LitRPG Podcast 167 - Djinn Tamer book 2, Towers of Heaven, Attack Protocol, Respawn book3
LitRPG Podcast 167 - Djinn Tamer bk2, Towers of Heaven, Attack Protocol, Respawn bk3
April 18th, 2019
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 167 of the LitRPG podcast.
I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. I have 4 new reviews just for you.
New Releases and Reviews:
Djinn Tamer: Rivals: A Monster Battling GameLit Adventure (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League Book 2)
It won me over.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
OP MC. Slice of life dungeon tower dive. Good if you’re ok with that.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Attack Protocol: A LitRPG Space Marine Adventure (Omicron Sector Book 3)
Finishes the short story trilogy well enough.
Score: 7.1 out of 10
Respawn: 18 and Up (Respawn LitRPG series Book 3)
Temporal resets, RPG apocalypse, lots of action
Score: 7.4 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
M.A. Carlson sent in a note about his next book in the World Tree Online series. Not only was he nice enough to share the cover art for book 2. He says that it is expected to release on 01-May, pre-order starting 24-Apr. And there will be a sale on books 1 and 2 leading up to the new release.
Book 1 will be on sale starting 24-Apr until 01-May for 2.99
Book 2 will be on sale starting 24-Apr until 01-May for 1.99
After many months of toil, the third book in the Archemi Online series, Kingdom Come, is now available for pre-order!
To celebrate the release of the pre-order, the author has put the first book in the series, Dragon Seed, FREE until 20th April.
James Baldwin has also organize a whole group of LitRPG and GameLit authors to discounted/Free books in their series for a convention and also just to promote their works. There are various time limits on the sales, so get them quick.
Void Legion - FREE
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/xv4fqpuc5y
Dragon Seed: (The Archemi Online Chronicles Book 1) FREE
Puatera Online bk 1-3 FREE
The Feedback Loop (Books 1-3) $0.99
Barrow King - $0.99
Accidental Thief - $0.99
Endless Online book 1 - $0.99
Fateseal (Deck of Souls Book 1) $0.99
Arcane Kingdom Online $0.99
Pangea Online: Death and Axes $0.99
Party Hard (Pixel Dust Book 1) $0.99
World-Tree Online (World-Tree Trilogy Book 1) $0.99
Initializing (Somnia Online Book 1) $0.99
Ruins of Majesta: Vol. 1 - $0.99 Starts 4/20-4/25
http://jamesosiris.com/litrpg/?fbclid=IwAR3S_ePuYucyD5CmQlZWyIFI6dIVzWrH3oA4Cjivgy3JNMquk-HARZ18-8U
Congrats to Mountaindale Press and Jay Boyce on how well their latest novel Adapt is doing. It hit low 130s on Amazon sales rankings last week, which is really good. That’s out of all of Amazon’s paid books. The book has an audience that really enjoys the story, which is something to be celebrated.
Adapt (A Touch of Power Book 2)
Don’t forget that we’re still trying to get the bearded author, Charles Dean who just put out a new book to do some singing and dancing on live stream by getting people to join his fun group Spoiled Rotten Readers. We’re at 280 of the goal of 300 people.
To help bring in the likes, I’ll donate 5 audiobook codes to the contest to be given out randomly from among the group members after we hit that goal. So, go join and help me make my friend do funny and embarrassing things by the end of April!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/541733016223492/
Out Now!
Perla Online, Book Two: Shella (A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure)
A Dungeon's Desire: A Lewd Saga Adventure
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Sacrificial Pieces - The Gam3, Book 3
Finding a Body: Dark Herbalist Series, Book 4
A Thousand Drunken Monkeys: Book 2 in the Hero of Thera Series
The Curse of Hurlig Ridge: 1st Dive - World Tree Online, Book 1
The Hall: Book 1 of the Muraglen Saga
The Idle System: The Rogues - A LitRPG Series, Book 2
World-Tree Online -World-Tree Trilogy, Book 1
Upcoming LitRPG:
Class-A Threat (Disgardium Book #1) LitRPG Series (April 22nd, 2019)
War God's Mantle: Underworld (The War God Saga Book 3) (April 24th, 2019)
In Search of the Uldans (Galactogon: Book #2) LitRPG Series
(April 25th, 2019)
Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2) (April 26th, 2019)
Limitless Lands Book 3: Retribution (A LitRPG Adventure) (April 30th, 2019)
The Mountain Valley War - 2nd Dive Concludes (World Tree Online) (May 1st, 2019)
Starbreak (Rise to Omniscience Book 2) (May 2nd, 2019)
The Azure Dragon: A Heroic Fantasy Saga (The Artar Chronicles Book 3) (May 7th, 2019)
Monster [LitRPG series: The Beetle] (May 14th, 2019)
Guardians Of The Round Table 5: Crystal Mine (May 18th, 2019)
Web of Worlds (Reality Benders Book #4): LitRPG Series (May 20th, 2019)
Scurfifer (Alfarome. Book 2) LitRPG Series (May 21st, 2019)
Realm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 2. The Life] (June 1st, 2019)
Kingdom Come: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (The Archemi Online Chronicles Book 3) (June 1st, 2019)
Apostle of the Sleeping Gods (Disgardium Book #2): LitRPG Series (June 10th, 2019)
Home, Siege Home: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 6) (June 13th, 2019)
Code Hero (Champion is Playing Book #2) LitRPG Series
(June 15th, 2019)
City of Freedom (Adam Online Book #2) LitRPG Series (June 20th, 2019)
Djinn Tamer: Evolution: A Monster Battling GameLit Adventure (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League Book 3) (June 20th, 2019)
Shyft - Book 2 - Stealthcaster: (A LitRPG Adventure) (June 25th, 2019)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Djinn Tamer: Rivals: A Monster Battling GameLit Adventure (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League Book 2)
Let the rivalries begin.
If Jackson Hunt ever wants to become a champion monster tamer, he’s got a long road ahead of him. And he’s not the only one with dreams of glory
As a new season of the Djinn Battle League fast approaches, Jackson prepares to enter training camp — a grueling series of tests to discover talented new tamers. The rules are simple: if you’re not the best, you go home.
For a young man who lives to battle, going home isn’t an option. There’s only one problem — Jackson isn’t so sure he deserves to be there in the first place. With competition heating up, Jackson’s bond with his Djinn will be tested to their limits. But no matter how much he trains, if his new monsters won’t work together, he won’t stand a chance.
The fighting will be intense. The rivalries, fierce. At the end of the road, the chance of a lifetime awaits. Against friends and foes both old and new, can Jackson prove he’s worthy of a shot at the big leagues?
Djinn Tamer: Rivals is the second book in the Djinn Tamer series, a monster-battling GameLit adventure for fans of Pokemon, Digimon and Monster Rancher.
My Opinion: 361 pages, $5.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
I enjoyed this one a lot more than book 1. Probably because there isn't the need for any setup and it gets right to the good stuff in the first chapter.
It takes the Pokemon-esque like world and fleshes it out while having the main character (MC) and his team fight, train, and capture battle monsters. There’s an added rivalry with other trainers that adds some motivation, but the core of the story is just the MC wants to be the best that ever was and join the league of trainers.
Game mechanic wise, things are still light. About the same as you'd see in the Pokemon games, just with added stats and power upgrades.
Overall, the novel won me over because it leaned more into what this battle monster kind of story is good at. Capturing new monsters, training them, and fighting. Pairing that with an underdog story and I had a good time.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Djinn Tamer: Rivals: A Monster Battling GameLit Adventure (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League Book 2)
(Picture 2)
Towers of Heaven: Book 1
One day, six towers appear on Earth. Each one stands hundreds of stories tall, and are invulnerable to all attacks. At the base of each tower is a portal, welcoming in all who dare enter it.
All sorts of magical monsters can be found inside the towers. Even treasure, magic and superhuman strength can be acquired. The problem is that the towers aren't a friendly place. Even worse, the towers sometimes release waves of monsters to attack Earth.
In the year 2083, there are only a hundred survivors. In one last attempt, they challenge the final floor without regard for their lives. By some miracle, they manage to beat the floor at the cost of their lives, leaving only one survivor.
As a reward for clearing the tower, he is granted one wish. He decides to go back in time to before the towers arrived. His goal is simple: prevent humanity from being wiped out.
My Opinion: 306 pages, $2.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
While the very beginning of the novel is just plain annoying, it does setup the situation and motivation for the main character (MC) to go back in time to try and save humanity. After that, the story actually gets entertaining and becomes a OP LitRPG story where the MC clears increasingly challenging levels in a tower dungeon. The MC is majorly overpowered the entire story with both a lifetime of battle experience and knowledge of future events, and as long as you’re ok with that and the slice of life nature of the story, you’ll have a good time. It’s mostly fighting, training, some build theorizing, and a little bit of team building as the MC seeks to get a group together to eventually try to beat the tower at its highest level and thus save mankind. But that’s a far off series plotline. I did think the future knowledge aspect was a nice twist to this kind of OP story.
The game mechanics are more reminiscent of an MMO. In that the levels don’t impact the story much, but rather reflect relative powers. It’s also a way to show just how OP the MC is when he beats higher level monsters. Still, XP is gained, levels impact stats and health, and the Ascenders grow in power by getting skills, abilities, and magic. The class theorizing is a particular highlight, with characters trying to fill out their roles by gaining specific equipment and skills.
Overall, not a complicated story and not every level in the tower is super interesting, but overall an enjoyable slice of life action-adventure.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
(Picture 3)
Attack Protocol: A LitRPG Space Marine Adventure (Omicron Sector Book 3)
Captain Aaron Taylor and his crew have been stuck in Omicron Sector, the most popular sci-fi MMO available, for approaching 24 hours. If they are stuck too much longer, their bodies might start feeling the effects of dehydration or worse. Tempers flare, and anxieties are building.
To make matters worse, the mysterious Rand Aktar is keeping Aaron's teammate Colin in medical quarantine. What other secrets is he keeping?
In this rousing conclusion to the Omicron Sector Trilogy, Aaron and his team have to figure out a way to free their friend, fight back against the alien menace, and, if they are just lucky enough, log out of the game and go home.
Attack Protocol is a Science Fiction Space Marine LitRPG story and is the conclusion to the Omicron Sector Trilogy. This book is a novella length short written for fans of the Halo franchise, Warhammer 40K, and Destiny.
My Opinion: 88 pages, $0.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I got an advanced copy for review, I purchased a copy when it became available.
It’s been a little while since the last story came out and to be honest, I had a hard time getting back into the story. But eventually everything clicked back into place and all the space marine action goodness was explained. The premise isn’t that complicated: VR Game gone wrong, group trapped in game, weird virus changing players into monsters, and maybe aliens trying to invade from another dimension.
Overall, the action stuff is good. Space battles, sci-fi weapons, and RPG MMO powers. The actual RPG stuff in book 3 is a little light, but the author is trying to tie things up. The cyber punk-invading alien aspect is my least favorite part, just because they break the RPG rules established, and that bugs me. Still, while not my favorite entry in the series, (that’s book 1), it was entertaining for me and is a nice cap to the short story series.
Score: 7.1 out of 10
Attack Protocol: A LitRPG Space Marine Adventure (Omicron Sector Book 3)
(Picture 4)
Respawn: 18 and Up (Respawn LitRPG series Book 3)
Targets come in all kinds. Some fall prey to those holding a gun for the first time. Others cannot be defeated even by the most experienced shooters in the world, unless their luck comes to save the day. Cheater’s accuracy is unparalleled, and Lady Luck is on his side. He has all the marks of a champion, and champions never miss.
The true aim of his heart, though, is not one that can be hit with a single fortunate shot. No, she is far to the west, beyond several of the Continent’s most dangerous locations: the bleak boundaries dividing regions from one another. Solo veteran immunes are little more than clumsy chunks of meat in such places, never mind brash newcomers like Cheater.
But Cheater’s not going solo. He has an experienced friend. But loyalty is hard to verify, and you never know when a friend might disown you simply for failing to complete his task by its deadline.
My Opinion: 270 pages, $5.99, Not Available on Kindle Unlimited
I know I'm likely in the minority here, but I always enjoy this series. It's a slice of life RPG apocalypse with the twist of adding in a temporal reset upon death to the beginning of the Apocalypse. It has a unique time reset aspect tried to the respawn system allows for a lot unique directions for the story to go. You can also just jump into just about book in the series without really needing much info. Just that when players die they respawn back at the beginning of the apocalypse. There's kind of a series goal but not really.
Still, each novel has lots of action that ramps up as the story goes on, always culminating in this big ending. Book 3 is no different. There is a bit more solo survival stuff in book 3 but you’re still getting good fights against zombies, worse monsters, and other players. The RPG stuff is on the lighter side, rewarding wins and loses with various stat and level gains, with a minor morality system with humanity points. Still, there is some RPG mechanic theorizing and planning here.
Overall, I liked this one a little more than book 2. Likely because of the faster paced opening. Still, the story has good action-adventure, decent RPG stuff, and always an interesting story. Be aware, that the story has more typos and errors than most, but that’s because it’s translated from Russian.
Score: 7.4 out of 10
Respawn: 18 and Up (Respawn LitRPG series Book 3)
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Thanks for hanging out with me today. Until we can hangout again, remember to go read some LitRPG!
(Music 4)
Music Credits
"Blip Stream" "Mighty Like Us" "Big Shift" "Vivacity"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License