So I’ve been reading The Wandering Inn, which is amazing btw, but it’s started getting a little intense and I want to take a break for a bit. I wanted to read something similar, and I like how serious the author takes the topic. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’ve already blasted through Hedge Wizard and Arcane Ascension for additional references.

Edit: here’s a compiled list of the recommendations so far, and where I’m putting them.

Currently Reading: Cradle

To-Read: Practical Guide to Evil, Bastion, Mother of Learning

To Check Out: Beware of Chicken, Only Villains Do, Way of Choices,

This feels like a pretty solid list, but I’ll update as I go.

  •  hamiltonicity   ( @hamiltonicity@beehaw.org ) 
    2•1 year ago

    Besides Practical Guide to Evil (already mentioned), Beware Of Chicken has very similar comfy slice-of-life progression vibes to the more chill parts of Wandering Inn but with none of the RPG trappings. It’s your stereotypical xianxia setting with a hilariously overpowered isekai protagonist, but it works because the overpowered protagonist rejects cultivation and runs off to the middle of nowhere to farm rice away from all the crazy people, and then the story actually sticks to that premise rather than using it to quickly establish a setting before immediately dragging him into the wider world. The focus is very much on the bonds between him and his found family, and when there’s danger it’s typically either a larger problem or because he’s not around to solve it.

    By the way,

    Mild pacing spoilers for The Wandering Inn

    the Wandering Inn has some very intense periods but it never stays intense forever - no comment on whether everyone always survives the very intense periods, but the overall story will always have a healthy portion of comfy slice-of-life stuff.