J.R.R. R. (Jim) Hardison

Fish Wielder is a parody on all things fantasy. I mean all things. If there is a fantasy trope, it is thrown in there. If there is a literary turn of phrase, it is in there. It even made fun of itself frequently throughout the book. Prominent lampoonings are, Conan, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Wizard of Oz, and any book with elves in it.

Like many parodies, it pushed the bounds of tolerable, but at least for me it never quite crossed that line. Just about when the joke was getting old, he’d switch it up again. There were a few good surprises, like some elves spontaneously combust upon death, just because they are so awesome. Things like that kept me smiling though the book. Not to mention a fastidious barbarian, and a fish that can’t swim.

Thoral Mighty Fist Wielder is a barbarian like none other. For one thing, he always wins a fight, even if he doesn’t know he’s in one. It’s like the fates are looking out for him, though fate has a little help in the form of Brad, a talking fish and Thoral’s best friend.

Someone in the Bad Religion has decided Thoral is a threat and must go. So many attempts on his life are made. Thoral however is a little slow on the uptake since it doesn’t seem too much more dangerous than normal. To relieve his boredom, the duo go adventuring. They save damsels, find treasures, kill bad guys and generally do amazing things. Then the 3rd act comes along and twist upon twist of a twisted scheme is unveiled, and then the cliffhanger comes along asking you to wait for the next book.

While I think I’d have a hard time reading such a trilogy back to back, I do think when the 2nd book comes out I’ll have to give a try to see the further adventures of Brad and Thoral. It was funny and entertaining. Most fantasy fans should give it a try.… (mehr)