Will contain spoilers to Bowman of Wellwood.
I just bought and read "Bowman of Wellwood".
Is it one of, if not the best G/T story I have EVER READ.
Read it in less than an hour; but it was the best hour of my life.
So as a self-proclaimed "terrible book reviewer that has no idea what he's doing and has never written an actual book in his life", I shall now gush about the book, what I love, and what I dislike.
I first read all the other (free) Wellwood AUs with Brothers Apart, Sam of Wellwood, the various oneshots, etc. before BoW. When I first looked at Bobby, Jacob, and Chase, I thought they were pretty one-dimensional in some ways.
Jacob just seemed like a sprite/bitty loyalist, who "could do no wrong", Chase was a gremlin who, similar to Jacob, couldn't do anything wrong, and Bobby was just an arse. Static, manipulative, just another crack in the unpaved road; all the bad things. Logan, on par with his other appearances, was just as infuriatingly good at hurting the small people (His blood shall boil in the undying fires of Hell itself until he is nothing more than a lifeless husk of what he once was).
Bowman of Wellwood changes all of that, perhaps because (heh, no duh) this story is probably where they originated from.
Jacob's introduction, similar to Brothers Lost and the likes, is tainted by a bad first impression, and I have to commend how one-sided the actual "badness" of the interaction is, and how well it's executed; Jacob doesn't really think that what he's doing (up until the "wing-no-hurty" part) is really that bad... as the human. And unlike [Brothers] Lost, this interaction is directly between two characters, with the only Bowman being the "catalyst of the ultimate realization", which builds up Jacob and Bowman's characters (Bowman's values and Jacob's actions). The moment where Jacob chooses Bobby over Bowman? Oooh, it hurts.
Chase, unlike all of his other "cameos", only furthers the chain of bad impressions by being overly grabby. This contrasts the initial expectations I had of him and makes him that much better as side character. He can make big mistakes as well. The only real issue I found was that he didn't exactly do... much. Although yes, he isn't exactly a main character of any sort, his personality never quite shows any changes, and he never really gets "screen time" as Jacob's friend, unlike Lost, or as a separate character, like Chase in Lilliput; he just feels like comedic relief at times. Perhaps if they had an interaction that strengthened their relationship, it would make the part where Jacob almost dies that much more impactful. That scene, by the way, is (chef's kiss) beautiful and I cried. A lot.
Bobby, though, is the main highlight. His development is a day-and-night difference, and it really makes his other appearances quite drab in comparison. I love this Bobby, where he isn't quite a good guy, but he's on a path of redemption, and it makes him a better person in the end. Hey, I'm all for sad endings for the pseudo-antagonist, but I'm glad I didn't feel like beating him up at the end of the story. I do have to say though, I do wish the book went a little deeper into his background. As far as I can tell (I read this in an hour, mind you; I tend to overlook details), the only real motive that Bobby had to reveal Bowman to his grandfather was validation. To feel a sense of fulfillment that he helped his family. I mean, hey, good for him, but why does he want that sense of accomplishment? Did his family look down on him when he was younger?
Maybe I missed that detail, who knows.
The plot is amazing. I love how in most of the stories involving Bobby, he's treated as the antagonist, mostly, like in Brothers Lost and Bobby of Nowhere. But in BoW, he's brushed aside before he even really gets to do anything particularly terrible, because arses like Logan exist. Of course, "wing-no-hurty: the sequel" is still terrible, don't get me wrong, but it pales in comparison to Logan's actions, and emphasizes that Bobby is redeemable; Logan is not.
I love that as the story progresses, Bowman's absence in Wellwood only grows, starting with when he first sees the human's, to the end of the story. It shows how he slowly becomes more accustomed to the humans he trusts, and that they aren't really that different. And also it shows that they WON'T STOP TRAPPING THE POOR MAN OH MY GAWSH.
The humor is lovely. Period. Need I say more? Seeing the humans snark at Bowman, only for him to pull out a hilarious rebuttal out from behind his back is so perfect. The sprites' lack of knowledge on human things always gets me no matter where I see it, and there's always a... nice... Chase Lisong quip when it's needed.
The death of Lord Scar isn't really illustrated enough, though. He's an important part of Bowman's life, a figure that he sort of looks up to, that everyone looks up to. I sort of wish there was a scene for mourning and honoring him, maybe giving him another surname for defeating humans, like "Giantsbane" or something like that. If the sprites mourn and honor, that is.
This story, like all stories you write tend to have, has amazing, suspenseful moments. Logan's entrance? Unexpected (for when it happens, at least), and so well done. When Jacob gets shot? Expected - there was a mention of it in one of the other stories - but just as heartbreaking.
Oh, the sprite/Spirit universe just got so much larger.
Bowman being revealed to be able to pray to the Water Spirit, only to seamlessly transition into him using it to save Jacob is just so amazing.
However, I will mention the abruptness - is that the right word? - of Prayers. While it's mentioned all throughout the beginning of the book, the actual workings of it seems to be unknown until it suddenly pops up when Bowman gets hurt that one time. And then when it's abruptly brought up to the humans, they have no idea what is going on.
Again, I might've missed the details where it's brought up.
So yeah, that's Bowman of Wellwood.
It's truly an amazing story. I loved it, and I'm sure anyone, whether they're in the G/T community or not, will enjoy it just as much. I may be a bit late to this party (the cake has already been abandoned and the balloons have already lost their helium), but anyone who hasn't already, please read this story. It's only five bucks as an e-book in Amazon.
Just read the dang thing; it's definitely worth it.
