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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
12/26/2020 Notes ~ 3rd Read:
Why did I end up re-reading Vol1 again this year?
Even though I re-read Vol1+2 by audiobook, details slipped by me when I try to remember everything that has happened in the series. A handful of questions kept popping up while I read Volume 7. I never read Vol1 online. I got into the webserial by listening to the audiobook. I wondered if I would enjoy reading Vol1 online as much as I did listening to it. I know more details stick with me when I read vs listening. I managed to read a few chapters before I got busy and defaulted to the audiobook to keep going. One of these days, I'll actually read Vol1.
For those who can't get into the webserial by reading it, I recommend listening to the audiobook because Andrea Parsneau did a fantastic job of making the story come to life by ear. Maybe read along on the website as you listen. If you go completely by audiobook, you'll miss some of the cool things that can be experienced when you read it online. There are interesting author/reader notes and lots of great art.
Stuff to Keep in Mind:
- The twins & Flos are thrown into the mix for a brief moment.
- Dreams are important. Whether it's the phrasing or the dream itself, gotta remember those.
- Character actions are ALL over the place but I liked how all of them deal with a range of situations. I like how Pirateaba is not afraid to show the negative side of things.
- Fals:I think of him being as a nice guy and kind of forgot that he was an ass in the beginning. The kind of man that thinks he is doing the right thing by letting others be mean for a 'cause'.
- Erin & fighting. Ya know, I totally forgot all the stuff that happened right at the beginning. I mean, I remember the summaries but it was a bit shocking to read it and realize how stupid she was and still survived multiple dangerous situations.
- Ryoka is a total brat. It was annoying to revisit this phase in her development. Ha.The magic targeting deal is still hand wavy. Either you can or you can't. The explanation used to reason why Ryoka can't be scryed is a hit & miss. Not consistent.
- Bird:The way he talked during the Skinner fight is not how he talks later. I kinda want to go to the website and see if his dialogue reads like Bird speech or not.
Eventually, I will read Vol1 on the website. =)
Now, I'm more curious to read the rest of the series over again because I realized that it's easier to appreciate the characters now that they're more established in my brain. Goes to show that the series is fun to re-read and not dull on the re-run.
**Editorial updates are always done on the website and ebooks. The most up to date version of the story will always been online.
05/07/2020 Notes ~ 2nd Read:
Top notch narration by Andrea Parsneau! She has a way of making a story better than it is and that's pretty awesome and slightly disappointing because the story may not stand as well without the narration.
My thoughts about the webserial haven't changed. It's interesting to note that most of my responses to story on this re-read was the same as the first time around. Uneven plot progress, chunky POV changes, cool concepts but conflicting execution of given information, etc. This may have been the little push I needed to dive back into Volume 4. =)
12/05/2019 Mini-Review:
4.5 Stars for Narration by Andrea Parsneau (Definitely one of the best I've heard done by her.)
3 Stars for Setting/Plot (Overall Writing)
3.5 Stars for Erin
Rating the Volume 1 at 4 stars because the audio version made the story come alive in a way that did not happen when I tried to read the story on the website. I'm not sure if I would have made it far if I was reading the story in print because the writing is fairly simple. However, now that I have a sense of the world and main characters, I may have enough invested into the series to keep me going. I don't have a lot of time to read print but I'm going to try to read Volume 2 online.
AP definitely made the story fun and added that extra life into the characters and setting that made the story more compelling. Vol1 is over 1000 pages but not a whole lot was established by the end of it. There's a loose beginning and ending to start and finish. The mini-plot arcs were tied up better than the main one in my opinion.
It's like you get caught up in a slice of life story and you like the whole enough to keep going. Fluffy fun with just enough grit and twists to keep you interested. Somewhat like watching an anime and going with it because it's cute. That's how I feel about the Wandering Inn. It's cute.
Why did I end up re-reading Vol1 again this year?
Even though I re-read Vol1+2 by audiobook, details slipped by me when I try to remember everything that has happened in the series. A handful of questions kept popping up while I read Volume 7. I never read Vol1 online. I got into the webserial by listening to the audiobook. I wondered if I would enjoy reading Vol1 online as much as I did listening to it. I know more details stick with me when I read vs listening. I managed to read a few chapters before I got busy and defaulted to the audiobook to keep going. One of these days, I'll actually read Vol1.
For those who can't get into the webserial by reading it, I recommend listening to the audiobook because Andrea Parsneau did a fantastic job of making the story come to life by ear. Maybe read along on the website as you listen. If you go completely by audiobook, you'll miss some of the cool things that can be experienced when you read it online. There are interesting author/reader notes and lots of great art.
Stuff to Keep in Mind:
- The twins & Flos are thrown into the mix for a brief moment.
- Dreams are important. Whether it's the phrasing or the dream itself, gotta remember those.
- Character actions are ALL over the place but I liked how all of them deal with a range of situations. I like how Pirateaba is not afraid to show the negative side of things.
- Fals:
- Erin & fighting. Ya know, I totally forgot all the stuff that happened right at the beginning. I mean, I remember the summaries but it was a bit shocking to read it and realize how stupid she was and still survived multiple dangerous situations.
- Ryoka is a total brat. It was annoying to revisit this phase in her development. Ha.
- Bird:
Eventually, I will read Vol1 on the website. =)
Now, I'm more curious to read the rest of the series over again because I realized that it's easier to appreciate the characters now that they're more established in my brain. Goes to show that the series is fun to re-read and not dull on the re-run.
**Editorial updates are always done on the website and ebooks. The most up to date version of the story will always been online.
05/07/2020 Notes ~ 2nd Read:
Top notch narration by Andrea Parsneau! She has a way of making a story better than it is and that's pretty awesome and slightly disappointing because the story may not stand as well without the narration.
My thoughts about the webserial haven't changed. It's interesting to note that most of my responses to story on this re-read was the same as the first time around. Uneven plot progress, chunky POV changes, cool concepts but conflicting execution of given information, etc. This may have been the little push I needed to dive back into Volume 4. =)
12/05/2019 Mini-Review:
4.5 Stars for Narration by Andrea Parsneau (Definitely one of the best I've heard done by her.)
3 Stars for Setting/Plot (Overall Writing)
3.5 Stars for Erin
Rating the Volume 1 at 4 stars because the audio version made the story come alive in a way that did not happen when I tried to read the story on the website. I'm not sure if I would have made it far if I was reading the story in print because the writing is fairly simple. However, now that I have a sense of the world and main characters, I may have enough invested into the series to keep me going. I don't have a lot of time to read print but I'm going to try to read Volume 2 online.
AP definitely made the story fun and added that extra life into the characters and setting that made the story more compelling. Vol1 is over 1000 pages but not a whole lot was established by the end of it. There's a loose beginning and ending to start and finish. The mini-plot arcs were tied up better than the main one in my opinion.
It's like you get caught up in a slice of life story and you like the whole enough to keep going. Fluffy fun with just enough grit and twists to keep you interested. Somewhat like watching an anime and going with it because it's cute. That's how I feel about the Wandering Inn. It's cute.
I learned about this through a recommendation on a reading group, and I can't stop talking about it. I am very immersed in this world and so invested in the characters. The story, at least in this volume primarily follows Erin- a friendly and optimistic Michigander, brought into a fantasy world. She runs an inn, makes friends and fights monsters, but only if they attack first. It's a fun read. I finished it before I even realised how much I had read.
The Wandering Inn is a web serial and literary version of a role-playing game, which really ought to say all you need to know--except that it is also literary crack. Like a good game, it's almost impossible to stop once you start.
The story begins with a young woman, Erin Solstice, running for her life from a band of goblins. She finds safety of sorts at an abandoned inn and comes to make it her own. The first few chapters are rough by most readers' evaluation, but as the world comes into focus, it rapidly gets more interesting. Like a role-playing game, people in this world 'level' in skills, with their ability to do something successfully impacted by skill level. Some people possess unique [skill]s. Erin levels quickly in [Innkeeping] as she works to make the inn habitable. She's a kind and generous soul, despite the landscape and local denziens attempting to eat and/or poison her. Two beings stop by her inn one night, a lizard-like drake named Relc, and the insectoid Antinium, Klbkch. Both beings are ranking members of the local City Watch, and end up befriending and orienting Erin, tempting her to go to the city for supplies.
There's a rough overarching plot in this book, but not in a way that feels like each chapter advances solidly towards an ultimate goal. In this, it reminds me most of the RPG genre; there may be an end reward or an ultimate boss one is supposed to find and conquer, but it is very easy to be distracted with side quests, explorations, and plain old leveling. To be sure, many of the side stops are interesting, and if they aren't, a new chapter will likely bring another direction.
The writing is a bit rough in the beginning but rapidly improves. By the end, I was getting all the detail I could have wished and more, with very full fight scenes, both physical and chess-related. This is where an editor would have proved very useful, but instead, Pirateaba says, "it's free, just read." I skimmed quite a bit at times, not because it was necessarily bad, but because it was too detailed in an uninteresting way, or it was headed somewhere I didn't especially want to go (not everyone wants to do the same quests, you know). Still, it was riveting by the end, and kept me on the exercise bike an extra 30 minutes. Hurrah!
The characterization is curious. I wouldn't say the characters are flat, a complaint often leveled at the genre. In fact, Erin's moderately irritating, with a surprising lack of curiosity about how the world around her. She often reacts with a, "that's not right," rather than seeking to understand. It's a peculiar kind of mindset that doesn't belong in a traveler, and for the experienced reader, it can grow tiresome. Another main character, Ryoka Griffin appears in an Interlude and can be equally difficult, although in different ways. Although she thinksabout this world, she has a similar tendency to react emotionally.
Will it work for you? Hard to say, but Pirateaba--presumably, a pseudonym--has graciously made it all available for free on the interwebs. Best place to read is here so you can sample it for yourself.
What I've discovered from reading serials, based on Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper books, and this, is that I probably prefer the polished. I don't enjoy the installment structure (I lose the immersion ability and am distracted from week to week), and I prefer the polish that the editing process brings. That said, both Andrews and Pirateba have strong writing ability, and there's something that keeps me engaged despite occasionally feeling like there's too much filler. In fact, I'll say The Wandering Inn series has the edge over the Andrews latest Innkeeper, which is heavily romance-focused.
Pirateaba is up to Volume Five in the series, and puts out installments biweekly. They have a Patreon account, which pays well by all accounts, allowing Pirateaba to do this as a full-time job. Patreons get early access and bonus material, but otherwise it's free, and Pirateaba makes a point of saying so on the Kindle purchasing page. I find this non-marketing intriguing; I can't tell if it is generous or arrogant. I'd much, much rather have a e-book than try to read a story on my computer. I spend too much time with my computer as it is, between work, internet, goodreads and gaming, and it isn't exactly ergonomical or portable. And if I'd pay to become a Patreon, why not pay for a book? The Kindle edition is listed at 1158 pages; definitely not computer-reading-friendly. Anyway, that's my own reaction on the platform. Volume One is available for Kindle purchase--I did--but suspect my interest in following volumes will be limited due to format. I did, of course, start the next to see where it would end. It isn't long before Pirateaba pulls some surprises out of the hat and starts to weave together a few earlier dangling threads. Unfortunately, that means that it's not the sort of story that one jumps in in the middle--everyone's got to start at the starting zone.
Three levels, and making progress.
The story begins with a young woman, Erin Solstice, running for her life from a band of goblins. She finds safety of sorts at an abandoned inn and comes to make it her own. The first few chapters are rough by most readers' evaluation, but as the world comes into focus, it rapidly gets more interesting. Like a role-playing game, people in this world 'level' in skills, with their ability to do something successfully impacted by skill level. Some people possess unique [skill]s. Erin levels quickly in [Innkeeping] as she works to make the inn habitable. She's a kind and generous soul, despite the landscape and local denziens attempting to eat and/or poison her. Two beings stop by her inn one night, a lizard-like drake named Relc, and the insectoid Antinium, Klbkch. Both beings are ranking members of the local City Watch, and end up befriending and orienting Erin, tempting her to go to the city for supplies.
There's a rough overarching plot in this book, but not in a way that feels like each chapter advances solidly towards an ultimate goal. In this, it reminds me most of the RPG genre; there may be an end reward or an ultimate boss one is supposed to find and conquer, but it is very easy to be distracted with side quests, explorations, and plain old leveling. To be sure, many of the side stops are interesting, and if they aren't, a new chapter will likely bring another direction.
The writing is a bit rough in the beginning but rapidly improves. By the end, I was getting all the detail I could have wished and more, with very full fight scenes, both physical and chess-related. This is where an editor would have proved very useful, but instead, Pirateaba says, "it's free, just read." I skimmed quite a bit at times, not because it was necessarily bad, but because it was too detailed in an uninteresting way, or it was headed somewhere I didn't especially want to go (not everyone wants to do the same quests, you know). Still, it was riveting by the end, and kept me on the exercise bike an extra 30 minutes. Hurrah!
The characterization is curious. I wouldn't say the characters are flat, a complaint often leveled at the genre. In fact, Erin's moderately irritating, with a surprising lack of curiosity about how the world around her. She often reacts with a, "that's not right," rather than seeking to understand. It's a peculiar kind of mindset that doesn't belong in a traveler, and for the experienced reader, it can grow tiresome. Another main character, Ryoka Griffin appears in an Interlude and can be equally difficult, although in different ways. Although she thinksabout this world, she has a similar tendency to react emotionally.
Will it work for you? Hard to say, but Pirateaba--presumably, a pseudonym--has graciously made it all available for free on the interwebs. Best place to read is here so you can sample it for yourself.
What I've discovered from reading serials, based on Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper books, and this, is that I probably prefer the polished. I don't enjoy the installment structure (I lose the immersion ability and am distracted from week to week), and I prefer the polish that the editing process brings. That said, both Andrews and Pirateba have strong writing ability, and there's something that keeps me engaged despite occasionally feeling like there's too much filler. In fact, I'll say The Wandering Inn series has the edge over the Andrews latest Innkeeper, which is heavily romance-focused.
Pirateaba is up to Volume Five in the series, and puts out installments biweekly. They have a Patreon account, which pays well by all accounts, allowing Pirateaba to do this as a full-time job. Patreons get early access and bonus material, but otherwise it's free, and Pirateaba makes a point of saying so on the Kindle purchasing page. I find this non-marketing intriguing; I can't tell if it is generous or arrogant. I'd much, much rather have a e-book than try to read a story on my computer. I spend too much time with my computer as it is, between work, internet, goodreads and gaming, and it isn't exactly ergonomical or portable. And if I'd pay to become a Patreon, why not pay for a book? The Kindle edition is listed at 1158 pages; definitely not computer-reading-friendly. Anyway, that's my own reaction on the platform. Volume One is available for Kindle purchase--I did--but suspect my interest in following volumes will be limited due to format. I did, of course, start the next to see where it would end. It isn't long before Pirateaba pulls some surprises out of the hat and starts to weave together a few earlier dangling threads. Unfortunately, that means that it's not the sort of story that one jumps in in the middle--everyone's got to start at the starting zone.
Three levels, and making progress.
As amusing as *parts* of this story were, the writing was undoubtedly an unedited, amateur effort. It was lengthy, meandering, and sometimes extremely repetitive. In addition, the two main characters have one defining hobby masquerading as a personality (chess and running respectively) with essentially no character growth. Erin starts out as a scared, well meaning, industrious girl and that's where she ends up, whereas Ryoka begins and ends as a stubborn, angry, highly principled but self-sabotaging one. Stuff happens, people die, the heroines dig in their heels on whatever, and apparently meaningless levels are acquired (or not). The voice acting was pretty good except that Erin's voice got increasingly annoying over time, but not so much that I stopped listening. This was perfectly fine to zone out to for a hefty number of hours but I wouldn't call it good literature.