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Draconids have long lifespans. Wei and his brethren once served the Heavenly Emperor's court, but those days of fine tea and polished jade now remain only in history textbooks. Since then, he has found no new master but himself...
Source
Personal Website
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Sometimes all you need is just a little bit of a disconnect to refresh yourself. Anyways here's this little goober just enjoying the forest; he's a desert boy so he's loving the fauna and flora.
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The review below my short paragraphs is originally by @[email protected], but their thoughts reflect a lot of mine and their post is the original reason I put this book in my backlog. This isn't necessarily a furry-themed book but it does have a ton of cute fuzzy creatures in it that play a bulk of the characters, and you'd be forgiven for calling it a furry-adjacent novel. Unfortunately the book is not fully finished but I'm on chapter 98 of 167 at the moment, with a new chapter coming out every few days. I find it difficult to estimate just how long this book is because of its digital chapter format, but it's taken a while to get to where I am in the story.
The beginning of the story quickly opens with an interesting plot, but then it keeps getting better and better and better. After chapter ~40 I was fully hooked and am having trouble putting it down. It keeps surprising me with twists and turns and I feel like I never know what's going to happen next. I also really enjoy how many main characters there are - there's at least a dozen characters we're paying attention to at any given moment, and you really get a feel for everyone's motives and thoughts.
The writing quality is also excellent for being a work in progress. It must be extremely hard to write a story from start to finish without needing to edit story structure or pacing. The only real nitpick I've noticed is that we're introduced to many new characters throughout the story, and every time we get a new one we have to go through their thoughts while they learn and contemplate the previous events of the story. It can feel a little repetitive but it's usually framed from a slightly different perspective and bias each time so it doesn't end up feeling like the exact same thing over and over.
Overall, I have to agree with the 5/5 rating so far and I hope the story never ends. As far as I'm aware, there are fanfictions and spinoffs for the universe that I'll probably have to look into once I reach the "end".
(Also, I had to frequently search through the NoP wiki (beware of spoilers) and e621 to get a feel for every alien's appearance. There's so many different alien types and I had trouble remembering what they look like)
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/719657
I don't like reviewing unfinished works, as I feel a poor landing can destroy a whole story, just as a perfect finale can justify anything. There are 127 chapters out, as of me writing this.
However, I feel that every second that I stay silent about this web-series is a second wasted, an utter affront to fiction, and a betrayal of everything I stand for.
If even one person reading this did not know of "The Nature of Predators", I command you to look into it.
This is pure brilliancy. An epic story filled with action, drama, tension beyond belief. Mystery, betrayal, political collusion, and romance spanning the whole universe... There is nothing missing!
I have racked my brain for any weakness in the story... Maybe the pace, or the prose, maybe the characters aren't developed enough, maybe the plot isn't compelling enough... But no. Everything is impeccable, a true work of art. And to think it's not even completed yet.
"The Nature of Predators" follows several characters, with different beliefs, motivations, and interests. Some characters only appear later in the story, some appear early but fizzle out, some we've had the pleasure of accompanying from the very start and to this day.
There are characters you are made to love unconditionally, and characters you are made to hate. Some that want ultimate good, but can't help their nature, and those that went against their nature for their own survival. Terror inflicted upon the innocent, BY the innocent. A world upside down.
I simply cannot describe the emotional weight of the characters. I'm not ashamed to say I've bawled while reading this. Straight up tears and snot.
And in all this chaos, different personalities and stories clashing all over the universe, somehow everything clicks. Every plot point is addressed, in due time, and never are you left high and dry wondering helplessly about the true nature of things. It feels like no stone is left unturned...
But the stones never end! There is always the next step, the next adventure, the next mystery, the next quarrel... It's a relentless journey into the cosmos, and it's expanse is unending beauty.
A perfect balance between closure and novelty, tension and release.
My words CANNOT do this work justice. I urge you to read it, or listen to it. Do whatever you can to inject this story into your mind, for you will not regret it.
That being said, it is HFY. I know that bothers some people.
Rating: 5/5
Read on Royal Road!
Alternatively, listen on Youtube:
- Adastra has the best narration, but is currently almost 100 chapters behind.
- Agro Squirrel Narrates is only about 10 chapters behind, but the narration isn't as good (IMHO).
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(This review is a cross-post of one I posted on the furry.engineer mastodon instance. I wanted to cross-post it here so folks here on the Lemmy side of things could see it as well.)
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass...” Wait, that’s not right.
“Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall…” Hmm, not quite.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Wait, no that’s not right either…
Ah, here we go! “The grey fox fled through the forest, her paws as quiet as an owl’s shadow...” and thus begins Joaquin Baldwin’s (@[email protected]) epic fantasy tale Wolf of Withervale, the first book in his Noss Saga series. In the first book of this already epic series, we find Lago Vaari and his friends, new and old, embark on the start a hero’s journey across the lands of Noss. Learning the secrets of an ancient and powerful mask, they come to discover that far more is at play in their world than any of them had expected. There is no doubt that a reader coming to it will find the story deeply engrossing, and absolutely looking forward to future books within the wider series.
Spoilers
The themes that Joaquin shows are rich in quality and variety, but all contain a very surprising amount of depth and realism as well. Starting off with the more obvious ones, the LGBT themes found in the book are numerous and varied. From showing Lago growing up and discovering his same-sex attraction, to showing how sexuality is handled by the varieties of people across the lands of Noss. In particular, with the character named Banook, we find a very accurate representation of bear culture and attitudes, as it relates to our own world. The irony of this is not lost, given he is an actual bear spirit himself! Further more, with regards to Banook, a depiction of naturism is found that does not always get shown this way in most literature. I am not sure if this was intended or not, but it is quite accurate and a welcome addition to an already rich and warm character. Having Lago explore his sexuality with Banook further adds to the wonderful depth of them both, and the themes presented with them.
Digging deeper, there are themes that run through Wolf of Withervale that will sit very close to the hearts of those that have explored Animism, Shamanism, or Therianism. I am unsure if this was wholly intended by Joaquin, but it means this book will likely hit deeper for many that might be initially expected. It is done so in a more theatrical way, but the themes explored are very real as they relate to our own world. Furries, of course, will find the themes of the book, and the entire series, to be very much so to their liking as well. There are also themes that transcend topics that might not be initially expected, such as cosmology and astronomy (with a friendly topping of in-world astrology too), explorations of spirituality and religion (not just relating to the themes of animism either), archaeology, geology, philosophy, culture, language, and more. This is just a preview of what the book explores, and I expect this list to grow more as the series progresses. -
What Joaquin has crafted with the first book of the Noss Saga is absolutely spectacular, nay I think the word beautiful is truly the one way to describe the book in a single term. The world building and lore are spectacular, the themes are as varied as they are deep, rich in meaning and storytelling. The characters, both protagonists and antagonists, are deeply crafted with their own understandings and modus operandi, each adding their own unique thread to the story. Wolf of Withervale is a marvelous foundation for the Noss Saga series, and I can truly say that I cannot wait to see what is in store in the books to come!
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Twyn Ryder is a warrior who specializes in heavy weapons(battle axes, scythes, claymores, etc) who was given cybernetic enhancements using Wylorian steel found in a meteor after sustaining nigh fatal injuries in combat.
When his eyes glow, he is using his power of thermal sight.
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