Black Centurion: A LitRPG Novel
A new novel from the bestselling Russian LitRPG author of Small Unit Tactics!
Sometimes, life can be cruel and unpredictable, snatching away all you hold dear in an instant. When you’re betrayed by the one person you love most, the actions you commit in the heat of the moment may derail the rest of your life. You can’t undo what’s been done, and now an incorruptible AI keeps thwarting your attempts to find the truth. Will you be able to persuade it?
This is the opportunity given by an RPG game that works like an international arbitration court - an impartial and error-free machine. For a top-ranked player who has already made millions in the game, this task sounds like child’s play. But things aren’t as simple as they seem, and this game is totally unlike any other!
Our hero will have to save a life, survive, and - most importantly - prove to an AI that he’s a good guy and deserves to have the one thing he wants more than anything else on Earth!
My Opinion: 445 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
*Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
An ok trip into a Roman RPG world. The real world setup where the main character (MC) means to change his personality and get a chance to get visitation rights is written well but doesn’t feel connected to the in-game story until the 33% when the MC ends up adopting 9 NPC kids.
Once in the game world the story is pretty slice of life with the MC appreciating how realistic the NPCs are and working to help the group that he meets. There are regular quests, fights, Roman themed world building, and some community building.
On the game mechanic side of things, it's ok. There are regular notifications, quests, character sheets, and all the normal stuff. The only thing that is slightly different is that the MC gets an updated RPG backstory for his game character as bits and pieces are revealed.
Overall, it's a good story once the MC gets out into the world and starts to build the Roman world. The regular action/adventure keeps the story moving. It tries to inject some heart with the setup but that doesn’t transfer into the game story well. The world building was done better with lots of little details about being a centurion, and Roman customs.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Black Centurion: A LitRPG Novel