Walter LePointe and Oswald Blackwell just woke up inside of the online role playing game Realms of Th’loria. With no memory of how they arrived, Walt and Oz soon learn the hard way that living in an epic fantasy world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. As level 1 characters with no skills or experience, nothing can prepare them for their new lives as they prepare to Enter the Realm.
My Opinion: 428 pages, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
This is a trapped in the game story that has a slow build. The game mechanics of the story are revealed slowly (not all mechanics revealed till 55% mark) .It’s justified to the reader, and the characters, by saying the full immersion game is still in it’s beta phase and that the characters need to level first.
The adventuring in the story is interesting and the characters have distinct personalities. Walter is generally likable but kind of a show off and wants people to like him. Oswald is a grump, especially as the story goes on he realizes he may not be able to leave the game but he’s also very loyal. Later in the story the two are joined by their coworker Karian, who Walter has a super crush on. Together the three explore the game their company made but find that everything isn’t as they remember.
That’s essentially the first 66% of the novel. Lots of wondering how they got there. Some beginning quests, exploration of the game world, leveling up, and gradual revelation of what that means for them. A bunch of character development stuff
At the 66% the trio finally get to the plot and the rest of the novel is spent on that major quest line.
What I really enjoyed about the novel is the attempt to portray what it would be like to be transported to a medieval game world. There are no hot keys for the characters to press to activate skills. Instead everything is learned and earned the hard way. Want to increase your sword skill? Swing a sword and fight some enemies. But beware that getting stabbed back hurts like hell. The characters truly flounder around in the beginning and it feels like they earn every skill they eventually get.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I would have liked more details about the game mechanics of the world but it still works well the way it is. Some people will not like the cliffhanger ending though.
Score: 7 out of 10