Reviewed:
Dragon Cobalt applies his trademark gonzo plotting and freewheeling fucking around to the sort of epic fantasy that has a Chosen One. ’Nuff said.
Well, okay, there’s a little more to say. First, once you get past the first chapter, it’s loads of fun. (Honestly, the start is a bit rocky — things don’t catch fire till Ember leaves his village.) (That’s not a spoiler. The Call to Adventure always requires that you leave your village.) Second, the harem is baked into the fantasy premise, and every one of Ember’s wives is awesomesauce. Third, the story is radically trans-inclusive. I lost count of the number of different trans identities that were welcomed and endorsed — and this, my friends, is a glorious thing. And finally, while the main genre is western epic fantasy, I cackled every time a detail derived from xuanhuan (Chinese fantasy based on traditional folklore and wuxia tropes) got hip-checked.
(Post-finally, the story description is awful. Ignore it.)
In other words, this story is loads of fun. Massive fun. You want to read it. Trust me. Just, well, promise me you’ll finish the first chapter before giving up, ’kay? Good.