Why The Surprise

Firstly, it’s a surprise because of the niche genre that it comes out of. The genre is LitRPG. This is a blend between literature and a role playing game. Not that you are playing a role playing game, but that a role playing game is baked into what Dungeon Crawler Carl is, at least in some way.

This genre is known for interesting quality of books, let’s just say that. It’s one that a lot of RPG players take their own stories and ideas and try and turn it into something. So you get a lot of noise from people who aren’t authors in this genre which means that it’s hard to find the good ones. That makes it even more impressive for Dungeon Crawler Carl because it’s a niche genre with a lot of noise that not much breaks free from that community that reads those books.

And the Author, Matt Dinniman is one of those turned authors not someone who has been an author for a long time. It’s not like GRR Martin did a LitRPG book or Matt Mercer, big from the RPG side of things, did a book. People would flock to those because of the names, this is one that rose above the noise because of itself.

What Is The Premise of Dungeon Crawler Carl

So we’ve determined that it is a litRPG. But what does that mean in this case?

Well, the story kicks you off with the end of the world. Well, not the end of the world but the end of the world as we know it happening. And if you want a fighting chance to survive, you probably need to go into this game that an alien race is hosting on the remains of Earth. So that is what Carl does along with his ex’s cat Princess Donut.

From there, everything else would be pretty big spoilers beyond that first chapter or two of the first book. But basically in this game you level up. Hence the LitRPG status.

What Makes It So Good?

Firstly, it’s good because Carl is good. Carl is a well written main character who finds himself in a crazy situation and reacts in ways that are unexpected but also develops as a character. It’s someone who isn’t perfect, he knows that and is carrying lots of baggage with him while going in. And the supporting characters are wonderful. They grow and change and challenge each other. There isn’t a character that I look at that is poorly written. Not all of them get much time in the books, but all of them are interesting.

Then is how the book blends so many things together. I’ll talk about big ideas soon, but it’s a good story with a plot that is strong enough to carry everything. But there is great comedy in the book as well and the comedy serves the story, not just being tossed on top. Or maybe just a bunch of comedy with no real plot, it has plot.

And it has big ideas. Dinniman is writing a sci-fi/fantasy/comedy/LitRPG story that is touching on a lot of real world things. I like how it is this absurd setting but there is real world underneath it all. But, Dinniman does a great job writing it because it’s not just real world preaching. I read books where they are bad because they touch on an important topic poorly. The big ideas need to support the story, not the other way around.

Have You Read Dungeon Crawler Carl

So that’s just a little bit on Dungeon Crawler Carl. I’ll be back once I get caught up on the series to talk about it. I recommend, highly, checking it out. And if you don’t have time to sit down and read something that long, checkout the amazing audiobooks. They are some of the best audiobooks that I’ve ever listened to, and I’m not even that far into it. Plus, if you want more, checkout the comic book. I wouldn’t jump in there, but if you want to revisit Dungeon Crawler Carl, it’s a good spot to do so.

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What Is Unico About

I can tell you the whole plot of Unico if you want. But I won’t. Unico is a story originally created by Osamu Tezuka and published from 1976 to 1979. Tezuka’s name might be familiar as he also created and wrote Astro Boy. So he is one of the founders and creators of manga as we know it. Unico is a lesser known story. But Samuel Sattin (adaptor) and Gurihiru have adapted it into a new form.

The story follows that of a unicorn who with the goddess Psyche bring joy and beauty to the mortal world. But that makes the goddess Venus mad. She is beauty, not Unico and people should be adoring her, not Unico. So she captures the little unicorn and sends him across time with the West Wind so that he forgets who he was. He is to be left in that forgetful state, but the West Wind can’t do that. But her betrayal of Venus is going to cost her and put Unico back in danger.

Is It A Good Story?

So the first graphic novel or trade paperback just came out of this. I don’t think it is going purely to comics, but that means that only part of the story is ready to be read. But Unico: Awakening, the first graphic novel, is wonderful. You get a taste in the comic for free comic book day, but the rest of the story really shines as you dig into.

There is a surprising amount of depth to the story as you look into Unico, Chloe the cat, and what other characters, like the West Wind need to go through. It’s a kids story, but not a kids story for the faint of heart. And I think the story is better off because of it. But that is also a downside of it.

The comic book came with the kids bag of stories. And my five-year-old kid loves Unico. But now that we own and I read the story, is it the right thing for a kid that age. The start has some big things to it, just in the comic. But nothing too overtly scary. Unico: Awakening, that is going to contain more that might be scary for a kid.

Then Who Is It For?

Unico is for a slightly older kid and parents who like manga and comics. It is not a teenage story by any means. I think it is for middle grade kids though, not young kids. Venus is not nice, and Unico is adorable. I expect a lot of kids are not going to like that element of the story. And there is a monster that is not pleasant to look at. It’s the type of thing that might stick in a kids head and cause some nightmares.

Now, I also want to say that your mileage will vary. I still am trying to figure out what my kid is going to be able to handle or not. It might be fine it might not and the question always is, is it worth it. I think as he gets a little bit older, maybe not even to 9, the story won’t be too much for him. But at five now, it might be. So it’s probably more a screen it yourself to know for your kid.

Final Thoughts on Unico

I want to talk about it more. But I think, because it’s a classic manga adapted it’s worth just saying, go check it out. Most people should find it enjoyable. And while the focus is on a younger audience, adults will find it enjoyable as well. Samuel Sattin’s adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s work is very enjoyable. And the artwork by Gurihiru is great, as well.

When I read the story, I find it a lot of fun. And like a good comic or manga, I want to know what is coming in the next one. If I feel like I can just set it down and get back to it eventually, it is a miss. But when I read Unico, I want to read more of it. Now I need to wait until the next one comes out, which is a downside of reading a comic when it comes out. But I find Unico to be worth the read.

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The Plot

Shangri-La Frontier, while it looks odd from the images, is a VRMMORPG manga where the main character is known for one thing. He’s known for loving and beating the worst games out there. Then comes along a new game, Shangri-La Frontier. A game that is not horrible. But one that promises to be a great game, and Sunraku is created in that world.

As it turns out, being very good at bad games makes you much stronger or more adaptable in good games. And soon Sunraku is starting to explore mysteries of the game that weren’t meant to be found for a long time. Of course, there are some drawbacks as well when he gets cursed, but he’s used to having an uphill battle.

The World of Shangri-La Frontier

I think one thing that makes this manga stand out to me is the world that they are creating. It is fairly common for MMORPG’s in manga to be pretty generic. They all try and do something different, I won’t say that they don’t, but often times, it follows more of a predictable pattern.

Shangri-La Frontier does a good job of offering predictable patterns but also then unique things. One of the early unique things you’ll meet are the rabbits. This whole world within the world of Rabbituza and other creatures. It’s a twist done some for comedy but also it builds on the lore of the world.

And it is the depth of the world building as well. As you get further into the story, you see the progression of the world and story that it is trying to build. I think it’s interesting how, as part of the manga, this whole other world has been created as it’s own living entity in the game.

Sunraku

Now, Sunraku isn’t the most unique character out there. In fact, I think that there is a lot of overlap with him and Kirito from Sword Art Online. Both of them fall into a category of not playing too well with others but have a heart that is willing to help others.

That is a trope that I like. I am not a fan of when an anime or manga leans into edge lords, but on the other extreme, when the main character is overly emotional as well, Midoriya from My Hero Academia, that is annoying as well. So it’s a character who cares, but not to the point where it’s at a level that it holds back the character.

No An Isekai

Let’s also talk about that, this is going to feel a bit like an isekai to some because the characters spend almost all their time in the video game. We rarely see outside into the real world. But it’s like Bofuri and Sword Art Online that way. The real world and connection to the real world still exists.

I very much enjoy isekai, but right now there are a ton of them. I recently started one where someone was reincarnated as a vending machine. Or I’m reading one where someone came back as a sword. It’s definitely scraping towards the bottom of the barrel with them. Not to say that all of them are that rough, but I do think it’s worth noting that some of them are and the saturation point. By just making it an VRMMORPG it is different.

Who Is Shangri-La Frontier For?

I think that this is going to have a bit of a wider appeal than the normal fantasy manga storylines. The world building, like I talked about, is better, and I think the supporting cast is interesting. And I can’t speak for the anime, obviously, since that isn’t out yet, but the manga doesn’t lean into fan service. I’d say that it actually does a good job of just being normal, which I think will help with the audience as well.

My Final Thoughts on Shangri-La Frontier

I’m not sure I have a ton more to say about it. I very much enjoy it, and it’s one where I am going to keep on reading it. I will also be watching the anime when that comes out to see how it shows it off. I think the best comparisons are things like Sword Art Online and Bofuri which I really like both of them.

Honestly, some of why I like this genre as much as I do might be because I just enjoy the idea of playing in another world. It is probably why I like D&D and watch movies, or get invested into television shows. It’s fun to see a world, in the manga, where that exists. It’s the escapism element of it and imagining what a VRMMORPG will be like in real life when it happens.

But even without that, I think that the story is strong. I like the characters and I want to see what they get up to. And I think when you care about what the characters do next, that’s always a good sign for a story.

Have you read Shangri-La Frontier? Let me know your thoughts on it. Or is it one that now sounds interesting to you?

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – Plot

So as the title suggests, the main character dies right away in the books and gets transported to this world. In this world they are not a human, but instead are a slime. As he goes out and starts to explore the world, he finds different races, and ends up being a leader of the monsters. And finds ways to build up the monster society.

But it isn’t just about the town building and society building but there is a plot going on in the background as well. Even at a level where as a reader we know that, but the main character is still fairly ignorant of everything that is going on.

General Thoughts

In terms of an Isekai, this is a little bit different. Because it is not a normal human or humanoid fantasy race protagonist. And because the character is more at the edges of society versus being a part of the main adventuring society. Granted, the main character become humanoid, or can be, pretty quickly, but the story is never your classic fantasy through what I’ve read.

I also like to mention fan service in this section. Just so you have an idea about it. It is certainly an Isekai where it happens fairly often. It isn’t really explicit and often played more for laughs. But it is part of the manga that you should be aware of. Though, the further you get in, the less there really seems to be.

What Doesn’t Work?

I think the fan service is a bit absurd in this one. It doesn’t really add to the story, which I mean, most of the time it doesn’t. And I believe that I’ll run across some more as I go on, if what I know about the anime is right. This is a time where it is for the audience, as it always is really, but detracts from what this story could be.

I also think that the story is just okay. Now, I’ll talk more later about how it does subvert the standard expectations somewhat. But the whole building up of the society piece is not too bad, it just isn’t always the most compelling. I think that is the best way to put it. It’s not that the story is bad, it is just not always compelling.

What Works?

That said about the story, I do appreciate that it is doing something different. I’ve read a LitRPG book where the author clearly draws on this for much of his inspiration. But the whole building up of a society is fun and unique. It offers a fantasy story that is really told from a different perspective, that of the monsters. Right now, I feel like that hasn’t too heavily played into the story, but it is an element.

I also talked about the fan service, but even with that, the manga is nice. It is a manga that isn’t about punching everyone in the face. The fan service is there, but it doesn’t come across as something that makes it so much for a certain gaze or taint the wholesomeness that you get through the story. It is a protagonist who generally does a good thing and who isn’t trying to take over everything or isn’t about being an edgelord. The main character genuinely just wants to improve things for the monsters.

Who Is It For?

I think that if you enjoy Isekai you will enjoy That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. It is a fun romp that feels a bit different than a lot of other Isekai out there. And I think it is even a decent jumping in point. If you don’t want something that is too crazy, though, this is crazy in other ways, it’ll work well. And while it is out there with a slime as the main character, the story is compelling enough and makes clear enough sense that I think more casual manga fans would enjoy it.

Final Thoughts on That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

This is a fun read, and it’s one that I will continue to get the books over time. I don’t feel like it’s quite to the level of some that I’ve read recently, The New Game and Shortcake Cake, where I want to pick up more immediately. And some of that is that there is a lot to catch up on. Not an insane amount, but enough.

I think that is the best way to describe it. This is just fun to read. And I want to know how everything is continued to be built up. It even makes me want to go back and try and anime again. The anime is not bad, it just didn’t grab my attention quite as much immediately. But reading it has, I think because it can move a little bit faster, and you kind of appreciate the main character more.

Overall, this is one that I’d call fun. It might not be great manga, but it is a fun one. And I believe it was adapted from Light Novels to be a manga, which maybe the light novels would catch my attention more.

Have you read or watched That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime?

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The Plot – Shortcake Cake

Ten is a high school student who takes the bus from a small town into the bigger city every day for school. One of her good friends from the town and going to her school has a boarding house where she lives. A room is open there and after visiting Ten realizes that is probably going to be a better experience for her.

Of course, there are both boys and girls living in the house. And soon Ten has an admirer, but is it someone that she likes back. And how would a romance work in the house or could it even work? Those are the things as well as high school life that Ten needs to navigate.

General Thoughts

This is a different manga that most that I’ve read before. I have read some things and watched some that lean into the romance element as well. But this one lays itself out in an interesting way. Mainly that you don’t always know who is talking. The voice bubbles are not always lined up, and this feels like it is done so that they can create this sense of confusion of flustered feeling that Ten has at times. As the reader it is meant for us to feel as confused as she does in that moment.

I also like to mention fan service here, if there is any. And while there is romance and characters kiss, and that is the whole thing that drives the story. I won’t way who kisses who, there are a lot of characters in the house, but there is not fan service. It is written that so that it’s primary audience is going to be female which means that the standard fan service is not going to increase an audience.

What Doesn’t Work?

The books are not all consistent. By that I mean in the 2nd book, it is almost worth putting down. There is a character introduced that is just not interesting and the story that you care about from the first book does not progress. It nearly killed the series, but we’d enjoyed the first book enough that I had bought more than just the 2nd. If I had only bought one I’m not sure I’d have continued.

I also think that while the voice being confused makes some sense thematically for the story, it is not the most effective story telling element. The issue is that sometimes while reading it you can’t figure it out and it takes a panel or two to put it together. Again, that is thematic in what it is doing, but it’d work better if it was a disconnected voice that as you read it you could connect it.

What Works?

Aesthetically this is one of the better looking manga that I’ve read. It calls back previous panels and conversations in a really nice way. And the character artwork is very well done. The focus is very much on the characters and the background generally falls away. You need the characters to look good in this for the story to work because there are no grand set pieces.

The romance works well, as well. And I won’t go into it too much as to not spoil anything. But it is done pretty simply without many grand gestures or anything like that. There are some moments that happen that stretch out the whole will they won’t they element. And there is a love triangle at one point in time. That is not always handled the best, but I generally think that it works.

Who Is It For?

Like I said, this is written primarily for a female audience. That said, it can stand on it’s own. I would say that there will be an element where you need to push past that 2nd collection but beyond that, it is better. If romance manga interests you at all, I think this is one of the better ones, at least from what I’ve come across. It doesn’t delve into too much drama, and it feels good to read it, so maybe even if it’s out of your normal style, give it a read.

Final Thoughts – Shortcake Cake

This is a lot of fun, and there are a total of 12 so it is not too long. Shortcake Cake doesn’t make me immediately want to go out and seek more romance manga. But it also is not turning me off from it. In fact, if my wife finds more that she wants to checkout, I’ll read them as well.

I am curious as to what others will think of the main characters. I know with the love triangle, I didn’t have as much issue with the third person. Now, it is not who you might think if you read book two. So there is some room for how you enjoy the series. Not saying that there is ever really a wrong way. It is just interesting to see how my wife and I might differ on opinions, somewhat, on the characters.

Have you read Shortcake Cake? What did you think of it, or what are your favorite romance anime or manga?

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The Plot – The New Gate

The story actually starts out a whole lot like SAO (Sword Art Online), there is a death game and all the players are trapped in it. But instead of starting at level one, we follow the player in the midst of the final battle against the boss. Shin, the hero, defeats the final boss and the log out button is enabled for the players. He watches as the world empties out and then sees a portal open.

He goes through that and wakes up in a new world, but not really a new world, just the video game world, 500 years later. Things are different, and while some of the world rules are the same, much has also changed. What has happened, how will he cope in The New Gate and maybe, eventually, get back to the real world, if that is even possible.

General Thoughts

Let’s just start out with some general thoughts on this, this won’t be my final opinion. But I think it’s worth chatting about because this might seem like a pretty standard Isekai manga, and well, it is. Now, I say that but also it’s a trope that is used a lot because it isn’t always a bad trope. And in this case, I would say it is a trope that works. This is not a manga that promises deep surprises and decisions. It is one where it’s meant to be fun action adventure reading and it is that.

Also, because it is for action and adventure and generally written for a male audience, it does have some fan service. It’s less of a put someone in a compromising position or someone walking in on them. It just is going to be images drawn where cleavage is very prominent, things like that. It is over the top at times and could be done less without affecting the story at all. But compared to some it is not that egregious either. It’s just more of the trope than anything.

What Doesn’t Work?

The writing or story is a bit like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. And for me this is not a major complaint to it. Generally you get one session or one arc in one of the manga collections, so about five chapters. Some chapters do more to set-up future chapters. And other collections generally stand on their own. But the cohesive story that is being told isn’t that cohesive. It’s more vignettes that make some sense, but often times don’t as much. It might all come together, but I’m not caught up yet.

I also will say that while I don’t mind the tropes and that The New Gate is what I’d qualify as summer reading, it is not deep. This ties in some with that Dungeons and Dragons campaign feel, I wish I could see more of the story developing. I think I know some ways it might go, I’d just like to know more of them or to see some more plot lines being weaved through everything.

What Works?

The main character is likeable and the side characters work. Some of the side characters are even more interesting than the main character. I think that the writing, as a whole, is solid, and I don’t really have a complaint about it. Which, I think is a mark for this manga. It could lean into some levels of absurdity that it doesn’t. It could spend more time on the male gaze than it does easily, but instead it creates nice characters that you enjoy reading about.

I also think it matches up it’s tone well. I just talked about how it isn’t that deep, but I picked it up not because I wanted something deep. You know what you are getting into with this manga. So while I do have it as a negative that I’d like the through storyline to be a bit more visible or even for there to be one, I don’t mind that it isn’t trying to deal with weighty topics. The manga is what it sets out to be and is what it advertised itself as which is why I picked it up.

Who Is It For?

I don’t think that I’d recommend it as an Isekai that someone starts out with, but it could be one that you grab shortly there after. I have no reason to say that except that I think it leans so heavily on the tropes and knowledge of them, that it might need that tiny bit of explaining. But if you like Isekai, you’ll likely enjoy this one, knowing that it takes a genre of manga that is already fairly popcorn and makes it more so.

Final Thoughts – The New Gate

This is a fun series. I own nine books now and I know I will get more. Sometimes I read a manga and I enjoy it, I enjoy most that I read, but I don’t care enough to continue. In fact, I am almost caught up, book 10 of The New Gate came out in June of this year, so as far as I can tell it’ll be continuing.

This is what I wanted to read when I got the book. And that is really the main thing about it. It is not the best Isekai that I’ve came across. I prefer Sword Art Online to it, though that is more an story with Isekai elements. Or The Devil is a Part-Timer is better as well. But I wanted to read a story that is just a fun adventure romp. That is what I got, and that is why I will continue reading it.

Have you read The New Gate?

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Keeper of the Lost Cities Plot

Sophie is not a normal 13 year old, she has the power of telepathy and can always hear everyone’s thoughts. To go along with that, she’s extremely smart, and has a photographic memory. She’s an outsider because of all of those things. Then, she sees a boy, on a class field trip, who just looks too pretty. And he is looking at her, something feels off and she talked to him.

Turns out that something is off about her life. Fitz, the boy, tells her that she isn’t a normal human, in fact, she isn’t a human at all. There is a secret world of elves and other magical and mythical creatures out there. In our own world, but just out of sight due to magic. But her life as a human will need to go away if she is going to be an elf and live the life that she’s supposed to.

More Details and Harry Potter Comparison

So I don’t want to go into much more. What I wrote is basically the back blurb on the cover, but it’s something that should wet your appetite. And don’t worry, Keeper of the Lost Cities is not another Harry Potter. There are elements that might feel similar. The main character integrates into a new world that they didn’t know existed.

And to continue that comparison, she is a bit of a chosen child, but not in the way that Harry Potter is. I think that chosen child comparison is something people will latch onto, but Shannon Messenger does a better job of writing a chosen child. Sophie is really behind for an elf. She doesn’t know the world, she is expected to know and catch-up to what she doesn’t know. When she gets stuff wrong, elves are disappointed.

Harry Potter constantly should be in trouble, and he is not. Sophie often should be in trouble, and when she is, she gets punished. Her life has many more real elements to it. Characters worry about her. They pester her. They bug her, stuff that you don’t see happen in Harry Potter. People either hate Harry or love Harry, there is nothing between the two. For Sophie, people look to use her, to befriend her because of who she is, avoid her, and expect everything from her. And she is trying to balance all of that.

What Doesn’t Work?

There is very little, if anything that doesn’t work. I should talk about book 8.5 here. Mainly because that might be something that won’t work for some people. Even for me, I found it fairly boring. The point of book 8.5 is that it’s a bit of a recap for everything that has happened. Plus a novella that tells some story where book 8 left off and where book 9 begins. Or at least I am assuming that.

If you read the series in a compressed period of time, most book 8.5 is unneeded. I know what the characters did recently. I don’t need a full recap, no matter what way it is written. And some of the sections are better written than others. It is more the authors notes turned into something in the world that you are reading through.

I don’t even mind that they exist. I mind that there is a pretty important feeling novella in the book. It is different than she could write for the main book. The main books only show Sophie’s perspective. The novella bounces between perspectives. But to get the novella, you get the whole book. And I say now, get the book, just read the novella.

What Works?

Characters

So much works in this series. Sophie is a believable main character and the side characters are strong as well. Often in Middle Grade or Young Adult books, the main character is a paper cutout of a character. It is meant for the reader to put themselves into their shoes. Sophie is not that. She is a fully realized and deeply developed character. And each of the side characters at least the core, are as realized as she is.

I fail to think of many series where this is the case. Especially in that grade range. And I think there should be more. The story is easily digestible for an adult. And while there are intense moments for maybe middle grade reader, it is going to be pull them in.

Story Depth and Intensity

And let’s talk about the intensity. The story, unlike others in it’s age range, isn’t shy about bad things happening. And not like they happen around Sophie. Some of them do happen to other people. And it is character development for those characters. And reasons that friendships become stronger. But often the bad is directed to Sophie. She is not given an easy life. She is not a hero who always steps in and saves the day.

In fact, most of the time, she needs to rely on others to help her. Does she lead, for sure, she is the chosen one after all. But it isn’t a situation where she can do it alone. And that is a struggle for her. To compare her to another fictional character, it is a lot like how Harry Dresden, in the Dresden Files, is always looking to do stuff himself. He does so because he doesn’t want others to get hurt. Sophie is the same way.

World Building and Themes

Shannon Messenger is very good about building out her world. It helps that some of it is our world. But the rest of it, with the elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, and more is different. But it is still similar. I think it is worked well like good fantasy or sci-fi. It is different enough that you feel like it isn’t our world, but close enough that it can touch on themes and issues that are true for us our world as well.

And I think that is another thing Messenger does well, also. She tells a good story with items that ring true. Now, it is still middle grade, so the depth of an issue isn’t always there. But that is okay, she is writing through the eyes of a 13-15 year old. Sophie is not going to understand everything, so as a reader, our view of these issues in the story should be simpler.

At the same time, I talk about the intensity of the story. And that means that as an older reader of the series, I understand some things that Sophie doesn’t. The story ages up well, that way. It makes the young reader start to think and the older reader understand the depth that is there.

Who is Keeper of the Lost Cities For?

I think that the young end would be twelve for the series. Though you maybe could go younger just reading it aloud and talking about what is going on. But that depends obviously on how you spend time. I don’t want to assume that people do a story that way. But twelve or thirteen is when I’d say a kid would be up for reading it.

As for getting older, it depends. I think a lot of people around my age and younger so mid-thirties and younger. The story is familiar. It feels a bit like Harry Potter, but in my opinion better. And my generation and younger, we read Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, Divergent, Maze Runner and more. Keeper of the Lost Cities contains all of that and more.

Final Thoughts

I love this series. I am reading a few other things right now, but I fully expect to come back to the series and read it all again. And I already pre-ordered the next book in the series. I want to know what is going to come next, and I want to spend more time with these characters in that world.

I really believe that a lot of people are going to enjoy this series as well. Like I said, the story is different, more meaningful than things it feels similar to. Yet it will hit the same beats that you expect from a Middle Grade or Young Adult series and novels. Plus there is a lot to the story, just in terms of how long the story is.

Have you read Keeper of the Lost Cities?

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What Crowdfunding Did I Back in March?

Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

This was a surprise for sure for me. I really love Brandon Sanderson’s writing. Stormlight Archive is one of my top series, might have dropped to #3 now. But surprise writing over COVID would be a bit crazy to do four, if it weren’t Brandon Sanderson. I know that one is tied into the Stormlight Archive. I only backed at the level for an ebook, I thought about more, but it added up quickly.

HotRod – A Roll and Write Revolution Game

One thing I’ve been doing a bit of this year is backing print and play roll and write games. I think that it’s something fun that I can do for a small creator. Often times these things are little passion projects. And while I am always ready for a big one, like a Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write, it is fun to help a smaller dream come true. This one is going to be a car roll and write game. We’ll see if it is good, but I am curious.

Unsettled

I already mentioned it is a better one that I backed. I forgot that it ended in March, so it counts for the month. Unsettled is a space exploration game, where each planet lets you explore, and try and solve the problem that is going on. I immediately backed this because it is already out, and the reviews are good. It, to me, feels a bit like a TIME Stories where it plays with a lot of different things within the same system. And each planet or scenario is different and feels unique.

Wine Management

Wine Management is another one of those little roll and write projects that is just print and play. I actually have the files for this already, though I do need to reprint the game board. I think the idea of playing a game where you are making wine. But some of the bigger ones, Vihnos and Vitaculture, the style of game looks a bit too dry to me. So I hope that this is a nice light and fast game.

Overisles

Finally, I backed Overisles for my wife. I normally try and avoid backing RPG’s. If you remember from a bit back, I got rid of most of my RPG stuff. Not because I don’t like the systems are am not interested in trying other things, but I know I will mainly play Dungeons and Dragons. I don’t need the other systems. Overisles, though, is a unique sounding game. Yes, it is an RPG, but it also teaches you sign language. That is awesome, a way to gamify a skill that more people should have.

Final Thoughts

Outside of Unsettled, I didn’t back much that was expensive. Like I said, I only backed Sanderson’s at the e-book level because of the price. And Overisles is also only in PDF format. Really, the only physical game that I backed was Unsettled. The rest are offering me digital files for print and play or digital versions of books.

What did you back in March?

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Keeper of the Lost Cities – The Premise

Sophie Foster is not your normal 12 year old girl. She is extremely smart with a photographic memory. But more than that, she is a telepath. It is something that she’s had from a very young age and it’s definitely an annoyance. When her class is on a school trip to the science museum she spots a boy who is watching her. Not from her class, she goes and talks to him.

It turns out that the world she thought existed wasn’t quite what she thought it was. It is a whole lot bigger and she is part of that bigger picture. But what that means for her, as she moves from a world of humans to a world of magic and elves is the adventure she’s about to discover.

What Doesn’t Work?

I don’t find much fault with this series. Shannon Messenger does a really good job of writing this series. Yes, it most definitely is targeted towards the middle grade reader, but it doesn’t pull it’s punches. My only knock on the writing is that it can get a little bit preachy at times. Now, I say at times, in almost four full books, it’s maybe a handful of times. And these aren’t small books. It is more that you can feel the tone or style or writing shift when it happens.

Again, it isn’t much of the books. And it isn’t long sections of the book. Most of the time it is a paragraph of two. So compared to something like the Shannara Chronicles where it is the main focus through large chunks of the book, it doesn’t feel oppressive. It just isn’t blended into the series as well as it should be.

What Works?

Sophie Foster and Friends

There are a lot of things that work in the series. Again, no shock there, I really like the series. Let’s start out with the characters and in particular the main character, Sophie Foster. She is a well developed character. Her life gets turned on it’s head. And while she is most definitely excited about what is happening going forward, she also misses things. She has emotions and she has flaws and all of that gives her depth.

Is she a prototypical hero where things work out for her in the end, yes, generally. But the moments between, she struggles. I compare this series a bit to Harry Potter. Again, starting in middle grade and with magic, it is going to be an obvious comparison. In Harry Potter, he gets away with everything, Sophie gets away with almost nothing. When she does, there is always a cost.

Also, her friends work. A series that I don’t like, Divergent, had interesting side characters, for one book. They overshadowed the main character, so they became more boring. In Keeper of the Lost Cities, because Sophie has depth, the side characters have depth. I might still prefer some of the side characters to Sophie, but not by much. In Divergent it wasn’t even close, the side characters were that much better. This brings them all together in a way that makes them all different and interesting.

The Plot

The plot of all the books is good, that I’ve read thus far. But I mainly am talking about the first one right now. It is kind of a fish out of water story. Sophie Foster, obviously, doesn’t know the world she hasn’t lived in. So the first story is about her finding out about herself. Who she is, why she grew up in the human world. But there is more to the story than that. And Shannon Messenger does a good job of creating a middle grade reading level story that isn’t dumbed down.

It really comes out in further books in the series. But Sophie has a lot of tough stuff happen to her. Again, reading level appropriate, but not shying away from it. I feel like there are a lot of books that dumb it down for their target audience. The Keeper of the Lost Cities certainly does not do that. And the story is so much stronger for it. If it were dumbed down, I think my comment about characters wouldn’t exist.

That said, and this isn’t a negative, be aware of that. Sophie goes through a lot. For some readers, it might be too much at times. But this is also a series that adults will enjoy. So you, if thinking about it for a kid, and preread the first two books to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

Who Is It For?

I want to address this as well, because I think some people will pass it by because it is middle grade. Did you like Harry Potter, I think this is better. Do you still like Harry Potter, I think you will like this. Keeper of the Lost Cities is a well written series, and while it might be lighter reading than what some people normally do, it is still good reading. So while I do recommend that adults maybe check it out to see how intense it gets, I think a lot will want to continue through the whole series.

That said, I know I am a sucker for fantasy. If you aren’t, again, you probably don’t like Harry Potter, this series isn’t likely to change it for you. And I think that some adults or readers outside of the age range, might find it too breezy a read. This is a summer read where you want to read something that has depth but a lot of fast action. Or in Minnesota a winter read, so you don’t stew in the fact it’s cold outside and snowing.

Keeper of the Lost Cities Final Thoughts

This is a really fun and addicting series. I like it when I pick up a series and I want to read the next book and then the next. The Great Library Series that I wrote about not too long ago was like this, but to a lesser extent. The Keeper of the Lost Cities keeps me coming back again and again. And they read so fast. It is one that I can pick-up and read and get far enough into the story in a few minutes that I just want to keep going.

So, like I said four or five times already, I really like this series. I think it works as a whole. There is enough depth to keep me interested. But it isn’t so heavy that I can’t speed through it and just absorb it as I go. For me, that is what I really love about a good book series, I just get so sucked into it, that I don’t ever want to leave. And the world created in Keeper of the Lost Cities, for me, is like that.

My Grade: 9/10

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The Most Faithful Adaptations

It should be just like the book. I know what I liked about the books, and I need to see them. I want the same monsters, characters, plot points, everything to be like I think it is.

The upside to that style of adaptation is that the fans of the book are going to love it. All the nods and details that are from the book are going to stand out and feel like you get what you want. It also means that it won’t diverge too far from the story and give the show runners and writers a chance to mess it up. We can all think about adaptations, like late Game of Thrones or Bourne Identity that don’t feel like the book.

On the flip side, it can make it harder to get into. Let’s look at Lord of the Rings, or Wheel of Time. Do we need a massive section of the movies of Lord of the Rings with Tom Bombadil? As a fan of the books I might have liked it, but probably even I wouldn’t have enjoyed it that much. That isn’t what makes the book(s) interesting. The first Wheel of Time book would need to be 15-20 episodes to really cover everything at least.

The Least Faithful Adaptations

So instead you could just let the show runners do what they want. Once it’s out of the authors hand, it can be someone else’s vision of what it should be. They own the story n ow so don’t make a big deal out of the fact it has changed.

This can be good in some ways as well. It updates a story, potentially, for a wider audience. More appeal means better chance to long term success of the show or movies. So if there are a lot of books in the series to be adapted, better shot that we get them all. Sure, they might be different in a lot of ways, but it is still an adaptation of the series.

The downside is pretty big, though. You might get a show or movie that cuts out massive parts of the story. You end up with characters being completely skipped over. The main character changes completely. The bad guy has completely different plans. The murderer in a who-done-it is a different person. And now the heart of what made the book(s) special has been removed.

Somewhere In Between

Now, both of those are extreme examples of everything the same or everything different. I think that basically all adaptations end up here. Somewhere instbetween. And they lean towards either side. Even The Bourne Identity which just basically has Jason Bourne (the name) and amnesia as the main things it takes from the books, is technically here. Game of Thrones, which was very faithful in the first season, ends up here as well as they dropped out plot lines.

I think that this is the right spot for things to be. Let’s look at a few examples

Wheel of Time

Wheel of Time meanders through the first section of the book. Everyone goes to Baerlon together. Shadar Logoth takes longer than it does in the show. It really breathes and gives you a chance to get to know the characters. It spends time explaining in more detail who the White Cloaks are and their intentions. We meet characters in different spots and get to see Moiraine use her power in different ways.

But that wouldn’t work as well in a show. Characters who are spending time learning things, Perrin for example, need the time to breath and think in the book. But thinking doesn’t translate well for television. A way was needed to show his struggles. While I think the show was heavy handed with how they did it, I know why they needed to do it. Plus a lot of traveling is only so interesting.

The Bourne Identity

This is an example of maybe how not to do it. Why, because it stripped a lot of the soul of it out. Now, the movie did well enough to get several sequels. So I know that I’m a bit in the minority on this one. But in terms of being a Bourne movie and someone who really liked the books, this isn’t a great adaptation. So a good action film.

But what made it not work for well what took it too far away. I think the idea of Treadstone being the bad guy for the whole of the movie. The books definitely don’t make you like Treadstone, but there is something else bigger pulling the strings, or maybe less bigger but scarier. The movie felt dumbed down from what the books were. The books are spy thrillers, the movie is an action film.

Game of Thrones

Now, admittedly, I didn’t watch all of Game of Thrones. I thought that the books themselves were average at best, and gave up after book four which was bad. But this one falls between, for me, what I’ve seen of Wheel of Time and The Bourne Identity. I think that they made some very needed changes to the show. Lady Stoneheart and that element of magic were pretty dumb in the books.

At the same time, they meandered through a number of pretty boring storylines. Bran’s story was never interesting in the book and the show didn’t do anything to make it more interesting. Even when things started to happen with that story, I still wasn’t interested in it. I think the number of characters and scope was just too big for the show and they never cut it down.

What Do We Do As Viewers?

First, know that it will be changed. Even things that are highly faithful, Game of Thrones probably the most faithful of my examples, will change. It’s not a knock or a negative that things change. It is needed sometime. Five episode of the Wheel of Time just with them traveling to places and listening to Perrin’s inner monologue to switch to Nyneaves and then to Rands, that’s not interesting.

Shows and movies have the ability to, well, show things. So a major point to a character that takes up pages in a book, that might be five minutes of showing something different on the screen. Different mediums need different things. So I always look for what the show feels like, and how well the aesthetic matches.

That’s the second thing, really, pay more attention to the feel of the show than the precise story points. Are they getting the feel of the characters right? Is the plot progressing to those key moments that it needs to. Even if those moments are tweaked slightly does it hit the major plot points. Wheel of Time is a good example of this, a lot has changed, but the major beats are getting used in the story. Sometimes in different ways but leading us in the right direction.

Finally, sometimes you need to just let it go. Don’t hold onto the book at all. For me, I had to let go of the fact that the Bourne Identity isn’t The Bourne Identity, it is it’s completely own thing. Now, I don’t like it still as an action movie, but that doesn’t have to do with the story or name but with the filming of the fight scenes. Change is going to happen, and it might be big changes, so sometimes I, and everyone, need to enjoy it for what it is.

What is your favorite adaptation of a book? And what book would you really love to see get adapted?

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