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A review by charmedstray
Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
really fun read i think. (to me, whose oldest & dearest interest is pre-ps2 jrpgs, so, grain of salt.) this isn't a book thats trying to be a sanderson or a le guin-- it's a progression fantasy. its intended audience is, like. people who know classic game story beats and mechanics. like-- holy shit! the protagonist is eternally interested in exploiting rules and making weird shit and hates talking! theres a summoner! theres a fist fighter! there's dungeons! unbelievable!
that being said, there's some good writing in here. my rating system is always dependent on what the author's trying to accomplish vs the result, & i think rowe does a pretty good job. ive just finished all the current books in the span of like, a week, so i can't attest to specific plot points. but for me personally rowe is really good at slamming the instant gratification brain button, which he's obviously trying to do. (i like reading about 1 billion interesting and strange fantasy beings & getting to pick their brains.) crucially, he's also pretty good (gets better w/ subsequent books) at balancing that out with fucked up consequences. the protagonist is always balancing a billion spinning plates, so it very often takes a while, but the effects of his actions are always startlingly well grounded.
narratively, this first book is a shit ton of dungeon crawling. the subsequent books get less dungeon crawly.
personal reasons i like this shit: super delightful gay ace protag. very satisfying fights. non-nuclear found family. big cool terrifying legendary guy with insane swords who thinks you're kinda neat n a good kid (u have horrifying family shit) :) really like... the mental & emotional equivalent to a shopping cart full of junk food. maybe it is not the best! however sometimes u don't Want the best u just want something tasty n fun that u know will be good.
that being said, there's some good writing in here. my rating system is always dependent on what the author's trying to accomplish vs the result, & i think rowe does a pretty good job. ive just finished all the current books in the span of like, a week, so i can't attest to specific plot points. but for me personally rowe is really good at slamming the instant gratification brain button, which he's obviously trying to do. (i like reading about 1 billion interesting and strange fantasy beings & getting to pick their brains.) crucially, he's also pretty good (gets better w/ subsequent books) at balancing that out with fucked up consequences. the protagonist is always balancing a billion spinning plates, so it very often takes a while, but the effects of his actions are always startlingly well grounded.
narratively, this first book is a shit ton of dungeon crawling. the subsequent books get less dungeon crawly.
personal reasons i like this shit: super delightful gay ace protag. very satisfying fights. non-nuclear found family. big cool terrifying legendary guy with insane swords who thinks you're kinda neat n a good kid (u have horrifying family shit) :) really like... the mental & emotional equivalent to a shopping cart full of junk food. maybe it is not the best! however sometimes u don't Want the best u just want something tasty n fun that u know will be good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse