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Title: Unsouled
Series: Cradle #1
Author: Will Wight
Rating: 1.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 243
Words: 89K
This novel starts with a dedication “To Devin, who reads as many web novels as I do”. That right there is a big fat warning sign that I should have given more weight to. If you don’t know, web novels tend to be written by chinese authors, chapter at a time centered around the most tropey of tropes that you can possibly think of. It would be like if 1000 authors suddenly started writing like David Eddings about castles and princes and princesses and wizards and stuff. It’s not necessarily bad, but it is by no means good quality stuff.
The writing is just fine but I want nothing to do with web novel inspired trash. Call me a snob, but that’s what it is. And I don’t want to support it in any way. If a place like Royal Road is your jam, then this novel and this series might be right up your alley. But for heavens sake, please don’t tell me. I don’t want to know that I helped anyone in this regards 
★✬☆☆☆
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
I hadn’t heard of web novels, I won’t be looking for them.
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They’re something your grand kids would probably eat up.
I’m also a snob when it comes to books and if a particular genre gets on my badside, I’ll trash it mercilessly 😀
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Would not expect anything else!
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😀
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Is it Devin Nunes?
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He does not give the last name.
However, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the corruption of web novels had reached even into our intelligence community.
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Pretty soon we’ll have AI writing these novels, if we don’t already, and they’ll be better.
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And these kind of books ARE the poster boy for ai written stuff.
And people will eat it up. Gaaaaahhhhh, why do I have to be alive to see this? It’s un-american!
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Exactly. If you’re into consuming large quantities of genre fiction (fantasy, romance) that tends to follow a formula then AI is going to be able to do the trick just fine. Which is going to put a lot of hack authors out of work. I used to think that wouldn’t happen but the more I’m reading about the technology I think it’s going to be sooner rather than later.
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I’d be ok if it put all the stupid, self-absorbed, “I’m a writer!” kind of writers out of business. But just like what I see at grocery stores, mechanical and software driven technology is completely changing our world. This is stuff I read about in SF in the 90’s for goodness sake!
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Web novels are a new concept for me as well, but I guess that the YA tag would have been enough to make run for the hills at warp speed…. 😉
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I almost didn’t write anything for a review just so I wouldn’t have to even talk about web-novels, because I feel like I’m spreading the plague.
But that is the other side of being honest in book reviews I guess
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Wait.. did you read the book or did you DNF it after the dedication?
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I read the book. Sadly.
I usually make it pretty clear when I dnf a book so people can tell where I stand on that issue 🙂
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According to my trusted sources, this is a “progression” fantasy, right, where basically people level up like they’re in some bloody video game to get stronger or something?
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Correct. That sums it up in a nutshell, unfortunately.
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Another term I’ve heard used is LitRPG….
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Hmm LitRPG, not for me.
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I gotta admit, I loved David Eddings back in the day.
But, as my brother once said,
“Oh, Gandalf! Better is one day in your courts than a thousand in the tents of Belgareth.”
But I am a little confused by the web novels. It sounds like you are saying they are a bunch of Chinese authors using cheesy Western European fantasy tropes? Or do they use ancient Chinese fantasy tropes too?
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I liked Eddings back in the day too. But he doesn’t age as well as I have 😉
Ok, so chinese authors use chinese tropes. The Eddings example was just to give an idea of what it would look like if authors in our sphere did it. So here, the complete underdog overcomes great obstacles, with a prophecy foretelling he could possibly save the world. But using all chinese style of terminology and cues.
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Sounds like something I might enjoy, at least at first, because I am not as familiar with Chinese tropes. It would all feel kind of new.
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For one book. Then your mature side would revolt (I hope). But who knows, maybe you’d eat this whole series up with a spoon and love every second. If so, I just don’t want to know though.
I got the first 3 free on amazon. Might still be that way.
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I read enough dodgy stuff without adding this to the pile.
Webnovel inspired!? No thanks!
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Someone I follow was raving about this series and had reviewed the 9th book. He also advertised that there was a promo on Amazon for the first 3 books for free.
So I feel like I was led astray 😉
And yep, save yourself while you can….
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Why’d you pick this one up though? Aren’t you done with YA? 😮
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Didn’t realize it was YA from the series review I’d glanced over. But a good recommendation can overcome a lot 🙂
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