LitRPG Podcast 204 - Knockout Bk 2, Last Time Loop, Before Apocalypse, and more

LitRPG Podcast 204 - Knockout Bk 2, Last Time Loop, Before Apocalypse, and more

Dec. 13th, 2019

Hello everyone, welcome to episode 204 of the LitRPG podcast.

I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 5 new reviews just for you.

New Releases and Reviews:

Level Up: Update (The Knockout Book #2): LitRPG Series (09:04)

A second chance at using an RPG interface IRL

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2lP6K8K

The Last Time Loop: Max of the Rebellion (Volume 1): A Time Travel LitRPG Series (13:21)

Light LitRPG, but an interesting time travel story

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Zj7iSb

Before Apocalypse: Dungeons of Perdition - Book 1 (A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure) (20:03)

Fine idea, but execution fizzles

Score: 6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LsZQja

Ian’s (Eye-Ann) Picks of the Week (26:53)

(Pic 0)

New Segment from Ian Mitchell a long time LitRPG community member who reads and reviews as much as me. He was nice enough to agree to join the LitRPG Podcast family as a new reviewer.

Dungeon World 4: A Dungeon Core Experience

Nice ride, nice pacing. Stopped at a good spot.

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2YIqda9

The Last Time Loop: Max of the Rebellion (Volume 1): A Time Travel LitRPG Series

Many variations

Score: 8.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35dbyX2

The Runesmith: The Greenwood, Book 2

A short story about a horrid person.

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/38tKF3a

(Play Music 2)

LitRPG News

Magic Dome Books, the publishing company that translates many of your favorite Russian LitRPG series, announced this week that they were re-translating and re-releasing The Way of the Clan series by Dem Mikhailov. Clan Dominance is the new title.

One of the eldest and honorable LitRPG series from Russia. Book 1 will be released March 5, 2020!

This is a joint project by 1C-Publishing and Magic Dome Books

https://amzn.to/35scTt2

So Dungeon Configure by Troy Neenan is updated on amazon and all the reviews ported over. Originally released in 2018, despite it’s terrible cover found an audience that enjoyed a darker dungeon core story. It’s been edited, polished, gotten a new cover, and re-released.

https://amzn.to/2PxKgUA

A new anthology from some LitRPG authors is out now. The proceeds from sales are going to go to the Wounded Warrior project, a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001.

https://amzn.to/2PCzXie

Out Now!

Citadel of Broken Dreams: A Hundred Halls LitRPG and GameLit Novel (Gamemakers Online Book 3)

https://amzn.to/35gFXE2

Everything is Worth Killing: Isaac's Tale (An Apocalyptic LitRPG)

https://amzn.to/2PGscrx

Path of Darkness: BlackFlame Online Litrpg/Gamelit Universe (Glory of Formation Emperor Book 1)

https://amzn.to/2PhZwoD

Deadline (Afterlife Online Book 4)

https://amzn.to/2PeXMOc

Warrior’s Tribute

https://amzn.to/2PCzXie

New LitRPG Audiobooks

Gamer for Love - Alpha World, Book 8

https://amzn.to/2sk6EsM

The Birth - Realm of Noria, Book 1

https://amzn.to/36xtgoi

Upcoming LitRPG:

Quest for Justice: A LitRPG Saga (Hero Online Book 3) (Dec. 13th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/32l4u9m

The Bare Hunt: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 7) (Dec. 14th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/2puR7Fi

A Black Soul: Grimdark LitRPG (Forsaken Talents Book 2) (Dec. 15th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/35hGN3o

Respawn: Nightmare Mode (Respawn LitRPG series Book 4) (Dec. 18th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/2OpCzze

Leap of Faith (Anura Rising: Book One): A Kingdom Building Fantasy LitRPG Series (Dec. 18th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/35hD2uV

Karma's Touch: A LitRPG and GameLit Fantasy Series (Chronicles of Ethan Book 3) (Dec. 20th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/2BEWDIc

The Wastes (Underdog Book #2): LitRPG Series (Dec. 23rd, 2019)

https://amzn.to/2O0JzE7

Shroud Of The Wahrsager: A LitRPG GameLit Fantasy Adventure (Enora Book 6) (Dec. 26th, 2019)

https://amzn.to/2PISF85

The Land: Monsters: A LitRPG Saga (Chaos Seeds Book 8) (Jan. 1st, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2P1y1j3

No Mistakes (World of the Changed Book #1): LitRPG Series (Jan. 6th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/378BjJv

The Destroying Plague (Disgardium Book #3): LitRPG Series (Jan. 9th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/34e9FZk

Dragon Heart: Sea of Sands. LitRPG Wuxia Series: Book 4 (Jan. 22nd, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2Wsxiux

Quest for Dominion: A LitRPG Saga (Hero Online Book 4) (Jan. 24th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2Wt4iTg

Endless Fantasy Online: The Elk Kingdom (Jan. 31st, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2LpP9y4

Ultima : A LitRPG Journey (Legends Online Book 4) (Jan. 31st, 2019) https://amzn.to/2sl315R

Skull and Thrones: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Bad Guys Book 3) (Feb. 6th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/36mJwt2

An Equation with One Unknown (Invasion Book #2): LitRPG Series (Feb. 10th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2NpeFDL

Gods of Ash and Amber: A Gamelit Novel (Seeds of Chaos Book 4) (Feb. 29th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2CqekeF

The Incarnator (Project Stellar Book 1): LitRPG Series (March 9th, 2020)

https://amzn.to/2qhDQAw

Onto New Releases and Reviews

(Play Music 3)

New Releases and Reviews

(Picture 1)

Level Up: Update (The Knockout Book #2): LitRPG Series

Having lost the Trial, Hagen didn't just lose his interface and his memory of it, but also everything he'd achieved. His UFC career was ruined before it even began. Stripped of all his skills and abilities, Mike is once again a useless weakling. The last straw is the loss of all the money that he'd bet on his own victory.

But you do remember, don't you, that Phil Panfilov promised to take care of his old comrade from Pibellau?

What can Mike achieve with a non-combat version of Phil's augmented reality interface? He could, of course, become a businessman or found a gaming startup, but where would he find the money and investors he needs?

It looks like he might have to start fighting again. However, this time there're no prison guards to maintain order and make sure that rules are obeyed. Once out of prison, Hagen is fair game for anyone who wants to kill him. Once again he has to survive on his own.

My Opinion: 571 pages, $5.99, Not Available On Kindle Unlimited

Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.

This is a hard reset to the spin-off series. At the end of the last book Mike, the main character (MC), lost access to his interface and the first 15% of the novel deals with the consequences to that and the MC getting the interface again. Only this time, he doesn’t use it for fighting instead using the other aspects to improve his other interests and get experience for selling things, computer repairs, and other non-combat actions. There are also more social aspects that line up with the interface from the main Level Up series. There is still combat and fighting but it’s not the only thing happening here anymore.

Overall, this is a slice of life story where the MC gets second chance with a RPG interface. It feels like a redo for the story and it’s better for it.

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Level Up: Update (The Knockout Book #2): LitRPG Series

https://amzn.to/2lP6K8K

The Last Time Loop: Max of the Rebellion (Volume 1): A Time Travel LitRPG Series

Max finds himself in a time loop. Any kind of death annuls everything except his present knowledge and returns him to the past. This is a good way to test all sorts of things. That is, it would be, if not for one little thing... This loop has real lords and it's unlikely that they'll be happy to hear about an uninvited guest.

And that isn't his only problem -- all of his memories of the last year have simply disappeared, but the world around him has changed in the meantime. Earth has been seized by the Velly clan and is now part of their Star Empire. Max has also discovered his gift. He's a psychic.

However, his power isn't that big of a deal.

Everyone can be a level one "battery." To do anything else, however, you need to have some talent, money, and connections, which only complicates things further.

A whole new world, great opportunities, and lots of chances to get into trouble... Welcome to the Last Time Loop!

My Opinion: 317 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited

This is a good story that had to grow on me before I liked it. The beginning has a setup that isn’t great and didn't initially grab me. This is mostly because the RPG progression in the story is super thin in the beginning, almost non-existent. But the story got interesting once the groundhog day like time loop started. It was interesting enough to just follow the main character (MC) as he made different choices, learned about terrible secrets, and gained power. Of course he dies again and again and gets reset each time, but he’s not the only one which means that others are using their foreknowledge to try to change what happens in the future or grab power for themselves.

On the RPG side, things are thin the whole novel. The entire system is implemented by the aliens that take over earth. There are levels, but their associated with a kind of job system. There is a gradual power growth that increases these levels as a measure of that power. There’s also a clear reputation system that I was glad to see actually has an impact on how the MC is treated in the world and as his reputation increases also increases what information he can access via the interface system. So it's technically LitRPG but it’s not something that’s going to satisfy someone looking for more of a game vibe. It’s more akin to what you’d see in a Real Life RPG story like Level UP, where the interface is giving information and a means of tracking progress or growth.

Overall, I still enjoyed the story. Not really because of the RPG stuff, which is again, kinda light here. But because the story was good. I liked the time travel and all the slice of life stuff that unfolded and the way the MC used his knowledge to his advantage. Fair warning, there’s no solid ending. It just ends in a kind of ‘to be continued’.

Score: 7.6 out of 10

The Last Time Loop: Max of the Rebellion (Volume 1): A Time Travel LitRPG Series

https://amzn.to/2Zj7iSb

Before Apocalypse: Dungeons of Perdition - Book 1 (A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure)

Imagine waking up in a world where you could do whatever you want - be whoever you wanted to be...

Imagine being told that you must save this world from the apocalypse.

Given this chance, what would you do?

Would you complete quests, level up, use your skills wisely and be the hero you were chosen to be?

For Travis and Natalie, this question did not have the same answer.

Two different lives. Two seperate journeys. One dark, unforgiving world.

Escape your life.

Embrace the darkness.

Enter-

Dungeons of Perdition.

A never-before-seen world where anything is possible-

But everything is at stake.

How far would you go to save everything in existence?

A fresh, nail-biting LitRPG adventure. Guranteed to keep you turning the pages till the end.

The clock is ticking. The apocalypse is here.

My Opinion: 235 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited

This definitely has some technical writing issues, even in the novel description. While there are spelling and grammar errors, the part that bothered me more was some of the formatting. Dialogue is stilted and awkward. Partly because one of the main characters (MC) isn't a gamer so she goes through this longer than needed question phase about basic gamer stuff. Additionally, there's a lot of text from the game god/game AI. Its not 100% clear but it's a seperate character that talks to the MC in her mind about game stuff and answers question. But it's not formatted as dialogue or internal dialogue. Instead there are lines that break this game god's dialogue. It really messed with the flow of the story and my reading experience.

The story itself tries to be dark. The novel starts with one of the MCs wakes up in a cell in an asylum and told that she has to play this game or she'll be stuck in the cell forever. She’s also told that when she dies she'll go to a different version of hell before she respawns. She has to escape from horrible creatures and the asylum she finds herself in. It's supposed to have this horror vibe but doesn't quite pull it off.

There are other narratives for other players but they're more for background than anything. Though a second narrative for a male MC becomes more prominent, he really just does some quests that have a minor supernatural bent.

By the 30% mark, the story almost loses its earlier promise of a horror theme. While I suspect that might change later in the series, in this book all the quests are pretty tame and only have a weak supernatural theme including ghosts, shadow demons, and some others creatures. Even the threat of a hell like afterlife isn’t realized since none of the MCs die in the story, though in their backstories they may have.

Game mechanic wise, things lean more towards survival Horror game mechanics. Though there are levels, quests, health, stamina, stats,and XP.

Overall, I like the idea behind this story. I appreciate the author's attempt to write something dark and but the actual execution didn't work. The writing was stilted, dialogue felt awkward, and horror aspects weren't tense. Heck, outside the opening the horror parts don’t pan out at all really. It’s just a miss for me.

Score: 6 out of 10

Before Apocalypse: Dungeons of Perdition - Book 1 (A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure)

https://amzn.to/2LsZQja

Ian’s (Eye-Ann) Picks of the Week - New Segment

New Segment from Ian Mitchell a long time LitRPG community member who reads and reviews as much as me. He was nice enough to agree to join the LitRPG Podcast family as a new reviewer.

(Pic 6)

Dungeon World 4: A Dungeon Core Experience

Nice ride, nice pacing. Stopped at a good spot.

I love the characters. Book 4 was just enough to tell the large story without extraneous stuff. Little humor frills are of course nice detailing. Large scale battles. Fred's still clueless about romantic advances [+10 protection vs harem]. I like seeing the world of dungeon core's side of the story. Great read.

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2YIqda9

The Last Time Loop: Max of the Rebellion (Volume 1): A Time Travel LitRPG Series

Many variations

It's not Groundhog Day or the Feedback Loop. The variations in each loop are interesting. When the action ramps up, the hero steps up. Interesting and exciting, I think it's a great direction for the genre. Seemed most similar to: the feedback loop, level up, endless online, with a touch of bill the galactic hero.

Score: 8.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35dbyX2

Bonus review

A fun gem I reviewed a while back:

The Runesmith: The Greenwood, Book 2

A short story about a horrid person.

I found this one to be horribly funny. I enjoyed greenwood and thought I'd give this a try. I was laughing on the first page and through quite a bit of this one. Now I understand why the author was asking about villains on one of the groups. Not sure what else to say. It was an extremely fast read.

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/38tKF3a

That’s it everyone!

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Other LitRPG facebook pages

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/541733016223492/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

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

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/