- #1
TL;DR - winner of the best fantasy blacksmith novel for me. If you've the slightest interest in crafting/or novels with a similar vibe, you should go read it.I think I can safely give this 4 stars. You have a slightly generic regression trope mixed with some interesting characters and a plot that goes deeper as time goes on.What I really like about this is the way it handles the central conceit - blacksmithing (or more accurately, fantasy blacksmithing). The whole thing has a verisimilitude about it that comes across as both very cool and very sensible. You need special materials to craft fantastic stuff. The fantastic stuff needs to be handled differently depending on what it is, and you need to be skilled enough to use it well. Magic is used in crafting, and there are different techniques to deal with the different stuff. If you're making custom weapons, there needs to be a consideration for the one who will use the weapon. Then there is the protagonist's special skill, which gives him special alloys (even more fantastic materials) depending on his bond with a person.It works. I really can't understate how much it works. It's the core of the story, and it works so well that despite the adventure arcs, I am always looking forward to the chapters where the MC just crafts stuff.This is not the case in Overgeared or really, any other korean/japanese blacksmithing novel - there, the crafting is a means to OPness. This is not the case here - everything that the protag is really unique and the process (from materials to actual making of the stuff) is always cool.I genuinely applaud the author for coming up with so much good stuff. If you're a world-builder you should definitely read this novel (there are a lot of good ideas here).The plot also starts off generic, but it gets better. You have some major global Villains - each of who are unique in their own ways - really great. The principal and the other good guys are not unambiguously good as you're lead to assume. You have the Three Dogs (people who will become super-strong in the future and the MC needs to recruit) but you also have lots of other characters with their own personalities, interests and backstories - that are gradually revealed over time.There's no harem, at least what I've read so far. There are several girls, but they are more like companions, just like the dudes. The crafted stuff and the plot are the main focus, and I hope it remains that way.