Saturday, October 4, 2014

Review: The Book of Myth by Qui

Genre: Fantasy
Elements: BDSM, threesomes, harem, naga, djinn, incubus, faeries, dragon, satyr, kitsune, demon

Rating:

  • Characters - 3 - The characters here are cute, but really, they are only devices for the smut in each chapter, so they are molded by what the author needs to make that smut work. Cute, but not characters that stand on their own.
  • Setting - 4 - Good for the type of story this is, but not overly detailed either.
  • Plot - 3 - While not quite PWP, it definitely comes close.
  • Genre Elements - 5 - This is where the story excels. Not only does the author have one fantasy creature to decide the details for, but practically one per chapter, and manages to give us insight into each beautifully. And on top of that, finds a way to twist that difference into smut each and every chapter.
  • Voice - 3 - The voices get a bit muddy at times, but mostly because there's not a lot of thought past how to get to the smut.
  • Romance Elements - 3 - There is an element of romance here between the two main characters, but it's minimal as they spend most of the story apart from one another.
  • Overall - 3.5 - Cute and fun, especially for a free online read.
Basic story -

In a far away kingdom, there is a dangerous book that has drawn many to their doom. This is one such tale; of a young prince waiting for an ambassador to arrive, and finding a book to pass the time.

My thoughts -
A cute story with very little plot, and at least one chapter most smut-readers will find enjoyable, depending on their kink. Most of the well-known kinks are represented at one point. The characters are really secondary to the story, which is just about using the most kinks possible inherent in mythical creatures. It's fun and mostly light, and a fun way to pass a few hours.

The flow of the story is random so as to cover all the kinks it does, but each chapter works fairly well on its own, if you don't care for the larger story. Despite the randomness, there is an overall plot, if you read through the entire thing, and it is shockingly sweet for a smut piece like this one.

This one's definitely for anime/manga fans, as the ideas in it represent that sort of take on smut and romance. Also, several of the creatures involved are the Japanese or Oriental versions of these myths.

The best reason to read this aside from smut and variety is that it's free to read online. It's fairly well edited, though there are a few errors here and there, as there are on most Fiction Press or AO3 stories.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it, but I probably won't be looking for more from this author, as I tend to prefer more realistic worlds, even in my fantasy.

Warnings -
Dub-con, but only in the lightest of senses. Most of the smut is pretty consensual, really. A bit of bestiality, so stay away if that bothers you, but even that is minor.

Overall Recommendation -
Cute. Not for those who don't appreciate yaoi, as this is basically yaoi in text form, rather than as a manga. But fun to read for all the different creatures she writes about. 

Link to the story - Book of Myth (on Fiction Press)
Author Link - Qui (on Fiction Press)
If you liked this story, try -

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for reviewing The Book of Myth, it sounds like you really enjoyed it for what it is (porn, obviously, and little thought behind that). If you really liked it, there's two more prequels on the SSBB website; The Origin Story: http://s2b2.livejournal.com/256480.html and Satu Finds Himself: http://www.shousetsubangbang.com/wiki/index.php?title=Satu_Finds_Himself

    They are, of course, also unrepentant porn.

    That said, unrepentant porn is not my usual writing style, The Book of Myth and associated stories was written partly as a challenge for a "kinky" livejournal group I was in, and partly as a refreshing break from my usual archetypical fantasy and fairy-tale style (which is often mostly or entirely smut-free). I do realize my writing is not for everyone, but I also rather hope you don't judge the whole mass of them by the most ridiculous and completely different thing I've ever written.

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  2. I really did enjoy it, it was lots of fun. And you were pretty specific in your intro that it was smut for smut's sake, which I should have mentioned. I'll have to check out the other two pieces. Thank you. :)

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