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The Weirkey Chronicles #1
Soulhome
Series: The Nine Worlds span dimensions filled with wonder and adventure, but for Theo they mean bitter tragedy. For years he resented the betrayal that killed his friends, sent him back to Earth, and made him question everything he thought he knew.
But now, after a lifetime of struggle, he's found a way back to the Nine Worlds. An old man reborn in a new body, he has a second chance to rebuild what he lost and unravel a mystery that spans dimensions.
Book 1: Though Theo arrives in the safe world of Tatian, demons are crawling from the darkness between realms and he isn't the only inter-dimensional traveler. There's no time to carefully prepare himself: he needs to find allies among the lost just to survive long enough to make use of what he knows.
But now, after a lifetime of struggle, he's found a way back to the Nine Worlds. An old man reborn in a new body, he has a second chance to rebuild what he lost and unravel a mystery that spans dimensions.
Book 1: Though Theo arrives in the safe world of Tatian, demons are crawling from the darkness between realms and he isn't the only inter-dimensional traveler. There's no time to carefully prepare himself: he needs to find allies among the lost just to survive long enough to make use of what he knows.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2020
1476 people are currently reading
2138 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Lin
32 books466 followersHello! I'm Sarah Lin and I write various kinds of fantasy. If you want to keep up with my work, feel free to check out the following:
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/dMSw2A
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sarahlin
Blog: http://sarahlinauthor.blogspot.com/
Join either list to get immediate access to illustrations of all my characters, plus bonus content and previews. If you've tried my work, I'd be happy to hear from you!
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/dMSw2A
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sarahlin
Blog: http://sarahlinauthor.blogspot.com/
Join either list to get immediate access to illustrations of all my characters, plus bonus content and previews. If you've tried my work, I'd be happy to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
January 25, 2022
I like my books to make sense.
I like my MCs to take their time establishing their context.
So this guy was Isekaied from Earth. Classic.
His party is wiped by an OP monster. OK
He gets killed by some demon, for a bizarre reason. I'll let it slide.
He wakes up back on earth in a hospital room. OK, I'm interested. He's going to have to adapt back, experience culture shock, struggle to fit into his own life, confused if it was all a dream... I was gearing up to enjoy that phase.
But it never happened.
Next thing I know, MC is back in Isekai, we don't even get to see how, after the grandmother of all time skips (like 40 years). And he's gung-ho to get "revenge", as if he left just yesterday.
I'm like WTF?.
Author? Don't you know what makes characters interesting?
Because I don't give a damn about this guy right now. On the contrary, he's already pissing me off.
Uh uh. I don't do that.
Next!
I like my MCs to take their time establishing their context.
So this guy was Isekaied from Earth. Classic.
His party is wiped by an OP monster. OK
He gets killed by some demon, for a bizarre reason. I'll let it slide.
He wakes up back on earth in a hospital room. OK, I'm interested. He's going to have to adapt back, experience culture shock, struggle to fit into his own life, confused if it was all a dream... I was gearing up to enjoy that phase.
But it never happened.
Next thing I know, MC is back in Isekai, we don't even get to see how, after the grandmother of all time skips (like 40 years). And he's gung-ho to get "revenge", as if he left just yesterday.
I'm like WTF?.
Author? Don't you know what makes characters interesting?
Because I don't give a damn about this guy right now. On the contrary, he's already pissing me off.
Uh uh. I don't do that.
Next!
January 4, 2021
Interesting premise, poor execution
Beginnings are important, especially for books. It sets the stage and, hopefully, hooks the reader. Unfortunately, this book starts off a complete mess. First, there is a cast of bizarre characters from alien worlds with their internal drama to sift through. Then there are several arcane concepts thrown around with no context or point of reference. If this isn’t confusing enough, the main character is immediately killed and returned to Earth. Strike one.
By the start of the first chapter, over FORTY YEARS have passed. Okay, maybe this story will have an interesting twist with an elderly hero? Nope, the main character’s youth is instantly restored by the very next page with no explanation. He also acts like a surly teenager most of the time for the rest of the book. So, it’s just a pointlessly long gap to add to the confusing start of the book? Yes, except it brings into question his blasé reactions after finding what he was so desperately searching for all that time. Strike two.
While not true for all readers, connecting with the main character is very important to me. Here we have a guy who basically won the multiverse lottery by finding his way back into a magical world, has his youth returned, and is literally given a third chance at life. And yet, he’s cynical and arrogant rather than grateful about his circumstances. This tone really drains the wonder out of the story and makes the main character extremely unlikable. Strike three.
At this point, I was ready to dismiss this book for something better. It wouldn’t be the first time I started a highly rated book only to be disappointed. That being said, I’m a sucker for the reborn theme and I really wanted to see how the soulhome mechanics worked. So, I stuck it out and kept reading. Turns out the mechanics are a twist on cultivation with the soulhome being a more nuanced core. It’s clever and interesting, and I really like the concrete building and visualization aspects. Unfortunately, the author intentionally glosses over many details for the system under the guise that the main character is uninterested in relearning the basics while simultaneously being more a novice than an expert. This makes the system half baked, which pretty much killed my interest in the book.
All that being said, I thought the writing was well done and saw no major issues with the grammar. There are definitely glaring gaps in logic with the story, but the world building is mostly convincing. However, it’s pretty clear that character development is not the author’s strong suit as all the characters and their interactions feel slightly off. Also, the author was going for some subversion of expectations with the reborn theme and main character, which I did not enjoy at all. So while the story has some decent bones once it gets started, I give it a 2.5 out 5 based on all the flaws.
Beginnings are important, especially for books. It sets the stage and, hopefully, hooks the reader. Unfortunately, this book starts off a complete mess. First, there is a cast of bizarre characters from alien worlds with their internal drama to sift through. Then there are several arcane concepts thrown around with no context or point of reference. If this isn’t confusing enough, the main character is immediately killed and returned to Earth. Strike one.
By the start of the first chapter, over FORTY YEARS have passed. Okay, maybe this story will have an interesting twist with an elderly hero? Nope, the main character’s youth is instantly restored by the very next page with no explanation. He also acts like a surly teenager most of the time for the rest of the book. So, it’s just a pointlessly long gap to add to the confusing start of the book? Yes, except it brings into question his blasé reactions after finding what he was so desperately searching for all that time. Strike two.
While not true for all readers, connecting with the main character is very important to me. Here we have a guy who basically won the multiverse lottery by finding his way back into a magical world, has his youth returned, and is literally given a third chance at life. And yet, he’s cynical and arrogant rather than grateful about his circumstances. This tone really drains the wonder out of the story and makes the main character extremely unlikable. Strike three.
At this point, I was ready to dismiss this book for something better. It wouldn’t be the first time I started a highly rated book only to be disappointed. That being said, I’m a sucker for the reborn theme and I really wanted to see how the soulhome mechanics worked. So, I stuck it out and kept reading. Turns out the mechanics are a twist on cultivation with the soulhome being a more nuanced core. It’s clever and interesting, and I really like the concrete building and visualization aspects. Unfortunately, the author intentionally glosses over many details for the system under the guise that the main character is uninterested in relearning the basics while simultaneously being more a novice than an expert. This makes the system half baked, which pretty much killed my interest in the book.
All that being said, I thought the writing was well done and saw no major issues with the grammar. There are definitely glaring gaps in logic with the story, but the world building is mostly convincing. However, it’s pretty clear that character development is not the author’s strong suit as all the characters and their interactions feel slightly off. Also, the author was going for some subversion of expectations with the reborn theme and main character, which I did not enjoy at all. So while the story has some decent bones once it gets started, I give it a 2.5 out 5 based on all the flaws.
August 11, 2021
Fair warning, disregard this if you think you have to finish a book to have any opinion on it. I got halfway through and decided it wasn't worth my time.
The beginning meanders, and the MC doesn't really act like a human in reaction or temperament. There's a forty year timeskip which we're led to believe contained nothing of interest and had no consequences. Then why have it? It's just an explanation to why the MC is such a terrible person, but it actually opens up more questions to his behavior which just makes him seem inconsistent.
It's one of those "jerk mc" xanxia tropes where they grab everything that isn't nailed down. I've seen it many times before, and it always rubbed me the wrong way if played straight (like it is here). Through this we bounce from depressing overtones of powerlessness to scenes of MC acting like a sociopath and manipulating/exploiting others.
It's pretty clear that whenever he helps someone, it's with the explicit intention of receiving something in return (be it assistance or material goods or information). When freely offered an inch of help, he takes a mile. He sees kind people as naive idiots and robs them blind without a second thought.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing for a story, but when the plot centered ENTIRELY around one guy and I realized pretty quickly that I absolutely hated that guy, all that's left is the descriptions of a magic system which I personally found a little bland for an abstraction.
Some jerk has a house inside of him but nobody can go in the house because it's not a real house but it makes him slightly stronger when he puts the crown moulding in? Pass. It's just madlibs of the usual "dantian" and "power cores" that are usually found in the genre.
I read Lin's Street Cultivation series and quite enjoyed it, as the depressing atmosphere always served as a compliment to the direct metaphor and criticism of capitalism which characterizes the series. I thought it novel to insert social commentary into the overly-tread and hackneyed genre of cultivation. Here, it's just boring. Loads of FREE web novels tackle near-identical premises with greater execution and more interesting characters.
Sorry, this one ain't it for me.
The beginning meanders, and the MC doesn't really act like a human in reaction or temperament. There's a forty year timeskip which we're led to believe contained nothing of interest and had no consequences. Then why have it? It's just an explanation to why the MC is such a terrible person, but it actually opens up more questions to his behavior which just makes him seem inconsistent.
It's one of those "jerk mc" xanxia tropes where they grab everything that isn't nailed down. I've seen it many times before, and it always rubbed me the wrong way if played straight (like it is here). Through this we bounce from depressing overtones of powerlessness to scenes of MC acting like a sociopath and manipulating/exploiting others.
It's pretty clear that whenever he helps someone, it's with the explicit intention of receiving something in return (be it assistance or material goods or information). When freely offered an inch of help, he takes a mile. He sees kind people as naive idiots and robs them blind without a second thought.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing for a story, but when the plot centered ENTIRELY around one guy and I realized pretty quickly that I absolutely hated that guy, all that's left is the descriptions of a magic system which I personally found a little bland for an abstraction.
Some jerk has a house inside of him but nobody can go in the house because it's not a real house but it makes him slightly stronger when he puts the crown moulding in? Pass. It's just madlibs of the usual "dantian" and "power cores" that are usually found in the genre.
I read Lin's Street Cultivation series and quite enjoyed it, as the depressing atmosphere always served as a compliment to the direct metaphor and criticism of capitalism which characterizes the series. I thought it novel to insert social commentary into the overly-tread and hackneyed genre of cultivation. Here, it's just boring. Loads of FREE web novels tackle near-identical premises with greater execution and more interesting characters.
Sorry, this one ain't it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
*** 3.75 ***
December 10, 2020
This is really good, the first western take on "progression fantasy" outside of Cradle that I've truly enjoyed (and so far I think it's better)
I already liked Sarah Lin from her other works, which took the conventions of Chinese xianxia/cultivation novels and used them to tell stories that weren't just the traditional plot of a hero getting more and more powerful.
This book seemingly has a more standard plot for the genre but it immediately introduces wrinkles and plot elements that elevate the story above the more generic entries into the genre.
Primarily the choice to have an older protagonist, embittered by past failure, is fantastic. Power fantasy often struggles to create a protagonist that is interesting and it often feels like you're reading from the perspective of the most boring character in the world but that isn't the case here.
I also love the choice to have a main villain established immediately, really turns the novel from a power fantasy into more of a traditional epic fantasy as it feels like our hero is up against a nearly unfathomable force.
I already liked Sarah Lin from her other works, which took the conventions of Chinese xianxia/cultivation novels and used them to tell stories that weren't just the traditional plot of a hero getting more and more powerful.
This book seemingly has a more standard plot for the genre but it immediately introduces wrinkles and plot elements that elevate the story above the more generic entries into the genre.
Primarily the choice to have an older protagonist, embittered by past failure, is fantastic. Power fantasy often struggles to create a protagonist that is interesting and it often feels like you're reading from the perspective of the most boring character in the world but that isn't the case here.
I also love the choice to have a main villain established immediately, really turns the novel from a power fantasy into more of a traditional epic fantasy as it feels like our hero is up against a nearly unfathomable force.
December 25, 2020
Fun and interesting ride, but flawed if you think about it too much
The world is interesting, the characters.... well they aren’t fleshed out enough yet, so that is still in the air.
Overall, an entertaining read, but not very deep. I will be picking the next one.
Minor spoilers from here:
The main character is a bit weird, basically an old obsessive tsunadre. A bit creepy and unreasonable in a mature person.
Supposedly he is 60 years old, but it doesn’t feel like that, in spite the fact him being an old man is actually a plot point. He behaves nothing like I would expect from an older person and is in no way self aware. Maybe he is just kind of dumb, I’m used to smarter characters, but he also lacks wisdom and common sense.
The plot twist about his original blueprint was pretty obvious quite early in the book and should have been obvious to the expert. Maybe this was supposed to show his blinding obsession, but I didn’t really feel that. He feels like someone who should have had a drinking problem, but he didn’t.
Also, from the bit we learn about him, he is kind of an ass and not in a charming kind of way. There is a woman whose life he seems to have ruined back on Earth. Why did he even marry a woman on a world he decided to abandon beforehand ? This might be clarified in the next books.
His previous knowledge seems almost pointless as well. It is a bit weird the best plan he had after planning for 40 years and having the knowledge from reaching a higher level than a “living god” was worse than a random school setup he dropped into.
He also seems to have had no interest in understanding when he is, what happened in the meantime and etc. Did 40 years pass in The Nine or 400 or 40 seconds ? Neither of us knows. Seems unreasonable to me. What if the B chick survived ? If not, why not approach the relatives of his friends to tell them what happened ? Why not look for friends from his past life ? Did he have only three friends ? He is kind of an ass...
The world is interesting, the characters.... well they aren’t fleshed out enough yet, so that is still in the air.
Overall, an entertaining read, but not very deep. I will be picking the next one.
Minor spoilers from here:
The main character is a bit weird, basically an old obsessive tsunadre. A bit creepy and unreasonable in a mature person.
Supposedly he is 60 years old, but it doesn’t feel like that, in spite the fact him being an old man is actually a plot point. He behaves nothing like I would expect from an older person and is in no way self aware. Maybe he is just kind of dumb, I’m used to smarter characters, but he also lacks wisdom and common sense.
The plot twist about his original blueprint was pretty obvious quite early in the book and should have been obvious to the expert. Maybe this was supposed to show his blinding obsession, but I didn’t really feel that. He feels like someone who should have had a drinking problem, but he didn’t.
Also, from the bit we learn about him, he is kind of an ass and not in a charming kind of way. There is a woman whose life he seems to have ruined back on Earth. Why did he even marry a woman on a world he decided to abandon beforehand ? This might be clarified in the next books.
His previous knowledge seems almost pointless as well. It is a bit weird the best plan he had after planning for 40 years and having the knowledge from reaching a higher level than a “living god” was worse than a random school setup he dropped into.
He also seems to have had no interest in understanding when he is, what happened in the meantime and etc. Did 40 years pass in The Nine or 400 or 40 seconds ? Neither of us knows. Seems unreasonable to me. What if the B chick survived ? If not, why not approach the relatives of his friends to tell them what happened ? Why not look for friends from his past life ? Did he have only three friends ? He is kind of an ass...
June 13, 2021
4.25/5
Okay, this one is goddamn fun! To summarise, it's Will Wight's Traveler's Gate-style isekai meets Three Little Pigs-style cultivation.
Joking aside, this book is basically a cultivation/portal fantasy with a focus on base-building and character-building. While this book is not one of those litRPGs with hard game elements, Sarah Lin boasts one of the coolest cultivation/magic systems in this one.
And before I lose you at 'magic systems' please bear with me.
The thing I like about Sarah Lin's books (meaning The Brightest Shadow series and this one), is that her magic systems are so organically enmeshed with the worlds and the characters; especially how a character's worldview and life experience manifest as their powers.
In Nine Worlds, magic practitioners (dubbed as Crafters) built soulhome, a magic building inside their inner world. Each room in the building served a specific function, like increasing agility, boosting strength, or wielding a magic armament. One's capabilities were the reflection of how well they plan the rooms of the soulhome. As they progressed, they would add more rooms and eventually floors, ascending to the next tiers of power.
This resembles the dynamics of min-maxing character's build in a game with The Sims-style house design. However, Sarah Lin kept the developments organic and loose enough, as more focus was given to the 'themes' of those soulhomes rather than hard numbers and stats.
The Bitter Second Chance
Enter Theo, our protagonist of this story. Unlike the usual isekai protagonists, this was not the first time he visited the Nine Worlds. After the catastrophe in his previous adventure, Theo was sent back to earth. After 40 years of searching, he finally managed to return with a clean blank slate, planning to build his perfect soulhome from scratch.
However, starting anew was still a massive undertaking. Despite his experiences, Theo still needed resources to rebuild his soulhome, and his 40 years back on earth might have changed his worldview... Now an embittered old man in a young man's body, Theo trusted a little. Revenge was his main priority and he was not there to make friends.
Now, I've read other reviews and it's fair that an unlikeable protagonist like Theo might turn some readers off. Not to mention that we still lack context about what he had done during his 40 years on earth. Personally, I am not really a big character reader, so I wasn't that bothered. It also helped that Theo still had some goodness in him despite his overwhelming cynicism, and if The Brightest Shadow is any indication, I believe he still got a lot of room for character growth in the future along with more elaborations on his past.
I think my main issue with this book was its pacing. Don't get me wrong, I love both slow burners and page-turners, but this book was a bit unbalanced. The middle part was a bit meandering with a somewhat long tournament arc while the last 15-20% was absolutely frantic, where a lot of important things happened in a day.
Conclusion
Combining cultivation, progression fantasy, portal fantasy, and base-building; Soulhome is a new genre blender series suitable for the fans of Cradle, The Traveler's Gate, and Arcane Ascension.
Okay, this one is goddamn fun! To summarise, it's Will Wight's Traveler's Gate-style isekai meets Three Little Pigs-style cultivation.
Joking aside, this book is basically a cultivation/portal fantasy with a focus on base-building and character-building. While this book is not one of those litRPGs with hard game elements, Sarah Lin boasts one of the coolest cultivation/magic systems in this one.
And before I lose you at 'magic systems' please bear with me.
The thing I like about Sarah Lin's books (meaning The Brightest Shadow series and this one), is that her magic systems are so organically enmeshed with the worlds and the characters; especially how a character's worldview and life experience manifest as their powers.
In Nine Worlds, magic practitioners (dubbed as Crafters) built soulhome, a magic building inside their inner world. Each room in the building served a specific function, like increasing agility, boosting strength, or wielding a magic armament. One's capabilities were the reflection of how well they plan the rooms of the soulhome. As they progressed, they would add more rooms and eventually floors, ascending to the next tiers of power.
This resembles the dynamics of min-maxing character's build in a game with The Sims-style house design. However, Sarah Lin kept the developments organic and loose enough, as more focus was given to the 'themes' of those soulhomes rather than hard numbers and stats.
The Bitter Second Chance
Enter Theo, our protagonist of this story. Unlike the usual isekai protagonists, this was not the first time he visited the Nine Worlds. After the catastrophe in his previous adventure, Theo was sent back to earth. After 40 years of searching, he finally managed to return with a clean blank slate, planning to build his perfect soulhome from scratch.
However, starting anew was still a massive undertaking. Despite his experiences, Theo still needed resources to rebuild his soulhome, and his 40 years back on earth might have changed his worldview... Now an embittered old man in a young man's body, Theo trusted a little. Revenge was his main priority and he was not there to make friends.
Now, I've read other reviews and it's fair that an unlikeable protagonist like Theo might turn some readers off. Not to mention that we still lack context about what he had done during his 40 years on earth. Personally, I am not really a big character reader, so I wasn't that bothered. It also helped that Theo still had some goodness in him despite his overwhelming cynicism, and if The Brightest Shadow is any indication, I believe he still got a lot of room for character growth in the future along with more elaborations on his past.
I think my main issue with this book was its pacing. Don't get me wrong, I love both slow burners and page-turners, but this book was a bit unbalanced. The middle part was a bit meandering with a somewhat long tournament arc while the last 15-20% was absolutely frantic, where a lot of important things happened in a day.
Conclusion
Combining cultivation, progression fantasy, portal fantasy, and base-building; Soulhome is a new genre blender series suitable for the fans of Cradle, The Traveler's Gate, and Arcane Ascension.
December 18, 2020
This book started out as a 3 star for me, but a few hours later, as I flipped the last page of the story and realized it had been a single-sit book, I realized that this was a solid 4-star book.
Sarah Lin continues to come up with stories that are tangential to what the currents trends are, making it for an uncomfortable start, but a really engaging story.
There are a few things that I might've done differently in this book, but I'm not the author so I'm just along for the ride.
Sarah Lin continues to come up with stories that are tangential to what the currents trends are, making it for an uncomfortable start, but a really engaging story.
There are a few things that I might've done differently in this book, but I'm not the author so I'm just along for the ride.
March 13, 2021
I have read everything else by Sarah Lin and was really excited to read this since I loved her other stuff. However I feel that this ended up being rather disapointing. While the magic and setting are really unique and interesting, the plot is not great and several major decisions made by the characters seem rather contrived...
Spoilers:
For the first book, throughout the majority of the story, the primary stakes/goal involves winning a competition to get certain high level soulcrafting materials, this is especially important to one of the characters (nauda) who seems intensely motivated to obtain them and become an archcrafter. However, in the end it doesn't matter at all because the plot suddenly takes a huge seemingly unnecessary left turn. The main 3 characters become embroiled in an attempt to stop the 'badguy' from stealing some soulcrafting materials (unrelated to the competition). The materials being targeted are locked away, helping no one, they belong to an elite governmental entity that seems to have entirely forgotten about them and can easily afford the loss. Its a nearly victimless crime. But the crew decide to get involved for seemingly no reason, especially since doing so would seem to be antithetical to many of their goals (like laying low) and the 'badguy' doesn't really do anything bad until the crew actually start trying to foil his plans. In the end, their interference accomplishes nothing, they do not manage to stop the theft and instead only manage to kill a bunch of the 'badguys' pawns i.e. people being manipulated by the 'badguy' and are essentially just victims in their own right. The cache of materials being stolen is actually a trap and 'badguy' gets killed, but it seems to alert the 'authorities' that there are earthlings (like the mc and the 'badguy') in the area and so the main crew need to get out of there...even though the competition still seems to be ongoing and the search for earthlings doesn't seem like it affects either of the other 2 main characters. Of the MCs 2 allies, neither seem to have much incentive to join the MC and abandon the free resources and help that they would get by just sticking around. One could argue that they don't want to abandon him, but its never really stated and feels weird. There's also an odd part where a character asks the MC for a way to use an ancient weapon he inherited but is too weak to use. The MC says that its impossible without first getting way more powerful, and then the 'badguy' helps this person instead by just showing him how to devote his entire soulhouse into supporting the weapon...Its never really mentioned how such an obvious seeming solution would have been missed by the MC...All of this feels rather contrived and unjustified. It seems like it occured because thats what was needed for the plot to happen, not because the characters would actually make those actions.
In summary, I think the world and magic are really interesting but the plot and character decisions didn't really make much sense.
Spoilers:
For the first book, throughout the majority of the story, the primary stakes/goal involves winning a competition to get certain high level soulcrafting materials, this is especially important to one of the characters (nauda) who seems intensely motivated to obtain them and become an archcrafter. However, in the end it doesn't matter at all because the plot suddenly takes a huge seemingly unnecessary left turn. The main 3 characters become embroiled in an attempt to stop the 'badguy' from stealing some soulcrafting materials (unrelated to the competition). The materials being targeted are locked away, helping no one, they belong to an elite governmental entity that seems to have entirely forgotten about them and can easily afford the loss. Its a nearly victimless crime. But the crew decide to get involved for seemingly no reason, especially since doing so would seem to be antithetical to many of their goals (like laying low) and the 'badguy' doesn't really do anything bad until the crew actually start trying to foil his plans. In the end, their interference accomplishes nothing, they do not manage to stop the theft and instead only manage to kill a bunch of the 'badguys' pawns i.e. people being manipulated by the 'badguy' and are essentially just victims in their own right. The cache of materials being stolen is actually a trap and 'badguy' gets killed, but it seems to alert the 'authorities' that there are earthlings (like the mc and the 'badguy') in the area and so the main crew need to get out of there...even though the competition still seems to be ongoing and the search for earthlings doesn't seem like it affects either of the other 2 main characters. Of the MCs 2 allies, neither seem to have much incentive to join the MC and abandon the free resources and help that they would get by just sticking around. One could argue that they don't want to abandon him, but its never really stated and feels weird. There's also an odd part where a character asks the MC for a way to use an ancient weapon he inherited but is too weak to use. The MC says that its impossible without first getting way more powerful, and then the 'badguy' helps this person instead by just showing him how to devote his entire soulhouse into supporting the weapon...Its never really mentioned how such an obvious seeming solution would have been missed by the MC...All of this feels rather contrived and unjustified. It seems like it occured because thats what was needed for the plot to happen, not because the characters would actually make those actions.
In summary, I think the world and magic are really interesting but the plot and character decisions didn't really make much sense.
April 26, 2021
Interesting new magic system, characters that struggle and are complex
While certainly a riff on existing themes, this book has interesting characters with complex motivations, a magic system that feels fresh and unique, and I hit the last page sincerely hoping that there was more.
I particularly enjoy Sarah Lin’s commitment to characters that have power, but are not indomitable. They have impact, but have to make difficult and meaningful decisions, they can’t have everything. I am not above reading fluffy books full of wish fulfillment, but Lins books feel like a hearty meal in comparison.
While certainly a riff on existing themes, this book has interesting characters with complex motivations, a magic system that feels fresh and unique, and I hit the last page sincerely hoping that there was more.
I particularly enjoy Sarah Lin’s commitment to characters that have power, but are not indomitable. They have impact, but have to make difficult and meaningful decisions, they can’t have everything. I am not above reading fluffy books full of wish fulfillment, but Lins books feel like a hearty meal in comparison.
March 16, 2022
This is one of those books I just find really easy to read. It's right in my comfort reading space, so I find it easy to just kind of snuggle up with it and have a nice time. I think if I were thinking more critically about it I could come up with a few things that don't quite work, but I don't really read this genre to be critical, so... *shrugs*. I enjoyed this one enough to pick up the sequel straight away, so I think that just about sums up my experience.
February 3, 2022
i really wanted to like this one. there's travel between worlds! progression! second chances! revenge! but the reality ... was an actual slog to get through.
the ideas had great potential: the notion of the soulhome is pretty cool, .
i think where this book falters is that all the cool ideas are unsupported by the writing, which feels unpolished and tbh, could use a serious overhaul from a copy editor.
characters are a problem. theo's inner monologue is painfully clunky. his is mentioned and emphasised on multiple occasions, but with very little actual behaviour to back it up. his but i struggled to take this seriously, because of the choice to gloss over . this was a major disservice to his character, and it robbed his suffering of any weight and his quest for of any meaning.
the other characters don't fare much better, unfortunately. the interactions between the characters are clumsy and frequently, the writing tries to force depth that it hasn't earned. specifically, .
for the plot/pacing, i think there was a very conspicuous lack of tension. this isn't necessarily a bad thing in a story, but in this particular story, it's not a good look :/
it's a couple of things:
ultimately, i think perhaps this story spread itself too thin in some areas, but not thin enough elsewhere. my favourite parts were when theo was by himself, exploring and building his soulhome (and really, this ought to have formed the bulk of the book).
but then he stops. and then he goes to speak with other characters and interact with the world and ruminate on being a bitter old man, and all the flaws in the writing rush back and kick me out of the story.
the ideas had great potential: the notion of the soulhome is pretty cool, .
i think where this book falters is that all the cool ideas are unsupported by the writing, which feels unpolished and tbh, could use a serious overhaul from a copy editor.
characters are a problem. theo's inner monologue is painfully clunky. his is mentioned and emphasised on multiple occasions, but with very little actual behaviour to back it up. his but i struggled to take this seriously, because of the choice to gloss over . this was a major disservice to his character, and it robbed his suffering of any weight and his quest for of any meaning.
the other characters don't fare much better, unfortunately. the interactions between the characters are clumsy and frequently, the writing tries to force depth that it hasn't earned. specifically, .
for the plot/pacing, i think there was a very conspicuous lack of tension. this isn't necessarily a bad thing in a story, but in this particular story, it's not a good look :/
it's a couple of things:
ultimately, i think perhaps this story spread itself too thin in some areas, but not thin enough elsewhere. my favourite parts were when theo was by himself, exploring and building his soulhome (and really, this ought to have formed the bulk of the book).
but then he stops. and then he goes to speak with other characters and interact with the world and ruminate on being a bitter old man, and all the flaws in the writing rush back and kick me out of the story.
April 22, 2022
I DNF'd this about 1/4 way through. The beginning was a sloppy mess full or random chaos that was more irritating than interesting. The prologue was alone enough to have me ready to drop the book.
But hey, sometimes a slow start can lead to great places.... But then, after 40 years being stuck back on miserable/loathsome Earth, we're told that the MC is hell bent for revenge. We have no sense of this time passage or a build up of hatred and revenge, just POOF and he's back in some isakei universe with what feels like a village of Munchkins out to bugger some creature that lied to him (OH THE HORROR!) Personally, I didn't feel the lie was all that big-a-deal and the MC got way more than he could have hoped for. This book would probably be a good read on 'shrooms or some other psychedelic as it surely felt that it was written that way.
But hey, sometimes a slow start can lead to great places.... But then, after 40 years being stuck back on miserable/loathsome Earth, we're told that the MC is hell bent for revenge. We have no sense of this time passage or a build up of hatred and revenge, just POOF and he's back in some isakei universe with what feels like a village of Munchkins out to bugger some creature that lied to him (OH THE HORROR!) Personally, I didn't feel the lie was all that big-a-deal and the MC got way more than he could have hoped for. This book would probably be a good read on 'shrooms or some other psychedelic as it surely felt that it was written that way.
January 2, 2022
A fifth of the way in and I know nothing of the main character of what is happening.
This is meant to be a complex world state with a sudden introduction that allows for a slow comprehension of what is occurring. It fails to deliver due to a complete lack of an introduction of anything that could be considered a plot. By the time you gather what is happening, you just don't care.
This is meant to be a complex world state with a sudden introduction that allows for a slow comprehension of what is occurring. It fails to deliver due to a complete lack of an introduction of anything that could be considered a plot. By the time you gather what is happening, you just don't care.
January 4, 2021
A fresh take on portal/reincarntion xianxia.
Much like the Street Cultivation series, Sarah Lin continues to provide fresh, unique and innovative expressions of xianxia/cultivation tropes in this book. Highly reccomended.
Much like the Street Cultivation series, Sarah Lin continues to provide fresh, unique and innovative expressions of xianxia/cultivation tropes in this book. Highly reccomended.
June 11, 2021
Interesting method of cultivation in this book. I personally would be hard pressed to call it LitRPG, since the only thing that even hints at levels and improvement is the tiers of the soul crafting capabilities, of which we didn't get much insight into during the story, other than to layout the basic progression, but there doesn't seem to be any clear cut progression levels, or solid defined criteria for advancement, so I'm not sure how many LitRPG fans will actually enjoy this one based on it's LitRPG status, though those who enjoy cultivation novels certainly will have plenty to like, and it's unique approach to advancement is enough to draw in those cultivating readers who sit on the fence before diving in. I'd say if you're a pure LitRPG enthusiast, you might want to give this one a pass, but if you're a cultivation fan, this book will give you some interesting reading to be sure.
February 25, 2022
The world building shows promise. I am particularly looking forward to exploring the various world cultures.
Lin is taking a risk with the character arc of the protagonist. By starting with an unsympathetic point of view the reader struggles with emotional investment. There are clear signs of moral revitalization however, so I'm confident the next book will be an improvement.
And finally, the magic system is familiar enough to be comfortable but offers several new aspects that make it seem fresh. I like how the soul home's design and condition are reflected in each person's mystical capabilities.
Lin is taking a risk with the character arc of the protagonist. By starting with an unsympathetic point of view the reader struggles with emotional investment. There are clear signs of moral revitalization however, so I'm confident the next book will be an improvement.
And finally, the magic system is familiar enough to be comfortable but offers several new aspects that make it seem fresh. I like how the soul home's design and condition are reflected in each person's mystical capabilities.
March 1, 2021
Some interesting ideas but very lacking in its execution, especially at the beginning though it sadly doesn't get much better later on.
July 3, 2024
I’ve tried to read this book on 3 separate occasions to no avail. Great concept, but also sleep inducing.
January 6, 2021
Great World Building as always by Sarah Lin
Really cool world building, inventive magic/cultivation/growth system, just a fantastic world that I want to read more of. The main character is not my favorite to start off with, but the character growth is good and I'm looking forward to more. Characters outside the main few are not especially developed, both the main character and author make it clear who matters and who doesn't, but honestly this helps contribute to moving things move along so that I don't really mind. Slightly more fleshed out minor characters would help build the immersion/realism of the world, but the concepts and greater storyline of the book are so good that I'm able to ignore that aspect in my excitement to find out what happens next!
Really cool world building, inventive magic/cultivation/growth system, just a fantastic world that I want to read more of. The main character is not my favorite to start off with, but the character growth is good and I'm looking forward to more. Characters outside the main few are not especially developed, both the main character and author make it clear who matters and who doesn't, but honestly this helps contribute to moving things move along so that I don't really mind. Slightly more fleshed out minor characters would help build the immersion/realism of the world, but the concepts and greater storyline of the book are so good that I'm able to ignore that aspect in my excitement to find out what happens next!
August 22, 2021
Really good progression fantasy.
I caught a whiff of LeGuin here and there, and there is not much that I could say that is more complimentary.
A world traveling progression fantasy that uses the trappings of progression fantasy to look at the larger themes of literature, people from different universes trying to reach toward a meeting of the minds, to understand each other. Nonetheless, the progression plot is unique and absorbing.
I demand more.
I caught a whiff of LeGuin here and there, and there is not much that I could say that is more complimentary.
A world traveling progression fantasy that uses the trappings of progression fantasy to look at the larger themes of literature, people from different universes trying to reach toward a meeting of the minds, to understand each other. Nonetheless, the progression plot is unique and absorbing.
I demand more.
July 19, 2023
This was a really fun take on an Isekai/Cultivator Fantasy. This isn't the story of a starry-eyed hero, but of a man who is returning to a Fantasy world for a second time. He has to overcome a lifetime of baggage as well as solve a few mysteries and decide what he wants and what he is willing to do to get it.
February 5, 2021
Cool cultivation system
Loved it! Such a cool mix of cultivation/city building/soul crafting. Loved the new perspective the author introduced.
At first I didn’t like the MC, but as the story progressed he made more sense and I didn’t mind him so much.
Can’t wait until book 2!
Loved it! Such a cool mix of cultivation/city building/soul crafting. Loved the new perspective the author introduced.
At first I didn’t like the MC, but as the story progressed he made more sense and I didn’t mind him so much.
Can’t wait until book 2!
February 20, 2022
Soulhome (#1 Weirkey Chronicles) is the second series I have read by Sarah Lin. I really enjoyed Sarah’s unique cultivation series, Street Cultivation, and was looking forward to what else she had to offer in the progression fantasy subgenre.
In Soulhome we follow Theo, who has progressed to a high magical level in the nine worlds, as he is thrust back into his body and must start his path from scratch, with the intent to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Soulhome is fast paced and the worldbuilding is on a new level. The magic system is definitely cultivation inspired but also incredibly unique. The idea of building a home inside of yourself for skills and magic set seems obvious and ingenious.
The plot was perfect throughout this first book. My only issue is that we did not get much in terms of who Theo was before he was set back or his time on earth in between. This makes me care less about where the character came from and his loss and lessons along the way. I wish we had got some flashback scenes to fill in what should be there.
The characters are a slow-burn through this first book. I did not actually like the characters until the very end when I suddenly became invested in the future of them as a group
I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up the sequel here soon.
In Soulhome we follow Theo, who has progressed to a high magical level in the nine worlds, as he is thrust back into his body and must start his path from scratch, with the intent to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.
Soulhome is fast paced and the worldbuilding is on a new level. The magic system is definitely cultivation inspired but also incredibly unique. The idea of building a home inside of yourself for skills and magic set seems obvious and ingenious.
The plot was perfect throughout this first book. My only issue is that we did not get much in terms of who Theo was before he was set back or his time on earth in between. This makes me care less about where the character came from and his loss and lessons along the way. I wish we had got some flashback scenes to fill in what should be there.
The characters are a slow-burn through this first book. I did not actually like the characters until the very end when I suddenly became invested in the future of them as a group
I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up the sequel here soon.
June 29, 2022
Unique twist on a magic system, set in an izekai setting.
Whilst the magic system is interesting and certainly different from others, there isn't enough information regarding the rules to understand strengths and limitations. I assume this will happen in future books.
Story overall is a bit jumpy with weeks of progression happening over a page to then spend multiple chapters with little to nothing happening.
Whilst the magic system is interesting and certainly different from others, there isn't enough information regarding the rules to understand strengths and limitations. I assume this will happen in future books.
Story overall is a bit jumpy with weeks of progression happening over a page to then spend multiple chapters with little to nothing happening.
January 19, 2026
Liked it more than I thought I would!; what seems to be my first read of the "cultivation novel" genre.
Concepts are thought-provoking; feels like daoist alchemy translated to western rpg lit. Writing style was a bit YA intitially, but I got used to it.
Overally, very cool.
Concepts are thought-provoking; feels like daoist alchemy translated to western rpg lit. Writing style was a bit YA intitially, but I got used to it.
Overally, very cool.
November 30, 2022
Dnf at 12%
Interesting concept, but i can tell that I will not like this book.
The MC sounds like a complete asshole that sees people as things he can use. How can a person live for 40 years without changing at all?
Interesting concept, but i can tell that I will not like this book.
The MC sounds like a complete asshole that sees people as things he can use. How can a person live for 40 years without changing at all?
March 17, 2025
The book has so much potential, but failed to deliver. Still, it's a fun concept with great, entertaining moments.
I really liked the magic system and the world building-- there's a definite sense of wonder and it's a unique spin on some familiar but not over done concepts. It kind of reminded me of Cradle by Will Will Wight in that way.
I think the largest issue in this book is the way the story was set up. The prologue introduces us to the main character, as a fully developed and already powerful person in the magic realms. It then shows him being betrayed and essentially thrown back to square one on non magical earth, and he must spend the next 40 years merely preparing and searching for another opportunity. The book begins as he finally finds and steps through another portal to begin again, this time more jaded and with revenge on the brain.
The problem with this is that our MC already knows everything. He's already been an expert and he doesn't need learn anything. WE, however, are absolutely in the dark. We don't get to learn along with the MC, and this unfortunately means that the boredom and disdain the MC feels bleeds into the reading experience, in conflict with the sense of discovery and wonder I typically like to experience when reading Fantasy. It makes it not fun when the MC is able to grow and develop.
Don't take this to mean that I have an issue with the MC being jaded, it's more that the set up feels like a short cut that attempts to set the stakes, but it feels hollow and leaves the stakes feeling artificial. There's also a distinct lack of nuance in the character building and relationship work, which I think is likely tied to the set up as well. Despite the MC'e experience and ranting about how everyone around him doesn't have his level of experience, he lacks maturity and understanding. I get why the MC is how he is, but my understanding is based on being told why rather than watching or learning it myself through the book. It's like starting a Marvel movie just /after/ the training montage.
I would have much rather read about the MC's first journey. Or maybe the MC has amnesia and only slightly remembers things or discovered a note he'd written to himself with cryptic notes and a "perfect" blueprint. As-is, it feels like we are beginning at the end.
Craft wise, no real complaints. Writing is straightforward but not in a bad way.
I really liked the magic system and the world building-- there's a definite sense of wonder and it's a unique spin on some familiar but not over done concepts. It kind of reminded me of Cradle by Will Will Wight in that way.
I think the largest issue in this book is the way the story was set up. The prologue introduces us to the main character, as a fully developed and already powerful person in the magic realms. It then shows him being betrayed and essentially thrown back to square one on non magical earth, and he must spend the next 40 years merely preparing and searching for another opportunity. The book begins as he finally finds and steps through another portal to begin again, this time more jaded and with revenge on the brain.
The problem with this is that our MC already knows everything. He's already been an expert and he doesn't need learn anything. WE, however, are absolutely in the dark. We don't get to learn along with the MC, and this unfortunately means that the boredom and disdain the MC feels bleeds into the reading experience, in conflict with the sense of discovery and wonder I typically like to experience when reading Fantasy. It makes it not fun when the MC is able to grow and develop.
Don't take this to mean that I have an issue with the MC being jaded, it's more that the set up feels like a short cut that attempts to set the stakes, but it feels hollow and leaves the stakes feeling artificial. There's also a distinct lack of nuance in the character building and relationship work, which I think is likely tied to the set up as well. Despite the MC'e experience and ranting about how everyone around him doesn't have his level of experience, he lacks maturity and understanding. I get why the MC is how he is, but my understanding is based on being told why rather than watching or learning it myself through the book. It's like starting a Marvel movie just /after/ the training montage.
I would have much rather read about the MC's first journey. Or maybe the MC has amnesia and only slightly remembers things or discovered a note he'd written to himself with cryptic notes and a "perfect" blueprint. As-is, it feels like we are beginning at the end.
Craft wise, no real complaints. Writing is straightforward but not in a bad way.
February 12, 2022
This book explored some pretty fascinating ideas, but overall just missed the mark for me. It could've been amazing, and instead, it was just ok.
The concept of a soulhome is incredibly unique and has unmeasurable potential for worldbuilding; through cultures, fighting style, commerce, hierarchy, etc. The execution of that idea, however, was painfully lackluster. There wasn't enough explanation of the mechanics and base functionality of the soulhome. We glossed over the absorption of the divine materials, and what little detail we got felt half-baked and disconnected to any believable concept. This lack of depth and reasoning spanned the entire length of the story, becoming more and more frustrating as the magic system continued to make less and less sense.
That is my main gripe with Soulhome, but it isn't the only issue, unfortunately.
Characters are the true star of any story; their development, desires, motives, relationships—all come together to create a personality that a reader wants to follow. Theo was not the type of character that I, at least, as a reader, want to follow. He had all this supposed backstory and experience over who knows how many years, but he often came off as a moody teenager; petulant, all-knowing, and antisocial. The two "friends" he made by the end of this book would've been more interesting to follow than him (Fiyu, especially). He was unlikeable, and while not every protagonist needs to be a charismatic knight in shining armor, they must be fascinating enough (whether morbidly or genuinely) to inspire SOME emotion in the reader. The only thing I felt for Theo was bland, bordering on antipathy.
In the end, I started this book with high hopes, endured this book for the promising concept, and will be abandoning this series for its absence of polish or care.
I think this author is talented, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from them in the future, but it would be unfair for me to continue this series, knowing that more less-than-glowing reviews are in store should I continue. The people who like it like it, and the people who don't, don't.
The concept of a soulhome is incredibly unique and has unmeasurable potential for worldbuilding; through cultures, fighting style, commerce, hierarchy, etc. The execution of that idea, however, was painfully lackluster. There wasn't enough explanation of the mechanics and base functionality of the soulhome. We glossed over the absorption of the divine materials, and what little detail we got felt half-baked and disconnected to any believable concept. This lack of depth and reasoning spanned the entire length of the story, becoming more and more frustrating as the magic system continued to make less and less sense.
That is my main gripe with Soulhome, but it isn't the only issue, unfortunately.
Characters are the true star of any story; their development, desires, motives, relationships—all come together to create a personality that a reader wants to follow. Theo was not the type of character that I, at least, as a reader, want to follow. He had all this supposed backstory and experience over who knows how many years, but he often came off as a moody teenager; petulant, all-knowing, and antisocial. The two "friends" he made by the end of this book would've been more interesting to follow than him (Fiyu, especially). He was unlikeable, and while not every protagonist needs to be a charismatic knight in shining armor, they must be fascinating enough (whether morbidly or genuinely) to inspire SOME emotion in the reader. The only thing I felt for Theo was bland, bordering on antipathy.
In the end, I started this book with high hopes, endured this book for the promising concept, and will be abandoning this series for its absence of polish or care.
I think this author is talented, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading more from them in the future, but it would be unfair for me to continue this series, knowing that more less-than-glowing reviews are in store should I continue. The people who like it like it, and the people who don't, don't.
December 16, 2021
Review of books 1-3
I was super impressed with the authors street Cultivation series, so dived into this with good hopes and wasn't disappointed.
Rather than typical premise of cultivating the body to perform above human expectations, this book provides a new and novel way of 'soucrafting' as the means to get stronger. The magic system is based on crafting a 'soulhome' to harness the 'cantae' (mana equivalent) which then provides the physical and magical abilities. The whole mechanics around constructing the soulhome is fascinating and done very well. It also blends the series in a crafting type cultivation book, which is something I've never come across before.
Sarah's expertise in constructing intriguing worlds is again on full display here as we are drawn into the mysterious 'nine worlds' as we follow the MC, Theo. After his first stint in the new realm ended in betrayal, he's worked hard to get back for a chance at vengeance. And now he's back and we get to follow him as he navigates it again anew looking for answers, closure and redemption.
The book also incorporates elements of progression fantasy as we get to see interesting dynamics of power levelling as the characters progress through their arcs. We also get to treated to various social and political machinations as they MC and his thrown together team makes their way to getting to their individual goals. The pacing is a bit slow and we do not get a fast paced edge of the seat action book, but that really isn't the focus here.
Kept me interested enough to read all 3 books back to back and looking forward to the next one.
For more cultivation books/discussions check out the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/culti...
I was super impressed with the authors street Cultivation series, so dived into this with good hopes and wasn't disappointed.
Rather than typical premise of cultivating the body to perform above human expectations, this book provides a new and novel way of 'soucrafting' as the means to get stronger. The magic system is based on crafting a 'soulhome' to harness the 'cantae' (mana equivalent) which then provides the physical and magical abilities. The whole mechanics around constructing the soulhome is fascinating and done very well. It also blends the series in a crafting type cultivation book, which is something I've never come across before.
Sarah's expertise in constructing intriguing worlds is again on full display here as we are drawn into the mysterious 'nine worlds' as we follow the MC, Theo. After his first stint in the new realm ended in betrayal, he's worked hard to get back for a chance at vengeance. And now he's back and we get to follow him as he navigates it again anew looking for answers, closure and redemption.
The book also incorporates elements of progression fantasy as we get to see interesting dynamics of power levelling as the characters progress through their arcs. We also get to treated to various social and political machinations as they MC and his thrown together team makes their way to getting to their individual goals. The pacing is a bit slow and we do not get a fast paced edge of the seat action book, but that really isn't the focus here.
Kept me interested enough to read all 3 books back to back and looking forward to the next one.
For more cultivation books/discussions check out the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/culti...
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