#genius prince

[mikyapixie]

𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝐵𝒾𝓇𝓉𝒽𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝑅𝒾𝑒 𝒯𝒶𝓀𝒶𝒽𝒶𝓈𝒽𝒾!

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt’ #12

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt #12 by Toru Toba, Falmaro, Jessica Lange

adventure

fantasy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Things are looking bad for the Kingdom of Natra. Prince Wein may be a brilliant battlefield tactician and a credible statesman known throughout the continent, but when pressed upon by his own people, the man has little recourse. GENIUS PRINCE . . . v12 charts a possible path that could see the young dragon either poised to consumer everyone in his way or die by his own word, like all beasts past.

The civil war in the east has finally reached its necessary conclusion. Lowellmina is on top, and the woman has her fair share of paperwork, crowd-rousing, and spy-hunting to keep her busy. Deep down, part of her still desires Wein to stand by her side. But for now, her own country requires healing. In the west, curiosity still quirks the brow of myriad leaders who scrap for more power, rebuke the Earthworld Empire to the east, and revere (fear) Levetia's Gospel Bureau. The east would see Natra brought into its fold for passive, long-game geopolitical advantages; the west would see Natra crushed or consumed for active, urgent geopolitical advantages. What's a genius prince to do? ("Both sides sought to make Natra a treasonous sacrificial lamb," page 99).

GENIUS PRINCE . . . v12 takes an intriguing tactic: The book wrests control of the situation out of Wein's hands, and concocts a surreptitious ambush in the meanwhile. Falanya is increasingly bitter about her brother's economic and diplomatic pragmatism. The Flahm have grown restless (via outside agitation) and threaten to revolt in pursuit of independence. And lurking in the shadows are representatives of the Gospel Bureau, requesting an alliance with Natra for obviously nefarious reasons.

"The people are not cattle, possessions, or pets. Without them, we're powerless, our authority is revealed to be smoke and mirrors, and every noble lineage becomes a sham. There is no hierarchy between politicians and the rest. Our roles may be different, but we stand side by side." (Wein, page 66)

The author's decision to tell this story in tandem with the origin of Wein and Ninym's meeting and subsequent relationship offers a clever and sometimes heart-rending contrast of events. Wein, it turns out, has always been a rather dispassionate person; he has no goals or motivations of his own, he always does what he's told, and he has always lived with the truth that somebody, somewhere, wants him dead. As for Ninym, her desperate plea to survive, and to prove herself worthy of service to the young stoic, speaks as much of her individual pride as it does to Wein's increasingly conscientious effort to do well by others.

Wein always speaks of Ninym as his "heart." And when readers peruse the current volume, they'll learn that he means this quite literally: Ninym's capacity to survive, to endure, to find her own path, is what gives Wein his own sense of life and his own path forward. The challenge, as one finds in GENIUS PRINCE . . . v12, is that external forces often seek to overwhelm Ninym's agency. For example, the Flahm seek independence, with Ninym at the helm (against her desire), while the west seeks reconciliation with the Flahm (with a corrupt glint in its eye).

Secondary characters loom important in this installment. Falanya expressing her interest in aiming for the throne upon discovering her older brother's apathy for ethical rulership is no accident. The girl, shaking with anxiety, proclaims that "this isn't about compassion. It's a necessary effort to guarantee the future of our nation" (page 69). Elsewhere, Levan, the chief Flahm servant to the Natran throne, struggles mightily to contain the unrest among his people. Levan is old school, and he believes his people owe more to the Arbalest family than they could ever take. But the winds of change are strong, and as such, sacrifice often arrives in unrecognizable shapes and forms. The question of how Natra will survive the pressures of the east, the west, and from its own people, may well hinge on the opinions (and devotion) of a single, long-serving vassal.

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[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt’ #9

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?), Vol. 9 by Toru Toba My rating: 4 of 5 stars Here's an idea: Invite the most notoriously pragmatic, infamously shrewd, and dangerously intelligent nobleman on the continent to a gathering of backwoods' statesmen and use him for personal gain. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. Obviously. But for the middling, inexperienced politicians of the Ulbeth Alliance, which is located in the far west of the Varno Continent, the opportunity to wield Prince Wein as a tool to pry apart domestic relations is irresistible. Whether through crass manipulation, deliberately invoking chaos, or the usual inter-party shenanigans native to arrogant squabbles for power, politicians will do what politicians have always done: deceive, bicker, exploit, complain, and betray. Good thing the Crown Prince of Natra's seen it all before. In GENIUS PRINCE . . . v9, Prince Wein and his delegation spend a week in the Ulbeth Alliance at the behest of Agata Willow, a Holy Elite and the representative of one of the four city-states that comprise the alliance. How willing is Wein to either harmonizing or upending the alliance's forthcoming Signing Ceremony (a decennial ratification of the alliance)? After all, a stable alliance would mean profitable trade for Natra. Too bad the representatives attending the ceremony, and then some, have their own plans for the future of the alliance. The curious, if obvious challenge set before Wein is that Agata's quest to consolidate authority within the Ulbeth Alliance is sketchy at best. Agata is a tenacious ruler. He's also getting way too old for the bedeviling arrogance that presently binds the wrists of his city-state. He's an interesting character with a modest, though perhaps not enough presence on the page. All the more reason to delve into the man's reason to firm up the alliance, quash his rivals in the other city-states, and modernize the Ulbeth Alliance into a stronger, more respectable country. This novel is an ongoing what-if scenario. Wein's obligation to help Agata is only as strong as he desires. He could, just as easily, shift his favoritism to Oleom, representative of Great Blue Skies of Roynock (port city-state), or to Lejoutte, representative of Grand Red Harvest of Facrita (farmland city-state). Wein has his pick of potential allies. But such luxuries possess an undeniable truth: Wein also has his pick of would-be backstabbers. And as GENIUS PRINCE . . . v9 continues, readers encounter the delightful treat of Wein constantly schooling the locals in what true statecraft looks like. Wein deliberately helps, deliberately obfuscates, and deliberately mixes up everyone's view of the puzzle pieces that might constitute authority within the Ulbeth Alliance. Inter-party marriage? Inter-city trade? Cascading political scandals? These people thought they could spellbind Wein into doing what they wanted. They messed with the wrong dude. GENIUS PRINCE . . . v9 is a fun adventure with relatively low stakes. This novel was clearly designed to ease up on the more perilous inclinations of the continent's detestable figures in favor of a cavalcade of helpless, awkward politicians. The Ulbeth Alliance's reputation as bitter, inward-looking, and nurturing excess religiosity does its residents no favors. But the alliance's next generation of rulers, plus Wein's governance flexibility, offers readers a glimpse into a confederacy of fools on the cusp of critical thinking (Wein: "No one political system is 'correct.' What matters is how people benefit from it. Who cares if the government is 'on your side' if everyone starves to death? Do whatever works," page 12). The book's only substantive dive into the darker alleyways of nation-state trickery concerns the author's long-awaited explanation of the history of the Flahm. Discussed at varying points in the novel from the perspectives of Wein, Falanya and Nanaki, and Ninym, the tale of the subjugation, rise, and fall of the Flahm people is sad, pitiable, and stomach-turning. It is little wonder why Wein is so intensely protective of "his heart," Ninym, and so earnest in doing well by her people. And it is with this in mind, it is also little wonder why Wein is so willing to interfere in the affairs of the Ulbeth Alliance, a surveillance society whose citizens ignorance is their only source of pride (Kamil, political aide to Agata, on the alliance: "Tell them the foolish, illogical people of a senseless land were destroyed by their own folly," page 119).

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt’ #8

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?), Vol. 8 by Toru Toba My rating: 4 of 5 stars If not for the madness seeking to bury him under the weight of a continent in perpetual conflict, Crown Prince Wein Salema Arbalest could be mistaken for being as great a fool as he is a virtuoso. But readers already know this. What readers don't yet know, or have yet to sum the evidence for, is just how wildly conniving, brazenly injudicious, and insecure all the other leaders on the Varno continent happen to be. And by extension, it takes the precarity of a world on fire to enlighten these denizens of political turbulence to Prince Wein's genius (or cowardice, sometimes it's hard to tell). In GENIUS PRINCE . . . v8, one finds that not all debts are of the salable type, not all debts can be readily counted or esteemed, and not all debts are as sensitive to the risk of payout as one presumes. Prince Wein is summoned to yet another Gathering of the Chosen, this time deep in the western continent and far from known allies. The nefarious Lady Caldmellia helms a round-table discussion of heads of state in a bid to pull more land under the aegis of Levetia. Wein's aim? Get out alive. Also? Stall, stall, stall. The longer he can drag out this meeting of arrogant kings and feckless dukes and pessimistic royal princes, the less urgent the perceived threat of his rising Kingdom of Natra. At the fore, Wein is in a bind. The whole reason the young man was invited to the Gathering of the Chosen was to ferret out his indecision as to which half of the continent his tiny northern kingdom owes allegiance. For Lady Caldmellia, Director of Levetia's Gospel Bureau and keen provocateur, pinning down Natra and forcing Wein to heel would be a huge win. Good thing there are other matters that require the table's focus (e.g., voting on whether to accept the new King of Cavarin as a new Holy Elite). Good thing Wein has secured one or two allies ahead of time (unless, of course, someone sees fit to betray him). Good thing there's always somebody, somewhere, eager to mobilize a miliary spectacle (warfare becomes predictable when one's intentions are base). The twisting and turning political theater that makes this series so delightful simmers beneath the surface for nearly the entirety of the novel. Readers will feel a bit disappointed, if not downright anxious, to see Wein hemmed in on all sides by the ruthless egoists of the west. Is Holy King Silverio really a doddering old man? Or do his milky eyes and bony fingers hide a darkness even Caldmellia obeys without a word? And what about the aggressively friendly second prince of Valencia? Prince Tigris is terribly ambitious, for himself and for his kingdom, and he openly beseeches Wein in a friendly scheme of sorts. What could possibly go wrong? GENIUS PRINCE . . . v8 amps up the pressure until Wein's number of ways out are miniscule. Truthfully, it isn't until page 135 of the passingly short, 166-page novel that readers' spines will shiver in stupefied awe at the ridiculous tactical moves Wein employs to turn the tables on his numerous foes. For much of the novel, one postulates how Prince Wein might wiggle free of the elites' affront. And as for the obvious solution, one presumes the risk is too ridiculous to be of any possible use. That is to say, Wein would never make such a gamble. Until he does, of course. In GENIUS PRINCE . . . v8, narrative development is exquisite. It's certainly not for everyone. This style of storytelling, of wading well over 80% into the novel to jar oppositional characters into action, requires an almost feral dedication only to characters' authenticity. The other kings and dukes and princes at the Gathering of the Chosen have plans to absorb the affluence of Mealtars, to slaughter the royal family of the Earthworld Empire, and to bring about violence across the Varno continent. But before any of them can take a single step forward in their maddening plots, they have to outsmart Wein; a task of which none seem capable. Other fascinating notes in this volume include a heavy bit of foreshadowing about the fate of Ninym Ralei in the future of the Kingdom of Natra, and an insightful exchange between Gruyere, the King of Soljest, and his daughter, Princess Tolcheila. To the first point, the author's constant hinting and suggesting that Wein's affection for the Flahm woman runs deeper than professional compassion takes an abrupt turn when Flahm elders whisper Ninym's name in the same breath as that of a national hero, whom a generation ago, made a deal to save his people. To the second point, Tolcheila struggles to find her place against a maturing Falanya and an unrepentant Wein. The girl is getting desperate, for attention as well as authority. The question remains: How far will Princess Tolcheila go to get what she wants?

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[ahb-writes]

I want to be a gentleman, but devilish temptation won't let me.

"Wein Salema Arbalest" (The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt #7 by Toru Toba)

[noirestardust]

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt’ #2

How many allies does Wein have, if any, to shift into position to better access an escape route in the event something goes wrong (again)?

The sly dialogue and raw palace intrigue that made the first novel a credible and curious piece of fiction returns in GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2. Wein and Ninym are beset with the political machinations of friend and foe alike, and the two must navigate everything from dangerous proposals of political marriage to civil unrest to fending off assassination attempts. The joy of a novel like GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2 is that there's always something quirky and challenging around the corner. It may be forgone that Wein's genius will guide him to success, but the odd twists and turns he enacts along the way are what make the title worth reading. The best example punches through when a visiting aristocrat takes a drunken fall out of a second story window and bites the dust. Whoops. How does Wein control information as it seeps back into the hands of his enemies? What does Wein do in response to this obvious (if accidental) threat of violence against a head of state? How many allies does Wein have, if any, to shift into position to better access an escape route in the event something goes wrong (again)? It's the getting-out-of-trouble that makes GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2 such a fun book. However, on occasion, the challenges Wein faces are a bit contrived, like when a friend from his time in the military academy turns out to be the second imperial princess of the Earthworld Empire . . . it's a weird coincidence one feels the author threw in at random but also just so happened to have worked out. Lowellmina Earthworld is a fun character, she's as arrogant and sharp as Wein, but the author could have done a much better job of integrating her into the narrative than conjuring a ridiculous backstory her about playing Robin Hood in their childhood days. This is a good novel series and is easy to digest for readers eager for a consequential tale of domestic governance at a time when there's little to hold onto but the will of the people and the cobblestones beneath one's feet. There's war and death, betrayal and uncertainty, and a lot of conniving. But that's what it means to be an impoverished ruler. The novel's patient and subtle insistence that Wein and Ninym are reluctant lovers-in-waiting, despite all the mayhem surrounding their struggling kingdom, is a delightful backbeat to an otherwise fast-moving and energetic tale of impudence on the throne.

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads