/lit/ - Literature

Progression fantasy fag here, continuing my read of 20 books in the genre. Note for all you autists: my definition of this term is broad and includes xianxia, progression fantasy, gamer lit, etc. I tend to join the thread once a week and post my review before arguing with the Reverend Insanity guy until the thread 404s. I've just wrapped up my read of Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar, which is released weekly on Royal Road.

One of the anons in this thread mentioned that it was written by committee and it shows after the first 3/4 of the book. I dug into this further and saw that the author will post a regular weekly vote for what the main character will do and then executes the chapter along those lines. Everything produced on Royal Road and Audible have had an editing pass done to make a coherent story out of it. Unfortunately this leaves this rather directionless and the pace falls into a rut quickly. Ling Qi is a simple xianxia school girl who goes to class, trains, cultivates and socializes with her friends.

This is all she does. When you think the story is about to catch and finally begin escalating, the chapter ends with Ling Qi receiving a new manual or tool and moving along. There's also a few females in this story that aren't written with a unique voice and tend to run together, especially since they've all got similar Chinese names. The author tries to surprise you with older characters returning but there is such an extensive cast that I lost track of several of the faces by the end. Aside from those gripes, the story's cultivation system is its strongest feature.

Each character forms their own techniques by binding an element to internal qi meridians. These meridians intersect major organs which, depending on the organ, allows a different technique to be used. Heart meridians allow for support techniques, meridians in the brain allow for perception of time to be impacted, etc. Each character has their own discipline that they explore to the fullest and this is definitely the first time since Cradle that I've enjoyed the wide array of techniques and styles available in the world. In addition to techniques, several characters are bonded with spirit animals or have spirit animal ancestors and animal features.

These companions cultivate their own path and support their partner, requiring them to advance to higher levels of cultivation. All in all, interesting features and system in a very limited environment.

Final Score: 7/10 but I don't see this score holding up into future volumes. I'm tentative on picking up future volumes, given it doesn't have a clear direction.

Next up: The Last Ship in Suzhou by 'Lungs'

Previous Scores:
Cradle by Will Wight - 9/10
Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar - 7/10
A Thousand Li by Tao Wong - 7/10
Virtuous Sons by Ya Boy - 6/10
Bastion by Phil Tucker - 6/10
Reverend Insanity by Gu Zhen Ren - 4/10
Reincarnation: Threads by Michael Head - 3/10