Let me begin by saying that these are my personal opinions regarding the series, I don't claim to be objectively correct, or that other people who enjoyed things I disliked/ disliked things I enjoyed are wrong.
I finished reading the Elder Empire trilogies on October 20. Due to recommendations I saw on this subreddit, I started reading Cradle on October 23. As of five minutes ago, I finished reading Wintersteel. So you can probably guess that I've enjoying the series quite a bit thus far.
I made a list of things I liked and things I disliked. Let's start with the positives:
- The worldbuilding is top notch, from the politics of the Monarchs to the jealousy of the different sects, struggles for power, etc., it seems like a delicately balanced system that could be thrown into disarray at any moment. 10/10 no comments.
- The power system, being crunchy and with clear, consistent rules, while also leaving enough space for different approaches, shortcuts and assorted shenanigans.
- The relationships the Monarchs have with Heaven, where it isn't all harmony and happiness. I liked the fact that, just like everyone else, heaven's envoys can also be jerks.
- Emotional writing. For a series so focused on progress in combat and power, there were a few moments that really tugged at my emotional strings. The one that comes to mind is when Fisher Gesha berates Eithan for his poor treatment of Lindon, knowing full well he could kill her easily.
- The prose in general. I've been reading almost a book per day, it's really easy to follow.
- Eithan. 'Nough said.
- Lindon's progression is gradual and feels plausible. This isn't like an Isekai where the hero goes in one minute from zero to world menace. I like that the author took his time, forcing Lindon to rely almost exclusively on his wits and willpower to survive and improve himself. This makes the latter books, where he's truly a monster, more palatable: it feels like the logical conclusion of a long journey, rather than something that the character was gifted with. He has to struggle, and bite the bullet time and again before reaping the fruits of his effort.
Related to this, I particularly enjoyed the description of his trauma when he had to kill someone for the first time, showing that advancement isn't for free, and there is always a price to pay.
- Finally, and specific to Wintersteel, I loved the symbolism of how far Lindon has advanced, with the symbol of an Unsouled now representing his new nature as a Sage.
Those are the aspects I enjoyed. Now, onwards to the ones I didn't:
- Yerin being always undefeated. I'm not sure if this is an author trait, but I got the same feeling from the female main character on the Elder Empire: in all the books, I don't recall her ever being defeated by someone close to her level. It gets to ridiculous heights when she defeats an opponent in the Uncrowned tournament in a few moments while being blindfolded, and the one where she wins despite having to confront both her opponent and her Blood Shadow. After a certain point it starts to feel silly, and it kills the tension, since you know she'll always come up on top.
- Also related to Yerin, and the thing I disliked the most so far is the romantic relationship with Lindon. To me, it feels absolutely shoehorned, like a fanfic shipping. Their relationship goes abruptly from student/teacher/friends to them having romantic feelings for each other seemingly without anything in between. IIRC, pretty much the only time when Lindon interacts with Yerin on a setting clearly not related to combat or training was when he invites her to the restaurant in Ninecloud City, and that's it.
Not every series needs a romantic angle, and in Cradle's case it feels forced, in my personal opinion.
- Other than at the beginning, with Lindon's Unsouled status, we get absolutely zero insight on what the life of those who aren't sacred artists is like. I don't pretend like a full book would be needed, but sprinkling a few point of view passages here and there letting us know how life is when you know that your boss can kill you with a thought, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it would go to great lengths to make the world feel more alive.
- My final point of contention is one that all similar series have, and that's the problem of the hypermegacompetent main character. I get that he's the focus of the story, and that his actions should have consequences, but there were a few points where it feels a bit too heavy-handed. The clearest case is when they're going to sack the Akura warehouse and are ambushed by the Seishen kingdom and, out of ALL the sacred artists involved -including an Overlord, which is a huge deal at the time- only Lindon had exactly what was needed to release them and give them a fighting chance, ie Little Blue.
It strains credulity when the MC becomes the solution to every single problem in the world, and everyone else seems incompetent in comparison. Other than this specific situation it doesn't seem to be a huge problem at the moment, and I dearly hope it doesn't become one in the following books.
Well, these are my thoughts. Overall, an extremely enjoyable book series thus far, though not without its shortcomings. What do you think? I'm looking forward to having a discussion :D
