#BookReview: Lightsinger by NR LaPoint

NR LaPoint does like his Isekai

Upstream Reviews has covered the works of NR LaPoint before. Both Michael Gallagher and I have covered his Chalk and Dusklight, even Gun Magus.

Today we cover LaPoint’s first novel, Lightsinger, yet another fantasy novel where our heroes are falling down a rabbit hole.

Or in this case, it’s more of a portal.

The Story

Mina Violet’s new job is odd, but it should pay the bills. Or it would, if the basement fallout shelter didn’t have a magic sword that sucked her and her friends into another realm. In the parallel realm of Dirt (yes, really), Mina and those she cares for are being hunted by the puppet of a Lovecraftian horror that—if it has its way—will destroy both Dirt and Earth.

As usual, LaPoint has fun along the way, putting different twists on genre tropes that make his work unique and original… and slightly batty, but those are usually the most awesome parts.

Lightsinger is an interesting departure for LaPoint. Chalk, Dusklight, and Gun Magus were all largely single-person perspectives on the story. Here, not so much. The reader gets to see the story through everyone’s eyes, even the villains. There is even a fair amount of head-hopping in individual scenes; while initially confusing, I found that it was easily overcome as the story went on.

While Lightsinger is LaPoint’s earliest novel, it is clear from the outset that he doesn’t do small plot, or small stakes. World destroying evil is his go-to option. Even at this point of his writing, he pulls it off really well.

This is all one story, but the threads diverge at points, allowing each of our protagonists to have their own moment in the sun. But like a Tom Clancy novel, eventually, the sequoia will hit the submarine (see: The Sum of All Fears, the book).

The Characters

This one is like a very odd D&D campaign. There’s a pirate elf who should be played by Robert Newton (see: Treasure Island) who carries a semiautomatic that shoots fireballs—and has an airship, because this is an NR LaPoint novel. There’s an old hero who thinks he’s Doc Savage and has a slight death wish. There’s even an informative talking buzzard.

And that’s just the secondary cast.

Our three primary heroes are all those who fell through from our world to the world of Dirt.

Mina Violet, much like LaPoint’s heroine of Chalk, is offbeat and quirky, and might have to be played by the lead girl from Ghostbusters: Afterlife. She has a fondness for philosophy and metaphysics, and has no problem talking for hours at people holding her prisoner.

There is the flighty and sociable redhead who is Mina’s friend as well as the boy who likes Mina and has to work up to it. And all three of our heroes go from wanting to just click their heels and say “there’s no place like home” to deciding “screw it, we’re going to save the world, because who else is going to do it?”

The World

The world is both standard and unique at the same time. Dwarves still carry battle axes, but they live in trees like Ewoks and their axes are carried in knitted sheaths. ELfs are still pointy-eared sharpshooters, but the few who are still around are big, burly, and carry guns. This is a world teeming with varied, vivid creatures, and none of them can be taken at face value.

In short, no one here is exactly what they seem.

Politics

None. Zero. Move along.

Content Warning

There is Lord of the Rings level violence here. There will be blood. And missing limbs.

Who is it for?

Fans of Larry Correia’s Grimnoir novels will enjoy this one, especially when you get to the teleporting badass who has echoes of Faye. And no, no spoilers.

Do you like the magic of Jim Butcher? Do you like the action of epic fantasy? Do you like epic fantasy worlds?

Then why haven’t you bought this book? Already

Why read it?

Because everything that NR LaPoint writes is just plain fun.