LitRPG Podcast 153
LitRPG Podcast 153
Jan. 18th, 2019
I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. I have 4 new reviews just for you.
New Releases and Reviews:
The Idle System (A LitRPG series Book 2): The Rogues
More emphasis on cultivation, but fans wills till enjoy.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Not LitRPG but not advertising as it. A hard reset on the story that not everyone will like.
Score: 7.1 out of 10
Shattered City: (A litRPG/LitFPS book) (Call of Reality Book 1)
Good military squad VR combat, but not as much RPG progression as I’d like to have had
Score: 6 out of 10
RE: Alternative World Online: Volume 1 (RE:Alternative World Online)
I had low expectations going in but it was surprisingly entertaining.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
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LitRPG News
Blaise Corvin did a cover reveal for Book 3 in the Nora Hazard series called Accounts Payable which is the one that ties into the Delvers LLC storyline. If you want to read the chapters available for this, you can get them on the author’s Patreon page.
https://www.patreon.com/BlaiseCorvin
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Dave Wilmarth’s video ad for the Greystone Chronicles aired this weekend during the Pizza competition on ESPN. Apparently the ad was successful, because that same day the lastest novel hit #1 Bestseller in several categories on Amazon.
On his twitter account, Cosimo Yap posted that he should be finalizing a new novel in a couple of weeks. I personally hope this is the next book in the Gam3 series, but it could be something completely new. Either way fans, just get ready for something awesome hopefully.
https://twitter.com/Perenniality314/status/1085176152858144768
Out Now!
Cleansing Fire: Evolution Online IV (A LitRPG)
The Elder Demon's Dilemma (Realm of Arkon, Book 9)
Core of Fear: A Paranormal LitRPG Dungeon Core (Spirit Core Book 1)
The Steel Hounds (The Artar Chronicles Book 1)
Freedom Online: The Copper Rose: A LitRPG Fantasy
New LitRPG Audiobooks
The Blade Guardian: A LitRPG Saga Aether Gate Online, Book 2
Gearing Up - Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 3
The Two Week Curse - Ten Realms, Book 1
Upcoming LitRPG:
Battle Spire: A Crafting LitRPG Book (Hundred Kingdoms 1) (Jan.18th, 2019)
Apocalypse 2020: Into the Black (Jan. 22nd, 2019)
Volper (Alfarome. Book 1) LitRPG Series (Jan. 23rd, 2019)
A Thousand Drunken Monkeys: Book 2 in the Hero of Thera series (Jan. 24th, 2018)
Neverfall: Catacombs (Book 2): A Gamelit Lit RPG Series (Jan. 29th, 2019)
HOPE Engine (Jan. 30th, 2019)
Viridian Gate Online: Doom Forge: A litRPG Adventure (The Viridian Gate Archives Book 6) (Jan. 30th, 2019)
Adventurers Bond (Book 5 of the Adventures on Brad)
(Feb. 1st, 2019)
Four: The Loot: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 4) (Feb. 14th, 2019)
Collide (EvoBorne - A LitRPG Saga Book 2) (Feb. 24th, 2019)
Cat's Game Book 1 (Feb. 26th, 2019)
*Translated work*
The Black Turtle (The Artar Chronicles Book 2) (March 5th, 2019)
Absolute Zero (Adam Online Book #1) LitRPG Series (March 18th, 2019)
Max Lagno is the co-author for Level Up: Knockout
The Final Trial (Level Up Book #3) LitRPG Series (March 25th, 2019)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
The Idle System (A LitRPG series Book 2): The Rogues
A man bows only to 3 people in his life: His mother, his father and his master.
As the newest member of the Assassin's sect, John is tasked to go after a new target. Alas, as he is away, things will take a turn in his sect's grounds.
A man with the power to control minds will whisper words of corruption into John's martial brothers and sisters. His power will cause unrest and unbalance, driving the sect into a new direction.
Now it is up to John to take care of it before the other sects in the universe realise the change and take the matter into their own hands.
But... will it be that easy?
This second issue of The Idle System brings a continuation to John's LitPRG-inspired adventures. In this world of Xianxia and Fantasy, it will be time for him to face his biggest challenge: his own allies.
My Opinion: 194 pages, $2.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Very much the same as book 1. There is slightly less emphasis on the RPG progression with the Idle System. It leans more towards cultivation with the MC trying to progress on the path towards immortality using Life Power. There is still action and slice of life adventure as the MC travels around the immortal Realms growing in power. Lots of fighting, new powers, modified progression system, but still some interesting universe building too. I think most people that like book 1 will like this too.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
The Idle System (A LitRPG series Book 2): The Rogues
Dungeon Wars
Same team, new place, new adventures
In a forest wilderness, a dungeon reappears after surviving a nation ending war. The magical shock has devastated both the dungeon and its occupants, in more ways than one. Doc find himself alone in this new place, surrounded with unknown dangers. Claire, Doc’s partner and guide, finds herself at facing the nightmares she wrought using Doc; having freed herself from her mother’s control. The pressure mounts on both as the damage is made clear.
Even then, the wilderness surrounding them is filled with all manner of danger and traps, everything ruled by the law of the strong. How can a wounded family face such a threat as what has been disturbed? And will they be ready to defend the dungeon core from those who covet its power?
The best-selling series that started it all brings to you a new series where it’s all dungeon, all day.
My Opinion: 381 pages, $4.49, Kindle Unlimited
Surprisingly little war in the Dungeon War novel. This is a hard reboot of the Slime Dungeon Chronicles series. Doc, Claire, and their slime bosses are all thrust forth into a new far flung location and new future. The dungeon, now placed in a location without people must change and learn to grow without the boosts from killing adventurers. Additionally, there are changes to the characters themselves. The author takes great pains to humanize Doc, Claire, and several other characters. There are some very lengthy emotional struggles that go on that honestly probably go on a little too long. Some fans of the series are going to enjoy this hard reset and others aren’t.
I don’t doubt that there will be more straight forward fighting in the next book, but here it’s lacking. Most of the major action happens at the very end of the story. Everything up to that point is setup. Setting up how the dungeon is changing in this new environment, how Doc changes without his human soul, how Claire changes without her memory blocks, new monsters and their natural evolutions.
Additionally, the story loses just about all the RPG elements. The most you could say is that it mentions that monsters are of certain tiers, but even then that’s a minor element of the story. The dungeon itself in the story doesn’t even have the power to sustain any blue screens to show off its potential growth options.
Overall, I still liked the story, but I liked it less than the Slime Dungeon Chronicles and I liked it for different reasons. I personally enjoyed the natural evolution aspect of the story where an ecosystem was developed. But I missed the dungeon action and the emotional exploration went on too long considering it happened all at once for 4 major characters.
This isn’t LitRPG, but it’s also not advertising as such. As a dungeon core story it gets:
Score: 7.1 out of 10
Shattered City: (A litRPG/LitFPS book) (Call of Reality Book 1)
Roland never wanted to be in the Army. He didn't want to be penniless either. The Army wanted him though.
Roland Mellors couldn't find work. The second industrial revolution had left anyone without high-level qualifications poor and unemployed. When he tries to get just one beer to drown his sorrows he ends up in a recruitment office with an offer he can't refuse.
Shattered City is a LitRPG/LitFPS story. It is the start of a series that follows Roland as he tries to fit in within the army. That army has decided to use a full immersion virtual reality game to fight its wars. He enters the game world to fight and work off his new contract.
Will Roland survive in this virtual world of war or will he suffer for his entire career?
Find out in this first installment of the Call of Reality series.
My Opinion: 190 pages, $3.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Technically LitRPG, but definitely more LitFPS. The only RPG aspect that exists in the story are the ability to earn points from kills and accurate shots. Those points can be used to ‘lock in’ skills that are practiced, purchase higher tiered weapons, or upgrades for those weapons. That’s the only game like progression in the story and it mostly exists in the training section of the story. As soon as the main character (MC) and his squad get into combat, all the RPG aspects virtually disappear and it becomes straightforward military combat set in VR with some game elements like respawns, objective notifications, health packs, and health notices. The military squad combat is well written and fans of that kind of story will like this, but something like 80% of the story has little to no RPG elements. It didn’t work for me but folks that enjoy military action stories will like it.
Score: 6 out of 10
Shattered City: (A litRPG/LitFPS book) (Call of Reality Book 1)
RE: Alternative World Online: Volume 1 (RE:Alternative World Online)
Yun Shi, a postgraduate IT student, didn't manage to score a single job after graduating. After sinking into depression, he became a NEET, and spent two years playing online games and living off of what little savings he had. That is, right until the day the first VRMMO, RE: AWO launched and his world was flipped over.
My Opinion: 307 pages, $2.99, Not Available on Kindle Unlimited
This story feels like it may be a translated novel or web series. It starts off with a very familiar trapped in the game premise but by the 6% mark becomes its own story. The most unique aspect of the story is that the main character (MC) eventually gets a unique race, vampire, and goes on this kind of slice of life adventure on these vampire/supernatural themed questlines. He doesn’t always make choices that are the good guy ones either. I would not have guessed that’s where the story was going based on the Cover or novel title. While it’s not without its flaws with some grammar issues, slightly overshown stat sheets it is also very crunchy with RPG info and has interesting stories. Maybe it was the low expectations that I had for the novel, but it was surprisingly entertaining.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
RE: Alternative World Online: Volume 1 (RE:Alternative World Online)
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(Music 4)
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/