LitRPG Podcast 280 - Lord January, Luck's Voice 4, Airship Privateers, Paths of Power, Eternal Dominion: Restart, Disillusionist
LitRPG Podcast 280 - Lord January, Luck's Voice 4, Airship Privateers, Paths of Power, Eternal Dominion: Restart, Disillusionist
Feb. 3rd, 2021
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 280 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:
Lord January: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (Year of the Sword Book 1) (10:55)
Not my favorite book from the author
Score: 7.2 out of 10
Dangerous Gamble (Luck's Voice Book 4) (23:17)
A delightful read whose action and pacing was on point
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Airship Privateers (Secrets of the Old Ones Book 2) (25:53)
A nice short read
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Paths of Power: Initialization Book 1 (27:57)
A good read once it got past the slow beginning
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Eternal Dominion Book 1: Restart (33:06)
Great regressor MMO story
Score: 8 out of 10
Disillusionist, The LitRPG Misadventures: Fetch Quests and Bog Gods (38:22)
Bad cover, Illusionist MC, decent adventure
Score: 7.2 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
Dakota Krout and the good folks at Mountaindale Press are releasing both the audiobook and ebook for Anything - Full Murderhobo 2, a month ahead of Amazon/Audible on their own platform. There are several bundles where you can save money if you haven’t had a chance to pick up the 1st book/audiobook in the series. This is a great way to support one of the best authors in the genre and save yourself some money.
https://www.mountaindalepress.store/
Out Now!
Otherworlder - A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure (Epic Blade Book 1)
Invasion: An Apocalyptic LitRPG (Viceroy's Pride Book 2)
Dungeon of Chance: All-In: A Dungeon Core Novel (Serious Probabilities Book 3)
Mech Slasher: A Mecha LitRPG (Captain Overdrive Book 1)
Climbing the Dragon's Tower 2: LitRPG Fantasy (Dragon Riders of Lon)
Eternal Dominion Book 3: Concessions
Tower Climber Terry: A LitRPG Series
Oni Umeshu Mojito: A GameLit Urban Fantasy (High Table Hijinks Book 4)
Flat Out: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (The System Apocalypse: Australia Book 2)
Shaman's Call- Spirit Song: A Litrpg Adventure
City of Skye (Primacy Online Book 6)
Sun Forsaken: A Souls-like LitRPG
Trick Of The Night: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Bad Guys Book 8)
Brambles and Thorns (The Infinite World Book 4)
We The People: A Kingdom Building LitRPG
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Mercenary Manager -The Fantasy World of Dorbin, Book 2
Virtual Horizon - Thousand Tales, Book 1
An Old Man's Journey: A LitRPG Adventure
Summoner - Quick Change, Volume 3
Idea - Starting Point Series, Book 1
Cooldown - Unfrozen Series, Book 1
Lich Hollow - Fae Nexus, Book 2
A LitRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms, Book 9)
Upcoming LitRPG:
A Royal Ending: A New Adult LitRPG Fantasy (Adventures on Brad Book 9) (Feb. 7th, 2022)
The Houndsman 2: A Base-Building LitRPG Adventure (Feb. 8th, 2022)
Valentine Core: A Holiday Dungeon Core Novella (Feb. 8th, 2022)
Dungeon Heart: Hell Gate (Feb. 8th, 2022)
Insight: A Fantasy LitRPG Saga (A Touch of Power Book 4) (Feb. 9th, 2022)
We Hunt Monsters (Feb. 10th, 2022)
Black Centurion: A LitRPG Novel (Feb. 14th, 2022)
Drone Captain - A Sci-fi LitRPG: Drone Rising 2 (Feb. 14th, 2022)
Tempest: A LitRPG Adventure (Elemental Mastery Book 1) (Feb. 14th, 2022)
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound 2: A LitRPG Adventure (Feb. 15th, 2022)
Lady February: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (Year of the Sword Book 2) (Feb. 16th, 2022)
Chaos (Sparta Online Book 2) (Feb. 17th, 2022)
Immersion Online: The Symbiont : Book 3 (Immersion Online: Lit RPG) (Feb. 21st, 2022)
Blessed Time 3: Dakkora's Legacy: A LitRPG Adventure (Feb. 22nd, 2022)
Defiance of the Fall 4: A LitRPG Adventure (Feb. 22nd, 2022)
Pyrite Seraph: A Mecha LitRPG (Captain Overdrive Book 2) (Feb. 24th, 2022)
Clear Threat (Disgardium Book #10): LitRPG Series (Feb. 25th, 2022)
Alpha Physics! Book 4 - Albury: A Post Apocalypse Progression Fantasy (Feb. 28th, 2022)
The Dungeon Phoenix: A LitRPG Level-up Adventure (The Dungeon Slayer Series Book 4) (Feb. 28th, 2022)
The Butcher's Masquerade: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 5 (Feb. 28th, 2022)
Dreadlord Wizard: A LitRPG Adventure (Badges of Dorkdom Book 1) (March 1st, 2022)
System Finale: An Apocalyptic Space Opera LitRPG (The System Apocalypse Book 12) (March 1st, 2022)
OutRanked (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (March 1st, 2022)
Age of Iron: A LitRPG Dungeon Core Adventure (Rise of Mankind Book 3) (March 1st, 2022)
Prime Numbers: Sigma Worlds Book 6, a LitRPG series (March 2nd, 2022)
Anything (Full Murderhobo Book 2) (March 2nd, 2022)
Apocalypse Knights 2: A LitRPG Fantasy (March 7th, 2022)
The Primal Hunter: A LitRPG Adventure (March 8th, 2022)
Virgil's Fire: A Portal Fantasy LitRPG (Dr. Druid Book 2) (March 9th, 2022)
An Impossible Task and A Vile Solution: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Bone Knight Book 7) (March 11th, 2022)
Henry Morgan's Fort (A Buccaneer's Due Book #3): LitRPG Series (March 14th, 2022)
Trojan Nightmare: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Apocalypse Cultivation Book 1) (March 15th, 2022)
Towers of Acalia: The Reincarnated Core Volume VI (March 16th, 2022)
Fractured Earth: An Apocalyptic LitRPG (Viceroy's Pride Book 3)
(March 16th, 2022)
Lost Soul: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (The Tian Trilogy Book 1) (March 22nd, 2022)
Dokeshi March: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (Year of the Sword Book 3) (March 23rd, 2022)
Flex in the City: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 13) (March 24th, 2022)
An Unwitting Prince: A LitRPG Adventure (A New Home Book 1) (March 29th, 2022)
Killer Play (Unfrozen Book #4): LitRPG Series (March 30th, 2022)
Into the Fire: A LitRPG Fantasy Cooking Adventure (Morcster Chef Book 2) (April 5th, 2022)
He Who Fights with Monsters 5: A LitRPG Adventure (April 5th, 2022)
The Legate (Project Stellar Book 6): LitRPG Series (April 11th, 2022)
Kairos: A Greek Myth & Pirate LitRPG (The Last Gods Book 1) (April 12th, 2022)
The Raid on Inferno (The Range Book #4): LitRPG Series
(April 14th, 2022)
The Hybrid War (Alpha Rome Book 4): LitRPG Series (April 18th, 2022)
Mastering Magic: An Epic LitRPG Series (Jeff the Game Master Book 3) (April 26th, 2022)
Electriterra - A LitRPG / Gamelit Adventure (Epic Blade Book 2) (April 26th, 2022)
Mana Harvest 2: A Light Novel Farming LitRPG (Sword to Ploughshare Duology)
(April 30th, 2022)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Lord January: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (Year of the Sword Book 1)
Time is money. Time is a Weapon. Time is running out.
Grant Leap is an orphaned, mortal farmhand in a world where cultivation methods and Weapons of Power are jealously guarded and only passed down among family. He’s not content with his lot; as a Januarian, someone living in District January, he should be living the good life just like everyone else. Food, parties, food, entertainment, and food are the minimum requirement. As an orphan, specifically a reviled Leap, there’s not even a chance of being treated as a human.
When a celestial event pours time magic into his field, coalescing into a lost Weapon of Power, Grant leaps at the opportunity to advance beyond even the scope of standard cultivation. At the first touch of the weapon, the orphan gains everything he’s ever wanted: a Sword and a Name. Also, a pesky mandatory quest with his life as the price of failure. It doesn’t take him long to realize that the best thing for him to do is to sell it and live on borrowed Time.
Yet, that would never happen. The blade offers him the first major choice he’s ever had to make: surrender to his desires… or live like a King.
My Opinion: 427 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
The story combines a kind of physical cultivation with RPG progression. The main character (MC) is a Leap, one of the few people born on a leap day, Feb. 29th. As such he is relegated to a slave position in his society and for his entire life forced to work for his master. At least until a magic sword lands in front of the MC and he gets the quest to defeat the lord of the land, Lord January as a first step to restore the world to balance. What follows is a journey for the MC to learn the ways of the sword, get into shape, and stumble through the world to get to his goal while avoiding the forces that want to stop him. It's a lot of training and fighting, and a good bit of world building.
The RPG stuff is consistent. The MC increases his stats and cultivation levels through completing quests, defeating opponents, or killing them. Training also improves stats. A unique aspect to the progression system is that cultivation time (in increments of seconds, minutes, hours, or days) are used for progression but also as a currency in the world. It lines up with the calendar/time theme of the series.
There are some criticisms of the novel from readers.
That the main character is unrealistically naive, which is partially true. The MC is a person that is treated almost as a slave, and is regularly beaten by the city population seems to still be a kind, trusting person. And despite being repeatedly told not to tell people his weaknesses or secrets, he does so throughout the story never really learned his lesson. It felt like a way to create problems for the MC but the behavior was consistent, I guess.
Another criticism is that the novel fat shames. This is also kinda true, though I think it's more of a conflict between the described society the MC lives in and what the magic sword thinks. The setup for the background is that the country the MC lives in is full of overweight people. The bigger you are and the more you eat is a direct reflection of your wealth cultivation power. It's been that way for hundreds of years and the country once farmed enough food for the now magically separated 12 calendar named divisions. The fat shaming comes from the magical sword, Sarge, that trains the MC. I mean there are some serious insults about how the people of the district are killing themselves, being lazy, should be ashamed for letting themselves get obese, and how much better a person the MC is when he loses weight. Sarge, I think, is based on a military drill Sergeant persona from before that country became the way it was, so from his perspective everything he says is correct. But it still felt weird as throughout actual history being fat really was a sign of wealth and prosperity as only the rich could afford enough food, especially meat and sweets. Also, in the fictional January district, no one ever starved as the abundance of food meant it was given out for free, which doesn't seem bad. Also there's this odd revelation that the leader intentionally shifted the culture from being clever and industrious to hedonism and gluttony. Like somehow big people couldn't still be clever or hard working.
Overall, the story was ok. It's the first in a planned 12 book series and as such the author may be stretching out character development with that in mind. The action is regular and there's good world building which was enough, for me at least, for the story to be fundamentally entertaining. However, I found it hard to root for such a naive character as it felt like he should have been more untrusting and vengeful for how poorly he was treated by just about everyone. But his journey has really only begun and I'm assuming that's part of his eventual character development. While entertaining it was not my favorite book from the author.
Score: 7.2 out of 10
Lord January: A LitRPG Cultivation Saga (Year of the Sword Book 1)
Dangerous Gamble (Luck's Voice Book 4)
Life had gotten both better and more chaotic for Doc— he’d already been happy with Fiala and Sonya as his wives, but then Ayla and Lia joined his family. To top it off, he collared the willing dryad, Rosa. With five wives at his side, Doc had a full house of love.
He was still in the town of Deep Gulch, needing to achieve the mission Luck had given him. When Sheriff Grange killed Mayor Goodman, it removed the least of Doc’s troubles while showing that Grange was clearly a problem. Even with the Mayor out of the way, there was still plenty to take care of.
The first annual poker tournament at the Lily was coming up. The cardsharp, Mr. Suez, was one of Doc’s biggest roadblocks to freeing the town. He had a plan for him, but it would be a gamble... luckily, his patron goddess was Lady Luck.
Even if he dealt with Suez, Doc would have to handle Grange as well. The sheriff wanted him gone so he could move on Lia. On top of that, the Church of Apoc was still a threat. In Deep Gulch, that meant Adam McIan, Preacher of Apoc, would have to be removed. Doc had managed to lie to and placate the preacher, but he knew it would come to a head soon.
With all the troubles building, a dangerous gamble would have to be made. Doc knew he had allies of his own— some of the townsfolk; the Oresmelter clan in town; and of course, his lovely and talented wives. Trusting in his goddess, Doc embarked on his plan to rid Deep Gulch of the Darkness.
My Opinion: 509 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
A delightful read whose action and pacing was on point and did a good job of creating tension from non-combat situations like a gambling tournament. The story also gave me the resolutions I’d found a little wanting in the last book and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the bad guys finally get their comeuppance.
The adult content still exists, but is very skippable if it isn’t your thing as it’s not for me.
Overall, a good read.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Dangerous Gamble (Luck's Voice Book 4)
Airship Privateers (Secrets of the Old Ones Book 2)
Trent Noguero plays as Vale dePardon in the massive, culture-redefinining deep dive VR game, Secret of the Old Ones. The game feels like reality, a better version of reality. The primary form of entertainment on Earth is to either play SOO or watch those who do.
After becoming a streamer and a professional gamer, Trent abruptly discovered how dark and ruthless the real world can be.
Now he does what he can to search for those who threatened his loved ones. His regular job remains growing his career as Vale, a member of one of the most powerful streaming parties in SOO. The new PVP event in Secret of the Old Ones offers unprecedented opportunities for player advancement and quest rewards.
But a growing faction of inhuman players are threatening human-controlled lands, razing cities to the ground. Human characters like Vale might actually lose the war.
And with everything else going on in his life, Trent feels a growing suspicion that something is amiss in the real world, something related to the game...
My Opinion: 173 pages, $2.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
A very nice short read that advances the MMO adventuring of the main character (MC) and his group of friends and adds a nice dash or real life danger. The story hits all its plot points pretty succinctly which means there’s less fluff. Enjoyed the read, especially the ending and only wish I could learn to use the rapier as well as the MC.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Airship Privateers (Secrets of the Old Ones Book 2)
Paths of Power: Initialization Book 1
A mid 30s Truck driver must make hard choices on his quest to get home to his family while the world as we know it comes to an end. 700 miles, no truck and just his loyal dog to accompany him, can he survive in this new world? A world where The System spawns monsters and mutates plants and animals to absorb and refine essence? Let us find out.
My Opinion: 379 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
This is an RPG apocalypse story that allows the people that are caught in it to use one of three paths to power: divine, cultivation, or mana. Because it combines three types of progression it also ends up info dumping a bit to describe all of them. Which is probably the biggest draw back of the first 25% or so of the story. There’s a lot of info dumping compared to the action. Thankfully this changes once the main character (MC) meets up with other apocalypse survivors and he deals with all the bad people that produces.
On the game mechanic side of things it's ok. There are lots of notifications, skill descriptions, item descriptions, character sheets, and even a town building after the beginning of the story. The MC chooses cultivation and the story spends a significant amount of time with the MC clearing meridians, strengthening his bones, blood, skin, muscles, and all the normal cultivation stuff. When he does this, he increases his cultivation level and unlocks various bonuses and increases his ki pool.
Overall, a good read once it got past the slow beginning. It doesn’t do anything new and the cultivation aspect was overly explained sometimes, but once the MC meets some other people there’s more action and tension with other survivors, and the apocalypse aspect becomes more prominent which compliments the general monster fighting.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Paths of Power: Initialization Book 1
Eternal Dominion Book 1: Restart
Year 2286 Alex Bell has put in 20 years of work in the VR game Eternal Dominion a full dive fantasy VRMMO game that accounts for around 20% of the world's economy. He had risen to the top as a vice guild leader and thanks to his work his guild was steps away from truly standing with the other top guilds. Only fate decided to rip it all away at the last moment. After his fall Alex awakens to see his 18 year old self looking back at him in the mirror. It's 2266 and Eternal Dominion is set to launch in a matter of hours, this time things will be different. This time he will succeed in life and make sure his friends and family are along for the ride even if he has to drag them along to do so.
My Opinion: 254 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
*Great regressor MMO story*
This is a great regressor book where the main character relives his life just as what will become the world's most popular MMO starts. He uses his foreknowledge to make person and guild gains to build wealth and power. It’s a smart story that has the gains not only shown in-game but in real life. There’s enough real world consequences with game gold being transferable to real money that the antagonists feel like a real threat, even if the MC knows how to deal with them for the moment. I also appreciated how the MC was planning long term both with his in-game guild, real life money making opportunities, building real life assets, and dealing with the consequences of having wealth. The story is well balanced between real life events, in-game action, guild building, and it even has some crafting.
Overall, a great read that kept the pacing tight and entertaining.
Score: 8 out of 10
Eternal Dominion Book 1: Restart
Disillusionist, The LitRPG Misadventures: Fetch Quests and Bog Gods
What's the smart move when playing a support class mage with no offensive magic to speak of? Undertake a solo adventure in a monster infested bog of course! Who needs a well-rounded party when you have second-hand daggers, illusions, and flexible morals?
Dean, probably, but he's not about to admit that.
The last adventurer sent to the Pitmerdan bog for some routine fantasy-world community service failed to complete their quest, so now Dean's goddess has made it his problem. Spending days in a backwater bog town isn't Dean's idea of fun in the first place, with its stinking cold waters and lack of creature comforts. Even the quest-giver seems to think this is some sort of hazing from Dean's faction.
What started out as an unpleasant fetch quest becomes a nearly impossible struggle for control when Dean finds himself at odds with everyone who was supposed to support him and the forces of a lesser deity. He'll surely be able to thwart their plans with his ability to produce convincing illusions that cause absolutely no damage. Taking into account his allies, the alcoholic alchemist and a tavern maid, he's got this in the bag.
My Opinion: 197 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
*Bad cover, Illusionist MC, decent adventure
The story is pretty decent. It has an unusual main character (MC), an illusionist character with a boost to those class spells but little else in the way of magic and minimal combat skills. The character uses those skills to game the other players and NPCs in this short quest. There’s not much world building but it’s not a particularly long story so it focuses on the quest and how the MC uses his limited skills intelligently.
Game stuff is consistent. The author sets up the MC to use his illusion magic alot without running out of resources but also tracks what spells costs. There are also notifications and quest. I didn’t like the formatting for the notifications, it was all in caps with a # in front of it, which felt unnecessary and cumbersome. But it's a minor gripe.
Overall, a fine story for its page length. Nothing groundbreaking but I appreciated the smarter feel for the MC as caster.
Score: 7.2 out of 10
Disillusionist, The LitRPG Misadventures: Fetch Quests and Bog Gods
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(Music 4)