He Who Fights with Monsters

eBook, 984 pages

Published July 23, 2024 by Aethon Books.

ASIN:: B0CZSFMLWC

(1 review)

Jason and his companions managed to forestall the inexorable undead, but their battle is far from done.

Both they and their enemies are scattered across a strange realm, one that someone must conquer if anyone is to get out alive. Territory by territory, factions fight to reunite their people and conquer the realm.

Jason must contend with alliances he doesn’t want, friends he cannot find, and enemies ranging from angelic despots to the power of an undead god. He must face a realm that has been warped by his own mind and find a way to save a friend whose sacrifice got them this far.

To have any chance against the enemies waiting for him, Jason will have to confront the power inside himself that he’s been unwilling to face, fearful of what he’ll become. Only by accepting the destiny that looms over him will he have the strength to …

Jason and his companions managed to forestall the inexorable undead, but their battle is far from done.

Both they and their enemies are scattered across a strange realm, one that someone must conquer if anyone is to get out alive. Territory by territory, factions fight to reunite their people and conquer the realm.

Jason must contend with alliances he doesn’t want, friends he cannot find, and enemies ranging from angelic despots to the power of an undead god. He must face a realm that has been warped by his own mind and find a way to save a friend whose sacrifice got them this far.

To have any chance against the enemies waiting for him, Jason will have to confront the power inside himself that he’s been unwilling to face, fearful of what he’ll become. Only by accepting the destiny that looms over him will he have the strength to face his foes, with no promise even that will be enough to defeat them.

1 edition

vinous.revel reviewed He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon (He Who Fights with Monsters, #11)

A disappointing end to the third arc

3 stars

Content warning Definitely spoilers

This book is the culmination of the trilogy of trilogies (even if it's book 11). It will conclude the major arcs that have been set in motion in the first one (Jason's first adventures on Pallimustus), the second arc (Jason's return to Earth), and the third one (Jason's re-return to Pallimustus).

What to say? The book is roughly divided into thirds. The first third is a series of staccato stories that allow the reader to catch up with most characters. I didn't find this enjoyable to read. Some scenes were just random and didn't really add much to the story. The book came out after about 1 year from book 10, so it was nice to reconnect with some characters, but these mini stories felt shallow.

The second half was ok. The story definitely flows more smoothly and it was more enjoyable to read. The big boss fight was disappointing. Given all the work up to the end of the major arcs, it really felt like the writing was on the wall and nothing was really on the line. Even the death of one of the main characters just happens and was telegraphed at the end of book 10.

The third section is more enjoyable. The back and forth between different storylines isn't as jarring as the beginning of the book. Or maybe it's just that I was 1000 pages into the book to just being annoying with it. Again, nothing seems to really be at stake in the grand scheme of things. It was nice to find out how some things fall into place, reconnect with old characters, and see how others are growing.

Overall, it was a pretty disappointing end to the storylines that have been building for a long time.

I'm curious about how the book ended and what that will mean for the next storylines. At the same time, it seems that the not much will be at stake for Jason now, which I fear will make the stakes being not that high all around.