The Mis-Adventurers: An Almost Epic Tale | Book Review
Today, I’m going to be reviewing The Mis-Adventurers: An Almost Epic Tale by Steven Partridge. I’ve also done a video book review on this book, so if you’d like to listen to that while you read, here you go:
With that out of the way, let’s dive into this.
Summary
This new adult fantasy novel follows six main characters, as well as a number of side characters as they are forced to go on an adventure together. Their quest takes them through a classic fantasy world inspired by Dungeons & Dragons on a only slightly McGuffin style quest. It’s packed with jokes, great characters, and an interesting plot. On top of that, loads of representation! There isn’t a straight white man in the main cast and it’s wonderful.
Cons
Mood con: The referential humor can be overwhelming at times. If you don’t like constant jokes about the genre, then this may be a bit much.
While I’ve come around to her character, I still think Ashwen’s racism is…eh? I think it’s handled well for the most part, but she is my least favorite of the main cast.
While I loved seeing an ace character in the main cast, and there are other genders represented in the setting, there aren’t really any named non-binary characters and for all the representation there is in the book, I consider this a flaw.
Similarly, there’s only one non-white character in the main cast. I definitely hope more POC characters are included in future stories.
Having chatted with the author after writing this review, he has pointed out that two other main characters are also coded POC. Considering I’ve read the book two/three times now though and still missed that coding, I think the book could still stand to make it more apparent to the reader in text and through artwork.
Pros
Amazing characters! Everyone is incredibly interesting and well rounded!
A unique narrative that carries all the way, even without the many references in the plot.
Lots of representation! Like I said, there isn’t a straight white man in the main cast and it’s great.
Captures D&D! This is something I’ve found incredibly hard to do. A lot of D&D inspired books try to capture a particular game, when games have too many in jokes and knowing the players to make them enjoyable. This book does a wonderful job of really capturing the feel of Dungeons & Dragons.
Funny! This book is funny and its referential humor is on point! The author has a good deal of wit and knowledge of the genre to get as many jokes in as he does.
Aro/ace representation! And it’s amazing! As a grey-ace person, this made me beyond happy to see!
Really well balanced character development, not only in terms of character arcs, but in terms of the powers these characters unlock through the course of the story.
In summation, this book is amazing. While there are some things I hope to see improved as the story progresses, there are also so many positives I can’t help but gush over all of the little things this book does to tell an amazing story.
Recommendations
Since this is my first review, I’ll start by saying that I don’t like the five star review format. That said, this book would easily get five out of five on account of my loving it. But, I don’t think that helps with recommending it. So instead, here are some recommendations for the series to help you see if you would like it. But for the sake of it being here too:
The Mis-Adventurers: An Almost Epic Tale: 5/5 Stars
If You Like…You Won’t Like This Book
Gritty realism in fantasy, like the Witcher novels or Game of Thrones.
Serious role-play in D&D without jokes around the table.
Hyper in-depth worldbuilding in fantasy settings.
If You Like…You’ll Like This Book
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien as a book!
Finding tongue and cheek references , like the Kid Icarus conversations between Palutena and Pit in Kid Icarus Uprising or Smash Brothers or finding the assassin corpse in The Witcher II.
More cheerful Legend of Zelda games like Wind Waker, A Link Between Worlds, or Triforce Heroes.
The Adventure Zone podcast, the Balance arc in particular!
Whimsy, fun fantasy
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, but it will be available on August 27th, 2019 for purchase, to pre-order while you can! This book is currently available as an ebook and hardback.