Nick Stanners has no money. No job. No prospects. He lives in one of the most crime-ridden apartment blocks on the west coast. His girlfriend uses him for a place to stay. His father is on life support. Rent is due next week…
Games are Nick’s passion. He's played them all - well, the old screen ones anyway. He's never been able to afford an Immersion tank and the amazing games that come with them, but he's seen the webcasts. He knows the names of every superstar pixel runner. His heroes.
So when he's picked out of the crowd to participate in a competitive, quest-driven dark fantasy RPG, his brain melts. Could this be his opportunity to get ahead? Or will he be chewed up by the machine, just another failed pixel runner by the side of the road?
My Opinion: 329 pages, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited.
Author Steven J. Shelly is really working the serial model on Amazon. Not only has he finished the dexterity build season of his stories but he’s also collected the first season, strength build, with it into an omnibus.
Some people have an issue with the serial release style of the story and the higher cost per page when they’ve been initially released. The omnibus collection of the series address some of those concerns.
I enjoyed Strength Build and getting to know both the real and game world of Nick Stanners. The combat is always well written and the storyline kept me interested the entire serial. Even though the reasons for Nick to stay in the game get a little thin in Dexterity Build, I still had a fun time reading all the different bosses the character fights. That the main character changed play styles added some variety to the story.
This is a great read if you have Kindle Unlimited and it’s only slightly overpriced if you pick up the books in omnibus form.