Anon

DNF; Unfortunate Turnaround from V1 Quality

Revisado: 08-28-24

The incongruously annoying mixture of Occidental/Oriental names aside (a gripe from the first book which is more a personal foible than that of the author's), I am legitimately surprised and disappointed about how the narrative takes a nosedive in quality (to the point that I just admitted DNF about 3/4 through).

I'm not sure if this story was originally released in serial installments (like many a novel that started on RoyalRoad and the like), but it shows badly here. The chapters are written almost like standalone episodes that begin and end actually too concisely; the pacing is stuttering and worse off because of it. Jim will spend more or less a year or so just getting from hiding out where we left him in vol1, but then just meander through magical winter to the next city of narrative note. There's one big and interesting horror/fight with Nox along the way, but even that has a tendency to drag on because there's too much segue into little horrors and Jim's increasingly grating monologues and self-justification.

Actually, the characterization is actually why I couldn't put up with the book any longer. Jim is the only one with depth of character. All the others become shallow, almost-NPCs; they are implied often to have good backstories, but it boils down to, "let's all do what Jim says, OK, on to the next segment." Jim's parents are neatly handwaved into nicely accepting their 10-year old son is a gods-chosen genius of martial arts, and absolutely are /not/ allowed to leave the clan (which I find way more difficult to accept them doing so as his parents, even if it makes sense). His friends/allies/extended-family(?) have tidbits that should make them interesting, but instead predominantly are used either to showcase Jim's strength or powers or knowledge or whathaveyou, as well as just calmly accepting equipment he made personally for them on a lark...which isn't even bad, but they very, very calmly accept the random hyper-competent cousin they sort of know deciding what stuff they should use and have without discussion.

Unfortunately, everyone is also dumbed-down for the sake of narrative expediency. In vol1, motivations and relations are more explored, while here, it becomes a less-detailed and shallow "someone is making Jim troubled, kick their ass." Don't get me wrong; that in itself isn't bad, and a staple of action and cultivator novels...but it's unreasonably bland here. Add to it Jim's constant monologues and logical self-justification to violence here, /no/ violence there, and rather than making Jim look smart, he reads more like a selfish superhero--who really means well!--but is overbearing and arrogant. As well, Jim forgoes his usual efficiency to neglect killing some enemies from the last book, as well as completely ignoring an UNUSUALLY SMART AND MURDEROUS HORSE for forced (admittedly disconcerting) slapstick comedy. (Considering the victim is his favorite cousin who suffered actual, if temporary, TBI, Jim just shrugging it off as funny is...stupid.)

I'm very disappointed by this change in quality and intelligence of the writing in this volume. I tried to give it more a chance, but as the tournament arc was finally reached and went further, I just had to call it. It actually became too tedious to enjoy. Jim went from Cultivator Batman to yet another shallow, (unintentionally) self-righteous OP cultivator MC.

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Great story

Revisado: 08-25-24

Caution: There's no "payoff" for direct alien-human interaction in this story (but written so well, it's not a bad thing).

The narration is...plain. It's not bad, but there's a calm, somewhat unemotive tone that is actually somewhat grating. It removes urgency and suspense that would otherwise be there.

I got this book for a half-credit through Audible's 2-for-1 sale and enjoyed it for its hard scifi (emphasis on the science). It's written in such a way that it still is both realistic and fantastic in ideas and technology even in the 2020's. There's not much character-driven plot, and more almost a documentary of exploring an alien world-ship. 4/5 rating, the one ding being lackluster narrative performance dragging it down slightly.

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Odd Names, Great Ride

Revisado: 08-19-24

A very good cultivation novel! The protagonist is rather smart, if somewhat cavalier about killing in Travis Baldree's chosen tone of voice.

There's a mild foible in that while the writing is great and plot progression logical, the author's choice of mish-mashing Chinese-named characters and obvious Occidental names is very, very jarring. It's not that it's a bad thing, but there's no rhyme or reason as to why there's just some /indigenous/ dude named Jim, or his distant clan relatives Connor or Corey, etc. in fantasy China. I tried to ignore it as it has no bearing or mention in the story, but it's impossible to not pay attention to. As best I can describe it, it's kind of (but not quite) like reading there are Lord of the Rings elves named, "Clarence" or "Timmy," witbout further discussion on if that's normal or odd..

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The best Daidouji Shin novel yet

Revisado: 08-13-24

Josh Reynolds has finally gotten more of that spark that made me fall in love with his 40k writing in his masterful Fabius Bile and Apocalypse novels.

In the past, the setting of Rokugan felt more...stolid and static (a problem I feel is still present in other novels in the franchise's expanding library), despite Reynolds veteran authorship. There was a (vague) sort of "tell, not show" prose that felt like he was purposefully attempting to use setting keywords and terms like he had a word bank to use up, and the stories and characters GOOD, but not as subtle and likable as what I would expect from his previous works.

From the fourth Daidouji Shin to this, he's seemingly more comfortable with his cast, as well as using the setting naturally without gently bonking readers occasionally with, "Hey, look, we're in fantasy Japan!", or characters being flat archetypes you can read from a mile away. There are less slightly hamfisted or cheesy pseudo-Japanese cultural references that cheapen the experience (but this I partially blame on core L5R lore sometimes being too obviously a mixture of stereotypically Oriental tropes glued together with too on-the-nose and incongruous cultural names).

In this volume, the mystery and setup is the most refined yet. It is pleasingly intellectual and complex, with several twists and false narrative leads, but still simple and obvious enough for readers to play along with following Shin and guess at who is the culprit. 9.8/10 mystery quality, if only because there are literally one or two clues pointing too directly at the culprit/antagonist too soon before the finale (but so natural in narrative flow that I'm not even annoyed). Reynolds really shows off how he can use his cast to the ensemble's best ability, and their standardized archetypes (e.g. the foppish lackadaisical genius, Shin, the long-suffering but dutiful protector, Kasami, the slippery but trustworthy rogue, Kitano, etc.) more than the sum of their parts.

We also see the culmination of previous plotlines that Reynolds must have been planning since volume 1, while tacitly leaving room for more novels to explore without confirming it outright (should the publisher cruelly not agree). Friends and enemies alike find both unexpected enmity and grudges settled (or at least a strange sort of understanding established).

This was admittedly the first Daidouji Shin novel I have enjoyed so much that I feel Reynolds /really is/ the author that wrote the Fabius Bile trilogy (with admitted bias on my part; it remains my favorite books and central character without real competition...of which Shin is sneakily, slowly chipping at the Chief Apothecary's pedastal).

Overall, a delightful adventure I couldn't stop until it was finished, and completely recommended. Reynolds has established he has command and control over his piece of Rokugan, and I am both eager and impatient to see more volumes of Daidouji Shin mysteries in the future! Give it a try, and see that L5R novels has a good future to grow and expand into with Reynolds.

Thank you, Mr. Reynolds. I was afraid I'd never again have as much fun as I did with your Fabius Bile or Space Marine Battles: Apocalypse. Your work with Daidouji Shin is really letting me enjoy once again that feeling of smart adventure and intellectual suspense I know you can bring to life! I hope to see an announcement for a seventh volume of the Daidouji Shin Mysteries soon!

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Narration working against the story

Revisado: 07-07-24

This is fascinating, but this is the first time I have heard such an excellent narration voice, so silky, manly and deep...actually make a book worse. Coming from Black Library's usual stable of veteran narrators like Jonathan Keeble and John Banks, this narration is monotone and bleak. The narrator needs to work on emoting and displaying a greater range of emotion with his voice; the Space Marines all sound tired or almost casually passive-aggressive. Traitor or Loyalist, they generally sound bored to be there. Te Kahurangi's raspy voice instead sounds like he's whispering all the time. It's very sad that such a great voice only carries itself in the Chapter breaks (i.e. the mem-bank Servitor/computer tidbits between the main story).

The story is fantastic...in print form. The Carcharodons are given life and a Chapter atmosphere that is cool and mysterious, and characters have gravitas. Here, in audiobook form, I almost can't recommend this even for a Credit; it is NOT an enjoyable experience to listen to.

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What did you do to Gotrek, Mr. Guymer?

Revisado: 06-23-24

I truly, truly wanted to like this. Despite how dark and bittersweet many of the events of Felix and Gotrek in the Old World, there was always a solid belief in Gotrek's personal willpower and singleminded drive (even sometimes at a cost of some characterization from his usual dourness).

While the voice acting cast did a wonderful job, the actual script work is a flaming mess. I'm not sure if Mr. Guymer hasn't written audio dramas before, and/or if editing on Black Library's part was at fault, but the storyline is butchery. Mind you, I did finish it, but dwarfishly with a GRUDGE.

While it's not Brian Blessed's fault per se, Gotrek is portrayed and written as almost senile as Grandpa Simpson and bombastic as Santa Claus, and overall seems more like what Snorri should be portrayed as. (However, I admit with some bias that I prefer Keeble's gruff and grizzled Gotrek, and nasally, silly Snorri.)

It's like he lost many, many IQ points in the Realm of Chaos since Guymer's work of Slayer; poor dwarf just can't seem to shut up (and Brian Blessed's over-the-top style of acting works against him for this character). Guymer has written (or was forced to, to show off the AoS setting and introduce what new GW minis of the range to buy) Gotrek as constantly comparing, loudly and annoyingly, this and that to anecdotes and not-actually-tall-tales about his exploits in the World-that-Was; it's /incredibly/ grating. Compared with Gotrek of old, he's insane (and not in a pleasant way).

Blessed's otherwise happy sing-song lilt and ludicrous acting contrasts badly with Gotrek always complaining and being an unreasonable a**hole. Too-silent Gotrek of old was bad at times, but won't-be-quiet AoS Gotrek is even worse. He loses a lot of the hidden tidbits of wisdom and solid personality that Old World Gotrek built, like character assassination (much like Ulrika's portrayal in Kinslayer). I apologize if I focus too much on Gotrek, but for how much I like him as a literally storied character, this version of Gotrek is incredibly strange and sadly less than the sum of his parts.

This is also seen in the rest of the dramas/chapters. Guymer, like in novel prose, isn't great at describing scene transitions and evoking a sense of actual travel; that weakness is full-force confusing and horrendous here. The party just essentially teleports around and actions aren't truly described. The pacing throughout is absolutely bad, to the point I am surprised the Black Library produced this (but they sure did a good job forcing Guymer to hamfist AoS terms into the story over and over! /s).

The listener has to infer what the characters are doing from what they say and the SFX in the background, and it's rather frustrating and tiring at times (particularly because audio engineering isn't great either, as the Audible sample snippet shows).
On top of that, characters are introduced and come and go willy-nilly, to the point where you don't even really learn to like any of them. Broddur does his best, but Gotrek keeps unfairly bullying the poor guy. Maleneth tries to match Blessed-Gotrek's energy, but instead is a ham sort of shoving herself into the plotline. The Sylvaneth lady is annoying (and ultimately useless), and the surprise visit by Grombrindal (perhaps the best-written character) culminates in mysterious nothing-much. Poor Jordain (and I adore his accent) is more of a silly lost puppy or teenager than any heroic man (especially for the disproportionate love Gotrek suddenly and fiercely shows him with very little reason to--perhaps out of missing Felix--and that respect cooling just as fast when they are later reunited). It's completely out of left field that he becomes a Stormcast because his previous portrayal as a mortal human is respectable but hardly anything special, and his exit from the story is hardly dramatic considering the lore of Stormcast being essentially immortal (their memories aside).

The collection (Gotrek's main story at least) culminates with an incredibly dramatic, but ultimately confusing pseudo-reunion and closure with an old friend that seems almost more insulting than sentimental (i.e. Gotrek: "Yep, it's me, but I gotta go and can't save you, since I can't help you because reasons. Hope you live (but I know you die, probably lonely and terribly under all these rocks)!")

This was borderline unlistenable but I slogged through it, if only to know in lore how Gotrek enters the AoS setting. Mind, For 1 credit, it's essentially worth a listen, and it DOES get better as the dramas go forwards (probably Guymer getting better are writing them with practice). The Fyreslayer audio dramas at the end are pretty fair too; heck, they're better than the entire Gotrek parts of this bundle.

Overall, a C rating; barely passing and at times legitimately unpleasant, but the actors give it a great effort (particularly the Nurglite champion, he gets a standing ovation for how creepy and fun he is--with a wonderful strings BGM sidekick).

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Ufthak Blackhawk, Da Zoggin Genius

Revisado: 03-02-24

Ufthak gloriously returns to wreak havoc on an invitation to Comorragh gone horribly wrong (for the Dark Eldar). However, it's not quite as funny and fun as Brutal Kunnin'. A part of me isn't sure if that is due to the narrator. Harry Myers is indeed skilled at narrating (Ork voices especially), but his cadence and tone is a little too regular and controlled. His performance unfortunately ironically robs a little of the madcap silliness Tom Allenby had in Brutal Kunnin, or Putnam's virtuoso multi-Ork performance in Ghazghkull: Prophet of the Waaagh. Still a good buy, worth a credit, but overall not as fun as previous.

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A smart and charming Cultivation progression fantasy!

Revisado: 03-01-24

This is the Cultivation story I've always wanted. A smart cast of characters, each with their own believable motivations and backstories. It lacks much of the other flaws I couldn't stand in other novels (e.g. grimderp backstabbingly illogical unsustainable Cultivator society/culture, annoying System stats, flanderized trope characters, lack of exploration/progress of the setting, etc.). It's not perfect, but its foibles aren't flaws, and has a mature and well-developed setting and plot. Superb standout in the realm of so much Cultivation tripe literature. I personally enjoyed this immensely over Cradle, and has unseated my previous favorite of Beware of Chicken (YMMV however).
Absolutely worth a Credit (and an incredible bargain due to the runtime). I've already preordered the sequel!

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Audio is soooo soft :(

Revisado: 09-23-23

The story and production is great. Jonathan Keeble is a master narrator as always. But the volume of this recording is oddly low; you can crank up the volume on your device, but absolutely remember to turn it back down after the book sessions or your eardrums are gonna blow out...

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A bit on the weak side but good

Revisado: 09-19-23

Nothing particularly groundbreaking in this collection aside from the Cthonia chapter (and even then its ending is the slightest bit rushed and unsatisfying after an intriguing lead-in to that point). Arguably everything here is good, but a tad shallow if you were looking for deeper 40k lore or anything new. Unsure if worth the credit I paid for it, but in hindsight I'm at least not dissatisfied.

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