Review: UNSOULED Begins This Reader’s Journey

[guest review by Karyn Peroyea]

Unsouled (Cradle: Volume One)
Written by Will Wight
Published by Hidden Gnome Publishing
March 14, 2023
Paperback, 384 pgs.

Like all avid readers, I tend to hoard books. I can’t tell you when I bought Unsouled by Will Wight, let alone why I was drawn to it in the first place. And when I finally sat down to read it, nine years after it was first published, I still couldn’t say why I’d originally bought it.

Only that I’m glad I did.

We’re introduced to our protagonist, Wei Shi Lindon, as he’s taking a test to determine his future role within the Wei clan. Children ranging from six to eight years old are called, one by one, to manipulate madra – a kind of spiritual energy that inhabits and rules this world – to become Enforcers, Strikers, Rulers or Forgers.

Only Lindon fails.

Again. And again. And again.

At age fifteen, still unable to manipulate madra, Lindon is deemed Unsouled. He can do only rudimentary training, on his own; he provides no value to the clan and any further investment in him would be wasted. He’s worse than ostracized, he’s shamed and belittled, sometimes even by his own family.

But Lindon has an unwavering belief in himself, that he can and will succeed, through both hard work and creative short cuts. His mother is a Forger, someone who can use her madra with physical matter to create a variety of things, including constructs of some intelligence. Part of her work is manipulated by scripts – similar to a written spell or a ritual circle – and she has taught Lindon a few rudimentary ones so he can protect himself. Lindon trains endlessly to improve and strengthen his madra; he practices pouring it into his scripts, reinforcing them; he works out ways to use them that were never intended. But for every small success Lindon has, he inevitably fails at the next step, which only causes the clan to come down on him harder. At one point, the clan patriarch sends him to feed the clan elder as a punishment.

The clan elder and founder is a sacred beast named Elder Whisper. He’s a five-tailed fox who is voluntarily confined to a tower. The fox examines Lindon closely, questioning him at length, and though the encounter gives him some confidence, the fox speaks mostly in riddles or vagaries.

Lindon’s only ally is his sister, Kelsa. She helps him with a strong step toward his goals, but more importantly takes the time to train with him in the days leading up to a multi-clan tournament. She does more to encourage and support him than their parents, though a me-first attitude does persist.

The world building is fantastic. We initially begin in an isolated valley, surrounded by mountains, home to the Wei clan. Though the magic system is one accessible by everyone except Lindon, it takes a lifetime of practice, and many are fortunate just to advance from Copper to Iron. Only a handful make it from Iron to Jade, and they take positions of authority within the clan or advance to one of the schools perched atop the mountains. A Gold is practically unheard of. Resources appear to be limited and one’s value is solely determined by their contributions. Concepts of charity and compassion have no place; someone who cannot contribute is a burden.

There’s an entire world beyond the mountains, but the first half of the book remains concentrated in the valley. The clan’s isolation is almost as intense as Lindon’s isolation within it. It keeps things tightly focused on his struggles, so that when we finally peek behind the mountains, the world opens to us in the same way it does to Lindon.

Most hero journeys I’ve been on involve a young, naïve protagonist, sheltered until some cataclysmic event or tragedy propels them into the story. They have to set aside preconceptions, harden, gather allies, improve. Unsouled flips that on its head. Lindon is extremely grounded, painfully aware of how little he matters. He mostly refers to himself in the second person, keeping his head down and his manner obsequious. Though he is clever, stubborn, and firm in his faith that he does indeed have worth, he must walk a very fine line. The book makes clear at several points that if he angers or insults someone enough, they would not only be within their rights to hurt or even kill him, but his family would have to apologize for the inconvenience.

Lindon employs a fair amount of trickery and manipulation and sometimes I struggled with that, as he’s never set up as an anti-hero, but that’s why the world-building is so important. Though we don’t spend much time on governments, economies, or trade, the clan structure and matters of honor and worth are emphasized so we empathize rather than judge some of Lindon’s tactics. He may be a lying manipulative little sneak, but he is as he has to be to survive.

If I had a complaint with this book, it’s the deus ex machina about one-third to one-half of the way through the book, when something closer to science fiction intrudes on the story. It’s not a long section, and it only reappears briefly a few more times, but its ramifications are significant. I have to assume Wight has a plan, but I found it jarring. I don’t hate science fiction or even blending it with fantasy – Star Wars can be considered wizards with robots and space travel – but I’d gotten comfortable with this wuxia fantasy setting. I much prefer travelling alongside Lindon, sheer stubbornness and strength of will, slogging it out in the mud and the shame, to prove everyone – even himself – wrong.

Unsouled was a quick read, and I found myself disappointed when it ended. It introduced a well thought out magic system, culture, and laid out some truly enticing plot threads for later books. And I really liked Lindon, warts and all, and it’s been a long time since a book got me that invested in its protagonist. Fortunately for me, there are another eleven books in the series, as well as a spin off series and a collection of short stories. Looks like there’s plenty of hoarding left for this bibliophile to do.

Wight gets bonus points for doing something I’ve never seen in a book before:  there is an honest to God blooper reel at the end. And it’s silly fun.