There are whole anthologies of stories out there about what humankind does when a game enters their world. But what about when they’re living in one where a game arrived thousands of years before? What if they’re the survivors of a bloody struggle, having fought for and earned their place on the planet?
Tailyn Vlashich was a young nobody far away from all those grander issues. All he cared about was one thing: making his way through a harsh world where the emperor, evil foes, and an impartial god held sway. And the god, of course, demanded nothing less than that all things were done in accordance with its divine will.
My Opinion: 425 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
This is a story where a fantasy world has inherent RPG mechanics. The world is so used to the RPG rules that it’s become part of the culture. So much so that you can give your child bonuses by sacrificing money or lives, though there are other dark consequences to doing so.
The novel description does little to tell you what the story is about. After a series of tragic events, a father tries to give his last infant son an advantage in a world where stats mean everything. The main character (MC) is given a huge +32 bonus by his father who sacrifices not only every gold coin he'd been able to save but also his life. The MC will grow up an orphan, but will have that advantage.
Time skip to when the MC is 10 years old. He’s not treated well by the town and is considered a good for nothing, even though he does his best to help out. Another series of events lands the kid in several harrowing circumstances but he comes out of it with an RPG advantage that will change the course of his life. There’s a lot of good world building in the first half of the story and after about the 50% mark the story is full of action and battles and of course there are traditional Mahanenko twists along the way to the end.
The game mechanics are woven into the fabric of the world with great respect for the god that sees all and rewards all with notifications and quest rewards. The MCs progression reminds me of the series Underdog, where an orphan with an inability to level instead gets other rewards that boost his potential power. The other aspects of the RPG system are original with spells cast via rechargeable cards. A skill and ability system that is powered by rare resources or quest rewards. At about the 50% mark you start to see small connections to another story the author wrote.
Overall, this is just a great story that had me up late at night reading till it was done.
Score: 8 out of 10