What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mushroom Knight Book 1: The Cube
Mushroom Knights. Powerful warriors at one with the spores. Enemies of the forces of Plague. Mila Hyphala is a junior Mushroom Knight on her first journey away from home, but when the creatures of Plague ambush them, she is separated from the rest of her comrades. Trying to reunite with her people, she discovers something truly terrible, a source of evil power born of painful death, the Cube. As war threatens between two kingdoms, the Mushroom Knights must form a plan to destroy this horrific object, gathering together others to help. Yet the forces of Plague will not sit idly by, sending their terrible creatures and servants across the land to claim their prize.
800 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 4, 2026
I picked up this book from a promotional offer I found on the twittersphere and decided to tackle it. And when I say tackle, I genuinely mean tackle. In the usual sense, self-published fantasy novels rarely crack the 500 page mark and this one nearly doubles it, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I began my quest.
The first thing that got me was the "strange" factor of the story. Strange not in a bad sense, but in a way that I knew this would be unlike anything I had read. Never having even considered the concept of half-mushroom warrior people that used spores as part of a magical system certainly got my attention.
Within a few short chapters I did find that the story settled back into a more familiar track with a group of ragtag misfits going on a quest to destroy a dangerous something of great power, while the family we are introduced to in the beginning is split into quests, battles and things of the like. I genuinely found myself drawn into the character of Mila, the self-conscious mushroom knight asked to do things well beyond her comfort zone with the help of a semi-useless farmboy.
The POV shifts quite rapidly between a number of different characters which I found rather disillusioning, however Massie has really nailed down the voices of his characters to the point that you generally know who is speaking just by the words they use. This is actually something that I found to be quite rare in the self-publishing world and Massie does it the best that I've seen.
The time progression was a bit hard to follow as the battle sequences seemed to stretch for much longer than the cube quest sequences even though they were supposed to be happening simultaneously. We see some great character development during the process, although the rate at which Kand went from digging ditches to a high-ranking army member with skills, talents, and earned respect quite unbelievable, it is all part-and-parcel of a circumstance that is intended to bring out the unknown abilities of ordinary folk. Apart from Mycal, who I found rather flat and uninterestingly perfect, the majority of the characters were well-rounded. There are good characters, and there are evil characters, characters with flaws and characters on pedestals, nothing that really subverts your expectations. We have some terrifying creatures that show up and seemingly disappear for no understandable reason, and other creatures hinted at but never revealed (perhaps book 2 and 3, who knows) which supported my suspicions of a pantsing author.
We have battles, political intrigue, shape-shifting animalistic creatures, and plenty more to tick all the boxes of an epic high-fantasy novel. The rate at which the book moves is not languid, but certainly not a pace where you feel you need to catch your breath. There were probably as many points at which I felt too much action was going on, as there were too many points where we could finish up with the dice game and move on, so I'd say the book as a whole struck a decent balance with regard to pacing. I did feel at times the book was written in a more discovery oriented manner than a clearly thought-out structure, though not in any way that is distracting. The prose is pragmatic, and not overly clever, though not philosophical either. There's nothing preachy, but also no real feeling a larger theme exists beyond that of "evil exists and takes a company of dedicated individuals to overcome it."
I can't say there was enough in this rather epic tale to drive me to pick up the next book in the series, but if someone was looking for a fantasy book that doesn't quite fit the common mold (see what I did there????) this is probably the first one that would come to mind.
The first thing that got me was the "strange" factor of the story. Strange not in a bad sense, but in a way that I knew this would be unlike anything I had read. Never having even considered the concept of half-mushroom warrior people that used spores as part of a magical system certainly got my attention.
Within a few short chapters I did find that the story settled back into a more familiar track with a group of ragtag misfits going on a quest to destroy a dangerous something of great power, while the family we are introduced to in the beginning is split into quests, battles and things of the like. I genuinely found myself drawn into the character of Mila, the self-conscious mushroom knight asked to do things well beyond her comfort zone with the help of a semi-useless farmboy.
The POV shifts quite rapidly between a number of different characters which I found rather disillusioning, however Massie has really nailed down the voices of his characters to the point that you generally know who is speaking just by the words they use. This is actually something that I found to be quite rare in the self-publishing world and Massie does it the best that I've seen.
The time progression was a bit hard to follow as the battle sequences seemed to stretch for much longer than the cube quest sequences even though they were supposed to be happening simultaneously. We see some great character development during the process, although the rate at which Kand went from digging ditches to a high-ranking army member with skills, talents, and earned respect quite unbelievable, it is all part-and-parcel of a circumstance that is intended to bring out the unknown abilities of ordinary folk. Apart from Mycal, who I found rather flat and uninterestingly perfect, the majority of the characters were well-rounded. There are good characters, and there are evil characters, characters with flaws and characters on pedestals, nothing that really subverts your expectations. We have some terrifying creatures that show up and seemingly disappear for no understandable reason, and other creatures hinted at but never revealed (perhaps book 2 and 3, who knows) which supported my suspicions of a pantsing author.
We have battles, political intrigue, shape-shifting animalistic creatures, and plenty more to tick all the boxes of an epic high-fantasy novel. The rate at which the book moves is not languid, but certainly not a pace where you feel you need to catch your breath. There were probably as many points at which I felt too much action was going on, as there were too many points where we could finish up with the dice game and move on, so I'd say the book as a whole struck a decent balance with regard to pacing. I did feel at times the book was written in a more discovery oriented manner than a clearly thought-out structure, though not in any way that is distracting. The prose is pragmatic, and not overly clever, though not philosophical either. There's nothing preachy, but also no real feeling a larger theme exists beyond that of "evil exists and takes a company of dedicated individuals to overcome it."
I can't say there was enough in this rather epic tale to drive me to pick up the next book in the series, but if someone was looking for a fantasy book that doesn't quite fit the common mold (see what I did there????) this is probably the first one that would come to mind.
April 7, 2026
This is a great fantasy adventure, full of great characters, well thought out world building, original magic, and a formidable foe.
It is daunting starting a book of over 1000 pages. Will the plot be worth such a long investment of time? Will the characters be interesting? Why is the book so long in the first place? Once I started, the length made a lot of sense. Massie has created an intricate world with many different countries, each with its own culture and religion, as well as people like the titular mushroom knight who are governed by different magicks, rules, and gods. What’s more, the author immerses the reader in this complex world where we have to learn as we travel with the characters. I love this, and I can see why the story warrants such length. It took me until nearly halfway through the book before I could see how the different threads all came together.
The basic story is divided into three groups. The first group, with the mushroom knights, are on a quest to destroy a powerful evil cube. The second group concerns a soldier fighting for one country. The third group is from the point of view of the Princess of the opposing country. We also see, at times, the corrupted mages seeking to recapture the cube, and the rulers of one of the warring countries. These groups all interact at various stages of the story in interesting ways.
My only niggle is that the pacing for the group with the cube slowed down for a good portion of the second half of the book. Character traits for certain characters became repetitive, the narrative drive appeared to stop, and one of my favorite characters did something so awful to another member of the group that it destroyed them for me. I understand that this instance was to show the differences between the different members of the group, but it was a very serious thing and it was downplayed, leading to a connected incident that what might have been supposed to be played for laughs.
However, the war storylines continue strong throughout the book, and the mushroom knights storyline becomes strong once again in the final quarter. The different challenges and skills of the characters come together for an exciting, action packed ending that had me racing through the pages to find out what happened next.
I liked that the colours for evil were pink and purple. I imagined the corrupted tentacles glowing neon like something from “Color out of Space” (the Nicolas Cage movie).
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
It is daunting starting a book of over 1000 pages. Will the plot be worth such a long investment of time? Will the characters be interesting? Why is the book so long in the first place? Once I started, the length made a lot of sense. Massie has created an intricate world with many different countries, each with its own culture and religion, as well as people like the titular mushroom knight who are governed by different magicks, rules, and gods. What’s more, the author immerses the reader in this complex world where we have to learn as we travel with the characters. I love this, and I can see why the story warrants such length. It took me until nearly halfway through the book before I could see how the different threads all came together.
The basic story is divided into three groups. The first group, with the mushroom knights, are on a quest to destroy a powerful evil cube. The second group concerns a soldier fighting for one country. The third group is from the point of view of the Princess of the opposing country. We also see, at times, the corrupted mages seeking to recapture the cube, and the rulers of one of the warring countries. These groups all interact at various stages of the story in interesting ways.
My only niggle is that the pacing for the group with the cube slowed down for a good portion of the second half of the book. Character traits for certain characters became repetitive, the narrative drive appeared to stop, and one of my favorite characters did something so awful to another member of the group that it destroyed them for me. I understand that this instance was to show the differences between the different members of the group, but it was a very serious thing and it was downplayed, leading to a connected incident that what might have been supposed to be played for laughs.
However, the war storylines continue strong throughout the book, and the mushroom knights storyline becomes strong once again in the final quarter. The different challenges and skills of the characters come together for an exciting, action packed ending that had me racing through the pages to find out what happened next.
I liked that the colours for evil were pink and purple. I imagined the corrupted tentacles glowing neon like something from “Color out of Space” (the Nicolas Cage movie).
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
August 21, 2026
The Mushroom Knight Book 1: The Cube stands out as a refreshingly unique story. It carries clear Zelda and Final Fantasy vibes that keep it familiar and approachable rather than alienating, yet beyond those influences it remains genuinely creative and different. Readers looking for something fresh and innovative should enjoy it.
The main drawback is the extreme length. It feels almost self-indulgent at times and ranks among the longest books I’ve read. Given how the story is set up, it could easily have been split into two books. That length also causes the pacing to slow noticeably in places (especially later on), and certain elements start to feel repetitive. The story sometimes loses momentum and circles the same character traits or situations longer than needed.
Overall a solid, inventive read that delivers on originality even if the page count tests patience.
The main drawback is the extreme length. It feels almost self-indulgent at times and ranks among the longest books I’ve read. Given how the story is set up, it could easily have been split into two books. That length also causes the pacing to slow noticeably in places (especially later on), and certain elements start to feel repetitive. The story sometimes loses momentum and circles the same character traits or situations longer than needed.
Overall a solid, inventive read that delivers on originality even if the page count tests patience.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews