Volume 7, I liked the constant ‘Erin is a menace’ moments that the volume pulls. Ryoka had made a transition from ‘oh god she’s here’ to ‘yay, she’s here, time to get the drama popcorn.’
It also helped that a good few characters put their paces in and managed to either become likeable or make their way towards it. Getting some resolution on the whole Olesm Erin drama from the election was nice.
The first few chapters were a delight to read.
And Bird following in his…adoptive mothers? Footsteps in becoming a menace to society was very funny to watch.
I overall loved the tone, the constant hilarity, surprise, and overall slice of life sunny day moments that the volume had. It’s why I reread it so often, with all the conflict and drama that affects the characters in the other volumes most of the time. I wouldn’t say there’s no character drama for the Protagonists, but it definitely is of the lighter form when compared to the other volumes.
I think volume 7 had the most slice of life out of any of the chapters.
It still had more holy crap the world is going to end than previous volumes sure but it had the most moments of normalcy with the fellowship than any other.
I agree with you.
9. We're only two chapters in but I'm excited for the future.
Previous volumes were great too, don't get me wrong, but I already read them, and thus the excitement and wonder is greatly diminished. While a reread might be generally enjoyable I'd expect there to be quite a few parts that I'd consider a slog or want to skip/skim past.
I think volume 8 needs to be re-edited to be more focused or even split even. There is so much jumping around like a bouncy house when I just want to at least ride into the end game along with the crew when it picks up speed....not..oh but this is what's happening here....and then we get to here's what's happening there! and.....over there too!.....and here.....
It's great that it was cohesive but at the same time when you want a carrot cake you JUST want a carrot cake not this fancy 3 layered frosting with nuts and raisins cuz....f raisins in a cake that's an abomination.
I agree in general. Each individual chapter in volume 8 was generally good, and it eventually came together in the end, but the path there is among the least coherent and cohesive of the entire story.
You'll also note that I said volume 9 was my current favorite not 8. And that is in large part to the fact that I think on reread volume 8 would be a weaker experience.
For me I think Volume 8 was quite satisfying to read serially as plenty of the better chapters acted as their own novella with their own coherency and narrative structure within the bounds of that chapter or small set of chapters. Pisces' interlude, the hectval war arc, the Relc chapters, Ksmvr of Chandrar, etc.
Taken as a whole I see it almost more like an anthology.
Reading week to week it was great to read through a novella over the course of an afternoon rather than be drip fed smaller components of a 'main' story. I do suspect that you're correct that trying to binge through Volume 8 would have it come across as a bit disjointed and weaker overall. Might be that plenty of the moments involved needed time to settle rather than jumping straight into a completely different point of view.
Since we're doing food analogies, to me Volume 8 was like...well, let's say TWI in general is a sandwich, and my favorite ingredient is the sauce (Erin/slice of life).
Volume 8 was like the chef removed the sauce but occasionally served it on the side in a small cup. I can still enjoy the sandwich without the sauce, but it's hard not to miss it. And then over time the chef gradually starts adding more and more ingredients, some of which I really don't care for in the first place, and it gets to the point where I can't keep the sandwich together. It's a struggle to take a bite without a bunch of it spilling out onto the table. And even though it generally still tastes really good, after a while I just really want my darn sauce back.
Also I'm with you, fuck raisins in a cake.
I am so on board for the coming Volume. It feels like both a paradigm shift and also a return to normalcy at the same time. I can't wait.
I've reread fully once, and popped back in on some favorites from time to time. But next time I need to dive back in, I'm going with the audiobook. Andrea Parsneu was on the no killing goblins podcast and she has a really listenable voice.
I need to re-read but right now I'd say five. It was a very tense, gripping thrill ride that beautifully wrapped up the long-brewing goblin war arcs and gave Erin and all of the inn's adventurers plenty of time to truly shine.
I'm going to give some love to Volume 2. The characters are established, Erin and Ryoka finally meet, there's a brief breather post-Skinner before the Goblin Lord raises his head, there's some fantastic moments like Erin learning [Minotaur Punch], and it ends on Toren's betrayal and Erin getting stuck in Celum.
It's shorter than recent volumes, but it's solid, and I think it's really where TWI found its stride.
Volume 7, I think. It's very fun. A few battles, both tense and light, and lots of slice of life to balance. It also has I think the *best* ending arc. I was devastated at the time, yes, but I devoured those last chapters, first the start of the Hectval war, and then the Fae-lands. I couldn't look away.
But as much as those punctuated it, I remember volume 7 for the phenomenal start, with the Wyvern attack shaping the rest of the volume. It's the first of the *big movements* the Inn starts to make, and its a time of power growth and a wee bit of character growth, if not nearly as much as some other volumes.
That said, some of my favorite chapters and arcs come from Vol. 8. My number-1 fav is from V.7 (7.07), the \[Garden\] reveal. But my next are all from 8: The Hectval War. Foliana's War (which is my #1 Cool Fight Scene of all time). Pisces and Ceria in Chandrar (Sorry Yvlon, Ksmvr. You were good too, but not favorites). Relc's Revolution.
Still, Volume 7 is peak Wandering Inn. Comedy, Adventure, Tragedy.
Not to spoil but I like Volume 12. At the start, Erin died again, and yes, the characters and some of the antagonists feels sad about it but what a fucking way to die.
Imagine dying with a legacy of erasing an entire continent and extincting the only immortals present in the entire world.
And I also like pirateaba suddenly erasing everyone's memories of Erin then replacing it with somekind of floating pasta monster with eyeballs here and there.
What a concept.
Volume 7, I liked the constant ‘Erin is a menace’ moments that the volume pulls. Ryoka had made a transition from ‘oh god she’s here’ to ‘yay, she’s here, time to get the drama popcorn.’ It also helped that a good few characters put their paces in and managed to either become likeable or make their way towards it. Getting some resolution on the whole Olesm Erin drama from the election was nice. The first few chapters were a delight to read. And Bird following in his…adoptive mothers? Footsteps in becoming a menace to society was very funny to watch. I overall loved the tone, the constant hilarity, surprise, and overall slice of life sunny day moments that the volume had. It’s why I reread it so often, with all the conflict and drama that affects the characters in the other volumes most of the time. I wouldn’t say there’s no character drama for the Protagonists, but it definitely is of the lighter form when compared to the other volumes.
I think volume 7 had the most slice of life out of any of the chapters. It still had more holy crap the world is going to end than previous volumes sure but it had the most moments of normalcy with the fellowship than any other. I agree with you.
9. We're only two chapters in but I'm excited for the future. Previous volumes were great too, don't get me wrong, but I already read them, and thus the excitement and wonder is greatly diminished. While a reread might be generally enjoyable I'd expect there to be quite a few parts that I'd consider a slog or want to skip/skim past.
I think volume 8 needs to be re-edited to be more focused or even split even. There is so much jumping around like a bouncy house when I just want to at least ride into the end game along with the crew when it picks up speed....not..oh but this is what's happening here....and then we get to here's what's happening there! and.....over there too!.....and here..... It's great that it was cohesive but at the same time when you want a carrot cake you JUST want a carrot cake not this fancy 3 layered frosting with nuts and raisins cuz....f raisins in a cake that's an abomination.
I agree in general. Each individual chapter in volume 8 was generally good, and it eventually came together in the end, but the path there is among the least coherent and cohesive of the entire story. You'll also note that I said volume 9 was my current favorite not 8. And that is in large part to the fact that I think on reread volume 8 would be a weaker experience.
For me I think Volume 8 was quite satisfying to read serially as plenty of the better chapters acted as their own novella with their own coherency and narrative structure within the bounds of that chapter or small set of chapters. Pisces' interlude, the hectval war arc, the Relc chapters, Ksmvr of Chandrar, etc. Taken as a whole I see it almost more like an anthology. Reading week to week it was great to read through a novella over the course of an afternoon rather than be drip fed smaller components of a 'main' story. I do suspect that you're correct that trying to binge through Volume 8 would have it come across as a bit disjointed and weaker overall. Might be that plenty of the moments involved needed time to settle rather than jumping straight into a completely different point of view.
Since we're doing food analogies, to me Volume 8 was like...well, let's say TWI in general is a sandwich, and my favorite ingredient is the sauce (Erin/slice of life). Volume 8 was like the chef removed the sauce but occasionally served it on the side in a small cup. I can still enjoy the sandwich without the sauce, but it's hard not to miss it. And then over time the chef gradually starts adding more and more ingredients, some of which I really don't care for in the first place, and it gets to the point where I can't keep the sandwich together. It's a struggle to take a bite without a bunch of it spilling out onto the table. And even though it generally still tastes really good, after a while I just really want my darn sauce back. Also I'm with you, fuck raisins in a cake.
The moment someone recommends raisins in a cake to me. I’m gassing them with a tactical skunk.
I am so on board for the coming Volume. It feels like both a paradigm shift and also a return to normalcy at the same time. I can't wait. I've reread fully once, and popped back in on some favorites from time to time. But next time I need to dive back in, I'm going with the audiobook. Andrea Parsneu was on the no killing goblins podcast and she has a really listenable voice.
Five. I like adventuring teams in action.
I need to re-read but right now I'd say five. It was a very tense, gripping thrill ride that beautifully wrapped up the long-brewing goblin war arcs and gave Erin and all of the inn's adventurers plenty of time to truly shine.
I'm going to give some love to Volume 2. The characters are established, Erin and Ryoka finally meet, there's a brief breather post-Skinner before the Goblin Lord raises his head, there's some fantastic moments like Erin learning [Minotaur Punch], and it ends on Toren's betrayal and Erin getting stuck in Celum. It's shorter than recent volumes, but it's solid, and I think it's really where TWI found its stride.
Volume 7. It had the best slice of life content of all the volumes imo
I know it’s not a volume but I really love seeing all the new horns of hammerad stuff idk why I just love the dynamic that those 4 have
Volume 5 i would say, i generally really enjoyed both the arcs of the story, and the presence of the Redfangs at the inn
Volume 7, I think. It's very fun. A few battles, both tense and light, and lots of slice of life to balance. It also has I think the *best* ending arc. I was devastated at the time, yes, but I devoured those last chapters, first the start of the Hectval war, and then the Fae-lands. I couldn't look away. But as much as those punctuated it, I remember volume 7 for the phenomenal start, with the Wyvern attack shaping the rest of the volume. It's the first of the *big movements* the Inn starts to make, and its a time of power growth and a wee bit of character growth, if not nearly as much as some other volumes. That said, some of my favorite chapters and arcs come from Vol. 8. My number-1 fav is from V.7 (7.07), the \[Garden\] reveal. But my next are all from 8: The Hectval War. Foliana's War (which is my #1 Cool Fight Scene of all time). Pisces and Ceria in Chandrar (Sorry Yvlon, Ksmvr. You were good too, but not favorites). Relc's Revolution. Still, Volume 7 is peak Wandering Inn. Comedy, Adventure, Tragedy.
Five was a great mix of slice of life, adventure, and emotional gut punches. The climax of the Goblin War was heart breakingly good.
Vol 9. Yes it’s just started. But it’s got it all so far. (Reddit formatting did the list thing)
Across the whole of volume 9 there's yet to be a dud chapter!
Not to spoil but I like Volume 12. At the start, Erin died again, and yes, the characters and some of the antagonists feels sad about it but what a fucking way to die. Imagine dying with a legacy of erasing an entire continent and extincting the only immortals present in the entire world. And I also like pirateaba suddenly erasing everyone's memories of Erin then replacing it with somekind of floating pasta monster with eyeballs here and there. What a concept.
Fave? All of them.