Title: The Daylight War
Series: Demon Cycle
Author: Peter V. Brett
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Random House Del Rey
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Format: Paperback
Pages: 639

 

The Demon Cycle continues in The Daylight War, marking the halfway point of the series. This book is a bit different from its predecessors, showcasing once again how Peter V. Brett is not afraid to mix things up a little. The Warded Man was the opening story, introducing his world and the characters and magic it contains. The Desert Spear expanded on character development and hammered home the point that humans will fight each other even with the ever-looming demon threat. The Daylight War still focuses heavily on the characters as the gears their actions put in motion continue to turn.

Whereas the first book began with the perspectives of main characters, readers get to see more POVs throughout this series. Even relatively minor characters get a chapter here and there to enhance their characterization. But the main characters are still facing challenges themselves. Arlen must make hard choices as people begin to deify him after years spent on the road alone. Old relationships will be tested as new ones are forged and his faith is tested as events force him to wonder whether some people are worth saving. Without spoiling anything, it is nice to see some characters from book 1 return instead of being forgotten forever.

While Arlen is an amazing character, the others are not sitting idle during his adventures. Leesha finds herself thrust into a leadership position and all of the responsibilities that come with it. Rojer learns more of his own talents and the impact they could have in combating demons. The Krasian characters continue their crusade, determined to unite humanity (by force) under a single banner before waging a true war against the demons. In particular, readers will learn more about Inevera and her fellow Dama’tings. Outwardly, Krasia may seem like a male-dominated culture, but events behind the scenes are rarely the same.

Characterization is clearly one of Brett’s strong points as a writer and it shows throughout the series. In the first book, mere months before The Daylight War, humans could do almost nothing to demons. The Krasians were fighting a losing war and everyone else hid in their homes nightly. Now, demons can be killed as easily as game animals can be hunted. These people can suddenly fight back for the first time in centuries, let alone within living memory. For the first time in eons, they have hope. But with the power that brings that hope about, so too will they find hardship, pain, sadness, love, joy, and more than they ever expected in this brave new world.

Title: The Many Adventures of Peter and Fi Volume I: Homecoming
Series: The Many Adventures of Peter and Fi
Author: Kelvyn Fernandes
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: December 14, 2018
Format: E-book
Pages: 273

 

The Many Adventures of Peter and Fi was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

When author Kelvyn Fernandes contacted me, I was unfamiliar with his work. But the pretty cover art of Peter and Fi attracted my curiosity plus I am looking for new fantasy stories. Thanks to an e-reader I borrowed from a buddy, I had the means to read the story as well. It had been a while since I had read a brand-new fantasy novel that people were not already talking about. Going in blind was a refreshing change of pace for me that led to pleasant surprises with this story.

In any fantasy story, early world-building is critical. Told from the perspectives of Peter and Fi, readers learn quite a bit from their casual conversation. While there is a lot of information about relevant monsters and magic, it quickly becomes apparent that the world at large is a much bigger place filled with mystery and mystique. Several major countries exist and sort-of get along while implementing a fairly standard peasant-noble system found in fantasy worlds. The world they live in is a dangerous place, despite the advantages provided to society by magic.

While the cover art is bright and vibrant, almost giving the sense of a Young Adult story, Peter and Fi has its dark moments. In a dangerous fantasy world full of monsters, humans are not always at the top of the food chain. This is something touched on in graphic detail in certain parts of the story. And in cities and towns where humanity reigns supreme, people can be crueler and cutthroat than a simple hungry beast. This is a world where safety is a relative term. It is more like being “safer” than “safe”, with potential danger around many corners.

There are many characters throughout this story, but most are only present for a handful of chapters. Peter and Fi themselves are the ones who consistently have a role to play, this being their story after all. Peter is a 20-year old mage, holding the title of Bubble Mage. In this world, every mage has unique magic. Peter’s title may seem underwhelming, but his creativity and magical aptitude make him truly worthy of being a mage. Fi is a 14-year old girl who is quick on her feet and ready to wallop foes. While her youth shows from time to time, the life she has lived has made her a survivor. The pair of them are as close as siblings as they journey throughout the world on their mysterious journey in this fantastical adventure.

Title: Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver)
Series: Dungeons & Dragons
Author: James Wyatt
Genre: Reference
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 96

 

A friend of mine convinced me to start playing Dungeons & Dragons last fall. He had been trying to get me to play for years (if you’re reading this, you know who you are) and I finally said yes when his group needed another person or their game was not going to happen. My reason for not playing D&D up until then was not because I had something against it. It was because I knew I would jump in feet first and lose time on other hobbies. And I was right. Six months later, I talked with the same friend and decided to start another game with myself as the Dungeon Master (DM) running things for the players. This being a first-time experience for myself and some of the players, we decided to work with the Starter Set and the adventure it comes with, The Lost Mines of Phandelver.

The premise of this adventure is that a dwarf discovers a legendary lost mine where magic items were made many years ago. He hires the players to bring him supplies and rides ahead to a nearby town. On the way, he is ambushed and captured by some baddies who also want the mine. The story begins in earnest with the group being attacked by goblins on the road. This adventure takes place in the Forgotten Realms, the world where all the pre-made D&D adventures (modules) happen within the D&D multiverse. At least for the current version of D&D (5e). It is not too long of an adventure and takes the players from level 1 to level 5. My group finished it in about 3 months with the group meeting once a week for 4-5 hours at a time. Overall, it was an extremely positive experience for our whole group.

Since the players can do anything (within reason), there is only so much this book can cover. There were multiple times my group did things not covered by the book and I had to improvise. Plus a few extra challenges I made up as we went along to keep my players on their toes. But from my total newbie players to my seasoned veterans, everyone had a good time. Including me, as a first-time DM. While I have not played any other D&D modules (yet), my experience with The Lost Mines of Phandelver was nothing but positive. I highly recommend it for any group of D&D players, whether you are new to the game like me or a seasoned player who wants to enjoy a low-stakes adventure.

Title: Prodigal Son
Series: Dean Koontz's Frankenstein
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: January 25, 2005
Format: Paperback
Pages: 469

 

Prodigal Son kicks off Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein series, which already had some history prior to this book. Originally, this story was a made-for-TV movie intended to launch a television series. But other members of the project wanting to change many of Koontz’s ideas eventually resulted in Koontz leaving the project. The film landed squarely in B-movie territory and flopped, so the TV show follow-up was never made. In the aftermath, Koontz decided to rework the story into novels to keep his ideas the way he wanted them. He did still work with a partner though; this first book was co-authored by Kevin J. Anderson.

There have been many, many retellings of Frankenstein over the years. Innumerable authors, film directors, and more have put their own spins on Mary Shelley’s classic story. Dean Koontz’s story takes a bit of a different approach in that regard. Instead of retelling the classic tale, he creates a modern-day sequel. In this world, the events of Shelley’s book did actually happen…mostly. The characters point out Shelley heard the events secondhand and took some liberties when writing her book. While Koontz’s version still holds to the fact that The Monster is the man and Dr. Frankenstein is the real monster, it is blunter and more obvious.

Victor Frankenstein has redubbed himself Victor Helios and spent his two centuries of life working to replace man. He envisions a world of beings that he has crafted to his own vision of perfection with himself as the mad-scientist-god ruling them all. Helios still creates monsters in the form of men, but with sophisticated future-tech of his own design. They look and act like real people even as a yearning to exterminate mankind burns within them. But the return of Victor’s first creation marks the start of his careful plans unraveling at the seams.

Dubbing himself Deucalion, The Monster learns of Victor’s survival and comes to stop his demented creator. At the same time, two New Orleans detectives start to learn of Victor’s mad schemes through a series of crimes. With killers both natural and man-made on the loose, it could only be a matter of time before New Orleans becomes a battlefield. The book jumps around between the perspectives of all these characters and more, giving readers a direct insight into an array of emotions ranging from nobility to outright inhumanity. Prodigal Son is only the first part of a series and it shows. There are many unanswered questions by the end of the story. More dangers in the dark as the battle to stop Dr. Frankenstein’s New Race rages on.

Title: The Desert Spear
Series: Demon Cycle
Author: Peter V. Brett
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 13, 2010
Format: Paperback
Pages: 579

 

The Desert Spear puts a different spin on the standard tropes of fantasy writing. Going into this book, readers may assume the POVs will still to Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer from The Warded Man. Instead, much of this story focuses on Jardir, Arlen’s former friend from the beginning of the last book. A significant portion of The Desert Spear focuses on Jardir. Essentially his whole life is covered, from early childhood to the present day. That being said, it takes a while. Jardir’s backstory covers the first 200-ish pages of this book. It is a bit daunting, but the story continues in earnest from there.

Getting a sense of Jardir’s backstory benefits the audience twofold. Through his eyes, readers learn a lot more about Krasia’s culture. While it is reminiscent of the Middle East, there are some differences. We get to see the mindset of the only people left who still regularly fight the demons. Their history plays a large part in this, as does their sense of honor. Readers will learn why, despite his honor, Jardir betrayed Arlen. As well as whose actions besides Jardir’s manipulated these events and pushed Krasia north.

Jardir is not the only new POV in The Desert Spear either. Whereas The Warded Man had three POVs, this book kicks it up to eight. Most of these are familiar characters from the first book, but there are some new faces too. Despite all the new character development, it does not mean the original trio are on the backburner. This is the point in the story where the world starts to change. It started with Arlen but is growing as more and more people become involved. All their actions will soon change the world order across the five nations.

As the world starts to change, strife begins growing between the human nations. The first book did briefly mention some political turmoil between the countries. But new events are starting to scale those conflicts from political turmoil to military action. Even in a world where monsters hunt men every night, people still fight among themselves. And that is not to say that the demons are standing idle either. As the first book’s epilogue showed us, some demons are more than powerful animals. They are intelligent, watching, and prepared to ensure humanity does not become a threat. Time will tell to what extent humans and demons alike are successful.

Title: The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 1: Deus lo Vult
Series: The Saga of Tanya the Evil
Author: Carlo Zen
Genre: Light Novel
Publisher: Yen On
Release Date: December 19, 2017 (USA); October 31, 2013 (Japan)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 344

 

For a light novel, The Saga of Tanya the Evil focuses less on “light” and more on “novel”. Unlike most other light novels, these books are not quick reads. This series reads at the same pace as a regular novel with an equivalent page count. Readers who have watched the anime will notice the books start a little differently. The anime begins with a flashforward before going back and explaining previous events. The book, on the other hand, presents the information chronologically (for the most part). While reading this first volume, keep in mind the book’s title Deus Io Vult is the Catholic motto “God wills it” that was popular during the Crusades.

The structure of Deus Io Vult is a bit difficult to follow. New readers may have trouble picking up on Tanya’s circumstances in this strange new world. Tanya’s story starts in our world as a middle-aged Japanese salaryman. The circumstances of his death lead to reincarnation on an alternate Earth. As a baby girl. In a country that is essentially pre-WWI Germany. And (s)he grows up just in time to join the military just as the war starts kicking off. Gender pronouns are actually tricky with Tanya, as (s)he is physically female but still thinks of him/herself as a man.

Anyway, every good isekai (trapped in another world) series has something different that makes it stand out. In this case, it is the story being in the military genre. Most other isekai series take place in standard fantasy worlds with knights, wizards, and so forth. While magic does exist in this world, they are still on the level of WWI technology. Magic is just used to amplify that technology. For example, a magic-charged rifle bullet could have increased explosive force, allowing it to function as a mortar shell. The series presents a very unique mix of magic and not-quite-modern technology.

The writing style here is a bit clunky. There is a lot of detail in the world-building and story, making the book long-winded for a light novel. Tanya also frequently makes real-world references, with cliff notes at the bottoms of pages for readers unfamiliar with those topics. Overall, this is one of the better light novel series out there, especially for readers interested in military history. It is different from most other light novel series, so people looking for a quick read might be turned off. If you are on the fence for this one, I highly recommend checking out the anime first.