The Covenant of Steel by SPBasilio blends time-loop fiction, science fantasy, isekai, mecha progression, and a collapsing magical world. It is ambitious, often gripping, and rich with mysteryābut its pacing and craft are not always as polished as its strongest ideas.
Yes, it is Iāformer adventurer and current web literary critic. I know why youāve come. Word travels. It always does. You wish to hear the tale of how I single-handedly slew the Baba-Newt. Everybody does. I hate to disappoint, but I will not be sharing that story this night. Indeed, I would sooner it were…
Whatās your guilty pleasure? We all have one. Maybe itās that sinfully sweet nibble of chocolate your taste buds adore, but your hips condemn. Maybe itās that trashy daytime talk show where someone might just be the fatherā¦ of his step-sisterās step-kids. Iāve heard whispers of one Bard-In-Chief who cracks open a bottle of sherry…
Whatās it like to be afraid? I gots to tells yaāI wouldnāt have the first idea. Buckling under the weight of a future either yearned for or desperately scrambled to escape? Aw heck, what would a simple high-school groundsman like me know about such a thing? No sir-ree. A bumpkin like myself aināt got no…
This oneās a bit esotericānot all of you are meant to understand it. But those of you whoāve puffed the magic dragonās fungal cousin will know full well, it can take you to someā¦ strange places. I only wish Iād picked up The Lone Wanderer before going down that route. Didnāt realise there was an…
In the interest of full transparency, before launching into this review, I must confess that Iām rather fond of this author. Avid readers of this site will know heās a valued contributor to our growing series of writing-advice essays. (For brevity, Iāve used āthis siteā instead of āBardic Planet.ā Iāve already saved at least half…
Iāll just come out and say itāHeartworm is weird. And I donāt mean ākinda weird.ā I mean the strain of weird that stares a little too long on the bus when you glance up and feel it lingering. The weird that locks eyes but doesnāt blink. The bus is still. No sound. That weird old…
Have you ever done something you truly regret? I donāt mean the casual, āAh, I couldāve handled that better,ā kind of regret. I mean the real kind. The kind that wakes you up in a seedy motel room at two in the afternoon on a workday. You scan the room; empty Bud Light cans litter…
Letās not pretend otherwiseāSky Pride is a cultivation novel. You know the type. Through the chrysalis of pills, potions, and martial training, the meagre caterpillar transforms itself into a mighty butterflyā¦ who can casually toss mountains into the sea. Progression is the aim of the gameābody, mind, spirit. Progression in clearly defined stages. Some cultivation…