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Arachnomancer #1
Wrong Divinity: Oh Sh*t! I F*cking Hate Spiders!
Dhane kicked the bucket in spectacular fashion, every bone crushed, every organ popped against the full force of a 40-ton garbage truck speeding through a red light.
The only part of him intact—whole—entirely unaffected by the grisly affair, was his soul. Souls are durable things, you see, like kids: they bounce.
And bounce he did, into the abyss between worlds, drifting until one excited soul watcher fished him out and found him a new home, a heaven for gamers and nerds and everything in between.
It was all he could have ever wanted in the afterlife, down to choosing his class, killing mobs, and exploring a beautiful, fantasy world chock full of mysteries yet to be discovered.
At least . . . it would have been those things if that first day had gone a little, tiny bit differently.
Instead, he now finds himself locked in the middle of an eternal conflict between light and shadow—humans and monsters—potentially being the enemy to all.
Wrong Divinity is the start of a new GameLit series that balances comedy with serious themes. It's an isekai, a portal fantasy, to the spirit realm. Join Dhane, our underdog, as he explores his new world, a world full of unique characters, RPG mechanics, and spiders—ugly, terrifying spiders—while he learns what it means to be an Arachnomancer.
The only part of him intact—whole—entirely unaffected by the grisly affair, was his soul. Souls are durable things, you see, like kids: they bounce.
And bounce he did, into the abyss between worlds, drifting until one excited soul watcher fished him out and found him a new home, a heaven for gamers and nerds and everything in between.
It was all he could have ever wanted in the afterlife, down to choosing his class, killing mobs, and exploring a beautiful, fantasy world chock full of mysteries yet to be discovered.
At least . . . it would have been those things if that first day had gone a little, tiny bit differently.
Instead, he now finds himself locked in the middle of an eternal conflict between light and shadow—humans and monsters—potentially being the enemy to all.
Wrong Divinity is the start of a new GameLit series that balances comedy with serious themes. It's an isekai, a portal fantasy, to the spirit realm. Join Dhane, our underdog, as he explores his new world, a world full of unique characters, RPG mechanics, and spiders—ugly, terrifying spiders—while he learns what it means to be an Arachnomancer.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2021
491 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 25, 2021
It's weird.
If you're going to take someone and rip away all of their previous identity but simultaneously provide them with an inborn knowledge of a new place, then what was the point? Might as well have been a native of the world to begin with.
I quit at around 30% because the main character is very dull. It's like an effort was made to file off anything even vaguely interesting about him. He has no memory so he has no trauma, he has built-in exposition so he doesn't need to learn anything, every person he meets other than himself is either helpless, bland, or an asshole so relationships are hardly interesting, and I can't think of a character trait that's explored or set up. Yeah, he's an arachnaphobe, but the story really doesn't do much with that besides saying he screams and slaps himself every once in a while.
If you're going to take someone and rip away all of their previous identity but simultaneously provide them with an inborn knowledge of a new place, then what was the point? Might as well have been a native of the world to begin with.
I quit at around 30% because the main character is very dull. It's like an effort was made to file off anything even vaguely interesting about him. He has no memory so he has no trauma, he has built-in exposition so he doesn't need to learn anything, every person he meets other than himself is either helpless, bland, or an asshole so relationships are hardly interesting, and I can't think of a character trait that's explored or set up. Yeah, he's an arachnaphobe, but the story really doesn't do much with that besides saying he screams and slaps himself every once in a while.
May 6, 2021
What is this garbage???
I could not bring myself to read past the beginning.
The MC is dumb as fuck and the author created a story where dumb and docile and obedient humans serve some random bored gods for some game.
What is this attraction of obedience, suffering and slavery that too many authors in this genre have?
I could not bring myself to read past the beginning.
The MC is dumb as fuck and the author created a story where dumb and docile and obedient humans serve some random bored gods for some game.
What is this attraction of obedience, suffering and slavery that too many authors in this genre have?
July 2, 2021
This is just ridiculous.
If you ever decide to sacrifice the story just to keep an overblown, nonsensical plotline running just stop. The main character is boring, the choices make no sense, the whole concept is just weak. This was painful to read and I quit about two thirds in. I just did not care what was happening. That is never a good sign.
If you ever decide to sacrifice the story just to keep an overblown, nonsensical plotline running just stop. The main character is boring, the choices make no sense, the whole concept is just weak. This was painful to read and I quit about two thirds in. I just did not care what was happening. That is never a good sign.
January 31, 2021
Book one
Mistakes: I found two mistakes in this book. Pretty decent writing. Was a quick read.
Plot: What if you went to a New world when you died? What if your power was the one thing you feared in your old life the most? Would you stand up against injustice or would you crumble?
Characters: I look forward to watching the MC grow. Even the side characters are interesting.
8/10
Mistakes: I found two mistakes in this book. Pretty decent writing. Was a quick read.
Plot: What if you went to a New world when you died? What if your power was the one thing you feared in your old life the most? Would you stand up against injustice or would you crumble?
Characters: I look forward to watching the MC grow. Even the side characters are interesting.
8/10
Read
January 19, 2022DNF @ 30%
- Main character is incredibly bland. Really, really bland, generic white guy, cutout kind of bland. So bland I don't hate him, I'm not even annoyed by him. I just don't have any feelings about him whatsoever. He feels more like a camera-view POV than an actual human soul.
- There is a deus ex machina that let's the main character 'know' certain things when he thinks in queries (like gaining automatic intrinsic knowledge) and this arbitrarily contrives the plot & details of the world constantly in whichever way most suits the author/MC at that point for maximum convenience.
- I'm at the 30% mark and the MC has *talked* to one spider, JUST one, that we only got to see in a single short scene, and hasn't encountered any other spiders or anything. In other words he hasn't done any actual arachno-mancing, the very titular premise that predisposed me to pick this book up! Instead, after a rota "Eccentric God welcomes you to the Gamified Afterlife" tutorial, he's spent this time doing exciting and original litrpg stuff such as: Sleep and eat at an inn, talk to a pretty innkeeper who has a 'quirky' personality trait, sell boar meat to a vendor, and train in an arena.
- Author sounds like he's played as much World of Warcraft as I have, which is *not* a positive (that game, specifically, gets referenced repeatedly by name in the book and it's clear the author is a huge Blizzard fan) and the 'system' in the game is basically like...vanilla WoW? It feels like he took the most basic and boring parts out of the WoW-template and put them into text. It's tedious and underwhelming.
- Unlike vanilla WoW, the MC has things like a map with quest location arrows to guide him around. And we get to see him look at the map and then follow those arrows and arrive safely at his destination and turn in the quest. It's that banal.
- On that note this contains one of my pet peeves in litrpg books which is spending time explaining how basic MMO/RPG mechanics work to a core audience of people who are probably only interested in litrpg because they play MMO/RPGs...I could overlook this easily if it weren't for all the other things bothering me about this book at the same time though.
- There is absolutely no peril and there's no sense of urgency, no real motive to turn the page, no particular reason to care about the main character other than "he's nicer than some other characters" or "he's less of a creep than a lot of other male litrpg protags"
- There is literally no death in the book, which is honestly kind of morbid in and of itself, because when people 'die' they automagically heal or revive: there's a scene where somebody pushes someone else down the stairs and they die? but then they're fine? and they're both laughing about it. I found that scene specifically morbid because of the implication that people kill each other all the time for fun (hey, just like in WoW!)--"It's just a prank bro" mentality but real.
So far this wasn't explored more beyond the MC himself wondering how a society without death can function which...I REALLY wanted to know too. So many questions, and none of them were answered in any way yet.
The stakes are really, really low (there isn't even any substantial risk of eternal pain or something 'worse than death' so far...the closest implication to there being downsides to no-death was that at one point the MC has to eat in order to stave off hunger pain)
- Biggest or closest thing to a bad guy or rival that the MC has is some other isekai'd guy who is a jerk for no reason to him and doesn't know him personally.
- Hero gets his memories of everyone he knew on earth wiped at the start of the book, so he's a version of himself who knows he loves his mom and girlfriend (for example) but can't describe anything about them, doesn't know who they are, doesn't miss them etc. So he is literally completely free of angst or other pesky emotions, since his death wasn't a suicide, and he wasn't a shutin or societal recluse or person in debt and poverty or anything (he's actually super normie: he loves hiking and was a games journalist before he got truck-kun'd)
- I saw another reviewer complain about this before I read the book: They said that the character has a signature catchphrase he uses at least 28 times in the book. Going in, I thought "How bad can it be?", but I'm 30% in and they were right. It's SO annoying.
I feel really bad giving this book this review, because reading it I got the impression that the author would be fun to talk to if I met him in real life. I got the feeling that I would probably genuinely like him. He has a sense of humor, is clearly a big WoW nerd, knows the latin roots for specific words and has a good vocabulary, and I can appreciate many of his ideas as concepts (For example: One of the things I *did* like about this book was that the fodder NPCs that the heroes level off by killing get humanized at the start. I tend to like books that write this theme, specifically the theme of being from the "bad"/shadow/dark faction and showing it as having a humanized aspect, which the author starts out with as a main theme. But there's no perma-death even for the likable "bad" characters, and they aren't unhappy or struggling in their existence. So it then becomes hard to care about what happens to them either)...
Unfortunately I just can't get past the things I listed. If *nothing* has happened to the MC by now, and there are no stakes or personal investment, if the litrpg system/conceit doesn't have a 'twist' or some kind of 'flavor' to it, and if the quality of the writing and humor at least can't keep me interested (it's not bad, it's just not enough) then I feel like I'm being wound up.
If I were to actually rate this with stars it would be somewhere around 1.5-2 but like I said, I feel kind of bad being so critical of this book. The author had to work really hard to make me dislike this book (honestly, I LIKED the tone of the author's voice and think his writing was competent from a technical POV...), and I've finished much worse books than this before. But I really don't want to spend the time to keep reading with no payout.
- Main character is incredibly bland. Really, really bland, generic white guy, cutout kind of bland. So bland I don't hate him, I'm not even annoyed by him. I just don't have any feelings about him whatsoever. He feels more like a camera-view POV than an actual human soul.
- There is a deus ex machina that let's the main character 'know' certain things when he thinks in queries (like gaining automatic intrinsic knowledge) and this arbitrarily contrives the plot & details of the world constantly in whichever way most suits the author/MC at that point for maximum convenience.
- I'm at the 30% mark and the MC has *talked* to one spider, JUST one, that we only got to see in a single short scene, and hasn't encountered any other spiders or anything. In other words he hasn't done any actual arachno-mancing, the very titular premise that predisposed me to pick this book up! Instead, after a rota "Eccentric God welcomes you to the Gamified Afterlife" tutorial, he's spent this time doing exciting and original litrpg stuff such as: Sleep and eat at an inn, talk to a pretty innkeeper who has a 'quirky' personality trait, sell boar meat to a vendor, and train in an arena.
- Author sounds like he's played as much World of Warcraft as I have, which is *not* a positive (that game, specifically, gets referenced repeatedly by name in the book and it's clear the author is a huge Blizzard fan) and the 'system' in the game is basically like...vanilla WoW? It feels like he took the most basic and boring parts out of the WoW-template and put them into text. It's tedious and underwhelming.
- Unlike vanilla WoW, the MC has things like a map with quest location arrows to guide him around. And we get to see him look at the map and then follow those arrows and arrive safely at his destination and turn in the quest. It's that banal.
- On that note this contains one of my pet peeves in litrpg books which is spending time explaining how basic MMO/RPG mechanics work to a core audience of people who are probably only interested in litrpg because they play MMO/RPGs...I could overlook this easily if it weren't for all the other things bothering me about this book at the same time though.
- There is absolutely no peril and there's no sense of urgency, no real motive to turn the page, no particular reason to care about the main character other than "he's nicer than some other characters" or "he's less of a creep than a lot of other male litrpg protags"
- There is literally no death in the book, which is honestly kind of morbid in and of itself, because when people 'die' they automagically heal or revive: there's a scene where somebody pushes someone else down the stairs and they die? but then they're fine? and they're both laughing about it. I found that scene specifically morbid because of the implication that people kill each other all the time for fun (hey, just like in WoW!)--"It's just a prank bro" mentality but real.
So far this wasn't explored more beyond the MC himself wondering how a society without death can function which...I REALLY wanted to know too. So many questions, and none of them were answered in any way yet.
The stakes are really, really low (there isn't even any substantial risk of eternal pain or something 'worse than death' so far...the closest implication to there being downsides to no-death was that at one point the MC has to eat in order to stave off hunger pain)
- Biggest or closest thing to a bad guy or rival that the MC has is some other isekai'd guy who is a jerk for no reason to him and doesn't know him personally.
- Hero gets his memories of everyone he knew on earth wiped at the start of the book, so he's a version of himself who knows he loves his mom and girlfriend (for example) but can't describe anything about them, doesn't know who they are, doesn't miss them etc. So he is literally completely free of angst or other pesky emotions, since his death wasn't a suicide, and he wasn't a shutin or societal recluse or person in debt and poverty or anything (he's actually super normie: he loves hiking and was a games journalist before he got truck-kun'd)
- I saw another reviewer complain about this before I read the book: They said that the character has a signature catchphrase he uses at least 28 times in the book. Going in, I thought "How bad can it be?", but I'm 30% in and they were right. It's SO annoying.
I feel really bad giving this book this review, because reading it I got the impression that the author would be fun to talk to if I met him in real life. I got the feeling that I would probably genuinely like him. He has a sense of humor, is clearly a big WoW nerd, knows the latin roots for specific words and has a good vocabulary, and I can appreciate many of his ideas as concepts (For example: One of the things I *did* like about this book was that the fodder NPCs that the heroes level off by killing get humanized at the start. I tend to like books that write this theme, specifically the theme of being from the "bad"/shadow/dark faction and showing it as having a humanized aspect, which the author starts out with as a main theme. But there's no perma-death even for the likable "bad" characters, and they aren't unhappy or struggling in their existence. So it then becomes hard to care about what happens to them either)...
Unfortunately I just can't get past the things I listed. If *nothing* has happened to the MC by now, and there are no stakes or personal investment, if the litrpg system/conceit doesn't have a 'twist' or some kind of 'flavor' to it, and if the quality of the writing and humor at least can't keep me interested (it's not bad, it's just not enough) then I feel like I'm being wound up.
If I were to actually rate this with stars it would be somewhere around 1.5-2 but like I said, I feel kind of bad being so critical of this book. The author had to work really hard to make me dislike this book (honestly, I LIKED the tone of the author's voice and think his writing was competent from a technical POV...), and I've finished much worse books than this before. But I really don't want to spend the time to keep reading with no payout.
May 1, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up.
I'm fairly picky when it comes to lit-rpg books. The game framework can make this genre a bit predictable, and there are tropes that pop up in nearly every book. So I look for things that are unique, or offer a good twist. I also want a character I can root for.
Dhane dies in an accident, and ends up in a universe where he is supposed to choose his path, including which god he will follow, and basically spend the rest of eternity leveling up. He may die, but he will always respawn - death isn't permanent. There are other great perks to this universe, so at first it seems like heaven.
Things go wrong for Dhane almost immediately. Unlike the people he arrived with, Dhane has a completely different experience starting out, and this gives him a completely different perspective on this universe. Something is wrong with the system, and it's up to Dhane to try and fix it.
I liked Dhane, and I really wanted him to succeed. He was smart, compassionate, and he worked hard to overcome his phobias. I enjoyed the humor, and the plot flowed fairly well. I would have liked a little more depth in the side characters. Maybe fewer characters with more page time. But still, I do look forward to finding out more about several of them, and what Dhane plans in the next book.
I'm fairly picky when it comes to lit-rpg books. The game framework can make this genre a bit predictable, and there are tropes that pop up in nearly every book. So I look for things that are unique, or offer a good twist. I also want a character I can root for.
Dhane dies in an accident, and ends up in a universe where he is supposed to choose his path, including which god he will follow, and basically spend the rest of eternity leveling up. He may die, but he will always respawn - death isn't permanent. There are other great perks to this universe, so at first it seems like heaven.
Things go wrong for Dhane almost immediately. Unlike the people he arrived with, Dhane has a completely different experience starting out, and this gives him a completely different perspective on this universe. Something is wrong with the system, and it's up to Dhane to try and fix it.
I liked Dhane, and I really wanted him to succeed. He was smart, compassionate, and he worked hard to overcome his phobias. I enjoyed the humor, and the plot flowed fairly well. I would have liked a little more depth in the side characters. Maybe fewer characters with more page time. But still, I do look forward to finding out more about several of them, and what Dhane plans in the next book.
February 10, 2021
Hope your ok reading till 2am!
Man, where do I begin? I really enjoyed the book. This was not my first book in the genre but definitely one of the best! Unlike similar books the character wasn’t just handed the world. I loved the struggle Dhane faced! I was crazy excited when I read that the author will be publishing side stories following some of the side characters perspectives.
My only disappointment is the book is newly released. I hope the wait for the next book isn’t too long!
#MustRead
Man, where do I begin? I really enjoyed the book. This was not my first book in the genre but definitely one of the best! Unlike similar books the character wasn’t just handed the world. I loved the struggle Dhane faced! I was crazy excited when I read that the author will be publishing side stories following some of the side characters perspectives.
My only disappointment is the book is newly released. I hope the wait for the next book isn’t too long!
#MustRead
January 23, 2025
A great read. Poor Dhane he only wanted some ice cream and he dies. Then he wants to get the majestic lion as his diety....and he gets a spider. He's scared of spiders. The spiders are also a shadow diety and not one of the light and if people knows he's dead.
A great story, and a fun ride. While we see Sarah I'm not entirely sure she's the same one from Bookworm to Badass but I can't wait to see if she is.
A great story, and a fun ride. While we see Sarah I'm not entirely sure she's the same one from Bookworm to Badass but I can't wait to see if she is.
February 8, 2021
4.5 stars. The loss of .5 is from a personal feeling that the arachnophobia being so overwhelming when the MC can't remember his past life in any detail was a bit overdone. Yes, I know what the book's called, and he learns to deal with it by late in the book, but it's MY subjective assessment, so there you have it.
Regardless of that niggle, it was a good read and I look forward to more.
Regardless of that niggle, it was a good read and I look forward to more.
February 8, 2021
So, uh, I wrote this in my Amazon review as well, but here it is again: "I was tempted to give it four stars for the whole lack of a soul dedication thing, but dammit. I had fun reading the book."
July 15, 2025
It’s fine, a quick audiobook read where I want to know what happens next, but I’m not sure I want to spend the money on the rest.
3.1 🌟
3.1 🌟
April 8, 2021
Really I would give 2 stars
Up the rating system is broken.
Everybody knows it’s a game. They treat it like a game. And that makes it very uneven for me. They aren’t just doing things and questing, they are ‘playing’. Halfway through the book and the MC is still lvl 1 and has died daily. I don’t want him to be OP, but at least minimally competent would be nice.
Other than that, it *is* well written.
DNF
Up the rating system is broken.
Everybody knows it’s a game. They treat it like a game. And that makes it very uneven for me. They aren’t just doing things and questing, they are ‘playing’. Halfway through the book and the MC is still lvl 1 and has died daily. I don’t want him to be OP, but at least minimally competent would be nice.
Other than that, it *is* well written.
DNF
October 24, 2021
Ok then.........
I got to page 23 out of 546 on my ereader for this book.
What i learned ..
1. The MC Can't be trusted with holding a cell phone.. Let alone operating one.
2. The Mc Can't be Trusted to be able to walk without falling down.
That was enough for me.. Tired of clueless morons as main characters..
I got to page 23 out of 546 on my ereader for this book.
What i learned ..
1. The MC Can't be trusted with holding a cell phone.. Let alone operating one.
2. The Mc Can't be Trusted to be able to walk without falling down.
That was enough for me.. Tired of clueless morons as main characters..
February 10, 2021
Alert
First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Second, I am not a bot...at least I don’t think I am. Yes this is copy pasta (just learned that term, so fun!) simply because I feel like any book I read deserves acknowledgement but at the same time my feelings on reviews conflict with the normal review process.
I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. If you are a potential reader, just stop reading now and take the above as all you need to know. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
If you are a member of the IAK Guild (thanks, Jason) or part of the review police, feel free to criticize me and challenge my philosophy on reviewing art. I think we all love a good debate. The forums are open and I welcome your comments. I was wrong in my previous request to get you to stop. Your blatant disregard for that request has led to some fun discussions. Growth is important for us all.
Cheers
First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Second, I am not a bot...at least I don’t think I am. Yes this is copy pasta (just learned that term, so fun!) simply because I feel like any book I read deserves acknowledgement but at the same time my feelings on reviews conflict with the normal review process.
I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. If you are a potential reader, just stop reading now and take the above as all you need to know. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
If you are a member of the IAK Guild (thanks, Jason) or part of the review police, feel free to criticize me and challenge my philosophy on reviewing art. I think we all love a good debate. The forums are open and I welcome your comments. I was wrong in my previous request to get you to stop. Your blatant disregard for that request has led to some fun discussions. Growth is important for us all.
Cheers
December 6, 2023
Not sure how I feel about this. The protagonist has some form of ADHD, and just spaces out. I don't want to read about this crap. Especially when a stray thought makes him pick bra. I understand the author is trying to be funny, but the "jokes" so far were anything but.
Also the protagonist constantly goes on about being a game journalist. Isn't he supposed to learn his moveset by now? I understand not trying to break the system, because that is what beta testers do. But not checking to see what his phone can offer before going to sleep? Are we supposed to write off everything as the protag has some form of ADHD or autism?
I find it laughable that there is a "heaven" for gamers. But if it was a "heaven" for champions (people who participated in physical activities), which ended up getting corrupted by computer champions, I can see how it fits.
I was going to drop this. The author waited until the end for the protagonist to take a win. I never thought this was going to be a book filled with suffering porn. The protag kept getting his face stomped in by the man. Which goes against the whole litrpg genre of finding power, making it your own, and doing something to better your life. Reading how "the man" keeps people down was depressing.
Will pick up the sequel. I hope it doesn't follow suit of this book, having the protag take loss after loss.
3/5 Stars
Also the protagonist constantly goes on about being a game journalist. Isn't he supposed to learn his moveset by now? I understand not trying to break the system, because that is what beta testers do. But not checking to see what his phone can offer before going to sleep? Are we supposed to write off everything as the protag has some form of ADHD or autism?
I find it laughable that there is a "heaven" for gamers. But if it was a "heaven" for champions (people who participated in physical activities), which ended up getting corrupted by computer champions, I can see how it fits.
I was going to drop this. The author waited until the end for the protagonist to take a win. I never thought this was going to be a book filled with suffering porn. The protag kept getting his face stomped in by the man. Which goes against the whole litrpg genre of finding power, making it your own, and doing something to better your life. Reading how "the man" keeps people down was depressing.
Will pick up the sequel. I hope it doesn't follow suit of this book, having the protag take loss after loss.
3/5 Stars
July 18, 2021
Outstanding Start!
You can frame any story into a GameLit design, but if the characters aren’t good / interesting, then the story won’t be good. Happily, this story abounds with interesting characters, with even side characters adorably mugging for the camera. (Looking at you here, Don.)
Add to that the fascinating world, the great humor, and the excellent editing, and you have a winner. The writing here is very good: polished, mature, and tight, giving you the plot quickly and colorfully. That had to take many re-writes. You miss it in all the fun humor, but then when you think about how “effortlessly” you moved through the last few scenes, you get it. Nice. On top of that we still have no idea where this story is going, and that’s… awesome.
Finally the humor really is great. It takes real effort to make that work, so effort was made. The line “she noped the f*ck right out of there“ had me howling. Never seen it verbified like that. It worked beautifully in the scene.
Honestly can’t wait for the next book, and in the meantime will be cheerfully telling everyone to read this one. Nicely done, and definitely recommended (16+)
You can frame any story into a GameLit design, but if the characters aren’t good / interesting, then the story won’t be good. Happily, this story abounds with interesting characters, with even side characters adorably mugging for the camera. (Looking at you here, Don.)
Add to that the fascinating world, the great humor, and the excellent editing, and you have a winner. The writing here is very good: polished, mature, and tight, giving you the plot quickly and colorfully. That had to take many re-writes. You miss it in all the fun humor, but then when you think about how “effortlessly” you moved through the last few scenes, you get it. Nice. On top of that we still have no idea where this story is going, and that’s… awesome.
Finally the humor really is great. It takes real effort to make that work, so effort was made. The line “she noped the f*ck right out of there“ had me howling. Never seen it verbified like that. It worked beautifully in the scene.
Honestly can’t wait for the next book, and in the meantime will be cheerfully telling everyone to read this one. Nicely done, and definitely recommended (16+)
July 31, 2023
I'm a big fan of litRPG, but it's a genre that can be very hit or miss starting a new series is always a bit of a gamble, however this book was an absolute blast! I thoroughly enjoy the way this world works. I was a bit weary of the addition of smart phones, but surprisingly it was just kind of amusing.
Dhane is a great main character, I found him funny, and charming and incredibly likable and relatable. I'm enjoying watching him figure out the new world he finds himself in, and the new powers he has. Several interactions he has throughout this story have made me laugh out loud.
The action in this one is easy to follow, fast- paced and exciting. Without giving away too much I just cannot wait to get book two and see what is going to happen!
I'd like to mention I listened to the audio of this one and the Narrators were top tier. Qarie Marshall is engaging and entertaining and kept me fully invested! Reba Buhr is always a delight to listen to! Though, she only has a very short (hilarious) chapter in this volume.
**Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.**
Dhane is a great main character, I found him funny, and charming and incredibly likable and relatable. I'm enjoying watching him figure out the new world he finds himself in, and the new powers he has. Several interactions he has throughout this story have made me laugh out loud.
The action in this one is easy to follow, fast- paced and exciting. Without giving away too much I just cannot wait to get book two and see what is going to happen!
I'd like to mention I listened to the audio of this one and the Narrators were top tier. Qarie Marshall is engaging and entertaining and kept me fully invested! Reba Buhr is always a delight to listen to! Though, she only has a very short (hilarious) chapter in this volume.
**Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio copy of this book. All opinions are my own.**
December 28, 2024
Significantly less fun than it wants to be. The genre is very prone to power fantasy and hey -- why not! Life is short, I usually enjoy this kind of thing. However, this one goes a little too far into white savior complex stuff. Tigner treats the goblins as goofy lecherous children, using simplified language for comedic effect, unintentionally tapping into a number of racist stereotypes. It's hard to ignore that for the sake for video game logic when the protagonist is essentially the only person to think "slavery = bad".
I think having a boring, mary sue type character can be helpful in a fun, dynamic world where the protagonist is just trying to survive. In this case, Dhane plays a straight man to a world that's just not that interesting, making the tone far more serious than I think Tigner was intending.
The characters are lacking, the story is lacking, the world is lacking. I was disappointed, I wanted this to be a funny little romp.
I think having a boring, mary sue type character can be helpful in a fun, dynamic world where the protagonist is just trying to survive. In this case, Dhane plays a straight man to a world that's just not that interesting, making the tone far more serious than I think Tigner was intending.
The characters are lacking, the story is lacking, the world is lacking. I was disappointed, I wanted this to be a funny little romp.
February 2, 2022
Way better than I thought.
So... This was way better than I 1st anticipated. There was a little bit of a rough beginning, But once the author started to get into his groove, The story really started to come to life.
There are some new concepts here that I haven't seen before, And everything seemed to mesh very well.
It's not very "crunchy" if you know what that means, But there are several points where the character sheet is shown, and there are level ups and skills and skill usage aplenty... And... The character sheet is an important part of the story.
I do recommend this book.
~Omally~ here. Avid reader of well over 5,000 books. I like to think that once you have read a certain number of books you have an obligation to make any reviews you post as honest as possible.
So... This was way better than I 1st anticipated. There was a little bit of a rough beginning, But once the author started to get into his groove, The story really started to come to life.
There are some new concepts here that I haven't seen before, And everything seemed to mesh very well.
It's not very "crunchy" if you know what that means, But there are several points where the character sheet is shown, and there are level ups and skills and skill usage aplenty... And... The character sheet is an important part of the story.
I do recommend this book.
~Omally~ here. Avid reader of well over 5,000 books. I like to think that once you have read a certain number of books you have an obligation to make any reviews you post as honest as possible.
March 28, 2021
Entertaining but didn't get attached
Unique mechanic system although the world feels limited for a place that would be your final resting place. But slow leveling progression would make up for that. I enjoyed the book but I didn't grow attached to any characters as the interactions seemed brief and somewhat shallow.
Im hoping in the next book there is a little more battle scenes and development of the characters. I also hope to see more of the pieces mentioned in the end at the appendixes. Overall enjoyable and not a time sink with the 5 hour read. I've followed the author and will read the second book.
Unique mechanic system although the world feels limited for a place that would be your final resting place. But slow leveling progression would make up for that. I enjoyed the book but I didn't grow attached to any characters as the interactions seemed brief and somewhat shallow.
Im hoping in the next book there is a little more battle scenes and development of the characters. I also hope to see more of the pieces mentioned in the end at the appendixes. Overall enjoyable and not a time sink with the 5 hour read. I've followed the author and will read the second book.
March 19, 2021
A fresh and funny take on the genre
I love the storyline. It definitely is a different take on RPG lit. I enjoyed the fact that our protagonist didn’t become overpowered, win all the battles, and was flawless. It made him feel more relatable. I’m glad the book wasn’t saturated with stat charts. I understand the need for them, but sometimes it’s overwhelming and takes from the story. It was very well balanced. It definitely was a fun adventure to read and I can’t wait to pick up the next book.
I love the storyline. It definitely is a different take on RPG lit. I enjoyed the fact that our protagonist didn’t become overpowered, win all the battles, and was flawless. It made him feel more relatable. I’m glad the book wasn’t saturated with stat charts. I understand the need for them, but sometimes it’s overwhelming and takes from the story. It was very well balanced. It definitely was a fun adventure to read and I can’t wait to pick up the next book.
April 4, 2021
A brilliant study in why you should never ask "what's the worst that could happen".
A great LITRPG tale with decent progression, not to fast, not too slow.
The mechanics are interesting and relatable, and definitely part of a game I'd like to play.
Some of the relationships between characters feel a bit rushed, Penny for example, and the training sequence could have gone longer to build the world and tension a bit more, but otherwise it was great.
Definitely looking forward to book 2.
A great LITRPG tale with decent progression, not to fast, not too slow.
The mechanics are interesting and relatable, and definitely part of a game I'd like to play.
Some of the relationships between characters feel a bit rushed, Penny for example, and the training sequence could have gone longer to build the world and tension a bit more, but otherwise it was great.
Definitely looking forward to book 2.
August 21, 2021
Not bad not bad
Gave this a random try and was not disappointed. Cheesy, funny, with a driven but not OP main character... yet. I personally prefer gamelit stories where the main character is OP because it's usually more interesting to see what they will do with this power. But for this story I enjoyed how he is on track to become powerful.
The only downside to the book is the MCs extreme fear of spiders. Fears and phobias are real but jeezeeee good sir..... I say that but then think of my own fears and wonder if I could get over it within a day or so ....
Gave this a random try and was not disappointed. Cheesy, funny, with a driven but not OP main character... yet. I personally prefer gamelit stories where the main character is OP because it's usually more interesting to see what they will do with this power. But for this story I enjoyed how he is on track to become powerful.
The only downside to the book is the MCs extreme fear of spiders. Fears and phobias are real but jeezeeee good sir..... I say that but then think of my own fears and wonder if I could get over it within a day or so ....
April 23, 2022
Better second half.
This started out fine and the first half seemed to have more of a focus on introducing us to the world and various aspects of it, which were charming, but a little all over the place.
The second half, quite abruptly, picks up the pace and the fun and charm is increased quite a bit. Still some things to nitpick about it but it leaves a very satisfying end to it all.
But also, what kind of phrase is shit brownies? Weird.
This started out fine and the first half seemed to have more of a focus on introducing us to the world and various aspects of it, which were charming, but a little all over the place.
The second half, quite abruptly, picks up the pace and the fun and charm is increased quite a bit. Still some things to nitpick about it but it leaves a very satisfying end to it all.
But also, what kind of phrase is shit brownies? Weird.
August 1, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. The divinity system was interesting and I was hoping for a few different POV’s to see more of the system. The MC doesn’t really stand out at first but really grew on me. The side characters have to potential be something special if explored more. This book is an excellent introduction to the series, system and world. I eagerly anticipate the next book.
September 2, 2023
So funny
Since I read Bookworm to badass first, I at first thought that it was unfair that Sarah had to fight to get her soul device, and Dhane just got his. But I then found that he was given his own problems. I enjoyed the love/hate with spiders. I can't wait to keep reading. Since I was read/listening, I found an audio error in chapter 17. The narrator fubbed a line and did not delete it, but that just proves they are human too.
Since I read Bookworm to badass first, I at first thought that it was unfair that Sarah had to fight to get her soul device, and Dhane just got his. But I then found that he was given his own problems. I enjoyed the love/hate with spiders. I can't wait to keep reading. Since I was read/listening, I found an audio error in chapter 17. The narrator fubbed a line and did not delete it, but that just proves they are human too.
July 10, 2024
This was seriously fun! It was exactly like doing a run through of a crazy hilarious RPG game. The idea that there are different heavens that you go to when you die almost makes me want to believe so I can go to book heaven🤣😂. This is a good against evil but "good" is actually quite evil type books and it was quite entertaining. It feels like a mix of watching my son cuss his way through Shadow of War and a family D&D session. It is both dark and silly.
May 13, 2025
Dhane dies quite suddenly and he goes to a God who is peddling for Followers and discounts. Dhane listens the instructions and that a choice of Divinity will give you power. The issue Dhane was his usual self and selected the wrong divinity. Dhane is now part of the Shadows and the Dark. But the rest of the Light Gods are working their hardest to eliminate all Dark followers.
Good start to a series. Now lets see how this one goes forward. Love GameLit.
Good start to a series. Now lets see how this one goes forward. Love GameLit.
July 31, 2025
Promising start to a series. I would have liked to see more of the game. It feels like the author had a main story line to push and did so too quickly and at the expense of establishing the world and characters. I still enjoyed it.
I dont understand the graveyard thing though. At last death, wouldnt MC already be at the dark graveyard? No? Apparently not. Felt like that, and a few other minor things, didnt male sense to me.
I dont understand the graveyard thing though. At last death, wouldnt MC already be at the dark graveyard? No? Apparently not. Felt like that, and a few other minor things, didnt male sense to me.
February 5, 2021
An entertaining read
A gamer from our world find himself in another magical one caught in a battle between light and shadow.
This is very enjoyable, with some great world building. You can get a little wand wavy sometimes, But the humor and good characterization is worth the ride.
A gamer from our world find himself in another magical one caught in a battle between light and shadow.
This is very enjoyable, with some great world building. You can get a little wand wavy sometimes, But the humor and good characterization is worth the ride.
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