What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wandering Inn: Volume 9
“No killing Goblins.”
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.
It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.
In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.
She’s an [Innkeeper].
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.
It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.
In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.
She’s an [Innkeeper].
9596 pages, ebook
Published June 7, 2022
91 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 1, 2023
I've become disillusioned by this series, which kinda breaks my heart. It was so much fun getting a giant bounty of clever plots, deep characters and profound insights twice a week. However, the direction of the series has subtly changed over the past couple years, and my loyalty has been severed fiber by fiber. This is, I suppose, the day the rope finally snapped, and I thought I'd articulate to the best of my ability why my enthusiasm for the series ultimately died.
1. There is a lot of pointless meandering. This is in the spirit of the original writing, but where it once fleshed out the world or moved the plot cleverly, I am reaching the end of chapters and find myself unable to suppress the instinct that I just wasted a couple hours of my life. In the old days, I could start a chapter, wonder if it was going anywhere, then by the end be pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Pretty much every time, too, which endeared me to the series further. Now? No such pleasant surprise. Just an "oh. I guess that was ok." That's not enough.
2. Characters I enjoyed most are being shafted. Remember Pawn? The chapters where he developed a new faith, fundamentally changing the direction and hopes of his entire race, were so profound. Or Rags, striking out into a hostile world and shaping and expanding her tribe using sheer intelligence and grit while, in her quiet moments, wondering if she's sacrificed too much of the goodness from Erin that originally inspired her. Or Geneva, the medical resident that was sucked from our world into a barbaric scene of bloodshed, gathered fellow Earthers under a banner of protection and altruism, and went on to move armies to question the integrity of the wars over which they fight. These people were amazing! I loved every chapter. Now? Pawn is kind of awkwardly thrown in to the story every once in a while, his acolytes bizarre and socially displaced religious fanatics, and is ultimately being replaced as the savior of his race by the moral paragon that is Bird (Bird?? Really?? The comic relief of his entire species?). Rags is just hanging out in the mountains and popping down to throw some goblins at a problem if the plot needs it. Geneva has never had enough screen time in my opinion, but the weird plot points she's been part of lately leave me wondering... Is she even important? Do I even want to know what she's doing anymore? Some of this could be attributed to the fact that there are so many (SO MANY) characters to juggle at this point, but half of the fun of the series was that the author did this exact thing so well (SO WELL). The groundwork for this was laid in volume 8 when the literal main character was thoroughly sidelined. It was temporary, but still jarring, and not in a good way. This could have been mitigated by excellent writing in volume 9, and that first chapter or 2 raised my hopes, but it's gone directly downhill from there. I don't know what the author's doing with anyone anymore, and strongly suspect she doesn't either. I'm too disappointed to keep reading the next chapter - who am I even rooting for anymore?
3. The author has turned into a political activist. It's been clear since at least Volume 5 that the author and I don't see eye-to-eye on some political issues, but I honestly loved that. I like to think seeing nuance and challenges to your current viewpoints ultimately adds to your character, and definitely felt reading the series that I was exposed to new ideas that could ultimately enable personal growth. Now... I'm so tired of being hit over the head with absolutely no nuance. I am increasingly convinced that it is the author's intention to turn all of Innverse into the beautiful utopia of California's political ideal. Anyone with a proclivity toward religious standards is either an evil zealot (especially the Christian Earther who I'm sure is getting his own chapter sometime in the next year) or quietly ignored (Pawn!! Pawn!! and Richard, etc.). The superior morality of the sexual revolution is immediately recognized and valiantly defended by the oldest and wisest of beings. And so on, and so on. This series once had nuance and cultural ingenuity. Now it is a series of political lectures. I'm out.
I could write more. I want to write more. But honestly, I'm just so disappointed. I loved this series. It was so good week after week, boatload of word count after boatload of word count, the impossible ideal of a feast of a web serial that just keeps going and just keeps impressing you. I've continued reading well after I would have normally stopped out of respect for the joy that this series once brought me. But I suspect the glory days are long past, and I should stop wishing for a resurgence.
So long, Pirateaba. I'll check in for whenever Erin reaches her next capstone [Innkeeper] Skills, but my heart isn't in this anymore. I hope the series continues to do well, because you deserve it and have a well-earned loyal fan base. Cheers, and good luck.
1. There is a lot of pointless meandering. This is in the spirit of the original writing, but where it once fleshed out the world or moved the plot cleverly, I am reaching the end of chapters and find myself unable to suppress the instinct that I just wasted a couple hours of my life. In the old days, I could start a chapter, wonder if it was going anywhere, then by the end be pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Pretty much every time, too, which endeared me to the series further. Now? No such pleasant surprise. Just an "oh. I guess that was ok." That's not enough.
2. Characters I enjoyed most are being shafted. Remember Pawn? The chapters where he developed a new faith, fundamentally changing the direction and hopes of his entire race, were so profound. Or Rags, striking out into a hostile world and shaping and expanding her tribe using sheer intelligence and grit while, in her quiet moments, wondering if she's sacrificed too much of the goodness from Erin that originally inspired her. Or Geneva, the medical resident that was sucked from our world into a barbaric scene of bloodshed, gathered fellow Earthers under a banner of protection and altruism, and went on to move armies to question the integrity of the wars over which they fight. These people were amazing! I loved every chapter. Now? Pawn is kind of awkwardly thrown in to the story every once in a while, his acolytes bizarre and socially displaced religious fanatics, and is ultimately being replaced as the savior of his race by the moral paragon that is Bird (Bird?? Really?? The comic relief of his entire species?). Rags is just hanging out in the mountains and popping down to throw some goblins at a problem if the plot needs it. Geneva has never had enough screen time in my opinion, but the weird plot points she's been part of lately leave me wondering... Is she even important? Do I even want to know what she's doing anymore? Some of this could be attributed to the fact that there are so many (SO MANY) characters to juggle at this point, but half of the fun of the series was that the author did this exact thing so well (SO WELL). The groundwork for this was laid in volume 8 when the literal main character was thoroughly sidelined. It was temporary, but still jarring, and not in a good way. This could have been mitigated by excellent writing in volume 9, and that first chapter or 2 raised my hopes, but it's gone directly downhill from there. I don't know what the author's doing with anyone anymore, and strongly suspect she doesn't either. I'm too disappointed to keep reading the next chapter - who am I even rooting for anymore?
3. The author has turned into a political activist. It's been clear since at least Volume 5 that the author and I don't see eye-to-eye on some political issues, but I honestly loved that. I like to think seeing nuance and challenges to your current viewpoints ultimately adds to your character, and definitely felt reading the series that I was exposed to new ideas that could ultimately enable personal growth. Now... I'm so tired of being hit over the head with absolutely no nuance. I am increasingly convinced that it is the author's intention to turn all of Innverse into the beautiful utopia of California's political ideal. Anyone with a proclivity toward religious standards is either an evil zealot (especially the Christian Earther who I'm sure is getting his own chapter sometime in the next year) or quietly ignored (Pawn!! Pawn!! and Richard, etc.). The superior morality of the sexual revolution is immediately recognized and valiantly defended by the oldest and wisest of beings. And so on, and so on. This series once had nuance and cultural ingenuity. Now it is a series of political lectures. I'm out.
I could write more. I want to write more. But honestly, I'm just so disappointed. I loved this series. It was so good week after week, boatload of word count after boatload of word count, the impossible ideal of a feast of a web serial that just keeps going and just keeps impressing you. I've continued reading well after I would have normally stopped out of respect for the joy that this series once brought me. But I suspect the glory days are long past, and I should stop wishing for a resurgence.
So long, Pirateaba. I'll check in for whenever Erin reaches her next capstone [Innkeeper] Skills, but my heart isn't in this anymore. I hope the series continues to do well, because you deserve it and have a well-earned loyal fan base. Cheers, and good luck.
February 25, 2024
Zaudējums kaujā starp Lēdijas Magnolijas savākto un ģenerāļa Zela Šiverteila, turklāt vēl šī leģendārā karotāja nāvi, pāršalc visus šīs fantāzijas pasaules kontinentus, bet sensacionāli traģiskā ziņa neskar nevienu citu tik smagi kā Zela tautiešu sugas dreikus. Šāda tik liela līdera un vēsturisku kauju varoņa nāve nevar būt kas tāds, ko var viegli sagremot un atgūties, lai uzreiz saņemtos un sagatavoties bez šīs personas gaidāmajai cīņai, jo visi var būt droši, ka tāda būs, ka Goblinu Lords bez tādas tā vienkārši kaut kur miermīlīgi nenolīdis. Turklāt vien retais zina, ka Goblinu Lorda rīcību diktē kāds cits kungs un saimnieks – Nekromancers Az’kerash.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
June 1, 2025
"I have run out of regrets."
FICTION WAS CREATED TO REACH THESE HEIGHTS. One of my greatest experiences. It's like a calm breeze after the storm the last vol was. Some of the best moments in the series and a few lows.
There will never be a character that comes close to Erin Solstice after 9.70.
Fate as a theme peaked here and the world and the characters will never be the same after that climax. The hype I have with v10 is crazy
FICTION WAS CREATED TO REACH THESE HEIGHTS. One of my greatest experiences. It's like a calm breeze after the storm the last vol was. Some of the best moments in the series and a few lows.
There will never be a character that comes close to Erin Solstice after 9.70.
Fate as a theme peaked here and the world and the characters will never be the same after that climax. The hype I have with v10 is crazy
May 29, 2024
i almost followed the author's posting schedule. I am very surprised how they still manage to keep up with the writing as demanded by the work itself.
Klbkch was remembered. This was an exhausting volume to go through - hopefully all the violence has come to an end and there is a good reset to this story.
On to Volume 10.!!
Klbkch was remembered. This was an exhausting volume to go through - hopefully all the violence has come to an end and there is a good reset to this story.
On to Volume 10.!!
March 17, 2023
Love the whole thing
December 30, 2023
Still the best thing I've ever read by far. Insane ending to an insane book. Looking forward to the next one!
January 11, 2025
A great rebound after a somewhat weak volume 8. It's back to being amazing
October 23, 2025
quite nice
March 17, 2025
The good: The characters, the story, the background, and the environments are very realistic; the writer doesn't shy away from horrific or revolting scenes, instead of reading through either a happy world where everything will end perfectly at the end of the chapters or a world without consequences of bodily functions. The take on the levels and classes is refreshing, with the first of the main characters being a measly innkeeper instead of the traditionally staple adventurers or warriors. A complex world where everyone has their own thinking instead of being NPCs, where everyone seems to have to have levels to survive, except when we find out that there are beings without levels, and how our levelless second main character navigates the world. And the twists. The writer has a tendency to lead us to one conclusion and then suddenly turn 360 degrees, subverting our expectations on how an event should have progressed.
The bad: The story tends to bloat; both the characters and scope keep getting larger and larger, without having the previous plot points resolve. At one point, there may seem to be a resolution to a whole story arc, only for the readers to be bombarded with the new reveals and questions. Some of the writings are overly verbose, with excessively long descriptions of a state or an object. On the other side of the extreme, the author used uncommon usage of some vocabularies and did not elaborate further, even though in such instances, verbose explanation of the words is extremely welcome; instead, now they leave readers confused. The only saving grace is that some of the plot points have finally been resolved at the end of volume 9, and the author did acknowledge that they did keep trying to write more words instead of doing a more cohesive, compact story, and promised to improve.
The bad: The story tends to bloat; both the characters and scope keep getting larger and larger, without having the previous plot points resolve. At one point, there may seem to be a resolution to a whole story arc, only for the readers to be bombarded with the new reveals and questions. Some of the writings are overly verbose, with excessively long descriptions of a state or an object. On the other side of the extreme, the author used uncommon usage of some vocabularies and did not elaborate further, even though in such instances, verbose explanation of the words is extremely welcome; instead, now they leave readers confused. The only saving grace is that some of the plot points have finally been resolved at the end of volume 9, and the author did acknowledge that they did keep trying to write more words instead of doing a more cohesive, compact story, and promised to improve.
May 17, 2023
Too many goblins! Well… not the great 5 at the inn, just the rest of them.
I am astounded by the fact that the author can write a masterpiece of a chapter on a "unique minded" ant person talking to a bird person about birds, and then write so lazily about other characters like the emperor (and his motives). And more than that, as always there are too many damn characters! And like 60% of them are really not that interesting, so it's ok to read a chapter here and there about them but not 70% of the book… I think I'm struggling with the goblins chapters because of the way they speak with other races and even with each other ("you are smelly and dumb…").
All in all I still really enjoyed it, there is more great than boring in this book, but why oh why should we even need to tolerate the boring for the great parts?
Oh, and Ryoka is back… booo
3.5/5 if you are here you are probably here to stay at this point
I am astounded by the fact that the author can write a masterpiece of a chapter on a "unique minded" ant person talking to a bird person about birds, and then write so lazily about other characters like the emperor (and his motives). And more than that, as always there are too many damn characters! And like 60% of them are really not that interesting, so it's ok to read a chapter here and there about them but not 70% of the book… I think I'm struggling with the goblins chapters because of the way they speak with other races and even with each other ("you are smelly and dumb…").
All in all I still really enjoyed it, there is more great than boring in this book, but why oh why should we even need to tolerate the boring for the great parts?
Oh, and Ryoka is back… booo
3.5/5 if you are here you are probably here to stay at this point
December 31, 2023
It's been a year and a half since volume 8 ended and here we are another 3 million words later. Mainstream author's like Sanderson get applauded for incredible work ethic and fast output, but to put it in perspective Pirateaba has written more in the last 2 years than the entirety of the Cosmere combined.
Anyways, I thought the ending of Volume 8 was awesome and didn't know if it would be topped, but Volume 9 was insane and did it somehow. Sometimes a story needs a good reset to give it new life and take it in new directions, and while at the time the end of volume 7 seemed like it was doing that for Volume 8, (and then the end of Volume 8 was more of a welcome return to form for Volume 9) I think the end of Volume 9 flipped the whole board over to give an interesting direction for Volume 10, and I will be there no matter what !
Anyways, I thought the ending of Volume 8 was awesome and didn't know if it would be topped, but Volume 9 was insane and did it somehow. Sometimes a story needs a good reset to give it new life and take it in new directions, and while at the time the end of volume 7 seemed like it was doing that for Volume 8, (and then the end of Volume 8 was more of a welcome return to form for Volume 9) I think the end of Volume 9 flipped the whole board over to give an interesting direction for Volume 10, and I will be there no matter what !
February 8, 2025
I overwhelmingly loved most of the volume, and due to the enormous size and my own time commitment, I would not have stayed with it, if it was not top-notch writing, in a character-based, fascinating world. Pirateaba is a gifted story teller. I can't emphasize that enough.
The prolonged violence in the final section was far too much, and I didn't like the turn Erin took. There were deaths that disappointed and upset me. I continue to be bored and speed read through the profoundly evil characters (it bores me, it bothers me), and don't have as much interest outside of Izril, excluding a few characters.
Having said that, the author engages me over 90 percent of the story, and many times made me laugh and cry. Despite what I don't like, the story is extraordinary...the world, and especially the characters.
The prolonged violence in the final section was far too much, and I didn't like the turn Erin took. There were deaths that disappointed and upset me. I continue to be bored and speed read through the profoundly evil characters (it bores me, it bothers me), and don't have as much interest outside of Izril, excluding a few characters.
Having said that, the author engages me over 90 percent of the story, and many times made me laugh and cry. Despite what I don't like, the story is extraordinary...the world, and especially the characters.
December 27, 2023
The volume finished just before Christmas of 2023, and what a gift it was! Because the web serial has been going on for so long, (with each chapter spaced out and so much happening in each) it is hard for me to give it a through review; but Pirateaba gave us a lot of story and has not disappointed the development of any character or plot threads. As someone who is interested in most of what's written, I can say I enjoyed volume 9 greatly and always looked forward to reading the next chapter. The ending this time was particularly significant, and was a treat to read. Pirateaba has continued to write character, plots, and mysteries well; and I will happily wait for volume 10.
February 25, 2024
After more than 10 million words, I am still consistently surprised and delighted by this story. There were two big plot developments at the end of this volume that really shocked me, and which pivoted the direction of the overarching plot going forward. I don't have a clear idea of what is going to happen, but I am happy to be along for the ride.
I think "The Wandering Inn" has become my favorite novel through attrition. It has the singular quality of being consistently good over its unmatched length.
I think "The Wandering Inn" has become my favorite novel through attrition. It has the singular quality of being consistently good over its unmatched length.
May 2, 2025
The best volume so far. Easily towers above what was built before and it was already excellent.
Resolves long-teased story arcs, has no boring bits and gives characters time to shine.
However what sets it apart is the depth of drama, violence and high stakes that have never been reached in TWI. Characters you love will die. People who survive will never be the same.
Was it worth it? For a tale this epic, the answer is a resounding yes.
One of the best books I've ever read.
Resolves long-teased story arcs, has no boring bits and gives characters time to shine.
However what sets it apart is the depth of drama, violence and high stakes that have never been reached in TWI. Characters you love will die. People who survive will never be the same.
Was it worth it? For a tale this epic, the answer is a resounding yes.
One of the best books I've ever read.
January 18, 2025
The volume and overall work is very high quality. The author uses a interesting style of writing, each chapter may be from the perspective of a different character, sometimes even the villain. There is a lot of character development and world building.
I feel like the chapter ends too abruptly and recommend reading on to volume 10 chapter 18 E. At this point the immediate consequences of chapter 9 have been addressed and we are ready for a new adventure.
I feel like the chapter ends too abruptly and recommend reading on to volume 10 chapter 18 E. At this point the immediate consequences of chapter 9 have been addressed and we are ready for a new adventure.
July 18, 2023
Another awesome installment of this series. Expect a lot of goblins and a major battle in this one, involving human nobility, goblins, and the drakes and gnolls of Liskor.
Some goblin characters died at the end. Ryoka only has a brief cameo appearance at the very end.
Some goblin characters died at the end. Ryoka only has a brief cameo appearance at the very end.
September 5, 2024
It got some things wrong the free antinium queen gave her cook already days off. It sounded like it was his first time and like he asked for it to start with. But in volume 8 it's said that Klbkch suggested it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2023
Great so far and Erin is as likable this volume as all the others
February 1, 2024
Hard to continue the story after so much that has happened in this volume. Felt like a closing volume, but I'm happy it is not. I love reading The Wandering Inn whenever a new chapter comes out
February 11, 2024
once again, pirateaba delivers to us a spectacle of fantasy
August 4, 2025
Finally finished and much love to pirateaba as always! Wow those were some historic final battle chapters and loved how this resolved. On to volume 10!
September 8, 2024
Good gods, what an ending. Took two years to read, and I read some essentially every day.
February 11, 2025
Astounding, what a story. Also this is 8 books
June 19, 2025
the writer .. very good horror story it scared the f out of me
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews