Eric Appelbaum
Soulhome starts us off on an interesting note. We see the end of Theo's first journey in the Nine and we pick up at the start of his second, a fairly basic start to a returnee story.
But I don't mean that to discount Soulhome, Sarah Lin has accomplished what I would describe as a Cultivation story for a reader unfamiliar with the genre. Sarah Lin does away with the esoteric terms of the genre, for when she speaks of foundations she means so literally. We find a system where our characters are building the homes within their soul out of powerful wood and stone, with the conceptual purpose of a room in this home being translated to corresponding powers i.e. a storage room to hold more cantae. She does, however, still leave room for the abstract, as one's interpretation of the rules of the world, or worlds in this case, and their cultural beliefs affect how these Soulhomes manifest.
In the end I would say this is a solid first book. It is a potential gateway to a whole genre for some, and is a fresh spin for veterans of the genre. For those who appreciate Cultivation for the philosophical aspects, you may not find what you are looking for in Soulhome. But for those who want to see some fresh ideas done in a framework you are comfortable with, settle down by the hearth and give it a try.
Soulhome starts us off on an interesting note. We see the end of Theo's first journey in the Nine and we pick up at the start of his second, a fairly basic start to a returnee story.
But I don't mean that to discount Soulhome, Sarah Lin has accomplished what I would describe as a Cultivation story for a reader unfamiliar with the genre. Sarah Lin does away with the esoteric terms of the genre, for when she speaks of foundations she means so literally. We find a system where our characters are building the homes within their soul out of powerful wood and stone, with the conceptual purpose of a room in this home being translated to corresponding powers i.e. a storage room to hold more cantae. She does, however, still leave room for the abstract, as one's interpretation of the rules of the world, or worlds in this case, and their cultural beliefs affect how these Soulhomes manifest.
In the end I would say this is a solid first book. It is a potential gateway to a whole genre for some, and is a fresh spin for veterans of the genre. For those who appreciate Cultivation for the philosophical aspects, you may not find what you are looking for in Soulhome. But for those who want to see some fresh ideas done in a framework you are comfortable with, settle down by the hearth and give it a try.