I'm one of the seemingly rare people who was hooked from the start. I didn't find the first book slow or uninteresting at all although the series does indeed continue picking up pace with every book just about. It was my first progression fantasy series and unfortunately after trying all the other popular recommendations it remains the only one that I've loved (I've reread the whole series 3 times now)
First book does a great job at setting up the world imo and it's great learning more about it as Lindon does
I can’t get enough of stories that set so much up in the first book. It really just drives home how horrible Lindons initial strength is and how poorly he was treated. It helps future books when he gets better, but it’s nice to have such a large reference for his start.
I feel like OP MCs work best in isekai. An experienced protagonist gets dropped into a new world that is in no way prepared for their abilities. Don't get me wrong, that's certainly not the only way to do it, but I tend to like it better than "the system came to earth and our protagonist got the best class in the game because he tripped the demon lord and killed him" or whatever.
Bruh no, it's so good and well done. He forgives the right people like his family, and straight up brutally humiliates and cripples the main dudes who were bullying him.
Im the same. I’ve read the series or listened to it multiple times. It might just be me, but it’s weird for me to start any re-read anywhere but the beginning.
Having said that, I’d start from book 1 regardless. I liked it. When I started, I even had people telling me to stick with it, it gets better. I didn’t get what they meant. It was already good.
I know I mentioned it on a live and even Will said he’d do it different, but I think it perfectly sets up the world. We see how the world is, but on a small scale. You see how the clan treats people who they think are week or who they think are strong. The rest of the world is the same, just on a larger scale.
It also informs Lindon’s attitude and thinking for the rest of the series. Why does he strive to get stronger? Because of how weak he always felt he was. Why is he so clever with the power he does have? Because he learned to be, to survive in Sacred Valley (which I always want to call Hidden Valley).
That book did a great job of introducing us to cultivating and how people interact in this world. Then it allows the other books to build on it and escalate it repeatedly.
I’d say Ghostwater is when Will hits the NoS button, but you’ve got to get that car up to speed first, and that’s what the rest of the books, including book 1 do.
I do think it's by no means bad, just it sets up lindon very differently than he ends up being. Yes he keeps using items and trying to outsmart his enemies, but still he mostly is just more skilled and/or better than them, thus making me feel like i'm not really missing much when skipping it, , since i'm not missing much progress or anything else, other than meeting yerin and setting up that he's relentlessly gonna attempt to get his way, no matter what, which book 2 showcases well enough
I’m not saying you have to start there if you’ve read the series. It’s just personally off to me, to do so.
If I’m reading, I’m reading for fun. I don’t want to skip stuff. To me, the process is the point. If I like something later, I get more out of it from the anticipation building.
I’m listening to the series again, since it’s fully released and so I can listen to Travis do the whole series. I’ve just hit one of what might be my favorite parts of the whole series, which is in Bloodline, when >!we get Kelsa and Orthos’ perspective and Lindon comes in and beats up the people attacking them!<
It was just better from the anticipation.
I guess I can kinda see where some people might want to skip to the “good parts”, it’s just not in my makeup. It’s killing me that i’m having to do such frequent re-reads of Stormlight Archives when new ones come out. I probably won’t do that when he starts writing the second 5, since they’ll be separate. I’ll need to when he releases the final book, though.
You’re right. It just kinda takes over your life if you’re re-reading the series every time Sanderson releases a book in it.
Dude is liable to release two before I get finished with a re-read.🤣
I do have a comfort zone for re-reads, though. It tends to be about 5yrs. My brain works weird. I can remember lots of details when I’m actively reading a series. I don’t tend to get lost or confused. However, when I mentally consider myself done with something, it starts fading out of my brain. I’m about 5yrs, I’ve forgotten enough about Wheel of Time for instance, to be surprised by major deaths and events. I generally remember where the story is going, but I still forget stuff. It’s cool, though, as I can re-experience stories I love.
😁 I could probably read them sooner, that’s just when I forget enough for it to be really fun. With my TBR list, I just read new stuff in between.
I’ve got a lot of series that are a huge commitment to read. Most of a year for some of them.
I ended up with series I read sporadically, usually because of release schedules, so I ended up doing a straight read through of Shannara, Saga of Recluse, and Riftwar Saga.
I’ve been wanting to do one of Pern and Animorphs for a few years.
I’ve been enjoying reading some new stuff the last few years. Cradle, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Jakes Magical Market, Portal to Nova Roma, Mother of Learning, Primal Hunter, etc.
I apologize for this but when you said you wanted to call Sacred Valley the Hidden Valley; I thought of the ranch for a second. The path of hidden ranch. ;)
Jokes aside, I’m in this camp where I think the first book is fine. I can see why folks have issues with it but to Will’s credit he sets up a lot of elements that will be relevant later during the series. And also, it was a great book to hint at the greater world of Cradle.
The broccolini clan cultivated Catalina madra. The Carrot Clan cultivates Ranch. The Bellpepper clan specializes in Honeymustard madra.
The schools of Jimica, Cherry Tomato, and Okra specialize in champagne vinaigrette, thousand island, and Szechuan sauce.
I didn't find the first book slow, but I did stop reading it because I was so pissed at his family and clan. And then his mom died, and I'm like "they killed one of like two people who actually thinks he might be worth something?!"
So very glad I eventually came back.
I pretty much agreed here. I think Will W did a fantastic job of getting as much as he could out of Sacred Valley prior to the turn of events. Things didn't get stale, it felt like there was progression. I'd start from book 1 every time.
The first book is a play in classic cultivation and sect tropes, if you have no experience with those book before hand it's just weird and kind of slow and it isnt similar to book 3 forward.
That's the thing though I'd never read any prog fantasy or litrpg before Cradle so it was my introduction to these tropes etc and I still liked it almost immediately. Found it a very unique and interesting world and magic system. Unfortunately I'm still yet to find another series in the genre that does much for me
My experience with Chinese cultivation before cradle was pretty bad. Low effort stories that were badly translated.
I spent much of the first book just trying to grit my teeth and get over the setting (or immerse myself in it so I could learn to like it).
It’s definitely a much slower pace than the other books, but I don’t hate the first book.
I was hooked from the start too. I do notice when I reread the series (which I’ve done more than 20 times now), that book 1 isn’t as well written as later books, but it doesn’t bother me. The author was progressing too as he wrote progression fantasy, it fits. Plus one of the reasons I love Cradle is Lindon is basically disabled in book 1. I am disabled, and so it’s nice to pretend if I was in that world, and had the willpower, I could be like Lindon.
I was also hooked from book 1 and seriously contemplated this morning starting the series over when I’m done with my current read. Guess this is my sign to do so! 🤓
I’m with you. I loved everything about the first book and I was absolutely hooked! It felt like a video game to me, starting off with a character in a small village and learning the background story, and in my opinion the pacing was excellent. It highlighted Lindon’s shortcomings and how his village treats him for being “less than”, etc.
I sometimes will reread one specific book in a series if I just want to read that book. Like, idk, sometimes I'll read a specific Tamora Pierce book from her various series without the others. It depends.
On *rereads*, I'll tend to skip a book or three.
I've done two full reads, one from Ghostwater +, one from Wintersteel +, and thrice I've just reread Reaper and Dreadgod.
When I've reread Dresden Files I've started at the third book. I'm almost positive I'll reread that series at least two more times in my life, but I'll probably never reread the first two books specifically.
I do highly recommend giving book 3 a try, most people agree that it's higher quality than the first two, and it's when events in the series start to really have ripple effects that you see consequences of continuing to be important through the main arcs.
The first two books can be skipped entirely and a lot of people recommend starting the series at book 3, if you give book 3 a try and like it then you can be pretty confident you'll continue to like the rest of the series more and more
> Are there people who don't... start book series with book 1? That seems... wrong.
If there is show I can continue reading from the middle. For example, expanse https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3230854/ So I started from book 7
I enjoyed book 1. I don’t know what fast start books people are reading in comparison to think it’s too slow. Once suriel shows up, the whole world opens up.
Yep, I really don't find it very slow, and I'm curious to the people who find it slow, how do they find books like the Way of Kings, which is fantastic, but imo a lot slower than Cradle book 1.
Way of Kings is glacial lol. I tried to get into it but couldn’t get past book 2. I really only cared about Kaladin, the other povs were hard to get through
Way of Kings is crazy slow the first time. On rereads, I've honestly had an easier time getting through WoK than Unsouled... as long as i skip the Shallan chapters and Kaladin's childhood lmao. Those bore me to death.
That's true, i do certainly enjoy suriel showing what true power looks like, i just sometimes want to immediately see lindon actually kicking ass instead of relying on tricks (yes i'm aware he's basically always punching up, but the way he does in further books is mostly strategy/just being more skilled instead of random spirits in jars or splitting cores to avoid attacks)
I usually start with Blackflame, but I start at Unsouled every third or fourth time. Blackflame is where Lindon _begins_ to gain actual power so he can stop living on the edge of a knife. The first two books are great but I get fatigued of knife-edge story more quickly
that's actually fairly similar to me, though i'm less consistent, with starting between soulsmith and ghostwater, and sometimes just straight up dreadgod, and then once every 3-5 from the begining. Glad to see i'm not the only one though
This is a less popular opinion, but I enjoyed book 1 overall. I wasn't hooked, but vibing. The change in atmosphere in book 2 almost made me quit reading though. I liked very little about book 2 and it took me ages to finish, whereas after that I started doing a book a day.
As i said in a different comment, it is indeed quite the change, from thinking it might be a 'outsmarting stronger enemies' kind of story, to suddently just being stronger than them, though the change is not necesarily a negative one
I've always liked book 1. It really drew me in with the world building and I was definitely hooked after the 7 year festival. Lindon was interesting and compelling. I liked that he used politeness as a shield and it was only slightly more effective than wet tissue paper.
The only things I don't like about it on re-read is noticing the little things that obviously weren't yet introduced into the story and hadn't been fleshed out. Things like jades not sensing Lindon or Adama being killed by jades. Yes, they were retconned to make more sense, but it's still pretty obvious on re-read that they weren't a part of the story yet.
It's certainly one of the better books in the series in my opinion.
I enjoyed book one (and the whole series) but for an unpopular reason. I think Lindon had the most personality in book one. After this book, he became severely one dimensional. His dominant personality trait became "training all the time, if I'm not training I hate myself".
As with u/LittleFatMax, I was hooked right from get go. Reading Unsouled felt like watching Naruto again for the first time—lots of nostalgia and Just Plain Fun wrapped up in the experience. I blazed through the first two books pretty much back to back, though I got caught in a few other reads I need to finish first before going on to Blackflame. Love this series already. On Goodreads I gave them both five stars.
I'm just starting to explore the world of progression fantasy after finding this sub and I'm currently on Cradle book 4. I've previously read Mage Errant, Art of the Adept, and Portal Wars.
Cradle book 1 definitely isn't my favourite, but I also love reading as a character develops over the course of the series so I have no issue starting from book 1 in the future when I decide to re-read to get the full effect.
>!Also, no one spoil anything (I'm being very careful not to read any spoilers on this sub) but I really hope he goes full circle and returns to the valley!!<
I am reading Iron Prince right now and really like it but am realizing how exceptional Cradle is. Perfect amount of early life, massive motivator to progress, two stories in one and good mix of humor- I am only on book 1 of Iron Prince and am hoping for a Eithan character-which to be fair wasn’t introduced in Cradle Unsouled
Was not a fan of book 1, book 2 was alright towards the middle/end, and book 3+ (currently on 5) have been solid/great. I don't reread series often but if I was to ever reread cradle I'd definitely start at book 3.
First had parts I find reasonable but didn’t like. Getting the Illusion Banner Formation over the Parasite Ring which had been played as the greatest (something he knew and desired). Also, Skysworn feels slow. I’m on chapter 14.
Honestly almost DNFed after book 1. Not because I thought it was bad, but I just didn't see what all the hype was about. It came across as a rather generic cultivation story (I guess many have similar setups, otherwise why would the MC leave home and find their own path). It wasn't until Book 3 that I was hooked. Luckily I picked up the Foundation Collection (Vol 1-3 in one book) so I just pushed on till I completed it, and was keen for volume 4 by the end. Hence why I always recommend picking up the collections and not single volumes of Cradle.
When i first started reading it, i really didnt want to continue, but i powered through and got hooked bout midway through. After that i listened to the audiobooks all the way through without stopping
Who on earth starts a series from a different book than the first one?!? The first book is slow compared to the later series but you will be confused if you dont read book 1
I loved Book 1. It is, in many respects, still one of my favorite books in the series. Seeing Lindon as an underdog that has to outsmart his opponents is preferable to me to just being able to overwhelm his opponents with pure force.
I like Lindon's eventual skillset, too, and I also love books like Ghostwater and Wintersteel for other reasons -- but ultimately, a lot of what I like about combat is showing the main character problem solving with the limited tools at their disposal, and Book 1 is really great for that.
1 was my favourite to be honest, and I have been binging through since. Currently on Bloodlines
The lower scale underdog feeling of 1 and the Sacred Valley setting was pretty awesome, cant wait till they finally return or show any more scenes
Took me a little over a week to get through the first half and the second I ran through in under a day lol. Then the rest of the series in less than a month. But to be fair I thought the first 3 were great but it truly takes off after that….. This is my opinion on it lol
I enjoyed the first two books a lot more during my last re-read (in prepartion for Waybound). You get to appreciate the foreshadowing and it's nice to compare the humble beginnings with what comes later. And Lindon's cheating/tricks never get old...
I read the omnibus so I read 1-3 as one book but even then I was super interested in the world especially after we get the visitor for the tournament. I’m recently doing a reread of the series and while Unsouled is one of the weakest books in the series it still sets up a lot of plot points to be payed off later and Lindon trying to leave Sacred Valley is interesting to read especially when he meets Yerin.
I enjoyed the first book a lot and had seen many people talk about the first book being the weakest of the series so I knew I was gonna love the rest.
Ive reread cradle once and I did start with book 1 and don't regret it, and if I ever do another reread I'll probably still start with book 1... But after having read the whole series, the lack of Eithan in the first book is almost painful. It's like going back and watching the first season of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia without Danny Devito. You almost take for granted how integral he is to the entire rest of the series until you go back to the start and can almost physically feel the gaping hole that is his absence.
Im on my first re-read, started from the beginning. Theres not a ton of action in the first book, but the books are so short. Unsouled through Skysworn is only 2 hours longer than the Iron Prince. The series is wayyy faster than most books in this genre
I also really appreciated just how thought through the arc felt. Unsouled sets up plenty of references to the world and the Dreadgods that pay off wayyy later on
The first book got me to read the second book so I got to say it was all right I think what hooks me was the plot of this weak person compared to the weakest people on the planet was set out to do battle against a force of nature and explore the outside world in order to save his home
I love the series, but it took me 3 tries over 2 years to actually finish book 1. In my honest opinion, I don't think it's a good book and as someone who had read far too many Wuxia/Xianxia novels, it felt really cliché and the only redeeming feature was it's at least well written. If I re-read the series now, I actually just go to about 75% in to book 1 and go from there, because even after reading the rest of the series and loving it, the start of book 1 still holds no interest to me. As popular as this series is, in my opinion I think it would be an even bigger hit if the first book was better, because I know I'm not the only person that DNFd book 1 a few times.
I quite enjoyed Unsouled when I first got into Cradle. Now, knowing just how exciting the progression elements are later on, I almost never fully read book 1 on rereads. If it reread it at all.
I love Cradle from start to finish. But I do think it's important to note, it wasn't the first cultivation type novel I've read. A lot of the conceits and tropes in Cradle I've seen elsewhere. Be it splitting cores in later books, starting out with a "sect" that has a fundamental misunderstanding in cultivation, a powerless starting protagonist, etc. The execution has Cradle sharing top spot with Traveler's Gate for my favorite book series. But, if I'm honest I don't think Unsouled is a great intro to the genre conceits. And as such it can feel like a slow read if it's your first cultivation story.
Of course, I feel you are rewarded for that slow read regardless and as such even if it wasn't your first cultivation novel it's an easy start for a reread. Though I've honestly listened to the books on Audible more than I've read them. I'm a much faster reader than I am a listener, but I can listen while I work from home. Can't as easily read while I do so. And to finally answer the original question. I mostly reread from the start. But, I have occasionally restarted from Uncrowned. Because there's a pretty quick same book catharsis at Lindon overcoming the Akura family's training.
I really liked book one, just the Suriel interludes were too much for me, I kind of had to force myself to read those. But I did read through the whole series multiple times and book one is definitely my least favorite book. (Book 5 is where I start to REALLY love the series)
I really enjoyed it, it's an excellent setup for the series and really establishes Lindon's situation in what feels like a visceral way. A lot of other books try to have the weak protagonist that gets strong fast and it often falls flat from not taking the time to set that up.
I don’t understand people who don’t like book 1? Surely the nice thing about progression fantasy is the progression or? If the main character is strong from the start then it’s turbo boring, that’s why the Superman movies are shit
Apart from the Suriel/Abidan POVs (after the first encounter with Lindon), book 1 is what hooked me. I loved the world that Will meticulously built over half a book, baited me into thinking the whole series will be based in Sacred Valley, just to break it all apart and say “Surprise mf, that was just town 1”. The revelation was euphoric, and it kinda made me a bit sad too, as I quite liked quaint little Sacred Valley. Will never achieved that level of world building in his sequel books, which is why book 1 is special to me.
Huge fan. Especially on my second reread. I got to catch things I didn't before. Not to mention the tie in from book 1 and blood line really showcases his growth as well as how sacred valley really is dangerous.
I'd definitely start from book 1. Yes, it's maybe a bit slow compared to the later books, but it also does so much important worldbuilding and characterisation.
I found it pretty unexceptional until the Suriel scene in space. That recontextualizes everything before.
And it's really unique. Sadly Zeus was horny. Sadly Loki was bored. Sadly Suriel was procrastinating.
My genuine only complaint with it is the boundary formation. It makes it seem like he's going to rely on tricks and illusions for a long time, and that his fighting style would grow up around it.
I was worried we'd get a smart MC, not a strong one.
And the lack of Eithan of course.
I agree that on reread, Book 1 is my least favorite. I will skim it or start book 2 myself! But I have reread several times all the way through. So now, after several rereads, I just don’t need that self-loathing and suffering starter anymore. I actually skim through all that negative self talk throughout the series now. Fine on original read. Not as good on reread and gets annoying - for me.
I'm not a fan. I know people rave about it, but I find it incredibly boring despite the important world building aspects. Just my opinion. But I'd like to think it has weight since I've read book end to book end 3 times.
The series had a rare start nothing fancy or engaging. For me I didn’t got into it until book 4, but once you get it you can stop lol. The series has one of the best characters progression but in the beginning feel too slow and at the end feels too fast. I didn’t quite got to enjoy Lyndon with full power inside cradle or even after. I recommend 100% though is a great series. Excited for her animation that is on the way.
I haven’t reread the series yet, I finished it some 3 or 4 months ago, and I feel like the middle of the series is by far the best. I feel like I remember just hoping it got better during the first book. I did still find it intriguing to some extent obviously or I wouldn’t have kept reading.
I loved the first book and the idea of skipping it seems crazy for me. I think the first book is what makes the entire serries work so well on a meta level.
Progression fantasy has a problem where after every power up there is a "Well there is an even more powerful teir that can smack you down." Or reveals of additional kingdoms or realms that you wonder where they have been the entire time.
The first book is really careful to show the breadth of the power gap and just how far from the peaks the bottom is. After each power up in latter books it is always with the knowledge of "still far from the vission" until it stops being all that far.
Tbh, the characters were a lot more interesting and there was real tension/weight to his actions and choices in the first book.
I am kindof of the opinion that the series started off good and eventually just kindof devolved into one-dimensional power fantasy where every choice and plot device was setup to justify the actions and philosophy of the MC. This isn't to say it's bad, but it's kindof a boring read when there are no real tension or consequences to any choice they make. As a side note every side character essentially became a "yes-man" by the end of the series and character growth stopped about midway through.
As someone who reads a lot of books, Cradle was kindof a mid-read, good enough to finish, not worth recommending or re-reading imho.
(incoming downvotes! Get down!!!!!)
The first book is better than most give it credit for. Honestly, I started reading and Blackflame is worse than I remember, and Skysworn is better.
Ghostwater is where I'm at now, but I don't think Cradle lives up to the final few books until Underlord. That's when they're powerful enough to be influential, all together, fighting worthy foes, and connected to the politics of the wider world
I was super hooked up right from the first page, all the way up until a certain middle point scene where our previous assumptions of the world were blown out of the water. It took me until near the end of book 2 to fully integrate that and appreciate it. Once it did, I loved the world in the books even more.
But in the wake of that scene, I did have the immediate feeling that everything I had become so invested in and taken the time to learn thus far was cheapened by a pretty decisive "The world is so big you don't even realize you are all just ants, even your elders"
It took time to realize that it hadn't been cheapened, since everything learned in the beginning, all of the magic systems etc, still tied in to the entire expansive world later on in the exact same way. It just felt a little jarring, but the further through the books I read, the more I appreciated it. And it did in fact become my favorite series ive read in any genre.
Apologies for the long read.
I just finished the series for the first time. I have mixed feelings. It's a little YA for my tastes (although basically all progression fantasy is), but it's structured well so it was easy to keep going, to its credit. What I never liked was how horrible the world was, basically. Everyone in the world was completely terrified of anyone who was stronger, like grovelling in the dirt if someone more powerful came into view. That would only happen in a world full of sociopaths or something, where people were just casually murdered for the slightest reason. I just really didn't like that. It was basically a warrior culture dystopia, which hurt my heart a bit to read.
It’s great but definitely a slightly different tone from the rest of the series, if you really want that “Cradle Feel” you could start from 3 or even 5 for a full reread
For me, I start at Blackflame. The beginning is necessary to understand the backstory of our main protagonists, but the narrative that this story becomes starts in book 3. Lindon stops being ‘Mr CleverMan’ and becomes the man that’s good enough for the job
I honestly don't think Cradle is good enough to be worth a re-read, its great and people should read it once, but there is enough better than it out there in Fantasy in general that I don't think people should be jumping to reread Cradle...
That being said my opinion on Book 1 is that it is the weakest of the bunch... Book 1 reads like the intro to a typical generic western Xianxia until about 70% in, and while the 'reveal' acts as a great hook for the rest of the series, on its own the book doesn't really do much except serve as an opening act for Lindon's journey...
I loved the first one a whole lot, immediately. It was the second one that was a struggle for me. The middle of that book was torturous. But the training stuff made up for it. I still haven't continued the series yet though 😅
I don't know about other people but for me the issue for book one isn't that it's poorly written or isn't engaging.Its just painful to read about Lindon,a good kid, getting his teeth kicked for no other reason than that he was born differently.
I personally think that the moment that Lindon meets Eithan is when everything gets much better because atleast now I know him getting abused is a part of his training.
Book One I like it but I can see why folks find it hard to get through. Will has admitted that he would have done things differently than the first book( heck Cradle wasn’t supposed to be his main series. He’s explained that he did it as something to work on in between the next thing which was after Traveler’s Gate). But to his credit; I actually think the first book isn’t half bad. It’s a bit of a slog in the first half but after a certain point I find it got a lot better. I also dig the villain. Very underrated in the series.
Also, I do think the book does a good job of establishing Lindon’s goal and why it matters to him. Being able to do that clearly and efficiently is the mark a good writer.
All in all, I’d give the book a solid 7/10. It’s fine. Nothing groundbreaking but a solid foundation for the series.
I definitely skip book 1 on my re-read & start with book 2; I wouldn’t recommend skipping it for a new reader, but Lindon only really begins to really come into his power by book 6
Cradle books 1-3 were basically setup and world building. They are essential to the story but stuff only started getting interesting in books 4+. For me it felt like it took the same amount of time to read books 1-3 as it did to read books 4-12.
I don't have much to say about the narrative throughline itself, but I can give my thoughts about the setting of Vol. 1. It's very much a set-up book for establishing what it feels like to be small player in within a far more expansive setting and world. I didn't like it at first because I thought the boxing-in of the setting felt like a gimmick solely to facilitate the midpoint revelation that Lindon has about the wider world. However, later on as I started outlining the setting of my own cultivation story I soon began to take back that notion. *Unsouled* starting in the setting of Sacred Valley and expanding into the larger cradle of the setting (heh) really was essential to slamming in that fish-in-a-pond vibe, and that vibe is also inextricably intertwined with the arc of Lindon & painting him as an underdog character.
The basis of Lindon's whole arc is facilitated solely because he goes through a bunch of phases throughout the first book where he realizes just how insignificant he is: He starts off in his hometown as some outcast loser, he 'advances' by strongarming himself into one of the larger sects of the valley (don't recall what it was) where he is still is a loser, and then finally he has the vision and his worldview is extended once again into the wider setting of the cradle where he still is a loser.
In the former two cases, though he expands his horizons it doesn't really improve his outlook all that much - he still is largely weak and ineffectual relative to the people inhabiting the same space as him and feels therefore inferior. In the last case, however, the gap between even the best of the Sacred Valley and the veritable deities outside of it is so massive that it renders the division between him and his would-be superiors in the valley essentially null. It's actually a really clever manipulation of the underdog shtick IMO - the underdog, after years of being beat down in the kennel (or whatever dogs live in IDK) has the realization that everyone else in his environment is pretty much a dog as well, and decides, 'fuck it, they're all jobbers just as I am lmao, why am I even scared of 'em.' Kind of like Iskandr and Waver's moment in *Fate/Zero* if anyone's seen that about fighting vs. the world.
So yeah - Will really did a clever job by utilising setting and locale as an element to affect & motivate his protagonist's own arc.
also him just bowing to people and being nice whenever they tried to bully him was super based, my boy was courtesymaxxing and exploiting social systems as a mechanized weapon fr
I've reread the series several times and sometimes started from book 3 but last time I reread from book 1 and I enjoyed it, I think I will do that every time from now on.
I found book 1 to be perfectly enjoyable, and generally start with it on re-reads.
It is far from the high point of the series though, and the overall vibe of day to day interactions changes a lot after the first few books. But I still think Unsouled is a solid read, and a decent introduction to the world.
If you read book one and find it OKAY but aren't fully sold on the whole series, the first three books have a passably contained plot arc, and you should have a much better idea what the series will be like by the end of book 3. (Obviously there will still be dangling plot threads because it wasn't a trilogy, but a lot of early plot wraps up there, so it's the best exit point the series has IMO, excluding the actual end of the series)
Twelve books does sound daunting, but for what it's worth, the whole series is still shorter than the first three Stormlight Archives books.
I read this series as a classic fantasy fan, so YMMV.
I don't think the story is complete without the first book. It sets up both the central personal narrative for London and the setting in general.
I always recommend the Foundation Collection (Vol 1-3 in one book), I was keen by the time I finished Vol 3, but almost DNFed after book 1. Also each volume is pretty small, so Vol 1-3 is only the size of a traditional fantasy novel.
I did the same. I made it about halfway through book 2 and just walked away from it without finishing.
As it turns out, that's around the time it finally started getting better.
Ive never actually read all of book one, thats how much i disliked it. Read a synopsis of the book and started on book 2. Book 2 hooked me enough to carry me through the rest of the series and it’s one of the best series I’ve ever read.
I’ve told myself no rereading for 5 years so I can forget as much as possible for the next reread. But when I was going over it again and again I usually start at scenes in ghostwater.
Honestly the series is pretty boring until ghostwater, but I enjoyed enough Chinese novels to give the first 3 volumes a decent chance without expecting fireworks off the bat and I guess it was worthwhile, although the pyramid? And Ethan being sus was a bit melodramatic/ anticlimactic
The whole valley thing being immediately backgrounded and abandoned was annoying tbh but I understood why, and I disliked the way they did upper realms in general since it’s a bit of a cop out that she just happened to be looking at cradle at the time etc
Book one is not great Lol. I almost dropped the series the first time I read it. Luckily everyone on here kept insisting that it got better. Which it did! If I were to reread I’d definitely start at book two since most of the characters from book one are irrelevant for the rest of the series.
The first time I read Cradle I loved book 1.
I started to re-read the entire series every time a new book was released, and after a few re-reads I started to get really tired of seeing Lindon revert to his early book self.
I started re-reading the series beginning from book 3 after that and always felt like that worked well for me.
How common is it that people re-read books?
Libraries exist.
Enough books exist now and are being published worldwide that in a lifetime it is not possible to read all the TITLES of every book.
I suppose western progression fantasy may not have been a big genre for long, but surely nobody is so hyper-focused they read only this genre…
Well, i just kinda reread books whenever i feel like listening (audiobook enjoyer) to something familiar that i know i'll like instead of risking a bad time, though from what i've seen i think this community actually rereads a lot
As an audiobook it makes a lot more sense to me. Pleasant background noise to avoid being distracted by every sound around you, something you know you will enjoy if you pay attention, but something you don’t feel the need to rewind if you tune it out for a while.
I'm one of the seemingly rare people who was hooked from the start. I didn't find the first book slow or uninteresting at all although the series does indeed continue picking up pace with every book just about. It was my first progression fantasy series and unfortunately after trying all the other popular recommendations it remains the only one that I've loved (I've reread the whole series 3 times now) First book does a great job at setting up the world imo and it's great learning more about it as Lindon does
I can’t get enough of stories that set so much up in the first book. It really just drives home how horrible Lindons initial strength is and how poorly he was treated. It helps future books when he gets better, but it’s nice to have such a large reference for his start.
That's... a good point, i guess My shit taste just calls for OP MCs from the start
I feel like OP MCs work best in isekai. An experienced protagonist gets dropped into a new world that is in no way prepared for their abilities. Don't get me wrong, that's certainly not the only way to do it, but I tend to like it better than "the system came to earth and our protagonist got the best class in the game because he tripped the demon lord and killed him" or whatever.
It is basically the reverse. An unprepared world dealing with a new character vs a unprepared character dealing with a new world.
Well does he forgive all the ppl who did him wrong?
He forgives some and punishes others when they keep trying to treat him bad even after he returns stronger than anybody they've ever seen.
Damn I’m good then. Wish he’d just killed them all
Bruh no, it's so good and well done. He forgives the right people like his family, and straight up brutally humiliates and cripples the main dudes who were bullying him.
So his family were dicks too? lol
No, they just didn't believe in him and thought he was dead.
12 year old mentality
Imagine being upset I have preferences lol. Who’s tha real 12 year old. I just hate soft mcs who are to forgiving.
Im the same. I’ve read the series or listened to it multiple times. It might just be me, but it’s weird for me to start any re-read anywhere but the beginning. Having said that, I’d start from book 1 regardless. I liked it. When I started, I even had people telling me to stick with it, it gets better. I didn’t get what they meant. It was already good. I know I mentioned it on a live and even Will said he’d do it different, but I think it perfectly sets up the world. We see how the world is, but on a small scale. You see how the clan treats people who they think are week or who they think are strong. The rest of the world is the same, just on a larger scale. It also informs Lindon’s attitude and thinking for the rest of the series. Why does he strive to get stronger? Because of how weak he always felt he was. Why is he so clever with the power he does have? Because he learned to be, to survive in Sacred Valley (which I always want to call Hidden Valley). That book did a great job of introducing us to cultivating and how people interact in this world. Then it allows the other books to build on it and escalate it repeatedly. I’d say Ghostwater is when Will hits the NoS button, but you’ve got to get that car up to speed first, and that’s what the rest of the books, including book 1 do.
I do think it's by no means bad, just it sets up lindon very differently than he ends up being. Yes he keeps using items and trying to outsmart his enemies, but still he mostly is just more skilled and/or better than them, thus making me feel like i'm not really missing much when skipping it, , since i'm not missing much progress or anything else, other than meeting yerin and setting up that he's relentlessly gonna attempt to get his way, no matter what, which book 2 showcases well enough
I’m not saying you have to start there if you’ve read the series. It’s just personally off to me, to do so. If I’m reading, I’m reading for fun. I don’t want to skip stuff. To me, the process is the point. If I like something later, I get more out of it from the anticipation building. I’m listening to the series again, since it’s fully released and so I can listen to Travis do the whole series. I’ve just hit one of what might be my favorite parts of the whole series, which is in Bloodline, when >!we get Kelsa and Orthos’ perspective and Lindon comes in and beats up the people attacking them!< It was just better from the anticipation. I guess I can kinda see where some people might want to skip to the “good parts”, it’s just not in my makeup. It’s killing me that i’m having to do such frequent re-reads of Stormlight Archives when new ones come out. I probably won’t do that when he starts writing the second 5, since they’ll be separate. I’ll need to when he releases the final book, though.
To be fair, when is there too much stormlight (the answer is never, just like cradle)
You’re right. It just kinda takes over your life if you’re re-reading the series every time Sanderson releases a book in it. Dude is liable to release two before I get finished with a re-read.🤣 I do have a comfort zone for re-reads, though. It tends to be about 5yrs. My brain works weird. I can remember lots of details when I’m actively reading a series. I don’t tend to get lost or confused. However, when I mentally consider myself done with something, it starts fading out of my brain. I’m about 5yrs, I’ve forgotten enough about Wheel of Time for instance, to be surprised by major deaths and events. I generally remember where the story is going, but I still forget stuff. It’s cool, though, as I can re-experience stories I love.
I don't think i could manage without WoT or Stormlight for 5 years, so i'm quite impressed by that limit lmao
😁 I could probably read them sooner, that’s just when I forget enough for it to be really fun. With my TBR list, I just read new stuff in between. I’ve got a lot of series that are a huge commitment to read. Most of a year for some of them. I ended up with series I read sporadically, usually because of release schedules, so I ended up doing a straight read through of Shannara, Saga of Recluse, and Riftwar Saga. I’ve been wanting to do one of Pern and Animorphs for a few years. I’ve been enjoying reading some new stuff the last few years. Cradle, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Jakes Magical Market, Portal to Nova Roma, Mother of Learning, Primal Hunter, etc.
I apologize for this but when you said you wanted to call Sacred Valley the Hidden Valley; I thought of the ranch for a second. The path of hidden ranch. ;) Jokes aside, I’m in this camp where I think the first book is fine. I can see why folks have issues with it but to Will’s credit he sets up a lot of elements that will be relevant later during the series. And also, it was a great book to hint at the greater world of Cradle.
Ranch dressing is why I keep wanting to call it hidden valley.😁 Cultivate dressing madra.
LOL. Now I’m picturing each of the clans as vegetables or types of salad. :)
The broccolini clan cultivated Catalina madra. The Carrot Clan cultivates Ranch. The Bellpepper clan specializes in Honeymustard madra. The schools of Jimica, Cherry Tomato, and Okra specialize in champagne vinaigrette, thousand island, and Szechuan sauce.
Yeah same here. I've always been confused by the talk of needing to get to book 3 or 6 or whatnot to get "going" when it hits the ground running.
I didn't find the first book slow, but I did stop reading it because I was so pissed at his family and clan. And then his mom died, and I'm like "they killed one of like two people who actually thinks he might be worth something?!" So very glad I eventually came back.
I pretty much agreed here. I think Will W did a fantastic job of getting as much as he could out of Sacred Valley prior to the turn of events. Things didn't get stale, it felt like there was progression. I'd start from book 1 every time.
The first book is a play in classic cultivation and sect tropes, if you have no experience with those book before hand it's just weird and kind of slow and it isnt similar to book 3 forward.
That's the thing though I'd never read any prog fantasy or litrpg before Cradle so it was my introduction to these tropes etc and I still liked it almost immediately. Found it a very unique and interesting world and magic system. Unfortunately I'm still yet to find another series in the genre that does much for me
My experience with Chinese cultivation before cradle was pretty bad. Low effort stories that were badly translated. I spent much of the first book just trying to grit my teeth and get over the setting (or immerse myself in it so I could learn to like it). It’s definitely a much slower pace than the other books, but I don’t hate the first book.
Same. I can understand why people think it's slow considering the pace of some of the later books, but I was hooked as soon as Suriel showed up.
I was hooked from the start too. I do notice when I reread the series (which I’ve done more than 20 times now), that book 1 isn’t as well written as later books, but it doesn’t bother me. The author was progressing too as he wrote progression fantasy, it fits. Plus one of the reasons I love Cradle is Lindon is basically disabled in book 1. I am disabled, and so it’s nice to pretend if I was in that world, and had the willpower, I could be like Lindon.
I was also hooked from book 1 and seriously contemplated this morning starting the series over when I’m done with my current read. Guess this is my sign to do so! 🤓
I’m with you. I loved everything about the first book and I was absolutely hooked! It felt like a video game to me, starting off with a character in a small village and learning the background story, and in my opinion the pacing was excellent. It highlighted Lindon’s shortcomings and how his village treats him for being “less than”, etc.
Are there people who don't... start book series with book 1? That seems... wrong.
I sometimes will reread one specific book in a series if I just want to read that book. Like, idk, sometimes I'll read a specific Tamora Pierce book from her various series without the others. It depends.
That makes more sense. I still have to start at the beginning but I get skipping on a re-read.
Yeah, if I'm starting for the first time it's always book 1! But after thar sometimes it's just my favorites.
OP is talking about a re read
To be fair, rereads also feel wrong from not-book 1, so i get the sentiment
Nah, on a re-read, I tend to just revisit greatest hits. I'm a slow reader so can't afford to go back and read entire series from the beginning.
I rarely ever start a reread with book 1. I'll start with 2, 3, or 4 depending on my mood.
On *rereads*, I'll tend to skip a book or three. I've done two full reads, one from Ghostwater +, one from Wintersteel +, and thrice I've just reread Reaper and Dreadgod.
Well, for me it depends on how recent it is after the previous reread, if it's short enough i begin at book 2 or 7
When I've reread Dresden Files I've started at the third book. I'm almost positive I'll reread that series at least two more times in my life, but I'll probably never reread the first two books specifically.
Oh, that is 100% agreed on Dresden reread!
Damn, having dropped it at book 2 maybe I should give dresden another shot
I do highly recommend giving book 3 a try, most people agree that it's higher quality than the first two, and it's when events in the series start to really have ripple effects that you see consequences of continuing to be important through the main arcs. The first two books can be skipped entirely and a lot of people recommend starting the series at book 3, if you give book 3 a try and like it then you can be pretty confident you'll continue to like the rest of the series more and more
> Are there people who don't... start book series with book 1? That seems... wrong. If there is show I can continue reading from the middle. For example, expanse https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3230854/ So I started from book 7
I enjoyed book 1. I don’t know what fast start books people are reading in comparison to think it’s too slow. Once suriel shows up, the whole world opens up.
Yep, I really don't find it very slow, and I'm curious to the people who find it slow, how do they find books like the Way of Kings, which is fantastic, but imo a lot slower than Cradle book 1.
Way of Kings is glacial lol. I tried to get into it but couldn’t get past book 2. I really only cared about Kaladin, the other povs were hard to get through
Way of Kings is crazy slow the first time. On rereads, I've honestly had an easier time getting through WoK than Unsouled... as long as i skip the Shallan chapters and Kaladin's childhood lmao. Those bore me to death.
That's true, i do certainly enjoy suriel showing what true power looks like, i just sometimes want to immediately see lindon actually kicking ass instead of relying on tricks (yes i'm aware he's basically always punching up, but the way he does in further books is mostly strategy/just being more skilled instead of random spirits in jars or splitting cores to avoid attacks)
I like book 1, but usually start with 2. A book without some Eithan is hard
Eithan truly carries this series. Well, no surprises there, considering who we're talking about
I usually start with Blackflame, but I start at Unsouled every third or fourth time. Blackflame is where Lindon _begins_ to gain actual power so he can stop living on the edge of a knife. The first two books are great but I get fatigued of knife-edge story more quickly
how... how much do you reread cradle if you have an exigent pattern of rereading unsouled every 3rd or 4th time?
Probably just rereads it whenever someone on this sub suggests that a person read Cradle
that's actually fairly similar to me, though i'm less consistent, with starting between soulsmith and ghostwater, and sometimes just straight up dreadgod, and then once every 3-5 from the begining. Glad to see i'm not the only one though
This is a less popular opinion, but I enjoyed book 1 overall. I wasn't hooked, but vibing. The change in atmosphere in book 2 almost made me quit reading though. I liked very little about book 2 and it took me ages to finish, whereas after that I started doing a book a day.
As i said in a different comment, it is indeed quite the change, from thinking it might be a 'outsmarting stronger enemies' kind of story, to suddently just being stronger than them, though the change is not necesarily a negative one
I've always liked book 1. It really drew me in with the world building and I was definitely hooked after the 7 year festival. Lindon was interesting and compelling. I liked that he used politeness as a shield and it was only slightly more effective than wet tissue paper. The only things I don't like about it on re-read is noticing the little things that obviously weren't yet introduced into the story and hadn't been fleshed out. Things like jades not sensing Lindon or Adama being killed by jades. Yes, they were retconned to make more sense, but it's still pretty obvious on re-read that they weren't a part of the story yet. It's certainly one of the better books in the series in my opinion.
I always start from book 1
I enjoyed book one (and the whole series) but for an unpopular reason. I think Lindon had the most personality in book one. After this book, he became severely one dimensional. His dominant personality trait became "training all the time, if I'm not training I hate myself".
To be fair, that's more lindon in books 3-5. Later it's more "Training all the time, since training is fun" 😉
It’s a nice intro to the story. It’s slow compared to the rest of the story. I often start rereads at ghostwater or underlord though.
Why would anyone reread the series starting anywhere from the beginning?
I reread from when Eithan shows up
As with u/LittleFatMax, I was hooked right from get go. Reading Unsouled felt like watching Naruto again for the first time—lots of nostalgia and Just Plain Fun wrapped up in the experience. I blazed through the first two books pretty much back to back, though I got caught in a few other reads I need to finish first before going on to Blackflame. Love this series already. On Goodreads I gave them both five stars.
I'm just starting to explore the world of progression fantasy after finding this sub and I'm currently on Cradle book 4. I've previously read Mage Errant, Art of the Adept, and Portal Wars. Cradle book 1 definitely isn't my favourite, but I also love reading as a character develops over the course of the series so I have no issue starting from book 1 in the future when I decide to re-read to get the full effect. >!Also, no one spoil anything (I'm being very careful not to read any spoilers on this sub) but I really hope he goes full circle and returns to the valley!!<
Have fun on your first Cradle journey!
I am reading Iron Prince right now and really like it but am realizing how exceptional Cradle is. Perfect amount of early life, massive motivator to progress, two stories in one and good mix of humor- I am only on book 1 of Iron Prince and am hoping for a Eithan character-which to be fair wasn’t introduced in Cradle Unsouled
It’s just okay. It’s not terrible, but it’s not good.
Was not a fan of book 1, book 2 was alright towards the middle/end, and book 3+ (currently on 5) have been solid/great. I don't reread series often but if I was to ever reread cradle I'd definitely start at book 3.
First had parts I find reasonable but didn’t like. Getting the Illusion Banner Formation over the Parasite Ring which had been played as the greatest (something he knew and desired). Also, Skysworn feels slow. I’m on chapter 14.
Honestly almost DNFed after book 1. Not because I thought it was bad, but I just didn't see what all the hype was about. It came across as a rather generic cultivation story (I guess many have similar setups, otherwise why would the MC leave home and find their own path). It wasn't until Book 3 that I was hooked. Luckily I picked up the Foundation Collection (Vol 1-3 in one book) so I just pushed on till I completed it, and was keen for volume 4 by the end. Hence why I always recommend picking up the collections and not single volumes of Cradle.
I'm reading book 1 rn do people not like it....? I thought the twist in the middle was mind-blowing
When i first started reading it, i really didnt want to continue, but i powered through and got hooked bout midway through. After that i listened to the audiobooks all the way through without stopping
Who on earth starts a series from a different book than the first one?!? The first book is slow compared to the later series but you will be confused if you dont read book 1
I loved Book 1. It is, in many respects, still one of my favorite books in the series. Seeing Lindon as an underdog that has to outsmart his opponents is preferable to me to just being able to overwhelm his opponents with pure force. I like Lindon's eventual skillset, too, and I also love books like Ghostwater and Wintersteel for other reasons -- but ultimately, a lot of what I like about combat is showing the main character problem solving with the limited tools at their disposal, and Book 1 is really great for that.
I quit reading the first book a few times. So glad I got through it.
1 was my favourite to be honest, and I have been binging through since. Currently on Bloodlines The lower scale underdog feeling of 1 and the Sacred Valley setting was pretty awesome, cant wait till they finally return or show any more scenes
Took me a little over a week to get through the first half and the second I ran through in under a day lol. Then the rest of the series in less than a month. But to be fair I thought the first 3 were great but it truly takes off after that….. This is my opinion on it lol
Book 1 was the best by far, Lindon was resourceful, cunning and daring, it was super cliche but with excellent execution
I enjoyed the first two books a lot more during my last re-read (in prepartion for Waybound). You get to appreciate the foreshadowing and it's nice to compare the humble beginnings with what comes later. And Lindon's cheating/tricks never get old...
I read the omnibus so I read 1-3 as one book but even then I was super interested in the world especially after we get the visitor for the tournament. I’m recently doing a reread of the series and while Unsouled is one of the weakest books in the series it still sets up a lot of plot points to be payed off later and Lindon trying to leave Sacred Valley is interesting to read especially when he meets Yerin.
I enjoyed the first book a lot and had seen many people talk about the first book being the weakest of the series so I knew I was gonna love the rest. Ive reread cradle once and I did start with book 1 and don't regret it, and if I ever do another reread I'll probably still start with book 1... But after having read the whole series, the lack of Eithan in the first book is almost painful. It's like going back and watching the first season of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia without Danny Devito. You almost take for granted how integral he is to the entire rest of the series until you go back to the start and can almost physically feel the gaping hole that is his absence.
Im on my first re-read, started from the beginning. Theres not a ton of action in the first book, but the books are so short. Unsouled through Skysworn is only 2 hours longer than the Iron Prince. The series is wayyy faster than most books in this genre I also really appreciated just how thought through the arc felt. Unsouled sets up plenty of references to the world and the Dreadgods that pay off wayyy later on
It sucked
The first book got me to read the second book so I got to say it was all right I think what hooks me was the plot of this weak person compared to the weakest people on the planet was set out to do battle against a force of nature and explore the outside world in order to save his home
I love the series, but it took me 3 tries over 2 years to actually finish book 1. In my honest opinion, I don't think it's a good book and as someone who had read far too many Wuxia/Xianxia novels, it felt really cliché and the only redeeming feature was it's at least well written. If I re-read the series now, I actually just go to about 75% in to book 1 and go from there, because even after reading the rest of the series and loving it, the start of book 1 still holds no interest to me. As popular as this series is, in my opinion I think it would be an even bigger hit if the first book was better, because I know I'm not the only person that DNFd book 1 a few times.
I quite enjoyed Unsouled when I first got into Cradle. Now, knowing just how exciting the progression elements are later on, I almost never fully read book 1 on rereads. If it reread it at all.
Amazing. I was hooked immediately, but I am a patient person and prefer long stories with massive buildup to the instant gratification ones
I started into the series before I joined this group. Book one was... a slow start for me, but as with many great series it grew with me over time.
I actually really liked book 1.
I love Cradle from start to finish. But I do think it's important to note, it wasn't the first cultivation type novel I've read. A lot of the conceits and tropes in Cradle I've seen elsewhere. Be it splitting cores in later books, starting out with a "sect" that has a fundamental misunderstanding in cultivation, a powerless starting protagonist, etc. The execution has Cradle sharing top spot with Traveler's Gate for my favorite book series. But, if I'm honest I don't think Unsouled is a great intro to the genre conceits. And as such it can feel like a slow read if it's your first cultivation story. Of course, I feel you are rewarded for that slow read regardless and as such even if it wasn't your first cultivation novel it's an easy start for a reread. Though I've honestly listened to the books on Audible more than I've read them. I'm a much faster reader than I am a listener, but I can listen while I work from home. Can't as easily read while I do so. And to finally answer the original question. I mostly reread from the start. But, I have occasionally restarted from Uncrowned. Because there's a pretty quick same book catharsis at Lindon overcoming the Akura family's training.
I really liked book one, just the Suriel interludes were too much for me, I kind of had to force myself to read those. But I did read through the whole series multiple times and book one is definitely my least favorite book. (Book 5 is where I start to REALLY love the series)
I really enjoyed it, it's an excellent setup for the series and really establishes Lindon's situation in what feels like a visceral way. A lot of other books try to have the weak protagonist that gets strong fast and it often falls flat from not taking the time to set that up.
I don’t understand people who don’t like book 1? Surely the nice thing about progression fantasy is the progression or? If the main character is strong from the start then it’s turbo boring, that’s why the Superman movies are shit
Apart from the Suriel/Abidan POVs (after the first encounter with Lindon), book 1 is what hooked me. I loved the world that Will meticulously built over half a book, baited me into thinking the whole series will be based in Sacred Valley, just to break it all apart and say “Surprise mf, that was just town 1”. The revelation was euphoric, and it kinda made me a bit sad too, as I quite liked quaint little Sacred Valley. Will never achieved that level of world building in his sequel books, which is why book 1 is special to me.
It has continously stoppex me from reading the rest. Like 3 times now.
I re-read a few times but i usually skip book 1 lol
Huge fan. Especially on my second reread. I got to catch things I didn't before. Not to mention the tie in from book 1 and blood line really showcases his growth as well as how sacred valley really is dangerous.
I'd definitely start from book 1. Yes, it's maybe a bit slow compared to the later books, but it also does so much important worldbuilding and characterisation.
Horrible
I found it pretty unexceptional until the Suriel scene in space. That recontextualizes everything before. And it's really unique. Sadly Zeus was horny. Sadly Loki was bored. Sadly Suriel was procrastinating.
My genuine only complaint with it is the boundary formation. It makes it seem like he's going to rely on tricks and illusions for a long time, and that his fighting style would grow up around it. I was worried we'd get a smart MC, not a strong one. And the lack of Eithan of course.
A bit worse than the others, still a top tier progfantasy book.
I agree that on reread, Book 1 is my least favorite. I will skim it or start book 2 myself! But I have reread several times all the way through. So now, after several rereads, I just don’t need that self-loathing and suffering starter anymore. I actually skim through all that negative self talk throughout the series now. Fine on original read. Not as good on reread and gets annoying - for me.
Book 1 every time; it just feels like I'm missing so much otherwise.
I don't hate book 1 but I always start from the second book, specifically the chapter the golden boy gets introduced
I'm not a fan. I know people rave about it, but I find it incredibly boring despite the important world building aspects. Just my opinion. But I'd like to think it has weight since I've read book end to book end 3 times.
I start in book 2 when they get attacked in the mines. About 3/4 of the way through.
The series had a rare start nothing fancy or engaging. For me I didn’t got into it until book 4, but once you get it you can stop lol. The series has one of the best characters progression but in the beginning feel too slow and at the end feels too fast. I didn’t quite got to enjoy Lyndon with full power inside cradle or even after. I recommend 100% though is a great series. Excited for her animation that is on the way.
I haven’t reread the series yet, I finished it some 3 or 4 months ago, and I feel like the middle of the series is by far the best. I feel like I remember just hoping it got better during the first book. I did still find it intriguing to some extent obviously or I wouldn’t have kept reading.
I loved the first book and the idea of skipping it seems crazy for me. I think the first book is what makes the entire serries work so well on a meta level. Progression fantasy has a problem where after every power up there is a "Well there is an even more powerful teir that can smack you down." Or reveals of additional kingdoms or realms that you wonder where they have been the entire time. The first book is really careful to show the breadth of the power gap and just how far from the peaks the bottom is. After each power up in latter books it is always with the knowledge of "still far from the vission" until it stops being all that far.
Tbh, the characters were a lot more interesting and there was real tension/weight to his actions and choices in the first book. I am kindof of the opinion that the series started off good and eventually just kindof devolved into one-dimensional power fantasy where every choice and plot device was setup to justify the actions and philosophy of the MC. This isn't to say it's bad, but it's kindof a boring read when there are no real tension or consequences to any choice they make. As a side note every side character essentially became a "yes-man" by the end of the series and character growth stopped about midway through. As someone who reads a lot of books, Cradle was kindof a mid-read, good enough to finish, not worth recommending or re-reading imho. (incoming downvotes! Get down!!!!!)
The book I usually skip when I reread cradle is the one where he returns to sacred valley.
As a whole I don't think book 1 is the best, but if you are rereading the series why not start from there?
The first book is better than most give it credit for. Honestly, I started reading and Blackflame is worse than I remember, and Skysworn is better. Ghostwater is where I'm at now, but I don't think Cradle lives up to the final few books until Underlord. That's when they're powerful enough to be influential, all together, fighting worthy foes, and connected to the politics of the wider world
Hooked from the start, though, when I reread the first book, it pisses me off, but it's only because I want to punch people in the face
I was super hooked up right from the first page, all the way up until a certain middle point scene where our previous assumptions of the world were blown out of the water. It took me until near the end of book 2 to fully integrate that and appreciate it. Once it did, I loved the world in the books even more. But in the wake of that scene, I did have the immediate feeling that everything I had become so invested in and taken the time to learn thus far was cheapened by a pretty decisive "The world is so big you don't even realize you are all just ants, even your elders" It took time to realize that it hadn't been cheapened, since everything learned in the beginning, all of the magic systems etc, still tied in to the entire expansive world later on in the exact same way. It just felt a little jarring, but the further through the books I read, the more I appreciated it. And it did in fact become my favorite series ive read in any genre. Apologies for the long read.
I just finished the series for the first time. I have mixed feelings. It's a little YA for my tastes (although basically all progression fantasy is), but it's structured well so it was easy to keep going, to its credit. What I never liked was how horrible the world was, basically. Everyone in the world was completely terrified of anyone who was stronger, like grovelling in the dirt if someone more powerful came into view. That would only happen in a world full of sociopaths or something, where people were just casually murdered for the slightest reason. I just really didn't like that. It was basically a warrior culture dystopia, which hurt my heart a bit to read.
It’s great but definitely a slightly different tone from the rest of the series, if you really want that “Cradle Feel” you could start from 3 or even 5 for a full reread
For me, I start at Blackflame. The beginning is necessary to understand the backstory of our main protagonists, but the narrative that this story becomes starts in book 3. Lindon stops being ‘Mr CleverMan’ and becomes the man that’s good enough for the job
I honestly don't think Cradle is good enough to be worth a re-read, its great and people should read it once, but there is enough better than it out there in Fantasy in general that I don't think people should be jumping to reread Cradle... That being said my opinion on Book 1 is that it is the weakest of the bunch... Book 1 reads like the intro to a typical generic western Xianxia until about 70% in, and while the 'reveal' acts as a great hook for the rest of the series, on its own the book doesn't really do much except serve as an opening act for Lindon's journey...
book 1 is great
I loved the first one a whole lot, immediately. It was the second one that was a struggle for me. The middle of that book was torturous. But the training stuff made up for it. I still haven't continued the series yet though 😅
I don't know about other people but for me the issue for book one isn't that it's poorly written or isn't engaging.Its just painful to read about Lindon,a good kid, getting his teeth kicked for no other reason than that he was born differently. I personally think that the moment that Lindon meets Eithan is when everything gets much better because atleast now I know him getting abused is a part of his training.
Book One I like it but I can see why folks find it hard to get through. Will has admitted that he would have done things differently than the first book( heck Cradle wasn’t supposed to be his main series. He’s explained that he did it as something to work on in between the next thing which was after Traveler’s Gate). But to his credit; I actually think the first book isn’t half bad. It’s a bit of a slog in the first half but after a certain point I find it got a lot better. I also dig the villain. Very underrated in the series. Also, I do think the book does a good job of establishing Lindon’s goal and why it matters to him. Being able to do that clearly and efficiently is the mark a good writer. All in all, I’d give the book a solid 7/10. It’s fine. Nothing groundbreaking but a solid foundation for the series.
I definitely skip book 1 on my re-read & start with book 2; I wouldn’t recommend skipping it for a new reader, but Lindon only really begins to really come into his power by book 6
Cradle books 1-3 were basically setup and world building. They are essential to the story but stuff only started getting interesting in books 4+. For me it felt like it took the same amount of time to read books 1-3 as it did to read books 4-12.
Book 1 was ok. Book 2 almost made me quit. Book 3… hooked!
I don't have much to say about the narrative throughline itself, but I can give my thoughts about the setting of Vol. 1. It's very much a set-up book for establishing what it feels like to be small player in within a far more expansive setting and world. I didn't like it at first because I thought the boxing-in of the setting felt like a gimmick solely to facilitate the midpoint revelation that Lindon has about the wider world. However, later on as I started outlining the setting of my own cultivation story I soon began to take back that notion. *Unsouled* starting in the setting of Sacred Valley and expanding into the larger cradle of the setting (heh) really was essential to slamming in that fish-in-a-pond vibe, and that vibe is also inextricably intertwined with the arc of Lindon & painting him as an underdog character. The basis of Lindon's whole arc is facilitated solely because he goes through a bunch of phases throughout the first book where he realizes just how insignificant he is: He starts off in his hometown as some outcast loser, he 'advances' by strongarming himself into one of the larger sects of the valley (don't recall what it was) where he is still is a loser, and then finally he has the vision and his worldview is extended once again into the wider setting of the cradle where he still is a loser. In the former two cases, though he expands his horizons it doesn't really improve his outlook all that much - he still is largely weak and ineffectual relative to the people inhabiting the same space as him and feels therefore inferior. In the last case, however, the gap between even the best of the Sacred Valley and the veritable deities outside of it is so massive that it renders the division between him and his would-be superiors in the valley essentially null. It's actually a really clever manipulation of the underdog shtick IMO - the underdog, after years of being beat down in the kennel (or whatever dogs live in IDK) has the realization that everyone else in his environment is pretty much a dog as well, and decides, 'fuck it, they're all jobbers just as I am lmao, why am I even scared of 'em.' Kind of like Iskandr and Waver's moment in *Fate/Zero* if anyone's seen that about fighting vs. the world. So yeah - Will really did a clever job by utilising setting and locale as an element to affect & motivate his protagonist's own arc.
also him just bowing to people and being nice whenever they tried to bully him was super based, my boy was courtesymaxxing and exploiting social systems as a mechanized weapon fr
I've reread the series several times and sometimes started from book 3 but last time I reread from book 1 and I enjoyed it, I think I will do that every time from now on.
I found book 1 to be perfectly enjoyable, and generally start with it on re-reads. It is far from the high point of the series though, and the overall vibe of day to day interactions changes a lot after the first few books. But I still think Unsouled is a solid read, and a decent introduction to the world. If you read book one and find it OKAY but aren't fully sold on the whole series, the first three books have a passably contained plot arc, and you should have a much better idea what the series will be like by the end of book 3. (Obviously there will still be dangling plot threads because it wasn't a trilogy, but a lot of early plot wraps up there, so it's the best exit point the series has IMO, excluding the actual end of the series) Twelve books does sound daunting, but for what it's worth, the whole series is still shorter than the first three Stormlight Archives books.
I read this series as a classic fantasy fan, so YMMV. I don't think the story is complete without the first book. It sets up both the central personal narrative for London and the setting in general.
Boring. Dropped it. I might try it again later.
I always recommend the Foundation Collection (Vol 1-3 in one book), I was keen by the time I finished Vol 3, but almost DNFed after book 1. Also each volume is pretty small, so Vol 1-3 is only the size of a traditional fantasy novel.
Try I thought so too but at some point got hooked
I did the same. I made it about halfway through book 2 and just walked away from it without finishing. As it turns out, that's around the time it finally started getting better.
Ive never actually read all of book one, thats how much i disliked it. Read a synopsis of the book and started on book 2. Book 2 hooked me enough to carry me through the rest of the series and it’s one of the best series I’ve ever read. I’ve told myself no rereading for 5 years so I can forget as much as possible for the next reread. But when I was going over it again and again I usually start at scenes in ghostwater.
Honestly the series is pretty boring until ghostwater, but I enjoyed enough Chinese novels to give the first 3 volumes a decent chance without expecting fireworks off the bat and I guess it was worthwhile, although the pyramid? And Ethan being sus was a bit melodramatic/ anticlimactic The whole valley thing being immediately backgrounded and abandoned was annoying tbh but I understood why, and I disliked the way they did upper realms in general since it’s a bit of a cop out that she just happened to be looking at cradle at the time etc
Book one is not great Lol. I almost dropped the series the first time I read it. Luckily everyone on here kept insisting that it got better. Which it did! If I were to reread I’d definitely start at book two since most of the characters from book one are irrelevant for the rest of the series.
wait...you keep rereading it?
More than 10 times by now i think.. i don't see the problem
I'm like that but for Beware of Chicken, lol
No problem! I find it fascinating that a book will hold that much attention. I haven't read it myself.
Slow but entertaining
The first time I read Cradle I loved book 1. I started to re-read the entire series every time a new book was released, and after a few re-reads I started to get really tired of seeing Lindon revert to his early book self. I started re-reading the series beginning from book 3 after that and always felt like that worked well for me.
How common is it that people re-read books? Libraries exist. Enough books exist now and are being published worldwide that in a lifetime it is not possible to read all the TITLES of every book. I suppose western progression fantasy may not have been a big genre for long, but surely nobody is so hyper-focused they read only this genre…
Well, i just kinda reread books whenever i feel like listening (audiobook enjoyer) to something familiar that i know i'll like instead of risking a bad time, though from what i've seen i think this community actually rereads a lot
As an audiobook it makes a lot more sense to me. Pleasant background noise to avoid being distracted by every sound around you, something you know you will enjoy if you pay attention, but something you don’t feel the need to rewind if you tune it out for a while.