LitRPG Podcast 262 - Completionist Chronicles 6, Reality Benders Book 7, Ravenous, Dungeoneer, Concordat Online, A Returner Magic Should Be Special
LitRPG Podcast 262 - Completionist Chronicles 6, Reality Benders Book 7, Ravenous, Dungeoneer, Concordat Online, A Returner Magic Should Be Special
April. 2nd, 2021
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 262 of the LitRPG podcast. I’m Ramon Mejia.
I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 6 new reviews just for you.
New Releases and Reviews:
Inflame (The Completionist Chronicles Book 6) (10:33)
New zone, new quests to complete
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Cause for War (Reality Benders Book #7): LitRPG Series (14:05)
Lots of setup
Score: 7.4 out of 10
Ravenous: A Zombie Apocalypse LitRPG (Necrotic Apocalypse Book 1) (17:25)
Zombie apocalypse from the zombie POV
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Dungeoneer (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (24:26)
Casual magical academy story with a bit of action
Score: 7.4 out of 10
Concordat Online (28:59)
Slice of life fantasy MMO with battle pets
Score: 7.3 out of 10
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special (36:56)
Magical Academy Regressor Webcomic
Score: 7.6 out of 10
https://www.tappytoon.com/en/comics/returners-magic-should-be-special
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LitRPG News
Big congratulations to Dakota Krout on his latest release in the Completionist Chronicles series, Inflame. It shot right up to the top of the Amazon charts. Out of the millions of books available, the novel hit #5 out of all of them. The audiobook, which is available as well also hit #6 on the top selling charts. Congrats buddy!
Out Now!
The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4)
The Call of the Coven: A LitRPG novel (Shadow Kingdoms Book 2)
A Lost God and A Hostile Land: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Bone Knight Book 4)
Sovereign's Choice (The Gods' Game, Volume V): A LitRPG novel
Serpentlord (Rise To Omniscience Book 9)
Visceral: A GameLit Fantasy Adventure (Nullifier Book 2)
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3
Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story
Evolution - A Fantasy LitRPG (Beast Realms Book 2)
The Power of Word (Avila Online)
Goblin Summoner: A Deckbuilding LitRPG
Land of War. Dragon Heart series: Book 10
They Called Me Mad: A LitRPG Apocalypse Series
Apocalypse: Fairy System (Systems of the Apocalypse Book 2)
The Idle System (A LitRPG series Book 7): Family
NecroNancy: UnTed Book 2 (Tower Lords)
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Inflame - The Completionist Chronicles Book 6
Corruption - Unbound Deathlord Book 3
The First Peak of the Force - The Heavenly Throne Book 3
Dungeon Worlds - Reborn Online Series Book 1
This Class Is Bonkers! A Comedy LitRPG Adventure (This Trilogy Is Broken, Book 2)
Warsinger - A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (The Archemi Online Chronicles, Book 4)
Viridian Gate Online - Path of the Blood Phoenix (The Firebrand Series, Book 3)
Ravenous: A Zombie Apocalypse LitRPG
The Dungeon Destroyer - The Dungeon Slayer Book 2
The Broken Battlemage - The Doomsday System Book 1
The Keepers of Limbo - Range Series Book 1
Windwalker - Ciphercraft Book 2
Metamorphosis - Greyblood, Book 2 (A LitRPG Series)
Upcoming LitRPG:
Nullform (Book #1): RealRPG Series (April 5th, 2021)
Volper (Alpha Rome Book 1): LitRPG Series (April 9th, 2021)
City of the Undead (In the System Book #2): LitRPG Series (April 12th, 2021)
Hive Mind: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 3) (April 13th, 2021)
Killing Them Awfully: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 11) (April 15th, 2021)
The Devil Archetype (Rogue Merchant Book #5): LitRPG Series (April 20th, 2021)
Age of Stone: A LitRPG Dungeon Core Adventure (Rise of Mankind Book 1) (April 30th, 2021)
The Guild Core 3: War Torn (A Dungeon Adventure) (April 30th , 2021)
Awaken Online: Hellion (May 1st, 2021)
Crafting Death: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 2) (May 4th, 2021)
The Path of the Strongest Mortal: A LitRPG Wuxia Series (The Heavenly Throne Book 5) (May 4th, 2021)
Manufacturing Magic: An Epic LitRPG Series (Jeff the Game Master Book 1) (May 4th, 2021)
The Guns of Keldora: A Crafting Automation LitRPG Adventure (Factory of the Gods Book 4) (May 10th, 2021)
The Rebel (Project Stellar Book 4): LitRPG Series (May 10th, 2021)
Iaxiabor's Revenge: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 6) (May 11th, 2021)
Showdown (Underdog Book #6): LitRPG Series (May 12th, 2021)
Tartila Mine (The Alchemist Book #5): LitRPG Series (May 13th, 2021)
Lords of the Ruins (The Range Book #2): LitRPG Series (May 14th, 2021)
He Who Fights with Monsters 2: A LitRPG Adventure (May 18th, 2021)
The Demonic Games (Disgardium Book #7): LitRPG Series (May 18th, 2021)
The Guardian of the Dead (An NPC's Path Book #4): LitRPG Series (May 20th, 2021)
The Great Centurion: Punic Wars 3 (A Real LitRPG Roman Series) (May 21st, 2021)
The Price of Power: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (May 24th, 2021)
Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones (Book #6): LitRPG Series (May 25th, 2021)
Hexworld: Roll: A GameLit/LitRPG Adventure (May 25th, 2021)
The Dungeon Leader: A LitRPG Level-up Adventure (The Dungeon Slayer Series Book 3) (May 31st, 2021)
Second Shot (Fantasia Book #1): LitRPG Series (June 7th, 2021)
City of Skye (Primacy Online Book 6) (June 29th, 2021)
Tower of Ruin: Volume II: A Dark Dungeon Realm LitRPG (Pandemonium - Afterlife - A Dark Dungeon Realm LitRPG Series Book 2) (June 30th, 2021)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
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New Releases and Reviews
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Inflame (The Completionist Chronicles Book 6)
Invasions and sabotage. Two civilizations doing anything to exist. War crimes are the norm.
Joe takes his first step into exile, and is promptly unable to breathe. This new Zone has a higher concentration of power, magnitudes denser. His first task is to survive, but mere survival is the least of his concerns.
The Zone he has landed on has been in a state of constant war for thousands of years, a tug of war between the Elven and Dwarven societies. Not choosing a side is the same as declaring both to be your personal enemy. Though he is resistant, Joe reluctantly decides to go with the group he thinks will help him grow the most - and is instantly plunged into their bitter war. To gain the freedom he desires, Joe needs to turn to the less savory aspects of his class.
Engulfed by darkness, Joe can only hope he’ll be able to snuff out the light.
My Opinion: 420 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
*New zone, new quests to complete*
The story shrinks down from the massive multi-character, guild vs guild, massive battle story to something a bit smaller in this book. The main character (MC) as he’s flung into a new zone, the only human and has to choose between two warring factions. He has to learn how to survive in the harsh new zone that kinda kills him while he tries to breathe cause he’d neglected his physical stats. Then it's a smaller (compared to the last book) story that follows the MC as he trains, crafts, expands his class abilities, and does some fun faction quests while throwing out the puns and jokes the series is known for. There are lots of good story arcs and a good epic feeling end that readers will enjoy.
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Inflame (The Completionist Chronicles Book 6)
Cause for War (Reality Benders Book #7): LitRPG Series
The Army of Earth is being sent on its first tour of duty. Its fifty thousand proud and valiant troopers are the best of the best, full of hope for brilliant victories and spoils of war that can help Earth's humanity along in its development.
There's just one little problem though. The operation's Geckho commanders view their human vassals as mere cannon fodder, good only for plugging up holes in their defensive line and shipping out to the space war’s most punishing hotspots where the chance of surviving is practically nil.
How should the Kung of Earth behave in this situation? Disobey the suzerains' orders, draw their ire and put his home planet under threat of complete annihilation? Or make a play for the freedom of humanity in a game of his own?
Read all about it in the seventh book of the Reality Benders series!
My Opinion: 481 pages, $6.99, Not Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review, I purchased a copy when it became available.
Another slice of life Sci-fi LitRPG story that continues the adventures of Gnat and his crew. There’s some interesting progression with a few storylines but the novel sets up more characters and plots than it concludes, including a future meeting with some crossover characters from another series from the author. The action is good, as are some of the relationship developments, but again, much of the story is setting up future problems to be solved.
Overall, still a good read for fans, just not as much progress on some plotlines as I'd expected.
Score: 7.4 out of 10
Cause for War (Reality Benders Book #7): LitRPG Series
Ravenous: A Zombie Apocalypse LitRPG (Necrotic Apocalypse Book 1)
An unstoppable curse. A dead man displaced from his time. How do you survive the zombie apocalypse when you started it?
Digby Graves, a deceased medieval peasant with delusions of grandeur, is trying to figure out how the hell he ended up in Seattle eight hundred years after his death. Also, why does he have necrotic magic coursing through his zombified body? Added to that is the fact that he made a terrible first impression the moment he woke up by lunging at the first person that came into biting range.
Now, the curse he unleashed is loose in the world. Digby has a target on his back and only fragmented memories of his death. He needs to survive long enough to put the pieces back together, learn what it means to lead the horde, and master his power over the dead. Digby might even find a few accomplices along the way, if he can hold off on eating them.
The end of the world is gonna get weird.
My Opinion: 529 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
*a few story/game issues, but a fairly good read*
The beginning got a bit tedious, with no clear challenges, until there’s a clear antagonist. From then on though, the story had much clearer sides, goals, and stakes.
For the most part I enjoyed the story. There were a few places where the story or game mechanics felt forced or didn’t make sense: someone from 800 years ago speaking perfect modern english, getting new skills when the main character (MC) only ‘practiced’ them once, going back for a person that clearly betrayed you, the undead horse. But for the most part the story was decent. Interesting characters with a slightly different cause for a zombie apocalypse. I liked the undead MC and his power set, though I would have liked to see a wider range of development for the zombie powers.
The fights were mostly done well, with some neat tactics for a few that were well thought out.
The RPG stuff was regular with clear rules, undead themed powers, and consistent power gains. I could plan a build for a zombie character, which tells me I got enough info about the system and class sets.
Overall, though there were a few story/game issues, it was a fairly good read and one of the novels I’ve enjoyed the most from the author.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Ravenous: A Zombie Apocalypse LitRPG (Necrotic Apocalypse Book 1)
Dungeoneer (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure
With new knowledge, training, and practice under his belt, Terrence's Rank 1 abilities will be put to the test against the monsters in his path.
The first semester at Prep is over, but an old tormentor, an unlikely instructor, a harsh test, and a tiresome journey will continue to push his limits.
Can Terrence overcome them all?
Will he buckle, or can the stress push him to Rank Up?
Elsewhere, Uncle Tom and his Dungeoneering team find something unexpected in the Dungeon.
After months of fighting, they are ready to earn a profit for their toils.
Can they handle the new challenge, or will they die like so many others before them?
Will the risk be worth it?
My Opinion: 318 pages, $1.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Another serial slice of life story, most of which still takes place in a magical academy. There is a bit of action for the MC and his group, but most of the action in the story is from a 3rd party group with faint ties to the story so far. Most of the story has the MC and his friends taking classes and training their powers.
Thankfully, there's finally some RPG progression from the MC. His power upgrades in a fairly predictable way, but he doesn't use the new ability much. Still, it's a bit more progression than the last book.
Overall, a decent read you're ok with a fairly casual magical academy read with a bit of action.
Score: 7.4 out of 10
Dungeoneer (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure
Concordat Online
In the 24th-century, humans throughout the solar system are connected by Virtunet. An internet provider and media mogul that spans the gulf of space. While once used for politicking between planets it is now readily available to all. Virtunet offers highly immersive VRMMOs and media. Concordat online follows the adventures of a player known as Blue Opensky as they enter the game for the first time. Everything is going well, he forms a bond with his first monster and is leveling steadily with their friends. When other players get involved manipulating from the shadows, Blue and friends are charged with defeating them but every action has consequences. Now the starter area of Meadowsedge is under threat from a group of rogue NPCs that out level Blue and his friend will they stand and fight or will they start again in a less problematic start zone?
My Opinion: 376 pages, $3.09, Available on Kindle Unlimited
A fairly good slice of life story set in a VRMMO. The main character (MC) tries and loves this new MMO and goes on a bunch of adventures and quests with his friends XP grinding, gaining gear, skills, and leveling. The casual nature of the story makes it fairly good, easy to read but not particularly wowing.
The main thing that differentiates this story from others set in a fantasy MMO is the inclusion of battle pets as a key gaming mechanic. Players can tame monsters and evolve them or help them specialize in particular types of magic. There’s a definite Pokemon component to the mechanics with various elements being more or less effective against other types of monster types. Though the story goes further than just pet battles by having the Players fight alongside their battle pets and even gain the use of magic from the types of companions they gain. This added a nice bit of planning to the player builds as they had to think about their personal combat style and what they’d use their battle pets for and plan accordingly.
There’s also a small amount of crafting in the story, which really amounted to making special evolution items and gear. While it added an enjoyable break from questing or XP grinding, it wasn’t a really big part of the story.
On the whole, the casual story really just follows the MC and his friends as they play this game. There is no ‘end of the world’ or ‘trapped in the game’ stakes or anything serious. It’s just a guy having fun and getting into some PvE and eventually a little PvP as he follows some interesting questlines, gets in good fights, captures and tames a few interesting monsters, and decides the kind of player he wants to be.
The place I was slightly disappointed by the storytelling was the resolution of the big battle at the end. It was this big culmination of several storylines and quests and while it tried to be epic in places it felt summarized and rushed in detail in several key places which messed with the tension. Additionally, while it made sense that the MC couldn’t win alone against the higher level threat of the big bads at the end, I would have still liked to see a heroic overcoming of odds rather than an outside force resolving things. It just dampened the otherwise good progression the MC had made through the story. It almost felt like the author was just running out of steam at the end.
Overall, the story was an easy casual read and someone that likes a bit of pet raising or Pokemon elements to their story will find this a good family friendly read.
Score: 7.4 out of 10
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special
The world is on the brink of destruction after a devastating ten-year war in the “shadow labyrinth.” Desir Herrman is one of the last skilled magicians left standing, but even he is no match for the formidable foe threatening humanity's very existence. Just when he's certain the end has come, he is sent back in time to his early days of studying magic at the prestigious Hebrion Academy! With this rare second chance, Desir is determined to save not only himself but also the friends and comrades he once lost. Armed with the knowledge of what their future holds, can his efforts make a difference, or are they all doomed to relive the same terrible destiny?
My Opinion: 141 chapters, Official English Publisher - Tappytoon
The official english manga version has a bit over a 100 chapters and more fan translated ones exist up to 141. This is a regressor story, where someone is sent back to an earlier point in their life, where he uses his vast knowledge of magic and what’s going to happen in the future to try save humanity from the coming calamities. Ultimately, it’s a slice of life adventure where the main character (MC) recruits undervalued students at a special academy and goes on these mini-adventures using the school’s trial/pocket dimension system. It’s fun to see the MC beat the naysayers and bullies and the pocket dimension system allows for interesting side-stories where the students are given quests and unearth truths about the past, doing some world building while adventuring.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
A Returner Magic Should Be Special
https://www.tappytoon.com/en/comics/returners-magic-should-be-special
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