Art done by Cannot Find
Worth the Candle - Review
Link to the author's (A. Wales) personal website
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Type: Webnovel
Tags:
- Average Age of Main Characters (17)
- Length (10 / 10)
Link to Goodreads
Blurb: A teenager struggling after the death of his best friend finds himself in a fantasy world - one which seems to be an amalgamation of every Dungeons and Dragons campaign they ever played together. Now he's stuck trying to find the answers to why he's there and what this world is trying to say. The most terrifying answer might be that this world is an expression of the person he was back on Earth.
Review: This is a stunningly unique story. It is one of those stories where using points of similarity to another would be misleading. I liked it. For complete transparency: this was not always fully true. I stopped reading this book at some point, and after a few years break, I came back and finished it. I'm glad I stopped, and am exceedingly happy that I came back. To review the book I'll discuss four things I think it does brilliantly.
Worldbuilding: There are so many concepts that I have simply never seen in another book. Well known fantasy backdrops or races are taken and then entirely twisted. Not twisted in reverse to expectations, not twisted for a joke, just simply fundamentally altered. These are only minor parts of the larger world though, with the larger world being simply massive and chock-full of wacky concepts only possible in a fantasy setting. Many of these places are races are then given proper time to be explored, which is a perk of such a long story. The fact that everything is a patchwork of different DnD campaigns, and even in the moment extensions to justify some narrative, allows the world to be so vibrant and fantastical. There does not need to be a clear gradient of change, exclusion zones or a jump into a different campaign concept can cause instant leaps in change.
Party dynamics and interpersonal relationships: In-between and during the adventure there is a substantial amount of conversation. Much more than in traditional fantasy books. Much much more. These conversations are often centered on emotions, and the examination of their justification, origin, and the resultant best course of action. In some ways a therapy session. Such conversations are possible because of how well written the core characters are. While they're clearly not the main character, which the narrative makes exceedingly clear, they are a constant presence, being more than one-dimensional tools. They are after all a party. Seeing Juniper and other party members mature and deal with their past trauma is a joy to read. The author does a truly beautiful job of adjusting their language when talking about Juniper's past as the story progresses. I will refrain from mentioning explicit party members names, which is a shame because I adored most of them.
The over examination of emotions is also why I think I stopped reading for a time. The book is incredibly rational, sometimes being too rational, and I found that the style of conversion and subject matter combined with the deep discussions made me withdraw into myself. That feeling is not one I crave, and I think I needed a break from it at the time. It was also at a point where the book was not yet finished, and I was reading chapters as they were released, which were not as frequent as I'd prefer.
Meta-narrative: I've never seen a story self-discuss narrative so much. It is clear why the plot enables this compared to other stories. A teenager whose main hobby is being a DM for DnD is dropped into a world that is a patchwork of his many campaigns, where he is from the get-go given the knowledge that he's the main character. I liked how the author handled it. The takes of the many characters on the narrative are interesting to read about. I've never read a story before where the characters are self-aware that the world might shift around their actions to force a plot point.
The ending was also nearly perfect for me. While I did not love the last chapter, despite not being able to think of any alternative that I'd actually prefer, the final arc leading up to the last chapter was amazing. It was cathartic, and I loved the rewarded feeling of actual accomplishment and progress that is often fleeting. To continue with complete transparency however, I avoided reading the epilogue, and think that was the correct choice.
Progression fantasy expectations: This point possible largely results from the meta-narrative. The story avoids nearly all the pitfalls I see with most progression fantasy. The power creep was handled well, with the existing world never having to retcon itself into introducing a new tier of obstacles to keep up with Juniper's increase in levels. There is Fel Seed after all. The main character was mostly not a one-man army, and even when he was the meta-narrative drew heavy attention to it. The story also never felt like it artificially extended itself, with the end goal of Uther / Arthur never changing or being moved backwards.
Summary: Stunningly unique and worth reading if the blurb sounds interesting. Strong recommend.