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The Menocht Loop #1
The Menocht Loop: A Necromancer Time Loop Epic
Ian Dunai is trapped in the only maze an arch-decemancer can't escape. Time.
Only 1% of the population is blessed with magic affinity at birth. Fewer still have high enough affinities to rule. Ian's decemancy eclipses all, granting him ultimate control over Death. He conquers cities with a thought and turns them into ruins with a gesture. But overwhelming power isn't enough to escape the time loop or reveal its purpose.
When Ian discovers a critical clue that he missed years ago, escape is finally at his fingertips.
Little does he know, he's been stuck in the first realm.
The Menocht Loop is a best-rated serialized novel on Royal Road with over a thousand ratings and millions of views. Now a best-selling Amazon debut.
Only 1% of the population is blessed with magic affinity at birth. Fewer still have high enough affinities to rule. Ian's decemancy eclipses all, granting him ultimate control over Death. He conquers cities with a thought and turns them into ruins with a gesture. But overwhelming power isn't enough to escape the time loop or reveal its purpose.
When Ian discovers a critical clue that he missed years ago, escape is finally at his fingertips.
Little does he know, he's been stuck in the first realm.
The Menocht Loop is a best-rated serialized novel on Royal Road with over a thousand ratings and millions of views. Now a best-selling Amazon debut.
372 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2021
518 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Lorne Ryburn
8 books73 followersLorne (also known online as caerulex) is an avid reader who strives to write the kinds of stories she would like to read. Besides web serials, her favorite series tend toward grimdark fantasy, such as The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence and The Acts of Caine by Matthew Woodring Stover. The Menocht Loop is her second book series, which she began after publishing Apex Predator as an online web serial.
When she isn’t writing, Lorne enjoys time spent with loved ones and traveling the world. She spends her days as an AI/machine learning software engineer.
When she isn’t writing, Lorne enjoys time spent with loved ones and traveling the world. She spends her days as an AI/machine learning software engineer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
December 3, 2023
Ian knows that he is caught in an infinity loop and it took me forever to realize something he understood from the start: this isn't a time loop, it's a virtual reality thing done with magic. Once I understood it, I stopped looking for him to optimize his solution for best outcome. He only really needs to solve each "layer" in order to leave the simulation.
And that's pretty much the book. He needs to complete all the tests in order to get out finally. So this is kind of a training sim done to unlock his latent power. And boy does he have a lot of latent power. Whether from being stuck for years at a single level or just that he had that much buried within, he ends up with vast power and enough over the top training to make him very good at using his power to overcome obstacles. So it was interesting watching him struggle with the tests. Because none of them were actually about powering through and each seemed geared to teach him some aspect of himself.
And the fact is, I came to like him a lot. And the author did a great job keeping the stakes high enough to be interesting and still showing us Ian's development as a person. And I particularly liked the couple of layers where we get to see his abominable mother and his adorable sister. Those interactions gave me a lot of understanding about him, his world, and the world he's looking to rejoin by finishing this loop thingy.
In short, it worked very well for what it is. And I was glad to see that . Everything fit and the pace was great and characters were pretty good. This is a bit of a generous five stars because I can't think of anything that could have been done better and I was entertained all the way to the end. Generous because I can't think of a lot of people I'd recommend the story to. It's pretty much straight-up fantasy with a bit of a dark edge. I really hope it doesn't make a turn for either epic or grimdark because I don't do well with either and kind of want to see what Ian makes of himself from this starting place.
A note about Chaste: Ian is a complete introvert and a lot of what he is learning is to come out of his shell. But none of it is about getting into anyone else's shell. If you. Um. Yeah. Anyway, there's no romance and no steam and this is very chaste. There's one part where Ian is romancing a classmate in the sim, but he's obviously awkward and doesn't get terribly far.
And that's pretty much the book. He needs to complete all the tests in order to get out finally. So this is kind of a training sim done to unlock his latent power. And boy does he have a lot of latent power. Whether from being stuck for years at a single level or just that he had that much buried within, he ends up with vast power and enough over the top training to make him very good at using his power to overcome obstacles. So it was interesting watching him struggle with the tests. Because none of them were actually about powering through and each seemed geared to teach him some aspect of himself.
And the fact is, I came to like him a lot. And the author did a great job keeping the stakes high enough to be interesting and still showing us Ian's development as a person. And I particularly liked the couple of layers where we get to see his abominable mother and his adorable sister. Those interactions gave me a lot of understanding about him, his world, and the world he's looking to rejoin by finishing this loop thingy.
In short, it worked very well for what it is. And I was glad to see that . Everything fit and the pace was great and characters were pretty good. This is a bit of a generous five stars because I can't think of anything that could have been done better and I was entertained all the way to the end. Generous because I can't think of a lot of people I'd recommend the story to. It's pretty much straight-up fantasy with a bit of a dark edge. I really hope it doesn't make a turn for either epic or grimdark because I don't do well with either and kind of want to see what Ian makes of himself from this starting place.
A note about Chaste: Ian is a complete introvert and a lot of what he is learning is to come out of his shell. But none of it is about getting into anyone else's shell. If you. Um. Yeah. Anyway, there's no romance and no steam and this is very chaste. There's one part where Ian is romancing a classmate in the sim, but he's obviously awkward and doesn't get terribly far.
February 1, 2022
Upgrading from 4/5 to 5/5 upon re-read. Story is much better without preconceived notions about time loops. Original review with minor edits follows...
Entertaining, as long as reader has appropriate expectations. May be disappointing for those who expect to see character improvement and exploration over multiple time-loop resets. Part of the problem is confusing terminology. (These are not "spoilers" because the main character appears to be aware of these facts, even if they aren't necessarily made clear to the reader.)
* "Dilation Chambers" are known to exist, but the name is misleading because it's not clear what, if anything, is being "dilated". Since it's initially presented as a "Groundhog Day" type story, "time" seems a likely candidate, but the chamber behaves more like a simulation.
* Events that occur in dilation chambers don't necessarily reflect "reality". There are hints that they are connected, but to what extent is not clear. People do appear to behave as they normally would (because "magic"), but the scenarios appear to be fabrications. Each scenario is referred to as a "layer". To escape, Ian has to clear all layers. (This makes it feel less like a time loop and more like being stuck in a game.)
Contrast with "Mother of Learning", which is a more straightforward time-loop story in which the character actively explores the world within the repeating time frame; dilation chambers are secret government projects not known to the public; and events occurring inside the loop are definitely connected to events outside the loop.
Entertaining, as long as reader has appropriate expectations. May be disappointing for those who expect to see character improvement and exploration over multiple time-loop resets. Part of the problem is confusing terminology. (These are not "spoilers" because the main character appears to be aware of these facts, even if they aren't necessarily made clear to the reader.)
* "Dilation Chambers" are known to exist, but the name is misleading because it's not clear what, if anything, is being "dilated". Since it's initially presented as a "Groundhog Day" type story, "time" seems a likely candidate, but the chamber behaves more like a simulation.
* Events that occur in dilation chambers don't necessarily reflect "reality". There are hints that they are connected, but to what extent is not clear. People do appear to behave as they normally would (because "magic"), but the scenarios appear to be fabrications. Each scenario is referred to as a "layer". To escape, Ian has to clear all layers. (This makes it feel less like a time loop and more like being stuck in a game.)
Contrast with "Mother of Learning", which is a more straightforward time-loop story in which the character actively explores the world within the repeating time frame; dilation chambers are secret government projects not known to the public; and events occurring inside the loop are definitely connected to events outside the loop.
August 22, 2021
DNF
MC was whiny and annoying, bleh.
He also starts out a master mage, boring! I don’t care if your are OP. It’s how you become OP that’s fun to read.
Also, the story starts after he has already run the time loop innumerable times. Isn’t reading a story about a time loop sorta the whole point? Why would I want to skip that?
MC was whiny and annoying, bleh.
He also starts out a master mage, boring! I don’t care if your are OP. It’s how you become OP that’s fun to read.
Also, the story starts after he has already run the time loop innumerable times. Isn’t reading a story about a time loop sorta the whole point? Why would I want to skip that?
March 28, 2021
This story was originally published as a web serial, so a little overly wordy in places and not significantly edited, but unlike many works in that genre without any distracting spelling or grammatical errors. I have read dozens of traditionally-published Fantasy novels that seemed more amateurish.
A progression Fantasy story that begins with a time loop, and expands into a character-focused romp broken up by occasional creative magical fights. This isn't an action heavy story, and there's as much focus on problem-solving and avoiding conflict as on simply whacking things until they aren't a problem anymore.
The setting is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi world that feels very expansive though never comprehensively revealed. The worldbuilding is mostly light and the magic systems are a little fuzzy, but they remain directly in service to advancing the character development, so overall I think they work well.
If there is one thing I wanted from this story, and wasn't getting, it was lighter moments with more humor. The slice-of-life scenes worked really well for me, and the characters are compelling enough that I want to get more of them just interacting with one another.
Overall, I was very happy I spent my time reading this book and I am sure I will stick with the series to the end.
A progression Fantasy story that begins with a time loop, and expands into a character-focused romp broken up by occasional creative magical fights. This isn't an action heavy story, and there's as much focus on problem-solving and avoiding conflict as on simply whacking things until they aren't a problem anymore.
The setting is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi world that feels very expansive though never comprehensively revealed. The worldbuilding is mostly light and the magic systems are a little fuzzy, but they remain directly in service to advancing the character development, so overall I think they work well.
If there is one thing I wanted from this story, and wasn't getting, it was lighter moments with more humor. The slice-of-life scenes worked really well for me, and the characters are compelling enough that I want to get more of them just interacting with one another.
Overall, I was very happy I spent my time reading this book and I am sure I will stick with the series to the end.
November 28, 2021
loopy
Truly different. This doesn’t start at the very beginning (yay!), but skips straight to a meaningful event.
The necromancy is more about bones, and tends to be merely an expression of power.
A very well constructed and considered concept.
I *think* it’s a one-&-done, as the novel ends at a significant event.
Truly different. This doesn’t start at the very beginning (yay!), but skips straight to a meaningful event.
The necromancy is more about bones, and tends to be merely an expression of power.
A very well constructed and considered concept.
I *think* it’s a one-&-done, as the novel ends at a significant event.
June 1, 2021
Every time I read it - I do so in one go, at one breath. Original magic system, time loop mechanism - it's really something fresh even for a meta and rational fiction nerd
November 28, 2021
Great start to a series
Fast read that keeps your attention. Good character development and plot for the begennings of an epic storyline. Can't wait for part 2.
Fast read that keeps your attention. Good character development and plot for the begennings of an epic storyline. Can't wait for part 2.
December 2, 2021
This is an audiobook review. I follow this book series in royal road and I couldn’t help but get the audiobook version. The author merged a time-loop fantasy world setting and an MC with a necromancy build. You have to be aware that the MC is quite OP but not invincible. He was almost completely broken after being stuck in the fist loop layer but I could appreciate his growth and self awareness towards the end of the book. Although I didn’t really engage with the support characters I found the magic system to be interesting.
January 2, 2022
I am seeing a lot of groundhog day/ time loop books recently, and some of them actually work out (time travel is usually hard to pull off).
This was eerily similar to another book .
It was entertaining, but I didn't like how it just ended. I guess I will have to pick up the sequel.
3/5 Stars
This was eerily similar to another book .
It was entertaining, but I didn't like how it just ended. I guess I will have to pick up the sequel.
3/5 Stars
June 14, 2020
Strong imagery, great magic system.
Character is definitely anti-hero, blackened by his Groundhog Day inception loop experience. And yet he is likeable all the same.
Supporting cast has distinctive characters and traits. I love the Crown Prince, his personality and powers are a joy to read.
Truly inventive and thoughtful all round. Recommend.
Character is definitely anti-hero, blackened by his Groundhog Day inception loop experience. And yet he is likeable all the same.
Supporting cast has distinctive characters and traits. I love the Crown Prince, his personality and powers are a joy to read.
Truly inventive and thoughtful all round. Recommend.
December 1, 2021
Couldn’t put it down
Always on the lookout for that next magical adventure, I was delighted to find this exciting and mysterious thriller. Featuring a protagonist on the darker side of magic, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and satisfied by the twisty plot and the character relationships.
Always on the lookout for that next magical adventure, I was delighted to find this exciting and mysterious thriller. Featuring a protagonist on the darker side of magic, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and satisfied by the twisty plot and the character relationships.
February 20, 2022
Time is always a tricky sun genre. This gets it right.
This is simply a ride consisting of several different events, all highlighting character growth. The setting is hinted at in a well timed interlude, but it overall is kept simple and direct.
This is simply a ride consisting of several different events, all highlighting character growth. The setting is hinted at in a well timed interlude, but it overall is kept simple and direct.
October 25, 2023
I can find potential in almost any premise. Unfortunately, this leads me to pick up a lot of books that don’t execute their concepts well. I had a feeling the Menocht Loop would be one of these books. Not that I go out of my way to read books I know I won’t like, I’m very against hate read/watching, you just never know how you'll feel about something until you try it.
I used to call myself a picky reader, but over the years I’ve gotten tired of defending my critical nature. The Menocht Loop, at the time of my reading it, sits at a baffling 4.23 average rating. It has a solid premise: average person gets trapped in an isolated time loop that causes him to develop an affinity for decemancy in a world that highly regulates such magic, only to be spat back out into his average life with several years of unexplained experience in the arts, only to then find out that he’s still in the loop and failing means starting over from the very beginning. The execution: poorly thought through world building, an inconsistent protagonist that vacillates between casual arrogance and sheer ignorance, unnatural dialogue, strange/illogical observations, and a complete lack of research that led the author to unknowingly present their main character as an absolute idiot.
It doesn’t matter if it's fantasy – the world will still be governed by some semblance of structured physics – YOU NEED TO DO RESEARCH – or at the very least think a little bit.
This is only one example of several, but at one point the main character, Ian, is trying to explain to someone that it’s probably more efficient for a hydromancer to light a match by sucking all the moisture out of it than it is to simply set it on fire. In the context of the conversation I understood that Ian is trying to say that there are multiple ways that different affinities can use their unique abilities to end up with a similar end result. But sucking all the moisture out of a match is quite possibly the worst metaphor for this. It doesn't matter that it's a fantasy novel, it's still faster to strike the match than to dry it out and hope it spontaneously combusts because it's so dry. (Also, spontaneous combustion sometimes requires the presence of moisture - such as hay bales starting on fire because of moisture that results in fungi or bacteria releasing gases that then react to extreme temperatures).
The Menocht Loops is clearly set in a fantasy world with magic and other such elements, but also presents high technology alongside it. I’ve always found this combination interesting. It’s hard to pull off given the amount of times I’ve seen it fail, but I’m always willing to see what someone does with it.
The Menocht Loop had a potentially interesting magic system that greatly failed due to never building a solid foundation of knowledge for the reader and introducing new information and rules at random – it works, but it’s not great. Especially for a hard magic reader like myself. I’m not ever sure I’d call the Menocht Loop a soft magic system, there was just something about it that felt made-up-as-you-go. And some of the practitioner classifications felt a little silly. Remorse practitioners? Really?
Then there was the advanced technology that never went beyond being named GlossY. No information as to what it is, what type of material it is, if it’s partially magic or all tech, how the materials are mined, etc. I don’t need all of these answered, but it probably would have helped some with the world building issues if I had a clearer picture of it’s foundations before I’m getting surprised by floating cities and a super advanced ai sword.
Beyond being vague, the world building also just didn’t feel well thought through. There was so much attention to walking through the snow in the school loop that I started to wonder why we had all this neat tech and magic, but the school couldn’t bother to sweep the sidewalks. Don’t you people have hydromancers, pyromancers, or icemancers that handle that? There were other moments in the book where the author was trying to set the scene, and inadvertently showed their poor world building hand. This facility is open to the elements due to the high temperatures and humidity, and there are a lot of hydromancers to keep water damage to a minimum– so you have hydromancers that are constantly monitoring for water damage, but you don't have anyone who can cool the building? Seems weird to build such important offices with such unsecure architecture when you could just get AC. And if AC doesn’t exist in this world, then that just brings us back to the initial issue, which is that I was never given a good picture of the world building. It doesn’t matter if the loops aren’t real, they were crafted to reflect the real world.
And if the world building didn’t kill this book for me, the main character sure did. Julian Ignatius Dunai, aka Ian, aka Iggy couldn’t have been more unlikeable for me. If I was going to die on any hill regarding this book, it would be that his character was poorly written. There were many moments where I could see what the author was trying to do with the character, but none of them worked ouyt. All I could interpret him as was foolishly arrogant and dull. Someone might say that his character was supposed to be this way due to his experiences in the loop, but I found him to be written too inconsistently to truly relate to or understand him. I found Iggy’s attitude toward everything also hard to get invested in the already low stakes the loop had to offer. Examples of conflicting personality or stupidity below:
“He collapses to a sitting position, no longer kneeling before me. It…irritates me. Maybe because it seems so sloppy and unpoised. Maybe because I am used to fear, and this man has none.” – This happens in the first chapter. This is a great way to immediately turn me off to the main character. Also, we're later told that Ian is socially awkward and doesn't like attention.
“He shouldn’t be that weak, especially since I’d given him water. He should be able to stand. Maybe he’s just that pathetic.” – Sever hydration isn’t cured that fast, but this is only the start of dear Iggy not understanding basic science or how the human body works, which is weird because his affinity deals specifically with the body. It's also weird for him to call someone pathetic when he "supposedly" struggles with his own uselessness.
“Difficulty: expert, requirements…I skip over them, they don’t matter…description doesn’t matter…reagents: a bare minimum of twenty full, intact human skeletons or suitable equivalent. Two soul gems. A flight focus. I gaze coolly at the requirements.” – He just said how the requirements don’t matter. Ian has a bad habbit of doing this, dismissing something out of arrogance and then having to come back to it once proven wrong.
“I wrap its bones around Jeremy’s torso and secure them to the wyrm. “I’m strapping you in with a harness.” Good thing that Jeremy’s blind.” – Being blind doesn’t remove your sense of touch.
“I sigh. “We’ll be busy ridding the city of infected for the foreseeable future; we’re bound to get money or food off the culled infected.”” – This disease is described to be ridiculously infectious. Just being around someone is enough to catch it. Wouldn’t that mean the things they touch or breathe on would transfer the infection? No? Why don’t you explain anything?
Anyway, the list of Iggy being dumb or making illogical observations goes on. The above examples are all from the first two chapters by the way. If you are curious about what else I flagged you can check out my highlights and notes. I’m not looking for an argument, they were just things that bothered me.
Another offender is putting a random explanation for the loops existence in the middle of the book with whole new characters, almost as if it were an afterthought or the author suddenly realized they’d have no opportunity to explain it to the reader.
I finished this book not understanding what I was supposed to feel. Was I supposed to think Ian was a badass who had overcome many fears and phobias? We never knew he had these fears until halfway through the book, and we never got to see him overcome them, not really. Was I supposed to be invested in the solving of the loop layers? Ian brute forces most of them, and most of the time the solution is made pretty clear from the beginning: escape situation, defeat terrorists, prevent murder, etc. Was I supposed to emersed in the world and magic? World eh, magic unpolished.
The Menocht Loop is not a good book for hard magic readers who want compelling world building or likeable characters that they can get emotionally attached to. - Makes me kind of wonder what kind of person this book is for. I guess I'll have to read some of the five star reviews to find out.
I used to call myself a picky reader, but over the years I’ve gotten tired of defending my critical nature. The Menocht Loop, at the time of my reading it, sits at a baffling 4.23 average rating. It has a solid premise: average person gets trapped in an isolated time loop that causes him to develop an affinity for decemancy in a world that highly regulates such magic, only to be spat back out into his average life with several years of unexplained experience in the arts, only to then find out that he’s still in the loop and failing means starting over from the very beginning. The execution: poorly thought through world building, an inconsistent protagonist that vacillates between casual arrogance and sheer ignorance, unnatural dialogue, strange/illogical observations, and a complete lack of research that led the author to unknowingly present their main character as an absolute idiot.
It doesn’t matter if it's fantasy – the world will still be governed by some semblance of structured physics – YOU NEED TO DO RESEARCH – or at the very least think a little bit.
This is only one example of several, but at one point the main character, Ian, is trying to explain to someone that it’s probably more efficient for a hydromancer to light a match by sucking all the moisture out of it than it is to simply set it on fire. In the context of the conversation I understood that Ian is trying to say that there are multiple ways that different affinities can use their unique abilities to end up with a similar end result. But sucking all the moisture out of a match is quite possibly the worst metaphor for this. It doesn't matter that it's a fantasy novel, it's still faster to strike the match than to dry it out and hope it spontaneously combusts because it's so dry. (Also, spontaneous combustion sometimes requires the presence of moisture - such as hay bales starting on fire because of moisture that results in fungi or bacteria releasing gases that then react to extreme temperatures).
The Menocht Loops is clearly set in a fantasy world with magic and other such elements, but also presents high technology alongside it. I’ve always found this combination interesting. It’s hard to pull off given the amount of times I’ve seen it fail, but I’m always willing to see what someone does with it.
The Menocht Loop had a potentially interesting magic system that greatly failed due to never building a solid foundation of knowledge for the reader and introducing new information and rules at random – it works, but it’s not great. Especially for a hard magic reader like myself. I’m not ever sure I’d call the Menocht Loop a soft magic system, there was just something about it that felt made-up-as-you-go. And some of the practitioner classifications felt a little silly. Remorse practitioners? Really?
Then there was the advanced technology that never went beyond being named GlossY. No information as to what it is, what type of material it is, if it’s partially magic or all tech, how the materials are mined, etc. I don’t need all of these answered, but it probably would have helped some with the world building issues if I had a clearer picture of it’s foundations before I’m getting surprised by floating cities and a super advanced ai sword.
Beyond being vague, the world building also just didn’t feel well thought through. There was so much attention to walking through the snow in the school loop that I started to wonder why we had all this neat tech and magic, but the school couldn’t bother to sweep the sidewalks. Don’t you people have hydromancers, pyromancers, or icemancers that handle that? There were other moments in the book where the author was trying to set the scene, and inadvertently showed their poor world building hand. This facility is open to the elements due to the high temperatures and humidity, and there are a lot of hydromancers to keep water damage to a minimum– so you have hydromancers that are constantly monitoring for water damage, but you don't have anyone who can cool the building? Seems weird to build such important offices with such unsecure architecture when you could just get AC. And if AC doesn’t exist in this world, then that just brings us back to the initial issue, which is that I was never given a good picture of the world building. It doesn’t matter if the loops aren’t real, they were crafted to reflect the real world.
And if the world building didn’t kill this book for me, the main character sure did. Julian Ignatius Dunai, aka Ian, aka Iggy couldn’t have been more unlikeable for me. If I was going to die on any hill regarding this book, it would be that his character was poorly written. There were many moments where I could see what the author was trying to do with the character, but none of them worked ouyt. All I could interpret him as was foolishly arrogant and dull. Someone might say that his character was supposed to be this way due to his experiences in the loop, but I found him to be written too inconsistently to truly relate to or understand him. I found Iggy’s attitude toward everything also hard to get invested in the already low stakes the loop had to offer. Examples of conflicting personality or stupidity below:
“He collapses to a sitting position, no longer kneeling before me. It…irritates me. Maybe because it seems so sloppy and unpoised. Maybe because I am used to fear, and this man has none.” – This happens in the first chapter. This is a great way to immediately turn me off to the main character. Also, we're later told that Ian is socially awkward and doesn't like attention.
“He shouldn’t be that weak, especially since I’d given him water. He should be able to stand. Maybe he’s just that pathetic.” – Sever hydration isn’t cured that fast, but this is only the start of dear Iggy not understanding basic science or how the human body works, which is weird because his affinity deals specifically with the body. It's also weird for him to call someone pathetic when he "supposedly" struggles with his own uselessness.
“Difficulty: expert, requirements…I skip over them, they don’t matter…description doesn’t matter…reagents: a bare minimum of twenty full, intact human skeletons or suitable equivalent. Two soul gems. A flight focus. I gaze coolly at the requirements.” – He just said how the requirements don’t matter. Ian has a bad habbit of doing this, dismissing something out of arrogance and then having to come back to it once proven wrong.
“I wrap its bones around Jeremy’s torso and secure them to the wyrm. “I’m strapping you in with a harness.” Good thing that Jeremy’s blind.” – Being blind doesn’t remove your sense of touch.
“I sigh. “We’ll be busy ridding the city of infected for the foreseeable future; we’re bound to get money or food off the culled infected.”” – This disease is described to be ridiculously infectious. Just being around someone is enough to catch it. Wouldn’t that mean the things they touch or breathe on would transfer the infection? No? Why don’t you explain anything?
Anyway, the list of Iggy being dumb or making illogical observations goes on. The above examples are all from the first two chapters by the way. If you are curious about what else I flagged you can check out my highlights and notes. I’m not looking for an argument, they were just things that bothered me.
Another offender is putting a random explanation for the loops existence in the middle of the book with whole new characters, almost as if it were an afterthought or the author suddenly realized they’d have no opportunity to explain it to the reader.
I finished this book not understanding what I was supposed to feel. Was I supposed to think Ian was a badass who had overcome many fears and phobias? We never knew he had these fears until halfway through the book, and we never got to see him overcome them, not really. Was I supposed to be invested in the solving of the loop layers? Ian brute forces most of them, and most of the time the solution is made pretty clear from the beginning: escape situation, defeat terrorists, prevent murder, etc. Was I supposed to emersed in the world and magic? World eh, magic unpolished.
The Menocht Loop is not a good book for hard magic readers who want compelling world building or likeable characters that they can get emotionally attached to. - Makes me kind of wonder what kind of person this book is for. I guess I'll have to read some of the five star reviews to find out.
February 13, 2023
I like that this one does a couple of things differently from the 'progression fantasy time loop' formula we know and love. For one, it starts with the protagonist already having attained pretty much their maximum power from having been through the loop a bunch of times - I like seeing people levelling up, but it was interesting to start at a different point - and for another, the loop is a little more complex than most.
A few things stood out as a little off to me, mainly things around pacing. (A lot of these web-serials-turned-novels experience something similar, to be fair.) The way the loop turns out to work is interesting but I think perhaps not used to its full potential, such that we only get a short time with most characters before moving on, and the antagonist who ends up being at the climax of this published volume is enormously underwhelming. More detail:
I'll proooobably keep reading further volumes just because it's right up my street genre-wise right now, and I'll be interested to see how things continue to play out. The end of this volume felt as if things could potentially begin to draw to some sort of close, but that's clearly not the case as there are four or five more volumes already.
A few things stood out as a little off to me, mainly things around pacing. (A lot of these web-serials-turned-novels experience something similar, to be fair.) The way the loop turns out to work is interesting but I think perhaps not used to its full potential, such that we only get a short time with most characters before moving on, and the antagonist who ends up being at the climax of this published volume is enormously underwhelming. More detail:
I'll proooobably keep reading further volumes just because it's right up my street genre-wise right now, and I'll be interested to see how things continue to play out. The end of this volume felt as if things could potentially begin to draw to some sort of close, but that's clearly not the case as there are four or five more volumes already.
June 8, 2024
DNF: ~60%.
Even at this point, still no clue what the world looks like. Assuming our tech since people make calls and there are tablets... but suspect this was left vague so the author can make that magic or tech later as instead of having something worked out before writing.
The MC is just boring. Over powered as needed. Only motivation is to escape the loop. Not to learn, not to save people, or have any fun with the situation. Maybe because we are dropped in after he experienced many iterations so is jaded and scared... but this did not wake any sympathies in me (maybe poor narration?).
Worst, the time jumps? Im not sure what parts are flashbacks and what parts are on a fresh restart. Maybe i was just not paying enough attention, but all the mundane chit like MC worrying about remembering a class, or how he is grossed out by necro magic, or dealing with mundane relationships made me space out.
Even at this point, still no clue what the world looks like. Assuming our tech since people make calls and there are tablets... but suspect this was left vague so the author can make that magic or tech later as instead of having something worked out before writing.
The MC is just boring. Over powered as needed. Only motivation is to escape the loop. Not to learn, not to save people, or have any fun with the situation. Maybe because we are dropped in after he experienced many iterations so is jaded and scared... but this did not wake any sympathies in me (maybe poor narration?).
Worst, the time jumps? Im not sure what parts are flashbacks and what parts are on a fresh restart. Maybe i was just not paying enough attention, but all the mundane chit like MC worrying about remembering a class, or how he is grossed out by necro magic, or dealing with mundane relationships made me space out.
December 14, 2021
Flew through this.
This was a very entertaining read. Loop stories can be really hit or miss and this one nailed it. It’s very different than a normal loop story and that adds a lot to it, makes it feel very refreshing and new.
Ryburn does a wonderful job of showing off the world they created through the loop and introducing us quite organically to the different types of powers (Arts) that it’s made up of.
Our MC, Ignatius Black, is very enjoyable and comes off as very realistic; but I think some of the side characters could use some work - seems like they were given only one personality trait or reason for being around Ian.
Plot was great and progressed at a perfect rate that really grabs your attention. Will be reading the next chapters online as I need it now.
9/10
This was a very entertaining read. Loop stories can be really hit or miss and this one nailed it. It’s very different than a normal loop story and that adds a lot to it, makes it feel very refreshing and new.
Ryburn does a wonderful job of showing off the world they created through the loop and introducing us quite organically to the different types of powers (Arts) that it’s made up of.
Our MC, Ignatius Black, is very enjoyable and comes off as very realistic; but I think some of the side characters could use some work - seems like they were given only one personality trait or reason for being around Ian.
Plot was great and progressed at a perfect rate that really grabs your attention. Will be reading the next chapters online as I need it now.
9/10
December 3, 2023
So good!
I recommend this book if you like a clever unique plot with a smart mc that continually develops. I was a bit confused at certain parts near the beginning but that’s all part of the ride. Keep going and it gets better and better! Thank goodness the next book is already out! Loved it!
I recommend this book if you like a clever unique plot with a smart mc that continually develops. I was a bit confused at certain parts near the beginning but that’s all part of the ride. Keep going and it gets better and better! Thank goodness the next book is already out! Loved it!
November 28, 2021
A worthwhile read
This book follow the adventures of a normal boy thrown into dire circumstances, and his resulting necessary growth, both growth in character and growth in power. If you are looking for a book where there is hard earned well deserved power, I strongly recommend this one. This book has been a pleasure to read. It is well thought out, every step carefully planned, and perfectly executed. It left me satisfied and curious as to what the author will do next.
This book follow the adventures of a normal boy thrown into dire circumstances, and his resulting necessary growth, both growth in character and growth in power. If you are looking for a book where there is hard earned well deserved power, I strongly recommend this one. This book has been a pleasure to read. It is well thought out, every step carefully planned, and perfectly executed. It left me satisfied and curious as to what the author will do next.
December 10, 2021
A really interesting book. I thought it started slow, with the main character having already gone through the time loop hundreds (or more) times so all we get is the MC (who we know nothing about) easily using his powers and going into the city. From there it gets more interesting, learning about the disease and how he has to suppress it. From there it gets even better with him going to school and learning more about his powers. While I didn't care much for some of the levels of the time loop (the military one, mainly) the book surprised me. Very much looking forward to what happens next
December 13, 2021
Excellent book!
Excellent book! Superb writing. Yeah I really knows how to weave mysterious circumstances in order to create a compelling narrative that I couldn't put down. I can't wait to find out what happens next I hope the author can keep the momentum and mystery up.
Excellent book! Superb writing. Yeah I really knows how to weave mysterious circumstances in order to create a compelling narrative that I couldn't put down. I can't wait to find out what happens next I hope the author can keep the momentum and mystery up.
January 9, 2022
Awesome twists and turns that keep you reading!
I think this was an original, inventive, creative story with a likeable MP. I thoroughly enjoyed he was OP, but at the same time had to learn how to sometimes hide his power, but other times was able to go all out. If it were me and realized I could increase an affinity but not age while in a time loop, I would have spent more time increasing the others and be totally OP..ha! Anyway, can't wait for book 2.
I think this was an original, inventive, creative story with a likeable MP. I thoroughly enjoyed he was OP, but at the same time had to learn how to sometimes hide his power, but other times was able to go all out. If it were me and realized I could increase an affinity but not age while in a time loop, I would have spent more time increasing the others and be totally OP..ha! Anyway, can't wait for book 2.
January 10, 2022
surprisingly good
This book is quite good. It is a mystery within a mystery. I didn’t have high expectations from the blurb, but it was quite a bit better than expected. I was completely sucked into the world.
This book is quite good. It is a mystery within a mystery. I didn’t have high expectations from the blurb, but it was quite a bit better than expected. I was completely sucked into the world.
November 25, 2021
Great start to a series
The Menocht Loops is a very fun take on the classic time loop trope. I read a lot of litrpg and litrpg-adjacent books, so I always love when I come across something this original. Even though the book covers a lot of ground, I thought the author did a great job of pacing it all out. While the MC does feel a little one dimensional, I'm hoping the sequel fleshes them out further. Looking forward to reading the next one :)
The Menocht Loops is a very fun take on the classic time loop trope. I read a lot of litrpg and litrpg-adjacent books, so I always love when I come across something this original. Even though the book covers a lot of ground, I thought the author did a great job of pacing it all out. While the MC does feel a little one dimensional, I'm hoping the sequel fleshes them out further. Looking forward to reading the next one :)
January 4, 2022
unexpected & engaging
Based on the labeling as a “progression” fantasy I thought this would be another LitRPG novel, which would have been fine. It wasn’t, but was so much more.
I really thought the entire setting (would you call it modified steam punk but not in a retro way?) was intriguing and can’t wait for the next one!
I rarely take the time to rate books, but when I do, I do so on a log scale. Some of the better books I’ve read still only get a 4 star from me (my 4 is like a 5 for others). This one was extraordinary and deserves my 5-star rating.
Based on the labeling as a “progression” fantasy I thought this would be another LitRPG novel, which would have been fine. It wasn’t, but was so much more.
I really thought the entire setting (would you call it modified steam punk but not in a retro way?) was intriguing and can’t wait for the next one!
I rarely take the time to rate books, but when I do, I do so on a log scale. Some of the better books I’ve read still only get a 4 star from me (my 4 is like a 5 for others). This one was extraordinary and deserves my 5-star rating.
February 2, 2022
Great book.
I really enjoyed this book. I want the next book. The world is incredible deep and well writen. I highly recommend this book to everyone
I really enjoyed this book. I want the next book. The world is incredible deep and well writen. I highly recommend this book to everyone
January 31, 2022
Amazing read
The book was amazing from start to finish, I couldn't put it down after i started it. I cant wait for the next one to come out.
The book was amazing from start to finish, I couldn't put it down after i started it. I cant wait for the next one to come out.
December 22, 2021
Refreshingly unusual
The way this book begins, not at the beginning of the story, but well into it already, is a fascinating device that could have seemed forced, but instead seems natural. In fact, I am glad to have missed most of that!
Honestly, I don't really understand how the author can build such an extensive, complicated magical world without making it boring or pedantic. Also this story in a way is a collection of related stories almost, which makes it even more interesting and engrossing. No spoilers here, but I really like the idea behind it!
Appropriate for all ages.
The way this book begins, not at the beginning of the story, but well into it already, is a fascinating device that could have seemed forced, but instead seems natural. In fact, I am glad to have missed most of that!
Honestly, I don't really understand how the author can build such an extensive, complicated magical world without making it boring or pedantic. Also this story in a way is a collection of related stories almost, which makes it even more interesting and engrossing. No spoilers here, but I really like the idea behind it!
Appropriate for all ages.
December 28, 2021
Absolutely Amazing
This was the best story I have ever read that mixes both power and brains, the diversity with how necromancy works and other powers are captivating.
This was the best story I have ever read that mixes both power and brains, the diversity with how necromancy works and other powers are captivating.
December 27, 2021
Loopy
Fun times spent in a constant loop. Like the world building and how the character evolves. Curious to see where the book can go in the next one.
Fun times spent in a constant loop. Like the world building and how the character evolves. Curious to see where the book can go in the next one.
December 20, 2021
Wonderful Genre piece
This was a fantastic novel, Loved that they skipped over the entry point of the loop and started it near the end. Looking at the psychological consequences that would need to be dealt with.
This was a fantastic novel, Loved that they skipped over the entry point of the loop and started it near the end. Looking at the psychological consequences that would need to be dealt with.
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