Blood Stew
In a world of swords and sorcery, illusionist Kim Nam-Gi has a dream: to become a hero.
Born in the land of South Hanguk, cursed with a malformed spine, Nam-Gi longs to prove his worth against dragons and monsters. Instead, he toils in his family's restaurant while studying advanced spells under the tutelage of a Dark Elf. When his father, Kim Joo-Won, goes deep into debt in an attempt to attract new customers to their struggling restaurant, Nam-Gi is once again denied permission to put his name forward on the governor's registry. Joo-Won needs him for the restaurant, and a greedy money lender hovers over them with the aim to keep the Kim family in perpetual debt.
Desperate to solve their financial woes, Nam-Gi uses magic to trick customers into believing that the restaurant's meager bottom feeders are actually carp and abalone. If he can keep up the deception, his family might prosper enough to escape the lender. Then his father may grant him permission to abandon his post at the restaurant and take the challenge of a quest.
A perfect opportunity soon arrives. On the other side of South Hanguk, two fishermen discover a corpse with strange leathery wings drifting in the sea. They haul the body back to the village. Tragedy ensues when their unexpected catch proves to be more terrifying than anything they could have imagined.
The governors of South Hanguk seek out adventurers who can slay the monster that now terrorizes the besieged fisherfolk. Will Nam-Gi be allowed to roam across wild lands and wander through dark forests to vanquish this threat? Can he push his crippled body beyond the limits that have plagued him since birth?
Find out in BLOOD STEW , the tale of a disabled teen who must face overwhelming odds in his quest to become a hero.
Title: Blood Stew
Author: Todd Sullivan
Genre: Fantasy
Paperback: 334 pages
Publication Date: 11/21/2021
Publisher: Mocha Memoirs Press
Language: English
ISBN: 1737132028
ISBN-13: 9781737132028
My Review
“Hunger sparked a flame of thought that wavered in the empty landscape of its mind. An ember flicked from the thought and landed on another, setting it alight. That one tumbled onto another, and then another, until a chain reaction of contemplation began to push back the darkness.”
Blood Stew is the third book in the Windshine Chronicles and the first full-length novel by comparison to the previous novellas in this trilogy. I was excited to dive back into this Korean-inspired fantasy, for Sullivan has a way to bring the flair of the setting and characters so authentically to life, and it did not disappoint.
Taking place in South Hanguk, Nam Gi, the main character, works for his father's restaurant and is a student of the Dark Elf. The family pours every effort into providing Nam Gi with the classes for his education while running the family restaurant that's been a longtime staple in the area for generations. But business isn't going so well. With the competition growing fierce to provide the best delicacies around, the family decides to renovate the restaurant to garner more attraction. Nam Gi has a dream. He wants to apply for a quest that will undoubtedly make him a hero and his parents proud - so he hopes, but they won't have any of it. Since he has a malformed spine and needs a cane to walk around, his place is to remain at the restaurant.
In a moment of last resort to try for his dream, Nam Gi enchants his family, the restaurant guests, and the lenders into making the food seem grander than it is. When discovered, the family loses everything, and Nam Gi becomes imprisoned. Will the Dark Elf be able to help?
In the meantime, two fishermen find a bipedal creature with wings floating in the water and bring it to shore. Unbeknown to them, they just invited the deadliest trouble on the loose - a monster that feeds on humans.
As we learn more about the monster, Sullivan gives it a few turns in pov which was quite interesting, some other characters from the previous novels enter the story. With a refresher on lore and history, this story rises climactically when the factions clash together, and a teenage boy with a dream learns the kind of magic it takes to prove himself worthy of a quest.
There was much to love about this novel. Again, the Korean flair and Sullivan's writing style stand out, influenced by living within these cultures so far removed from my experience, it was very pleasant to slip back into the world of the Windshine Chronicles, even though this novel felt different. It reads slower and was built more on establishing the characters. While I believe the first two novels were very well written, with the perfect measure of dynamic, pacing, action, and character development, I found Blood Stew not quite as consistent or strong as the predecessors. I know what Sullivan was trying to do, and the chapter and pov changes were great, the story was wonderful, and the action was fantastic, it just needs a little more cohesiveness or tightening in my opinion.
What stood out to me in reading Blood Stew was Nam Gi’s struggle in daily activities due to his disabilities and his amazing spirit. Also, when, the fisherman found the creature, the novel had me turning pages and everything took a very interesting turn that I had no way of imagining. I did notice some passages became sharper in wording, more grim or horror-like, but I found them to be in the right measure.
I would recommend The Windshine Chronicles for its amazing Koren flair and setting as well as the mindset of the characters. It has been such a great journey and I love the myths and creatures in the story. Blood Stew could be read as a stand-alone, but to have an overall understanding of the imaginative world Sullivan created as a whole, I suggest reading them all.
Here are my reviews of the previous novels you can check out.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!
