Is Practical Guide to evil finished?

Posted by10 months ago

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level 1

APGtE is first and foremost a deconstruction of classic high-fantasy tropes. Any trope you can think of will probably be present, but it's usually turned on its head somehow. It's advertised as a YA novel, and the first book does somewhat follow that kind of formula, but it diverges wildly from it in later books. My current understanding is that the author is planning on editing and publishing the books traditionally now that the series is complete, so that may be something to wait for, but honestly it's already a goddamn masterpiece in its current state imo.

level 2

My current understanding is that the author is planning on editing and publishing the books traditionally now that the series is complete,

We’ve been waiting for wildbow to edit and publish Worm for nearly a decade now lol. If this sounds interesting to you (it does to me) might as well just jump in now. Even if it rambles, at least there’s an ending!

level 2

It's advertised as a YA novel, and the first book does somewhat follow that kind of formula, but it diverges wildly from it in later books.

Yup, other than a semi-frequent snarky tone to the dialogue (and some prose).

level 2

More like YA High Fantasy. And yes, a masterpiece of a series is what it is.

level 2

Ooo neat,I just started reading the series like a week ago, so it sounds like I got in at the perfect time

level 2

My current understanding is that the author is planning on editing and publishing the books traditionally now that the series is complete

Only part way though reading it online, but I'd buy that in a heartbeat, even if it's after I've finished. Would be so satisfying to have in book form ☺️

level 1

Literally just finished reading the last chapter. I came late to this series, having only followed the live chapters for the last year and a half, but it was such a nice thing waking up on Tuesdays and Fridays with a new chapter to read. I'll miss it dearly.

I recommend it to anyone who likes Epic Fantasy and very long reads (what's the venn diagram on those groups, eh?). The story starts pretty YA, but it changes halfway through as the world gains size and the characters and prose gain depth.

Cheers to the author for sticking the landing, hopefully his next series will be just as good as this one. Now excuse me as I go through a little post series crisis.

level 2

I finished the Guide tonight too, I’ve been following for almost two years. Put a weird vibe on my Friday night, I’m really sad to see it end. I don’t think another other story has ever made me laugh so hard and it even made me cry.

Shout out to Special Tribune Robber of the House of Lesser Footrest, one of my favorite literary characters of all time.

level 2

A year and a half is still a huge chunk live! I honestly can’t remember when I started reading it, maybe 4 years ago? Long enough ago that I keep wanting to check for chapters Monday, Wednesday, Friday instead of Tuesday/Friday lol

Curious to where you felt the story changes from being ya? I sort of just say it’s ya because author says so and nothing about it makes me think it’s not but I also don’t think it would have occurred to me that it was ya if the author didn’t say so in the intro. I always find it interesting how other people categorize ya v adult given it’s such a fuzzy category (imo plenty of ya novels have depth, great characters/worldbuilding etc)

level 1

As someone who reads a lot of fantasy web serials, this is probably the best one overall, aside from the huge number of typos.

I think it's the only fantasy series I've read that's actually made the politicking/dialogue-only chapters actually interesting, and some of the prose is really beautiful. Huge variety in cultures, a handful of different magic systems, some real glorious bastard characters, nice one-liners, the series practically has it all.

level 2

“There’s nothing better in life than the look on your enemy’s face when they realize you’ve played them every step of the way. Why do you think I keep starting secret cabals trying to overthrow me?”

level 2

Also, I wanted desperately to find a list of them from the story which led me to discover they are called "epigraphs" and if you Google "a practical guide to evil epigraphs" you can see all of them in order

level 1

What I find interesting about this series is how it handles large-scale battles. Any fantasy series worth its salt will have plenty of duels and maybe some team battles (e.g., "my five guys against the BBEG and a dozen minions"). But APGtE does actual armies. And not just "the armies are there for flavor, but the main characters are basically just fighting each other, occasionally using a horde of soldiers as just another weapon in their arsenal." You really get the feeling that the movement of troops will determine the outcome, and while the main characters have their share of flashy moments, it's more about countering the other side's flashy moments, or something like enabling your army to break through a tricky spot (or conversely, holding the enemy back during a moment of weakness). This sort of integrated arms is extremely rare in genre fiction.

level 2

This sort of integrated arms is extremely rare in genre fiction.

I love how a combined arms doctrine is the whole point of the modern Legions of Terror. Normal heavy infantry trained in shieldwall tactics, backed up by ogre super-heavies, goblin skirmishers and sappers, with dedicated mage support for artillery, communications, and battlefield healing. And if a unit ever finds itself in a truly bad spot, they can have a mage scry a message out on pre-determined communications chains, complete with priority flags, out to Command, and then maybe one of the handful of crazy powerful supervillains drops in to delete the problem.

level 1

I am caught up until about 2 weeks ago, and I'm saving the finale for when I can enjoy it properly. In my opinion it's one of the best web serials ever. Matched only by super powereds, worm, and mother of learning. Truly a tour de force from beginning to end.

It has such a clever premise, but the author has done an amazing job keeping the tension throughout while allowing for character growth right through to the finish. Often ideas like this lose their luster after the initial clever formation but not here. Just an absolutely wonderful read.

level 1

Oh geez! Life distracted me when I was about halfway through Book 5. I need to pick this up again. This series is brilliant. Even though it has been ages since I read it, I still vividly recall the moment early on with the Prince. It's a thought I've had so many times when some ponce is giving a monologue and finally someone in a story/movie/whatever asked the same question I always did. Excellent stuff.

level 2

That moment is amazing! And it portrays The tone of the series so well!

level 1

Series seems to be one war after the other from where I ended up stopping. The endless back to back wars got kind of exhausting. Might see if I can pick back up at a later date.

level 1

Genuinely my favorite piece of fiction, and the ending was phenomenal.

level 1

This is one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. It has everything - funny and sad moments, epic and low-stakes, battles, and feasts. It has a rich world-building, diverse characters, impressive character development and many other things.

level 2

feasts are important for sure:)

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