LitRPG Podcast 013
Welcome to Episode 13 of the LitRPG Podcast. The only podcast dedicated to LitRPG.
I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews.
This week I’ll be telling you about the latest LitRPG News and LitRPG pre-orders coming up.
New Releases and reviews:
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LitRPG News
Delvers LLC. is on sale in the United Kingdom. At more than 50% off it’s a steal right now. I’ve already reviewed it on the podcast before and can only sing it’s praises.
Reminder: The Secret of the Dark Forest: Way of the Shaman Series, Book 3 Audible (Release date Nov. 8th)
I talked to the author of the story, Vasily Mahanenko about this book a couple months ago and you can catch the interview at litrpgpodcast.com or click on the link in the shownotes.
Upcoming LitRPG
Dungeon Crawl: A LitRPG Adventure (The Crucible Shard Book 1) (Nov. 17th)
Homeland: Ingame 2 (Nov. 19th)
The Phantom Castle (The Way of the Shaman: Book #4) (Nov. 28th)
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New Releases and Reviews
Heralds: The Proving Grounds
The Proving Grounds is launching. The alpha and beta are done, and after years of waiting the early access event begins before Jen and Sam’s eyes…
It’s not quite what they expected. Not what anyone expected. The whole world has been turned into a free for all fight with only a few pools of society scraping by as any character that dies stays dead. And it only gets stranger when they are recruited by a Game Master and set on a collision course with the event’s invading barbarian warlord himself, Tobin Ironblood.
They are Heralds now, their characters empowered to make this an event the world will never forget. Ironblood has his own group of players and the world is caught in the middle. The Heralds seek to end the event discretely for the sake of a player base that is suffering, while the other side works to keep it going for greater glory.
Yet Jen has misgivings. Things are not adding up. Players are upset and their GM guide is cryptic and often unhelpful… but for the sake of the new game world getting its footing, to let all those that have died return, the Heralds soldier on. They have their mission and their target.
My Opinion: This 322 page story, $3.99, is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Set as a parallel story to Ultimatum: The Proving Grounds, author Wade Adrian, say ‘it takes place at the same time but from the perspective of a group of players enlisted to work against the protagonists of the first one and sheds new light on a number of events that you might already be familiar with, or can see from Tobin’s side in Ultimatum if you’re not.’
If you’ve read Ultimatum, these are the other guys. The group of players that have been given the task to motivate other players to kill Tobin. You don’t have to have read the other novel to enjoy this one but it adds a lot of context.
Nagant Wars: A LitRPG Novel (Nagant Wars Series Book 1)
When Rhith Corporation releases Nagant Wars, its latest VR-MMO, Dale Brown cannot wait to put on his Rhithsuit and experience the most vivid full immersion world ever created.
With pleasure and pain set to mimic reality, Dale must navigate the dangers of war, face his personal failings, and learn who his friends truly are.
The Nagant Monks have laid out the rules for this war, and while it may in some ways feel like a game, the only hope for humanity and the other species of our reality is to be the victors.
My Opinion: 501 pages, $4.99, available on Kindle Unlimited.
A multi-universe war is brewing and the earth must prepare to fight in the Nagant Wars or be eradicated. Game mechanics are overlaid over our reality so that the war can be judged fairly. The U.S. conscripts our main character Dale, disrupting his life, but giving him the chance to see and do things no other humans have done.
However it does take a little while for the story to get into the LitRPG stuff. The beginning portion of the novel confused a lot of people but makes sense once you get past the 15% mark of the story. If you can push past that, you get A great military sci-fi/fantasy story with good action, and a nice game mechanic system.
Nagant Wars: A LitRPG Novel (Nagant Wars Series Book 1)
World Seed: New Rules
The second book in the World Seed series. Join John Hulett as he continues his journey through the world of NeoLife, bringing his experiences and powers to play in Earth to aid against the coming storm. What exactly does the future hold for mankind?
My Opinion: Odd things are happening in the real world as John continues to develop his character in NeoLife. New pods are appearing in everyone’s homes, monsters are appearing, and the game skills Johns learned in NeoLife seem to work in real life too.
This is one of my favorite LitRPG serials. It is a little pricey at $3.99, for only 186 pages but the 2nd book in the World Seed series is just as good as the first. Just a quick warning, it does get a little haremy and I know that’s an issue for some people.
If you haven’t read book 1, you’re missing out on one of the best LitRPG stories around. John Hulett starts playing the best VR game available, one that combines traditional fantasy and sci-fi with a unique blend of adventure. In NeoLife you can be a cyborg Barbarian Orc or a sword wielding tentacled alien.
World Seed: New Rules (book 2)
World Seed: Game Start (Book 1)
Unbound Deathlord: Challenge
Jack’s parents went to disturbing lengths to impress the importance of sound business and political strategy, coupled with merciless execution.
It was a surprise to no one that he despised them for both their desired ends and their means; that as he grew older he began to rebel. A subtle act of insubordination here, running a street gang there, usual kid's stuff.
What was surprising was that after killing his parents, the weight of his guilt broke him.
Everyone told him it had just been an accident, and most of them even believed it, but none of that stopped him from turning his destructive tendencies inward.
His preferred method was binge drinking, and it served its purpose: A man so drunk he barely knows his own name isn't capable of feeling guilt it seemed.
One night in a drunken stupor someone introduced him to an even greater escape, online gaming. Immersing himself in it, he could finally forget who he was and what he'd done. In the game world, he could finally be free.
When V-soft announced Valia Online, the most ambitious game ever created and the Dreamer program that would allow players to stay in-game indefinitely Jack couldn't sign the contract fast enough.
He knew one thing for certain; once he was in he wouldn't be coming back out for a long time
My Opinion: At 675 pages, the story is reasonably priced at $5.99 (US), but is also available on Kindle Unlimited. The book was runner up for the Aspirant Award.
Originally a written on the royal road, the first book in the Unbound Deathlord series has only been improved with editing.
The main character Jack voluntarily enters a full immersion VR world as a Deathlord, a character race that is undead but not the wimpy skeleton or zombie undead. Instead the Deathlords have long term potential to be the most powerful race in the game. If they can survive the tough tutorial, the vampires that hate them, the other bound deathlords, and all the races of light that will try to kill them.
The story is full of action and excitement to keep you reading till the wee hours of the morning. The main character is a bit overpowered but it’s still a good story.
That’s it for the podcast.
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Go read some LitRPG!
Music Credits
"Blip Stream" "Mighty Like Us" "Big Shift" "Vivacity"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/