Bookish Wednesday: Dungeon Crawl by Skyler Grant

Hey all I’m back with the first entry in another LitRPG series for this Bookish Wednesday. It’s Dungeon Crawl, Book 01 in the Crucible Shard Series, by Skyler Grant!

Plot: The plot is mediocre at best, honestly it’s a rather poor LitRPG series. Though considering it was the authors first series I can’t say I’m too disappointed since the Laboratory was much better. Later books improve a bit, but overall it’s just not a good series.

Characters: Liam is our lead character and he’s very much a tool. He’s dull and boring and does things for absolutely stupid reasons in addition to being very amoral for little reason. The rest of the cast is little better with one of our female characters being a chronic kleptomaniac with serious mental issues and the other guy being a boring and dull spellcaster know it all.

Overall: Stay away from this series, there are better ones out there.

For those who like: LitRPGs, Action, Adventure, Drama, Anti-Heroes.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Serial Saturday: Our Chaoz Chapters 1-16 by SlyOkami

This week for Serial Saturday I’m back with the first few chapters in a series that’s completed. It’s Our Chaoz Chapters 1-16 by SlyOkami!

Plot Synopsis: Kyle was a simple gamer, he always picked the strangest classes or jobs and his characters almost looked the same. He played for the combat, he played for the grind and he played for his guild but above all he played for the story. Kyle is a roleplayer, one who enjoys the simple parts of this virtual life. Whether his guild was starting a war or ending one he’d always have his drammatic entrence or exit, his decleration of annihalition or demand of surrender. After all that? He divulged himself in the game’s story, the interaction with NPCS (Non Player Characters) and their advanced AI. He went through many questlines, many tales of heroics and many more adventurers of legend, but one thing always remained true with his character….

Kyle absolutely loved to the play the villain.

Plot: The plot of these first few chapters is introducing us to the main characters and really understanding what’s going on with Kyle when he starts up this new game. It’s pretty good although if you wanted a righteous main character you’re going to be highly disappointed.

Characters: We get introduced to a lot of characters, but Kyle is our main lead. The rest of the cast is just as good as Kyle though, with some nice depth to them. That being said my favorite side character is probably Sly.

Overall: A solid start to a series that thankfully is already completed.

For those who like: LitRPGs, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Drama, Action, Adventure, Fantastic Plot, Great Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Personal Status: Fully read. I’ll get to covering the rest of the series soonish.

Manga Monday: Yuukoku no Moriarty by Takeuchi Ryousuke

This week for Manga Monday I’ve got a really interesting Quick Review for you all. It’s Yuukoku no Moriarty, or Moriarty the Patriot, by Takeuchi Ryousuke!

Plot Synopsis: The story of Sherlock Holmes, reimagined with Moriarty as the protagonist and exploring his motivation in becoming the greatest criminal Britain has ever seen….

Plot: This isn’t a happy story, it doesn’t reimagine Moriarty into some noble hero. However if you ever wondered why Moriarty did what he did, this gives a good guess as to the explanation. I won’t spoil anything further, but I’ll just say I was hooked by the end of the chapter, I might even see about getting my Aunt to read this, as she loves Sherlock Holmes.

Characters: William is our lead character, and the rest of the cast is good as well. I won’t spoil anything, though we don’t get introduced to Sherlock yet in this first chapter.

Art: The art is excellent, easily meeting Shueisha’s standards. Given that this is are published by Shueisha that should come as no shock.

Overall: Yuukoku no Moriarty is quite an interesting read, and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes.

 

 

Bookish Wednesday: Awaken Online Catharsis by Travis Bagwell

Hey all this week for Bookish Wednesday I’m going to cover the first in a LitRPG series that is one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s Awaken Online: Catharsis by Travis Bagwell!

Plot Synopsis: Jason logs into Awaken Online fed-up with reality. He’s in desperate need of an escape, and this game is his ticket to finally feeling the type of power and freedom that are so sorely lacking in his real life.  Awaken Online is a brand new virtual reality game that just hit the market, promising an unprecedented level of immersion. Yet Jason quickly finds himself pushed down a path he didn’t expect. In this game, he isn’t the hero. There are no damsels to save. There are no bad guys to vanquish…

Plot: The plot of this book is really awesome, it also really highlights what people can do when pushed too far. This isn’t a book for children, it’s not full of fun times. It’s quite graphic at times and while there are plenty of laughable moments, it is more dark humor than light.

Characters: Jason is the real star of this book, but of all the side characters I think I like Jerry the most. He’s a roguish fellow who doesn’t take much, if anything, seriously.

Overall: This is a must read for any gamer, and frankly it might just be a must read period. The subject matter that comes up in this book is something a lot of people could do with more insight in. Awaken Online does a great job at providing that.

For those who like: LitRPGs, Fantasy, Magic, Action, Drama, Excellent Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: Youjo Senki Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering one last series from the Winter 2017 Season. It’s my Youjo Senki Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot Synopsis: Youjo Senki takes place in an alternate world’s version of World War I, but there are mages who take the place of aerial support instead of biplanes. In the Rhine there is one very young lieutenant who despite her incredibly young age is quickly gaining her foothold in this world. But there is something a little odd about her and her speech that makes her seem much older than she is…

Plot: The plot of this first episode is really intense, it’s pretty much nonstop action the entire time, and while there are some more low key sections in the episode they are only low key in the term that there isn’t any physical combat occurring. I really enjoyed this first episode and while I have yet to watch the entire season’s worth of episodes it will be watched in the next few days. However based on this first episode I’ll be incredibly surprised if I don’t love the hell out of it.

Characters: Tanya Degurechaff is our heroine, and she’s a feisty little girl who somehow ended up on the front lines in the Rhine theater. She’s not the typical heroine, and that’s all I’ll say about her. The rest of the cast is interesting as well, although Vicky is probably going to end up being my favorite side character.

Art: The art is excellent, by a studio I’ve never heard of NUT before. It was quite well done. I hope the quality sticks throughout the entire run of episodes.

Music: The music was equally as good, although we really didn’t get to hear the opening and ending themes I’m going to guess they are just as good.

Overall: This is definitely a must watch for any Anime fan. Although the subject matter is probably not appropriate for children so don’t watch with them.

For those who like: Fantasy, Military, War Fiction, Excellent Plot, Fantastic Cast of Characters, Amazing Artwork, Great Musical Score.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but really you ought to give this a chance.