Have you ever wondered what Harry Potter could have been if they fought with magic infused guns and against demons? I know, that might seem a bit far fetched, but crossing genres is one of my pet peeves. Follow me deeper into this kind of crossover!
A while ago, I stumbled upon this subgenre called Progression Fantasy. Quest Academy is my second series in this particular genre, and it helps me to define the genre borders better. If you never heard of this particular flavor of fiction – it’s basically like playing a video game and leveling up your character.
Quest Academy takes this approach to the maximum at times, and while it seems that having a protagonist that is overpowered – or OP, as games enthusiasts would call it – is one of the common practices, Quest Academy isn’t shy about making it clear upfront.
Another part that is at the heart and core of progression fantasy, is stats. And Quest Academy not only has them, but doesn’t also shy away from representing them using actual, honest to God tables. When’s the last time You’ve seen tables in fiction literature?
Besides stats, there’s also a lot of terminology that wouldn’t be foreign in an actual video game. Levels, loot, even boss fights and dungeons – it’s all there!
I’ve mentioned Harry Potter, but only as a reference point for the fact that the protagonist is a student at a school that teaches magic (kind of). The main difference is that we don’t start with young kids, but teenagers (I don’t recall if the age was ever mentioned, but probably around 16, 17, so actually young adults). This means we’re getting all the grit about the world right from the batch, and not starting with book 3 like Harry Potter. There’s even the mention of sexual intercourse! It’s not happening “on the screen”, more besides, so to say, but you know it’s there. And the language isn’t shy of using swear words.
So Quest Academy boldly goes where a lot of YA doesn’t dare to go. Sadly, it’s also pretty bold in the use of exposition. A bit too much for my tastes, I would have liked a little less handholding. Then again, I might misunderstand the needs of the YA audiences, being a “not so young anymore adult” myself.
I should probably admit that “Progressive Fantasy” is my own way of describing this subgenre, which just goes to show that I’m old. The cool guys are calling this LitRPG, because of mixing literature with the mechanics of role-playing games. But for me, I can’t call it RPG if I don’t get to roll a die.
Well then. 4 out of 5 dice from me, looking forward to the next installment!
Crossing the Pond Reviews 