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!

Executive Summary: This is a short, fast-paced fantasy adventure series in the vain of many shonen fighting series, especially Naruto which definitely puts this series into my wheelhouse. I really enjoyed it and plan to continue reading.Full ReviewA good friend of mine who I innendate with book referrals almost constantly has been telling me to check out [a:Will Wight 7125278 Will Wight https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442891069p2/7125278.jpg] for awhile, but like most (all?) of you on this site my backlog of books to check out is huge and I just never seemed to get to him. He actually recommended [b:House of Blades 18047306 House of Blades (Traveler's Gate, #1) Will Wight https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1370699959s/18047306.jpg 25327975], but when the new book in this series came out they were giving this book away for free so I figured it was finally time to give him a shot.The idea of a protagonist whose less powerful/an outcast than everyone around him is not a new one. One of my favorite fantasy series, Codex Alera does a very similar thing. Then of course there is Naruto. I'm sure there are numerous other examples but those are the first two that come to mind.There are some similarities to both series but Mr. Wight definitely does a good job putting his own spin on the trope. The magic system is interesting enough, but so far it doesn't seem to be too well explained or very unique.The supporting characters and the world building are both pretty good. I was hoping for a bit more of the magic school trope as our protagonist strives to rise above his station in life, but we'll see what the latter books hold.I do like the contrast of a character whose much less powerful than everyone he encounters because it forces them (and therefore the author) to explore interesting ways to either use the limited magic they have or to simply work around it. Many of the work-arounds proved to be some of my favorite part of the story so far.Things took a turn for the unexpected about 25% that definitely ramped up my interest in the series beyond just a story of an outcast whose determined to “level-up”. These books seem pretty short (about 250 pages) compared to most fantasy I read which tends to be door-stopping epics. It makes for a nice change of pace and I already bought the second book to jump right into it. I haven't seen too many people talking about Will Wight, but I feel like he's one of those Indie authors going under the radar of many readers who'd enjoy his work like myself.

Actually, I have been reading this for awhile now, I just keep forgetting to add to my TBR.

The first few pages was like how anyone lives in this mundane world of ours(the reason I kept forgetting, writing was good, just plain, no embellishments, but it did not grab me like some), plain and earthy, no excitement, and reading a person who does not have any astounding ability, well it made it more tedious, the fun part came in little bits and pieces, I think this was our author's intention, lull you to everyday chores, a bit of information here and there...........

Then it happened, a page before, I was yawning, the next page............WHAT????!!!!!(let me re-read that), then IT STARTS............

Reading this then trying to imagine the actions of the characters, this looks, sounds like those Hong Kong fantasy movies, asian melodrama, fantasy and action all rolled into one, and it works......really works.....imagine Chow Yun Fat, practicing Snake Style, with Chi meditation, then suddenly he shouts “Seh Chu Chi”(Snake coming out!!!!!) and the boulder in front of him explodes!!!!

A devious way of storytelling, some prophetic vibes.........this is one tantalizing start to a series!!!

I really enjoyed this!
A quick read, an easy read and one that makes me excited to read the rest in the series!

I loved Lindon, loved the world, loved the mid-novel twist.
If you haven't picked up Unsouled yet, then you should definitely get it and start reading!

Music recommendation while reading:
Pendulum - Immersion

It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to sink my teeth into a new fantasy series with a ton of books. That used to be my favorite type of book but nowadays seeing a series with a book number higher than I can count on one hand is intimidating. However everything I heard about Will Wight’s Cradle series suggested it was one that I would love, so I dove in with a mix of excitement and nostalgia and I’m so glad I did. I had the pleasure of listening to this as an audiobook narrated by Travis Baldree and I think he did a fantastic job with it. He has a great way of making even the narration sections really interesting and he puts a lot of emphasis exactly where it needs to be. I also think he’s genuinely good at voicing female characters. Oftentimes when male narrators voice female characters the result is a caricature of a female voice but Baldree avoids that and makes the female characters sound like actual people. Combine that with really strong world-building and excellent fight choreography from Wight and you have a really enjoyable experience. I can’t wait to see where Wight and Baldree take me next.

I hope to continue the Cradle series because I see a lot of potential with this first book, but unfortunately there were a handful of things about this story that I didn't quite like.

I think consuming this through audiobook was the right option for me because it made the story more enjoyable. If I noticed something that I didn't like, I could breeze through it relatively mindlessly.

My biggest issue here was that the use of magic felt like a plot convenience. I absolutely do not need a rule-oriented, hard magic system in order for me to buy into a fantasy story, but I still want the fantasy elements to be executed in a believable way. Without getting into spoilers, there was a scene where this deific being came to help Lindon, but I just couldn't wrap my head around why. Because he's unsouled? What's so special about him that made the aforementioned deific being cherry pick Lindon of all people? It all just seemed like poor plot armor; I wasn't given a reason why some sort of deific being came out of nowhere to specifically be a saving grace for Lindon.

Speaking of Lindon, I am interested in where he ends up, but that solely is because I'm a sucker for these underdog stories in general; Lindon being an underdog was frankly the only thing about him that garnered any investment out of me. He essentially cheats his way to the top, and the resourcefulness needed for doing so is quite admirable in itself I guess, but really, no one else ever thought of these loopholes other than him? And going back to my previous point, the magic always seemed to assist him in a way that felt convenient. It was just so painfully obvious to me that Lindon was getting through most of the hurdles he encountered because he's the main character. Once again, the plot armor was too heavy.

Again, I see a lot of potential with this first book because I think the magic can be fleshed out further so that it makes more sense, and I also see room for improvement with Lindon's characterization. I hope the next installments fare better for me.

2.00/5.00

Dissappointing start to a series that I have received a lot of hype on. Progression fantasy is one of my favorite genres to listen to. I prefer reading books in general, but progression fantasy is one genre where I can just listen to the audiobook and be happy about it. While the character work in this book is impressive, the prose, the plot, and most importantly the worldbuilding is dissapointing. The book has some dark vibes in terms of the cultural worldbuilding that I found hard to digest. It was strangely reminiscent of Dark Academy books, which is problematic. The plot is interesting but fails spectacularly to deliver. I will try a few more Cradle book before I decide to DNF the series.

Emotional Impact -> There wasn't any moment where I actually enjoyed this book. It was okay at best. At least I wasn't bored. Characters -> The main character is more complex than I expected. Some anti-hero vibes, some trauma in him that is done pretty well. But all other characters are pretty basic. The main character stinks of plot armour and mary sue vibes. This needs to change. Plot -> Not that interesting. There is a big twist about 25% into the book, which is so jarring that it feels more like a lurch. And it wasn't very interesting either. Divine intervention from Suriel was predictable and left me wondering what was the point? She didn't really help Lindon much other than show him how weak he is. How is he supposed to carry out this mission ? Why is he more suited to this than other ? Becasue he was brave ? Lindon's sister is also brave and just. She is also a lot more powerful. She feels like a better choice for this mission... Maybe Suriel's motivations are yet to be revealed. The ending was interesting. I will say this, the plot was unpredictable.. just not sure if that is good or bad. Prose -> Barely above average.World Building -> Here are my biggest gripes. The needless, emotionless creulty of the Wei Clan makes me feel nauseous. The author also fails to make use of this environment to introduce moral struggles with his characters. Many of the horrible aspects of this primitive culture are just glazed over and accepted as a matter of fact. No one has any humility ? No Remorse ? No empathy ? ONLY competition ? Why? These people are not struggling to survive. This is not a dystopian setting. It makes no sense.... IT feels a bit YA. The casual cruetly allows the author to shock and raise the stakes for a character we all know has extreme plot armour.

Enjoyable, but not sure I would have continued if I didn't know how many people absolutely love this series, so I'm assuming it gets better in the next books.

I like Lindon, but somehow don't feel particularly attached to him, I do like that he thinks about problems and is not a dumb/running headfirst into problems kind of person.

I also feel like the book either doesn't explains things very clearly or just uses infodumps to catch you up.

I'm curious how the rest of the series is.

If you needed a template for an underdog fantasy novel this is where your search can stop. Unsouled is a typical underdog story. The magic system is well thought out albiet a bit confusing at times. Multiple characters abound and so do multiple POVs. All this just about makes it par for the course. What raises the bar is the world building. The sacred valley is beautifully imagined and so infinitesimal in scale once Suriel is introduced. The scope of the book changes from that point on and you are transported into the iteration. Its fast, its fun, its predictable and its meant to be a graphic novel. Enjoy

I've been into sf/f for a long while, so I knew a bit about the so-called progression or cultivation subgenre. It didn't seem like it'd be for me, but Cradle was immensely popular and was also in my Kindle library, so why not?

I can see the appeal now. There's a very enjoyable arc in certain video games - mostly RPGs, especially JRPGs and MMOs - where you begin struggling in the dirt and then eventually become so powerful you can (and do) kill God and all his angels in heaven.

Cradle distills that idea into literary form. Wei Shi Lindon is deemed an outcast from the moment of his birth, as he is ‘Unsouled' and thus prohibited from training down a path to get stronger. Like a video game, there are ranks and experience points, and Lindon is essentially level-capped at “Wood” rank, far below the next rank of Copper and beneath the notice of Iron or Jade.

Lindon ekes out a meager existence looking for ways to get ahead that the other, more honorable members of his culture look down on. He eventually discovers a type of exploit of sorts: the Empty Palm. This ability is less an attack and more of a debuff, but it's an ability that is uniquely tailored to his skills and finally gives him the edge he had been looking for.

Events quickly turn sideways and Lindon realizes to equal parts horror and delight that his home - the Sacred Valley - is essentially just a ‘starting zone'. Even the strongest people he knows and fears are nothing compared to the world outside. He soon realizes that it's both possible to leave Sacred Valley and necessary if he wants to gain power and avert future disaster.

I found Cradle to be a clever book, dealing with conflicts and themes in ways that you don't often see in most fantasy books. Lindon is an unusual protagonist in that he has zero interest (or indeed, ability) to do anything the ‘correct way'. Everything he accomplishes is via a trick, exploit, or an outright cheat. I'm reminded somewhat of Cugel from the Dying Earth series.

However, I found it difficult to sympathize or even root for him. He's not a starving street rat or humble farmer - he's from a noble family and is a mix of mage and martial artist. He may at the lowest rung on his particular ladder, but it's miles better than most heroes at the start of their journeys.

His isn't struggling to survive or trying to save his kidnapped love or getting revenge on the person to wrong him; his major obstacle in life is that he wants to get stronger but people won't let him because of the rules. I'm not a stranger to shonen protagonists, but while they are often simpleminded in their pursuits of increasing their power, there's usually some other hook to latch onto. I didn't find that to be the case with Lindon.

About the halfway mark the stakes are raised and his motivations shift, but it's a thin justification. It merely gives him a more noble reason to continue what he was already planning to do.

As a book, it often felt amateurish. There were awkward sentences, chapter transitions never felt right, and the metanarrative didn't quite work for me. I found the character writing to be the weakest part as almost every character had the same voice and extremely similar motivations and ideals.

Overall, I liked it and it exceeded my expectations, though they were already low to begin with. I'm unsure if I'll continue on, but I plan to at least read the sequel to see how the formula is shaken up.