4 stars. A LitRPG adventure from a non-fighting character’s perspective.
I have been seeking out books where the main character focuses on the charisma stat more. I don’t know why, but I just thought it would be fun to see a character that charms his way out of situations. In Unorthodox Farming, the MC finds loopholes in the game system to gain levels (through traps). And I think there’s some interesting ways to explore the concept.
In The Trickster’s Tale, the MC is sent to a new world but immediately upsets a deity and is given a curse. So he has to change his approach to success to go around the curse’s effects. He does this by becoming a Bard. In traditional RPGs, Bards are travelling entertainers and musicians.
Things I liked:
- The main character is likeable
- Written with a bit of humor
- Well-written
- Easy to read
- MC uses sneaky tactics to protect his own self-interests
- MC doesn’t just blindly trust people the moment he meets them
Things that didn’t make sense:
- Given a chance to escape from prison, the MC decides to stay
- The magic system seems secondary to the story. At the end of book 1, I don’t remember any of the MC’s magic capabilities
Although the MC starts underpowered (as a halfling that is unable to fight), does he grow at all during the book? He’s clever and can win people over with his charm, but I can’t say he’s at all overpowered by the end of the book.
It was an OK book. Not sure I will read the second one. But I still like the concept of a trickster or charisma-focused MC.
