Unsouled

So, I finally started reading Cradle by Will Wight, beginning with the first book in the series, Unsouled. Now, there are 12 planned books in the Cradle series, and I have made it one of my reading goals this year to get through this series and see what all the fuss is about, as each time I look for recommendations for a series this comes up.

Unsouled introduces us to the World of Cradle, and its main protagonist Wei Shi Lindon, as well as other people in the series.

So, with Cradle, I am finding myself introduced to new words and concepts, which is always a pleasure as it sends my brain a whirring. According to other reviewers, the Cradle series resembles Shonen Anime/manga in its inspiration.

Got to say, I haven???t a clue, and I will take their word for it!

In addition to the anime/manga thingy, I am an absolute noob when it comes to progression fantasy.

(I did have to look up the meaning for this as you can see from my earlier musings on the why I chose this book)

Now, whilst I have a little bit of trepidation on that lot of information, the main concerns for me is whether I would enjoy it. It???s always a bit nerve wracking when you start a series, and it was particularly nerve wracking when you have decided to devote this as a 10 ??? 12-month endeavour.

However, not to worry, coz I positively devoured this book over two days and could not put it down. It was such an enjoyable and easy read.

The story is set in an Asian inspired world with a people that devotes itself to the practice of magic and their progression through the mystical arts. Each member of the society that Lindon grows up in is tested for whichever brand of magic that they possess and when Lindon is tested, the special substance that is used to identify the individual???s magic, shows that Lindon does not possess any magical abilities. He is subsequently labelled as unsouled (which I thought was a bit harsh to be honest!). This has an impact throughout his life, and he is seen as a freak and an encumbrance (yay highly enlightened people for accepting difference). This means that Lindon cannot progress in the magic/martial arts system that he resides in, which is a kind of isolated world in the mountains and hidden from the world outside, reminding me of the legends of Shangri ??? La.

However, through various misadventures he sees a way to progress and forge his own path. At one point he is entered into a duel against a much more powerful opponent, and he orchestrates the opponent so that he cannot win, and Lindon comes out of a potentially devastating situation unscathed. Throughout the book, Lindon has to employ his wits to overcome insurmountable odds, and whilst at times, Lindon can come across as a little unscrupulous in his methods and without any thought as to their actual consequences, you can see that he is highly disadvantaged in the society that he lives in. I have seen that some reviewers thought that there was a level of dishonesty in the methods that Lindon employed. However, for me, I thought that he was battling against overwhelming odds in one of the harshest and elitist societies in SFF that I have seen, and that whilst he uses some dodgy methods, he uses his quick wittedness to do what it is natural to do in this highly competitive environment. And as a world view, he is a little selfish in his goals, but the whole society is built on the principle that you can elevate yourself is to be solely enamoured of your own abilities.

This is very much an introduction to the story of Cradle, and at times there is some info dumping on the reader, which at some points slowed the pace a little, yet on the whole, it did not affect my enjoyment of it.

Initially, I did find the characters a little two dimensional, but this changes about halfway through when there is an incident that changes that whole direction of the book. I have to say that I had no idea that this inexplicable event would happen, but when it does it certainly pulls the rug out from you. And another point to add, is that by the very nature of the society that Will Wight introduces us to, is pretty two dimensional in all honesty, when its only goal is to progress further in their search for more power.

Now, you cannot write a review of the Cradle series without mentioning the magic system. It is such an integral part of the book, and is so intricately woven, with it having some influence from Chinese spirituality and mixing it with the use of artifacts and elixirs.

I don???t want to go too much into the minutia of the book, as I think the best way to go into this is without any indication (except from the obvious!) of the plot.

I have got to say that I really did not have a clue what this book was about in all honesty, but I can definitely say, that I was not expecting that.

And for those of us that are old enough to have a ???what the hell is going on??? look on our faces when anime or manga is thrown at us, it really doesn???t confuse you at all, and me, with very little anime experience was able to appreciate the story.

Unsouled is a fantastically paced romp that had me hooked. It???s one part coming of age, with one part underdog story, mixed with a whole lot of adventure.

Give it a go!