Cradle: Soulsmith - REVIEW

This is one of those series i would recommend you listen to the audiobooks. Travis Baldree does an incredible job narrating these books, serving only to elevating the experience

If you got a "meh" reaction from the stuff that happens to make Lindon stronger, you wl have a harder time later on, because finding convenient stuff is a staple of the genre
But Lindon in particular, gets made to train a lot, so it can become annoying to see him having so little choice on his on matters
I actually like the first book the most, because we could see the MC using whatever little resources he had to make progress, even against the odds
I mean, in the first book his resources were a wasp nest and a slice of fruit, and he squeezed enough chances out of them, to make him join that mountain school
I actually had to stop t a certain book, because it was extremely annoying to see Lindon being taken away for training again
Im currently giving the series a rest, but i will continue reading it later on

Awesome that you're doing more Cradle reviews! Honestly, from book 4 onwards the series just keeps getting better and more addicting. I'm on my way to re-reading the books, I guess this time I'll be listening to them, and can't recommend the series enough.

i think one thing you may be missing is that cradle is very much a western author writing a xanxia/xanhua story, so a lot of the tropes prevalent to that genre ( and how well cradle copes with them) may be easy to miss/assess if your not familiar with the genre. Again not saying you have to had read a lot of xanxia/xuanhua to understand cradle ( i think its actually a great entry point for the genre) but a better understanding of it would help give some perspectives to the type of world building/stories cradle takes many of its roots from

"get them out of a bad situation"

Me: you know, sometimes Lindon just need a helping hand. It is not easy being a 16-17 year old copper-iron.

A barber lindon, you have to visit a barber. Your hair lacks volume and definition.

Sounds like a banger. Great review Daniel!

I actually usually really dislike the leveling system style of magic, but for some reason it was a bit more nuanced or lightly sprinkled into this series so that it's one of the few times I quite enjoy it.

I continued after the first book because people said it got better. In fact, it got worse. This is where I'll see myself to another iteration.

Legit read all 11 books in less than 2 weeks. Blackflame is the first true high point.

Thank you for the book review! This has been on my TBR for a while. Love the Dusty Wheel mug flex!

So I was a little hung up on Lindon’s lack of defining character for quite a while in the early books. I think you really start to get an understanding of who he is and why over the next few books.

WW kinda brushes over it in the first book, but I don’t think you’re really made to understand that Lindon grew up an Unsouled, and therefore has been told by everyone his entire life that he’s worth less than nothing. When you realise that he’s basically just a badly bullied kid with extreme self-esteem issues, you’ll enjoy the first few books a whole lot more. It’s why he’s so ridiculously polite and humble. He views everyone as above him, because that’s how things have been his entire life.

I have enjoyed these books a lot!

Shame your reviews don't get more views. This is how you started and it's almost not even booktube anymore.

Good video!

Lindon's unflappable character is part of why I liked him early on. No tricks. No gimmicks, no bullshit. He was exactly who he said he was and he never really changes. Only gets more motivated.
Welcome to the Path, Daniel.

I appreciate when a 6/10 is portrayed accurately; when it is considered above average but with a few faults and maybe not quite your cup of tea. That said, I give the entire series 10/10. Starting with Blackflame you only get more invested in the characters, and even plot-driven action

I was iffy on cradle until book 3, Lindon changes over time, but you get used to his... personality. 8 is the best in my opinion, and many others, and while reaper added a lot to the story, and is a lot of people's favorite, I personally wasn't a big fan. It has most of the flaws you'd see in any other progression fantasy, and you gotta read it knowing that it isn't going to be some "blows you away" masterpiece, and it's very easy to enjoy.

From a Cradle Die Hard Fan: Fair Review.
IMO: Some of the reason why Lindon comes off as uncompelling in early books is because 1) his natural lack of direct agency for being so weak in the world and 2) him not really know what he wants himself in the early books. Lindon essentially starts the series as this world's version of an untouchable and never had the chance to develop a demeanor outside of his status. When given his call to action we see his commitment for improvement and resourcefulness but we haven't yet seen his own ego in action coloring his personality. All of which is solved and improved upon in continued entries in the series.

Eagerly awaiting the third book review

I actually don't really disagree with your assessment that Lindon is super hard to connect with yet at the same time I dont hate it. Lol It's a weird relationship I have with the series.

That said, this series really does just get better and better. Is it peak "literature" or writing? No not really, but it's perfect just fun fantasy!

Eithan is my favorite character and still is 10 books later. Will does a great job worldbuilding ime and thats probably his best feature as a writer but he also jsut excels like you said at capturing the energy of a scene and wanting to read more.

I dont read progression fantasy in general but I've very much enjoyed cradle as a fun, entertaining read from a fun (hilarious) author :)

Lindon doesn't have many actions where he controls his own density so I think that's why Daniel is down on his character. As he grows in power he starts to make decisions for himself and the group instead of just reacting and trying to survive. Eventually he does become the protagonist you expect who drives the action rather then reacts to it. You might change your mind earlier but by end of Ghostwater Lindon scenes will be your favorite in the story.

Wight is pronounced "White", by the way. I know you're having fun but I didn't know until I heard someone else talk about old D&D modules out loud

Finally! Can't wait for a book 3 review

Every book it gets better and better. I didn't like the first one but I powered through and I'm glad I did. Keep going, they are quick reads and addictive. Ghost water is my personal favourite.

Totally agree. I thought the first two, almost three books felt average. Not bad, but not worth any hype. The series gets better, although there may be a peak, considering the later books again.

The "convenient timing" actually becomes an important narrative component as you start to understand how powerful beings can truly get in Cradle

I feel like The struggles Lindon went through hit me more than they were meant too because I'm blind since birth, so his journey became mine. It's funny how many fantasy books I never got to read as a child because they weren't in braille at all, or the book wasn't in audio. Thank god for better technology because it opened so many doors to me. I don't want to make this comment too long, but it can be a death sentence to be disabled in a primitive society. The author isn't exagerating, and even if you are allowed to live, the assistance people give you is fragile and dependent solely on others and their willingness to work with yyou.We end up having to work so much harder just to live a life of dignity, and I think this series does a great job of noting this fact without smacking you in the face with it too much.

Blackflame did it for me. From that point on it was just nonstop greatness

Will wight’s travelers gate trilogy was a fun read also. I wish he did more with it because it was all fast paced. I wish he gave travelers gate the “cradle” treatment.

Please review more Cradle! I just marathonned it in like 2 weeks and I haven't found a series I love this much in years.

The convenient timing thing is a very legitimate complaint from this series, redeemed by the pace and the world building I feel. I've binged the crap out of it, because I love the world he's created, and you are 100% right about the supporting cast Will created which is absolutely top tier, Aithan and Yeren carry the first few books without a doubt, and Dross is an amazing addition when he rolls in.

Cradle is definetly an addictive series. BUT if you are looking for the level of character work of Abercrombie or Lawrence or Hobb, you will not find it here.

Book one is amazing but only if you know the typical eastern fantasy tropes it's subverting. The way he cheats and steals and takes joy in beating up kids is so different from the typical xuanhuan protagonist that it's hilarious.

Any recommendation people I need somthing as fun as this one

I love the Cradle series and all the main characters! Is it just me, or does anyone else picture Dross like Mike Wazowski in Monster Inc? 😆

I certainly agree that Lindon, especially early on is not a strong character overall. He is very tropey, which is nice, but I feel like this is where Will Wights inexperience shows the biggest impact (which would explain why it gets a lot better in alter books). I feel like the emotional resonance of Lindons motivation feels very weak. We understand that he wants to save sacred valley and we kind of get why: he likes his family and despite being treated unfairly does not wish death upon its inhabitant.
However just how important that is to him does not connect to the reader. I as a reader really didnt care if he saves sacred valley or not, at least not until way into the later half of the series. I just wanted to see Lindon becoming stronger and doing epic battles, with one of the coolest magic systems I have seen in a while.

Rewatching after coming over to see if you had anything new on this series (this is totally not me trying to tell you to keep reading), regarding your comment on how everything seems to go Lindon's way. On Unsouled, remember that at the very beginning Suriel changes his fate completely, so it's somewhat intended that things go according to plan. When it comes to Soulsmith... well, Eithan is a thing (and he's by far one of the most, if not straight up the most fun character in the series).
Lindon spends quite a bit being boring and quick to please, and I actually quite like the fact that he is that way early on because it's a good representation of the world he lives in. He's weak, so he has to give up a lot of the time because, by Cradle standards, he's barely above an ant in terms of relevancy. His evolution as a character it's pretty subtle, but once all the pieces fall into place, he's great and I'm sad Cradle is ending soon because I don't want to say goodbye to these characters.

Will we be seeing your review of Blackflame soon?

I struggled through the second book, no lie. I'm not sure why I kept reading but book 5 hooked me and I read till I finished book 11 in about a week. Keep reading and the reward will be there.

Hmmm, this review was done at the time of Dreadgod's release on the second book. I definitely see a lot of things that draw me closer to Lindon in book one. 1. (Apologies - Humility) He is a survivor of bullying and prejudice. He has to endure being mocked and bullied every day of his life because of essentially "malnutrition of the spirit". Because of a broken system that never gives him a chance, he must create a chance 2. He channels his weakness into bottomless hunger to succeed and points that at his goal to save his home at all costs. 3. He knows he will probably die but is willing to try anyways. 4. Lindon truly does understand "gratitude" because he has lived with nothing for so long. Yerin helps him past his first obstacle, and Eithan shows you his potential. Each book has its purpose in the series and you don't really appreciate how the author set things up from an early stand point, I remember saying that some of these things were flaws but really you start to see that Lindon is the main character in another character's story and that while his story is fundamentally his own, it layers over someone else's. And stop saying Will WICK. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STOP SAYING WILL WICK. 6/10 is a good rating. I think for pure entertainment value its a 6 and then when you look at what the author really did is he sunk his hooks further into you the first two books are meant to do that. He is really good at showing you how Lindon is different from other people, the road he has to travel (he pretty much tells you what that road is and why) and how the people in Cradle and the system is working against him from the start. Finally, you should listen to the audio books as well.

you should read more of these

Linden is a long burn. Eithan steals the show.

The best way to read it is to listen to it with Travis baldree reading it and pronounce the damn names right it’s athen not ethan and it’s will white

Lindon is great, cause while he does have strong morals, I wouldnt say hes a typical hero.

Not sure if you know but cradle was meant to be a throw away story/stories that Will could do between his OTHER books but once he realised that it was really popular he focused on it completely I think that shows in later books (from black flame and onwards )

So did he give up on the series?

If you haven't, I'd highly recommend to keep going. The Cradle series is amazing in it's entirety and shouldn't be critiqued as standalone books. Some very much can be standalone but now that they are all out, it's a binge read that starts as a slowburn and builds up with each book.

I LOVED the Cradle series, but I am inclined to agree, Lindon's personality is flat as a pancake. Where it really shines is with the side characters, especially Eithan.