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The Wandering Inn #2
Fae and Fare
Winter has come to the world, and still, Erin Solstice has no idea how she came to be an [Innkeeper].
Erin is running an inn outside the city of Liscor, but she’s no longer alone. Ryoka Griffin, the City Runner, has business in the south of Izril; she’s out on a dangerous delivery of her own. Yet while both young women have finally found their calling, more and more people are beginning to realize that these visitors from Earth don’t belong here.
Erin must find new guests and old for her inn while expanding her tentative business. Staying safe would also be nice. At the same time, some pesky creatures have arrived to herald winter, and they bring mischief and danger unlike anything she’s ever seen. But as more and more children of Earth begin appearing, the cold of winter is the least of Erin’s worries.
Download Fae and Fare and get a sneak preview of The Last Tide, a new comic book based on The Wandering Inn series.
Erin is running an inn outside the city of Liscor, but she’s no longer alone. Ryoka Griffin, the City Runner, has business in the south of Izril; she’s out on a dangerous delivery of her own. Yet while both young women have finally found their calling, more and more people are beginning to realize that these visitors from Earth don’t belong here.
Erin must find new guests and old for her inn while expanding her tentative business. Staying safe would also be nice. At the same time, some pesky creatures have arrived to herald winter, and they bring mischief and danger unlike anything she’s ever seen. But as more and more children of Earth begin appearing, the cold of winter is the least of Erin’s worries.
Download Fae and Fare and get a sneak preview of The Last Tide, a new comic book based on The Wandering Inn series.
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First published September 14, 2019
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August 24, 2022
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books.
A wonderful follow-up to a shockingly well done web-serial that rivals the quality of the titans of modern fantasy novels
Before we get started on my review of this book, I feel you need to understand exactly what this is. The Wandering Inn is the longest fantasy series of all time coming in at over 10,000,000 words and counting. To put this into perspective, The Wheel of Time which is 15 very long books and is widely considered an absolutely enormously long series is well under 5,000,000 words. And unlike The Wheel of Time this series is still ongoing and gets lengthened ~50,000 words per week.
And unlike most fantasy books, this is a web serial that puts out 2 chapters a week. Everything written in this series is free on wanderinginn.com, but the series is slowly being converted into ebooks and audiobooks, with 7 currently available for purchase. There are currently 8 "volumes", with the 9th currently being written, and in general the volumes are getting longer and longer as the series goes on. The first book for purchase is the same thing as volume 1 (~1000 pages), the second book you can purchase is volume 2 (~1700 pages), the 3rd and 4th books constitute volume 3, and as these books continue to get published, it will take more and more of them to constitute a single volume. It's theorized that volume 8 will take 8 large books to cover the entire volume.
Now with that out of the way, let's talk about book 2 (which is volume 2).
Story: 5/5
The story here absolutely rocks, and has an incredible blend of low stakes fantasy and epic fantasy. I know these two genres seem impossible to combine, but it successfully pulls it off in a wonderful way. Due to the nature of these stories being a part of a web serial, each long chapter has a self contained beginning/middle/end that gives constant gratification to the reader, and makes it very easy to read a single chapter and feel like the story is both moving in a cohesive direction, and is enjoyable in it's own unique way.
In general, the story is about a dungeons and dragons type world and for some inexplicable reason (that is slowly being revealed) some humans from Earth have been suddenly transported there and have to figure out how to adapt to this new world. In this world, characters have classes and can level up when they get enough experience, and while this sounds video-gamey and cheesy, it really works well and is just a complement to the story without feeling like it relies on these concepts to tell the story.
The story in this book, without spoiling anything, is slowly getting grander in scale, with extra POV characters getting included and the scope getting broadened in a slow, methodical pace that is extremely gratifying. By the end of this story, there are so many different major events happening all over this world that it feels quite honestly like the most "epic" story I've ever read, and I'm only just scratching the surface here.
World Building: 5/5
The world building in this book is virtually unrivaled out of any fantasy story I've read. The writer's ability to give such vivid imagery on these characters and locations is a joy to take in, and with the scope of the story expanding at a perfect pace, it's so easy and fun to just get sucked into this world along with the characters. While I just finished this book, it's very clear to me that this book is going to be stuck in my mind for years to come - right up there with the titans of fantasy books.
Fantasy Elements: 5/5
As mentioned above, the characters in this world "level up" their classes as they get more experience. This is an extremely enjoyable mechanic, that while used in other books, is absolutely perfectly executed here. It gives a fun flavor to all of these characters and it's so fun to read about new unique skills they suddenly receive, and how that will impact this story. It pulls you in, and makes you want to devour chapter, after chapter, after chapter.
The different species on this world is also a joy to read, and has a nice blend of familiar (the classic goblin) to incredibly unique (a multi-ton blob of reanimated body parts), and everything in between. There are dragons, skeletons, humanoid hyenas, enormous bees, huge/dangerous rock crabs, zombies, drakes, extremely miniature people, fairies, elves, golems, and much more.
Characters: 4/5
While I do enjoy the characters in this book, I feel like the main two characters have some writing flaws associated with them that hold them back for me. One of the main characters is too classically good-natured and kind to everyone, and it makes her feel less nuanced than a real person. While I don't need all my characters in books to be shades of grey, she could have done with a little less pure good.
The other main character is just a little to angsty for my tastes, and is taking a long time to mature into a better character. And while she is improving as this story goes along, I can tell it's going to take a few books for her to turn into a favorite character of mine. But the trajectory of her story arc is moving in the right direction.
Luckily, the side characters (and there are many here) are virtually unanimously done wonderfully. They add such wonderful flavor to this story and every time a new one is introduced I almost instantly thoroughly enjoy how they are written.
Writing Style: 4/5
The writing style here is enjoyable and fun, but it lacks the technical expertise of other established fantasy writers. There are some phrases that are used continually in this book and it becomes off-putting how much characters are starting at each other or shrugging their shoulders. The prose is definitely better than the first book, but is not wonderful.
Luckily for me, prose is not something I need to have someone be a master at for me to enjoy their books - but if you are someone who needs that, this book could be a struggle for you.
Enjoyment: 5/5
As you can probably tell, I absolutely loved all ~1,700 pages of this book. It was an amazing blend of gripping, fun, relaxing, and intense. I simply cannot wait to get to the next volume, and my expectations for it are through the roof.
If you love a good epic fantasy story with a huge scope, and/or love RPG video games, check out these books!
A wonderful follow-up to a shockingly well done web-serial that rivals the quality of the titans of modern fantasy novels
Before we get started on my review of this book, I feel you need to understand exactly what this is. The Wandering Inn is the longest fantasy series of all time coming in at over 10,000,000 words and counting. To put this into perspective, The Wheel of Time which is 15 very long books and is widely considered an absolutely enormously long series is well under 5,000,000 words. And unlike The Wheel of Time this series is still ongoing and gets lengthened ~50,000 words per week.
And unlike most fantasy books, this is a web serial that puts out 2 chapters a week. Everything written in this series is free on wanderinginn.com, but the series is slowly being converted into ebooks and audiobooks, with 7 currently available for purchase. There are currently 8 "volumes", with the 9th currently being written, and in general the volumes are getting longer and longer as the series goes on. The first book for purchase is the same thing as volume 1 (~1000 pages), the second book you can purchase is volume 2 (~1700 pages), the 3rd and 4th books constitute volume 3, and as these books continue to get published, it will take more and more of them to constitute a single volume. It's theorized that volume 8 will take 8 large books to cover the entire volume.
Now with that out of the way, let's talk about book 2 (which is volume 2).
Story: 5/5
The story here absolutely rocks, and has an incredible blend of low stakes fantasy and epic fantasy. I know these two genres seem impossible to combine, but it successfully pulls it off in a wonderful way. Due to the nature of these stories being a part of a web serial, each long chapter has a self contained beginning/middle/end that gives constant gratification to the reader, and makes it very easy to read a single chapter and feel like the story is both moving in a cohesive direction, and is enjoyable in it's own unique way.
In general, the story is about a dungeons and dragons type world and for some inexplicable reason (that is slowly being revealed) some humans from Earth have been suddenly transported there and have to figure out how to adapt to this new world. In this world, characters have classes and can level up when they get enough experience, and while this sounds video-gamey and cheesy, it really works well and is just a complement to the story without feeling like it relies on these concepts to tell the story.
The story in this book, without spoiling anything, is slowly getting grander in scale, with extra POV characters getting included and the scope getting broadened in a slow, methodical pace that is extremely gratifying. By the end of this story, there are so many different major events happening all over this world that it feels quite honestly like the most "epic" story I've ever read, and I'm only just scratching the surface here.
World Building: 5/5
The world building in this book is virtually unrivaled out of any fantasy story I've read. The writer's ability to give such vivid imagery on these characters and locations is a joy to take in, and with the scope of the story expanding at a perfect pace, it's so easy and fun to just get sucked into this world along with the characters. While I just finished this book, it's very clear to me that this book is going to be stuck in my mind for years to come - right up there with the titans of fantasy books.
Fantasy Elements: 5/5
As mentioned above, the characters in this world "level up" their classes as they get more experience. This is an extremely enjoyable mechanic, that while used in other books, is absolutely perfectly executed here. It gives a fun flavor to all of these characters and it's so fun to read about new unique skills they suddenly receive, and how that will impact this story. It pulls you in, and makes you want to devour chapter, after chapter, after chapter.
The different species on this world is also a joy to read, and has a nice blend of familiar (the classic goblin) to incredibly unique (a multi-ton blob of reanimated body parts), and everything in between. There are dragons, skeletons, humanoid hyenas, enormous bees, huge/dangerous rock crabs, zombies, drakes, extremely miniature people, fairies, elves, golems, and much more.
Characters: 4/5
While I do enjoy the characters in this book, I feel like the main two characters have some writing flaws associated with them that hold them back for me. One of the main characters is too classically good-natured and kind to everyone, and it makes her feel less nuanced than a real person. While I don't need all my characters in books to be shades of grey, she could have done with a little less pure good.
The other main character is just a little to angsty for my tastes, and is taking a long time to mature into a better character. And while she is improving as this story goes along, I can tell it's going to take a few books for her to turn into a favorite character of mine. But the trajectory of her story arc is moving in the right direction.
Luckily, the side characters (and there are many here) are virtually unanimously done wonderfully. They add such wonderful flavor to this story and every time a new one is introduced I almost instantly thoroughly enjoy how they are written.
Writing Style: 4/5
The writing style here is enjoyable and fun, but it lacks the technical expertise of other established fantasy writers. There are some phrases that are used continually in this book and it becomes off-putting how much characters are starting at each other or shrugging their shoulders. The prose is definitely better than the first book, but is not wonderful.
Luckily for me, prose is not something I need to have someone be a master at for me to enjoy their books - but if you are someone who needs that, this book could be a struggle for you.
Enjoyment: 5/5
As you can probably tell, I absolutely loved all ~1,700 pages of this book. It was an amazing blend of gripping, fun, relaxing, and intense. I simply cannot wait to get to the next volume, and my expectations for it are through the roof.
If you love a good epic fantasy story with a huge scope, and/or love RPG video games, check out these books!
March 11, 2020
This is book popcorn. If you enjoy traditional fantasy that has individual characters doing their individual things but sometimes getting caught up in big events, this will likely be right up your alley.
Warning: it's written as a high-output web serial, which means Pirateaba puts up a chapter twice a week, at some insane word count of like 10k a week. I use laptops, not tablets, which is absolutely not the way to read a gazillion-word book. Thanks to a kind friend, I read this in book form on my kindle, which is the only way I can really do it. I would be SO HAPPY to pay actual dollars for this to be formatted and published, so get on it, please.
This 'book' has a number of things happen to The Wandering Inn's Innkeeper, Erin, and the other refugee from America, Royoka. Though primarily focusing on those two, it also includes a number of points of views from other characters. When Erin discovers the properties of faerie-flowers, a number of these points of view take place in flash-back, signified by italicized writing. One point of view includes that of an adventurer, which did little for me, as he is clearly destined to be red-shirt (I think; this is not a spoiler but a reflection of a class). Another is of a crazy, acquisitive king, another of a necromancer. Honestly, skippable. I figure anyone with that high of word count isn't expecting me to read all of them. There's also an installment where Royoka reads a history of the last world-war. Nice background, but I tend to be more interested in the single-character arcs here.
Plot-wise, it feels like larger world-events are starting to coalesce, so some of the experiences of the main characters occur as they get inadvertently involved. Royoka makes great strides (ha-ha) in understanding more of the world-details, which I found interesting.
Pirateaba is good with emotion and there is a very touching development with the Gnolls. However, she's also inconsistent with emotion in her single-character heads. I can't quite work out if its intentional or not. I think so, as I think the women are in their early 20s.
Overall, a perfect kind of read for a vacation when I had oodles of reading time.
Caveat: I also have the ability to skim, and am untroubled by using it if I'm not particularly interested in a given character once it seems they won't be germane (ie. I read them when they first show up, but my investment decreases if they don't impact main characters' lives). That happens here. I did skim. Three stars is because I actually really liked much of this book. If someone got Pirateaba with a solid editor, I think there's the bones of a much better and more interesting Wheel of Time type series happening here (you know, minus the sexism).
Warning: it's written as a high-output web serial, which means Pirateaba puts up a chapter twice a week, at some insane word count of like 10k a week. I use laptops, not tablets, which is absolutely not the way to read a gazillion-word book. Thanks to a kind friend, I read this in book form on my kindle, which is the only way I can really do it. I would be SO HAPPY to pay actual dollars for this to be formatted and published, so get on it, please.
This 'book' has a number of things happen to The Wandering Inn's Innkeeper, Erin, and the other refugee from America, Royoka. Though primarily focusing on those two, it also includes a number of points of views from other characters. When Erin discovers the properties of faerie-flowers, a number of these points of view take place in flash-back, signified by italicized writing. One point of view includes that of an adventurer, which did little for me, as he is clearly destined to be red-shirt (I think; this is not a spoiler but a reflection of a class). Another is of a crazy, acquisitive king, another of a necromancer. Honestly, skippable. I figure anyone with that high of word count isn't expecting me to read all of them. There's also an installment where Royoka reads a history of the last world-war. Nice background, but I tend to be more interested in the single-character arcs here.
Plot-wise, it feels like larger world-events are starting to coalesce, so some of the experiences of the main characters occur as they get inadvertently involved. Royoka makes great strides (ha-ha) in understanding more of the world-details, which I found interesting.
Pirateaba is good with emotion and there is a very touching development with the Gnolls. However, she's also inconsistent with emotion in her single-character heads. I can't quite work out if its intentional or not. I think so, as I think the women are in their early 20s.
Overall, a perfect kind of read for a vacation when I had oodles of reading time.
Caveat: I also have the ability to skim, and am untroubled by using it if I'm not particularly interested in a given character once it seems they won't be germane (ie. I read them when they first show up, but my investment decreases if they don't impact main characters' lives). That happens here. I did skim. Three stars is because I actually really liked much of this book. If someone got Pirateaba with a solid editor, I think there's the bones of a much better and more interesting Wheel of Time type series happening here (you know, minus the sexism).
January 13, 2024
4.0 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/ty65PoWv0I8
This second book is so much stronger than the first volume. I did not entirely get the appeal until now. This story can be light and goofy, but also have serious moments. My favourite moments included the sex talk and the hamburgers.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/ty65PoWv0I8
This second book is so much stronger than the first volume. I did not entirely get the appeal until now. This story can be light and goofy, but also have serious moments. My favourite moments included the sex talk and the hamburgers.
September 14, 2023
I feel like the star system is 100% inaccurate to talk about this series. It’s such a complex rating. I loved parts and disliked parts… I shall be doing a video review to talk about my thoughts….
January 25, 2022
*** 4.29 ***
The second entry to the web-serial, LitRPG influenced e-book and audiobook fantasy series about some folks from Earth ending up on a whole new world full of magic, inhuman races, and at a cusp of a war. Erin and Ryoka, our main characters from Earth, at least so far, are making friends and enemies, surviving by trial and error, and making their mark on the world.
This volume, having established a lot of the base for the story in V. 1, is a bit faster and more dynamic. It is inevitable for our named characters to evolve, but since it is a pretty realistic approach to a very fantastic situation, they don't always do the right thing, they make mistakes, they are influenced by hormones and throw temper tantrums from time to time, get depressed, mess up and get emotionally neglectful towards those who look up to them, and in turn bad things do happen... Yeah, they are just like you and I, only with the potential of violent death and dismemberment lurking around every corner... There is also Chess and running, but not as much as at the end of V. 1.
Having said all of that, it is a very addictive read! Maybe because the bigger percentage of the story is light and refreshing, without having to expand too much mental energy, it is a very pleasant way to relax. The hard parts hit you hard though... So, I definitely recommend it if you like a little fantasy, some humor and a speculation about what would you do under the same circumstances! Have fun with it! 😀👍
The second entry to the web-serial, LitRPG influenced e-book and audiobook fantasy series about some folks from Earth ending up on a whole new world full of magic, inhuman races, and at a cusp of a war. Erin and Ryoka, our main characters from Earth, at least so far, are making friends and enemies, surviving by trial and error, and making their mark on the world.
This volume, having established a lot of the base for the story in V. 1, is a bit faster and more dynamic. It is inevitable for our named characters to evolve, but since it is a pretty realistic approach to a very fantastic situation, they don't always do the right thing, they make mistakes, they are influenced by hormones and throw temper tantrums from time to time, get depressed, mess up and get emotionally neglectful towards those who look up to them, and in turn bad things do happen... Yeah, they are just like you and I, only with the potential of violent death and dismemberment lurking around every corner... There is also Chess and running, but not as much as at the end of V. 1.
Having said all of that, it is a very addictive read! Maybe because the bigger percentage of the story is light and refreshing, without having to expand too much mental energy, it is a very pleasant way to relax. The hard parts hit you hard though... So, I definitely recommend it if you like a little fantasy, some humor and a speculation about what would you do under the same circumstances! Have fun with it! 😀👍
October 3, 2019
Great for the first 80%
Much of this is opinion so please take it with a grain of salt.
I loved this book. It was simple, cohesive, but was filled to the brim with charm. Oh, and the character development was beautiful. I rarley see characters developed so organically and in a way that makes me genuinely happy. All of it was beautiful, until we start reaching the ending.
(Spoiler warning!)
At this point erin starts to disregard her previously established moral standards for no reason. She seems perfectly okay with murdering a TON of bees and a few snow golems. DESPITE the fact we established she HATED killing of all kinds earlier when she sulked about killing the shield spiders, which were problably worse creatures than the bees that were MINDING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.
Then she started to embarrass Toren to the point of him abandoning her. Which was aldo completly out of character as we kniw she was very perceptive of others entions in earlier chapters. Not only that, but she insisted that Pawn and the other Antiminum were people rather than tools when they were just mindless slaves to the hive. So the fact that (for some reason) she also insists that HER mindless slave cannot become a person EVEN THOUGH SHE ASKS HERSELF IF HE CAN THINK MULTIPLE TIMES, is beyond me. The worse part about this character break is that dhe hadn't even realized (much less regreted) what she had done, so how is she supposed to learn? Oh, right, SHE SHOULDN'T BECAUSE THIS IS ALL STUFF THAT SHE ALREADY HAD!
I'm sorry, I know that a semi-constant state of obliviousness is part of Erin's character, but this isn't even the same character. Like shes backtracked a few steps in her character growth for no reason. Which is why, as sad as it is to say, makes the last bit of the book too infuriating for me to enjoy.
Much of this is opinion so please take it with a grain of salt.
I loved this book. It was simple, cohesive, but was filled to the brim with charm. Oh, and the character development was beautiful. I rarley see characters developed so organically and in a way that makes me genuinely happy. All of it was beautiful, until we start reaching the ending.
(Spoiler warning!)
At this point erin starts to disregard her previously established moral standards for no reason. She seems perfectly okay with murdering a TON of bees and a few snow golems. DESPITE the fact we established she HATED killing of all kinds earlier when she sulked about killing the shield spiders, which were problably worse creatures than the bees that were MINDING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.
Then she started to embarrass Toren to the point of him abandoning her. Which was aldo completly out of character as we kniw she was very perceptive of others entions in earlier chapters. Not only that, but she insisted that Pawn and the other Antiminum were people rather than tools when they were just mindless slaves to the hive. So the fact that (for some reason) she also insists that HER mindless slave cannot become a person EVEN THOUGH SHE ASKS HERSELF IF HE CAN THINK MULTIPLE TIMES, is beyond me. The worse part about this character break is that dhe hadn't even realized (much less regreted) what she had done, so how is she supposed to learn? Oh, right, SHE SHOULDN'T BECAUSE THIS IS ALL STUFF THAT SHE ALREADY HAD!
I'm sorry, I know that a semi-constant state of obliviousness is part of Erin's character, but this isn't even the same character. Like shes backtracked a few steps in her character growth for no reason. Which is why, as sad as it is to say, makes the last bit of the book too infuriating for me to enjoy.
April 25, 2024
War is always brewing somewhere, dark wizards are rising, and people are beginning to realize that the increasingly appearing humans from Earth don't belong here.
Erin just wants to run her inn and get more visitors.
This is a lot stronger than book one!
Ryoka Griffin is such a fun pov. She is a City Runner and eventually becomes charmed by Erin despite her initial aversion to her bubbly optimism.
Even the changing of seasons to Winter has a unique twist with magical frost fairies who seem intent on causing mischief and chaos. Worse than a bush infestation as Erin doesn’t feel right to kill them.
I loved the constant Trump bashing. Inserting modernity into this portal fantasy made this all the more fun! Comparing iPhone, androids, music…. The relevance added to the quirkiness and addictiveness!
I think this is one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to.
I don’t think I could have managed this 1200+ page book if I was reading it… The 60+ hour audiobook was so fun to listen to and almost felt like watching a movie and reading a book at the same time!
Bookstagram
Erin just wants to run her inn and get more visitors.
This is a lot stronger than book one!
Ryoka Griffin is such a fun pov. She is a City Runner and eventually becomes charmed by Erin despite her initial aversion to her bubbly optimism.
Even the changing of seasons to Winter has a unique twist with magical frost fairies who seem intent on causing mischief and chaos. Worse than a bush infestation as Erin doesn’t feel right to kill them.
I loved the constant Trump bashing. Inserting modernity into this portal fantasy made this all the more fun! Comparing iPhone, androids, music…. The relevance added to the quirkiness and addictiveness!
I think this is one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to.
I don’t think I could have managed this 1200+ page book if I was reading it… The 60+ hour audiobook was so fun to listen to and almost felt like watching a movie and reading a book at the same time!
Bookstagram
April 27, 2024
1700 pages or 61 hours of an audio book. Sounds really long but this was anything but. I absolutely loved this second instalment.
It’s a step up in quality from the first book and the character progression/development is as good as most other books I have read.
The story has so many moving parts it is almost impossible to give a synopsis. We learn more about the antenium (ant like creatures),more about dragons, more about goblins, more about the world, more about the humans who have landed in it, more about the levelling system and more new characters including a hero clown (sounds bonkers but was maybe one of the best chapters). Oh and lots of Fairies!!
Even Ryoka as a character became way more engaging and less annoying.
Biggest compliment is when I finished I kinda want to immediately start the next one lol.
It’s a step up in quality from the first book and the character progression/development is as good as most other books I have read.
The story has so many moving parts it is almost impossible to give a synopsis. We learn more about the antenium (ant like creatures),more about dragons, more about goblins, more about the world, more about the humans who have landed in it, more about the levelling system and more new characters including a hero clown (sounds bonkers but was maybe one of the best chapters). Oh and lots of Fairies!!
Even Ryoka as a character became way more engaging and less annoying.
Biggest compliment is when I finished I kinda want to immediately start the next one lol.
September 28, 2024
2024/09/27 Notes: 6th Read by Audio
Ambling my way back to speed listening. Handy for the larger re-reads by audio. Audible app max speed is 3.5x. Bwahahahah~~
Fae and Fare has a nice mix of action, exploring, loads of introspection and glimpses of the big picture. Wandering Inn dating scenes will always make me laugh.
01/24/2022 Notes: 5th Read by Audio
A new batch of people have started to read the series, and the chats have been grand!
For plot arc elements, I would say that Volume 2 continues to lay the foundations for the webserial, fleshes out key figures and enacts solid discussions about magic, leveling & politics.
**Top 5 Chess Players for Erin Clues by Magnolia** (Website Ch38, Audio Ch39)
Sidenote: I had listened to all WI audiobooks in 2021 while hiking, but did not add them to GR to count because it was spread out over months. Audiobook read counts should be +1.
12/28/2020 Notes: 3rd Read by Audio
Rating Raised from 3 to 4 Stars
Why? Because
- Narration by Andrea Parsneau is great.
- Due to many questions raised while reading Vol6+7, I decided to re-read from the beginning. The re-read has been fun & more entertaining than I thought it would be. Because there are many plot lines & characters in play, it was interesting to come back & see all of the events with what I know now.
- The series IS fun to re-read and most of the parts that annoyed me the first time around are still annoying.
- Noting the plot holes & inconsistencies. Yet, the story is a lot of fun because it's out there. That's why fantasy is cool.
- 1.5 Days to listen to 62 hours. HA! I love crafting my oddball skills.
Best part of the re-read is noting how details hold up well in the whole series and which ones don't stand at all.
07/16/2020 Notes: 2nd Read by Audio
4.5 Stars for Narration by Andrea Parsneau
3 Stars for Story
Vol2 was totally worth 1 Audible Credit. It's 62 hours.
The issues that keep the story from being 4 or 5 stars are still prevalent. Some of the story did not transfer well to audio. Aspects that I found annoying when I read Vol2 on the website were MORE annoying in audio. It's easier to skim-read than to listen to a crap parts at max speed. =P
I'm still going to get the audiobooks when they are released but I have lost some of the excitement for getting them now.
On the upside, I feel motivated to get back into the webserial! I may actually finish Vol4.
12/09/2019 Notes: 1st Read
I zoomed all of Vol2 and it was tasty fun. Author has an interesting brain.
A+ for Concepts/Characters
C+ for Overall Writing/Consistency/Progress/etc (Lots of cool bits in the whole slogfest of writing but that quality is not consistent.
Ambling my way back to speed listening. Handy for the larger re-reads by audio. Audible app max speed is 3.5x. Bwahahahah~~
Fae and Fare has a nice mix of action, exploring, loads of introspection and glimpses of the big picture. Wandering Inn dating scenes will always make me laugh.
01/24/2022 Notes: 5th Read by Audio
A new batch of people have started to read the series, and the chats have been grand!
For plot arc elements, I would say that Volume 2 continues to lay the foundations for the webserial, fleshes out key figures and enacts solid discussions about magic, leveling & politics.
**Top 5 Chess Players for Erin Clues by Magnolia** (Website Ch38, Audio Ch39)
Sidenote: I had listened to all WI audiobooks in 2021 while hiking, but did not add them to GR to count because it was spread out over months. Audiobook read counts should be +1.
12/28/2020 Notes: 3rd Read by Audio
Rating Raised from 3 to 4 Stars
Why? Because
- Narration by Andrea Parsneau is great.
- Due to many questions raised while reading Vol6+7, I decided to re-read from the beginning. The re-read has been fun & more entertaining than I thought it would be. Because there are many plot lines & characters in play, it was interesting to come back & see all of the events with what I know now.
- The series IS fun to re-read and most of the parts that annoyed me the first time around are still annoying.
- Noting the plot holes & inconsistencies. Yet, the story is a lot of fun because it's out there. That's why fantasy is cool.
- 1.5 Days to listen to 62 hours. HA! I love crafting my oddball skills.
Best part of the re-read is noting how details hold up well in the whole series and which ones don't stand at all.
07/16/2020 Notes: 2nd Read by Audio
4.5 Stars for Narration by Andrea Parsneau
3 Stars for Story
Vol2 was totally worth 1 Audible Credit. It's 62 hours.
The issues that keep the story from being 4 or 5 stars are still prevalent. Some of the story did not transfer well to audio. Aspects that I found annoying when I read Vol2 on the website were MORE annoying in audio. It's easier to skim-read than to listen to a crap parts at max speed. =P
I'm still going to get the audiobooks when they are released but I have lost some of the excitement for getting them now.
On the upside, I feel motivated to get back into the webserial! I may actually finish Vol4.
12/09/2019 Notes: 1st Read
I zoomed all of Vol2 and it was tasty fun. Author has an interesting brain.
A+ for Concepts/Characters
C+ for Overall Writing/Consistency/Progress/etc (Lots of cool bits in the whole slogfest of writing but that quality is not consistent.
December 11, 2020
The story veers from the sublime to the ridiculous (the one * open sleigh).
Has made me laugh, cry and mutter in frustration.
Dammit Toren!
Has made me laugh, cry and mutter in frustration.
Dammit Toren!
October 15, 2021
Sigh, what a disappointment. Despite me giving the first book a 3 star rating, I really enjoyed it and was sucked into world, just felt like it had some writing issues. Now this one... It was an absolute chore to get through and I couldn't get sucked into it at all. I found myself constantly dozing off and I even took a whole month break away from it because I didn't want to go through the hassle of reading it. If I wasn't listening to the audiobook (which is about 64 hours btw), I don't think I would have ever finished it.
There's still a lot of weird writing things and some unnecessary side stuff that could of just been cut out or kept as online/Patreon exclusives. I tried not to judge it too much at the start after I figured out it's originally a web novel, but this author needs a professional editor or something to help out.
For some reason, Ryoko's POV is in first person, even though everyone else is in third? Even though Erin is the main character? It was like this in book one as well and I thought it was really weird. Ryoko seemed to be getting better and less annoying in the beginning of this book and Erin made a lot of progress with her air headed, naïve personality by the end of book one. However, I feel like after a certain point, that all flew out the window. Ryoko just got even worse and Erin got dumber and dumber... I know characters need their flaws to grow and make a story interesting, but it was so frustrating, especially to see their progress from before decline so much. I also felt like I read more about Ryoko in this book than Erin. I do not like Ryoko. I don't mind cussing, but hearing a character say "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck" and other similar things over and over again gets old. We get it. She's very edgy, too cool for school, not like the other girls. It was as if the author just got tired of Erin and didn't want her as the MC anymore and threw Ryoko in my face. Also can I just say... We get it! Ryoko is Asian. You really wanted an Asian/Japanese character in your book. There was just some weird race comments the author chose that I wouldn't say is racist (maybe idk?) but felt off to hear.
The author also uses a lot of similar phrases CONSTANTLY. There's so much staring and shrugging you'd think these poor characters would have sore shoulders and dry eyes.
Back to the fact that this book is too long. I felt like ending it during the whole gnoll tribe/Mirsha/goblin lord situation would of been fine. But that just kinda wrapped up (not really wrapped up as in finished, but moved on) and then went onto something else, poorly leading the book to a different ending that felt out of place.
I really enjoyed the first book and really wanted to enjoy the series but this book really turned me off and I don't know if I'll ever continue.
Long story short: Book was longer than needed, weird writing, and is in desperate need of a pro editor (or a better one if they already have one). Oh! And Ryoko sucks!
There's still a lot of weird writing things and some unnecessary side stuff that could of just been cut out or kept as online/Patreon exclusives. I tried not to judge it too much at the start after I figured out it's originally a web novel, but this author needs a professional editor or something to help out.
For some reason, Ryoko's POV is in first person, even though everyone else is in third? Even though Erin is the main character? It was like this in book one as well and I thought it was really weird. Ryoko seemed to be getting better and less annoying in the beginning of this book and Erin made a lot of progress with her air headed, naïve personality by the end of book one. However, I feel like after a certain point, that all flew out the window. Ryoko just got even worse and Erin got dumber and dumber... I know characters need their flaws to grow and make a story interesting, but it was so frustrating, especially to see their progress from before decline so much. I also felt like I read more about Ryoko in this book than Erin. I do not like Ryoko. I don't mind cussing, but hearing a character say "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck" and other similar things over and over again gets old. We get it. She's very edgy, too cool for school, not like the other girls. It was as if the author just got tired of Erin and didn't want her as the MC anymore and threw Ryoko in my face. Also can I just say... We get it! Ryoko is Asian. You really wanted an Asian/Japanese character in your book. There was just some weird race comments the author chose that I wouldn't say is racist (maybe idk?) but felt off to hear.
The author also uses a lot of similar phrases CONSTANTLY. There's so much staring and shrugging you'd think these poor characters would have sore shoulders and dry eyes.
Back to the fact that this book is too long. I felt like ending it during the whole gnoll tribe/Mirsha/goblin lord situation would of been fine. But that just kinda wrapped up (not really wrapped up as in finished, but moved on) and then went onto something else, poorly leading the book to a different ending that felt out of place.
I really enjoyed the first book and really wanted to enjoy the series but this book really turned me off and I don't know if I'll ever continue.
Long story short: Book was longer than needed, weird writing, and is in desperate need of a pro editor (or a better one if they already have one). Oh! And Ryoko sucks!
December 17, 2018
I thought this story would never end and was mightily disappointed when it did. Thankfully there is lots more to come. The depth of world building, characterization improvement and plots within plots along the ever expanding story line was of a higher caliber than the majority of LitRPG authors usually found within this genre. And best of all, this second volume was even better than the first one, although they must be read in order for a full understanding of the book. This series is highly recommended and best of all free on the authors site.
June 6, 2024
English version below
****************
Dies ist der zweite Band der Wandering Inn-Reihe, die ursprünglich als Web-Serie angelegt war. Und genau das merkt man ganz stark. Anders als andere Romane haben diese Bücher keine erkennbare Unterteilung in Anfang, Mitte und Ende der Geschichte, sondern plätschern hinsichtlich Charakter- und Spielentwicklung, Worldbuilding und Spannungsaufbau recht gleichmäßig vor sich hin. Das hat aber auch den Vorteil, dass man als Leser an jedem beliebigen Kapitelende eine Pause einlegen kann.
Es geht hier um mittlerweile 2 Protagonistinnen, junge Frauen, die aus unserer Welt irgendwie in eine mittelalterlich angehauchten Fantasywelt gesogen wurden, in der sich allerlei fantastische Gestalten tummeln (Zauberer, Drachen, Schneefeen, sprechende Ameisen in Menschengröße und vieles mehr).
Diese Alternativwelt funktioniert nach merkwürdigen Regeln aus dem Gaming-Bereich (LitRPG), aber bisher gibt es keinerlei Hinweise, wieso das so ist.
Man kann sich denken, dass wir hier keine literarisch herausragende Qualität finden, aber das erwartet wohl auch niemand in diesem Genre.
Was ich der Autorin , so es denn eine Autorin ist (pirateaba is ein Pseudonym, zu dem ich kaum nähere Informationen finden konnte. Es scheint aber halbwegs gesichert zu sein, dass es sich um eine junge Frau handelt, was sich mit meinen eigenen Eindrücken ihrer Texte deckt) - zugute halte ist, dass sie enorm viele innovative und fantasievolle Ideen hat, die einfach Spaß machen.
Sie hat bereits im 2. Band der Reihe (mittlerweile gibt es 12 und sie schreibt in rasender Geschwindigkeit weiter) eine riesige Anzahl von Charakteren und nahezu ebenso viele Handlungsstränge aufgebaut. Und - das muss ich zugeben - bisher hat sie sich nicht verzettelt.
Die Reihe ist für mich kein Highlight, aber ich finde sie zumeist wirklich unterhaltsam und lese sie gerne zwischendurch.
Wer LitRPG nicht kennt und das mal ausprobieren will, ist hier nicht schlecht bedient.
----------------------
This is the second volume in the Wandering Inn series, which was originally conceived as a web series. And that's exactly what you notice. Unlike other novels, these books do not have a recognisable division into beginning, middle and end of the story, but instead ripple along quite evenly in terms of character and game development, worldbuilding and tension building. However, this also has the advantage that the reader can take a break at the end of any chapter.
It's about two protagonists, young women who have somehow been sucked out of our world into a fantasy world with a medieval flavour, in which all kinds of fantastic creatures cavort (wizards, dragons, snow fairies, human-sized talking ants and much more).
This alternative world functions according to strange rules from the gaming sector (LitRPG), but so far there are no clues as to why this is so.
You can imagine that we won't find any outstanding literary quality here, but nobody expects that in this genre.
What I can say about the author (pirateaba is a pseudonym, about which I could hardly find any further information. However, it seems to be reasonably certain that it is a young woman, which is consistent with my own impressions of her texts) is that she has an enormous number of innovative and imaginative ideas that are simply fun to read.
She has already built up a huge number of characters and almost as many storylines in the 2nd volume of the series (there are now 12 and she continues to write at breakneck speed). And - I have to admit - she hasn't got bogged down so far.
The series isn't a highlight for me, but for the most part I find it really entertaining and enjoy reading it in between.
If you don't know LitRPG and want to give it a try, you're not badly served here.
****************
Dies ist der zweite Band der Wandering Inn-Reihe, die ursprünglich als Web-Serie angelegt war. Und genau das merkt man ganz stark. Anders als andere Romane haben diese Bücher keine erkennbare Unterteilung in Anfang, Mitte und Ende der Geschichte, sondern plätschern hinsichtlich Charakter- und Spielentwicklung, Worldbuilding und Spannungsaufbau recht gleichmäßig vor sich hin. Das hat aber auch den Vorteil, dass man als Leser an jedem beliebigen Kapitelende eine Pause einlegen kann.
Es geht hier um mittlerweile 2 Protagonistinnen, junge Frauen, die aus unserer Welt irgendwie in eine mittelalterlich angehauchten Fantasywelt gesogen wurden, in der sich allerlei fantastische Gestalten tummeln (Zauberer, Drachen, Schneefeen, sprechende Ameisen in Menschengröße und vieles mehr).
Diese Alternativwelt funktioniert nach merkwürdigen Regeln aus dem Gaming-Bereich (LitRPG), aber bisher gibt es keinerlei Hinweise, wieso das so ist.
Man kann sich denken, dass wir hier keine literarisch herausragende Qualität finden, aber das erwartet wohl auch niemand in diesem Genre.
Was ich der Autorin , so es denn eine Autorin ist (pirateaba is ein Pseudonym, zu dem ich kaum nähere Informationen finden konnte. Es scheint aber halbwegs gesichert zu sein, dass es sich um eine junge Frau handelt, was sich mit meinen eigenen Eindrücken ihrer Texte deckt) - zugute halte ist, dass sie enorm viele innovative und fantasievolle Ideen hat, die einfach Spaß machen.
Sie hat bereits im 2. Band der Reihe (mittlerweile gibt es 12 und sie schreibt in rasender Geschwindigkeit weiter) eine riesige Anzahl von Charakteren und nahezu ebenso viele Handlungsstränge aufgebaut. Und - das muss ich zugeben - bisher hat sie sich nicht verzettelt.
Die Reihe ist für mich kein Highlight, aber ich finde sie zumeist wirklich unterhaltsam und lese sie gerne zwischendurch.
Wer LitRPG nicht kennt und das mal ausprobieren will, ist hier nicht schlecht bedient.
----------------------
This is the second volume in the Wandering Inn series, which was originally conceived as a web series. And that's exactly what you notice. Unlike other novels, these books do not have a recognisable division into beginning, middle and end of the story, but instead ripple along quite evenly in terms of character and game development, worldbuilding and tension building. However, this also has the advantage that the reader can take a break at the end of any chapter.
It's about two protagonists, young women who have somehow been sucked out of our world into a fantasy world with a medieval flavour, in which all kinds of fantastic creatures cavort (wizards, dragons, snow fairies, human-sized talking ants and much more).
This alternative world functions according to strange rules from the gaming sector (LitRPG), but so far there are no clues as to why this is so.
You can imagine that we won't find any outstanding literary quality here, but nobody expects that in this genre.
What I can say about the author (pirateaba is a pseudonym, about which I could hardly find any further information. However, it seems to be reasonably certain that it is a young woman, which is consistent with my own impressions of her texts) is that she has an enormous number of innovative and imaginative ideas that are simply fun to read.
She has already built up a huge number of characters and almost as many storylines in the 2nd volume of the series (there are now 12 and she continues to write at breakneck speed). And - I have to admit - she hasn't got bogged down so far.
The series isn't a highlight for me, but for the most part I find it really entertaining and enjoy reading it in between.
If you don't know LitRPG and want to give it a try, you're not badly served here.
December 20, 2018
This volume two of the ‘Wandering Inn’ epic is even longer than the first book and really needed some extensive editing. However, it is very addictive.
At times the story was disjointed and on a few occasions I wondered if the author had forgotten what had happened earlier in the book. Also there were a number of occasions when it seemed something had just been put in to fill up space, especially some of the inane conversations.
The way the book is published, as a series of episodes tends to mean that the narrative is very incident driven, also when the story flags it is too easy to just throw in new characters. This can make it difficult to keep track of where the story is going.
Overall it is a fascinating story, but at times it can be hard work just to keep going. At some points I would have given two stars, but you can’t fail to be impressed by its epic proportions so I have given three. Incidentally, large fantasy novels usually take me a few days to read, but this book took me nearly a month.
At times the story was disjointed and on a few occasions I wondered if the author had forgotten what had happened earlier in the book. Also there were a number of occasions when it seemed something had just been put in to fill up space, especially some of the inane conversations.
The way the book is published, as a series of episodes tends to mean that the narrative is very incident driven, also when the story flags it is too easy to just throw in new characters. This can make it difficult to keep track of where the story is going.
Overall it is a fascinating story, but at times it can be hard work just to keep going. At some points I would have given two stars, but you can’t fail to be impressed by its epic proportions so I have given three. Incidentally, large fantasy novels usually take me a few days to read, but this book took me nearly a month.
March 15, 2025
The Wandering Inn is like the definition of a comfort series. Is it the best? Not by a long shot, but damn, is it not engaging and just so easy to read. Despite the 60 hours or 1700 pages, it’s a book that breezes by so quickly. Is Fae and Fare a huge improvement from book 1 (rewrite)? Not really, but because of the nature of the rewrite, I have noticed actual inconsistencies, which were really odd. Maybe Pirateaba didn’t have time to reread her prior books before rewriting book 1, as you will notice one or two inconsistencies; beyond that, it felt pretty seamless. The benefit, or con, you can view for this web serial nature is that book 2 just begins so seamlessly. There is no time skip, etc. it’s quite literally the next scene, and it was a fun one.
The plot of this book begins with a bang, immediately, there’s a sense of urgency, an immediate objective. While Erin goes through a lot, this book is very much an important one for Rags and Ryoka in how they change throughout the course of the book. This is probably a factor why I slightly like it less than Book 1, as I dislike Ryoka quite a lot as a person. She is not a person who I would want as a friend of mine. However, here she humbled a bit, not a huge amount, but she has less "main character vibes”. Her plotline and genuinely everyone’s plotline is very fascinating with a lot of moving parts. Erin's plotline was fantastic; some of the side stories were even better this time around, and just the overall scale is seriously impressive. I feel like I’m partly repeating what I said about Book 1, but that is applicable here. There is one key difference: here all the pieces actually feel like they are being set up, the many factions, a potential antagonistic force, there are a lot of important build-ups, which will only be more important as the series progresses.
If I had to say a particular negative for me is the inclusion of Trump bashing. Look, I do not like Trump at all, especially recently (which is a debate not for this review), and despite my aversion to the man, I thought it was so jarring. It didn’t even matter if I had some similar views. It just takes me out of the experience of this fantasy world, granted, why he is brought up actually does make sense, but still could do a lot less of it. That said, a very minor bit of this massive novel. Secondly, well, this isn’t really criticism, as I do think the ending of this book is good, but I do think it feels less impactful than Book 1. It doesn’t feel as impactful an ending compared to Book 1 nor feel like that much of an ending of an arc (with the exception of Rags plotline).
Now the positives: well, every plotline is interesting, which is an accomplishment for a book of this length. Rag character development, becoming a hardened leader, is fantastic. Erin, being an optimistic girl who can be naïve at times, always brings a smile, which makes it the sadder when unfortunate events do occur. The series excels at downtime and just characters doing silly things, like Erin and Toren's adventure to find bees. It was surprisingly heartwarming when Erin had a conversation with Pawn about faith, the revelations of this world that the Antinium only know. Then you got the clown subplot, which is a chaotic and disturbing set of chapters introducing a new type of atmosphere. Then, of course, everything surrounding the Fae.
Is the series a favourite yet? Not yet, but damn, it's engaging. While the length can be a turn-off, so far it has been a joyful ride for fans of epic fantasy and slice of life. The last point, the narration by Andrea Parsneau, is just fantastic and keeps on giving. If you like Book 1, I would recommend Book 2.
7.5/10
May 22, 2021
Pros: Deeper plot, developed fantasy system, multiple unique fantasy monsters/creatures (stitch people is cool), Toren's development
Cons: Beginning chat was cool in concept but incredibly annoying in reality. Real life politics broke fantasy immersion immediately; introduction of religion, US politics, random pieces of pop culture (songs, foods) that are overly hyped, main character gets hyped too much, writing is meandering and in desperate need of an editor, main characters getting very annoying, inane conversations, awkward sex talk side story
Cons: Beginning chat was cool in concept but incredibly annoying in reality. Real life politics broke fantasy immersion immediately; introduction of religion, US politics, random pieces of pop culture (songs, foods) that are overly hyped, main character gets hyped too much, writing is meandering and in desperate need of an editor, main characters getting very annoying, inane conversations, awkward sex talk side story
May 24, 2023
This book and the series so far is very uneven. Some chapters are truly great but an equal number of chapters are awful and a struggle to get through, but more chapters are nearly average. The pacing isn't the best and there are a bunch of repeated scenes and phases, this is mostly due to the type of book this is, a long-form web story. The same can be said with my complaint that the book was too long. Ryoka is slightly better here than in the first volume but my two favorite characters from the first volume were either ruined or at least done wrong in this second volume.
July 5, 2019
This is the longest book I have ever read. Just over 1600 pages of the written version of whatever food you can't stop eating. The writing is not particularly dense, as the author is just cranking the chapters out two times a week. But it's fun. So much fun. Erin, Ryoka and the cast around them is so nice to read about. I sometimes feel like the story is the text-only version of an anime. The images I see in my head are an anime, at least. I haven't watched anime in years, but I'd watch The Wandering Inn in a heartbeat. Secrets are hinted at or revealed every now and then, new characters are introduced and the world is growing. I wonder if the author will manage to keep track of all the threads. Well, I guess I'll find out at least what happens in volume 3. It's longer still. Oof.
Recommended for people who enjoyed volume 1, LitRPG, and fantasy anime.
Recommended for people who enjoyed volume 1, LitRPG, and fantasy anime.
July 7, 2024
5/5
Perfect balance of epic fantasy and slice of life. The length of both this book and this series is it's only downside I could see some people having. For me this is the longest novel I have ever read but I love long books and will never complain about getting more pages if it works.
If this series was finished I would drop my TBR and read all 70+ of them. Its crazy that I have given both books so far 5 stars but have no intention of reading more then a book or two a year until the audio books are almost finished. I will read book 3 later this year and may reevaluate if I want to dive Alin.
Perfect balance of epic fantasy and slice of life. The length of both this book and this series is it's only downside I could see some people having. For me this is the longest novel I have ever read but I love long books and will never complain about getting more pages if it works.
If this series was finished I would drop my TBR and read all 70+ of them. Its crazy that I have given both books so far 5 stars but have no intention of reading more then a book or two a year until the audio books are almost finished. I will read book 3 later this year and may reevaluate if I want to dive Alin.
June 28, 2020
Nothing is better than a well written female protaganist, except two well written female protaganists.
This book is beyond excellent in all senses. The start was so compelling even as it was still simple and is truly unique when so little has been since this genre has taken off. The twist to the story at the dungeon was something I thought I would hate but the counterpoint to the first part made it more real for me than it ever could have if it started out gritty. The books balance between a slice of life and a fantasy adventure so well it feels like the main character could be living in a different world compared to the other characters and while that sounds like a joke about the story it is so true in the best way that it feels like the same author couldn't be writting from both perspectives. As a man I can't usually speak to the quality of writting done by male authors when it comes to writting in lady leads and so fantasy as a genre really lacks in that area with the huge amount of male fantasy authors. This series is a diamond, and it manages to avoid the second problem of focusing too much on the subject as a reaction to the problem that seems to get so many other writers. I can't really say wether the napkin story went too far but it seemed to speak to the reality of the gender more than the stereotype so I went along with it. Looking forward to the third book!
This book is beyond excellent in all senses. The start was so compelling even as it was still simple and is truly unique when so little has been since this genre has taken off. The twist to the story at the dungeon was something I thought I would hate but the counterpoint to the first part made it more real for me than it ever could have if it started out gritty. The books balance between a slice of life and a fantasy adventure so well it feels like the main character could be living in a different world compared to the other characters and while that sounds like a joke about the story it is so true in the best way that it feels like the same author couldn't be writting from both perspectives. As a man I can't usually speak to the quality of writting done by male authors when it comes to writting in lady leads and so fantasy as a genre really lacks in that area with the huge amount of male fantasy authors. This series is a diamond, and it manages to avoid the second problem of focusing too much on the subject as a reaction to the problem that seems to get so many other writers. I can't really say wether the napkin story went too far but it seemed to speak to the reality of the gender more than the stereotype so I went along with it. Looking forward to the third book!
January 28, 2020
I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first. For me, the errors became a bit more glaring as more plot points didn’t make sense. For example, if Pisces life goal is to create a levelling skeleton, why isn’t he testing Toren?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2021
There are plenty of good parts of this book, but the parts I didn't like I really didn't like. It's not polished, and that's fine for what it is, but it's not for me. I don't think I'll continue this series.
March 17, 2025
شصت و یک ساعت بالاخره تموم شد
🫡🥰
اینم از ریویوش ♥️
فوق العاده است
🫡🥰
اینم از ریویوش ♥️
فوق العاده است
July 13, 2022
As much as I'd like to continue, there's lots of things that put me off of this series.
Some parts of the book are in first person, while everything else is in third.
The main character lost all personal progress she gained in book one (she's back to being obnoxious, confused, naive, and rude)
The second main character is now the actual main character, and while she made moves to be better, she went right back to being the same too cool for school girl she was in book one.
There's suddenly US politics & Christianity in this book.
I'm here to go into a fantasy world, not be reminded of everything that's been happening recently - one character has introduced religion in to this world & now there's acolytes for Jesus.
The side stories are an odd intrusion & don't at all follow the story line. They could be moved to the end, or even a separate book imo.
I'm ready to move on to another series.
Some parts of the book are in first person, while everything else is in third.
The main character lost all personal progress she gained in book one (she's back to being obnoxious, confused, naive, and rude)
The second main character is now the actual main character, and while she made moves to be better, she went right back to being the same too cool for school girl she was in book one.
There's suddenly US politics & Christianity in this book.
I'm here to go into a fantasy world, not be reminded of everything that's been happening recently - one character has introduced religion in to this world & now there's acolytes for Jesus.
The side stories are an odd intrusion & don't at all follow the story line. They could be moved to the end, or even a separate book imo.
I'm ready to move on to another series.
December 27, 2020
A gigantic classic of the genre.
Where many authors put up trope upon trope and filler, Pirate Aba places characters, backgrounds, details, in a gigantic work of worldbuilding filled with characters, trials, and believable events. Few authors would dare to make an epic opus centered around an innkeeper. And here it is, with an insanely long volume.
The only thing that is bad with the volume is that it is a cut into an ongoing story. While it's a perfectly placed cut, it is a cut, a cliffhanger. Not a resolution, but a promise of things to come. That is the only problem with the Wandering Inn series : each book leaves you reaching for the next, because they can't be taken on their own.
Where many authors put up trope upon trope and filler, Pirate Aba places characters, backgrounds, details, in a gigantic work of worldbuilding filled with characters, trials, and believable events. Few authors would dare to make an epic opus centered around an innkeeper. And here it is, with an insanely long volume.
The only thing that is bad with the volume is that it is a cut into an ongoing story. While it's a perfectly placed cut, it is a cut, a cliffhanger. Not a resolution, but a promise of things to come. That is the only problem with the Wandering Inn series : each book leaves you reaching for the next, because they can't be taken on their own.
May 20, 2022
You know, when I look at the length of these audiobooks I think "oof." But the time flies while listening to them. There's even a long arc emerging, albeit rather slowly.
I have to mention that the narration and the engineering on these is excellent. I'm terribly sensitive to poor recordings because my hearing loss makes some difficult to listen to, but these are perfect. And the narration is exceptional. The number of voices that are easily identifiable is impressive enough, but the ease in which the listener can buy-in to these characters is seamless. Really good stuff.
I have to mention that the narration and the engineering on these is excellent. I'm terribly sensitive to poor recordings because my hearing loss makes some difficult to listen to, but these are perfect. And the narration is exceptional. The number of voices that are easily identifiable is impressive enough, but the ease in which the listener can buy-in to these characters is seamless. Really good stuff.
November 19, 2024
2.5 stars
Reading this book, as long as it was, was like listening to a story told by someone under the influence of something over a prolonged period of time. I have to admit, this is the first time I have read a web novel, but if this is an example of one I don’t know if I want to read any more. Maybe its the author, maybe its because the book is so long, but it felt like the author was constantly forgetting that they wrote something and writing the same thing less than an hour later and making it where the characters reat as if it was the first time they got this information. I also realize why these books are so long, it seems to be that the author has the habit of writing a lot of situations from multiple points of view but not at the same time… we would get a situation heard from one person, then we would be taken back to the beginning of that same situation and hear it from another point of view. This isn’t completely bad but its time consuming and sometimes unnecessary because there wasn’t anything revealed that called for the need to experience the situation again. I also have to say that I don’t think I have ever read a MC with such conflicting personality as Erin, she’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one moment she is a genius level chess player who can tell when someone is cheating and trying to influence her and the next she is an oblivious nincompoop who blurts out anything and everything said to her without any consideration of the outcome. I have heard that sometimes people with high intelligence sometimes lack common sense, but she truly is an embarrassment, from her teaching the goblins to her never putting any of the clues about Torran’s progress together to almost every other action she fumbles through. I am not sure if I will read on because I don’t know if I want to waste a credit on more… if you see more its probably because I figured out how to get the audio book for a lot less or free, I just don’t have a lot of confidence for the overall story for me to overlook the many plot holes in this story.
Reading this book, as long as it was, was like listening to a story told by someone under the influence of something over a prolonged period of time. I have to admit, this is the first time I have read a web novel, but if this is an example of one I don’t know if I want to read any more. Maybe its the author, maybe its because the book is so long, but it felt like the author was constantly forgetting that they wrote something and writing the same thing less than an hour later and making it where the characters reat as if it was the first time they got this information. I also realize why these books are so long, it seems to be that the author has the habit of writing a lot of situations from multiple points of view but not at the same time… we would get a situation heard from one person, then we would be taken back to the beginning of that same situation and hear it from another point of view. This isn’t completely bad but its time consuming and sometimes unnecessary because there wasn’t anything revealed that called for the need to experience the situation again. I also have to say that I don’t think I have ever read a MC with such conflicting personality as Erin, she’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one moment she is a genius level chess player who can tell when someone is cheating and trying to influence her and the next she is an oblivious nincompoop who blurts out anything and everything said to her without any consideration of the outcome. I have heard that sometimes people with high intelligence sometimes lack common sense, but she truly is an embarrassment, from her teaching the goblins to her never putting any of the clues about Torran’s progress together to almost every other action she fumbles through. I am not sure if I will read on because I don’t know if I want to waste a credit on more… if you see more its probably because I figured out how to get the audio book for a lot less or free, I just don’t have a lot of confidence for the overall story for me to overlook the many plot holes in this story.
September 22, 2019
The second Wandering-Inn ebook collects volume two of the online serialization. I'm not going to recap the background: Either you've been following the web novel - which is up to volume six - and don't need it, or you read the first ebook - which came out a year ago - and you don't need it. (Or you're considering starting reading at volume two, a thousand-plus pages into the story, in which case please accept instead a suggestion that you start at the beginning instead.)
Volume one focused, properly, upon the two main characters and most of it had a narrow geographic scope as well. In volume two the story gets bigger. There are *six* continent-scale or world-scale menaces. By the end of volume two all of them are just beginning to reawaken.
The cast becomes more interesting. In the first volume the secondary characters have minor supporting roles; in the second volume, some of them start to shine. The most-interesting of these are not the ones I would have expected:
- Rags. She decides that the only way for her tribe to survive is to start fighting smarter.
- Toren. As the animated skeleton keeps leveling, it acquires more and more of a personality.
- Klbkch. This Antinium is turning out to be less and less ant-like.
At 1600 printed-page-equivalents, this volume was too long to be read at one sitting, but it was fun, and I came close.
Volume one focused, properly, upon the two main characters and most of it had a narrow geographic scope as well. In volume two the story gets bigger. There are *six* continent-scale or world-scale menaces. By the end of volume two all of them are just beginning to reawaken.
The cast becomes more interesting. In the first volume the secondary characters have minor supporting roles; in the second volume, some of them start to shine. The most-interesting of these are not the ones I would have expected:
- Rags. She decides that the only way for her tribe to survive is to start fighting smarter.
- Toren. As the animated skeleton keeps leveling, it acquires more and more of a personality.
- Klbkch. This Antinium is turning out to be less and less ant-like.
At 1600 printed-page-equivalents, this volume was too long to be read at one sitting, but it was fun, and I came close.
December 22, 2023
Officially the longest book I’ve ever read! The adventure continues, and in a less linear fashion. I love the concepts (I’ll leave it at that for non spoilers), world building, character growth, and new characters introduced in this book so much.
That said, I see myself in the minority in that I did enjoy the more linear story of the first book more; the first novel really impressed me with how it brought together so many threads told via web serial format into one very solid, very cohesive book (to the point where I never would have guessed it was a web serial if not told).
This story did feel more like a web serial, with side stories that expanded the world, a less linear plot, and branching story arcs. I didn’t feel as though there was as big a climax as the first book either, and that it just ended on the chapter it ended upon.
That does not make this anything less than a 5 star book however. I am confident in saying that this is now my favorite series of all time. It’s scratching every itch I had, and many others I didn’t know I had, and changing the way I approach not only fantasy but reading in general.
Read the Wandering Inn. The value is unmatched, and in my opinion this series stands among the genre’s greats by any measurement one could measure a fantasy story by. And remember: No Killing Goblins.
That said, I see myself in the minority in that I did enjoy the more linear story of the first book more; the first novel really impressed me with how it brought together so many threads told via web serial format into one very solid, very cohesive book (to the point where I never would have guessed it was a web serial if not told).
This story did feel more like a web serial, with side stories that expanded the world, a less linear plot, and branching story arcs. I didn’t feel as though there was as big a climax as the first book either, and that it just ended on the chapter it ended upon.
That does not make this anything less than a 5 star book however. I am confident in saying that this is now my favorite series of all time. It’s scratching every itch I had, and many others I didn’t know I had, and changing the way I approach not only fantasy but reading in general.
Read the Wandering Inn. The value is unmatched, and in my opinion this series stands among the genre’s greats by any measurement one could measure a fantasy story by. And remember: No Killing Goblins.
May 21, 2025
I think this is the 3rd longest book I've read (Infinite Jest and Wind & Truth being slightly longer). It was good, but it didn't quite recapture the highs of book 1, especially the ending. Now, in lieu of any intelligent thoughts to offer, I now offer my favorite ships, which all the classy book connoisseurs know is the height of literary discussion. In order of shippability:
Erin X Ryoka
Erin X Pisces
Ryoka X The Clown
Lion X Torren
Erin X Skinner
Erin X Ryoka
Erin X Pisces
Ryoka X The Clown
Lion X Torren
Erin X Skinner
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