Rorkh is a city from which waves of horror surge out, one after the other. It maims one's sense of reason and devours one’s body. And if it ever seems like you're in the clear? Get ready and get in position! Watch the skies, look underfoot - creatures can appear from anywhere at all. One is already behind you...
Few people risk going out onto the street at night. And absolutely no one goes back by the same route on which they came. But you're not likely to survive. Either some mysterious beast will devour you, or you'll lose your mind from the horrors you'll have had to endure. Ah, yes, and you'll also lose everything you brought with you. And your character, too. Want to try again? Shell out some cash for a new attempt. But you're a dead man walking all the same. Rorkh hears you praying for mercy. And it could give a damn. This city will eat you, guts and all. And it won't be anything special. So you still want to risk your life and your sanity? For the sake of a fortune in cash and universal respect? Go ahead, noob. Rorkh loves fresh meat!...
Arch is a mid-level player. He completes the usual simple quests and collects resources during the day, in order to somehow afford food and a place to live. Like all players, he dreams of making big money and the glory of the Nighthunt, but his fear is stronger than his ambitions. After all, this would mean going out for a night run, where the bet would be not only your character but also all the equipment you brought along. And battling the numerous monsters who crawled out at night? That wouldn't be easy either.
Rorkh is a game where a bullet in the head means your character is dead, regardless of their level or equipment. So in this game, where your personal skills are the most important thing, Arch, who for the first time has a decent character to work with, has decided to visit one of the top guilds for training, which is going to eat up practically all his savings.
Only thing is that the training includes a few night runs, crawling with monsters, cultists, and mystical beings. One mistake, and Arch will lose everything. And then his dreams of big money and glory will remain nothing more than dreams.
In order to avoid this, Arch has put together a team of students like himself, and has gone out on a night match with experienced players. The newbies have a simple task: cover the Guild's main strike force. A problem arises at the very outset, however, when this main strike force is practically annihilated by a group of monsters. Then it's a handful of noobs against hundreds of monsters, and a long way to go to reach any safe exit...
My Opinion: 551 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
This is a Russian translation story that won an award there and I can see why. It’s a well written story that focuses on an MMO player in a unique game world. The game doesn’t let you restart with a fresh character, only one per account, and getting an account is expensive which creates a real world marketplace to buy and sell characters. After dark there are also horror/sanity mechanics that give extra challenges and rewards for hardcore players. There are also real life concerns for the main character (MC) that add extra pressure to his playing.
The story has a dark tone that’s common from Russian translations. Players betray each other, Guilds do whatever they can to get an advantage, and the game itself itself is unforgiving. Conflicts can also spill into real life as in game currency can be exchanged for real life money. Once the MC gets the character he uses for the rest of the novel, the story alternates between a detective quest in game and general adventuring to advance his character with night raids and exploration of possible guild affiliation. The last 30% has some really nice twists that add a lovecraftian thread to the story that bumped up my enjoyment a bit.
On the game mechanic side of things, the story is very MMO geared. In addition to the normal character sheet stuff, quest notifications, item descriptions, there are aspects that relate to sanity/horror elements, and synergy or the ability of a player to gain bonuses or penalties depending on how well their playstyle meshes with the characters personality or background points. Also, there’s a good bit of regular theory craft for character builds, explanation of custom rules for this MMO, and even group balance when the MC works with others. Beyond that there are also portions of the story that focus on IRL complications for game stuff and how the game economy impacts business in the real world.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable story if you like MMO guild stuff and mild old god type horror aspects.
Score: 7.6 out of 10