Now safe from the grip of the loan shark and his old demons, Harrison wishes to move on with his new life. His life of adventure inside the world of Samar, as Bishop the half-breed hunter. Together with his guild, he intends on keeping the lead and becoming the first group to defeat Valenastrious’ lieutenants.
However, Bishop should have learned that nothing ever goes as planned in Samar…
As he will meet with a strange cult with immense powers, Bishop will uncover a secret that threatens the entire realm. Because if he’s now free of danger in the outside world, the challenges in-game are only beginning to arise! Soon, Bishop and his friends will taste defeat for the first time.
Lurking in the shadows, Valenastrious will seek to win Bishop to her cause. But when the hunter will refuse, she will go on to show him that his decision could have devastating consequences. And not just in this virtual world!
When the game starts to leave marks in real life, where should the line be drawn?
With evil creatures in his path, threatening to steal away everything he cares about, will Bishop have no other choice but to let his demon half take over?
My Opinion: 294 pages, $3.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Harrison was recruited as a beta tester for one of the most advanced full immersion MMOs ever. He plays a half demon ranger and has already formed a guild and defeated some Demon Lords. Now he has to battle his way through the undead and demon legions to fight a Demon Lord that uses her seductive powers to take control of those that see and hear her. Will his guild be able to survive or will they fall to temptation?
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There are a couple plot lines going on in the story at this point. The most action oriented is the ongoing quest to defeat all the Demon Lords and prevent the Demon Queen from taking over the game world. In this novel, that Demon Lord that must be defeated is a Demoness who uses succubi and sirens to tempt men (and some women) to their doom.
The second plotline stems from a quest to clear the undead from a castle, which turns into a semi political storyline about the King possibly not being who he says he is. That one is the more interesting plot.
Third, is the real life plot of the main character being influenced and hurt by the game’s big bad boss, Valenastrious. He’s being hurt in-game by her but showing wounds in the real world.
There are lots of smaller threads in the novel that are interesting too, including some romance for the MC, but these are the big ones.
The first plotline has all the action and makes up the majority of the novel. I find it the least interesting since it’s mostly just an excuse to fight and write action scenes. The second plotline is much more nuanced, has some neat twists, and has an impact on the game world and the main character.
The third plotline, about the evil AI entity called Valenastrious, Demon Queen, being able to influence and harm the main character outside the game feels like a stretch. It does. It’s just too hard to believe that anyone who legitimately thought they were being targeted and knew they were being physically and psychologically harmed because of a game would keep playing, and the game company knowing about it too and letting him continue to play is even more unbelievable. Thankfully, it’s a small part of the story. Though, it appears that it may become a bigger part as the series continues.
Overall, good time. Lots of action and demon and undead slaying. I really liked the look into some of the advanced powers and skills the characters can get. It was nice, if unexpected, to see the main character start a romance. Some of the plots in the story went places I didn’t expect them too.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Necromancers, Demons & Kings: A LitRPG Epic (World of Samar Book 2)