How to defeat a Demon King in ten easy steps by Andrew Rowe
Synopsis:
For thousands of years, there has been a cycle: a Demon King rises and conquers, and a Hero is reborn a hundred years later to defeat him. Each time, civilisations are ground to dust beneath the Demon King's hordes, but humanity has remained secure in the belief that a Hero of legend will always save them. There's just one slight problem. It's only been 23 years since the Demon King's latest rise, and this time, he's already conquered more than half the world. If humanity simply waits for the Hero's return, there may be no world left for him to save.
And so, Yui Shaw sets out with an ambitious plan. A 10-step plan.
She'll find a way to obtain the Hero's legendary sword. She'll earn obscure classes, gain levels, and increase her skills. She'll travel to the meticulously-crafted dungeons that seem designed for one specific Hero to complete. And, if she's truly (un)fortunate, she might even find a fairy.
My thoughts:
Wonderful book, 100/10, would recommend!
It's a very short book with roughly 130 pages and I went in rather blind. I didn't know it was Zelda inspired, but I clocked it really fast, with The Water Temple Hero and The Speedy Runner Hero - both of which are hilarious concepts. Loved it.
I was a bit reluctant to start this book, since I hated "How to become a Demon Lord and die trying", but I did and was not disappointed. Yui is a hilarious protagonist, her bestie Ken is just perfection and don't even get me started on Vex, Dirk or Fitzgerald, who was totally not Nameless Kage. Or a Princess. Not at all!
I am also so grateful that the author didn't make Yui weirdly sex obsessed (as the author of a certain other book did). She was just a normal (well, relatively) person doing the best she could in a horrible situation. Thanks, Mr. Rowe! You restored some of my faith in male authors writing women, there's so few that actually manage to make them feel like people and not just perverts or walking boobs.
“It looks correct. Within the boundaries of ‘correct’ that we can establish, that is, while trying to emulate something we don’t fully understand.” She handed the glove back to me. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head. “Positions?”
She nodded. “Science will remember you.”
Andrew Rowe - The Silence of Unworthy Gods
i love them. lmao science will remember you. cecily be like: godspeed soldier 🫡
“No arguing. We have six teams. Some of them will undoubtedly go to fight the hydra, which is fine. Jin, if you want to fight the hydra with that new sword of yours, that might be good for the city’s morale, but—”
“I do not, in fact, want to fight the giant hydra.”
A digital illustration of Corin Cadence, the main character of Arcane Ascension, my favorite book series <3 I spent a few days on this, and I'm pretty happy with how it came out.
I’d like to thank Lydia Hastings for showing me how to have chronic leg pain in style—I got a cane sword! And it’s just my size. Leather and a real blade inside. Holds my weight, a lovely thing to wield. I could die happy now, except I need more swords...
