Book Title: The Unstoppable Trio: Book 1 ( Gautam Goyal)
Rating: 5 Star
Chapters 40/40 as of 06/01/2022
Plot: Good
The story is good, it follows the adventures of three siblings as they start playing a game called ‘Axonian Adventures’. Originally this should be a simple narrative however by chapter 2 it is then known that one of the siblings is a reincarnator who got sent into the past. It is later revealed that after 5 years the reincarnator would die. Thus, the story now has the reincarnator struggle as she guides the Triplets to increase their chances of survival in the coming apocalypse.
Story flow: Convoluted
The story flow is hard to follow and will force you to reread chapters due to how it is presented. The chapters are split into 3 separate plot lines, one for each sibling while it sounds good in theory it is very difficult to follow as a reader. Problems include a break in tension, immersion, and engagement for every chapter. Here is an example.
Swara: chapter – due to knowing her friends die miserable deaths in her last life, Swara manipulates a couple of girls into playing Axonian Adventures (Chapter 37 Richman problems).
Himu: chapter – Himu confirms his love for THE best waifu (FIGHT ME!), and proceeds to hide from her the next day, going to play Axonian Adventures (Chapter 38 Back).
Gagan: Chapter – Gagan shows his daily lifestyle and proceeds to the local gym, his guild plans continue as he sorts his prospective members by physical fitness (Chapter 39 Truck Ignored).
The chapters mostly go like this, if you are interested in one of the plotlines you need to wait for 2 chapters after to find what happens next. If all of them are at the same place the plotlines blend well and become a multi-POV narrative. However, the number of times that happens is minuscule as one of three is always separated from the other two due to some event.
Favorite Chapter: Chapter 38: Back
The only reason why I like this chapter is because of Phyllis, and it was due to one line. "Kill me as many times as you want, just love me till you do" – Phyllis. This line while may sound simple and over the top writes an entire narrative. If Phyllis was to know that the game Himu is playing causes him to die 5 years in the future? How would she act? How would she use the time?
The fluff paragraphs make me feel so high on sugar that it made the entire novel worth reading just for this one line.
Favorite Character: Phyllis (HANDS DOWN BEST WAIFU, FIGHT ME!)
In an apocalypse where everyone fends for themselves using your life for the family is both natural and expected. However, when it is done by characters who are not among them, then the narrative either explains and empowers a character or treats it as the last blaze a small spark can create. In either case, Knowing the game becomes in 3 years, Phyllis is the most interesting character of them all. Gagan is a blood knight, Swara an apathetic reincarnator, and Himu is a clueless White knight. while they are interesting. Only Phyllis has her path in grey. And I find the prospect of her either turning into a murdering lunatic, or a valiant protector very exciting.
3 things I liked
1. Phyllis
I can go on about her forever, I feel she is a very complex character, and the limited times she came about showed that she isn’t just a love-struck fool. She knows to do what she wants, as she plans and responds to logical arguments. I look forward to seeing what happens next.
2. Gagan and the muscle bros
Gagan is unknown to him a charismatic character worthy to become a king. How many people can indirectly influence an entire room of close to 100 people just by example? Gagan’s rage at his ineptitude due to his past causes his actions to all to be geared towards strength. This in turn causes everyone to see him as a powerful and worthy leader to follow. And by the time he is finished he going to be as awesome as Leonidas in 300.
3. Swara
Swara is the only person who gave this book the tensions it needs, her back story of being a reincarnator is not yet been elaborated on. It does raise the stakes the gave gives. This also gives meaning to the guild Gagan is building as well as the connections Himu is making. The prospect that they are on borrowed time, shows the desperation and tension she must be feeling. The unease and uncertainty slowly crept in. The payoff for her influence in this timeline would be something to look forward to.
3 Things I didn't like
1. 3 storylines.
As mentioned in the story flow section, the entire book was an absolute headache to follow, introduced characters in one plotline would at most be called 2 plotline chapters in the future (actually 6 characters as the chapters revolve around each sibling in order).
By the time they do come back, I was no longer able to follow or even care who these people are supposed to be. There was a trio of chapters where the novel introduced characters for all 3 plot lines. I kept returning to those chapters as I no longer remember who the characters being used in succeeding chapters were. The next problem is the break in tension and feeling. Swara’s chapters keep reminding the reader that they are on borrowed time. Gagan’s chapters are about his guilds beginning and his insistence on strength while Himu is enjoying his adventures in his chapters.
Whatever thought or feeling was brought by the previous chapter becomes completely meaningless for the next chapter. Swara gives tension, Gagan gives prospective excitement while Himu gives a sense of adventure. The 3 flavors do not blend well. As this is the equivalent of reading 3 different books all at the same time. While others can do that it is difficult for the rest of us, myself included.
2. Swara’s insistence on being independent.
This bit is my second biggest gripe, Swara is a reincarnator so having experienced the end they will soon have. She is the only one who operates with motivations engulfed in regrets desperation and hope. However, due to her insistence on operating independently, the other 2 just waltz without a care in their chapters. And since both comprise 2/3 of the book. Her actions seem meaningless.
3. Bit and pieces of information are split across storylines across views.
Due to the author’s unique style in writing, he places pieces of exposition and crucial world-building details across chapters across the plotlines of the novel. While does add a bit of mystery and induces a need for reading properly.
The mystery only matters if the reader cares for it. I found myself just ignoring these as I read them because I found myself caring less and less about the frivolities as I couldn’t see any meaning in doing so, examples would be the histories of the sibling’s extended family, the histories of their mom and dad. These should have been pieces to give meaning to the characters. But is separated by large periods of chapters. Dilutes their value.
Actual review
The world of the novel itself is interesting, together with the game there are chapters where the Patheon of Olympus was directly affected by the actions in the game of Himu and Co. The mystery of Swara’s reincarnation in the past also excludes a narrative that is guaranteed to be a fight of epic proportions.
However, the execution of 3 POVs leaves a lot to be desired, I already enumerated why the 3 POV does not work. If I needed to still use the 3 POVs I would recommend rotating the POVs by arcs instead of Chapters
This would achieve the narrative the author is trying to achieve, in which groups of people join a fight and have their reasons for doing so. This was done wonderfully by SRW, Scarlet nexus, and Starcraft 2. All of which had multiple Leads who finished their storylines before joining together. This style has been proven as it keeps the atmosphere the arc is trying to make while allowing the other POVs to come later and still make sense.
This simple change would remove the issues of forgetting characters, breaking the tension, and the like as they would be packaged like a compilation of mini-stories instead. There is a reason the current style this book is taking is so unique and unheard of, and I leave my review to elaborate on why.
Overall, the details in the world and the dropped breadcrumbs all show how much care Gautam_Goyal into his world, I highly believe with a little tweaking. The scenarios he intends to make would work way better. And the payoff when the 3 POVs come together will be as EPIC as Avengers endgame. More power to you my friend. I wish your book all the best.
