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A Practical Guide to Evil #1
So You Want to Be a Villain?
Catherine Foundling has a plan.
She'll join the Legions of Terror that occupy her homeland and work her way up the ladder until she can effect the kind of changes the former Kingdom of Callow so badly needs. Yet after a night gone from bad to worse she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by the right hand of the Empress, the infamous Black Knight: to become his apprentice and learn the business of villainy from one of the most dangerous men in Creation. It’s probably a trap, but when has that ever stopped her? For the sake of the land of her birth, she is more than willing to get her hands dirty. They say the first step on the path to the Tower is the hardest.
Considering the amount of people already trying to kill her, ‘they’ might have a point.
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A Practical Guide to Evil is a fantasy series about a young girl named Catherine Foundling making her way through the world – though, in a departure from the norm, not on the side of the heroes. Is there such a thing as doing bad things for good reasons, or is she just rationalizing her desire for control? Good and Evil are tricky concepts, and the more power you get the blurrier the lines between them become.
She'll join the Legions of Terror that occupy her homeland and work her way up the ladder until she can effect the kind of changes the former Kingdom of Callow so badly needs. Yet after a night gone from bad to worse she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by the right hand of the Empress, the infamous Black Knight: to become his apprentice and learn the business of villainy from one of the most dangerous men in Creation. It’s probably a trap, but when has that ever stopped her? For the sake of the land of her birth, she is more than willing to get her hands dirty. They say the first step on the path to the Tower is the hardest.
Considering the amount of people already trying to kill her, ‘they’ might have a point.
-------------------------------------------------------
A Practical Guide to Evil is a fantasy series about a young girl named Catherine Foundling making her way through the world – though, in a departure from the norm, not on the side of the heroes. Is there such a thing as doing bad things for good reasons, or is she just rationalizing her desire for control? Good and Evil are tricky concepts, and the more power you get the blurrier the lines between them become.
477 pages, ebook
First published March 25, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
September 24, 2016
This is a web-serial, premised on the idea that the plucky protagonist, rather than trying to overthrow the evil empire, decides to join it and reform it from the inside. The book is a one-man operation, published on WordPress at the rate of a chapter a week, and it's definitely rough around the edges (fairly high rate of typos, the occasional iffy scene)...
...and it's still one of the best books I've read this year. The writing is clear, flowing, and descriptive. You always know what's happening, how, and where, even during the most chaotic combat scenes (this is surprisingly hard to do, actually, judging by how many authors fumble it). The characters hew to classic archetypes, but they're likable and they subvert their roles every so often. The setting likewise seems fairly generic on the surface, but as the series goes on you see that there's a lot of thought put in to make everything work. And the author, ErraticErrata, is an absolute *master* of character-driven humor.
Let me put it this way. This book has an undead suicide goat named after a main character's ex. And it makes perfect sense in the context of the story.
(Edit: On a subtler note, I will also say that this series is an excellent example of how to do well-developed 'diverse' fiction. While the 'good guy' kingdom is a generic European Medieval land, the Evil Empire is heavily based on Africa, with the two main cultures being based on Saharan nomads and Sub-Saharan kingdoms like those of Mali. And of course, it's in the Evil Empire that we spend the majority of our time, so this is all really quite well developed. Gender politics are similarly well handled.)
Ultimately, a bit rough around the edges but enormous fun. And hey, it's free.
...and it's still one of the best books I've read this year. The writing is clear, flowing, and descriptive. You always know what's happening, how, and where, even during the most chaotic combat scenes (this is surprisingly hard to do, actually, judging by how many authors fumble it). The characters hew to classic archetypes, but they're likable and they subvert their roles every so often. The setting likewise seems fairly generic on the surface, but as the series goes on you see that there's a lot of thought put in to make everything work. And the author, ErraticErrata, is an absolute *master* of character-driven humor.
Let me put it this way. This book has an undead suicide goat named after a main character's ex. And it makes perfect sense in the context of the story.
(Edit: On a subtler note, I will also say that this series is an excellent example of how to do well-developed 'diverse' fiction. While the 'good guy' kingdom is a generic European Medieval land, the Evil Empire is heavily based on Africa, with the two main cultures being based on Saharan nomads and Sub-Saharan kingdoms like those of Mali. And of course, it's in the Evil Empire that we spend the majority of our time, so this is all really quite well developed. Gender politics are similarly well handled.)
Ultimately, a bit rough around the edges but enormous fun. And hey, it's free.
December 4, 2025
Edit 12/3/2025 - I was not expecting this to take off as much as it has! If you want more like this, I'm blogging on https://asourdays.substack.com/ and writing fiction on https://palacefiction.substack.com/.
Edit 11/13/2021 - I had an interesting and spoiler-filled conversation with someone who says that, actually, it was doing something complicated I missed, which becomes more clear after the first three books. Insofar as that is the case I am just *wrong* about this review.
The review is still up unchanged, because (a) I haven't checked up on whether his claims are true, and (b) the fact that it gives an insufficiently-perceptive reader the impression I got is a fact worth mentioning, but it is nonetheless worth making it clear that I am not the most reliable source.
Now:
To begin with, this is a review of all of "A Practical Guide to Evil" I read before I gave up on the serial, not just the first book; spoilers are available though the 'faeries' arc. If you don't know what that means, you haven't gotten that far yet.
I did not like it. I did not like it for three reasons; the first is personal, the second philosophical, and the third literary. I do not think it lacks all artistic value, but I don't think I got anything out of reading it.
The first reason is that I didn't like the characters. This is a matter of personal taste; I have a very high bar to liking characters, find it very easy to say 'I don't care what happens to these people' and very hard for me to get invested. It is not really a disrecommendation, it is a statement that it failed to hook me.
The second is more serious. The author seems to be working from what I would call the Crusader Kings model of administrative effectiveness; essentially all information is publicly known, and your competence as a ruler is purely a matter of your Stewardship stat, which is a simple brute-force metric of how good at it you are, and of how willing you are to put the work into doing the job, which is part of your personality. Some people care, other people don't care; get the most competent person who cares, and you have the best ruler.
I, on the other hand, work from the 'information is hard to get' model. The correct decision, given perfect information, could be made by a computer; the problem is that nobody has or has ever had perfect information (because 'perfect information' and 'omniscience' are two terms for the same thing), and rulers are in an even worse position than everyone else. Your beliefs are a valuable resource that anyone who you could harm or benefit wants to control, hence advertising/political campaigns/propaganda - and if *your* beliefs are worth something, the beliefs of a ruler are worth a *lot*. In my model, massive amounts of resources are constantly thrown at trying to inform rulers of things - sometimes, even, of true things, and some of this is information the ruler needs to do his job, and more often it's information the ruler needs not to have because it will systematically misinform him.
From his worldview, the challenge of the ruler is how a ruler can get the people to do good things, and the more power he has, the more easily he can do this. From my worldview, the challenge is how the ruler can learn what good things are, and the more power he has, the more difficult it is for him to do this. I would therefore call his worldview 'unreasonably simplified', specifically simplified in an authoritarian direction. This both makes his protagonist's job unreasonably easy, and, worse, presents a distorted picture of reality in which authoritarianism is awesome and the only reason Mussolini didn't work out great was because he happened to have a low Stewardship score, instead of the (I think more accurate) picture in which the entire project of Italian fascism was doomed from the start.
The third is simply literary, and it is exemplified by the discussion of the Rule of Three.
Our Villain is told that, if you a series of three fights between the villain and a hero, in the third, the hero will always win.
This Rule of Three is excellent writing advice. (Villain wins overwhelmingly > Villain barely wins > Hero barely wins) is a great arc for a series of encounters that lets you move from an invincible villain to a heroic victory, steadily building tension.
The problem is... when Our Villain Protagonist goes up against the Hero Antagonist of the arc, and they're squaring off for the third and final battle... is there *any* chance, in the mind of the audience, our protagonist is actually going to lose? Because I found the chance 'approximately 0%'. All the stuff about how 'heroes always win' is something I don't want to be reminded of, because in the context of this story, the hero is the Squire, and she's the protagonist, and I know she's going to win, and it's completely spoiling the drama of the story for me to be told that she has to lose. It isn't just the author lying to me, it's the author lying to me implausibly. I demand a plausible excuse for why my protagonist is going to lose, and I don't have one!
So those were the three reasons I didn't like A Practical Guide to Evil. Hopefully it gets better shortly after the point where I quit, but I really doubt it.
Edit 11/13/2021 - I had an interesting and spoiler-filled conversation with someone who says that, actually, it was doing something complicated I missed, which becomes more clear after the first three books. Insofar as that is the case I am just *wrong* about this review.
The review is still up unchanged, because (a) I haven't checked up on whether his claims are true, and (b) the fact that it gives an insufficiently-perceptive reader the impression I got is a fact worth mentioning, but it is nonetheless worth making it clear that I am not the most reliable source.
Now:
To begin with, this is a review of all of "A Practical Guide to Evil" I read before I gave up on the serial, not just the first book; spoilers are available though the 'faeries' arc. If you don't know what that means, you haven't gotten that far yet.
I did not like it. I did not like it for three reasons; the first is personal, the second philosophical, and the third literary. I do not think it lacks all artistic value, but I don't think I got anything out of reading it.
The first reason is that I didn't like the characters. This is a matter of personal taste; I have a very high bar to liking characters, find it very easy to say 'I don't care what happens to these people' and very hard for me to get invested. It is not really a disrecommendation, it is a statement that it failed to hook me.
The second is more serious. The author seems to be working from what I would call the Crusader Kings model of administrative effectiveness; essentially all information is publicly known, and your competence as a ruler is purely a matter of your Stewardship stat, which is a simple brute-force metric of how good at it you are, and of how willing you are to put the work into doing the job, which is part of your personality. Some people care, other people don't care; get the most competent person who cares, and you have the best ruler.
I, on the other hand, work from the 'information is hard to get' model. The correct decision, given perfect information, could be made by a computer; the problem is that nobody has or has ever had perfect information (because 'perfect information' and 'omniscience' are two terms for the same thing), and rulers are in an even worse position than everyone else. Your beliefs are a valuable resource that anyone who you could harm or benefit wants to control, hence advertising/political campaigns/propaganda - and if *your* beliefs are worth something, the beliefs of a ruler are worth a *lot*. In my model, massive amounts of resources are constantly thrown at trying to inform rulers of things - sometimes, even, of true things, and some of this is information the ruler needs to do his job, and more often it's information the ruler needs not to have because it will systematically misinform him.
From his worldview, the challenge of the ruler is how a ruler can get the people to do good things, and the more power he has, the more easily he can do this. From my worldview, the challenge is how the ruler can learn what good things are, and the more power he has, the more difficult it is for him to do this. I would therefore call his worldview 'unreasonably simplified', specifically simplified in an authoritarian direction. This both makes his protagonist's job unreasonably easy, and, worse, presents a distorted picture of reality in which authoritarianism is awesome and the only reason Mussolini didn't work out great was because he happened to have a low Stewardship score, instead of the (I think more accurate) picture in which the entire project of Italian fascism was doomed from the start.
The third is simply literary, and it is exemplified by the discussion of the Rule of Three.
Our Villain is told that, if you a series of three fights between the villain and a hero, in the third, the hero will always win.
This Rule of Three is excellent writing advice. (Villain wins overwhelmingly > Villain barely wins > Hero barely wins) is a great arc for a series of encounters that lets you move from an invincible villain to a heroic victory, steadily building tension.
The problem is... when Our Villain Protagonist goes up against the Hero Antagonist of the arc, and they're squaring off for the third and final battle... is there *any* chance, in the mind of the audience, our protagonist is actually going to lose? Because I found the chance 'approximately 0%'. All the stuff about how 'heroes always win' is something I don't want to be reminded of, because in the context of this story, the hero is the Squire, and she's the protagonist, and I know she's going to win, and it's completely spoiling the drama of the story for me to be told that she has to lose. It isn't just the author lying to me, it's the author lying to me implausibly. I demand a plausible excuse for why my protagonist is going to lose, and I don't have one!
So those were the three reasons I didn't like A Practical Guide to Evil. Hopefully it gets better shortly after the point where I quit, but I really doubt it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2020
People shit on web-based novels on the time-- this is another prime example of how that is NOT true. Sure, there are some grammatical errors and typos, but the quality of writing is BEYOND much of what I've read in books and on Amazon. The characters are well developed, form connections, and are genuinely funny. The fantasy world that ErraticErrata has built is detailed, with backstory given casually by the characters learning, not through just simply prose statements. I'm excited to continue with the series!
October 16, 2025
Доста популярна, писана в интернет книга. Типичното юношеско фентъзи (т.н. Young Adult), което не само не може, ами не се и опитва да избяга от жанровите клишета:
-"Петнайсетгодишната" героиня (стар мой принцип е ако в описанието на книгата е посочена възрастта на главния герой, значи няма смисъл да подхващам книгата - това е юношеско фентъзи и посочената възраст винаги е петнайсет, шестнайсет или седемнайсет години. В нито един друг тип литература възрастта не е толкова релевантна за целевата аудитория, че да е нужно да се посочва в описанието.)
- Момиче пребива всички - в описания в книгата свят жените физически не отстъпват на мъжете, което е що годе приемлив Suspension of disbelief, но клишето младо момиче да може да пребива грамадни мъже е прекалено ... ми клиширано за жанра, за да го пренебрегна.
- Главният герой съвсем неподозирано започва да показва невероятни умения във всяко отношение. На 15 е шампионка в нелегални боксови мачове, след 1 седмица тренировки е почти майстор на меча, малко след това без никаква подготовка попада във военен колеж и тактическите й умения и хитрост смайват всички... Дейвид Гемел сигурно щеше да се върти като вентилатор в гроба (ако беше умрял де) при вида на толкова нагла кражба на клишетата от всичките му книги...
- И най-дразнещото: авторовият глас и начин на мислене в устата на главната героиня. Тя, предполага се, е тийнейджърка, израстнала в сиропиталище (в средновековен свят без телевизия, телефони и интернет, в който само богатите имат достъп до книги) и имала съвсем ограничен досег със света и житейски опит. Въпреки това тя се държи и говори като възрастен човек, не показва незнание в нито една област, общата й култура е очевидно на ниво... Което води до най-най-дразнещото, а именно:
- Постоянните "остроумия" в диалога. Нямам никаква представа защо авторът се чувства длъжен да представя всеки диалог като някаква размяна на остроумия, шеги и бъзици, но едно, че талантът му в комедията явно граничи с тоя на глуха къртица и второ, от устата на така описаната му героиня всички тия неща звучат повече от нелепо и много, ама много бързо писват.
-"Петнайсетгодишната" героиня (стар мой принцип е ако в описанието на книгата е посочена възрастта на главния герой, значи няма смисъл да подхващам книгата - това е юношеско фентъзи и посочената възраст винаги е петнайсет, шестнайсет или седемнайсет години. В нито един друг тип литература възрастта не е толкова релевантна за целевата аудитория, че да е нужно да се посочва в описанието.)
- Момиче пребива всички - в описания в книгата свят жените физически не отстъпват на мъжете, което е що годе приемлив Suspension of disbelief, но клишето младо момиче да може да пребива грамадни мъже е прекалено ... ми клиширано за жанра, за да го пренебрегна.
- Главният герой съвсем неподозирано започва да показва невероятни умения във всяко отношение. На 15 е шампионка в нелегални боксови мачове, след 1 седмица тренировки е почти майстор на меча, малко след това без никаква подготовка попада във военен колеж и тактическите й умения и хитрост смайват всички... Дейвид Гемел сигурно щеше да се върти като вентилатор в гроба (ако беше умрял де) при вида на толкова нагла кражба на клишетата от всичките му книги...
- И най-дразнещото: авторовият глас и начин на мислене в устата на главната героиня. Тя, предполага се, е тийнейджърка, израстнала в сиропиталище (в средновековен свят без телевизия, телефони и интернет, в който само богатите имат достъп до книги) и имала съвсем ограничен досег със света и житейски опит. Въпреки това тя се държи и говори като възрастен човек, не показва незнание в нито една област, общата й култура е очевидно на ниво... Което води до най-най-дразнещото, а именно:
- Постоянните "остроумия" в диалога. Нямам никаква представа защо авторът се чувства длъжен да представя всеки диалог като някаква размяна на остроумия, шеги и бъзици, но едно, че талантът му в комедията явно граничи с тоя на глуха къртица и второ, от устата на така описаната му героиня всички тия неща звучат повече от нелепо и много, ама много бързо писват.
April 8, 2021
5 star out of 5
This review is done for all the books in the series up to book 7
“Diplomacy is the art of selling a deal you don’t want to people you don’t trust for reasons you won’t admit to.”
reading web novels(which this series is one of them) is a guilty pleasure of mine and most of the web novels you find out on the web are of poor quality, but not this series.in fact, the quality of this series is compatible with books from top publishers. the story is fantastic, the concept of Names is an amazing idea, and the characters (main characters and side characters) are top-notch. (if you couldn't tell I love these books). let's not forget about the epigraphs(which I love) that are done very well.
“Mercy might be the mark of a great man, but then so’s a tombstone.”
in this world names have power, for example, the name Black Knight gives you powers(usually three of them) or The Bard, Theif, Warlock, Squire, and so on. Names are dived in based on their affliction to the above gods (generally the Good) and the below gods (generally the bad guys)
but as we see in the story usually the good guys are snobby and self-centered too.
“Always mistrust these three: a battle that seems won, a chancellor who smiles, and a ruler calling you friend.”
we follow Catherine Foundling, an orphan whose homeland is conquered by Praesi(a notorious natation of backstabbers and generally afflicted to the below gods) twenty years ago. Cathrine becomes The Squire to the Balck Knight to tries and saves her homeland. we see her make enemies and friends, her victories and her losses .we see Cathrine and her friends(The Woe as people call them) fighting people, Named demons, and all sort of thing.
Cathrine is by no means a good character and she is in fact afflicted with the Gods below, but she isn't mad or crazy and always tries to bring peace to her people and the world.
I wholly recommend these books to any fantasy readers
PS: I like to mention the Epigraphs and their high quality again, They are fantastic
“Those who live by the sword kill those who don’t.”
June 10, 2022
Really entertaining read. Haven't read a YA book in a while and I can say that it definitely plays into the good parts of the genre than the bad for YA fantasy. No horribly written romance, likeable main character. Great underdog story where it always feels good seeing the main character come out on top. Doesn't really go beyond an entertaining read but that's all it needs to accomplish.
8/10.
8/10.
October 19, 2023
In a bare room, a man who can stare down armies places a dagger on the table and asks: "Ey, do ya want to be just a main character or a protagonist, Jack!?"
Introducing Upstart Kid Making Morally Dubious Choices And Gaslighting Herself ™, Manipulative Bastard™, Kirito McEdgelord™, Mouthy Vicious Soldier Kid That Is Probably Stuffing Explosives Into Your Shoes Right Now™, Snakepit Royal Court™, Garage Sale Roman Armies™, Discount Agrippa™, Metanarrative™ and games of Capture the flag, this is the first volume of A Practical Guide to Evil: delighfully self-aware, sorta tropy and also not, overwhelmingly fun, and occasionally suffering from jaunty pacing web-serial, which is going to keep you scrolling way into the small hours.
Introducing Upstart Kid Making Morally Dubious Choices And Gaslighting Herself ™, Manipulative Bastard™, Kirito McEdgelord™, Mouthy Vicious Soldier Kid That Is Probably Stuffing Explosives Into Your Shoes Right Now™, Snakepit Royal Court™, Garage Sale Roman Armies™, Discount Agrippa™, Metanarrative™ and games of Capture the flag, this is the first volume of A Practical Guide to Evil: delighfully self-aware, sorta tropy and also not, overwhelmingly fun, and occasionally suffering from jaunty pacing web-serial, which is going to keep you scrolling way into the small hours.
February 14, 2017
A classic rise to power story with a meta magic system bases off Story Roles. It hooked me.
August 29, 2025
3.5. Enjoyed it, just missing a little extra oomf. I hear the series gets bigger from here so I’ll check out the next!
February 23, 2022
(Alright, this is really the reason I was forced back onto Goodreads after avoiding my duties for months, because it is absolutely worth shouting out.)
I fully loved PGtE (the whole thing) and this review is for the complete web series, one chapter away from finishing, here: https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpres...
Snarky YA character? Check. Grumpy-externally, almost-reluctant-to-mentor, seen-as-scary OP teacher? Check. Genre-savviness? Beyond check.
Well-executed interwoven plots, with elements that don't drop off the face of the earth or that you see coming a mile away. Distinct and charming characters, who made me actually laugh with surprising regularity. Well-written. Kind of reminiscent of d&d. For me, there was nothing not to love.
I am thoroughly impressed by this serial, and if anything, wish it were longer (though that won't be the popular opinion). The pacing is surprisingly on-point for such a long series, though there was a bit of slowdown (/power creep?) for me around book 3(?), it really came back once . Every turn felt reasonable, from characters that stepped onto the stage to internal growth trajectory to reactions to events. Book 1 was a lighter intro to the world (more standard fantasy apprenticeship stuff, but done well enough), and I was not super enthused by every fight scene - but books 5 through 7 were so worth the (still quite enjoyable) trek thru 1-4. Sure, there might be a few inconsistencies or holes. I'm honestly not that close a reader to know. I just thought everything came together splendidly, and there was just enough touching on every motif that it felt artfully done, or at the very very least catered to my tastes. And the attention to detail in things like chapter names, worldbuilding via epigraphs... ugh, so many small things just click so well.
But plot/humor/writing aside, why did I enjoy it so much?
I love tropes. I love people playing with tropes. I love the notion of defining a universe based on tropes - or Roles - and that the central conflict is about . I liked seeing how a _very_ lite form of rationality - could develop in a fully alternate universe, without being 4th-wall-breaky in a way that some other works are. While staying fully bounded by the rules of Creation (their universe), the character(s) try to rewrite (or perhaps reimagine) what is allowed – but without just importing the "real world" as we know it.
Okay, summary/reiteration/rehash:
- Yes, the premise (focusing on villains doing things right) is cute, but not a selling point alone.
- The writing is good, but not particularly noteworthy.
- The Proper Noun Magic System is done better than most, and fine.
For me, I guess the actual standout points are:
- Loveable characters / their interactions (they're just the tropes I like)
- The attention to detail (I felt the series' second half was super excellent and convergent in all its plotlines | I liked the first half); it was like the author knew exactly how everything would go down from the writing of the first page
I guess any fantasy series that doesn't have an obvious glaring annoying thing is alright in my book, but this hit all the spots I want fantasy (fiction?) to: not for deep thought, but a not-even-guilty pleasure this past 2ish years.
I fully loved PGtE (the whole thing) and this review is for the complete web series, one chapter away from finishing, here: https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpres...
Snarky YA character? Check. Grumpy-externally, almost-reluctant-to-mentor, seen-as-scary OP teacher? Check. Genre-savviness? Beyond check.
Well-executed interwoven plots, with elements that don't drop off the face of the earth or that you see coming a mile away. Distinct and charming characters, who made me actually laugh with surprising regularity. Well-written. Kind of reminiscent of d&d. For me, there was nothing not to love.
I am thoroughly impressed by this serial, and if anything, wish it were longer (though that won't be the popular opinion). The pacing is surprisingly on-point for such a long series, though there was a bit of slowdown (/power creep?) for me around book 3(?), it really came back once . Every turn felt reasonable, from characters that stepped onto the stage to internal growth trajectory to reactions to events. Book 1 was a lighter intro to the world (more standard fantasy apprenticeship stuff, but done well enough), and I was not super enthused by every fight scene - but books 5 through 7 were so worth the (still quite enjoyable) trek thru 1-4. Sure, there might be a few inconsistencies or holes. I'm honestly not that close a reader to know. I just thought everything came together splendidly, and there was just enough touching on every motif that it felt artfully done, or at the very very least catered to my tastes. And the attention to detail in things like chapter names, worldbuilding via epigraphs... ugh, so many small things just click so well.
But plot/humor/writing aside, why did I enjoy it so much?
I love tropes. I love people playing with tropes. I love the notion of defining a universe based on tropes - or Roles - and that the central conflict is about . I liked seeing how a _very_ lite form of rationality - could develop in a fully alternate universe, without being 4th-wall-breaky in a way that some other works are. While staying fully bounded by the rules of Creation (their universe), the character(s) try to rewrite (or perhaps reimagine) what is allowed – but without just importing the "real world" as we know it.
Okay, summary/reiteration/rehash:
- Yes, the premise (focusing on villains doing things right) is cute, but not a selling point alone.
- The writing is good, but not particularly noteworthy.
- The Proper Noun Magic System is done better than most, and fine.
For me, I guess the actual standout points are:
- Loveable characters / their interactions (they're just the tropes I like)
- The attention to detail (I felt the series' second half was super excellent and convergent in all its plotlines | I liked the first half); it was like the author knew exactly how everything would go down from the writing of the first page
I guess any fantasy series that doesn't have an obvious glaring annoying thing is alright in my book, but this hit all the spots I want fantasy (fiction?) to: not for deep thought, but a not-even-guilty pleasure this past 2ish years.
August 26, 2018
A Practical Guide to Evil #1 started out pretty weak, but ended strong. I love the idea of a world where narrative theory drives events, and I think the way characters like the Black Knight are super well done. It's a very compelling premise.
The writing style feels very amateur-ish, which of course it is, but it really took away from the good things about this novel for me. Catherine, especially at the beginning, doesn't feel like a fleshed out character. She feels very one dimensional.
The final battle that constitutes maybe the last fourth or so of the book is amazing. I really enjoyed that sequence, and the author's prose really shined though.
I've been told that the stakes really grow in following books, and that a lot happens after book 1, which is by far the shortest book in the series. I haven't decided yet if I am going to continue, but I have a lot of reasons to do so; we'll see.
The writing style feels very amateur-ish, which of course it is, but it really took away from the good things about this novel for me. Catherine, especially at the beginning, doesn't feel like a fleshed out character. She feels very one dimensional.
The final battle that constitutes maybe the last fourth or so of the book is amazing. I really enjoyed that sequence, and the author's prose really shined though.
I've been told that the stakes really grow in following books, and that a lot happens after book 1, which is by far the shortest book in the series. I haven't decided yet if I am going to continue, but I have a lot of reasons to do so; we'll see.
August 13, 2021
The writing quality is quite bad even considering that it was not professionally written, other webserials like Mother of Learning or Worm have far superior prose. The world-building is alright, plot is sort of flimsy, though most villainous characters are quite charming. Not much really happens in the first book, but it was certainly entertaining enough that I would like to read the future instalments. The dialogues and monologues are the best part, though again not quite as funny as Cradle or Worth the Candle. While the meta-commentary and deconstruction of fantasy tropes are well thought out, they felt overall lacking substance since that is the whole schtick of this web serial. All in all a solid book that tries to do a new thing without crashing and burning, but doesn't quite deliver either.
March 14, 2022
Really interesting worldbuilding, a lot of potential, good politics and specially strategies in war, the battles were so fun to read because of that, specially the last one. The "roles" are very interesting, they have the potential to be an amazing power system and Catherine is probably going to be by far the best character of this work.
January 3, 2025
A great start to a great series of books. However, having read what comes next, the progress in writing and narrative quality (for lack of better words as I'm not a pro or anything :p) is quite clear, which doesn't take away at the fact that I consider it an amazing book and introduction to the world, and a incredibly fun read. The worldbuilding and concepts are just awesome.
I always say that the way it's very Meta while not feeling like the whole concept of the book is forced, the way the entire Meta part of it feels so natural and integral to the world, is a great achievement made from the very beginnings of this story.
I always say that the way it's very Meta while not feeling like the whole concept of the book is forced, the way the entire Meta part of it feels so natural and integral to the world, is a great achievement made from the very beginnings of this story.
March 25, 2025
6/10 (Fine)
A Practical Guide to Evil originally intrigued me with its premise. The world has roles or names that function as positions one can take—hero, villain, squire, knight—each accompanied by strengths and weaknesses typically associated with the trope. It’s a clever meta-element and, in my opinion, the best aspect of this story. The book engages with genre conventions in a smart way, sometimes making fun of them outright (e.g., You're a villain, why don’t you have a villainous laugh?). I also really liked the chapter quotes—they were genuinely very good.
Although the above sounds very positive, I grew more disinterested in the story as it went on. Catherine, the protagonist, never got me invested, and the same goes for the supporting cast—none of them left a lasting impression. When I read Mother of Learning, I at least cared about Zorian’s progression to some degree. Here, I literally couldn’t be bothered. That said, it wasn’t a struggle to finish the book, so I’m holding back on a sub-6 score.
Additionally, there were also a lot of typos. Normally, I wouldn’t even mention it, but compared to something like Mother of Learning, it stood out. Not enough to ruin anything, but occasionally confusing.
Ultimately, the book had some good ideas, but if my engagement fades because I don’t care about the characters, then even the best concepts won’t save the experience. And since book two is apparently not much better—while being significantly longer—I’m not going to read on. At this point, Lord of the Mysteries is my last shot at finding a webnovel I truly like. If that one doesn’t work, I’ll probably leave the genre behind.
A Practical Guide to Evil originally intrigued me with its premise. The world has roles or names that function as positions one can take—hero, villain, squire, knight—each accompanied by strengths and weaknesses typically associated with the trope. It’s a clever meta-element and, in my opinion, the best aspect of this story. The book engages with genre conventions in a smart way, sometimes making fun of them outright (e.g., You're a villain, why don’t you have a villainous laugh?). I also really liked the chapter quotes—they were genuinely very good.
Although the above sounds very positive, I grew more disinterested in the story as it went on. Catherine, the protagonist, never got me invested, and the same goes for the supporting cast—none of them left a lasting impression. When I read Mother of Learning, I at least cared about Zorian’s progression to some degree. Here, I literally couldn’t be bothered. That said, it wasn’t a struggle to finish the book, so I’m holding back on a sub-6 score.
Additionally, there were also a lot of typos. Normally, I wouldn’t even mention it, but compared to something like Mother of Learning, it stood out. Not enough to ruin anything, but occasionally confusing.
Ultimately, the book had some good ideas, but if my engagement fades because I don’t care about the characters, then even the best concepts won’t save the experience. And since book two is apparently not much better—while being significantly longer—I’m not going to read on. At this point, Lord of the Mysteries is my last shot at finding a webnovel I truly like. If that one doesn’t work, I’ll probably leave the genre behind.
February 10, 2023
Fun, snarky, and dramatic, this is exactly what I needed to get me out of my rereading slump. Yes, this is a web serial with a fair amount of typos that occasionally impact flow, but the story and the writing style and the world building and the characters are all just so amazing. I’m in love with how different cultures and races are portrayed. And I really like how literary tropes and human beliefs affect the characters actions in ways they only sometimes pick up on, it’s absolutely fascinating.
Sadly, I can’t highlight all of my favorite parts in a book app so I’m putting the best, funniest, and most dramatic quotes below: (this is where the spoilers live)
The Legions of Terrors had made a lot of angry orphans through the afternoon’s bloody work, and in time that would mean one thing –
Heroes. (What a way to end the prologue)
“You’re a monster, aren’t you?” I spoke softly into the night, looking at him from the corner of my eye.
He smiled. “The very worst kind,” he replied.
I don’t know what it says about me, but for the first time since I’d walked into the alley I felt safe.
“So, uh, just to be sure,” I said. “You wouldn’t happen to be my long-lost father who put me in an orphanage so I’d be safe from his enemies and is coming to get me now that I’m old enough to take care of myself?”
To my mild horror, I drew a laugh out of the monster sitting across from me. He seemed genuinely amused by the question, so I guessed I was still an orphan. Thank the Heavens for that.
The social stuff had never been my strong suit. A regrettable lack of awareness and natural predisposition for insolence, our etiquette tutor had called it.
“Now don’t you just look like you’re planning murder,” a voice mused, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Both Black and Captain were looking at me, split somewhere between curious and entertained.
“That’s a bit rich coming from you, sir,” I replied, my mouth forming the words before my mind could intervene. Captain snorted, and hopefully that meant I wouldn’t get murdered in broad daylight.
Well, wasn’t that ominous. “You’re testing me,” I grunted,
“Life is a test,” the green-eyed man replied easily.
I rolled my eyes. “I hope you didn’t have to meditate under a waterfall to come up with that one.”
Before I could try to get on my feet I was compelled to notice that there was still a sword jutting out of my chest.
“He stabbed me,” I wheezed out in disbelief, my breath coming out panicked. “He just fucking stabbed me, out of nowhere. Who even does that?”
“Well,” a woman’s voice drawled lazily. “You know. Villains.”
“Doing nothing is worse than being Evil,” I told her, striding forward. “Getting people killed because you won’t compromise is worse than being Evil. I’m going to change things – maybe not all of them, but enough. And if that means getting my hands dirty, I can live with that. I don’t have to be a good person to make a better world.”
“Heroes,” I murmured. “Why do I have a feeling that for every Evil role with Conquer in it, there’s a Good one with Protect?”
“Because I rarely suffer the company of imbeciles?” he suggested. I gave him a flat look.
“Please, sir, there’s no need to gush – I’ll get embarrassed,” I deadpanned.
He didn’t manage to take a sip quite quickly enough to hide his smile.
“You’ll also see better in the dark,” Black murmured from my side. “Though nowhere as well as goblins do.”
“My quota of creepy realizations for the day is reaching full load,” I informed him.
He hummed. “Perhaps you won’t enjoy the lesson very much, then.”
“Well that’s not ominous at all,” I deadpanned. “Are you going to leave this unaddressed like the funny line about everyone wanting to kill me? Because I’m still waiting for an explanation on that one.”
I gave him the flippancy that little bout of melodrama had deserved. (This basically describe the whole book)
“The last time they had a spar without holding back, Captain knocked down a tower and Lord Black threw a whole statue at her,” he informed me cheerfully. “Hilarious at the time, of course, but the local baron was less than pleased.”
It was not, I reminded myself, appropriate to start cracking up before your desperate final stand.
“Really, Rashid?” I complained. “We’re going to have a duel to the death in the middle of a foundry full of goblinfire? Couldn’t we at least move to the other room?”
“Busy night?” someone murmured.
I opened my eyes and came face to face with eerie green ones.
“I got stabbed,” I mumbled. “A lot.”
“Happens to the best of us, Squire,”
“Your ignorance offends me on a personal level,” the other captain informed me. “How can you not know what a pivot is? It’s basic Name knowledge.” “Hey! I’m new at this,” I defended myself. “And my teacher’s a bit of an ass. He never tells me anything outright. I think he might be physically incapable of not being cryptic.” “Did you just call the Black Knight an ass?” Juniper replied, aghast. “He really is,” I told her frankly. “Lord Black is the best thing to happen to the Empire in centuries,” the Hellhound glared. I squinted. “Are you blushing?” I asked. “It’s hard to tell in the dark.”
And Gods when had I gotten to a point in my life where I’d need to look up the plural for the word nemesis?
“Is there anyone we aren’t betraying?” the Taghreb lieutenant quipped dryly.
I paused, mulling it over, and watch his face turn pale.
“Define betray,” I equivocated.
“This is not a question that should require this much thought to answer,” he burst out.
“What Foundling does isn’t thinking outside the box so much as stealing the box and hitting her opponents with it until they stop moving.”
“So we now have a goat. This is… progress?” “You’re going to carve it up,” I told her. “And put munitions in it.” There was a moment of silence until Robber’s convulsive laughter filled it. “Oh Gods,” he gasped. “Juniper’s got a fortress and our answer is suicide goats.”
To be honest, my skillset largely considered of “bashing people’s heads in” and “ordering people to bash other people’s heads in”.
Sadly, I can’t highlight all of my favorite parts in a book app so I’m putting the best, funniest, and most dramatic quotes below: (this is where the spoilers live)
The Legions of Terrors had made a lot of angry orphans through the afternoon’s bloody work, and in time that would mean one thing –
Heroes. (What a way to end the prologue)
“You’re a monster, aren’t you?” I spoke softly into the night, looking at him from the corner of my eye.
He smiled. “The very worst kind,” he replied.
I don’t know what it says about me, but for the first time since I’d walked into the alley I felt safe.
“So, uh, just to be sure,” I said. “You wouldn’t happen to be my long-lost father who put me in an orphanage so I’d be safe from his enemies and is coming to get me now that I’m old enough to take care of myself?”
To my mild horror, I drew a laugh out of the monster sitting across from me. He seemed genuinely amused by the question, so I guessed I was still an orphan. Thank the Heavens for that.
The social stuff had never been my strong suit. A regrettable lack of awareness and natural predisposition for insolence, our etiquette tutor had called it.
“Now don’t you just look like you’re planning murder,” a voice mused, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Both Black and Captain were looking at me, split somewhere between curious and entertained.
“That’s a bit rich coming from you, sir,” I replied, my mouth forming the words before my mind could intervene. Captain snorted, and hopefully that meant I wouldn’t get murdered in broad daylight.
Well, wasn’t that ominous. “You’re testing me,” I grunted,
“Life is a test,” the green-eyed man replied easily.
I rolled my eyes. “I hope you didn’t have to meditate under a waterfall to come up with that one.”
Before I could try to get on my feet I was compelled to notice that there was still a sword jutting out of my chest.
“He stabbed me,” I wheezed out in disbelief, my breath coming out panicked. “He just fucking stabbed me, out of nowhere. Who even does that?”
“Well,” a woman’s voice drawled lazily. “You know. Villains.”
“Doing nothing is worse than being Evil,” I told her, striding forward. “Getting people killed because you won’t compromise is worse than being Evil. I’m going to change things – maybe not all of them, but enough. And if that means getting my hands dirty, I can live with that. I don’t have to be a good person to make a better world.”
“Heroes,” I murmured. “Why do I have a feeling that for every Evil role with Conquer in it, there’s a Good one with Protect?”
“Because I rarely suffer the company of imbeciles?” he suggested. I gave him a flat look.
“Please, sir, there’s no need to gush – I’ll get embarrassed,” I deadpanned.
He didn’t manage to take a sip quite quickly enough to hide his smile.
“You’ll also see better in the dark,” Black murmured from my side. “Though nowhere as well as goblins do.”
“My quota of creepy realizations for the day is reaching full load,” I informed him.
He hummed. “Perhaps you won’t enjoy the lesson very much, then.”
“Well that’s not ominous at all,” I deadpanned. “Are you going to leave this unaddressed like the funny line about everyone wanting to kill me? Because I’m still waiting for an explanation on that one.”
I gave him the flippancy that little bout of melodrama had deserved. (This basically describe the whole book)
“The last time they had a spar without holding back, Captain knocked down a tower and Lord Black threw a whole statue at her,” he informed me cheerfully. “Hilarious at the time, of course, but the local baron was less than pleased.”
It was not, I reminded myself, appropriate to start cracking up before your desperate final stand.
“Really, Rashid?” I complained. “We’re going to have a duel to the death in the middle of a foundry full of goblinfire? Couldn’t we at least move to the other room?”
“Busy night?” someone murmured.
I opened my eyes and came face to face with eerie green ones.
“I got stabbed,” I mumbled. “A lot.”
“Happens to the best of us, Squire,”
“Your ignorance offends me on a personal level,” the other captain informed me. “How can you not know what a pivot is? It’s basic Name knowledge.” “Hey! I’m new at this,” I defended myself. “And my teacher’s a bit of an ass. He never tells me anything outright. I think he might be physically incapable of not being cryptic.” “Did you just call the Black Knight an ass?” Juniper replied, aghast. “He really is,” I told her frankly. “Lord Black is the best thing to happen to the Empire in centuries,” the Hellhound glared. I squinted. “Are you blushing?” I asked. “It’s hard to tell in the dark.”
And Gods when had I gotten to a point in my life where I’d need to look up the plural for the word nemesis?
“Is there anyone we aren’t betraying?” the Taghreb lieutenant quipped dryly.
I paused, mulling it over, and watch his face turn pale.
“Define betray,” I equivocated.
“This is not a question that should require this much thought to answer,” he burst out.
“What Foundling does isn’t thinking outside the box so much as stealing the box and hitting her opponents with it until they stop moving.”
“So we now have a goat. This is… progress?” “You’re going to carve it up,” I told her. “And put munitions in it.” There was a moment of silence until Robber’s convulsive laughter filled it. “Oh Gods,” he gasped. “Juniper’s got a fortress and our answer is suicide goats.”
To be honest, my skillset largely considered of “bashing people’s heads in” and “ordering people to bash other people’s heads in”.
September 13, 2023
I scrambled to this by searching “true enemies to lovers books” and of course Reddit popped up, and well, this was the only recommendation that caught my attention because it didn’t had anything to do with marriages/slaves/and the usuals of this trope. And also before that, I searched “hero turning evil books”, so I was already in for morally ambiguous or outright evil characters, and A Practical Guide To Evil, even if a bit on the nose, sounded promising.
There’s this cliche of “villains have more fun”, and in this story it's proven right, they not only have more fun, but are fun. The Legions of Terror and The Calamities are delightful, an adjective I never thought I would use for those two, which says everything about how well the villains are written.
Of course it has its issues with editing, being a web-serial, but I didn’t considerate them as obstacles. It has really good characters and the world building is so interesting: a world where the characters of a fantasy story are aware of their role and it’s plot, and therefore are shaped by it, even their destiny becomes aligned with their role’s plot; but knowing how the stories/fairytales go, they can use it, and weaponize their so-called destiny.
This is a series where you will see every trope and plot points existing in the genre, and yet, it still manages to be refreshing.
There’s this cliche of “villains have more fun”, and in this story it's proven right, they not only have more fun, but are fun. The Legions of Terror and The Calamities are delightful, an adjective I never thought I would use for those two, which says everything about how well the villains are written.
Of course it has its issues with editing, being a web-serial, but I didn’t considerate them as obstacles. It has really good characters and the world building is so interesting: a world where the characters of a fantasy story are aware of their role and it’s plot, and therefore are shaped by it, even their destiny becomes aligned with their role’s plot; but knowing how the stories/fairytales go, they can use it, and weaponize their so-called destiny.
This is a series where you will see every trope and plot points existing in the genre, and yet, it still manages to be refreshing.
June 5, 2024
I really wanted to like this one, but I feel like it jumped around from story type to story type too much, and the character motivations weren't very convincing--it was sort of like "well they need to decide this for the plot to happen."
March 13, 2022
Great fun! Can't wait to read the rest. I enjoy the moral ambiguities. The wrestling with how evil maybe isn't evil and maybe it's pragmatic. The banter is fabulous. I laughed out loud a lot. The strategies are fun.
October 3, 2019
If you want a Fantasy story about the kind of person who would take a look at the army of Mordor and then inquire about the signing bonus for joining up, this is your book. I've often enjoyed Fantasy stories like this one that focus on a villain's perspective. They tend to be light and fun even when they're dealing with apocalyptic events, and this story delivers exactly that. The protagonist, Catherine Foundling, isn't entirely evil (and neither is the Evil faction in general). However, they are fundamentally selfish, and that seems like the crux of what distinguishes Good from Evil in this setting. Catherine herself soon settles on a problem-solving strategy that boils down to escalating every conflict to the highest possible stakes while creating as much chaos as possible, and then applying dirty tricks to win. She barrels her way through every crisis, often by the skin of her teeth, and usually comes out stronger and ready to jump blindly into an even worse situation.
This is the fifth web serial I've read, and it features a lot of the typical strengths and weaknesses of the medium. On the positive side: The characters are expansive and detailed, with lots of development and growth. The plot moves along at a fast pace, occasionally slowing down to focus in on a climatic moment. The author is clearly responding to feedback, so the faults of the early chapters are addressed later on. On the negative side: No editor has ever touched the work, so there are way more spelling errors, grammatical errors, and small inconsistencies than any published book. Individual chapters can be overly wordy and include digressive rabbit trails that I would expect an editor to cut down. The work is ongoing, and as with any unfinished work there's no guarantee that it will be completed.
This is the fifth web serial I've read, and it features a lot of the typical strengths and weaknesses of the medium. On the positive side: The characters are expansive and detailed, with lots of development and growth. The plot moves along at a fast pace, occasionally slowing down to focus in on a climatic moment. The author is clearly responding to feedback, so the faults of the early chapters are addressed later on. On the negative side: No editor has ever touched the work, so there are way more spelling errors, grammatical errors, and small inconsistencies than any published book. Individual chapters can be overly wordy and include digressive rabbit trails that I would expect an editor to cut down. The work is ongoing, and as with any unfinished work there's no guarantee that it will be completed.
June 8, 2025
Practical Guide to Evil Review
Warning- contains minor spoilers
The world of creation, on its surface is a traditional fantasy world complete with Elves, Dwarves, “evil empires,” “good nations” and of course heroes. Yet, creation is unlike most fantasy worlds because here, the stories and tropes of fantasy have real power and shape events around us. Have the hero cornered as the villain, you better not monologue, in fact you might just want to retreat because the hero Is about to get their second wind and defeat you. Trying to stop the first part of a villain evil plan? Terrible idea, the first part always works. And of course, the evil empire always loses to heroes and the forces of light. Until now. The Practical Guide to Evil begins in a world where the dread empire has recently conquered the good nation of callow. As a callowan orphan and story protagonist one might think that Cathrine Foundling is destined to be a hero. However, heroes have not won much recently and when given the opportunity Cat decides her best way to save callow is to join with the villains that were strong enough to conquer it. The ensuing seven books deal with her rise to power, attempts to do good with villainous methods and generally her attempts to embody a practical form of evil that can escape the stories and narratives that have caused so much violence in the world.
Honestly, that above summary really does not do justice to the scope and scale of the story.
I want to be clear, a Practical guide to evil is far from a perfect book/webserial There are editing mistakes, some of the writing, especially in the early chapters, is a bit choppy and it takes a decent while for the story to really find its footing and evolve beyond the initial young adult coming of age story. Yet, while PGTE might be flawed, I would still contend that it is one of the best web serials in existence and maybe even one of the better works of fantasy in recent memory.
There are several reasons why I think pgte is exceptional and worth reading for any fans of fantasy and story construction. First, the stories core world building premise that fantasy story tropes are real and govern the world is a fascinating element of world building that allows for the EE to engage various fantasy tropes in interesting and unique ways. A traditional hero takes the sword out of the stone story becomes far more interesting when the characters are self aware that they are part of that story and actively trying to manipulate events to match up with those tropes. It creates a fascinating meta story that goes along with the normally interesting and engaging fantasy elements that pgte draws from. Facing a grandfatherly wizard that has lived through generations of mentoring stories? Run, any mentoring figure still alive must be obscenely powerful. How do you subtly arrange for the death of a villain? Set up a redemption story for them to participate in because redemption stories always end with sacrifices.
The meta element of apgte gives EE tools to create an interesting story and to utilize tropes without ever being boring or formulaic. It also is amazing for world building because it gives the world such unique flavor. Even smaller world building elements like the EE’s depiction of the Dwarves as incredibly greedy and racist to all other species or the Elves as “good” but massively warped by their unchanging immortality and power keep the world feeling fresh and lived in. The use of epigraphs to reference heroic axioms of the world like:
Or the exploits of the dread emperor traitorous
Give the world a deep sense of history and mythos that I have not found in many other stories.
The second thing that I think makes pgte exceptional is the depth and nuance given to the various characters of the story. As with a lot of longer stories there are a ton of characters so it would be too much in one review to go through them all, but a huge number of those characters are fully fleshed out and have extremely compelling arcs. I have liked very few characters as much as I have liked the Woe, they were a delight to read, and they all had compelling narrative arcs. The villains all had strong motivations and unique characteristics. The tyrant, Kairos might genuinely be my favorite villain ever, as his embracement of traditional evil and monologues makes him a unique foil to the titular practical elements of evil embodied by the other villains. Without too many spoilers, I think Akua’s arc beginning as Cathrine’s generic nemesis might be one of the most compelling “redemption” stories ever. Even relatively minor side characters like Cat’s goblin lieutenants Robber and Pickler are hilarious, nuanced and have relevant arcs. Finally, you cannot talk about the strength of characters without talking about Cathrine. As a protagonist she starts off fairly generic, but over the course of the seven books evolves deeply, experiencing tremendous adversity and developing strong nuanced relationships. She is never portrayed as perfect or infallible, but she is also given enough competence and unique skill to make her compelling and to make the reader understand why she has the successes and failures that she does. I think authors often struggle to strike a balance between having a protagonist be too exceptional or having them so flawed as to be uncompelling and I think Cat strikes that balance excellently.
Finally, I think pgte Is exceptional because EE writes battles and action very well. From larger military battles to Cat’s one on one fights with various villains. EE does a great job of keeping the action interesting and relatively easy to follow. The victories and defeats feel logical, the engagements are always compelling and the use of interludes to give broader perspectives is always extremely helpful. I think in a lot of fantasy battle and action is where many good authors really struggle to maintain compelling narratives but reading about Cat’s battle plans coming together was always enjoyable.
Ultimately, PGTE is funny, clever, engaging and a unique story. The book has several of my favorite fictional characters and arcs, and even though there are some unpolished elements, the book is ultimately incredibly compelling and one that I would recommend for any fan of fantasy stories.
Warning- contains minor spoilers
The world of creation, on its surface is a traditional fantasy world complete with Elves, Dwarves, “evil empires,” “good nations” and of course heroes. Yet, creation is unlike most fantasy worlds because here, the stories and tropes of fantasy have real power and shape events around us. Have the hero cornered as the villain, you better not monologue, in fact you might just want to retreat because the hero Is about to get their second wind and defeat you. Trying to stop the first part of a villain evil plan? Terrible idea, the first part always works. And of course, the evil empire always loses to heroes and the forces of light. Until now. The Practical Guide to Evil begins in a world where the dread empire has recently conquered the good nation of callow. As a callowan orphan and story protagonist one might think that Cathrine Foundling is destined to be a hero. However, heroes have not won much recently and when given the opportunity Cat decides her best way to save callow is to join with the villains that were strong enough to conquer it. The ensuing seven books deal with her rise to power, attempts to do good with villainous methods and generally her attempts to embody a practical form of evil that can escape the stories and narratives that have caused so much violence in the world.
Honestly, that above summary really does not do justice to the scope and scale of the story.
I want to be clear, a Practical guide to evil is far from a perfect book/webserial There are editing mistakes, some of the writing, especially in the early chapters, is a bit choppy and it takes a decent while for the story to really find its footing and evolve beyond the initial young adult coming of age story. Yet, while PGTE might be flawed, I would still contend that it is one of the best web serials in existence and maybe even one of the better works of fantasy in recent memory.
There are several reasons why I think pgte is exceptional and worth reading for any fans of fantasy and story construction. First, the stories core world building premise that fantasy story tropes are real and govern the world is a fascinating element of world building that allows for the EE to engage various fantasy tropes in interesting and unique ways. A traditional hero takes the sword out of the stone story becomes far more interesting when the characters are self aware that they are part of that story and actively trying to manipulate events to match up with those tropes. It creates a fascinating meta story that goes along with the normally interesting and engaging fantasy elements that pgte draws from. Facing a grandfatherly wizard that has lived through generations of mentoring stories? Run, any mentoring figure still alive must be obscenely powerful. How do you subtly arrange for the death of a villain? Set up a redemption story for them to participate in because redemption stories always end with sacrifices.
The meta element of apgte gives EE tools to create an interesting story and to utilize tropes without ever being boring or formulaic. It also is amazing for world building because it gives the world such unique flavor. Even smaller world building elements like the EE’s depiction of the Dwarves as incredibly greedy and racist to all other species or the Elves as “good” but massively warped by their unchanging immortality and power keep the world feeling fresh and lived in. The use of epigraphs to reference heroic axioms of the world like:
“Under no circumstances should you trust anyone who has the title of chancellor, vizier or duke. While they will always be powerful and competent, keep in mind they will also inevitably turn out to be in some way treacherous”
Or the exploits of the dread emperor traitorous
“Gentlemen, there is no need to worry: our plan is flawless. The Emperor will never see it coming.” Grandmaster Ouroboros of the Order of Unholy Obsidian, later revealed to have been Dread Emperor Traitorous all along”
Give the world a deep sense of history and mythos that I have not found in many other stories.
The second thing that I think makes pgte exceptional is the depth and nuance given to the various characters of the story. As with a lot of longer stories there are a ton of characters so it would be too much in one review to go through them all, but a huge number of those characters are fully fleshed out and have extremely compelling arcs. I have liked very few characters as much as I have liked the Woe, they were a delight to read, and they all had compelling narrative arcs. The villains all had strong motivations and unique characteristics. The tyrant, Kairos might genuinely be my favorite villain ever, as his embracement of traditional evil and monologues makes him a unique foil to the titular practical elements of evil embodied by the other villains. Without too many spoilers, I think Akua’s arc beginning as Cathrine’s generic nemesis might be one of the most compelling “redemption” stories ever. Even relatively minor side characters like Cat’s goblin lieutenants Robber and Pickler are hilarious, nuanced and have relevant arcs. Finally, you cannot talk about the strength of characters without talking about Cathrine. As a protagonist she starts off fairly generic, but over the course of the seven books evolves deeply, experiencing tremendous adversity and developing strong nuanced relationships. She is never portrayed as perfect or infallible, but she is also given enough competence and unique skill to make her compelling and to make the reader understand why she has the successes and failures that she does. I think authors often struggle to strike a balance between having a protagonist be too exceptional or having them so flawed as to be uncompelling and I think Cat strikes that balance excellently.
Finally, I think pgte Is exceptional because EE writes battles and action very well. From larger military battles to Cat’s one on one fights with various villains. EE does a great job of keeping the action interesting and relatively easy to follow. The victories and defeats feel logical, the engagements are always compelling and the use of interludes to give broader perspectives is always extremely helpful. I think in a lot of fantasy battle and action is where many good authors really struggle to maintain compelling narratives but reading about Cat’s battle plans coming together was always enjoyable.
Ultimately, PGTE is funny, clever, engaging and a unique story. The book has several of my favorite fictional characters and arcs, and even though there are some unpolished elements, the book is ultimately incredibly compelling and one that I would recommend for any fan of fantasy stories.
July 28, 2020
Denna fantasyroman är inte publicerad i ordets klassiska mening, det finns lite saker i texten som jag tänker hade försvunnit om den hade haft mer stöd bakom sig i form av lektör och redaktör, men den är ändå helt ok språkligt och framförallt är det en välskriven historia.
Boken handlar om Catherine, en sextonårig föräldralös flicka som en kväll får ett erbjudande hon inte kan tacka nej till. Hon ska bli lärling till den ökända Black Knight och lära sig hur en blir en arketypisk skurk. Catharine har ingen önskan om att bli en ond skurk, men hon tänker att det är hennes chans att infiltrera systemet och rämna samhällsordningen inifrån, ett klassiskt fall av ändamålet helgar medlen.
Det finns många tropes i denna bok, hela historien kan faktiskt sägas bygga på troper. I denna värld kommer kraft med din Roll, och ju mer stereotyp du är din Roll desto mer kraft får du. Med andra ord, har du Rollen Hjälte så får du mer kraft ju oftare du håller brandtal och räddar små barn ur brunnar. Det är ett roligt och innovativt sätt att ta sig an alla klichéer som finns i fantasygenren.
Spoilers förekommer i nedan text.
Jag tyckte boken var underhållande till största del. Men det var ett parti som jag kände blev lite tradigt, det var när dom höll på att träna fältslag. Fältslag är inte riktig min grej. Men sedan hände något fantastiskt! Catharine introducerar zombie-suicide-getter som vapen. Jag är av den mycket starka åsikten att ALLT blir bättre med zombie-suicide-getter. Finns tvivel på om zombie-suicide-getter är lämpligt att skriva om så är svaret garanterat ja, för hur skulle zombie-suicide-getter inte kunna förgylla en berättelse?
talaomte.se
Boken handlar om Catherine, en sextonårig föräldralös flicka som en kväll får ett erbjudande hon inte kan tacka nej till. Hon ska bli lärling till den ökända Black Knight och lära sig hur en blir en arketypisk skurk. Catharine har ingen önskan om att bli en ond skurk, men hon tänker att det är hennes chans att infiltrera systemet och rämna samhällsordningen inifrån, ett klassiskt fall av ändamålet helgar medlen.
Det finns många tropes i denna bok, hela historien kan faktiskt sägas bygga på troper. I denna värld kommer kraft med din Roll, och ju mer stereotyp du är din Roll desto mer kraft får du. Med andra ord, har du Rollen Hjälte så får du mer kraft ju oftare du håller brandtal och räddar små barn ur brunnar. Det är ett roligt och innovativt sätt att ta sig an alla klichéer som finns i fantasygenren.
Spoilers förekommer i nedan text.
Jag tyckte boken var underhållande till största del. Men det var ett parti som jag kände blev lite tradigt, det var när dom höll på att träna fältslag. Fältslag är inte riktig min grej. Men sedan hände något fantastiskt! Catharine introducerar zombie-suicide-getter som vapen. Jag är av den mycket starka åsikten att ALLT blir bättre med zombie-suicide-getter. Finns tvivel på om zombie-suicide-getter är lämpligt att skriva om så är svaret garanterat ja, för hur skulle zombie-suicide-getter inte kunna förgylla en berättelse?
talaomte.se
November 1, 2019
It's not a bad swords & sorcery book. But I expected more than that.
What is supposed to set it apart from a million other fantasy adventures is the concept of Roles. Being a Lone Swordsman or an Heiress is not just a cliche here. It has tremendous power. The force of narrative compels people and makes miracles possible.
That sounds great. I was so excited for the clever twists this setup allows! And maybe this series goes there and it's awesome. But after reading the first book and part of the second I can tell you that if it does go there, it's taking a slow and scenic route. I felt like the whole first book was just filler. Sure, you want to introduce characters, build up relationships, etc. And it's not boring. Exciting things happen throughout. But I came here to read about cool uses and abuses of Names! There was too little of that for me.
I read it right after reading Sufficiently Advanced Magic and its sequel. So that was my baseline. I loved it. It has way more cool twists on cliches. And I even liked the Young Adult stuff better there. A Practical Guide to Evil could be enjoyable as a fun adventure, but that is marred by what I thought was a dose of unnecessarily gruesome violence.
What is supposed to set it apart from a million other fantasy adventures is the concept of Roles. Being a Lone Swordsman or an Heiress is not just a cliche here. It has tremendous power. The force of narrative compels people and makes miracles possible.
That sounds great. I was so excited for the clever twists this setup allows! And maybe this series goes there and it's awesome. But after reading the first book and part of the second I can tell you that if it does go there, it's taking a slow and scenic route. I felt like the whole first book was just filler. Sure, you want to introduce characters, build up relationships, etc. And it's not boring. Exciting things happen throughout. But I came here to read about cool uses and abuses of Names! There was too little of that for me.
I read it right after reading Sufficiently Advanced Magic and its sequel. So that was my baseline. I loved it. It has way more cool twists on cliches. And I even liked the Young Adult stuff better there. A Practical Guide to Evil could be enjoyable as a fun adventure, but that is marred by what I thought was a dose of unnecessarily gruesome violence.
January 16, 2019
God I love this series. I started re-reading it when it went on hiatus after Book IV wrapped up (it's back now though yayyyy!), and it holds up just as well the second time through. Catherine Foundling is a fully legit BAMF, and a world where being Dangerously Genre Savvy is an essential tool for survival but that isn't played for laughs is interesting as heck. That said, when the humor is present it's pretty damn funny (Dread Emperor Traitorous is best girl). I recommend this series to everybody I can get to hold still long enough, and if you've made it to here then congratulations, that includes you!
Read
December 16, 2018The archetype of the main character is clever witty impulsive heroine who wants to change the world. I wasn’t interested in reading about what is essentially stereotypical YA heroine who does stuff. Granted, I stopped 10 chapters in, seeing that she wasn’t getting any less one dimensional.
January 6, 2020
Decent fantasy story where the characters do not suffer from Genre Blindness, quite the opposite. A better than average use of magically capitalized Words.
October 18, 2023
'The Gods disagreed on the nature of things: some believed their children should be guided to greater things, while others believed that they must rule over the creatures they had made.
So, we are told, were born Good and Evil.' 1.Prologue Three things here: they don't say whether the force known as Good is good and Evil is evil, they don't say which side took which part of the wager because it's clear that they do in fact exercise a small amount of influence, and they don't say which side believes in which side of the wager.
is this THE Minstrel in The Rat's Nest, where Cat's barmaiding?
It's been a while, idk if the text has been edited; it doesn't really feel like it.
The minor mistakes - spelling, grammar - bother me. Are there ones I miss because they're plausible?
'“Fate is the coward’s way out, Catherine,” he spat out. “It is the denial of personal responsibility. Every decision I have made was my own choice, and all consequences that come from it are on my head.”' 1.04 I think this is the first point where I'd start building a case that the Gods Below have taken the other side of the wager than seems to be believed or implied, that Evil is just a name, that freedom from dictatorship is a path to enlightenment. Black has an incredible grasp on reality. Heiress and Apprentice are both unmatched (among their age group) geniuses. Hakram is ridiculously competent. Black has some epic quotes later on that expand and explain his views and for the most part I just can't disagree with them. The forces of Good are doing as they're told, they're allowing themselves to be ruled, and the outcome of the wager, the fate of the universe should they succeed in what they try to do, is that the world will be ruled by the Gods for eternity.
'I didn’t know if I had it in me to stab a Bard, honestly. The were always charmingly ineffective in the stories, it would have been like kicking a puppy.' 1.08
'Fear is sloppiness. Fear is the fault line in solid stone. Fear is the enemy’s mind, drawing blood before his sword.' 1.09 das cute
'I had, after all, already stabbed my only other prospective ally.' 1.10
'"Is it madness, to get frustrated when they don’t see the things that seem so obvious to you? I truly don’t know. Gods know I’ve been called mad often enough, and I’m sure in time you will be called the same.”' 1.10 am I black, I feel like I would have noticed
'“Now kneel, fools, and witness my ascension to GODHOOD!”
– Last words of Dread Empress Sinistra IV, the Erroneous' 1.12 I know I've already listed all the opening quotes, this just sort of sticks out to me as an example of development in quality that continues throughout the books
'It bothered me that I’d stopped noticing luxuries like that: they crept up on you, the trappings of power. One inch at a time, until you forgot you’d ever lived without them.' 1.13 I like how accurately she documents her descent into evil while at the same time not really taking note of it.
'Dread Emperor Tenebrous, I dredged up. He was the one to get it done. He’d seemed like a promising ruler early in his reign, until he’d made one deal too many with the Underworld and become convinced he was a giant spider stuck in a man’s body. Things had swiftly gone downhill after that.' 1.14 Skulduggery reference?
'"I’ve been thinking about this all wrong, you see. I was raised in Callow, and we see things differently. The shepherd boy picks up the fated sword, slays the dragon and is revealed to have been a prince all along.” I smiled at her. “This was never going to be that kind of story."' 1.14
'"...I will make a monument to ruin of you...."' 1.14
'Justifications only matter to the just.' 1.14
'Does it still count as cannibalism if it’s another species?' 1.16 I think about this a lot
'"Who reigns up high?
A dead man’s sigh
What sleeps below?
A crown of woe
That is the Tower:
Learn and cower.”
– Extract from ‘And So I Dreamt I Was Awake’, Sherehazad the Seer' 1.20 Is this forward planning or merely knowledge of the text and utilising an opportunity?
'There was something odd about the cloth – every now and then, when I moved, the way it caught the light made it look like it was made of pitch black feathers.' 1.20 #twoshadowing
'“The Dread Empress of Praes used to be a waitress?”' 1.20 #aspirational #hustle
I don't mind the exposition, it's actually paced well, realistically staggered and interesting.
Ratface lost eleven in a row, not twelve, she came in on the twelfth.
Senrima?
'"You’re still trying to win according to the rules, when you should be trying to win despite them.”' 1.22
'Not folding my clothes and neatly sliding them in the exact space assigned for them was technically against Legion regulations, but who was going to report me?' 1.23 I know this seems minor, but I think it's massive and has serious Evil consequences.
'"Get our line moving, Sergeant, we’re taking the lead,” I ordered. “Double-time. If we want to win this, we’re going to have to pay the long price for it.”
He frowned. “Long price?”
I blinked in surprise. Would have thought that one made it across the border.
“Callowan expression,” I explained. “A long price is one you have to keep paying for. People use it to mean paying unpleasant dues.”
“Long price, huh,” he grunted thoughtfully. “Well it’ll be a long night, I’ll give you that.”' 1.23 'Sergeant' is Hakram. I like this expression.
I know it's a cliche but I love a good old USG.
'"Balls,” I said, feelingly.' 1.23 ;)
'"You got it,” he grinned, sauntering away as he whistled the first few notes of a strangely haunting tune. I’d heard it before, I thought, though I couldn’t remember where.
They say the third step is the cruelest
Walk when the moon is at her clearest:
Love ends with the kiss of the knife,
Trust is the wager that takes your life' 1.25 The Girl Who Climbed the Tower, Robber whistling it
As in all things, balance is paramount.' 1.26 Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. As the Evil father said to his adopted daughter.
Why doesn't Snatcher need Rat Company to beat Juniper?
'"You know, the first night I met him, he told me it didn’t get easier,” I told the goblin softly.
A trickle of power ran through me as my Name stirred, strengthening my grip. Hand moving with swift purpose, I broke Hatcher’s neck.
“It was,” I decided, “a very kind lie.”' 1.26 I've never killed a human before so I'm not sure exactly what this means in terms of revelation of character.
'A horn sounded a heartbeat later and I decided that if I ever came face to face with a god I was going to stab it somewhere painful.' 1.26 Does she, I can't remember the future v well.
'Juniper of the Red Moon clan' 1.27 red crescent? :P
'It helped that we weren’t looking at each other.' 1.27 This is true in many situations.
Was Black setting her up to think of herself as Callow? Was this foreshadowing by EE? Or just a coincidence?
'The redhead bit her thumb as I blinked in surprise, drawing blood and swiping a line of it across her cheek.
“I am the root and the crown, the source and the flow, the storm and the calm,” she murmured. “Power is purpose, purpose is will. Gods of my mother, take this offering and grant me the wrath of Heaven.”
The last words were an angry hiss, and she threw her hand forward in a snap. A gauntlet of lightning burst into existence around her fingers, a thick thread of it streaking forward across the air with a violent crackle and colliding with the bolt thrown by the enemy mage maybe four feet above my fleeing soldiers. The magic impacted with a deafening howl but Kilian’s spell held, both streaks of lightning flickering out of existence after the clash. My lieutenant’s cheeks were flushed and she was panting, the streak of blood on her cheek somehow turned to ash.' 1.28 first real up close spell we see.
'(Six Months Later) 1324 A.D., 5th of Mawja, Marchford' 1.Epilogue Calendar
This is an excellent series from someone who makes me laugh like no-one else living, but I think I need to stand by my four-star rating. It's not just that the world and the characters are still being explored and so there's not a possibility of the same texture and richness that exists later on, it's that EE is just not as good a writer as later on.
SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES
sewn, not sown
'A mighty thing fig leaf.' 1.02 ;)
'less and less knots' 1.05 fewer
cords not 'chords' 1.06
'gotten close enough tot he city' 1.08
'Still, stumbling blind into the situation blind' 1.08
'fixing her face in a mocking rictus that looked impressively firece' 1.08
'She was one of taller greenskins I’d seen' 1.08 the
'I knew disappeared for a few hours' 1.08 she
'Wait, wouldn’t have had to pass next to us to get into the camp?' 1.08 she - is this intentional?
'the less people around for this, the easier it would be to pick out my quarry.' 1.09 fewer
I like a nice shale, myself.
'the taste was growing on me, thoughtI doubted I’d ever drink it by the barrel the way so many Praesi did.' 1.10
'If he’d tried to sell me that he would never steep so low or that the teacher-student bond was something sacred' 1.10
'Squire have ground fluidly, trying to find an angle where his sword’s longer reach' 1.13 gave
Zacharias 1.13 previously his name was Zacharis
'The farmer seemed aware an Imperial party was coming through and they avoided the sight of us.' 1.14
'the War College’s crossed silver swords were sown into the fabric on every side.' 1.15
"I was around when he had Governor Mazus hung.” 1.16 Meat is hung men are hanged. They can also be hung.
'The orc shot me puzzled look but remained' 1.17
'We stepped foot' 1.20
'I’d served drinks to Yan Tei missionary once' 1.20 a
'Like most orcs Captain Morok was heavily-muscled, but where the likes of Hakram and Nauk were in perfect shape he had something a pot-belly.' 1.22 of
'Another three clans had been come over to their side in the aftermath of the last victory,' 1.23
'I had Ratface’s line to the left of the main entrance and Nauk’s to the right, hopefully read to close like a jaw on the first men of Lizard Company to pass through.' 1.23
'Kilian hand’t though to concentrate on a single target.' 1.23 also, this is a good point that they're still learning about war and tactics and whatnot
'His companu sounded the retreat, the tenth Ratface was still struggling with pulling out in good order.' 1.23
'I closed my eyes and rubbed the bride of my nose,' 1.23
'I’d learn to both dread and look forward to those particular lessons: I always came out having learned something useful, but the conclusions could be… morally flexible, to put it mildly.' 1.26 learned
'and even as the south of the kingdom he’s conquered resumed the war he’d won he felt a strange joy welling up inside of him.' 1.Epilogue he'd
DEBATABLE SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES
'“I abhor waste,” the Knight replied, apparently nonplussed I’d just implied he was an unrepentant mass-murderer.' 1.02 I think EE doesn't know what the word nonplussed means, just a feeling, it's not clear from context.
'had been slaughtered like cattle to keep me alive still made me nauseous.' 1.14 I know it's technically correct according to Webster or whatever but I still think it's better to say nauseated in order to avoid ambiguity
'lighting torches after we’d crossed into the woods, but I’d nixed that idea in the bud' 1.15 odd choice
So, we are told, were born Good and Evil.' 1.Prologue Three things here: they don't say whether the force known as Good is good and Evil is evil, they don't say which side took which part of the wager because it's clear that they do in fact exercise a small amount of influence, and they don't say which side believes in which side of the wager.
is this THE Minstrel in The Rat's Nest, where Cat's barmaiding?
It's been a while, idk if the text has been edited; it doesn't really feel like it.
The minor mistakes - spelling, grammar - bother me. Are there ones I miss because they're plausible?
'“Fate is the coward’s way out, Catherine,” he spat out. “It is the denial of personal responsibility. Every decision I have made was my own choice, and all consequences that come from it are on my head.”' 1.04 I think this is the first point where I'd start building a case that the Gods Below have taken the other side of the wager than seems to be believed or implied, that Evil is just a name, that freedom from dictatorship is a path to enlightenment. Black has an incredible grasp on reality. Heiress and Apprentice are both unmatched (among their age group) geniuses. Hakram is ridiculously competent. Black has some epic quotes later on that expand and explain his views and for the most part I just can't disagree with them. The forces of Good are doing as they're told, they're allowing themselves to be ruled, and the outcome of the wager, the fate of the universe should they succeed in what they try to do, is that the world will be ruled by the Gods for eternity.
'I didn’t know if I had it in me to stab a Bard, honestly. The were always charmingly ineffective in the stories, it would have been like kicking a puppy.' 1.08
'Fear is sloppiness. Fear is the fault line in solid stone. Fear is the enemy’s mind, drawing blood before his sword.' 1.09 das cute
'I had, after all, already stabbed my only other prospective ally.' 1.10
'"Is it madness, to get frustrated when they don’t see the things that seem so obvious to you? I truly don’t know. Gods know I’ve been called mad often enough, and I’m sure in time you will be called the same.”' 1.10 am I black, I feel like I would have noticed
'“Now kneel, fools, and witness my ascension to GODHOOD!”
– Last words of Dread Empress Sinistra IV, the Erroneous' 1.12 I know I've already listed all the opening quotes, this just sort of sticks out to me as an example of development in quality that continues throughout the books
'It bothered me that I’d stopped noticing luxuries like that: they crept up on you, the trappings of power. One inch at a time, until you forgot you’d ever lived without them.' 1.13 I like how accurately she documents her descent into evil while at the same time not really taking note of it.
'Dread Emperor Tenebrous, I dredged up. He was the one to get it done. He’d seemed like a promising ruler early in his reign, until he’d made one deal too many with the Underworld and become convinced he was a giant spider stuck in a man’s body. Things had swiftly gone downhill after that.' 1.14 Skulduggery reference?
'"I’ve been thinking about this all wrong, you see. I was raised in Callow, and we see things differently. The shepherd boy picks up the fated sword, slays the dragon and is revealed to have been a prince all along.” I smiled at her. “This was never going to be that kind of story."' 1.14
'"...I will make a monument to ruin of you...."' 1.14
'Justifications only matter to the just.' 1.14
'Does it still count as cannibalism if it’s another species?' 1.16 I think about this a lot
'"Who reigns up high?
A dead man’s sigh
What sleeps below?
A crown of woe
That is the Tower:
Learn and cower.”
– Extract from ‘And So I Dreamt I Was Awake’, Sherehazad the Seer' 1.20 Is this forward planning or merely knowledge of the text and utilising an opportunity?
'There was something odd about the cloth – every now and then, when I moved, the way it caught the light made it look like it was made of pitch black feathers.' 1.20 #twoshadowing
'“The Dread Empress of Praes used to be a waitress?”' 1.20 #aspirational #hustle
I don't mind the exposition, it's actually paced well, realistically staggered and interesting.
Ratface lost eleven in a row, not twelve, she came in on the twelfth.
Senrima?
'"You’re still trying to win according to the rules, when you should be trying to win despite them.”' 1.22
'Not folding my clothes and neatly sliding them in the exact space assigned for them was technically against Legion regulations, but who was going to report me?' 1.23 I know this seems minor, but I think it's massive and has serious Evil consequences.
'"Get our line moving, Sergeant, we’re taking the lead,” I ordered. “Double-time. If we want to win this, we’re going to have to pay the long price for it.”
He frowned. “Long price?”
I blinked in surprise. Would have thought that one made it across the border.
“Callowan expression,” I explained. “A long price is one you have to keep paying for. People use it to mean paying unpleasant dues.”
“Long price, huh,” he grunted thoughtfully. “Well it’ll be a long night, I’ll give you that.”' 1.23 'Sergeant' is Hakram. I like this expression.
I know it's a cliche but I love a good old USG.
'"Balls,” I said, feelingly.' 1.23 ;)
'"You got it,” he grinned, sauntering away as he whistled the first few notes of a strangely haunting tune. I’d heard it before, I thought, though I couldn’t remember where.
They say the third step is the cruelest
Walk when the moon is at her clearest:
Love ends with the kiss of the knife,
Trust is the wager that takes your life' 1.25 The Girl Who Climbed the Tower, Robber whistling it
As in all things, balance is paramount.' 1.26 Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. As the Evil father said to his adopted daughter.
Why doesn't Snatcher need Rat Company to beat Juniper?
'"You know, the first night I met him, he told me it didn’t get easier,” I told the goblin softly.
A trickle of power ran through me as my Name stirred, strengthening my grip. Hand moving with swift purpose, I broke Hatcher’s neck.
“It was,” I decided, “a very kind lie.”' 1.26 I've never killed a human before so I'm not sure exactly what this means in terms of revelation of character.
'A horn sounded a heartbeat later and I decided that if I ever came face to face with a god I was going to stab it somewhere painful.' 1.26 Does she, I can't remember the future v well.
'Juniper of the Red Moon clan' 1.27 red crescent? :P
'It helped that we weren’t looking at each other.' 1.27 This is true in many situations.
Was Black setting her up to think of herself as Callow? Was this foreshadowing by EE? Or just a coincidence?
'The redhead bit her thumb as I blinked in surprise, drawing blood and swiping a line of it across her cheek.
“I am the root and the crown, the source and the flow, the storm and the calm,” she murmured. “Power is purpose, purpose is will. Gods of my mother, take this offering and grant me the wrath of Heaven.”
The last words were an angry hiss, and she threw her hand forward in a snap. A gauntlet of lightning burst into existence around her fingers, a thick thread of it streaking forward across the air with a violent crackle and colliding with the bolt thrown by the enemy mage maybe four feet above my fleeing soldiers. The magic impacted with a deafening howl but Kilian’s spell held, both streaks of lightning flickering out of existence after the clash. My lieutenant’s cheeks were flushed and she was panting, the streak of blood on her cheek somehow turned to ash.' 1.28 first real up close spell we see.
'(Six Months Later) 1324 A.D., 5th of Mawja, Marchford' 1.Epilogue Calendar
This is an excellent series from someone who makes me laugh like no-one else living, but I think I need to stand by my four-star rating. It's not just that the world and the characters are still being explored and so there's not a possibility of the same texture and richness that exists later on, it's that EE is just not as good a writer as later on.
SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES
sewn, not sown
'A mighty thing fig leaf.' 1.02 ;)
'less and less knots' 1.05 fewer
cords not 'chords' 1.06
'gotten close enough tot he city' 1.08
'Still, stumbling blind into the situation blind' 1.08
'fixing her face in a mocking rictus that looked impressively firece' 1.08
'She was one of taller greenskins I’d seen' 1.08 the
'I knew disappeared for a few hours' 1.08 she
'Wait, wouldn’t have had to pass next to us to get into the camp?' 1.08 she - is this intentional?
'the less people around for this, the easier it would be to pick out my quarry.' 1.09 fewer
I like a nice shale, myself.
'the taste was growing on me, thoughtI doubted I’d ever drink it by the barrel the way so many Praesi did.' 1.10
'If he’d tried to sell me that he would never steep so low or that the teacher-student bond was something sacred' 1.10
'Squire have ground fluidly, trying to find an angle where his sword’s longer reach' 1.13 gave
Zacharias 1.13 previously his name was Zacharis
'The farmer seemed aware an Imperial party was coming through and they avoided the sight of us.' 1.14
'the War College’s crossed silver swords were sown into the fabric on every side.' 1.15
"I was around when he had Governor Mazus hung.” 1.16 Meat is hung men are hanged. They can also be hung.
'The orc shot me puzzled look but remained' 1.17
'We stepped foot' 1.20
'I’d served drinks to Yan Tei missionary once' 1.20 a
'Like most orcs Captain Morok was heavily-muscled, but where the likes of Hakram and Nauk were in perfect shape he had something a pot-belly.' 1.22 of
'Another three clans had been come over to their side in the aftermath of the last victory,' 1.23
'I had Ratface’s line to the left of the main entrance and Nauk’s to the right, hopefully read to close like a jaw on the first men of Lizard Company to pass through.' 1.23
'Kilian hand’t though to concentrate on a single target.' 1.23 also, this is a good point that they're still learning about war and tactics and whatnot
'His companu sounded the retreat, the tenth Ratface was still struggling with pulling out in good order.' 1.23
'I closed my eyes and rubbed the bride of my nose,' 1.23
'I’d learn to both dread and look forward to those particular lessons: I always came out having learned something useful, but the conclusions could be… morally flexible, to put it mildly.' 1.26 learned
'and even as the south of the kingdom he’s conquered resumed the war he’d won he felt a strange joy welling up inside of him.' 1.Epilogue he'd
DEBATABLE SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES
'“I abhor waste,” the Knight replied, apparently nonplussed I’d just implied he was an unrepentant mass-murderer.' 1.02 I think EE doesn't know what the word nonplussed means, just a feeling, it's not clear from context.
'had been slaughtered like cattle to keep me alive still made me nauseous.' 1.14 I know it's technically correct according to Webster or whatever but I still think it's better to say nauseated in order to avoid ambiguity
'lighting torches after we’d crossed into the woods, but I’d nixed that idea in the bud' 1.15 odd choice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2025
This is a subjective review and, as such, I encourage any reader to not use this review to decide on whether to read this book or not.
A long time ago I was taken by the idea that an intelligent evil ruler would be largely indistinguishable from an intelligent good ruler. After all, doing evil only invites rebellion and heroes. Whereas being a good ruler means setting up systems and laws that virtually take care of themselves giving the ruler (whether evil or good) more time for his/her pursuits. I found this idea so interesting I contemplated trying to write it myself (and I am not a good fiction writer). Fortunately others have stepped up (I particularly enjoyed “Consultation with a Vampire” by Patrick E. McLean).
So I have often enjoyed this type of story. I have also often enjoyed slowly developing stories. So, I was able to keep listening to this book but eventually, after 6 hours and 38 minutes, I was disappointed to realize I didn’t care about the story or the characters.
The dread empire conquers a neighboring kingdom but, not being an idiot the Empress realizes she is sowing the seeds of her own destruction. After all, war creates orphans and orphans tend to be where heroes come from. As a result the Empress creates imperial orphanages to care for and direct the orphans into profitable work other than heroing. The MC is one such orphan.
At 15 the MC is fighting in the “pit” and working at an inn to make money. On her way home (to the orphanage) one night the MC interrupts a rape only to discover the rapist is town guard who, with a fellow guard, is willing to kill the MC to keep his secret. The MC is saved by the Black Knight, second in command to the Empress. The Black Knight is in town to bring the city lord to justice because the city lord has been over taxing the populace to line his own pockets. Again, not being an idiot the Empress comes down hard on such behavior since discontent breeds rebels in search of a hero to lead them.
The Black Knight brings the MC along for the take down of the city lord and then offers to make the MC his squire. MC accepts, which involves the Black Knight stabbing her so the MC can fight her inner demons (sort of- personally I found this part of the story particularly useless and uninspired and so don’t care to spend more time on it than this).
Next the Black Knight goes after some local bandits/rebels because the city lord left a bunch of gold with them for safe keeping. Along the way Black Knight teaches MC stuff, like how he knows where to find the rebels (there is only one town in the area with enough food stores to support the rebels in addition to themselves). Black Knight goes into town leaving MC behind but MC comes up with her own plan to find the rebels AND this is where I realized I did not care.
A long time ago I was taken by the idea that an intelligent evil ruler would be largely indistinguishable from an intelligent good ruler. After all, doing evil only invites rebellion and heroes. Whereas being a good ruler means setting up systems and laws that virtually take care of themselves giving the ruler (whether evil or good) more time for his/her pursuits. I found this idea so interesting I contemplated trying to write it myself (and I am not a good fiction writer). Fortunately others have stepped up (I particularly enjoyed “Consultation with a Vampire” by Patrick E. McLean).
So I have often enjoyed this type of story. I have also often enjoyed slowly developing stories. So, I was able to keep listening to this book but eventually, after 6 hours and 38 minutes, I was disappointed to realize I didn’t care about the story or the characters.
The dread empire conquers a neighboring kingdom but, not being an idiot the Empress realizes she is sowing the seeds of her own destruction. After all, war creates orphans and orphans tend to be where heroes come from. As a result the Empress creates imperial orphanages to care for and direct the orphans into profitable work other than heroing. The MC is one such orphan.
At 15 the MC is fighting in the “pit” and working at an inn to make money. On her way home (to the orphanage) one night the MC interrupts a rape only to discover the rapist is town guard who, with a fellow guard, is willing to kill the MC to keep his secret. The MC is saved by the Black Knight, second in command to the Empress. The Black Knight is in town to bring the city lord to justice because the city lord has been over taxing the populace to line his own pockets. Again, not being an idiot the Empress comes down hard on such behavior since discontent breeds rebels in search of a hero to lead them.
The Black Knight brings the MC along for the take down of the city lord and then offers to make the MC his squire. MC accepts, which involves the Black Knight stabbing her so the MC can fight her inner demons (sort of- personally I found this part of the story particularly useless and uninspired and so don’t care to spend more time on it than this).
Next the Black Knight goes after some local bandits/rebels because the city lord left a bunch of gold with them for safe keeping. Along the way Black Knight teaches MC stuff, like how he knows where to find the rebels (there is only one town in the area with enough food stores to support the rebels in addition to themselves). Black Knight goes into town leaving MC behind but MC comes up with her own plan to find the rebels AND this is where I realized I did not care.
April 25, 2023
I bet people who read the first Harry Potter book or the first Discworld felt knew what they were getting into as well.
You may read the book description and think "This is the refined Shrek take on of A Game of Thrones" or "This is a villain point-of-view parody". You'd be right. It starts as the latter and takes a turn for the former. Every chapter starts with a short quote from a character, in the present or in the past. Yes, this book comes with a history.
However, if you really want to get this book, these are the two quotes you want.
This is the war philosophy of her teacher and the battle cry of his armies. He is a short lithe man who once conquered an empire and set Empress Malicia on the throne. This is the culture she enters.
This is the war philosophy of Robber, one of her soon-to-be greatest friends, a goblin with a love of explosions. This becomes the battle cry of a whole chunk of the army, but more of that later.
The story is played with an ear to these three. Malicia, the Black Knight and Robber. There are many more memorable characters. Most of them are villains, diverse, unique and charming. Some are heroes, and there's a lot of variety there, too. Some are more complex, some are less so. The result is increasingly rich tapestry.
I like twists when there's foreshadowing. Half this book is all stabby-stabby "You're awizard villain, Harry Catherine" and then you come across the hero and in one glorious aftermath, the mystery of the Names, the rules of Creation and the stakes of failure are drawn.
As I’m writing, I’m on book #5, because outside of Easter family visiting and a set of twitchy histrionic client stakeholders at work, I prioritised reading as much of this as I could.
I’ll say this: if I had Harry Potter and an average fantasy reader, I’d give him the Practical Guide to Evil first. It’s like someone read Prince of Thorns and Song of Ice and Fire and Witcher l and made a really fast-paced queer clever irreverent high fantasy successor. There is something uniquely its own, as well, something between chaos and control and oracles and grasping one’s fate — beyond sentimentality. The amount of accountability a villain has to deal with can be mind-boggling, after all.
My only quibble is that all the 4D chess sometimes requires a lot of prose.
It will take a miracle for this series to get the recognition it richly deserves, because despite the humor, world-building, pacing, scope of the story and memorable characters, it was published as a serial online. My plan is to find someone to make these books into paperbacks for me.
Last thoughts: bookworm men on dating apps who recommend books are a treasure. My thanks and gratitude for this one, keep at it.
“I trust people to act according to their nature. Anything more is sentimentality.” - Dread Empress Malicia
You may read the book description and think "This is the refined Shrek take on of A Game of Thrones" or "This is a villain point-of-view parody". You'd be right. It starts as the latter and takes a turn for the former. Every chapter starts with a short quote from a character, in the present or in the past. Yes, this book comes with a history.
However, if you really want to get this book, these are the two quotes you want.
"One grace: victory. One sin: defeat."
This is the war philosophy of her teacher and the battle cry of his armies. He is a short lithe man who once conquered an empire and set Empress Malicia on the throne. This is the culture she enters.
"Kill them! Take their stuff!"
This is the war philosophy of Robber, one of her soon-to-be greatest friends, a goblin with a love of explosions. This becomes the battle cry of a whole chunk of the army, but more of that later.
The story is played with an ear to these three. Malicia, the Black Knight and Robber. There are many more memorable characters. Most of them are villains, diverse, unique and charming. Some are heroes, and there's a lot of variety there, too. Some are more complex, some are less so. The result is increasingly rich tapestry.
I like twists when there's foreshadowing. Half this book is all stabby-stabby "You're a
As I’m writing, I’m on book #5, because outside of Easter family visiting and a set of twitchy histrionic client stakeholders at work, I prioritised reading as much of this as I could.
I’ll say this: if I had Harry Potter and an average fantasy reader, I’d give him the Practical Guide to Evil first. It’s like someone read Prince of Thorns and Song of Ice and Fire and Witcher l and made a really fast-paced queer clever irreverent high fantasy successor. There is something uniquely its own, as well, something between chaos and control and oracles and grasping one’s fate — beyond sentimentality. The amount of accountability a villain has to deal with can be mind-boggling, after all.
My only quibble is that all the 4D chess sometimes requires a lot of prose.
It will take a miracle for this series to get the recognition it richly deserves, because despite the humor, world-building, pacing, scope of the story and memorable characters, it was published as a serial online. My plan is to find someone to make these books into paperbacks for me.
Last thoughts: bookworm men on dating apps who recommend books are a treasure. My thanks and gratitude for this one, keep at it.
May 25, 2024
So many thoughts. And though I enjoyed this not all my thoughts are good lol. I’m going to try and put them down
1. I liked Catherine for the most part although, there were some times she did annoy me. Maybe bc she’s 16? Idk lol. Sometimes she just barely stopped from passing the threshold into tstl territory but thank heavens she didn’t
2. So many players. I didn’t realize I’d been craving a decent political intrigue book and this satisfied it. I plan on reading book 2, hopefully it goes well
3. Massive props to the author for creating this world for making this world believable in terms of strategy and military prowess, although how accurate it was is anyone’s guess cause I have no clue about military formations and things, however it lacks any thorough or thought out explanation for why the world is the way it is except for one tiny mention in the prologue which is subpar at best
4. Some grammar and spelling mistakes, although I thought that was too much for my tastes esp in a book that takes actual brain cells to understand and follow.
5. There are some confusing parts about this that I wish the author explained properly esp bc the world building happens alongside the plot - and while it saves some info dumping, it doesn’t help to understand or explain some of the actions of the characters. Was at the prologue and epilogue. But maybe that’s the point? Hmm
Ok so mostly good thoughts. lol
Anyway bye ✌🏾 book 2 awaits
Ps: I started book 2 and it spiralled into a disappointing hail storm of bad grammar, ridiculous fight scenes and less than entertaining dialogue. So sigh
1. I liked Catherine for the most part although, there were some times she did annoy me. Maybe bc she’s 16? Idk lol. Sometimes she just barely stopped from passing the threshold into tstl territory but thank heavens she didn’t
2. So many players. I didn’t realize I’d been craving a decent political intrigue book and this satisfied it. I plan on reading book 2, hopefully it goes well
3. Massive props to the author for creating this world for making this world believable in terms of strategy and military prowess, although how accurate it was is anyone’s guess cause I have no clue about military formations and things, however it lacks any thorough or thought out explanation for why the world is the way it is except for one tiny mention in the prologue which is subpar at best
4. Some grammar and spelling mistakes, although I thought that was too much for my tastes esp in a book that takes actual brain cells to understand and follow.
5. There are some confusing parts about this that I wish the author explained properly esp bc the world building happens alongside the plot - and while it saves some info dumping, it doesn’t help to understand or explain some of the actions of the characters. Was at the prologue and epilogue. But maybe that’s the point? Hmm
Ok so mostly good thoughts. lol
Anyway bye ✌🏾 book 2 awaits
Ps: I started book 2 and it spiralled into a disappointing hail storm of bad grammar, ridiculous fight scenes and less than entertaining dialogue. So sigh
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