I received an advance reading copy of Battle Spire in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Michael R Miller and Portal Books.
In the I received an advance reading copy of Battle Spire in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Michael R Miller and Portal Books.
In the year 2053 our protagonist Jack Kross is an average geeky guy and the narrative starts whilst he is taking his genetic engineering examination at Xen Tech University. He is an avid gamer but when interactive role-playing games and MMO's (massively multiplayer online) took over his thoughts, personality, and life his parents weren't impressed as his grades were suffering drastically, and they were especially annoyed with the cost of the tuition fees! During some heated exchanges a compromise was fabricated. Jack promised not to play any games for 12-months, by when his qualification and studies would have been concluded. After this exam though, Jack decides he needs to jump back into a virtual world without his parent's knowledge. The plan is to book two nights in a shoddy, rundown hotel in one of the worst parts of San Fransico and play the critically acclaimed and adored new VRMMO game Hundred Kingdoms.
LitRPG is a blooming scene in the fantasy world and as far as I am aware traditional publishers haven't caught on to the craze yet. I'm not an expert and following on from Andrew Rowe and Phil Tucker, this is only the third LitRPG series that I've read but thus far I have not been disappointed by the scene at all.
When Jack enters the game world it starts off typically as a game of The Elder Scrolls would. Picking classes, races, perks, strengths etc... whilst also customising a player's online avatar and vocals. Jack ignores the classes of mages, warriors, beserkers and the like, and decides to be a scavenger. A player who is laughably weak in battle but can loot beneficial and profitable items from bodies and craft weapons, armour, jewels amongst other creations which are well sought after if created to an impressive and striking standard. In-game funds can be transferred to real life wealth and the protagonist wishes to prove to his parents that gaming isn't such a waste of time after all. Tired, after a long day of examinations and exploring this new environment, he decides to complete one final mission before expiring and sleeping for the night. He should have logged off then. He enters the titular battle spire almost at the exact time it is invaded by virtual reality but real life terrorists who have put the game on lockdown with the objective of blackmailing the government. They destroy all the NPC's and our weak hero Jack remains the only player inside the pyramidal structure. Also, any one of the 3-million players who is logged in the game at this point, well, if they die here they also will meet one's maker in real life too. Not a great time to be a level-3 scavenger, Jack.
Battle Spire is like Hard Boiled and Die Hard wrapped up in a grandiose and extravagant fantasy game. Instead of Chow Yun-Fat or Bruce Willis to save the day, we have Jack... He is facing a squad of approximately 50 villans under the instructions of level-50 capped undead Knight Azrael. There are other characters inside the spire as NPC's respawn at certain intervals. These include individuals who may aid our 'hero' such as the creepily named torturer Kreeptic, Emperor Aurelius, and Jack's (gaming name - Zoran's) AI friend Ellie who is nothing more than a voice in his head.
Jack/Zoran spends his time constructing Home Alone-style traps, levelling up, fashioning new weapons that should far exceed his current class, and completing elite level missions on his first day of play. He does this using little more than his mind as if he were to get hit even once from a player who is level-40+ he would be done for. There is also time which he has to worry about. While he is playing, his real-life self is without water and nourishment so even if he stays alive in the game, his real-life self will breathe his last breath and perish soon enough.
I had a brilliant time reading Battle Spire. After the typical LitRPG introduction to the mechanics, magic systems, levelling up statistics, and the world - I loved every single page. Miller is a phenomenally good writer and I will be checking his other works very soon. The ending is pretty spectacular and there are a plethora of set-pieces and moments where Jack uses his wit and environment to succeed against all odds which will stay with me for a while. And I'll smile remembering them. Battle Spire had me emotionally attached until the end. That's when you know an author has succeeded. Bravo, Michael.
I received a review copy of Phil Tucker's - Killer Dungeon in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author a lot. When I've been seI received a review copy of Phil Tucker's - Killer Dungeon in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author a lot. When I've been sent these advanced reader copies every other book has had to take a lower priority until I find out how Chris' life or death adventure within Eurphoria Online concludes. This is one of my favourite, easy-going, nostalgic and exciting series that I've had the pleasure of reading for a while. It has already been rated on Fantasy Book Review in detail by Swiff at 8.8/10 and I would have given it a similar score which is why I am just leaving a few points here in a quick casual review.
Chris has really grown throughout this trilogy in the face of adversity and for me, as a gamer, I see myself in him, his choices and dilemmas regarding what spells to use, which problem to approach next, how to gain powerful allies and how not to get alienated or even killed by many new members of the cast that are introduced here. He is still in Death March mode risking his real life for a pardon for his brother. Especially Ragnar Dragonbane. His ex-girlfriend Brianna always has something up here sleave too.
For the first time here there is a love story/ relationship, especially in the middle of the narrative that takes away from the spells, the battles, monsters, goblins(!), but it's okay. It makes the ending a bit sweeter and there are a few pretty awesome magical set-pieces during this section.
It is called Killer Dungeon for a reason. An unknown treasure is hidden beneath the Keep that the AI who controls the game wants to himself and it is designed to even keep out top-level archmages. The aim of the mission is to achieve that all whilst dealing with new players who have heard about this impossible dungeon challenge and wish to try their luck, and having a metaphorical gun to the head from a Dread Lord and his undead army.
This is a really well-written book. I enjoyed a lot of Tucker's lexical choices and flowing addictive prose. Some of the new characters were pretty awesome and I loved the storyline regarding our 3 goblin friends. Not everyone makes it out safe and some people are even killed in Death March mode. I'm not sure if I agreed with all the protagonist's choices but he has overcome a lot and it reads like we are floating in his mind. I wanted to know what happened to a few other characters at the end as it only focused on a couple and felt slightly too abrupt. Also, some of the castellan and holding rating sheets seemed a bit boring unfortunately compared to some of the other in-game menus. I don't have much bad to say. I really enjoyed this series and hope Tucker returns to LitRPG soon. Until then I will hopefully check out some of his other work....more
I received an e-arc copy of Nightmare Keep in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Phil Tucker. This will just be a mini-review as a lot of whaI received an e-arc copy of Nightmare Keep in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Phil Tucker. This will just be a mini-review as a lot of what I said when I reviewed #1 applies here too.
As the follow up to the hugely enjoyable Death March I had to read the second book in the Euphoria Online series as soon as I could. These books are so much fun and although this entry is a fair bit darker, I still loved following Chris and his gang of heroes. It opens very credibly with Chris being summoned to visit a Dread Lord. The Dread Lord gives him a task to find some treasure that is hidden within a Keep of Castle Winter. Not at all shockingly, this dungeon is filled with puzzles, monsters, hidden magic, and a room full of mirrors. As one of the supporting cast summarises: "Never go into a room full of mirrors!"
Our small crew of players and our Goblin allies are still here this time but Castle Winter is assailed by four new strong gamers who have a different agenda and don't care that our protagonist is playing in Death March mode. Honestly, they aren't very friendly at all. The overall cast is much larger this time but the characters are colourful and fully fleshed the same way they would be in a MMORPG. We still get to witness Talent Sheets regarding levelling up, skill acquisitions, new spells and are also introduced to some amazing weaponry and kit throughout the novel including the awesome Void Blade.
Nightmare Keep features brilliant dialogue, great action, a few mind-bendingly exciting scenes that are set in a fantasy game world (although the 'real world' is in the near future) littered with many common and often amusing cultural references to our current reality. It was so much fun to read and I devoured it within 24-hours just like the first book. I've already started the final entry in this exciting, gaming-influence series. Some of the dungeon scenes gave me nostalgia and reminded me of my Steve Jackson/ Ian Livingstone gaming book days. So much fun!...more
I received an advanced reader copy of Death March in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Phil Tucker for the opportunity.
Death MarchI received an advanced reader copy of Death March in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Phil Tucker for the opportunity.
Death March, the first entry in the LitRPG Euphoria Online trilogy was my first time reading Tucker's work although I am familiar with him from the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. I am also pretty new to this blossoming and booming subgenre of computer game RPG inspired fantasy. Having recently enjoyed Andrew Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic and the fact that I'm currently replaying The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim it seemed only right that I leapt at the chance to review this story early and carry on with those vibes.
The main character Chris is a college lecturer and an ex-professional gamer who resides in the not too distant future in approximately 2050 A.D. Advancements to our current technology and existence are realistically presented and projected in this almost sci-fi environment. Chris has quite a few things haunting his mind at the moment most notably caused by the fact his brother could be facing the death penalty and also that he and his girlfriend have recently split up. Surprisingly, after weeks of radio silence, his ex-girlfriend offers him a ticket to the new computer game experience everyone is talking about. Euphoria Online, where you don't just play or see the gaming environment, you live it. Chris accepts the chance and decides to play it on the hardest mode, Death March, and if he survives 6-months in-game play then his brother could be granted a pardon. The only issue is that during this most difficult of settings if he dies in the game then it is game over in real life too!
At 70,000 words Death March was an extremely enjoyable, fast, and exciting journey and Chris was a protagonist worth rooting for due to the extremities placed on his scenario and fate. This novel features sections where the main character explains leveling up, new skills, statistics upgrades, the in-game world, local environments, and the monsters lurking throughout as he learns it himself for the first time which creates great affinity. Unfortunately, Chris soon finds himself seriously underpowered in a very difficult area which is haunted by Ogres, Goblins, Wraiths, Dread Lords and even a Wyvern. Every choice he makes could mean life or death which is familiar to the Fighting Fantasy novels I used to read yet there is no cheating and turning back to the last page here. Death March also includes puzzle rooms, boss battles, and confrontations with certain characters whose loyalties are uncertain.
Initially, I thought we might spend the whole narrative just following Chris solo throughout his hardships, however, I'm pleased to announce that there is an eclectic and colourful mix of supporting characters here to root for too. In this advanced gaming world, a few standout individuals were non-player characters such as an enthusiastic goblin that's lovingly named Dribbler. Character development was surprisingly deep and believable for a relatively short novel.
Death March is gripping, with intense action segments, believable characters, and a detailed magic and perks system. I don't know how complex this is compared to other entries in the LitRPG genre but to me, it seemed well thought out and interesting and I'd say even someone new to LitRPG could start here and be rewarded. We don't visit too vast an amount of the world throughout this narrative but for what we witness I can confirm that the world-building is smooth, clear, precise and colourful. The ending offers a rollercoaster of adrenaline and wraps things up nicely. Although there are unanswered issues and I was left wondering what may follow next, this does work perfectly as a self-contained novel. Death March is exciting, engaging, but more importantly, it's great fun. All the books in this series have been completed so there shouldn't be too long a wait between the release dates either....more
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