LitRPG Podcast 222 - Apocalypse Gates 6, Carrion Crow, The Quell, The Good Guys 8
LitRPG Podcast 222 - Apocalypse Gates 6, Carrion Crow, The Quell, The Good Guys 8
April 17th, 2020
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 222 of the LitRPG podcast.
I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 4 new reviews just for you.
For the full show notes visit us at: https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-podcast-222
New Releases and Reviews:
Can of Worms (Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut Book 6) (07:38)
Enjoyable but sets up future adventures
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Fine dark world building, but kinda bored up until the 80% mark
Score: 6 out of 10
The Quell: Destiny Rising - A LitRPG Series (Prequel) (18:54)
Decent read, but short story
Score: 7.2 out of 10
Eastbound and Town: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 8) (25:11)
Not a lot of plot advancement but still a fun adventure
Score: 7.6 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
Sergey Zaytsev, author of the translated series: Universe ICS series has made a plea to readers to repost their reviews after Amazon took down his novels and banned his account. He got the novels republished on the platform but lost all of the reviews associated with the novels.
The GameLit Society interviewed LitRPG author Eden Redd recently.
https://www.facebook.com/GamelitSociety/posts/846361192550798
LitRPG SALES
With so many people stuck at home under quarantine or practicing social distancing. I thought I’d bring you some good LitRPG novels that are on sale, either as a way to help readers pass the time during this pandemic.
LitRPG Books on Sale
Somnia Online 1-3 $0.99, 3-5 $1.99
Supermage $0.99
Amazon LitRPG search - priced low to high shows Free and $0 books. Varied results for good stories or ones actually LitRPG but nice place to browse.
Out Now!
Watchers Test: A LitRPG Saga (Life in Exile Book 1)
The Quell: Destiny Rising - A LitRPG Series (Book 1)
First Sorcerer: Singularity Online: Book 1
The Realm Between: Neverending Dungeon: A LitRPG Saga (Book 6)
Arcane Kingdom Online: The Siege (A LitRPG Adventure, Book 5)
Stormforge (Rise To Omniscience Book 5)
Into the Black: Book XXIV - Consequence
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Team Newb - Sun & Shadow Online, Book 1
Watchers Test: A LitRPG Saga - Life in Exile, Book 1
Traveling the Dungeon -Dungeon Travels, Book 2
Upcoming LitRPG:
After Apocalypse: Dungeons of Perdition - Book 3 (A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure) (April 20th, 2020)
Winter Harvest: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure (Space Seasons Book 1) (April 24th, 2020)
Rogue Evolution: A litRPG Adventure (The Rogue Dungeon Book 4) (April 28th, 2020)
Resistance (Disgardium Book #4): LitRPG Series (April 29th, 2020)
Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book III (April 29th, 2020)
Gauntlet: A LitRPG Journey (Legends Online Book 5) (April 30th, 2020)
Ruthless (The Completionist Chronicles Book 5) (May 1st, 2020)
Aberrant Quest: The Blood Crown Book 2 (A LitRPG Adventure) (May 5th, 2020)
Warsinger: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (The Archemi Online Chronicles Book 4) (May 8th, 2020)
Shattered Sword: A LitRPG Adventure (Eternal Online Book 1) (May 12th, 2020)
Gloominess +4: The Cradle of Gods. A LitRPG series: Book 4 (May 17th, 2020)
Biomedical Self-Engineering: Book 1 (May 17th, 2020)
False Skies (Challenger's Call Book 5) (May 20th, 2020)
Path of Alchemy: BlackFlame Online Litrpg/Gamelit Universe (Glory of Formation Emperor Book 4) (May 31st, 2020)
Legendary Dungeon Seed (May ??, 2020)
Four Beheadings and a Funeral: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 9) (June 4th, 2020)
Aces High (Reality Benders Book #6): LitRPG Series (June 9th, 2020)
Stars Asunder: Book 9 in The System Apocalypse (July 1st, 2020)
The Enchanter (Project Stellar Book 2): LitRPG Series (July 8th, 2020)
Arrow of Justice - A LitRPG Novel: (Book 1 of the Vindication 2.0 LitRPG Universe) (July 31st, 2020)
War of the Posers (The Bad Guys Book 4) (Aug. 8th, 2020)
Intellectum [RealRPG series] Book 1 (Aug. 18th, 2020)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Can of Worms (Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut Book 6)
After making several profitable deals, it was time to go back through the Twurgh Gate and return to Earth. Alvin and Gothy had been surprised to learn that the newest member of their harem was a princess, but neither was willing to leave Desiree behind.
Once they were back on Earth, Alvin proposed a new destination, much to the amusement of his companions. They all agreed and went south out of Colorado, into New Mexico. The road south led them back to old friends in new places; Johnny, the native shaman from Bridgeport, was in Ignacio and in desperate need of help.
Strapping on their boots and loading their guns, the slightly demented (but equally fun) group got ready for one of the biggest can of worms they had opened so far.
(This book contains adult situations, in all their horror and glory, including but not limited to: sex, abuse, drug use, and murder. It also contains graphic sex scenes, which portray elements of BDSM and harem. You’ve been warned.)
My Opinion: 492 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy of the novel when it became available.
The 6th book in the Apocalypse Gates continues the slice of life adventures and is almost a travelogue as Alvin and the group travel to Roswell and then across the country to Washington DC. They stop in a variety of towns and talk to various leaders. Many who have the same reaction to seeing Queen's elf and a dwarf. It's almost a running joke. But I'll admit it also felt a little repetitive after the 3rd or 4th time it happened.
Not to say that is all that happens. There is still some fighting, RPG progression, and a bit of questing. In particular I liked the first quest with the Native Americans. When the characters stood still and had a chance to mix with the communities, was when I liked the story the best.
Also, I can't believe Instill have to say this but there is sex in the novel. Not a ton, maybe 5% of the story but it is there. As it has been for most of the series. And it's still very skippable if it's not of interest to you as it isn't to me.
Overall, though the story feels like a transition novel. A setup for the next book where something big may happen. A fine read, but not my favorite book in the series.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Can of Worms (Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut Book 6)
Carrion Crow: The Rise of the Black Seraph: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (World Apocalypse - Calamity Dungeon)
The end of the world has arrived.
Luca Fernandez was lucky to escape the slaughter that was Emergence Day when monsters overwhelmed the world. By plan or by luck, Luca was granted the legendary power of the Angel of Death and thrust into the fantastic and terrible inner realm of the World Dungeon. He has but one task, to survive and win the Genesis Game. But if he’s to win, Luca will need to learn that not all monsters are obvious, and the path to power is rarely straightforward, corrupting all those who seek it.
Can Luca learn to meet the perils of the World Dungeon, and begin to forge trustworthy alliances to survive this cruel and merciless world, or will he fall to the dark dwellers of this realm?
Can he grow his powers strong enough to defeat the World Dungeon’s deadliest denizens?
When partnerships are short-lived and often corrupted by fear and malice, how will Luca ensure he does not succumb?
My Opinion: 305 pages, $2.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
This is an apocalypse dungeon story that frankly takes too long to get to any kind of RPG progression. It's dark, but that aspect got boring as I kept waiting for something RPG related to appear. It does so about the 20% mark when the main character (MC), a kid who can't walk, is thrown into a dungeon and bonds with the dark deity there thus gaining access to the RPG system powers lorded by the invading alien elves.
From the 23% mark on it's a dungeon dive, sort of. The tone of the novel is dark with everyone looking to hurt everyone else or take advantage of them to survive. But beyond that there's not much that stands out.
The world is dark with everyone being super selfish and willing to sacrifice anyone to get ahead, but it doesn’t make sense why they’re like that. At the beginning of the novel the RPG apocalypse happens, and monsters appear. Great with you. But then after only a few days of waiting, it feels like the entire universe just did a 180 turn and turned into selfish jerks with no real transition between. Some of that can sorta be explained in the story with some time stuff, but it never really felt well developed to me.
Another thing that stopped me from enjoying the story more was the emotional/mental inconsistency of the MC. He's a whiny kid when the apocalypse hits and is thrown into the dungeon. But after he is transformed his thoughts and internal dialogue are of an adult that is bitter, vengeful, and driven to become powerful.
Despite the dark tone, I was frankly bored. I know the story is supposed to be building the world but I got tired of nothing happening. It was disappointing that for a world of dungeon diving, no actual dives happen till the 70% mark. Even then it's the MC being power leveled by the guild he joins in the dungeon. He's doing very little power gain based on his own efforts. He gets boosted stats, a new race, and a class from a dark deity. He's power leveled by his guild and his summoned demon. The MC is meant to be a dark badass but he doesn't actually do much of anything till the end of the story.
Yet, that ending was almost enough to redeem the story for me. The last minute betrayal and bad ass response was what I'd wanted to see the entire story.
Overall, most of the story didn’t work for me. While I enjoyed the very end of the novella, I was kinda bored until the 80% mark. I’ll give the next story a shot and hope future novellas continue the better pacing.
Score: 6 out of 10
The Quell: Destiny Rising - A LitRPG Series (Prequel)
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A LitRPG that destroys the boundaries of the known world.
Do you like to be whisked away into a new world of LitRPG wildness? Then read on...
Enter The Quell:
When the Reckoning came, the world was plunged into the fantasy realm of the Quell. Those who remember the old world would say that it’s like those old video games they use to play only with the threat of death. Those in the Quell would say it has given them a life of freedom, while it has robbed some of everything they have.
In the Quell, it’s fight or die and Adrianna Swann aimed to live. Ever since her uncle got kidnapped by cultists, she has set off on her own quest of freedom and answers. The Quell is vast and full of horrors, pushing one's mind to the brink of insanity. Adrianna has never been too worried, though. Her uncle taught her everything she knew, and nothing was going to get between her and finding answers...
But how far is one girl willing to go to unlock the secrets of this world that everyone has known for so long?
What sacrifices have to be made to get what she wants and is she willing to make them?
This book is just the Prequel, a taste of what The Quell might bring. I have much more for you where this comes from!
My Opinion: 47 pages, $0.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
While the author describes this as a prequel, it feels more like the start of a serial. It is a short story that introduces the main character (MC), sets up a couple quests, has a little bit of fighting, and then hits 'to be continued'.
There's a bit of inconsistency in the world building of the story. The prologue set up as an RPG apocalypse where all the rules of the world changed and technology stopped working, and monsters appeared, and everyone became Players and got access to the RPG system. But the story after that feels more like a video game or tabletop fantasy RPG with the main character living a fantasy world life to her teen years till her uncle is kidnapped and she gets an "Origin Story Quest" and becomes a Player. It was a conflict that created different expectations from the story and made it harder to get into.
Even the term Quell, the name of the story, had me scratching my head. Sometimes it was used to describe an event, the RPG Apocalypse. Other times it was a location, and still others a state of being. As in being part of the game.
On the game mechanic side of things, it's mixed. Yes, the world is fully set as an RPG world where people have classes, levels, quests, and various skill checks. But not all that meshes the same. All of the saves and perception check notifications just aren't acknowledged in the story by anyone so they only exist for the reader. Which just felt weird considering other notifications like quests, loot descriptions, leveling, and character sheets were acknowledged by the MC.
Beyond those inconsistencies, the story isn't bad. The MC has a clear questline, the action isn't half bad, and there's potential for good world building. It's a short story, so it really is too soon to tell how a longer novel would play out but on the whole this short story was enjoyable enough.
Score: 7.2 out of 10
The Quell: Destiny Rising - A LitRPG Series (Prequel)
Eastbound and Town: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 8)
Freshly respawned.
Far from home.
All alone.
Up until now, Montana’s journey really only went one direction: up. But now he’s back at square one, stuck on top of a mountain with only the most basic gear to help get him back to Coggeshall. It’s going to be a loooong walk.
But not a boring one.
In one of LitRPG’s most legendary medieval fantasy road trips (and also possibly the only one), Montana encounters a pack of just-this-side-of-feral wolf people; a town straight out of the Wild West - complete with heavy-handed sheriff; a lion desperately trying to take down a colossal fish monster; ancient cursed ruins; and a giant flying frog.
Eastbound & Town is an epic story full of combat, loot, and achievements. You better believe Montana is loaded up and truckin,’ and gonna do what they say can’t be done.
Hit the road with Montana today!
My Opinion: 345 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
A romping good adventure. Montana continues to kick butt and make monster friends. The 8th book in the series continues the slice of life adventures of Montana Coggshall. The first part resolves the whole 'sent to a demon dimension' cliffhanger and the Mc goes on a solo journey for a little while. There's still a bit of RPG community building as his kingdom expands and new threats are setup for the series. But much of the story is just that, setup for future storylines. Still I had a good time reading it.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Eastbound and Town: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 8)
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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/