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A review by jamedi
The Fantastically Underwhelming Epic of a Dead Wizard and an Average Bard by Kian N. Ardalan
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Score: 4,5 out of 5 stars
Have you imagined what would happen if Terry Pratchett was playing a D&D campaign where he was given total creative freedom? Well, that’s exactly how I felt while reading The Fantastically Underwhelming. And saying that as a Discworld fan, is a great compliment.
Just the start, how it sets you onto the world and the story, is really brilliant. I fall totally sucked into the book and had to do an auto-control exercise to not finish it on the first day.
About the characters, I’m going back to the D&D comparisons. George is what would happen if you have mediocre stats in your sheet, but it was the luckiest when rolling the dices. Simantiar is totally hitting the nail of subverting expectations, as it doesn’t fit what would you expect from a powerful mage. The secondary characters are also rich and show different archetypes that you would see in Fantasy.
The narrative is agile and hooking. Personally, I loved the way to show the past of the characters via flashbacks, and as a way to understand how they become what they are, even with Kenrith, who is on the border between being a secondary and a main character.
In summary, I would recommend this book to anybody who loves Fantasy, humour and would like to try something different. I cannot say another thing that I really want to see what more Kian N. Ardalan is capable of.
Have you imagined what would happen if Terry Pratchett was playing a D&D campaign where he was given total creative freedom? Well, that’s exactly how I felt while reading The Fantastically Underwhelming. And saying that as a Discworld fan, is a great compliment.
Just the start, how it sets you onto the world and the story, is really brilliant. I fall totally sucked into the book and had to do an auto-control exercise to not finish it on the first day.
About the characters, I’m going back to the D&D comparisons. George is what would happen if you have mediocre stats in your sheet, but it was the luckiest when rolling the dices. Simantiar is totally hitting the nail of subverting expectations, as it doesn’t fit what would you expect from a powerful mage. The secondary characters are also rich and show different archetypes that you would see in Fantasy.
The narrative is agile and hooking. Personally, I loved the way to show the past of the characters via flashbacks, and as a way to understand how they become what they are, even with Kenrith, who is on the border between being a secondary and a main character.
In summary, I would recommend this book to anybody who loves Fantasy, humour and would like to try something different. I cannot say another thing that I really want to see what more Kian N. Ardalan is capable of.