/lit/ - Literature

>>21541240
Aching God, Iconoclasts #1 - Mike Shel (2018)
This self-published dark fantasy novel is like a 1st Edition D&D adventure module, which shows that author has made use of his extensive professional background in tabletop RPGs. As for my own background, during my teenage years I read roughly 200 novels that had related D&D campaign settings and played as well. I was really deep into it for some years, which contributed to why I didn't like this at all. One might think it'd be the other way, but I couldn't help but it think it was a bootleg knock-off.

The main reason I didn't like this is because of how it's written, which I'm unable to explain in detail. Unfortunately I have more problems with it than that. The worldbuilding is expansive but shallow and oftentimes didn't make sense. This is a quest-based book, so as with many *RPGs it's almost entirely sidequests, detours, along the to the destination/main quest. To be clear, this is not LitRPG. There's a dungeon near the end in which the narrative shifts to ruin delver mode, but it doesn't last long until the book ends. I would be able to put all of these problems aside better if it didn't take itself so seriously. I see that as a disconnect between tone and content, which is more of a problem than I thought it'd be. All these problems would be less for someone who can accept its self-seriousness.

The protagonist is assigned party members from the ruin explorers guild which he's a retired member of. He's in his middle age after having survived almost 30 years of ruins exploration and has PTSD, from both domestic and adventuring life. His nightmares are provided in detail. There's not really anything that I want to say about the other party members, who are there to fill their relevant role. I didn't care for any of them and didn't have any engagement. There are many other NPCs that they meet and there are various encounters, but I couldn't care enough for any of it to matter, regardless of what happened to them.

The Hanifax Imperium, which is where all of this takes place, is ruled by a Queen well past her 100th year of rule. She made a pact with the trickster god to continue living, but that rather changed her. Now she's a chaotic evil dictator that everyone must follow or be killed by divine intervention as he's been made into the state religion. This is a problem for the Imperium, but it's much more so for those who meet her in person. I really wondered at what kind of cosmology would allow for the other gods, of which there are many, to be seemingly unconcerned about this. I looked at the synopsis for the two other books and all was revealed. I don't agree with a synopsis being complete spoilers, but it happens.

This is far better rated and reviewed by others and if it seems like something you'd enjoy, then it's more likely that their opinion has more predictive value for you than mine, so you may as well try. Otherwise, I suggest avoiding it.

Rating: 2/5