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A Practical Guide to Evil #7
A Practical Guide to Evil VII
2449 pages, ebook
First published March 2, 2021
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216 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 23, 2022
3 million words (like 30 books!!) and 3 years later, I finally complete this series. I was first intrigued to read this because the core concept of the story is super unique and fascinating. The "magic" system of Guide revolves around Stories, and classical story tropes. There is naturally Good vs Evil, and the story tropes that are typical actually manifest in the world, with fate shaping itself so those story beats are followed, and are used by both heroes and villains to achieve their ends. A simple example is that sometimes, a hero is thrown into impossible odds, and whoever is doing the throwing, knows the hero will win because it is only natural for heroes to overcome impossible odds. The protagonist weaving and manipulating stories for her goals is very satisfying to witness. This makes the Guide at times immensely familiar, because what reader is not familiar with knowing saying "This couldn't get any worse" is immediately followed by things getting worse, yet new because of how those tropes are baked into the setting and story.
I don't think it's ever taken me this long to read something, this normally would be like a 2 week affair, so I ended up reading this series in spurts. I actually read the first two books twice because I forgot what happened and wanted to get serious about finishing it. I think it took so long because at times, it was hard to get through, but it is very worth it! There are a couple things I think the Guide does better than ANYTHING I've read.
1. Characterizations and dialogue
The main character, Catherine, and her friends are all well developed, each with their own motivations and personality. And put together is really where this story shines, because I have never read anything that so easily demonstrates the chemistry between the cast, their witty dialogue and funny banter. Character development and interaction is really what drove this series for me because it was always interesting.
2. Argument and philosophy
This goes along a bit with the previous point, but I have never read anything where argument was so complex, I could never decide which way I was leaning in an argument. More than once I thought to myself how does the author even come up with these arguments, because it always made sense when explained to me, but I could never have done it myself. It's interesting because you can't write clever characters without being clever yourself, and the author is definitely clever. I think this is so strong because the characters are so strong, and the author knows them so well.
3. Enemies to lovers
Haha this one is a little different from the other points, but generally speaking, enemies to lovers, is usually just dislike to lovers in most things I've read. This is I think the truest example of enemies to lovers I have read because they are most definitely enemies in the beginning, with a huge enmity, and very very good reason for that enmity, and there is a slow-burn that takes pretty much the whole series to resolve. It also develops into one of the best redemptions arcs I've read.
4. Epithets
I don't know if this count as best I've ever read because Sanderson is the only other person I can think of that does these consistently, but the epithets were always a joy to read. Loved hearing about the Emperor Traitorous who always started conspiracy plots against himself, the oddly successful general with ??? plans, the general with tactics so profoundly stupid they were stupidly profound, and the man-eating tapirs that usurped the throne. Justice for the tapirs tbh. Also the second to last heroic axiom kinda brought a tear to my eye.
Now the biggest weakness of the story is this: with an editor it could maybe be cut down in length by half. Part of what took me so long is that sometimes chapters are so dense, filled not necessarily with 'filler,' just not details I actually care about and didn't really add to the story for me. However, one thing must be kept in mind that this was written as a webnovel with two chapters released weekly, so I think if I was reading it weekly I definitely would not have minded. But as a binge it definitely slowed me down.
Some final things, the action is also great and well written, and scenes where people come into Names or Aspects are pretty epic. The complete character arcs for everyone are excellent, which I think for a story built on stories, is pretty appropriate!!
Lastly, I adored the ending. I hate when authors or even TV show writers, write endings readers would never want, and was glad that here it was not the case. It was a tropey ending, won't say what trope it was, but again for a story where stories ARE the magic, I think it was very poetic.
I don't think it's ever taken me this long to read something, this normally would be like a 2 week affair, so I ended up reading this series in spurts. I actually read the first two books twice because I forgot what happened and wanted to get serious about finishing it. I think it took so long because at times, it was hard to get through, but it is very worth it! There are a couple things I think the Guide does better than ANYTHING I've read.
1. Characterizations and dialogue
The main character, Catherine, and her friends are all well developed, each with their own motivations and personality. And put together is really where this story shines, because I have never read anything that so easily demonstrates the chemistry between the cast, their witty dialogue and funny banter. Character development and interaction is really what drove this series for me because it was always interesting.
2. Argument and philosophy
This goes along a bit with the previous point, but I have never read anything where argument was so complex, I could never decide which way I was leaning in an argument. More than once I thought to myself how does the author even come up with these arguments, because it always made sense when explained to me, but I could never have done it myself. It's interesting because you can't write clever characters without being clever yourself, and the author is definitely clever. I think this is so strong because the characters are so strong, and the author knows them so well.
3. Enemies to lovers
Haha this one is a little different from the other points, but generally speaking, enemies to lovers, is usually just dislike to lovers in most things I've read. This is I think the truest example of enemies to lovers I have read because they are most definitely enemies in the beginning, with a huge enmity, and very very good reason for that enmity, and there is a slow-burn that takes pretty much the whole series to resolve. It also develops into one of the best redemptions arcs I've read.
4. Epithets
At which point Lord Bujune and Lady Rania both accused the other of being the Emperor in disguise, and the meeting devolved into protracted argument until the final quarter hour had passed.” – Extract from the minutes of the fourth meeting of the Red Fox Conspiracy, as taken by the stenographer Shamna Mehere (later revealed to have been Dread Emperor Traitorous all along)
I don't know if this count as best I've ever read because Sanderson is the only other person I can think of that does these consistently, but the epithets were always a joy to read. Loved hearing about the Emperor Traitorous who always started conspiracy plots against himself, the oddly successful general with ??? plans, the general with tactics so profoundly stupid they were stupidly profound, and the man-eating tapirs that usurped the throne. Justice for the tapirs tbh. Also the second to last heroic axiom kinda brought a tear to my eye.
Now the biggest weakness of the story is this: with an editor it could maybe be cut down in length by half. Part of what took me so long is that sometimes chapters are so dense, filled not necessarily with 'filler,' just not details I actually care about and didn't really add to the story for me. However, one thing must be kept in mind that this was written as a webnovel with two chapters released weekly, so I think if I was reading it weekly I definitely would not have minded. But as a binge it definitely slowed me down.
Some final things, the action is also great and well written, and scenes where people come into Names or Aspects are pretty epic. The complete character arcs for everyone are excellent, which I think for a story built on stories, is pretty appropriate!!
Lastly, I adored the ending. I hate when authors or even TV show writers, write endings readers would never want, and was glad that here it was not the case. It was a tropey ending, won't say what trope it was, but again for a story where stories ARE the magic, I think it was very poetic.
February 26, 2022
After almost seven years of reading this web serial it finally reached its end and it was perfect!
February 18, 2022
I have been reading each chapter as it was released online, week by week, for more than four years now, since I first discovered it. SO many pieces came together for the ending and it's left me in shambles. Catkua all the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2022
Go read this webnovel. The main character's journey with all the sass she has in her tiny body is sublime. This is combined with witty writing, strong and well-rounded secondary characters and antagonists, and a wonderful take on how perceptions can shape Roles.
Read it and cackle, cry and get pulled along on journey that in term of narrative strength and spectacle can stand side by side with novels by Brent Weeks.
Read it and cackle, cry and get pulled along on journey that in term of narrative strength and spectacle can stand side by side with novels by Brent Weeks.
January 4, 2023
Reviewing the entire series instead of just the last book. This is my first time reading it all the way through, rather than following it week by week.
It really holds up, but I'm glad I had the chance to read along as a part of the community.
Overall, what a tale. I wish more people I knew would be willing to read webnovels, because I'm sure they'd like this. The characters are stars, the world a stage, and every campaign a delight.
It really holds up, but I'm glad I had the chance to read along as a part of the community.
Overall, what a tale. I wish more people I knew would be willing to read webnovels, because I'm sure they'd like this. The characters are stars, the world a stage, and every campaign a delight.
February 26, 2022
This series ends today. And deserves all the stars in the world.
What a fun, fun ride it has been (& will be, on rereads).
What a fun, fun ride it has been (& will be, on rereads).
February 27, 2022
I've been reading this series for almost 5 years. As a whole the series is a stunningly woven tale and I can honestly say that this is my absolute favorite conclusion to a series bar none.
August 4, 2025
Series is actually 2/5. Rated it four stars because it was one of the three series that got me back into reading (alongside The Stormlight Archive and His Dark Materials).
Loved the character interactions and dynamics, but goodness—I didn’t need to know the tax policy, trading alliances, and history of every country, or the backstory of every other character. I wouldn’t recommend the series to my past self now, but I don’t regret reading it also. The series has some of the best character interactions I’ve ever read, but they’re completely overshadowed by the huge number of characters constantly being introduced.
Loved the character interactions and dynamics, but goodness—I didn’t need to know the tax policy, trading alliances, and history of every country, or the backstory of every other character. I wouldn’t recommend the series to my past self now, but I don’t regret reading it also. The series has some of the best character interactions I’ve ever read, but they’re completely overshadowed by the huge number of characters constantly being introduced.
June 28, 2023
What a fantastic series. It's sprawling and goes easily from intense fights between super-powered heroes and villains, to large-scale military strategy and diplomacy, to ethical exploration of the meaning of goodness and justice.
My only issue with the story is its format. It's a web serial that was posted chapter by chapter as it was written. There are consistent minor spelling and grammar errors that would be fixed by a decent editor, and the pacing can be odd when the bonus Patreon chapters are sprinkled in. I really hope the author creates a proper edited series of books for this story. It absolutely deserves it.
My only issue with the story is its format. It's a web serial that was posted chapter by chapter as it was written. There are consistent minor spelling and grammar errors that would be fixed by a decent editor, and the pacing can be odd when the bonus Patreon chapters are sprinkled in. I really hope the author creates a proper edited series of books for this story. It absolutely deserves it.
January 10, 2023
This isn't really a review as much as it's a short love letter. I've been reading this series for 4+ years and it's been such a fixture in my life for so long, I don't know what I'm going to do for the 6 months until the next story begins. I loved it, I loved the ending, and my reread begins today.
October 26, 2023
I finally finished A Practical Guide to Evil a year ago but there were so many tumultuous emotions so it takes quite a while to compose them all into words.
Overall: I love the first half of the series from books 1-4 while I just barely managed to skim through books 5-7. If not for a few characters that I like, I would have abandoned the series a long time ago.
The first 4 books are smaller in scale so it is easier to follow everything and most of the events aren't stretching the believability beyond what I am capable of. Books 5-7 crossed the believability line for me
A practical guide to evil is such a weird experience for me because I think there are parts that could make a very good story but when adding everything together, it just seems… incoherent and nonsensical. To be more specific, I enjoy the snippets about the old Dread Emperor and Dread Empress, the thing they were up to is absurd but absolutely hilarious. I also enjoy Black and all of his friends’ backstories and goals. I think a farmer boy wanting to change the crapsack country that he was born in, meeting life-long friends on the way but when he reached the top, got submerged in all of its craziness, and losing his humanity bits by bits is neat. I also initially love seeing the Tyrant and Hierarch comedic duo, The audacity and the absurdity just fit for a comedy. Then I saw too many of them and they got way too involved in the main story that it stopped being entertaining and just … annoying. The absurdity of Tyrant and the weirdly serious nature of Black’s backstory clashed horribly together. The way to describe how I feel is this: I love Romance of the Three Kingdoms and I love Journey to the West, I just don’t think the two stories should become one story. Their styles don’t match.
I remembered really enjoying the first 3 books of PGTE immensely and I occasionally wondered why that enjoyment stopped from Book 4 onward. And despite the Praesi side being objectively worse compared to the Procer side (like many previous posts have pointed out) and Black is a much more horrible person than Cordelia, I still hate both Praesi and Procer the same and still don’t like Cordelia as much. It bugged me for so long that I rewatched the 1994 Romance of the Three Kingdoms series then watched the 2010 Three Kingdoms series and also found different analyses of both series and it just kind of clicked to me on some of my problems with the story.
I think I need to elaborate a little on Romance to fully express my feelings on Guide so it might be a little off topic but I will get to it. In ROTK, Cao Cao was horrible, he basically massacred the innocent civilians in Xuzhou because his father died coincidently in Xuzhou, being an ungrateful bastard to Lü Boshe and all sorts of stuff. Yet, some part of me understand that the environment also plays a part in pushing Cao Cao into becoming more and more of a villain. And Cao Cao started out only wanting to use the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty to stop the chaos. He became more corrupt through time but the good part of him is still there, just being diminished by his more evil tendency. Cao Cao was very generous to his friends and allies, he was courageous, daring, resilient, and cunning when he tried to assassinate Dong Zhou + when he won the battle of Guan Du, he had a great appreciation and respect for talented people regardless of their background and alignment - like Guan Yu and Liu Bei. There are legitimate reasons why good people like Xun Yu and Chen Cong (initially) chose to follow him. I also see Black, Malicia, and their whole group as possessing something that made people follow them but still villains at the end of the day.
Here the thing villains like Cao Cao did a good job of highlighting how impossible it is for people like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang to exist. These people are so fricking hard to come by. Liu Bei when he ran away from Jingzhou to escape Cao Cao, he brought around 100 thousand Jingzhou civilians who didn’t want to surrender to Cao Cao. He could have abandoned all the civilians, left them to their fate, and run away on his own, but he didn’t. Liu Bei used whatever soldiers he had left at the time to protect the civilians. He was absolutely massacred by Cao Cao but he tried so, so hard to do the right thing and It is the thought that counts. The same goes for various good people in Romnace, they still choose the right thing even if it killed them and it did. It is just so cool to see people standing their ground on principles. The more they are uncompromising about being good, the more it seems impossible to be good, and the more I like them.
Thus, I love Cao Cao as a villain but I also love Liu Bei as the MC and I was firmly on team Shu Han even when every one of my generations praised Cao Cao as being practical and Liu Bei as a duplicitous character pretending to be good and such. I think they just found the existence of a legitimately good person back then so impossible that they think Liu Bei’s kindness was fake. But Cao Cao's complex character accentuates the good characteristics and response of Liu Bei.
Now, back to the PGTE, it is .. not the same with Cordelia and Grey Pilgrim. Cordelia was being so callous with the extra soldiers in her country in the first few books. She was so dismissive of them that she was trying to get them killed by invading another country. I mean Procer just went through a decade of brutal civil wars with astronomical casualties. The extra soldiers don’t enjoy risking their lives (or at least I don’t think they do) by killing people they don’t know just to survive. They were forced by circumstances to become soldiers and now they have nowhere to go. So many people just lost their lives already, can’t she find a way for them to survive?? Was it necessary to get them killed? I mean a lot of farms must have been abandoned or lacked people to properly cultivate them, and she is planning a war in the future so can’t she just … try to recover the agriculture sector first before committing herself to another war. 3 years after a bloody civil war is typically not a good time for another one with foreigners.
And the Grey Pilgrim…using the plague to catch Black. Aside from giving Black a deserving lesson for being an idiot, it shows that evil does not have a monopoly on ruthlessness,... by killing their own civilians. There is no Liu Bei who willingly sacrificed whatever force he had left just to do right by the civilians who followed him. There is just Liu Bei letting a group of civilians killed to fight Cao Cao. The move just let me down so much. I don’t want a ruthless hero, ruthlessness is acceptable for villains because I want villains to get killed and fail. I have different standards for heroes because I want them to succeed.
I liked Hanno before he was roped into cooperating with Cat. Can you imagine Liu Bei surrendering to Cao Cao? Or Zhuge Liang/Guan Yu/Zhang Fei defecting to Cao Cao's side so that the chaos could end faster. There is a very clear example of what happen if people like them go with Cao Cao - XUN YU. Xun Yu supported Cao Cao from the beginning, for 20 years because he believed that Cao Cao could restore the Han Dynasty and end the chaos, he was in so deep with Cao Cao until one day, he just couldn’t and Cao Cao got rid of him. Basically, you either speak out like Xun Yu and get killed or have to bury your head under the sand to survive. And they would speak out because these people are that kind of person. Thus, watching everyone cooperating with Cat in PGTE provoked very interesting emotions in me. It is like both Cat and the rest of the characters completely ignore what Cat did before. I just can’t…see what everybody else was seeing under the comment section.
And there is so much infighting. I was honestly flabbergasted throughout Book 4 - do you guys (Procer) really want to win or not? With this level of infighting and incompetence, Is it even possible to win? There are good people but they are being absolutely overshadowed by all these insane infighting. It is truly a miracle that they have lost to backstab before they even get to their first battle. Like Wei, Shu, and Wu were united when they faced their enemies, they got each other covered. If someone on their side made a mistake, it is not punishment time but reflect on the mistake, and try to remedy it together. Zhang Fei lost Xuzhou because he got drunk, Liu Bei told him not to drink excessively on the job again and planned from there. When Zhou Yu failed to kill Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan let it go and gave him his full support on future plans. Cao Cao famously said Losing is a part of being a general. And even all of those united factions can still lose. I just don’t think the appropriate conclusion is if being united can’t win then being an absolute mess will surely bring us victory. The Proceran side was so chaotic, they couldn’t even agree on what they wanted to do during the war. The entire thing feels like Procer has no preparations whatsoever and is just winging it. Well, this is a war that started after 3 years of bloody civil war made by a girl who frankly knew little of military matters and was only good at politicking but can they be a little bit more enthusiastic or serious about it? The leadership is a mess. Hey Procer, I tend to support good guys on principle but you need to show me some effort too.
And there is no need to comment on Praes. I expected better from Malicia than to send that order to summon Grem back to the capital right before Procer was about to start their invasion. He is not going to follow that order because to abandon such an amazing natural defensive position like a freaking mountain range would be insane and she knows it. Girl couldn’t be more clear of her intention to hang it over him after he finished fighting her war for her if he survived because he could have died. If it ain’t for him being on Cat’s side and being on her side tend to give you better odds of surviving, it would be different for sure but Malicia doesn’t know this. Sure, I get that Malicia is a politician and all but does she need to be like that in such an inappropriate time?
So my point it just because Procer is better compared to Praes, doesn’t mean I have to like Procer. A younger version of Cao Cao (good intentions but using brutal methods to get it) fighting an older version of Cao Cao (still the same brutal tactic just completely ditching the previous dream) is just Cao Cao in the end. "Where have all the good men (Liu Bei) gone? Graveyards, mostly" - DE Malevolent III. Please, can we stop affirming the villains, They are insane. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical drama while PGTE is a fantasy story. Why is the fantasy one so much less idealistic in its tone than something based on real events?
And Black + Malicia don’t really fit into the same story with the likes of DK, Kairos, etc. Remember the Madman monologue that Black did about the unfair advantages Good apparently has? People in this thread have pointed out how untrue it is in this setting with Kairos getting all of his plans done and the entire thing with Cat + DK + all the others. But the intensity and emotion from the monologue when I read it make me feel like it is true. And IMO, if the story just resolves around Praes, Callow, and Procer while all of the BS is kept in the background or irrelevant to the story (like the DE), then the monologue could have worked. Plus, the entire thing feels like it is not from Black - a character who has no knowledge of the stories from our world, but from the author himself who obviously did read those. It feels so out of place and it is such a shame because the monologue on itself is good but only in isolation not with the rest of the story.
And there is also the essay on the End of the Age of Wonder by Malicia. How that fits in with her characterization and the world itself after Book 4 is beyond me.
Overall: I love the first half of the series from books 1-4 while I just barely managed to skim through books 5-7. If not for a few characters that I like, I would have abandoned the series a long time ago.
The first 4 books are smaller in scale so it is easier to follow everything and most of the events aren't stretching the believability beyond what I am capable of. Books 5-7 crossed the believability line for me
A practical guide to evil is such a weird experience for me because I think there are parts that could make a very good story but when adding everything together, it just seems… incoherent and nonsensical. To be more specific, I enjoy the snippets about the old Dread Emperor and Dread Empress, the thing they were up to is absurd but absolutely hilarious. I also enjoy Black and all of his friends’ backstories and goals. I think a farmer boy wanting to change the crapsack country that he was born in, meeting life-long friends on the way but when he reached the top, got submerged in all of its craziness, and losing his humanity bits by bits is neat. I also initially love seeing the Tyrant and Hierarch comedic duo, The audacity and the absurdity just fit for a comedy. Then I saw too many of them and they got way too involved in the main story that it stopped being entertaining and just … annoying. The absurdity of Tyrant and the weirdly serious nature of Black’s backstory clashed horribly together. The way to describe how I feel is this: I love Romance of the Three Kingdoms and I love Journey to the West, I just don’t think the two stories should become one story. Their styles don’t match.
I remembered really enjoying the first 3 books of PGTE immensely and I occasionally wondered why that enjoyment stopped from Book 4 onward. And despite the Praesi side being objectively worse compared to the Procer side (like many previous posts have pointed out) and Black is a much more horrible person than Cordelia, I still hate both Praesi and Procer the same and still don’t like Cordelia as much. It bugged me for so long that I rewatched the 1994 Romance of the Three Kingdoms series then watched the 2010 Three Kingdoms series and also found different analyses of both series and it just kind of clicked to me on some of my problems with the story.
I think I need to elaborate a little on Romance to fully express my feelings on Guide so it might be a little off topic but I will get to it. In ROTK, Cao Cao was horrible, he basically massacred the innocent civilians in Xuzhou because his father died coincidently in Xuzhou, being an ungrateful bastard to Lü Boshe and all sorts of stuff. Yet, some part of me understand that the environment also plays a part in pushing Cao Cao into becoming more and more of a villain. And Cao Cao started out only wanting to use the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty to stop the chaos. He became more corrupt through time but the good part of him is still there, just being diminished by his more evil tendency. Cao Cao was very generous to his friends and allies, he was courageous, daring, resilient, and cunning when he tried to assassinate Dong Zhou + when he won the battle of Guan Du, he had a great appreciation and respect for talented people regardless of their background and alignment - like Guan Yu and Liu Bei. There are legitimate reasons why good people like Xun Yu and Chen Cong (initially) chose to follow him. I also see Black, Malicia, and their whole group as possessing something that made people follow them but still villains at the end of the day.
Here the thing villains like Cao Cao did a good job of highlighting how impossible it is for people like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang to exist. These people are so fricking hard to come by. Liu Bei when he ran away from Jingzhou to escape Cao Cao, he brought around 100 thousand Jingzhou civilians who didn’t want to surrender to Cao Cao. He could have abandoned all the civilians, left them to their fate, and run away on his own, but he didn’t. Liu Bei used whatever soldiers he had left at the time to protect the civilians. He was absolutely massacred by Cao Cao but he tried so, so hard to do the right thing and It is the thought that counts. The same goes for various good people in Romnace, they still choose the right thing even if it killed them and it did. It is just so cool to see people standing their ground on principles. The more they are uncompromising about being good, the more it seems impossible to be good, and the more I like them.
Thus, I love Cao Cao as a villain but I also love Liu Bei as the MC and I was firmly on team Shu Han even when every one of my generations praised Cao Cao as being practical and Liu Bei as a duplicitous character pretending to be good and such. I think they just found the existence of a legitimately good person back then so impossible that they think Liu Bei’s kindness was fake. But Cao Cao's complex character accentuates the good characteristics and response of Liu Bei.
Now, back to the PGTE, it is .. not the same with Cordelia and Grey Pilgrim. Cordelia was being so callous with the extra soldiers in her country in the first few books. She was so dismissive of them that she was trying to get them killed by invading another country. I mean Procer just went through a decade of brutal civil wars with astronomical casualties. The extra soldiers don’t enjoy risking their lives (or at least I don’t think they do) by killing people they don’t know just to survive. They were forced by circumstances to become soldiers and now they have nowhere to go. So many people just lost their lives already, can’t she find a way for them to survive?? Was it necessary to get them killed? I mean a lot of farms must have been abandoned or lacked people to properly cultivate them, and she is planning a war in the future so can’t she just … try to recover the agriculture sector first before committing herself to another war. 3 years after a bloody civil war is typically not a good time for another one with foreigners.
And the Grey Pilgrim…using the plague to catch Black. Aside from giving Black a deserving lesson for being an idiot, it shows that evil does not have a monopoly on ruthlessness,... by killing their own civilians. There is no Liu Bei who willingly sacrificed whatever force he had left just to do right by the civilians who followed him. There is just Liu Bei letting a group of civilians killed to fight Cao Cao. The move just let me down so much. I don’t want a ruthless hero, ruthlessness is acceptable for villains because I want villains to get killed and fail. I have different standards for heroes because I want them to succeed.
I liked Hanno before he was roped into cooperating with Cat. Can you imagine Liu Bei surrendering to Cao Cao? Or Zhuge Liang/Guan Yu/Zhang Fei defecting to Cao Cao's side so that the chaos could end faster. There is a very clear example of what happen if people like them go with Cao Cao - XUN YU. Xun Yu supported Cao Cao from the beginning, for 20 years because he believed that Cao Cao could restore the Han Dynasty and end the chaos, he was in so deep with Cao Cao until one day, he just couldn’t and Cao Cao got rid of him. Basically, you either speak out like Xun Yu and get killed or have to bury your head under the sand to survive. And they would speak out because these people are that kind of person. Thus, watching everyone cooperating with Cat in PGTE provoked very interesting emotions in me. It is like both Cat and the rest of the characters completely ignore what Cat did before. I just can’t…see what everybody else was seeing under the comment section.
And there is so much infighting. I was honestly flabbergasted throughout Book 4 - do you guys (Procer) really want to win or not? With this level of infighting and incompetence, Is it even possible to win? There are good people but they are being absolutely overshadowed by all these insane infighting. It is truly a miracle that they have lost to backstab before they even get to their first battle. Like Wei, Shu, and Wu were united when they faced their enemies, they got each other covered. If someone on their side made a mistake, it is not punishment time but reflect on the mistake, and try to remedy it together. Zhang Fei lost Xuzhou because he got drunk, Liu Bei told him not to drink excessively on the job again and planned from there. When Zhou Yu failed to kill Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan let it go and gave him his full support on future plans. Cao Cao famously said Losing is a part of being a general. And even all of those united factions can still lose. I just don’t think the appropriate conclusion is if being united can’t win then being an absolute mess will surely bring us victory. The Proceran side was so chaotic, they couldn’t even agree on what they wanted to do during the war. The entire thing feels like Procer has no preparations whatsoever and is just winging it. Well, this is a war that started after 3 years of bloody civil war made by a girl who frankly knew little of military matters and was only good at politicking but can they be a little bit more enthusiastic or serious about it? The leadership is a mess. Hey Procer, I tend to support good guys on principle but you need to show me some effort too.
And there is no need to comment on Praes. I expected better from Malicia than to send that order to summon Grem back to the capital right before Procer was about to start their invasion. He is not going to follow that order because to abandon such an amazing natural defensive position like a freaking mountain range would be insane and she knows it. Girl couldn’t be more clear of her intention to hang it over him after he finished fighting her war for her if he survived because he could have died. If it ain’t for him being on Cat’s side and being on her side tend to give you better odds of surviving, it would be different for sure but Malicia doesn’t know this. Sure, I get that Malicia is a politician and all but does she need to be like that in such an inappropriate time?
So my point it just because Procer is better compared to Praes, doesn’t mean I have to like Procer. A younger version of Cao Cao (good intentions but using brutal methods to get it) fighting an older version of Cao Cao (still the same brutal tactic just completely ditching the previous dream) is just Cao Cao in the end. "Where have all the good men (Liu Bei) gone? Graveyards, mostly" - DE Malevolent III. Please, can we stop affirming the villains, They are insane. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical drama while PGTE is a fantasy story. Why is the fantasy one so much less idealistic in its tone than something based on real events?
And Black + Malicia don’t really fit into the same story with the likes of DK, Kairos, etc. Remember the Madman monologue that Black did about the unfair advantages Good apparently has? People in this thread have pointed out how untrue it is in this setting with Kairos getting all of his plans done and the entire thing with Cat + DK + all the others. But the intensity and emotion from the monologue when I read it make me feel like it is true. And IMO, if the story just resolves around Praes, Callow, and Procer while all of the BS is kept in the background or irrelevant to the story (like the DE), then the monologue could have worked. Plus, the entire thing feels like it is not from Black - a character who has no knowledge of the stories from our world, but from the author himself who obviously did read those. It feels so out of place and it is such a shame because the monologue on itself is good but only in isolation not with the rest of the story.
And there is also the essay on the End of the Age of Wonder by Malicia. How that fits in with her characterization and the world itself after Book 4 is beyond me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2022
A perfect conclusion
I'll start my first review by saying I absolutely love A Practical Guide to Evil, over 3 million words of a character driven story involving huge battles, intrigue, an amazing worldbuilding full of details and life. This last book has been hard for me as it marked the end of the journey of multiple characters that I've started to love, I've seen their grow and got attached to their relationships.
Safe to say, book 7 manages perfectly to conclude a long running epic fantasy series. In this book you have a huge military campaign to bring down the fall of an Empire, multiple Kaiju battles, an unforgettable siege on literal Hell, a battle between gods, flying fortresses and and oh so much more intrigue. Despite all this amazing action, the strength of this series is in the character development, it's absolutely insane how magnificent that was in this book.
Multiple characters learning, having their arc completed in a really creative way, references and plotlines going full circles from the earlier books that just makes you cheer and cry for them. The culmination of writing so many characters arcs, complex relationships and ideals, across an epic of six books finally climaxes on the seventh, and simplify enough is the best I have ever seen. This series as a whole has also my favorite character from literature, Amadeus of the Green Stretch, a somewhat mentor figure for our protagonist, but the sheer character growth, philosophy and dialogue and so much more is just on another level that makes me appreciate this character.
Plotlines from even book 1 gets a conclusion in this book, and I'm specially referencing tot the Good vs Evil theme and the Villains seems to always be at a huge disadvantage in a fight against a Hero. This has always been a background theme and a point of frustration for a lot of people, as we read the story from a Villain perspective. We get to see how annoying and self-righteous some Heroes can be without knowing the word 'consequences'. And yet, Erratic Errata manages to write an absolutely beautiful conclusion to this and many more plotlines that were building and growing since the early books.
I know a lot of professional authors struggle with this aspect, with writing a satisfying conclusion to their huge story, and is a very hard task to accomplish. Sometimes they have to leave it plotlines, character arcs, ideas, etc in order to fit their ending. Erratic Errata does it **right**. It leaves you wanting for more, wanting to see what's next but it's also satisfying enough that the ending feels like parting away with a good friend that's been with you for a long time. So many memorable shits where I was like 'HOLY SHIT THIS IS HAPPENING' to even crying and being hyped. The only book that had such an amazing ending was A Memory of Light, but I'm very biased so of course I will rank PGtE higher on my list.
On the dialogue. I want to say that most of the characters you are presented with, they feel like real living persons with their own agendas, ideals and lives and because of this reason the dialogue has been just perfect, on multiple levels. This aspect improves across the books and it peaks on book 7 where there are so many meaningful conversations.
On a last note, the ending has been absolutely perfect and reading the Epilogues had me depressed, happy and crying all at the same time. We get to see what happens after ruin is so satisfying and I cannot stress enough how amazing this whole series has been. I will miss the story it as there are none like it, I will miss the characters as I have grown attached to them and finally I will miss the world as how unique and real it felt.
I'll start my first review by saying I absolutely love A Practical Guide to Evil, over 3 million words of a character driven story involving huge battles, intrigue, an amazing worldbuilding full of details and life. This last book has been hard for me as it marked the end of the journey of multiple characters that I've started to love, I've seen their grow and got attached to their relationships.
Safe to say, book 7 manages perfectly to conclude a long running epic fantasy series. In this book you have a huge military campaign to bring down the fall of an Empire, multiple Kaiju battles, an unforgettable siege on literal Hell, a battle between gods, flying fortresses and and oh so much more intrigue. Despite all this amazing action, the strength of this series is in the character development, it's absolutely insane how magnificent that was in this book.
Multiple characters learning, having their arc completed in a really creative way, references and plotlines going full circles from the earlier books that just makes you cheer and cry for them. The culmination of writing so many characters arcs, complex relationships and ideals, across an epic of six books finally climaxes on the seventh, and simplify enough is the best I have ever seen. This series as a whole has also my favorite character from literature, Amadeus of the Green Stretch, a somewhat mentor figure for our protagonist, but the sheer character growth, philosophy and dialogue and so much more is just on another level that makes me appreciate this character.
Plotlines from even book 1 gets a conclusion in this book, and I'm specially referencing tot the Good vs Evil theme and the Villains seems to always be at a huge disadvantage in a fight against a Hero. This has always been a background theme and a point of frustration for a lot of people, as we read the story from a Villain perspective. We get to see how annoying and self-righteous some Heroes can be without knowing the word 'consequences'. And yet, Erratic Errata manages to write an absolutely beautiful conclusion to this and many more plotlines that were building and growing since the early books.
I know a lot of professional authors struggle with this aspect, with writing a satisfying conclusion to their huge story, and is a very hard task to accomplish. Sometimes they have to leave it plotlines, character arcs, ideas, etc in order to fit their ending. Erratic Errata does it **right**. It leaves you wanting for more, wanting to see what's next but it's also satisfying enough that the ending feels like parting away with a good friend that's been with you for a long time. So many memorable shits where I was like 'HOLY SHIT THIS IS HAPPENING' to even crying and being hyped. The only book that had such an amazing ending was A Memory of Light, but I'm very biased so of course I will rank PGtE higher on my list.
On the dialogue. I want to say that most of the characters you are presented with, they feel like real living persons with their own agendas, ideals and lives and because of this reason the dialogue has been just perfect, on multiple levels. This aspect improves across the books and it peaks on book 7 where there are so many meaningful conversations.
On a last note, the ending has been absolutely perfect and reading the Epilogues had me depressed, happy and crying all at the same time. We get to see what happens after ruin is so satisfying and I cannot stress enough how amazing this whole series has been. I will miss the story it as there are none like it, I will miss the characters as I have grown attached to them and finally I will miss the world as how unique and real it felt.
June 12, 2024
Where to begin. The first arc where Catherine brought the East into the war against Keter was great. I was a bit miffed by this at the end of the previous book because it felt like the tensions were already too high, and needing this big of a detour would break the flow of the story. On the contrary, it was very worthwhile. The developments in Praes, the way some loose ends were tied up, and some loose ends were frayed open, was great. And after they all marched on Keter, it was insane. The hopelessness of it felt abysmal. The war on multiple fronts also displayed the scale of the war prominently, which I enjoyed. I think the Keter's Due trap that the Dead King sprung on them was a great surprise. It was also a nice way to bring in Kreios and the gigantes into the mix.
Hye Su joining is a bit confusing, though. I might have misunderstood, but if I'm not mistaken, she thought that this was a cause worth fighting for, even if it's for the daughter and killer of the man she loved. However, she ended up abandoning the fight either way when facing the drakon because even if Calernia is destroyed, she does not need to be. But I probably just misremembered the real reason Hye Su offered her help to Catherine.
Another gripe I have is that the emerald swords seem WAY too strong — chopping up the drakon which is its own godhood so easily — yet at the same time also blundered heavily by letting the soul slip away without them being able to chase it down in time.
The destruction of the autumn crown and the reforging of the fetters was really cool. The destruction of the ealamal was also unexpected — I was afraid Cordelia would succumb to the temptation/fear, especially since the Augur's message was not simply "We'll win, don't use the ealamal." The sequence against the Dead King was very cool. The concept of shards was interesting, and the possibility of Catherine freeing the Intercessor from her prison was interesting. But I feel like that "mastermind chess" type of encounter was already fulfilled during the Arsenal and Praes conflict against the Intercessor. I'm glad she ended up defeating the Dead King using the "insane out-of-her-mind" approach instead.
Antigone usurping the drakon and forging a godhood of her own to consumer herself was sad. It was a cool solution, but sacrifices always feel bad, especially since Kreios has lost so much, and finally gained a daughter. I'm not sure if he could've defeated the empowered drakon, but if he could, the fact that his brethren's corpses were molested and that he had to waste his energy laying them to rest makes it even sadder. I liked that Antigone was then honored with the surname Drakonslayer, but I really hope it was something that Kreios gave her.
And the Intercessor causing problems after the Dead King's death was not unexpected, but it was also not pleasant. The fact that the White Knight tried to kill Masego was scary, similar to what I felt when the Intercessor was trying to make Cordelia use the ealamal. Thankfully, it ended well, with Akua binding herself and the Intercessor with the fetter she reforged, binding her as the Intercessor's opposite, acting in Below's interest. I'm happy Catherine and Akua finally kissed!!!! But it's also sad that they can't spend time together.
The epilogue was amazing. I liked the fact that we were able to see ~1-45 years into the future after the war on Keter, seeing the developments that happened to Cardinal, and the various conflicts that still happen. Juniper and Aisha finally marrying and adopting children was cute, and Abigail feels like she should have her own Name, seeing how she's being treated by the author. The classes held by the Hierophant was cute. And the final section was also really cool. It was literally the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. I loved the telling where Vivienne, the "last" member of the Woe to pass away, just to reveal that they're all alive and back to their prime because Catherine sacrificed some of her Night for them. It was the end of them in the literal sense for Calernia, but it was the beginning of a new one for the Woe, in another land.
The epilogue wrapped everything up nicely, in my opinion. I would've loved some conversations with Abigail, Juniper, or Aisha, but the epilogue left me feeling fulfilled and not "wtf, that's it??"
Hye Su joining is a bit confusing, though. I might have misunderstood, but if I'm not mistaken, she thought that this was a cause worth fighting for, even if it's for the daughter and killer of the man she loved. However, she ended up abandoning the fight either way when facing the drakon because even if Calernia is destroyed, she does not need to be. But I probably just misremembered the real reason Hye Su offered her help to Catherine.
Another gripe I have is that the emerald swords seem WAY too strong — chopping up the drakon which is its own godhood so easily — yet at the same time also blundered heavily by letting the soul slip away without them being able to chase it down in time.
The destruction of the autumn crown and the reforging of the fetters was really cool. The destruction of the ealamal was also unexpected — I was afraid Cordelia would succumb to the temptation/fear, especially since the Augur's message was not simply "We'll win, don't use the ealamal." The sequence against the Dead King was very cool. The concept of shards was interesting, and the possibility of Catherine freeing the Intercessor from her prison was interesting. But I feel like that "mastermind chess" type of encounter was already fulfilled during the Arsenal and Praes conflict against the Intercessor. I'm glad she ended up defeating the Dead King using the "insane out-of-her-mind" approach instead.
Antigone usurping the drakon and forging a godhood of her own to consumer herself was sad. It was a cool solution, but sacrifices always feel bad, especially since Kreios has lost so much, and finally gained a daughter. I'm not sure if he could've defeated the empowered drakon, but if he could, the fact that his brethren's corpses were molested and that he had to waste his energy laying them to rest makes it even sadder. I liked that Antigone was then honored with the surname Drakonslayer, but I really hope it was something that Kreios gave her.
And the Intercessor causing problems after the Dead King's death was not unexpected, but it was also not pleasant. The fact that the White Knight tried to kill Masego was scary, similar to what I felt when the Intercessor was trying to make Cordelia use the ealamal. Thankfully, it ended well, with Akua binding herself and the Intercessor with the fetter she reforged, binding her as the Intercessor's opposite, acting in Below's interest. I'm happy Catherine and Akua finally kissed!!!! But it's also sad that they can't spend time together.
The epilogue was amazing. I liked the fact that we were able to see ~1-45 years into the future after the war on Keter, seeing the developments that happened to Cardinal, and the various conflicts that still happen. Juniper and Aisha finally marrying and adopting children was cute, and Abigail feels like she should have her own Name, seeing how she's being treated by the author. The classes held by the Hierophant was cute. And the final section was also really cool. It was literally the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. I loved the telling where Vivienne, the "last" member of the Woe to pass away, just to reveal that they're all alive and back to their prime because Catherine sacrificed some of her Night for them. It was the end of them in the literal sense for Calernia, but it was the beginning of a new one for the Woe, in another land.
The epilogue wrapped everything up nicely, in my opinion. I would've loved some conversations with Abigail, Juniper, or Aisha, but the epilogue left me feeling fulfilled and not "wtf, that's it??"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2023
I had been following a Practical Guide to Evil for quite some time and decided to take a break while I waited for the author to finish this book.
At the end of book six it seemed like the author had painted herself into a corner because every time Catherine Foundling tried to make a move it'd immediately go wrong or she'd get countered by the Dead King and I was wondering if she would ever get a break.
But in the end, it works out and it was a most satisfying story. Particularly in the end when the author ends the story with some of that savage banter that I'd so adored when I began reading this Practical Guide to Evil.
At the end of book six it seemed like the author had painted herself into a corner because every time Catherine Foundling tried to make a move it'd immediately go wrong or she'd get countered by the Dead King and I was wondering if she would ever get a break.
But in the end, it works out and it was a most satisfying story. Particularly in the end when the author ends the story with some of that savage banter that I'd so adored when I began reading this Practical Guide to Evil.
June 10, 2023
What a satisfying end to an epic story spanning 7 books. So much character growth, so many twists and turns, and sufficient foreshadowing that the ending didn't seem like it came out of left field. On top of all this, ErraticErrata is a master at keeping you on the edge of your seat, building up plausible schemes and then allowing them to sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. Because of this, even when you had the plan laid bare for you to see, you were never quite sure what would finally happen. This kept things interesting throughout the book and throughout the series. Well done. What a beautiful story and what a fantastic ending!
December 13, 2022
Wow. Just wow. I haven't been sucked into a series like this in years. It starts a little YA and never quite fully leaves it, but the character development, the arcs, the depth and nuance of the emotions, the world building, the complexity of the Story system itself, all are stunning. The diversity and representation present is incredible too, all without feeling forced at all.
"'I love you.'
'I know,' she smiled. 'But for our parting, my love, perhaps it is my turn to be allowed to wield the cruelty.'"
"'I love you.'
'I know,' she smiled. 'But for our parting, my love, perhaps it is my turn to be allowed to wield the cruelty.'"
February 27, 2022
All things must end, even the good ones. Book 7 was not the strongest, it was not the weakest - seen on its own it was a very good book, in story context it was great. An ending doing the story justice - with just enough questions left open or even unasked to leave you hungering for more - with out being frustrated. some of the endings where too abrupt for my tastes - but on the other side there would probably be no end with out those.
Not only Evil done right, also endings done right.
Not only Evil done right, also endings done right.
October 25, 2022
Before you dive into the review, I want to highlight two points:
1. This is the series that I have rated the highest for the blog till date, and
2. This is a free web novel. There are no eBooks available for purchase far as I know.
Now with that done, here’s my super glowing review of one of the best epic fantasies that I’ve read till date.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-a-prac...
It's spectacular and highly recommended.
1. This is the series that I have rated the highest for the blog till date, and
2. This is a free web novel. There are no eBooks available for purchase far as I know.
Now with that done, here’s my super glowing review of one of the best epic fantasies that I’ve read till date.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-a-prac...
It's spectacular and highly recommended.
June 19, 2023
This is by far one of the best told stories I have ever read in my life thus far.
Characters, plot, world building, one liners, chapter endings, setting scenes up, ramping up to pivotal moments, feels and words and morals - everything. Everything was exquisitely done. I can't can't get over how underrated and unknown EE is! Anyone who's loved and grown up with any of the mainstream greats (non-mainstream too tbh) will find something to love in the Guide.
Characters, plot, world building, one liners, chapter endings, setting scenes up, ramping up to pivotal moments, feels and words and morals - everything. Everything was exquisitely done. I can't can't get over how underrated and unknown EE is! Anyone who's loved and grown up with any of the mainstream greats (non-mainstream too tbh) will find something to love in the Guide.
October 28, 2024
4.5 / 5
A satisfying conclusion to the series.
A satisfying conclusion to the series.
June 17, 2025
These books are long, but they're well-written and enjoyable. The biggest downside is the lack of editing. There are no spelling errors, but there's a word-choice error on just about every page. Even so, it's usually pretty obvious what the intended word is. And the books are enjoyable enough that they're worth it.
June 6, 2022
Great read! Parting with this world and its characters will be rough, so i was craving a longer and even more fleshed out epilogue but hey, can't have it all i guess. What we got was more than enough though.
Would definitely love to see more from the same universe.
Would definitely love to see more from the same universe.
April 8, 2021
refer to Book 1 of the series for My review of the series
February 28, 2022
Worth every minute of getting here (6 books)
February 28, 2022
Simply phenomenal. Amazing characters, intelligent author and extremely well written conclusion without any drop in pace
July 20, 2022
The series, for all its minor flaws, was overall a great read, and largely sticks the landing. Absolutely worth a shot, despite the intimidating length (or, for some, because of it!)
July 30, 2022
A perfect conclusion to an epic work. A masterpiece of an epilogue.
October 26, 2022
It's hard to reach the end of such a long series and feel satisfied but this book really does nail it so well
December 5, 2022
A nice conclusion to an overall excellent series.
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