Winston Beckett is a linguistic scholar, poring over musty manuscripts and ancient translations. That is, before he finds a book of ancient runes. Before people start disappearing.
When he deciphers the strange book, Winston discovers a secret so big it throws him into a different world. Literally.
No more grading papers. No more research. No more work. Just him and The Veil, the eerily realistic game world he falls into.
Desperate to find his missing colleagues, Winston must navigate this strange new world, using only his wits to survive. Quests, skills, and loot await him…if he’s up to the task.
Along the way, he’ll need to fight enemies, recruit allies, and go on a journey of magic and adventure. And at the end? Well, let’s just say he won’t be the same person he started as.
My Opinion: 262 pages, $2.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
You can skip the first 10% of the novel, it’s summarized in chapter 3.
Winston is transported to a new world ruled by video game RPG mechanics and he becomes Cael, a dark elf rogue who can read the fundamental code of the world, runes. He’s on a quest to find The Author, the creator of the world and get back to earth.
There are some small jewels of greatness in the story but most of it is just ok. The game mechanics of the world are fine. They’re explained well and in detail. I especially like the idea that there’s a whole class devoted to gathering knowledge and learning, the archivist.
However, a lot of the story feels unnecessary, like it’s filler (ie: the first 10%). The main character doesn’t really struggle through any hardships and just about everything in the story is handed to him. The ending it a bit predictable too.
This isn’t a bad story and I can see a lot of potential in it but it never fulfills that potential to become great.
Score: 6 out of 10.