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Paul Todkill
United States
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2013
Hello! I'm Paul, builder of worlds and lover of all things Sci-fi and Fantasy. Retired esports commentator and marketing professional living in LA working in the video game industry. This is the channel where I talk about books! That's it. That's the bio.
The Most Underrated YA Fantasy Series | Into the Labyrinth Review | Mage Errant
I picked up this novel by pure chance and it ended up being one of my favourite reads of 2024. Evoking all the wonderful YA Fantasy memories of books like Harry Potter, A Wizard of Earthsea and Redwall, this book was a wonderful surprise and definitely one to pick up if you're looking for a light, fun fantasy series.
Socials:
Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor
Instagram: paultodkillauthor
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
Socials:
Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor
Instagram: paultodkillauthor
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
มุมมอง: 46
วีดีโอ
What is Cultivation Fantasy?? | To Flail Against Infinity Review | The Stargazer's War
มุมมอง 6639 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา
I tried reading Cultivation Fantasy! This is a spoiler-free review of To Flail Against Infinity - the first book in the Stargazer's War Series by J.P. Valentine. Socials: Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/paultodkill.bsky.social Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
Did it Stick the Landing?? | Wind and Truth Spoiler Review | Cosmere Implications |
มุมมอง 1.5K19 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา
I read Wind and Truth. Yes this review is late. Yes I was very sick recording this. No, it did not improve the video quality unless you're *really* into vocal fry. I could probably do a 3-hour breakdown on this but I tried to stick to overall impressions and broader cosmere tie-ins and future implications. Hope you enjoy it! Socials: Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor Instagram: instag...
Writing Vlog 2 | Indie Fantasy Audiobook & Cover Reveal |
มุมมอง 7628 วันที่ผ่านมา
It's been a while, but we're back with another writing vlog! I give a preview of my upcoming novelette audio drama, as well as reveal the 'cover' (well, at least for TH-cam) Socials: Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/paultodkill.bsky.social Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
The BIGGEST Indie YA Fantasy Series?? | Ascendant - Songs of Chaos Review | Michael R. Miller |
มุมมอง 512หลายเดือนก่อน
DISCLOSURE: I did receive this review copy for free from the author. This does not impact my review in any way, shape, or form. In this review, I take a look at Ascendant by Michael R. Miller. This YA Fantasy book follows a classic young protagonist on his journey to become a dragon rider. This book definitely draws heavy inspiration from other classics in the genre, but does so with a lot of h...
The Top 5 Worst Fantasy Tropes
มุมมอง 2Kหลายเดือนก่อน
Fantasy tropes! Hashing out the best and the worst are a common discussion on Reddit. I analyzed hundreds of comments and broke down the MOST disliked. Spoiler Alert: There was a CLEAR winner. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:04 - Methodology 1:56 - 5th Place Trope 3:16 - 4th Place Trope 5:00 - 3rd Place Trope 6:45 - 2nd Place Trope 8:18 - Honorable Mentions 10:41 - The WORST Fantasy Trope Socials: Thr...
Why is LitRPG so Addicting?! | He Who Fights With Monsters Review |
มุมมอง 2.5K2 หลายเดือนก่อน
Like many I have discovered the absolutely bizarre plunge that is the LitRPG genre. In this review I take a look at He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon, as well as diving into what makes the genre so darn addicting! Hint: It's the same things that make video games addicting, go figure. Socials: Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: ...
Top 5 Fantasy Series I've NEVER Read
มุมมอง 9502 หลายเดือนก่อน
Over the years I've been recommended some awesome fantasy series... but I have yet to have time to read them all. This video outlines the top Fantasy Series on my TBR, and ones I plan on tackling in 2025! 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards) 3:11 - Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen) 4:30 - The Black Company (The Black Company) 6:00 - A Little Hatred (The Age of Ma...
My Author Journey | Indie Publishing Plan | Writing Vlog #1 |
มุมมอง 1832 หลายเดือนก่อน
The indie publishing journey has begun! In this video, I recap my plans to publish not one, not two, but four cozy fantasy short stories! I give an overview of my aspirations for my new adult fantasy duology, and the eventual plan for a science-fantasy trilogy! Socials: Threads: www.threads.net/@paultodkillauthor Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
The Best Hard Sci-Fi Book?? | Project Hail Mary Review & Discussion |
มุมมอง 5572 หลายเดือนก่อน
After the disaster that was reading Artemis by Andy Weir, I had to give him another shot with Project Hail Mary. This book is absolutely the spiritual successor to The Martian... but does it simply rehash the same ground, the same stakes, and characters? 0:00 - Spoiler Free Review 8:00 - Spoiler Discussion & Critique Socials: Instagram: thepaultodkill TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@pault...
So I Finished the Red Rising Trilogy... | Morning Star Review |
มุมมอง 3052 หลายเดือนก่อน
Morning Star, the third book in the Red Rising Trilogy. I take a fairly deep dive into its themes, characters, and resolution. Does this book stick the landing? Does it deliver a satisfying ending to a highly controversial series? Socials: Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
The Next Game of Thrones?? | A Tide of Black Steel Review |
มุมมอง 5153 หลายเดือนก่อน
In this video I discuss a new viking-inspired high fantasy novel by Anthony Ryan. This being the first in a new series, with a far-flung cast of characters, and some seriously deep worldbuilding (and very robust conlang). If you're a fan of ASOIAF, then this might be worth checking out! Socials: Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
Fan Theories Confirmed!! | Livesuit Review | The Captive's War | James S.A. Corey
มุมมอง 1.2K3 หลายเดือนก่อน
We asked questions, and sooner than I think anyone expected-we got answers! Quick fan theory discussion video around James S.A. Corey's newest short story in the Captive's War Series. ALL THE SPOILERS! Socials: Instagram: paultodkillauthor TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@paultodkill
Top 10 Most Recommended Fantasy Books (According to Reddit)
มุมมอง 1.2K3 หลายเดือนก่อน
A few months back Reddit User u/C0smicoccurence put together a comprehensive meta-analysis of 127 Reddit posts, and documented over 3500 specific book recommendations from r/Fantasy. I took a look at the top recommended books/series/authors, and also gave my thoughts on the results, as well as the natural biases that exist on a platform like Reddit. Original Post: www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comme...
What is LitRPG? | Dungeon Crawler Carl Review |
มุมมอง 2.2K4 หลายเดือนก่อน
What is LitRPG? | Dungeon Crawler Carl Review |
The Same Author as The Martian?? | Artemis Book Review |
มุมมอง 6994 หลายเดือนก่อน
The Same Author as The Martian?? | Artemis Book Review |
A Must Read Cozy Fantasy Romance | The Spellshop Review |
มุมมอง 4514 หลายเดือนก่อน
A Must Read Cozy Fantasy Romance | The Spellshop Review |
The Best New Sci-Fi Book?? | The Mercy of Gods Review |
มุมมอง 4.4K5 หลายเดือนก่อน
The Best New Sci-Fi Book?? | The Mercy of Gods Review |
Did I Change my Mind about Red Rising? | Golden Son Review |
มุมมอง 3.4K5 หลายเดือนก่อน
Did I Change my Mind about Red Rising? | Golden Son Review |
So I Tried Reading Romantasy... | A River Enchanted Review |
มุมมอง 4145 หลายเดือนก่อน
So I Tried Reading Romantasy... | A River Enchanted Review |
MASSIVE Debut Indie Sci-Fi Novel | To Castle Kingside Review |
มุมมอง 2625 หลายเดือนก่อน
MASSIVE Debut Indie Sci-Fi Novel | To Castle Kingside Review |
The Best Sci-fi and Fantasy Books of 2024 | Polygon Article Review |
มุมมอง 4646 หลายเดือนก่อน
The Best Sci-fi and Fantasy Books of 2024 | Polygon Article Review |
Cyberpunk Urban Fantasy | Neon Ghosts Review | Book 1: A Witch's Sin |
มุมมอง 5106 หลายเดือนก่อน
Cyberpunk Urban Fantasy | Neon Ghosts Review | Book 1: A Witch's Sin |
The Most Polarizing Sci-Fi Book of All Time?? | Red Rising Review |
มุมมอง 1.8K6 หลายเดือนก่อน
The Most Polarizing Sci-Fi Book of All Time?? | Red Rising Review |
Should You Read the Broken Earth Trilogy?
มุมมอง 7946 หลายเดือนก่อน
Should You Read the Broken Earth Trilogy?
Reading My Girlfriend's Favourite Books! | Fourth Wing Review |
มุมมอง 4097 หลายเดือนก่อน
Reading My Girlfriend's Favourite Books! | Fourth Wing Review |
Top 30 Book Series of All Time??? Forbes List Review
มุมมอง 3058 หลายเดือนก่อน
Top 30 Book Series of All Time??? Forbes List Review
March Book Review - Indie Fantasy Month
มุมมอง 1689 หลายเดือนก่อน
March Book Review - Indie Fantasy Month
The First Law Trilogy In 2024 - Does it Hold Up?
มุมมอง 2239 หลายเดือนก่อน
The First Law Trilogy In 2024 - Does it Hold Up?
To me it seemed that the livesuit was some part or form of the swarm. The black parts of the body where damage was repaired. The fact that Piotr was dead and was still functioning, just like the swarm in Mercy of the gods. The way they were in constant communication with each other. I have a feeling the swarm captives in Mercy of the gods were ex livesuit humans who had been completely transformed, or something along those lines. I’m sure we will find out more in the next books.
red rising especially after the first book is different form hunger games. How? 1. the society in hunger games is due to a failed revolution in red rising it came due to a successful revolution of the space based societies against those of earth 2. love triangles guide the main character in red rising such a trope is not necessary 3. heriarchy in hunger games based on skill and geogrpahy in red rising it is based on both skill and genetics 4. hunger games more YA red rising more new adult with complex intrigues
I hate cultivation fantasy so much. There's like 2 I have read that are actually good.
Like all progression fantasy I don't think it's for everyone for sure. This is absolutely a niche genre, but one that is steadily picking up steam here in the west, part of the reason I wanted to highlight it!
@@Paul_Todkill My issue isn't that it's niche but that it's bad. For the most part cultivation fantasy is nothing more than naked power fantasy. The plots are weak, the characters are card board cutout Mary Sue's and the most offensive part is that they are a waste of time. Like I said there are a couple of exceptions, but if you have watched or read Solo Leveling you have seen or read 99% of progression fantasy. I will say that an example of cultivation fantasy done well is Dragon Heart series by Kirill Klevanski. I am not someone who thinks because I like something it's good, or because I dislike something it's bad. But cultivation fantasy is a trash genre at the moment. Which sucks because there is real potential there. What makes me skeptical of it's future is the fact that I understand the connection cultivation fantasy has with semen retention (and if you think I am kidding I am not). So long as it keeps it's connection to the philosophy cultivation is rooted in and so long as it continues to try and appeal to incels it can't be good. The reason is because that mindset is incapable of creating good art. Which is why there are so few good cultivation novels.
That's the first I've ever heard about semen retention... I think people like them because they're cheap, easy popcorn novels. They're basically dollar store romance novels, but for men. Like most progression fantasy, they're not meant to be high literature, and that's okay! Not everything has to be for everyone.
@@Paul_Todkill please don't mistake me. Some of my favorite reads are junk food novels. But there's junk food (you probably shouldn't eat too much of this) and junk food (this is poisonous and will give you cancer).
I hope you had a good day today, Paul
I hope you do too!
Sounds worth a shot. Thanks!
I'd recommend looking into Lord of the Mysteries webnovel
the best webnovel i have ever read made everything else seem shallow and trash
First off great video. I am interested in this book and cultivation fantasy as a whole. Side note I’m getting tired of or phones watching and listening to us 😭. I looked up what is cultivation fantasy in my work computer 1 hour later I get a notification of your video 😂
Aha thank you! In Google's defense they do *own* TH-cam so at least it's just trying to be helpful 😭
TFAI is one of my favorite cultivation debuts in a long time. The sequel was nearly as good. Valentine's prose is top notch for the genre and the world he's building is impressive! Solid review!
Agreed! I was super impressed by the prose on this one. Progression fantasy tends to not emphasize that so much, which made this a real standout for me.
I just finished a river enchanted and I completely agree with your points! It was not great but it was good.
sounds cool :)
It's wild that Harry Potter isn't mentioned at all.
To be fair I don't feel like anyone of age on reddit hasn't heard of/read Harry Potter. Additionally people might be less willing to recommend it due to the author's personal beliefs.
I was not satisfied with the contest of champions. The entire 10 Days set up, to what felt like an anticlimactic Contest was disappointing. I just wish Dalinar would’ve done something cool with his bond-smith abilities, maybe open a perpendiculity shove grandson in… Sorry Odium it appears your champion has left, I win… Hide Nightblood in Shadesmar, open perpendiculaity, grab Nightblood kill Odium, and then Dalinar becomes Retribution… Just saying, try something cool fail, then forsake oaths and die would’ve been much more satisfying.
Would have been some looneytune's nonsense if he'd just perpendicularity'd Gavinor out of there but yeah I agree it felt... Just unsatisfying. We wanted an epic battle and that's just not what we got. There is a time to subvert expectations but I don't think this was one of them.
Where are you getting the hoid wants to bring back someone from the dead from? I never got that and I reread the entire cosmere loads of times. I just always saw him as a guy who's biggest regret is the shattering of adonalsium and now he's going around the cosmere picking up magics and helping others meanwhile working on his own yet unrevealed to us plan.
That's also one interpretation of it as well. It's a common theory based on various WoB's. This person put it together really well: www.reddit.com/r/Cosmere/s/U35bXWzl2t
@Paul_Todkill OK thanks just read it there and I don't really feel it also I don't put too much stock into wobs and what brandon says. He spoke of a warbreaker sequel for ages and it went back and forth whether it'll exist or not and we still might not get one. He mentioned that lost metal would explain medallion mechanics and what happened with spook as those would be very important going forward and we just ended up fighting autonomy out of nowhere. Regardless, I wouldn't say I'm done with the cosmere but the hype I felt is gone and going forward I'll be alot more cautious and just for my own sake there'll be no more wobs.
I don't think it's going to be decades on Roshar between arcs!! Maybe decades off of Rodhar. Yasinha is one of the characters is going to have a huge role in the next arc!!! One of the books that are going to be her flashbacks.... I think you're going to like this better down the road. It's not meant to be a resolution. Your expectations didn't match it.
Wait? Harmony is not super well .. But where did you hear he was descending into discord??? Was up from Sanderson Q&A? I think I enjoyed the book more than you did but it does bring up some interesting questions.... I had already given up on this being a properly resolved arc... And as such, It actually turned out better than I expected. However, was it a mistake being that ambitious and trying to open it up into the greater cosmere right from stormlight era One? Would it have been much more powerful not doing that?
It's basically 99% confirmed that's what is happening to Sazed. The "Dark Presence" that Kelsier sees behind him. Sazed is not holding the balance in check, giving too much emphasis to Preservation which will allow Ruin to drive the ship, changing him from Harmony into Discord. I imagine it will be a key plot point in Ghostbloods. And yeah maybe part of my issues with this book come from my own skewed expectations. I was treating this more like a Mistborn Era, which have very clear resolutions. I didn't need *everything* to resolve, but this left way more open ended than I expected. It was marketed as the "end of the first Arc". And given there will be a decade in between books... I had things I was expecting.
FULL ANALYSIS in under 30 minutes???
I had more notes to discuss but my voice was seconds away from giving out 😭 I'll probably do some in-depth fan theories/things you might have missed video in the future.
His magic system is a mix of the traditional litrpg Everquest/classic WoW system, and Chinese cultivation fantasy. A lot of modern prog fantasy uses cultivation style progression (ie. the tiers). Arc 1 is decent. Arc 2 is questionable. And the Jason monologues get longer and worse.
There was a lot to love about this book, but there is a distinct altering of the creative voice by a ‘board room’-be them beta readers, or otherwise. And that doesn’t negate the fact that this is a clearly under-edited work. When the prose for the series is already so transparent(and skillfully so) it’s impossible to bury such inconsistencies in tone. It needs to be flawless. That’s a big part of why people love the first two books across the board. I don’t have to agree with everything an author puts on the page. Some of my favorite books are contrary to my expectations.They are the writer, and so they choose the path. For books 6-10, I can only hope Sanderson takes a step back, and ends the feedback loop that just isn’t benefitting his work. The fact that it has damaged his magnum opus of a series is already a tragedy, but it’s not too late to reattain focus. I’d rather him be a creative hermit than listen to a single fan too seriously.
I come from the video game space and it's been very interesting to see the impact of long beta periods on games. One recent example that always stands out to me is Apex Legends. Game drops, no marketing, no beta tests, nothing. 250k installs in 24 hours, no server issues and everyone loves it. Vs some games that have a year of testing and it becomes so convoluted that it loses the initial creator's vision. I agree. I hope he closes ranks a bit going forward with some of these and writes the story he wants to write, not the one he thinks will have the most appeal.
Too many cooks
I wasn’t expecting much of a huge ending. It is only the halfway point in a series, not a true ending, so i expected a status quo shift, which is what we got. But I seem to be one of the few people who really enjoyed the ending Additionally about the Cosmere Connections, I think you can enjoy this book without understanding them. I don’t think Sanderson is telling readers with this book that you *have* to understand the connections to enjoy the book. I think he walks the line for the most part. Ghostbloods, once he finishes writing that… we shall see. But I do think that telling people they have to understand the connections to enjoy this book is not healthy. We’re building up people’s expectations and driving other people away the more they think they’ve missed. Kinda similar to some sentiments in the Malazan fandom which we shouldn’t strive to emulate
I guess it's probably in part a semantics thing? This is the end of the first Arc of the Stormlight Archive... How similar or different is that to the end of Mistborn Era 1? I think about how satisfying (and heartbreaking) that conclusion was (for both eras, actually) vs how unresolved this Stormlight "era" feels. Is there really such a difference between Arc and Era? When you compare them that's when I struggle. How much is semantics and how much is legitimate desire to have closure on a series A good number of people will *die* before finishing.
@you’re right it’s definitely semantics (though I’ve definitely heard Sanderson recently refer to this as an Era, not an Arc like he previously has. However it hasn’t been consistent) Stormlight was always pitched as a ten book series, from the start. Sanderson has said that he wanted to avoid the middle book(s) slump of longer series like WoT, so the way he plotted it out when he published WoK was with this soft wrap up so he could switch to other character to freshen up the series. Mistborn era 1 has always been Mistborn era 1. It was pitched as a trilogy. It’s a trilogy. Mistborn era 2 was an accident, so it was always separate as well. The later two (probably three now) are also pitched as separate trilogies. Yes they’re in the same world, but they’re not the same series whatsoever. That’s why Sando is doing the whole “write all three together” for Era 3 Semantically, Arc means it’s two parts of the same series Era just clarifies that they’re different series, same world, different time
@PonderingsOfPete sure, but I think the perception is still there. This was marketed as "The end of the first Arc" the ending of... Something. With a 10 year predicted gap. If you're marketing something as some kind of conclusion, I want that conclusion to be satisfying. For me, personally? It wasn't as satisfying as I'd like.
@ that’s fair. It’s hitting differently for a lot of people. I’ve been working on tempering my outsized expectations of things and am trying to convince other people to do the same overall. Now we just need the algorithm to like that too (unlikely)
The decision to save Khabranth was actually a part of Odium’s oath to Taravangian. I’m not sure that it breaks his purpose
Hmmm, potentially. I could be off base. It just feels like a bit of a Chekhov's Gun? Why would Sanderson mention it like he did unless it was going to have a big impact. I don't think the sole purpose was just to show he still had some sympathy/humanity left. I think it was specifically to show the parallel to Tanavast.
@@Paul_Todkillpossibly, but I’m not getting that vibe. Sanderson would’ve been way much more obvious about it if so, considering the wealth of subtlety in the rest of the book
Well I guess we'll find out in a decade 😭
This sick voice is sexy, lol
Too bad sanderson chose the log jammers and bush burners over the majority of his loyal fans. Won't get another penny from me. I know I'm not alone in this decision.
Man, I will be honest I have absolutely no idea what this means.
What?
@@Paul_Todkill They are just hateful against LGBT, but saying it using archaic words for gay and lesbian.
That's what I figured... Man Sanderson has been pro LGBT since day 1. Why are they suddenly acting like this is a new thing? And in addition... Great? Good riddance? We don't want you in the community anyway.
Indeed
Thanks for your video it was amazing! I feel content with the book, things I like, things I dont, but I get the feeling of that end scene in Empire strikes back, where all they have is themselves and hope, so yeah Im happy with WaT
Adolin and Yawnagawn were definitely the best part of the book for me. Personally, I was disappointed with Kaladin's part in the story. He's always been my favorite, so I was sad to see.him basically sidelined. 🤣 I also agree that the book setup a lot for the upcoming books, but didn't give a lot of satisfying payoff.
Yeah seems like Adolin was most people's winner and I definitely see why. Agree on the Kaladin point but that choice seems strictly due to his involvement in the second arc. Still a shame though.
Great production quality. The subscribers will come.
Appreciate it!
Umm...dude, if you havent finished the Expanse, you're maybe missing some important context. I think we know how they got there
www.reddit.com/r/TheCaptivesWar/s/AHK7aimeMP Nah, it's not the gates. This is its own universe.
@Paul_Todkill One of the planets mentioned is Oberon, which is almost certainly a corruption of Auberon. It's it's own universe, and I doubt it'll ever connect to the Expanse story (unless the thing takes place in the very last scene of Book 9 connects). However, these people clearly got here from Earth at some distant point in the past, and no doubt it was through the gates
I literally just linked a post from the author saying it wasn't. Not sure what else you want if you aren't willing to believe the people writing it.
Currently wrapping up book 10 with 11 on deck
Imo this book is perfect for readers with ADHD. The constant switching of POV makes me really get into the story. Though I have to say, this book will probably do well in the future as well, because it switches so regularely. We also see that in the cuts in movies, pomping children's dopamine.
I own a persian cat and Donut is VERY accurate.
He who fights with monsters woke something inside of me. I spent hundreds of dollars because i didn't want to wait for the next free credit on audible. I finished HHFWM 3 times and switched it up. I stuck to the litRPG genre with Heretical Fishing 1-3 (great series) and now im on "rise of mankind" series. Which the first 3 are free on audible for subscribers!!! Im a truck driver so i get 8-12 hours a day to listen to books and i love it. Up next are dungeon crawler carl and murder hobo
Azarinth Healer and Defiance of the Fall would be two other recs!
I listened to the 11 books at work in a little under 2 months and now I’m lost. What do I do
I really enjoyed Azarinth Healer, was a solid entry. I'm on book 2 now of Defiance of the Fall. Bit of a different vibe but also one I'm enjoying!
Could look into "rise of mankind" series. The first 3 are free on audible. If you like litRPG this is a little of a different flavor with the same rough outline of stats and goals and exploration. 9/10 recommend rise of mankind series
*just me but naked with a bushy moustache* BISCUITS
The final trope was done well once and it was awesome. Return of the Jedi.
This is my favorite series of books. The first law, standalones, age of madness… Really looking forward to the movie. Hopefully its good like LOTR and Dune. And not TROP or TWoT
Im all caught up with this series, its kind of my thing
I read the first 3! Taking a break to check out some other series but I'm sure I'll get back to it at some point.
Let’s gooooo
You got me to start the audio book on November 30th. Im on book 3 now. THANK YOU ITS BEEN GREAT
That's a book every 3 days you absolute savage! Glad you're enjoying them!!
Does the chosen one being orphaned and becoming an assassin count, if they don't know they are the chosen? And they aren't chosen to save the world. But rather to teach the one who will save it. Who also doesn't know they are the chosen?
Strictly speaking I don’t think humans are the real enemy. I think the real enemy are the livesuits (AI bio supports that train on a human but can eventually survive past that). Plus also the ‘control’ that guides them - which I would guess is likely to be a larger more complicated AI itself. The Swarm is presumably an evolution of livesuit technology. It also manipulates dead human flesh. I’m guessing livesuit happens before and after the main novel. Due to the time dilation and gaps between missions. Early in Livesuit sounded early in the war, whereas late in livesuit it was mentioned that their side had snuck spies into captive populations and as a reaction the Caryx killed rather than captured races instead. So I’m guessing that point is after that the main novel.
I mean, I would still consider the broader war machine of humanity as 'the enemy'. Now, it is entirely possible the livesuit tech is actually alien in nature, and has been either intentionally (as an ally) or as a hostile takeover - embedded into humanity. Or it could just be human tech. Either way the minds behind it - humanity, are still 'The Enemy'. .My assumption is that livesuit probably, or entirely takes place before TMOG. Again, time is weird, so it's possible that it is a bit of both. I think humans have just been trying to sneak swarm like entities in for a LONG time, and this new swarm is a better, improved version. Complimented by the unique nature of Anjiin's humans. The swarm absolutely feels like an evolution of that livesuit tech, 100%. The way they could communicate made that abundantly clear.
@ I’m guessing that the livesuits may have expanded on or exceeded their original intent and after thousands of years of galactic war may be more of an independent sentient AI race that happened to originate from integrating into humans. Rather than there still being actual humans in command thousands of years into running the war. The humans in Iain M Bank’s Culture novels are around for company and are kept safe to live utopian lives, but in terms of warfare between species it’s the ship Minds that run things and do the real fighting. I could totally be wrong but my guess at where things are going with the ‘mercy of gods’ is that humans are small and unimportant and at the mercy of two greater warring powers of the galaxy (Caryx vs Livesuits), neither of which care that much about them (hence the Livesuits and Swarm not caring about casually killing their hosts). The Livesuits in Mercy of Gods have 5 limbed starfish forms. It’s possible that’s just Caryx being bad at identifying space suited humans and the head is a limb. Or possibly they’re a 5 fold symmetrical starfish form Livesuits have evolved into to better suit space warfare. Also I don’t think there’s anything special about Anjin’s humans? They’re just a forgotten backwater, fragmented off and having forgotten their history. Useful for the Livesuits to hide a spy in and they have some interesting research findings but I think they’re just regular humans.
I disagree - I think the test wasn’t to do with would you turn in members of your own race. The rebellion happened this time but likely not every time. I think the test was are you ruthless enough to outcompete other races (the night drinkers) while doing what the Caryx want you to do with the research task. Also potentially whether your species is able to domesticate itself by fitting in and carrying out the Caryx instructions while mostly taking care of yourselves.
Love this series. Started it and finished it in a day and I was obsessed. Book one was amazing and very nostalgic and classic fantasy type feeling. Then book two started out as a very long setup for the second half of the book where everything gets even more exciting. The magic is explained a lot more as the books go on might I add. Book 3 was setting up a lot for what’s supposed to be the final two books in the series but the odds aren’t looking great for the protagonists. I am beyond excited for book 4 which I believe will really go straight into the action and unresolved issues. There’s a lot of things that happened in book 3 that the main characters will have to deal with and lots of enemies they will have to face. At the end of book 3 it looked like despite the main characters succeeding in their small quests they were still losing badly in the bigger picture to very powerful enemies.
I was immediately excited when I finished the Mercy of Gods because I could kinda already see what they're going for with it. And Livesuit only confirmed my suspisions. I predict that the second book in the series is gonna make a huge time skip and from these humble beginnings we're gonna be in for some Dune-scale epicness.
Oh yeah, hard agree. I still am not the biggest fan of the overall writing/pacing, but the worldbuilding has me absolutely hooked.
@@Paul_Todkill I have a theory that they're using this first novel as a kind of a stepping stone. Remember their (especially Ty's) reasoning behind the whole scientific plausibility they were praised for so much in the Expanse. At the end of the day it wasn't there for it's own sake, or to please the nerds. It was a narrative tool, only there to ground the reader in a particular sense of reality, in order to then sell them on the scale of what comes after. For the scale to have more of an impact. That's what I think they're going for, just in a different format, because Ty really doesn't like doing things that already been done. Which is, of course, kind of ironic considering the amount of sci-fi works they're pulling their inspirations from, but hey. We're all pulling from them to a certain extent, consciously or otherwise.
For anyone curious there are some really amazing free audiobook channels as well
I really enjoyed this book. I do admit there were times that I was like “ok how did he solve this on the first try” but then there were moments where Grace has to spend countless hours breeding Astrophage and admits that sometime science isn’t sexy. And I am like yas! I also really enjoyed the back and forth narrative style between past and present.
Where do you get the idea that he is a loner.... I found him to be an extroverted social butterfly.
A book titled Iron Prince was what convinced me to get into this genre. Could not put it down when I read it the first time. Though it's classes as a sci-fi progression fantasy.
hello dude i am 14 years old i am currently writing a fantasy book myself and i did not watch your vid (sorry about that) because i have seen other vids and sometimes i see comments that explain the vid in a short way and the reason i am commenting is #1 i have been creating an army of "chosen ones" in my story if you can call it that this army is about knights surpassing their limits about training on everything you can use on battlefield like a machine if you did watch "the terminator" then i think you have been getting a version of this army because that's what they're supposed to be human knights acting like terminators due to their country being that way and their orders and the protagonist joins this army because he wants to live he wants to get the truth about his questions like "does life have meanin?" "why am i alive right now?" "why should i keep living?" shit like this in a short way this is a fantasy book with philosophy on it and by the end of the book the protagonist sents himself and his lover to another world so she can be free forever and he can live without war however by the time he does this he also leaves behind his kingdom and the war between Narantia (his country) and the army of the mountains of Woundirea (the antagonists) and his lover who is part-human part-dragon was one of their leaders and they were in this another world due to a magic cast by the magicians of Narantia sending both of them to another world that stands between time and the one who requested this magic was the protagonist (he has already lost one of his arms by this point of the story) also the one who becomes the leader of Narantia and wins the war after the protagonist Scrooge Hel Falen-Rey leaves is the deutaragonist Sernog En Hausse-Roi there are many other things that i am going to add to the story but what i wanted to ask is : what do you think of this conclusion pls?
Glad you enjoyed it! Brode vs Brom - totally subconscious haha no doubt that's where it came from. I'd say most of the similarities are based on archetypes which even Paolini was criticized for using, but I've found the more you write and look deep into stories, you find there's a reason the archetypes exist. You 180 them or avoid them at your peril! Holt and Ash advance quickly also due to the purity of their bond. Book 1 shows why other bonds aren't as 'pure' e.g. Pyra selects Talia partially because Pyra likes the idea of being tied to royalty, so on and so forth. Other things like that come up over the series. As the books go on you'll find out why bond development matters above all else, and how you can advance quite fast if you get that right. Couldn't shove everything into one book :) This series did begin with the intention of going a YA publishing route, but as the trad system seemed an impossible gauntlet to run with a book like this, I ended up broadening it out and turning it into a larger epic. The tone begins to shift a bit toward the end of book 1 and the epic fantasy kicks in fully in book 2 onward, I think. I think you might get on with the later books even better, albeit it becomes a larger multi POV story. If you do read on, check out the free novella first. It's about Brode but it's the perfect thing to read between book 1 and 2. And I'd be happy to come on and chat writing/business sometime :) michael@michaelrmiller.co.uk
I'll certainly reach out! Appreciate that insight for sure. These classic tropes exist for a reason that's for sure. It's interesting because my local B&N has this in the adult fantasy section, which makes more sense if the rest of the series moves in that adult epic fantasy direction. Was still cool to see though, as finding indie authors in that brick & mortar location is not common. I'll definitely read the novella! Thanks again for sending this over.
Might not be a trope so much but I can't stand it when writers insert common abilities, spells, technologies,... into their world without considering what the wide availability of those would have on their society or on narrative tension (e.g. instant communication across any distance via magic/tech kills any kind of "we must get that information to that faction" plot, dito for fast travel magic,...)
Seriously! Think about the economy! So many basic things that just sorta... Exist because they're needed for the story, but the impact is rarely considered beyond the scene they're in.
One thing that annoys me sometimes is when the character does something completely nonsensical and then it works out to their advantage and the author makes the other characters treat them like a genius but never explains why it was a good idea in the first place to try that.