it to my list. I also love books that make me laugh. Thank you for such a well-written review!