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Heretical Fishing #2
Heretical Fishing 2
Power is returning to the world after millennia, ancient constructs are stirring back to life, and one man is doing his best to ignore all that noise.
Fischer has everything he could possibly want in life: a menagerie of cute animal companions, a waterfront property from which to fish, friendships that blossom more and more by the day, and enough coffee to take out a small elephant—or a really large dog.
If it were up to him, he’d spend the rest of his life laying in the shade with Maria at his side, a rod in one hand and a fresh pastry in the other. Unfortunately for Fischer, cosmic forces still don’t care about mortal feelings.
The capital is growing wise to his movements. The cults are still culting. The merchant that provides coffee beans is nowhere to be seen. And awakened beings are popping up like barnacles on the rocky shore. Even his friends have gone behind his back and started a church with the express goal of turning him into a god.
It’s a lot for one man to take on. But thankfully, Fischer isn’t alone. Between his trusty guard crab, an otter that can summon lightning like Zeus, and a bunny that seems a little too fond of roundhouse kicks, he’ll be just fine . . . right?
The second volume of the laugh-out-loud LitRPG adventure series—a #1 Rising Star on Royal Road with more than three million views—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
Fischer has everything he could possibly want in life: a menagerie of cute animal companions, a waterfront property from which to fish, friendships that blossom more and more by the day, and enough coffee to take out a small elephant—or a really large dog.
If it were up to him, he’d spend the rest of his life laying in the shade with Maria at his side, a rod in one hand and a fresh pastry in the other. Unfortunately for Fischer, cosmic forces still don’t care about mortal feelings.
The capital is growing wise to his movements. The cults are still culting. The merchant that provides coffee beans is nowhere to be seen. And awakened beings are popping up like barnacles on the rocky shore. Even his friends have gone behind his back and started a church with the express goal of turning him into a god.
It’s a lot for one man to take on. But thankfully, Fischer isn’t alone. Between his trusty guard crab, an otter that can summon lightning like Zeus, and a bunny that seems a little too fond of roundhouse kicks, he’ll be just fine . . . right?
The second volume of the laugh-out-loud LitRPG adventure series—a #1 Rising Star on Royal Road with more than three million views—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
534 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 9, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
July 15, 2024
First book had a pretty nice balance between story and general slice of life content, this book unfortunately leans heavily into the slice of life stuff and it honestly suffers quite a bit for that reason. Listening to borderline identical food descriptions and manifesting tears multiple times got old fast and honestly didn't do much for me the first time 🤷♂️
At a high level, most of the side characters transitioned away from having interesting personalities and identities and mostly just became another "yes-man" for the MC. While many genres can get away with this happening to a large degree, its honestly a major flaw in a slice of life book IMHO.
My final issue resided in the regression of the MC (likely a personal opinion/read so your mileage will likely vary). In the first book he was confident and completely open/honest with himself and the others around him.... However, for seemingly no reason the dude just kindof turns into what I would describe as a shy middleschooler that is afraid to talk about how he feels.
While I understand why people like this series, its honestly no longer for me.
At a high level, most of the side characters transitioned away from having interesting personalities and identities and mostly just became another "yes-man" for the MC. While many genres can get away with this happening to a large degree, its honestly a major flaw in a slice of life book IMHO.
My final issue resided in the regression of the MC (likely a personal opinion/read so your mileage will likely vary). In the first book he was confident and completely open/honest with himself and the others around him.... However, for seemingly no reason the dude just kindof turns into what I would describe as a shy middleschooler that is afraid to talk about how he feels.
While I understand why people like this series, its honestly no longer for me.
July 14, 2024
I adored the first book for its charm, but the sequel has lost that.
The best way to describe this book is it's like when a young child tells their first joke and they get a big laugh out of everyone but then they keep telling the same joke over, and over, and over again. What was cute quickly became grating.
I got three-quarters of the way through the book and realized there was no point in continuing since I had been skipping whole sections that were repeats of the same scenes, same actions, same reactions, same banter, same everything. The characters all become identical copies of the protagonist and then isolate themselves from the rest of the town in a hellish echo chamber of repeated jokes. If half the book were cut it might have been a fun read.
The best way to describe this book is it's like when a young child tells their first joke and they get a big laugh out of everyone but then they keep telling the same joke over, and over, and over again. What was cute quickly became grating.
I got three-quarters of the way through the book and realized there was no point in continuing since I had been skipping whole sections that were repeats of the same scenes, same actions, same reactions, same banter, same everything. The characters all become identical copies of the protagonist and then isolate themselves from the rest of the town in a hellish echo chamber of repeated jokes. If half the book were cut it might have been a fun read.
January 1, 2025
I'm halfway through the audiobook. I just can't anymore. The first book was fun but a little irritating with all of the scratches of the animals and 'good day mates' but I'm constantly rolling my eyes at everything in book 2:
I can't deal with another 'Goodday mate'.
I can't believe an adult wrote the love story between Fischer and Maria.
The eating of the food and detailed descriptions of people crying after every meal.
The dumb names of the awakened animals.
How cute the bunny and the crab and all the animals are. Everything is so damn cute and getting 'scritches' all the time.
I'll try and finish it but taking a break for now.
I can't deal with another 'Goodday mate'.
I can't believe an adult wrote the love story between Fischer and Maria.
The eating of the food and detailed descriptions of people crying after every meal.
The dumb names of the awakened animals.
How cute the bunny and the crab and all the animals are. Everything is so damn cute and getting 'scritches' all the time.
I'll try and finish it but taking a break for now.
November 18, 2024
This was an OK second instalment of Haylock Jobson’s Heretical Fishing series. The series is a slice-of-life portal fantasy novel with LitRPG elements and a light hearted and humorous approach to the genre.
This second entry in the series was just a direct continuation of what we got in the first book. Fischer’s presence in the fantasy world he found himself in continued to cause havoc, thanks to the fact he was directly and indirectly causing people and creatures to Awaken, all while he just wanted to keep out of the way and live the quiet life and indulge his hobby of fishing!
This was similar in quality to the first book but just not quite so fun. Some of the novelty had worn off and too many awakened creatures managed to lessen the impact of importance of the ones we met in the first book.
We did get some action towards the end of this one and it was weirdly less interesting than some of the low key slice of life moments in the story.
This book did have some fun moments though and was an OK read overall. I’m not sure if I’ll read the third instalment or not. I’ll take a bit of a break for now and maybe come back to it later.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: Heath Miller did a solid job with the audio.
This second entry in the series was just a direct continuation of what we got in the first book. Fischer’s presence in the fantasy world he found himself in continued to cause havoc, thanks to the fact he was directly and indirectly causing people and creatures to Awaken, all while he just wanted to keep out of the way and live the quiet life and indulge his hobby of fishing!
This was similar in quality to the first book but just not quite so fun. Some of the novelty had worn off and too many awakened creatures managed to lessen the impact of importance of the ones we met in the first book.
We did get some action towards the end of this one and it was weirdly less interesting than some of the low key slice of life moments in the story.
This book did have some fun moments though and was an OK read overall. I’m not sure if I’ll read the third instalment or not. I’ll take a bit of a break for now and maybe come back to it later.
Rating: 3 stars.
Audio Note: Heath Miller did a solid job with the audio.
July 16, 2024
Just as much fishing with a little more floundering
With an expanding cast of wacky characters and improbable scenarios, Heretical Fishing carries on with the fun nearly as coherently as the first book.
Haylock Jobson does seem to lose track of the plot there for a while as often happens in second books, but it ends strong with a lot set up for book three.
With an expanding cast of wacky characters and improbable scenarios, Heretical Fishing carries on with the fun nearly as coherently as the first book.
Haylock Jobson does seem to lose track of the plot there for a while as often happens in second books, but it ends strong with a lot set up for book three.
April 14, 2026
I appreciate the cozy / slice of life aspect, but there is only so much repetition of the same jokes, banter and lovey dovey scenes I can take before it gets really annoying. I only skipped a couple chapters but I could have, and probably should have, skipped more.
July 13, 2024
Slice of life book, rich in Aussie-isms, fishing, and surprisingly good plot. Extremely well written and polished, the only major downsides are some slightly repetitive scenes (the meals are very cookie cutter after the first like 3) and the character switches aren't signified well. Overall, it's a pretty lighthearted book that introduced a lot more plot and development than the first book but still doesn't take itself too seriously. Highly recommend.
August 20, 2024
This is a book about relationships between people. Friends, lovers, parents and children... About growing acceptance, and understanding. There is a bit of fighting, and a lot of cultivating, but mostly it's about the relationships.
I love it.
I love it.
July 10, 2024
It was fun read, but reading that they cried every time they eat something new kinda gets old after the 1st time.
June 30, 2026
Despite living in a tropical environment, building a pond in the backyard of a homestead in an arborous environment as well as traveling to various bodies of water there is a stark lack of any amphibian life mentioned and shown in this series so far.
July 16, 2025
Niet uitgelezen
February 12, 2025
Not quite as good as the first one yet still enjoyable. There's not nearly enough fishing and too much orgasmic food eating lol That ending has me wanting to see where things go next for Fischer and friends.
March 30, 2025
Enjoyed the first one more, but it was still highly enjoyable!
April 4, 2026
An extremly cozy story, that seems to be turning into something more. The pacing is extremely chill so you have to like the slow feel good storyline if you want to find out where the story leads.
December 28, 2024
Another great day for fishing.
TL;DR: The skills, prowess, and influence of Fischer grows and with it, so do his friends and adventures. Jobson brings another great story to the table continuing the epic tale.
Fischer is such a dork. It’s odd that I start off a sequel review, especially a five star one, with a complaint, but here it is: Fischer is immature in a painful way sometimes and everyone’s repetitive responses did get to me sometimes.
That being said, it’s still a fantastic book. Fischer grows in every way, which I was overjoyed to see, the adventures and influence grow in all sorts of ways as well. Onto the review.
Characters: The same and new, HJ does a great job finding natural ways for his characters to “grow up.” There were a lot of times I found myself receiving an advancement in character only shortly after I’d thought about it.
Setting: Tropica and otherwise are all fantastic POVs that allow things new and old to prosper. It gets even better when considering the world around this. Gah, it’s beautiful.
Story: Gripping; it’s good stuff. Even the carefully laid out plans are comfortable to follow. I’m delighted it turned out that way and I could be happier.
Writing: Excellent besides the habit of repeating things, but pish posh it will be fine.
I’ve already started the third book and, while this is a drop off from the first one, I have faith we’ll have smooth sailing here.
4.5 🌟
TL;DR: The skills, prowess, and influence of Fischer grows and with it, so do his friends and adventures. Jobson brings another great story to the table continuing the epic tale.
Fischer is such a dork. It’s odd that I start off a sequel review, especially a five star one, with a complaint, but here it is: Fischer is immature in a painful way sometimes and everyone’s repetitive responses did get to me sometimes.
That being said, it’s still a fantastic book. Fischer grows in every way, which I was overjoyed to see, the adventures and influence grow in all sorts of ways as well. Onto the review.
Characters: The same and new, HJ does a great job finding natural ways for his characters to “grow up.” There were a lot of times I found myself receiving an advancement in character only shortly after I’d thought about it.
Setting: Tropica and otherwise are all fantastic POVs that allow things new and old to prosper. It gets even better when considering the world around this. Gah, it’s beautiful.
Story: Gripping; it’s good stuff. Even the carefully laid out plans are comfortable to follow. I’m delighted it turned out that way and I could be happier.
Writing: Excellent besides the habit of repeating things, but pish posh it will be fine.
I’ve already started the third book and, while this is a drop off from the first one, I have faith we’ll have smooth sailing here.
4.5 🌟
June 10, 2025
The series start out as a "beware of chicken"-style subversion crossed with "he who fights with monsters" goof / preachiness. It treats the protagonist like a loveable scamp and contemporary memes / slang as the pinnacle of culture, similar to the first book but by now it has outstayed its welcome by a wide margin. A disappointing second instalment and the trajectory that puts it square out of my wheelhouse
November 5, 2024
Step Two on the Journey to Enlightened Fishing
Like so many other books/series offered in Kindle Unlimited this could use a good editor. It is at least TWO books worth of material, maybe three.
Fisher and Maria take the next step in their relationship. The Church grows and matures. Operation Sticky Fingers. And a new faction is introduced.
Each one of these is a book all its own. Stuffing it into one is a shame. Book two is a crowded book, with much going on. Sadly we miss so much other development because of the rush to push ahead.
One thing that bothers me, and this might be a spoiler. Trent’s physical transformation after he ascends. Apparently his ignorance caused his ugly appearance. Once he has a higher intelligence his appearance is no longer so beastly. I don’t like the implication that ignorance is ugly. I do like the idea that there is more to Trent than meets the eye. He could be interesting in the future.
I enjoyed book two and look forward to book three. See you there!
Cheers!
Like so many other books/series offered in Kindle Unlimited this could use a good editor. It is at least TWO books worth of material, maybe three.
Fisher and Maria take the next step in their relationship. The Church grows and matures. Operation Sticky Fingers. And a new faction is introduced.
Each one of these is a book all its own. Stuffing it into one is a shame. Book two is a crowded book, with much going on. Sadly we miss so much other development because of the rush to push ahead.
One thing that bothers me, and this might be a spoiler. Trent’s physical transformation after he ascends. Apparently his ignorance caused his ugly appearance. Once he has a higher intelligence his appearance is no longer so beastly. I don’t like the implication that ignorance is ugly. I do like the idea that there is more to Trent than meets the eye. He could be interesting in the future.
I enjoyed book two and look forward to book three. See you there!
Cheers!
May 21, 2025
The first book was okay, but this one convinced me that this series was not worth continuing.
Nearly every character (literally) worships the main character, and it is entirely unearned. He is generous, but would easily be the most annoying friend in the friend group. He is not a likeable character at all.
The animals, and particularly the tree spirit, seem like they might be interesting but immediately devolve into wanting nothing but praise from the MC.
Every relationship boils down to the guy saying something, and then their partner flicking or punching or elbowing them.
The author leans heavily into telling and not showing, you will read the line "a deep feeling of contentment spread through his body" like a hundred times.
Ultimately, this feels like the author read Beware of Chicken and wanted to write something similar, but captured none of the charm in the slice of life scenes, or the tension in the action scenes. It's a hollow imitation and you should read the other series instead, it's much better.
Nearly every character (literally) worships the main character, and it is entirely unearned. He is generous, but would easily be the most annoying friend in the friend group. He is not a likeable character at all.
The animals, and particularly the tree spirit, seem like they might be interesting but immediately devolve into wanting nothing but praise from the MC.
Every relationship boils down to the guy saying something, and then their partner flicking or punching or elbowing them.
The author leans heavily into telling and not showing, you will read the line "a deep feeling of contentment spread through his body" like a hundred times.
Ultimately, this feels like the author read Beware of Chicken and wanted to write something similar, but captured none of the charm in the slice of life scenes, or the tension in the action scenes. It's a hollow imitation and you should read the other series instead, it's much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2024
He can uplift insects? Really??
November 7, 2025
Overall a good and fun installment in the series! A little meh towards the first part of this book. But as more characters awaken, my enjoyment spiked!
September 2, 2024
Enjoyable, fun, readable - there are a couple of details that tripped me up just a little in this volume, though, namely the implications of fatphobia (which was present in the first volume, I just hadn't noticed it quite as much) and ableism (as relates to Trent, who is strongly implied to have some kind of learning disability that seems to go away when he becomes a cultivator, so I'm not keen on the suggestion that neurodivergence can or should be 'cured'). I don't think these are deliberate, but they give me just a bit of pause. Then I just kinda skip to the next bit of the story and start having a nicer and more relaxing time again.
August 18, 2025
Still fun, but it is becoming very repetitive now. Everything that happens will happen six or seven times before the end of the story, and every single person/animal is morphing into the same personality. Uless the next book does something differently, it may be the last I read in the series.
June 28, 2026
This one kept me hooked. Get it? 🎣📚😏
The first book got me invested in the characters, but book two does a much better job expanding the world. The fishing club slowly becoming part of the Church of Fischer was a great way to introduce more of the cultivation system and how the larger world operates without turning into a giant lore dump.
The story continues to excel at making Fischer seem accidentally terrifying. He’s just trying to live his life, and everyone around him keeps interpreting his actions as the work of some all-knowing master cultivator.
Operation Sticky Fingers was easily the highlight. Massive reveals, important relics, and the crew stumbling their way into events far bigger than they realize. Everything I wanted from the first book’s setup paid off here.
The best part might be Fischer somehow convincing a hellhound to join the team. At this point, I’m convinced his true cultivation talent is adopting increasingly ridiculous companions 🐕🔥
One thing that surprised me was the romance. After Beware of Chicken, I was worried the relationship would start pulling focus from the story. Instead, it felt natural and earned. It added to the characters without taking over the plot.
The first book got me invested in the characters, but book two does a much better job expanding the world. The fishing club slowly becoming part of the Church of Fischer was a great way to introduce more of the cultivation system and how the larger world operates without turning into a giant lore dump.
The story continues to excel at making Fischer seem accidentally terrifying. He’s just trying to live his life, and everyone around him keeps interpreting his actions as the work of some all-knowing master cultivator.
Operation Sticky Fingers was easily the highlight. Massive reveals, important relics, and the crew stumbling their way into events far bigger than they realize. Everything I wanted from the first book’s setup paid off here.
The best part might be Fischer somehow convincing a hellhound to join the team. At this point, I’m convinced his true cultivation talent is adopting increasingly ridiculous companions 🐕🔥
One thing that surprised me was the romance. After Beware of Chicken, I was worried the relationship would start pulling focus from the story. Instead, it felt natural and earned. It added to the characters without taking over the plot.
August 4, 2026
I'm actually really enjoying this series, it's like listening to a cozy game. I saw some reviews saying that this one didn't hold up to the first but I strongly disagree, it maintains the humor and pacing while adding alot to the world building.
July 24, 2025
It was fine, needed more fishing.
January 15, 2026
I want to live in Fishers world and drink coffee n fish all day
July 20, 2025
Lots of cute tiney creatures.
March 5, 2025
Pretty cheesy/cringey. Did not get better
December 12, 2024
Cosy is a fine genre, but I believe it still needs to be plot driven. There is a plot here, but it is inactive for 80% of the book. Perhaps this style is more palatable in small doses, because I got tired of the good natured bickering and the YA flirting.
The novel had a solid ending, so I may continue with book three. The terrible grammar is doing it no favours though.
PS. The King was written badly. He starts off as a weak assh*le, then becomes somewhat sympathetic when under threat and, finally, is revealed to be a megalomaniac villain. Pick a lane.
The novel had a solid ending, so I may continue with book three. The terrible grammar is doing it no favours though.
PS. The King was written badly. He starts off as a weak assh*le, then becomes somewhat sympathetic when under threat and, finally, is revealed to be a megalomaniac villain. Pick a lane.
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