Bookish Wednesday: The Reborn by Edward Brody

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering another LitRPG series. It’s Eden’s Gate Book 01: The Reborn by Edward Brody!

Plot Synopsis: When Gunnar Long logs into into the first fully-immersive virtual MMORPG, he finds himself in a new world filled with magic, mystery and adventure. However not is all as it seems as the creator of the game, Rupert Winston, decides to close off the world’s exit to make the world a true reality. Now trapped in the game and separated by an unknown distance from the one person who he cares for who logged in at the same time as him, Gunnar must make some tough decisions…

Plot: The plot of this book is okay, there are some moments where I really wanted to throttle Gunnar, but overall the story was good. It’s not super amazing, but it’s not bad. There are some seriously overused tropes that were used, trapped in the game etc. However the take on those tropes was interesting enough for me to overlook it for the most part. I won’t say it’s the best LitRPG book I’ve read, because that’s absolutely not the case.

Characters: Like I said above, Gunnar made me want to throttle him sometimes, mostly because he acts like an ass. There are multiple reasons why I dislike Gunnar, but he does get some very needed character growth over the book. The rest of the cast is great, with Adeelee probably being my favorite character of the lot.

Overall: A decent LitRPG, better than some (Unbound Deathlords I’m looking at you), but not as good as others like Awaken Online.

Bookish Wednesday: Game Start by Justin Miller

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering the first book in another LitRPG series. It’s the World Seed Series Book 01: Game Start by Justin Miller!

Plot Synopsis:The year is 2245, and the world has undergone explosive growth in multiple industries. The age of Virtual Reality came long ago, opening up new fields for people to enjoy and seek employment. There were even those that chose to sacrifice their physical bodies, becoming digital existences that lived within internet communities.  But with the age of VR, everyone still dreamed of that next step, the next level of adventure. And after a hundred years, it has finally arrived. The first consoles, known as Seeds, mass distributed among the people, with such realism that they no longer qualified as a Virtual Reality, but as an Artificial Reality. But what happens when things become too real?=

Plot: The plot is pretty awesome, and while it covers tropes and stereotypes that I’ve read before, the snark in the game is just too amusing for me to hate it. I really enjoyed this first book, and can’t wait to read the rest.

Characters: John, or Falanel the failure half-elf, is our main character and while he’s pretty decent for a main character he’s also full of stupid. The game system is probably my favorite side character, if you can call a system a character. It’s really, really snarky and I love it. “That’s not how you fly: Minus 20 Health” is just one of many, many amusing or downright hilarious quips from the system. If I had to choose another side character though, it would be Yin and Yang, although I’ll leave the why for you to find out.

Overall: An excellent LitRPG, a must read for any fan of the genre.

For those who like: MMOs, Gaming, LitRPG, Action, Adventure, Drama, Snark, Amazing Plot, Excellent Cast of Characters.

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

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.

Bookish Wednesday: The Cursed Princedom by G. Akella

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m back with the sequel to Patch 17! It’s The Cursed Princedom by G. Akella!

Plot Synopsis: An immortal wanderer in an enormous alien world, Krian struggles to survive in a closed plane populated by powerful mobs and hostile NPCs. With bungled stats, inadequate gear and no friends by his side, he is driven by only his willpower… and by his hatred toward the people responsible for his misery. Revenge is his purpose now, his entire reason for being. But his path lies through the cursed princedom of Craedia stretching far to the south….

Plot: The plot is pretty awesome. That being said I really did enjoy the parts where Max is the Point of View instead of Krian. Although their two takes on the game are completely different I enjoyed it immensely.

Characters: We get to meet a bunch of new characters in this entry, like a whole bunch. But my favorite would be Bonbon. Easily. The rest of the newcomers were great as well, but Bonbon is just too awesome.

Overall: An excellent sequel to an already amazing book in what is shaping up to be one of the top LitRPG series out there.

 

Bookish Wednesday: Soulstone Awakening by J. A. Cipriano

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m looking at the first entry in another LitRPG series. It’s Soulstone Awakening by J. A. Cipriano!

Plot Synopsis: Aaron Hope plays video games, like a lot, just not professionally. When he entered the EpiX! Games! PVP World Championship on a lark, this college senior never expected to make it to the final round, nor to get drugged and shoved into the alpha test for World of Ruul.

Plot: This book tries too hard to be something it shouldn’t be and it has a lot of tropes that have made up the LitRPG genre, stuck in a game, permadeath etc…  Frankly betweeen the somewhat stale premise and the various references that litter the book about other series like Legendary Moonlight Sculptor or Sword Art Online, which aren’t even hidden they are just flat out mentioned, it’s pretty obvious that this is the authors first attempt at writing in the genre. Frankly anything slightly original in this book just doesn’t make up for the pure boredom the story gave me.

Characters: Aaron is a smart ass, and while I tend to enjoy that in a character, the entire cast is pretty unlikable including Aaron. In fact I hated just about every character.

Overall: Stay away from this book, and series. There are plenty of more entertaining and better written series out there for those who want a good LitRPG book.

For those who like: LitRPGs, Mediocrity, Stale Plot, Dull Characters.

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