WhatAStrangeDuck’s Reviews > The Soldier Mage > Status Update

Yikes.

Ugh...

Teal wrote: "Yikes."

Right?! I'm totally okay with somebody sprouting wings in the moonlight because it's fantasy. I think that the idea of the Romans trying to conquer Ireland but got just squashed is rather entertaining. They might have, the judges are still out on that but please, please, dear author, take the five minutes it took me on Wikipedia to look up a few things.

There are so many things that yanked me out of a basically okay story like Roman soldiers playing cards or a Roman rejecting Irish sandals in favor of his sturdy Roman boots. Because we all know that the Romans were known for their really sturdy boots. And that they didn't always wear trousers. And so on.

GAAAHHHHH!

So, here is my take. If you as an author don't want be bothered by simple facts in your fantasy, put it in a fantasy world. That's fine. But seriously, after the first mention of potatoes (because like tomatoes and sunflowers - THEY ARE FROM THE AMERICAS - they didn't exist in Europe in ancient times! FucksSake! How difficult can it be to remember that?!)

*deep breath*

I just kept fact checking and it was exhausting.

Ymmv.

Anyhow, if I want to end up exhausted, I just go to work. I read because it's supposed to be fun!

Semi-automatic cannons? Hahahahahahaha! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

WhatAStrangeDuck wrote: "So, here is my take. If you as an author don't want be bothered by simple facts in your fantasy, put it in a fantasy world. "

Amen.

I feel this so hard. I recently had my joy in an otherwise gripping science fiction novel utterly squashed because the author believed (among other things) that humans could loll around in pools of liquid methane and eventually get a bit chilled. Methane turns from a gas to a liquid at -258°F. Sure, whenever the temperature drops below MINUS 258 degrees, I feel A BIT CHILLED myself. Ffs.

Do your research, authors, or opt for a fantasy world.

What?! Okay, time to reconsider reading this series...

Elena wrote: "What?! Okay, time to reconsider reading this series..."

Yeah, well, there are quite a few people who like it and I read all three books because at the end of the day, I wanted to know where the story goes (which is a sign of quality in itself). And it's on KU. That was a big motivation to go on. I don't think I would have actually bought book 2 and 3 (though book 1 ends on a massive cliffy, so who knows). It's just that once you start questioning an author's basic competence, it's difficult to stop. And that cannon was just the last straw. The author might as well have them using cell phones because what's the difference between being about one or about two millennia off between friends?

Also, the way the author depicts the Romans' view on one MC basically betraying his country because "he fell in love" with a man... No, idk, no.

But maybe I'm just too nit-picky and also, I really wanted to like the series, and I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Maybe I'm just bitter.

So, if you've got KU you might give it a try. But you've been warned.

WhatAStrangeDuck wrote:"Also, the way she depicts the Romans' view on one MC basically betraying his country because "he fell in love" with a man... No, idk, no."

Wtf.

You are not being too nitpicky.

Teal wrote: "WhatAStrangeDuck wrote:"Also, the way she depicts the Romans' view on one MC basically betraying his country because "he fell in love" with a man... No, idk, no."

Wtf.

You are not being too nitpi..."

Thanks, my dear.

I just automatically feel bad about trashing a new author. I blame it on being German and raised Catholic. We've got a built-in guilt gene ;-).

Ah, yes, but think of your fellow readers. Almost all of us are on limited budgets (of both time and money), and by pointing out such serious flaws in the book you are doing us an important service. For which I thank you. :)

What Teal said. :)