PirateAba

A compelling story with memorable characters. The world feels well developed and the story feels somewhat grounded. In short, it's the polar opposite of most litrpgs.
It has almost none of the classical litrpg tropes, no exploiting game systems, no bullshit thing that let's the main character become one of the most powerful beings in the universe over the weekend, no it's just a good fantasy novel with some skills and stuff.
The story takes on a few heavy subjects such as loss and friendship show more and that kinda stuff, and handles them pretty well in my opinion.
This is one of the works where the author is both competent and has a clear passion for the project, and it clearly shows.
I found the beginning to be a bit boring, but as soon as you learn to know and care for the characters it's hard to put down.
I would highly recommend giving it a try. show less

A book so long it felt insurmountable to me. Over 1200 pages? Crazy. Plus this was a series so long I was sure I'd never finish it, but FOMO got me starting this as an audiobook so I could listen on my commutes. Plus I had already gotten a taste of the LitRPG genre through Dungeon Crawler Carl.

The start of this book is very rough, and tbh if anyone put this down after the first 10 chapters I wouldn't blame them. The main character, Erin, is fucking stupid at the start, has zero curiosity for show more anything, and all she does is wander around the Inn or around the outside of the Inn foraging or lamenting that she's in another world, or being confused at something when she forgets she's not on Earth. She acts like a child and it's so so annoying, and even though the writing improves from there and she does improve as a character as well (and the author improves as a writer), you still see scenes of her ignorance which just irritates me.

So I only really got invested in this story about a third of the way through, but once I got there it fully hooked me in!! The worldbuilding is excellent, every character except Erin Solstice is a delight to read (honestly I think Ryoka Griffin is much more interesting), and I think maybe my interest in this just comes from how much Dungeons and Dragons I've played, but I loved it. The worldbuilding especially, the world feels so vast and full that I actually get why this story would last another 25 books or something. I got so invested I even abandoned the audiobook so I could read it on my phone instead.

(Also while I only listened to the audiobook for half of this, I have to say the narrator is amazing.)

Overall, I think the biggest letdowns of this book are the main character and the start of the story, but once it gets going (and critically once the story relies less on Erin's POV) it really shines. show less

I nearly stopped reading this book 4 times. As much as the Wandering Inn stories continue to grab my attention, this one didn't at all. I just shared my thoughts on a Pathfinder story that leaned too heavily on the Gothic setting for my tastes and this is in the same category. Giant endless crypts and undead just aren't going to grab me. Necromancers have been explored in the main story more effectively. A land shrouded in darkness and leeched of color is, frankly, pretty dull. And to add a show more singer in the mix, to brighten things with inspiring lyrics and pop music sounds good on the surface, but what odd musical choices! It was severely meh. show less

The Wandering Inn is a web serial and literary version of a role-playing game, which really ought to say all you need to know--except that it is also literary crack. Like a good game, it's almost impossible to stop once you start.

The story begins with a young woman, Erin Solstice, running for her life from a band of goblins. She finds safety of sorts at an abandoned inn and comes to make it her own. The first few chapters are rough by most readers' evaluation, but as the world comes into show more focus, it rapidly gets more interesting. Like a role-playing game, people in this world 'level' in skills, with their ability to do something successfully impacted by skill level. Some people possess unique [skill]s. Erin levels quickly in [Innkeeping] as she works to make the inn habitable. She's a kind and generous soul, despite the landscape and local denziens attempting to eat and/or poison her. Two beings stop by her inn one night, a lizard-like drake named Relc, and the insectoid Antinium, Klbkch. Both beings are ranking members of the local City Watch, and end up befriending and orienting Erin, tempting her to go to the city for supplies.

There's a rough overarching plot in this book, but not in a way that feels like each chapter advances solidly towards an ultimate goal. In this, it reminds me most of the RPG genre; there may be an end reward or an ultimate boss one is supposed to find and conquer, but it is very easy to be distracted with side quests, explorations, and plain old leveling. To be sure, many of the side stops are interesting, and if they aren't, a new chapter will likely bring another direction.

The writing is a bit rough in the beginning but rapidly improves. By the end, I was getting all the detail I could have wished and more, with very full fight scenes, both physical and chess-related. This is where an editor would have proved very useful, but instead, Pirateaba says, "it's free, just read." I skimmed quite a bit at times, not because it was necessarily bad, but because it was too detailed in an uninteresting way, or it was headed somewhere I didn't especially want to go (not everyone wants to do the same quests, you know). Still, it was riveting by the end, and kept me on the exercise bike an extra 30 minutes. Hurrah!

The characterization is curious. I wouldn't say the characters are flat, a complaint often leveled at the genre. In fact, Erin's moderately irritating, with a surprising lack of curiosity about how the world around her. She often reacts with a, "that's not right," rather than seeking to understand. It's a peculiar kind of mindset that doesn't belong in a traveler, and for the experienced reader, it can grow tiresome. Another main character, Ryoka Griffin appears in an Interlude and can be equally difficult, although in different ways. Although she thinksabout this world, she has a similar tendency to react emotionally.

Will it work for you? Hard to say, but Pirateaba--presumably, a pseudonym--has graciously made it all available for free on the interwebs. Best place to read is here so you can sample it for yourself.

What I've discovered from reading serials, based on Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper books, and this, is that I probably prefer the polished versions. I don't enjoy the installment structure (I lose the immersion ability and am distracted from week to week), and I prefer the smoothness that the editing process brings. That said, both Andrews and Pirateba have strong writing ability, and there's something that keeps me engaged despite occasionally feeling like there's too much filler.

Pirateaba is up to Volume Five in the series, and puts out installments biweekly. They have a Patreon account, which pays well by all accounts, allowing Pirateaba to do this as a full-time job. Patreons get early access and bonus material, but otherwise it's free, and Pirateaba makes a point of saying so on the Kindle purchasing page. I find this non-marketing intriguing; I can't tell if it is generous or arrogant. I'd much, much rather have a e-book than try to read a story on my computer. I spend too much time with my computer as it is, between work, internet, goodreads and gaming, and it isn't exactly ergonomical or portable. And if I'd pay to become a Patreon, why not pay for a book? The Kindle edition is listed at 1158 pages; definitely not computer-reading-friendly. Anyway, that's my own reaction on the platform. Volume One is available for Kindle purchase--I did--but suspect my interest in following volumes will be limited due to format. I did, of course, start the next to see where it would end. It isn't long before Pirateaba pulls some surprises out of the hat and starts to weave together a few earlier dangling threads. Unfortunately, that means that it's not the sort of story that one jumps in in the middle--everyone's got to start at the starting zone.

Three levels, and making progress. show less