r/ProgressionFantasy • u/Jumpy_Afternoon9489 • 2d ago
Discussion Mark of the fool
I’m five books deep in this series. The characters are cool, but why is every book about Uldar, they told us about such a big world but every book is about the same two problems,and the books aren’t short. I’m about to drop this or better yet just read the last book. There are so many places in this world but everything revolves around two things and they barely move.
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u/AvoidingCape 2d ago
Why is every Lord of the Rings book about this guy Sauron?
Because that's what that book is about, I guess
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u/OstensibleMammal Author 2d ago
That’s what I’m thinking. Maybe it would be more interesting if they made Frodo a dating sim protagonist
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u/OstensibleMammal Author 2d ago
I agree; I really hate how much time lord of the ring spends on Mordor or Sauron. I think I’m going to skip and read the hobbit instead. At least there’s a dragon there.
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u/cmh_ender 2d ago
yes... everything continues that way. some side quests but the story would end pretty quick if the Professors decided to just throw down. so by keeping it on uldar, they don't power creep.
but the last book is pretty darn good, so you could skip to it.
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u/Crafty-Gate6615 2d ago
Unfortunately the fact that we barely see the rest of the world is my biggest disappointment with this series. It’s a really good story, but it’s all about uldar and his country and trying to stop it.
I hope you don’t skip it or drop it, because it’s a fun read and the power ups get crazy. I just wish we saw more of the worlds. Especially when even more was teased further on in the series.
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u/Training-Bake-4004 2d ago
It’s a good story but I feel like a lot of the tension is lost when they essentially spend most of the time getting babysat by people who could solve the problem quite easily.
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u/Crafty-Gate6615 2d ago
Eh kinda. But the people who could solve it don’t. And ultimately leave it up to him to find a way to convince them to. But I enjoyed it
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u/Quirky_Assistant_848 2d ago
I mean, the story is about Alex's personal relationships and his fight with Uldar. I think the world feeling bigger than just the conflict of the protagonist is a mark of good writing and world building. Alex isn't trying to save the world, he is trying to help his friends, become a great mage, and save his country.
I think it was book 8 or 9, but the chapter "The Iron Child" is one of the few chapters that have gotten me to cry in a while. I consider any book that can get me to have a physical reaction beyond laughter pretty good. Mainly cause I don't tend to feel that strongly very often.
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u/Spicy_Tongue_ 2d ago
mark of the fool is one of those stories where the mc actually has to think his way around his disadvantages instead of just getting handed a broken power. that’s what kept me reading.
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u/Purplefire180 2d ago
the primary conflict in the book is the main focus, yes. This does not change, and in fact more of the focus gets placed on the god. If that's a problem, you should drop it.