The Cradle Series - Will Wight [January 2, 2022]

[Veronica]

Nirkatze wrote: "@Veronica, re: Elder Empire. Oh, so that's what's going on with those books! I was looking at them and wondering why all the titles were swapped on some versions."

I was confused at first too wondering where to start since there are two #1 books, two #2 and so on. Could be a cool concept though.

Thanks for the (view spoiler)[Cosmere (hide spoiler)] comparison. I think you're right about what's going on here.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

That's a good explanation, until you get more details... details are pretty thin about the non-Cradle stuff for most of the series... just a couple Interludes, and what's included at the beginning and end of each book...

[Soo]

Nirkatze, love the way you dig into stories and share. I've been reading random posts that you make. *two thumbs up*

[Choko]

Nirkatze wrote: "Just cracked open the first page!

If anyone is interested in knowing, the character 空 means "empty" or "sky" in both Chinese and Japanese. More empty than sky in Chinese, more sky than empty in Ja..."

Awesome info! Thank you!

[Miche]

Up to chapter 2 and enjoying it a lot. I have been struggling a lot with ya lately, so it is a good sign this one is holding up so far. :)

Interesting magic system, very different.

I wouldn't have thought of this as a litrpg if it hadn't been pointed out in the thread. It is very different from the other litrpgs I have read.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Miche wrote: "Up to chapter 2 and enjoying it a lot. I have been struggling a lot with ya lately, so it is a good sign this one is holding up so far. :)

Interesting magic system, very different.

I wouldn't hav..."

I dunno if I'd really tag this one YA... I generally hate YA, since it's filled with romantic angst... this one is more focused on plot, if it's really YA...

There's been some discussion over whether this should even be called LitRPG, or just Cultivation / Progression Fantasy...

[Soo]

There are no status pages in Cradle series. It's not really LitRPG, but a lot of readers of LitRPG read Cultivation stories. I ran out of genre spots in my tracker & call this LitRPG, but it's really Cultivation. It's all about training, understanding energy, the way knowledge of self is the first & last step of evolving, etc. I find most cultivation stories are about knowing oneself, a type of spirituality that is linked to the world and getting your butt kick until you get better/stronger. XD

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Soo wrote: "There are no status pages in Cradle series. It's not really LitRPG, but a lot of readers of LitRPG read Cultivation stories. I ran out of genre spots in my tracker & call this LitRPG, but it's real..."

I revamped my spreadsheet genres this year...

Steampunk/Western for Steampunk and Weird Westerns and alt-history fantasy books in general...

PNR/Romance, so I can use Historical/Mystery since I mostly read Historicals that are Mysteries not Romances...

and LitRPG/Culti...

Horror has become Other as a catch-all for the rest, outside of SF/Fantasy/Thriller/UF/etc...

But this is a big digression :D

[Soo]

Travis Baldree is the narrator if anyone wants to try the audiobook route. He's one of the good narrators for LitRPG/Cultivation. =)

I'm about done with the book. I've been team Lindon from the get go, but some things make me wonder about myself as a reader and how I'll cheer for the MC. lol

Who is cheering for Lindon? Or are you waiting for more the unfold before making a pro/con about him?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Soo wrote: "Travis Baldree is the narrator if anyone wants to try the audiobook route. He's one of the good narrators for LitRPG/Cultivation. =)

I'm about done with the book. I've been team Lindon from the g..."

I used to like Nick Podehl... and still kinda do... but I feel like he's the Michael Kramer of LitRPG... he narrates way too many... so it makes them sound samey... and probably narrates a ton of duds, I dunno... I kinda avoid picking up more Nick Podehl LitRPGs at this point, as much as possible...

[Miche]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Miche wrote: "Up to chapter 2 and enjoying it a lot. I have been struggling a lot with ya lately, so it is a good sign this one is holding up so far. :)

Interesting magic system, very different.

..."

So far it doesn't read like ya, and that's a good direction for me.

I didn’t know the Cultivation term in this case. But hey, I just learned the term litrpg last year. LOL

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Miche wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Miche wrote: "Up to chapter 2 and enjoying it a lot. I have been struggling a lot with ya lately, so it is a good sign this one is holding up so far. :)

Interesting magic sys..."

I only found out a few weeks ago that I don't know the difference between UF and Magical Realism... what I thought was Magical Realism is apparently this new thing I made up called Magical Skepticism (where the reader and maybe the MC doesn't know if the magic is real or not, it could all be fake or wishful thinking)

This Magical Skepticism genre I made up fits Wizard for Hire, and a few other books I've read...

[Miche]

Chapters 10 and 11 were great.

Chapter 10: (view spoiler)[ everything changed so fast. Everyone that was powerful became so insignificant in a blink of an eye. He can't be dead... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11: (view spoiler)[ and the overpowered Grand Patriarch just became a scared mouse in another blink of eye. Very interesting interactions between Lindon and Suriel. I loved this chapter. (hide spoiler)]

53% im and I am fully invested!

[Soo]

Miche, the thing I really enjoyed about that part was (view spoiler)[the way our lives are colored by our expectations, things we are taught and the way beliefs can seem to be immovable truths, but are just a small part of the world. (hide spoiler)]

[Miche]

Soo wrote: "Miche, the thing I really enjoyed about that part was [spoilers removed]"

So true! I knew something was going to happen, but I really didn’t see some of these twists coming.

[Miche]

I have finished it. I just couldn’t put the book down!

Overall thoughts including ending of book spoilers: (view spoiler)[ I really liked Lindon and Yerin working together. They have good synergy.

Things are not looking good to the Wei clan...

Once again the villain that I thought would last, was quickly removed. I am curious who will be the big bad.

I am captivated by Suriel's arc and I can't wait to read more about it. (hide spoiler)]

Great introduction to the series.

[Soo]

Yay! Glad you gobbled it up! =D

[Julian]

Currently in the middle of chapter 9. (view spoiler)[Really curious to see how this tournament/festival goes for Lindon. That and I'm still trying to get a hold of the different ranks/power levels. Lindon is unsouled but is technically at copper level right? (hide spoiler)]

[Julian]

More thoughts after progressing through up to chapter 11. Note: this is moreso just my inner thoughts and reactions after just finishing the chapter.

(view spoiler)[Ok wow up until chapter 9 the book was kinda meh. I take it this is the main antagonist of book 1 finally making his appearance. Also all of a sudden Lindon is dead!?! Book just caught my full attention finally. (hide spoiler)]

[Tammie]

I just finished chapter 11 and everyone is right. It takes off at around 50% in. I thought it was pretty dull until then, and even considered stopping, but I kept going and I'm definitely more interested now.

[Soo]

In the beginning, Lindon is a zero. No rank at all.

[Nirkatze]

@Soo, thank you for the thumbs up! I'm just so excited to finally have a group of people I can ramble at about books.

@Julian, thoughts on power levels, maybe through Chapter 11? (view spoiler)[I thought it was interesting what Suriel thought when she analyzed him. Like, he has some sort of inborn flaw in his spirit which prevented it from developing fully. Kind of like a cleft-palate for his soul. In a civilized society, it would have been corrected--in the barbarian Spirit Valley, children such as him were considered worthless and just above being exposed to the elements to remove a burden to the clan.

The whole society seems to be based solely on strength--and the only measurement of strength (so far) is how much madra your soul can process and shape. Lindon's under-developed soul relegates him in status to below the lowest of children. As their bodies and souls develop at a proportional rate, Lindon was left lagging behind, still stuck in Foundation level.

It reminds me of the saying "it is easier to make two million out of one million than it is to make two out of one." Lindon's handicap seems exponential in nature. But this is just the first book. :) (hide spoiler)]

Continuing @Soo, on cultural expectations (view spoiler)[It also reminds me of Lirael in Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series--relegated to childhoood due to a culture that only prizes one thing. Tavi in Codex Alera being another example. I'm looking forward to seeing what other societies Wight has in store throughout the series, and what cultural expectations he'll seed among them, for Lindon and others to butt heads with. Enjoying stories like this! (hide spoiler)]

Really interesting seeing everyone--@Iain, @Soo, @Miche--talk about different genres. I feel my education expanding.

As for whether this book is YA-qualifiable... I can see that it could qualify, due to its pacing. It feels like a pretty quick progression plot wise, jumping from point to point without much down time. In one of his many many Q&A sessions, Brandon Sanderson talked about the difference between writing "adult" v. YA stories, and the pacing was the main thing he leaned on. Lindon being 15 himself could toss it in there too, and while not as immature as say, Simon in The Dragonbone Chair, is still less mature than other characters out there. There might be a lot of tropes in YA--like angst and instalurve, but I don't think those necessarily need to exist for something to qualify. What do y'all think of as the markers of YA? I tend to think of easy prose, quickly gobbleable storylines, and boom-boom plot movement. Like Riordan's series or Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice. Younger narrators too.

Just about 30 pages to go. Was going to finish tonight, but I get up in 5 hours so I'll leave it for breakfast.

[slagathor]

Okay, I finally managed to start yesterday, 24% in and so far I'm loving this book. :) It gives me strong Naruto/Black Clover crossover vibes, really manages to give off that shounen spirit that I'm so fond of.

Lindon is also the perfect underdog to root for and I like his sister a lot as well. Looking forward to read more, hopefully tonight. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Miche wrote: "I have finished it. I just couldn’t put the book down!

Overall thoughts including ending of book spoilers: I really liked Lindon and Yerin working together. They have good synergy.

Things are n..."

This is a great series, and the author releases fast... generally 2 books a year... books 9 & 10 came out in 2021... I think the current story arc is going to end in 2022, but I could be wrong... doubt it's the end of the series, tho... so much still needs to happen on the (view spoiler)[Suriel (hide spoiler)] side of the plot... keep flip-flopping on whether I think this "second arc" will continue under the Cradle name or a new series name... just have to wait and see, I guess...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "@Soo, thank you for the thumbs up! I'm just so excited to finally have a group of people I can ramble at about books.

@Julian, thoughts on power levels, maybe through Chapter 11? I thought it was ..."

The Lindon clan dynamic reminds me of Spellslinger...

And, I tend to use Middle-Grade to describe YA-type books without the romantic angst... even if Middle-Grade is a clunky term, and more geared towards even younger kids books?... like the Percy Jackson universe of books, I think...

EDIT: Just realized you mentioned Riordan at the end of your post... and Ranger's Apprentice, another series I've read and would probably clump into Middle-Grade...

[Miche]

When I picked up the book I didn’t have any idea of the story, but I saw that it was often shelved as ya at Goodreads.

Middle grade I usually use for younger audience. Like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc.

[RachelG.]

I have been enjoying all the conversation and it has made me look at the book differently as I finished it. I was reading Edens Zero, Vol. 1 last night and Unsouled does remind me slightly of a manga without the pictures. I really want to see Lindon succeed!

[Veronica]

I'm through chapter 10 and I'm in the minority in that I'm not enjoying it as much as everyone is. It's okay but hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm currently also reading The Dragonbone Chair and even though that plot is moving slowly and the young male protagonist is far more immature than Lindon, despite being the same age, I'm just more drawn to the developing political situation in that one. I find myself picking up that story more when I have free time to read.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Veronica wrote: "I'm through chapter 10 and I'm in the minority in that I'm not enjoying it as much as everyone is. It's okay but hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm currently also reading The Dragonbone Chair and even thou..."

Not really... I think alot of people said the story suddenly grabbed them, finally, in chapter 11... you're close...

[Julian]

@Veronica it was around that point the story finally caught my attention. Give it at least 2 more chapters to see if the events that are about to happen capture you.

[Miche]

Veronica wrote: "I'm through chapter 10 and I'm in the minority in that I'm not enjoying it as much as everyone is. It's okay but hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm currently also reading The Dragonbone Chair and even thou..."

Chapter 11 is a turning point. Before that I was enjoying it, but after this point was when I couldn't put the book down.

[Rob]

I'm at about the 48% mark. Things getting interesting now! (view spoiler)[Divine intervention!?! (hide spoiler)]

[Veronica]

Hmmm, through chapter 12 now. (view spoiler)[I'm not a fan of the reversed death trope...not that I thought for a minute that Lindon would stay dead given that there are still nine books left in this series.

And Suriel's intervention, just...why? Because Lindon tries hard? Surely in all her existence and travels she's come across hundreds if not thousands of other good people who keep trying despite less than favorable circumstances. So why Lindon, other than the plot needs it to be so? Suriel is there to capture Grand Patriarch dude for , in part, interfering with Cradle but she's sort of basically doing the same thing and all because a 15 year old boy asked for it. This just made me roll my eyes. If anything, I feel sad that the son and daughter he saw in his potential future now won't ever exist. (hide spoiler)]

It's possible that I'm just too jaded for this type of story, lol.

BUT, I could probably overlook all of that if Lindon wasn't so darned bland. He's a good kid and I have nothing against him. I just find him boring and so far none of the characters stand out to me either.

[Tammie]

Veronica wrote: "Hmmm, through chapter 12 now. I'm not a fan of the reversed death trope...not that I thought for a minute that Lindon would stay dead given that there are still nine books left in this series.

And..."

I started enjoying it more after the half way point, but I feel kind of the same about the book. It's an ok story for me but I'm not loving it as much as I wanted to. I think for me personally that it has a lot to do with the genre it is.

[Soo]

It may also be the story telling style. It's mostly active sequences with brief descriptions about the people, setting, mild backstory and culture.

For me, my interest was snagged at the point Rob mentioned. Everything else was standard, Asian martial arts fare. I thought book one was good, but it was the #2 and on that gained my love. More details that created fun layers, a few answered questions and a bunch of new questions.

Lindon = Good Kid: LoL but is he though? Hehehe
I mean, I think he's a good guy, but think about his thoughts and actions. lol

For later stories, he's not a kid for too long. Maybe another book or two?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Veronica wrote: "Hmmm, through chapter 12 now..."

If it's not for you, it's not for you... but there is a bit of reasoning behind the decision... (view spoiler)[Cradle is the planet/dimension/iteration that Ozriel the Reaper came from... the missing Abaddon causing havoc with the multiverse or whatever the celestial storyline is (even I'm still unsure on the details of that)... but anyway, Suriel misses Ozriel, and this was his home, so there's a bit of nostalgia and sentimentalism involved... (hide spoiler)] (I think I'm spoiling some later book stuff here, altho nothing related to the Linden storyline, just the Surel side... and some speculation on my part...)

And honestly... I finished the first book, and waited months to continue the series... it wasn't until I read books 2-3 back-to-back that I grew more committed to the series... new stuff happens in those books that interested me more...

[Veronica]

Soo wrote: "Lindon = Good Kid: LoL but is he though? Hehehe"

Right now my theory is (view spoiler)[that he becomes this Osriel person...entity, whatever. So maybe that's why Suriel does what she does...because she already knows him...but then that would create some timey-wimey loop-de-loops. (hide spoiler)] I'm just not sure I'm interested enough to read nine more books to find out.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Veronica wrote: "Soo wrote: "Lindon = Good Kid: LoL but is he though? Hehehe"

Right now my theory is [spoilers removed] I'm just not sure I'm interested enough to read nine more books to find out."

If there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that that isn't true (after reading 9 more books)... the truth kinda surprised me, but I felt like I should have figured it out at least a 1/2 book sooner, maybe?...

[Veronica]

Timelord Iain wrote: "If it's not for you, it's not for you... but there is a bit of reasoning behind the decision... (view spoiler) (I think I'm spoiling some later book stuff here, altho nothing related to the Linden storyline, just the Surel side... and some speculation on my part...)

And honestly... I finished the first book, and waited months to continue the series... it wasn't until I read books 2-3 back-to-back that I grew more committed to the series... new stuff happens in those books that interested me more..."

Very true. And I'm just not sure that, coming off a two year reading slump, the best thing for me is to make myself read books that aren't grabbing me in some way, either through lore/plot or characters.

I'm glad others are enjoying it more though! It means you have a nice, long series to look forward to.

At the very least, this book will check off a challenge requirement for me. :-)

[Veronica]

Tammie wrote: "I started enjoying it more after the half way point, but I feel kind of the same about the book. It's an ok story for me but I'm not loving it as much as I wanted to. I think for me personally that it has a lot to do with the genre it is."

You can sit in the corner with me, Tammie. ;-)

[Veronica]

Timelord Iain wrote: "If there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that that isn't true (after reading 9 more books)... the truth kinda surprised me, but I felt like I should have figured it out at least a 1/2 book sooner, maybe?...."

Ah, well. It was a shot. lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Veronica wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "If it's not for you, it's not for you... but there is a bit of reasoning behind the decision... (view spoiler) (I think I'm spoiling some later book stuff here, altho nothing ..."

Don't force it... we'll reconnect somewhere else :)

I haven't even started my re-read yet... been having slow fun over in the Wandering Inn thread...

[Soo]

Yeah, no making yourself read what doesn't snag ya. It's a total mood killer. =D

Like I said, it took book 2 to really hook my interest and then I loved where the plot went from there.

[Brian]

Ok finished. I really struggled with the first half to 2/3rds of this book. Felt like a lot of info dumps and confusing stuff going on. I do like books with that involve a misfit underdog and I am glad I continued because the last 1/3rd got the story going and I feel good about continuing on to book 2. I have heard the series gets better and better as it progresses. Can only go 3 stars on this based on first half of book tho.

[Soo]

My initial rating was 3 stars too. It was on my 2nd re-read that I upped the rating to 4. The thing I realized is that the characters act true to character from the get go. Some of the humor is more obvious and funny on the 2nd run than it was on my first read. =)

[Julian]

I finished it as well. Left a small review up, I the end the book managed to capture my interest but it took a bit too long to hook me. I'm curious to see how the story progresses and I can definitely see how someone could compare this to a manga/anime.

One thing I liked and didn't like is how they kind of ended the book in a bit of a cliffhanger. Since the second book is already out and there is no wait necessary I don't mind but I really dislike when a story seems to end abruptly without a full resolution. I hope that Lindon ends up getting to return to his home someday stronger than anyone could have imagined.

[Yanique, Thread Master]

Ok, I'm ready to start this one tonight. Pretty short fantasy so I might just read it all in one go.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

That's probably how my re-read is going to go... on chapter 6 already...

I'm noticing how much is thrown at the reader in a short time... no wonder it took so long for me to commit to the series and continue with book 2+...

Also (view spoiler)[most of these characters barely matter until book (view spoiler)[8-9 (hide spoiler)] since Linden leaves the valley to find strength... (hide spoiler)] (this is a mild series spoiler, I went 2 layers deep on spoiler tags inside)

[Narilka]

Just finished CH 10 and all I can think is WTF! Ok, I see what you all mean about the book really taking off at this point :)

[Soo]

It's like a smack in the face! lol