Skip to content
Skip to SEARCH-2
Skip to PAGES-3
Skip to CATEGORIES-2
Skip to ARCHIVES-2
Skip to META-2
Skip to TEXT-3
Various thoughts on a variety of topics.

Various Thoughts

Various thoughts on a variety of topics.

Newer posts→
  • Tag Archives Novella
  • The OP Lich IS A RETURNEE #1-12 & Metaworld Chronicles Ch201-497

    Posted on February 28, 2024 2:36 pm by Offkorn Comment

    A work I initially skipped over for reasons I can’t recall, Stuart Grosse‘s Lich Returnee series turned out to be somewhat similar to Arifureta After. Which is to say it’s a story about what happens to an overpowered isekai antihero when they manage to return to Earth only to find that the world is not as mundane as previously thought.

    This story has little in the way of dedicated comedic aspects however and no romance whatsoever, instead being focused primarily on mechanic/worldbuilding discussion with a subfocus on action. Though there are some issues with repetition, and being novellas each book is roughly half the size of your average LN, the pacing is handled amazingly well with smooth transitions from event to event. That the author doesn’t rely upon cliffhangers is also a mark in their favor.

    On a whim I decided to take a look at the web novel source material for a couple of the recent series I had been reading, and discovered to my shock that David J. Wuto‘s Metaworld Chronicles happened to have roughly seven more books of content available to read. So read them I did.

    On the one hand, the ‘university years’ unfortunately happen to take up the vast majority of that additional content with her graduation only finally taking place rather recently. On the other, very little time is actually spent in or around said universities. Most of the action takes place either on field trips to various exotic locales (South America, the Underdark, the Asian steppes, Antarctica, Aukland), where things have to die, or is focused on the protagonist’s various business and kingdom-building endeavors. The base setting also undergoes some changes, first to the UK and then to mid-Asia.

    Anyway; it’s good. Real good for the most part. Just have to be forewarned that every now and again you’ll get a chapter that’s far too overdramatic by half.

    Related posts:

    1. The Adventures of a Xeno-Archaeologist & Metaworld Chronicles Jenny Schwartz‘s Adventures of a Xeno-Archaeologist series ends up a...
    2. Katalepsis & MOB Sorcery #4 Hazel Young‘s Katalepsis novel strongly brings Otherside Picnic to mind....
    3. The Eminence in Shadow #4 & Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance #2 Against my better judgement, I went and picked up the...
    4. The RUNIC ARTIST: BLANK CANVAS & Paladin of the Sigil The beginning of Ellake‘s first Runic Artist novel just didn’t...
    5. BE the SERPENT & Ruby Fever After the previous October Daye entry, things were looking up...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged David J. Wuto Lich Returnee Metaworld Chronicles Novella Paranormal Romance Stuart Grosse Urban Fantasy Web Novel
  • Zombie’s Bite, Lover’s Knot, & Shadow’s Bane

    Posted on August 21, 2018 12:53 am by Offkorn 1 Comment

    At first, while reading Karen Chance’s Zombie’s Bite novella, I was completely lost and feared I had forgotten everything about the franchise in the intervening years since having read the third book in this series. As it progressed however bits and pieces started coming back and I realized it’s actually a prequel that details Dorina and Marlowe’s first meeting. Once that was established it became decent enough.

    Lover’s Knot is another Midnight’s Daughter novella, this one taking place between the series’ third and fourth books. It tells two stories, one in the present and one in the past centered on Mircea, both of which are connected by the same phenomenon. Despite also involving Marlowe, it ends up much better and easier to follow than the previous novella.

    I was soon lost again after starting Shadow’s Bane, the fourth full novel in the series, as I had completely forgotten how fae-centric as opposed to vampire-centric the focus had become. This particular entry has three main plot lines: The central external threat which is broken up into past/present segments identical to Lover’s Knot, resolving the issue of Dorina’s split personality, and advancing her relationship with Louise-Cesare. And while I could do without the incredible character overload, amazingly enough it manages to both juggle and resolve all those plotlines while never feeling rushed or incoherent. That said… I’m not sure I’ll pick up a potential 5th installment, as it only seems the number of house-guests will continue to grow unchecked.

    Related posts:

    1. ~A JOURNEY OF~ BLACK and RED & The Calamitous ~Bob~ Despite the ‘this was originally a web serial’ warnings in...
    2. Tempt the Stars, Omens, & Parasite The sixth book in Karen Chance‘s Cassandra Palmer series is...
    3. Recent Books Normally I do these three at a time… but, well…...
    4. The Eminence in Shadow #4 & Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance #2 Against my better judgement, I went and picked up the...
    5. Frost Burned, Touch of the Demon, & The Infernal Devices Frost Burned is the seventh novel in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged Karen Chance Novella Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy
  • Rolling in the Deep & Into the Drowning Deep

    Posted on July 27, 2018 3:30 pm by Offkorn Comment

    Seanan McGuire‘s Rolling in the Deep is basically a found-footage horror B-movie in novella format. You already know the end result from the very start so what stands out is the lead-up; the anticipation of ‘how’. And, unfortunately, like quite a number of stories in this genre the ultimate reveal is the part that’s lacking. Other issues would be the token deaf guy, the sudden comic-relief-like shift to the aggressors’ perspective, and the way the mermaid performers die so nonsensically.

    The follow-up to the above is Into the Drowning Deep, a full-sized novel which does not require having read Rolling. This is much, much better in practically all respects with the only real issues being the strange behavior of the captive and the inclusion, once again, of what appears to be token deaf characters (though to be fair, their presence here at least has some plausibility to it). The ending is also pretty open.

    Related posts:

    1. ROLL OVER AND DIE #1-4 & Free Life Fantasy: Online -IMMORTAL PRINCESS- #2 The “Omae Gotoki ga Maou ni Kateru to Omouna” to...
    2. Rise: A Newsflesh Collection This is a collection of short stories and novellas which...
    3. Sparrow Hill Road & Laughter at the Academy The first of Seanan McGuire’s Ghost Roads novels is a...
    4. Tempt the Stars, Omens, & Parasite The sixth book in Karen Chance‘s Cassandra Palmer series is...
    5. Middlegame, Siren’s Song, & Honors Seanan McGuire‘s Middlegame is a standalone story with no relation...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged Horror Mira Grant Novella Romance Science Fiction Seanan McGuire
  • Sideswiped, The Drafter, & Once Broken Faith

    Posted on March 7, 2018 12:38 pm by Offkorn Comment

    The Kim Harrison novella Sideswiped, a work meant to introduce you to the world of Peri Reed, is pretty bad. Both in its technical aspects and in the near-total lack of relevance it has to the first main novel in the series.

    Which would be The Drafter. After the terrible showing of the previous story (and preview first chapter) I waffled back and forth quite a bit over whether or not to give this a proper chance… and I should have went with my initial plan of ignoring it. While certainly better than Sideswiped it unfortunately has some major characterization and plot-related problems and isn’t very enjoyable in any respect. One interesting thing about it though is how, rather than an agency thriller, it comes off more like a gender equality allegory.

    Switching authors now, Seanan McGuire‘s Once Broken Faith is the tenth October Daye novel and does something a bit refreshing. Rather than further escalate matters it decides to take a step horizontally and introduce a number of the other North American Fae rulers while wrapping up both the aftermath of having found the antidote and (with the help of a bonus short story) the Queen of Mists’ situation. It’s a solid balance of humor, action, drama, and world-building.

    Related posts:

    1. Relatively Recent Books Been procrastinating with adding these because it’s a pain. May...
    2. Recent Books Normally I do these three at a time… but, well…...
    3. Books; Before and After First the before, which was three books read back in...
    4. Tempt the Stars, Omens, & Parasite The sixth book in Karen Chance‘s Cassandra Palmer series is...
    5. Middlegame, Siren’s Song, & Honors Seanan McGuire‘s Middlegame is a standalone story with no relation...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged Kim Harrison Novella October Daye Paranormal Romance Peri Reed Romance Science Fiction Seanan McGuire Urban Fantasy
  • Karen Chance Novellas

    Posted on October 21, 2013 3:05 pm by Offkorn Comment

    There are several free novellas that take place in the Cassandra Palmer universe available on Karen Chance’s homepage:

    The Gauntlet – Set long before the series proper starts this focuses on a young Kit Marlowe and some witches who don’t show up in the series until the sixth book (or if they do show up earlier I don’t recall them). It’s pretty good.

    The Queen’s Witch – The sequel to the above; is also pretty good if you don’t mind the spontaneous attraction between the main characters.

    The House at Cobb End – Focusing on Pritkin and also taking place before the parent series this is a very interesting short story about the origins of his house. A house that I cannot for the life of me recall appearing in the main books.

    The Day of the Dead – This focuses on a character I do not remember ever seeing before (Thomas), though I do remember the main antagonist (Alejandro) getting mentioned in passing a few times. The story is okay… if a bit random and not particularly engaging.

    In Vino Veritas – Part of the Dorina Basarab spin-off, this feels more like a low quality fanfiction than an author addition. That it was originally published in an anthology explains this to an extent; anthology entries have the disturbing tendency to be vastly inferior to their parent series.

    A Family Affair – Set between books four and five of the Cassandra Palmer series and featuring Pritkin, Rosier, Casanova, and Cassie this deals with a trip through one of the hell dimensions. It’s a solid story that ends up referenced a bit in the sixth book.

    Shadowland – A sequel to A Family Affair, this features most of the same characters. It’s more or less on par with the prequel, with the exception that the opening scene told from Pritkin’s point of view feels completely out of character.

    Related posts:

    1. Recent Books Normally I do these three at a time… but, well…...
    2. Tempt the Stars, Omens, & Parasite The sixth book in Karen Chance‘s Cassandra Palmer series is...
    3. Green Gryphon & Obsidian Queen #4-5 The first book in JS Kennedy‘s Mackenzie Green series shares...
    4. Frost Burned, Touch of the Demon, & The Infernal Devices Frost Burned is the seventh novel in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy...
    5. My INSTANT DEATH ability is so OVERPOWERED: After Story & Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance #3 Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou sugite‘s Atoshimatsu-hen installment, oddly, starts off...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged Cassandra Palmer Karen Chance Midnight's Daughter Novella Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy
  • The Red Plague Affair, Bleeding Out, & Wages: Future Tales of a Hired Gun

    Posted on May 28, 2013 12:42 pm by Offkorn Comment

    The second book in the Bannon and Claire series takes place several years after the first and has a lesser focus on sorcery. It’s a bit more investigative and much more reactionary, with the protagonists being less proactive and instead forced to adapt to unexpected situations.

    Bleeding Out caps off Jes Battis‘ OSI series (according to the foreword anyway). It starts out pretty standard for the series, gets brilliantly abstract in the eighth chapter… and then peters out into a Contact-style ending that’s just aggravating on every level.

    Zack Parsons’ Wages: Future Tales of a Hired Gun novella is a dystopian look into a possible future through the eyes of a mercenary. It is wonderfully, darkly comedic in all the ways things can and do go horribly, horribly wrong. If you like any of his earlier work, from Liminal States to the extensive number of politically-themed articles written for Something Awful, then you cannot miss this.

    Related posts:

    1. Frost Burned, Touch of the Demon, & The Infernal Devices Frost Burned is the seventh novel in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy...
    2. Iron and Magic, The Ripper Affair, & The Chemist Iron and Magic is the first of a new trilogy...
    3. More Caitlín R. Kiernan This next set of Kiernan‘s books is somewhat different from...
    4. Green Gryphon & Obsidian Queen #4-5 The first book in JS Kennedy‘s Mackenzie Green series shares...
    5. LEVER ACTION & INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH MAGIC To my great surprise Lever Action turned out to be...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged Bannon and Clare Dystopia Jes Battis Lilith Saintcrow Novella OSI Steampunk Urban Fantasy Zack Parsons
  • Divergent, Silver Shark, & The Damnation Affair

    Posted on April 16, 2013 7:06 am by Offkorn Comment

    The first two books in Veronica Roth‘s Divergent series (Divergent & Insurgent) are an interesting window into an attempted utopian community that ends up dystopian in the extreme. You can clearly see both the good intentions behind the society’s structure as well as all of the myriad ways that they can (and do) get corrupted and ultimately fail. So; so far so good. Hopefully the areas outside the city limits (which the third book will presumably focus on to some extent) will end up just as believable as the city itself.

    Silver Shark is a short novella by Ilona Andrews set in the Kinsmen universe. As with Silent Blade this story has a wonderfully detailed background setting that you really wish you could spend more time in. Where that lack of time really hurts though is in the romance arc, which ends up feeling incredibly contrived/rushed.

    Lilith Saintcrow’s The Damnation Affair supposedly takes place in the Bannon and Clare universe. To me, it did not feel even the slightest bit attached to that series… and it’s not just the genre switch from Steampunk to Western either; the supernatural bits seemed to work completely differently. Putting that aside, I didn’t like this story for two reasons. The first is that it turns out I strongly, strongly dislike ‘cowboy talk’ while the second is that the female protagonist is extraordinarily strong-headed while lacking any real power or skill to back it up. While not exactly helpless, against what this book throws at her she may as well be.

    Related posts:

    1. Relatively Recent Books Been procrastinating with adding these because it’s a pain. May...
    2. Iron and Magic, The Ripper Affair, & The Chemist Iron and Magic is the first of a new trilogy...
    3. Blood Heir & So I’m a Spider, So What? #12 I actually read Ilona Andrews‘ Blood Heir way back at...
    4. Recent Books Normally I do these three at a time… but, well…...
    5. The Brilliant Healer’s New Life #3 & Rebuild World IV The third Yami Healer novel starts off with a summer...

    Powered by YARPP.


    This entry was posted in Book Related and tagged Bannon and Clare Divergent Dystopia Ilona Andrews Kinsmen Lilith Saintcrow Novella Paranormal Romance Romance Science Fiction Veronica Roth Western

Posts pagination

Previous 1 2

  • Tag Groups

    Genre

    Action Action RPG Adventure Battle Shounen Board Game Card Game Comedy Comic Relief Coming of Age Cyberpunk Dating Sim Drama Dramatic Support Dystopia Ecchi Educational Exploration Fantasy FPS Harem History Hobby Horror Idol Magical Girl MMORPG Music Mystery Paranormal Romance Parody Puzzle Game Roguelike Romance RPG School Life Science Fiction Simulation Slice of Life Sports Steampunk Strategy Tactical RPG Thriller Urban Fantasy Virtual World Western Workplace

    Meta

    Alternative Version Amazon Prime Anime Original Comic Adaptation Crunchyroll Daisuki Dropped Finished First Person Perspective Funimation Game Adaptation HiDive Hulu Incomplete Source Literary Adaptation Live Action Adaptation LN Adaptation Mixed Media Project Movie Netflix Novel Adaptation Novella OVA Partial Adaptation Series Short Anime Televised Third Person Perspective VN Adaptation Web Novel Young Adult Novel
  • Pages

    • Anime Overviews
      • Disliked Anime
      • Preferred Anime
      • Skipped Anime
      • Miku Hatsune Concerts
    • Final Fantasy XIV
      • FFXIV Combat Macros
    • Game Guides
    • Game Mods
      • Subtitle Mods
    • MP3 Player Playlist
    • MTGO Draft & Event Decks
    • VtM oWoD Vampiric NPC Listing
  • Categories

    • Anime Related
      • 1981 – Autumn
      • 1982 – Spring
      • 1982 – Winter
      • 1983 – Winter
      • 1984 – Spring
      • 1984 – Summer
      • 1985 – Autumn
      • 1985 – Summer
      • 1986 – Summer
      • 1987 – Autumn
      • 1987 – Spring
      • 1987 – Summer
      • 1987 – Winter
      • 1988 – Autumn
      • 1988 – Spring
      • 1988 – Summer
      • 1988 – Winter
      • 1989 – Autumn
      • 1989 – Spring
      • 1989 – Summer
      • 1990 – Autumn
      • 1990 – Spring
      • 1990 – Summer
      • 1990 – Winter
      • 1991 – Autumn
      • 1991 – Winter
      • 1992 – Autumn
      • 1992 – Spring
      • 1992 – Summer
      • 1992 – Winter
      • 1993 – Autumn
      • 1993 – Spring
      • 1993 – Summer
      • 1993 – Winter
      • 1994 – Autumn
      • 1994 – Spring
      • 1994 – Summer
      • 1994 – Winter
      • 1995 – Autumn
      • 1995 – Spring
      • 1995 – Summer
      • 1995 – Winter
      • 1996 – Autumn
      • 1996 – Spring
      • 1996 – Summer
      • 1996 – Winter
      • 1997 – Spring
      • 1997 – Summer
      • 1997 – Winter
      • 1998 – Autumn
      • 1998 – Winter
      • 1999 – Autumn
      • 1999 – Spring
      • 1999 – Summer
      • 1999 – Winter
      • 2000 – Spring
      • 2001 – Autumn
      • 2001 – Spring
      • 2001 – Summer
      • 2002 – Autumn
      • 2002 – Spring
      • 2002 – Summer
      • 2002 – Winter
      • 2003 – Autumn
      • 2003 – Spring
      • 2003 – Summer
      • 2003 – Winter
      • 2004 – Autumn
      • 2004 – Spring
      • 2004 – Summer
      • 2004 – Winter
      • 2005 – Autumn
      • 2005 – Spring
      • 2005 – Summer
      • 2005 – Winter
      • 2006 – Spring
      • 2006 – Winter
      • 2007 – Autumn
      • 2007 – Spring
      • 2007 – Summer
      • 2007 – Winter
      • 2008 – Autumn
      • 2008 – Spring
      • 2008 – Summer
      • 2008 – Winter
      • 2009 – Autumn
      • 2009 – Spring
      • 2009 – Summer
      • 2009 – Winter
      • 2010 – Autumn
      • 2010 – Spring
      • 2010 – Summer
      • 2010 – Winter
      • 2011 – Autumn
      • 2011 – Spring
      • 2011 – Summer
      • 2011 – Winter
      • 2012 – Autumn
      • 2012 – Spring
      • 2012 – Summer
      • 2012 – Winter
      • 2013 – Autumn
      • 2013 – Spring
      • 2013 – Summer
      • 2013 – Winter
      • 2014 – Autumn
      • 2014 – Spring
      • 2014 – Summer
      • 2014 – Winter
      • 2015 – Autumn
      • 2015 – Spring
      • 2015 – Summer
      • 2015 – Winter
      • 2016 – Autumn
      • 2016 – Spring
      • 2016 – Summer
      • 2016 – Winter
      • 2017 – Autumn
      • 2017 – Spring
      • 2017 – Summer
      • 2017 – Winter
      • 2018 – Autumn
      • 2018 – Spring
      • 2018 – Summer
      • 2018 – Winter
      • 2019 – Autumn
      • 2019 – Spring
      • 2019 – Summer
      • 2019 – Winter
      • 2020 – Autumn
      • 2020 – Spring
      • 2020 – Summer
      • 2020 – Winter
      • 2021 – Spring
      • 2021 – Summer
      • 2021 – Winter
      • 2023 – Winter
    • Book Related
    • Internet Related
    • Movie & TV Related
    • Music Related
    • Uncategorized
    • Video Game Related
      • DLC
      • Gamecube
      • GBA
      • Guides
      • Nintendo DS
      • Nintendo Switch
      • PC
        • Emulation
        • Modding
      • PS2
      • PS3
      • SNES
      • Wii
  • Archives

  • Meta

    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

©2025 raindrops Entries RSS and Comments RSS Raindrops Theme