Reviewing Your Review: Second Base

He slides! He’s safe!!!

Second base: Setting: Setting is the location (place) or period (time) in which the action of the novel takes place. When dealing with setting in epic fantasy, I believe that it’s imperative the author create a world which is believable. Let’s revisit Fantasy Book 101. The story, as we know, is heavily battle oriented and lacking a detailed plot. However, the world in which it takes place adheres to basic laws of physics while carefully incorporating magic. There is a definite Medieval/Arthurian feel to it which can be traced back to history books for authenticity. You still don’t like the book for its lack of plot, but you are impressed with its realism in terms of Medieval war tactics. Address this in your review.

But what about Fantasy Explorers: Book XXVII? Say this is your favorite ongoing series for the past three decades, and it suddenly falls into the trap of creating a world which is lush with mystical creatures that seem to just live wherever and randomly appear for no reason. Fantasy Explorers: Book XXVII takes place in a world which has fourteen moons. Are these moons more of a distraction than an enhancement to the world? Throwing random oddities in a fantasy novel to make it fantasy is insulting and annoying. Even if mystical phenomena are not explained, they should somehow contribute to the plot. And don’t neglect to question the relevance of the fourteen moons just because Fantasy Explorers: Book XXVII is written by your favorite author. Obviously twenty seven books is too many for this long-lived series.

To be continued...

-Matt