LitRPG Podcast 168 - Class-A Threat, Galactogon Bk 2, Slimes and Misty Wieners, The Fallen Bard, Axe Druid Bk 2
LitRPG Podcast 168 - Class-A Threat, Galactogon Bk 2, Slimes and Misty Wieners, The Fallen Bard, Axe Druid Bk 2
April 26th, 2019
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 168 of the LitRPG podcast.
I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. I have 5 new reviews just for you.
Before we begin, I want to give special thanks to Noland Ongoy and Jeff Holingsworth for their support of the podcast. They both are helping to cover the costs of the show and keep it ad free and free for all to enjoy.
New Releases and Reviews:
Class-A Threat (Disgardium Book #1) LitRPG Series
Slower start, but OP storyline picks up and gets pretty good
Score: 7.6 out of 10
In Search of the Uldans (Galactogon: Book #2) LitRPG Series
Book 2 has a bit less focus, but some good space battles
Score: 7.2 out of 10
Slimes and Misty Wieners (Caverns and Creatures)
Lol. Too funny. Lots of cursing and potty humor though.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
The Fallen Bard (World of Chains Book 2) (April 26th, 2019)
Another good bard story from Lars M.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2) (April 26th, 2019)
Storyline flows a bit better, so I liked it more
Score 7.1 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
Just a quick reminder that a couple of very entertaining LitRPG stories will be on sale. To help promote the pre-order for the 3rd book in the series M.A. Carlson has put the 1st two books on sale until May 1st, which is when book 3 comes out.
Book 1 will be on sale starting 24-Apr until 01-May for 2.99
Book 2 will be on sale starting 24-Apr until 01-May for 1.99
There are some folks in the audiobook LitRPG and Gamelit genres that are up for some awards at the Independent Audiobook Awards. Congrats to everyone nominated. Super interesting we got our own category.
https://www.facebook.com/Hearnowfestival/photos/a.531202410257178/2379257445451656/?type=3&theater
Wow. You guys seriously kicked but, not only did the Spoiled Rotten Readers group reach their goal of 300 people, they hit 332. In line with that, the group had a live streamed celebration this last weekend and gave out a bunch of prizes ( https://youtu.be/dSsAGHX4TgQ ). Stuff donated from us, Dave Willmarth, Apollos Thorne, and even Jeff Hays.
Ramon Mejia's prize winners:
David Nix
bobby bjurstrom
Karl Ben-Shachar
Rick Holm
George Fisher
=D Congrats guys!
For the Dave Willmarth winners! (Signed copies of his amazing books!) We have:
Grant A. Harrell
M Damon Baker
For Apollos Thorne books:
Justin Roy won the underpants! I mean, underworld? Hmm. Underboob? Book.
and Zachary Norman for Codename freedom!!!
last but not least, we have the random Jeff Hays give-away:
Peter Vant!!!
I’ve already sent them messages on Facebook telling them they’ve won. So, check your Facebook messenger if you think you’ve won
https://www.facebook.com/groups/541733016223492/
Out Now!
War God's Mantle: Underworld (The War God Saga Book 3)
The Last Player Standing: A Dystopian LitRPG Novel
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Class-A Threat: Disgardium, Book 1
Upcoming LitRPG:
Limitless Lands Book 3: Retribution (A LitRPG Adventure) (April 30th, 2019)
The Mountain Valley War - 2nd Dive Concludes (World Tree Online) (May 1st, 2019)
Starbreak (Rise to Omniscience Book 2) (May 2nd, 2019)
The Azure Dragon: A Heroic Fantasy Saga (The Artar Chronicles Book 3) (May 7th, 2019)
Monster [LitRPG series: The Beetle] (May 14th, 2019)
Guardians Of The Round Table 5: Crystal Mine (May 18th, 2019)
Web of Worlds (Reality Benders Book #4): LitRPG Series (May 20th, 2019)
Scurfifer (Alfarome. Book 2) LitRPG Series (May 21st, 2019)
Realm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 2. The Life] (June 1st, 2019)
Kingdom Come: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (The Archemi Online Chronicles Book 3) (June 1st, 2019)
Apostle of the Sleeping Gods (Disgardium Book #2): LitRPG Series (June 10th, 2019)
Home, Siege Home: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 6) (June 13th, 2019)
Code Hero (Champion is Playing Book #2) LitRPG Series
(June 15th, 2019)
City of Freedom (Adam Online Book #2) LitRPG Series (June 20th, 2019)
Djinn Tamer: Evolution: A Monster Battling GameLit Adventure (Djinn Tamer - Bronze League Book 3) (June 20th, 2019)
Shyft - Book 2 - Stealthcaster: (A LitRPG Adventure) (June 25th, 2019)
The Time Master (Interworld Network Book I): LitRPG Series (July 18th, 2019)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Class-A Threat (Disgardium Book #1) LitRPG Series
The novel has been voted the best Russian LitRPG release of 2018 and won the first prize at the LitRPG competition held by a leading Russian literary site litnet.com. Read the opening chapters here - magicdomebooks.blogspot.com/2019/01/disgardium-class-threat-by-dan.html
Our future. Noncitizens and individuals of low social standing can only find work in one place – the virtual world of Disgardium. And that might mean mining ore; it could just as well mean cleaning pigsties or washing dishes in a tavern, but that’s about as glamorous as it gets.
Fifteen-year-old schoolboy Alex has dreams of working as a space guide. All he can think about is the stars, but life gets in the way and now his only path to achieving that goal is through the game.
My Opinion: 517 pages, $3.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review, I purchased a copy when it became available.
There are some minor translation issues with a few phrases not quite getting translated quite right. Nothing that breaks the story though.
This is a Russian translated novel from the author of the Level Up series. It has a few things in common with that series: it’s a slice of life story, and has themes relating to hard work causing self improvement and power gains, not just luck.
The main character (MC) initially has no interest in playing this state run game since he messed up his character during creation. But he has to because of the law. So for an hour a day he mostly just sits around like he’s pictured on the cover. That is until he learns that he’ll have to earn money on his own to pay for college and accomplish his dream of going to space. Now, he has to figure out a way to take his broken character and make enough money in-game to pay for college. But it’s not easy, especially when he gets cursed by an angry NPC that turns him into the games version of villain, a ‘Class Threat’. He not only has to figure out some way to level and get money but also avoid letting other players see or learn about being a ‘threat’. If he can grow in power, the company may reward him, but if the other players find out they’ll kill him for the same rewards. It’s a game of cat and mouse with the main character’s future at stake.
I had to push through the first 15% a little while the premise is setup, the game is explained, and most of the characters in the story are introduced. After about the 15% mark, it’s mostly a slice of life action-adventure story where the MC is a bit OP but he works tirelessly to take advantage of his unique disadvantage. There are some additional guild politics, PvP, a little high school/social stuff. But mostly it's the MC figuring out how to use his unique circumstances to work toward his goals. The ending is a bit rushed but overall the story is fun.
One of the things that I liked in particular is how the author addresses potential issues with how the MC levels, not making things work out perfectly but showing logical consequences to a game system where people pay for information or pay to win and beating a villain threat like what the MC becomes can pay off big.
Game mechanic-wise, it’s mostly going to be familiar MMO stuff. Levels, stats, abilities, skills, a little bit of crafting. A slightly higher emphasis on gear that improves stats or gives skill bonuses. The most unique mechanic is the one that assigns players as threats and encourages them to become more evily powerful and for other players to kill them for special rewards. It’s a neat PvP concept and the MCs power set is pretty cool.
Overall, once I got to about the 15% mark and the MC finally started to dungeon dive I liked the story. But it took a little bit. Still, good action, good RPG adventuring, and I’d absolutely buy book 2 if it were available today.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Class-A Threat (Disgardium Book #1) LitRPG Series
(Picture 2)
In Search of the Uldans (Galactogon: Book #2) LitRPG Series
What could be better than space adventures? Captain Surgeon knows the answer to this question—space piracy! Loot, pillage, plunder and sell all the lucre—that’s the motto of the Galactogon pirates, and Surgeon is doing his best to join their number.
But what is to be done when the enigmatic Uldans do not want to leave our swashbuckler in peace and keep laying new mysteries in his path, distracting him from his main goal? How does one become a formidable buccaneer, the scourge of Galactogon’s countless star systems, when an indomitable alien invasion is razing empires all across the galaxy?
Time and time again, the game hands Captain Surgeon the Black Spot and time and time again he refuses to take it. It looks like he will have to work extra hard to realize his dreams of piracy and find the answers to all these mysteries…
My Opinion: 387 pages, $6.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
Wow. It’s been 3.5 years since book 1 in this series was translated into English and you can kind of tell. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the story takes a hard left away from the big contest of book 1. The main character (MC) goes on this sci-fi space opera adventure with the goal of being a free space pirate and making as much money as he can for issues IRL. There are some really good space battles, lots of new characters, new quests, and exciting adventures. But the story has less focus, compared to book 1, and is more slice of life adventuring.
The game mechanics are consistent with book 1, but you can see that there are fewer notifications in this story. Still, the mechanics are there, they’re just different than a traditional RPG. There are no character classes or levels. Instead power is increased by improving the class of your equipment and ships making them more powerful. Then upon player death, they lose a class of effectiveness. There are occupations, which are just classes without the levels, that will players get to specialize through some quest chains. There is also lots of stuff with reputation which affects what quests are available and even if a player becomes hunted. Quests and rewards are the most common kind of notification with general player talk about them being in an MMO coming in 2nd.
Overall, this is an entertaining story. It took me a little bit to recall all the characters and plot from book 1. It is also more slice of life space opera, but it is entertaining and has some really good space battles.
Score: 7.2 out of 10
In Search of the Uldans (Galactogon: Book #2) LitRPG Series
(April 25th, 2019)
(Picture 3)
Slimes and Misty Wieners
A simple hunting expedition leads to a discussion of the nature of good and evil, and the good and evil of nature, when Julian and the C&C gang find themselves imprisoned in the home of a druid and wizard. Horses die. Pants are soiled. For science.
My Opinion: 38 pages, $2.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
As is usually the case, the caverns and creatures short story is very funny and full of potty humor. It’s so fun to get these little side tales between the main series releases. Loved the use of natural selection as a villain device.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Slimes and Misty Wieners (Caverns and Creatures)
(Picture 4)
The Fallen Bard (World of Chains Book 2)
Daniel's (updated) Guide to Early Retirement. Version 2.0 :
1: Intercept illegal money transfer from mafia boss. (Complete success. Except for the part where I was discovered and almost caught)
2: Hide out in super-exclusive Full Immersion Virtual Reality game until the heat is off. (Doing fine so far. They may have figured out that I’m in-game…still, it’s a huge game, so no problem, right?)
3: Roll a bard. Max out charisma. Live it up. (Two out of three ain’t bad. We’re just postponing the ‘Live it up’ part a bit.)
4: Profit. (Still almost two years to go for that. Think happy thoughts!)
He could have been way worse off. Sure, Daniel was stuck in-game as the local bard of a quaint village, but people were nice, the quests juicy and the lore intriguing. Even so, with the mob on the look-out, Daniel would soon find himself sorely tested to avoid detection.
Disclaimer: Still no harems in this series, even with a Bard MC. Go figure. We’re going light on the cursing and less light on the puns. You were warned.
My Opinion: 412 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
The sequel to the very popular Wayward Bard does not disappoint. The snarky lovable bard is back for more adventures and a fun tale that is hard to put down. There is good world and character building through the main character (MC) collecting stories not only from his starter village but from the surrounding areas this time. New to the story are: Pet raising, class training, and a bit of tournament fighting. Still here: smart playing, stats that matter, lots of training, songs galore, and interesting quests.
When I think of a really good LitRPG Bard story, this is the series that comes to mind.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
The Fallen Bard (World of Chains Book 2) (April 26th, 2019)
(Picture 5)
Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2)
Zeke and his comrades have only been in their new world - Brindolla - for a short time, but every minute has been amazing. Kicking butt and not bothering to take names, the group has been moving forward in their quest to push back the galactic tyrant, War.
Then the unthinkable happens; their friend is banished to the darkest Hells. Poof. Gone, just like that. Now, not only are they on a quest to stop the vanguard of War, but they are going to need to get stronger, faster, and better than ever if they want to have any hope of busting into the Hells and getting their friend back. The Brindollan Gods plan to help as much as they can, but will it be enough to allow them to complete a task that even Orpheus couldn’t in Earth’s mythology?
With the odds looking bleak, and the world they’re trying to defend turning on them, they’re going to need to seek help from unlikely spaces, travel to new places, and break some faces.
My Opinion: 458 pages, $5.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
The story continues on with most of the things I liked about book 1 while having fewer of the issues that stopped it from being good for me. Essentially there are fewer forced moments in the story where unrealistic advancement takes place or unearned power gains occur. Though there still are some early in the story.
The story still has the elements that fans enjoyed: really good group banter, good action-adventure, good fight scenes, crafting, and slice of life adventuring with the group going on a power leveling trip. In this novel, there are additionally some class quests, and the introduction of new team members to replace a certain missing one. Don't expect much forward progress on that plotline by the way.
Overall, the story still feels a lot like the kind told by a DM to his group. Which means there are sometimes some incomplete explanations to move the plot forward, and odd twists or side adventures. It’s something you either really like or dislike about the story. For me, I noticed that happened less often in book 2 and that the good outweighed the annoying, so I had a better time with the story.
Score 7.1 out of 10
Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2) (April 26th, 2019)
That’s it everyone!
You can follow us on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast
Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com
Other LitRPG facebook pages
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/
If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support
Thanks for hanging out with me today. Until we can hangout again, remember to go read some LitRPG!
(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