An ordinary young woman wakes up in a real-life sword-and-sorcery role-playing game in this epic fantasy adventure for fans of The Witcher and Elden Ring.
The Worldwalkers of legend are beings touched by Fate and transported from another realm, tasked with a grand destiny. Traditionally, they prevent great cataclysms or the fall of empires. Whatever their undertaking, their appearance brings about momentous change. It’s been some two hundred years since the last Great Game, but the time has come again. Seven are chosen, and the game begins once more . . .
Kandis Hammond doesn’t remember much before her arrival, naked and alone, in a locked stone barn. The twenty-four-year-old junior financial research analyst from Sydney simply sat down in front of her computer, and the next thing she knows she’s here—and someone very angry is just outside. But the most puzzling thing of all is the glowing letters that begin appearing before her eyes. When the enigmatic System tells her she has abilities and skill points to spend, Kandis realizes she’s entered a role-playing game. Only it’s not on a computer or TV. It’s all too real.
After getting her bearings as a Worldwalker—and some clothes—Kandis learns she must head out in search of her purpose in the grand destiny. Unsuited for physical combat, she’ll have to rely on her wits and charm to survive. Of course, that won’t be easy. Wherever Worldwalkers go, trouble follows. Whether it’s a feral fox, a treacherous wizard, a thirsty vampire, or something much, much bigger, it’s simply the nature of the Great Game. And Kandis better not lose . . .
On the surface, this is a relatively standard isekai LitRPG. The worldbuilding is fairly standard and having a female protagonist isn't completely unheard of. But saying it's common or unoriginal would be doing this story a disservice.
I really liked Kandis and I liked even better that the blurb is completely wrong about "someone angry" being her first experience in the new world. Her first encounter is a farm couple who are kind and understanding and do their best to give her a solid start in her new role as a worldwalker. Further, this set a great tone the story that followed. Yes, there are jerks and even criminal schemers plotting evil, but Kandis doesn't have a hard time finding friends and helpers along the way, either.
And I really liked her creative approach, starting with maximizing her charisma and seeing how things went from there. This lead her to a class with illusion at its base and meant that she would have to approach challenges sideways. Which she did very well, I think, particularly with how the author drew from her background as a financial risk analyst. Her musings about risk/reward and test/revise cycle hit my nerd spot dead on—and without slowing the pace or being intrusive. And I liked how the author threw in social challenges as contests the system would acknowledge. Which meant the author also had to deliver believable verbal combat with clear win and loss conditions. A challenge they actually delivered elegantly and that's way harder than it looks.
The ending, while abrupt, isn't really a cliffhanger, but it did lose some of my sympathy. Enough to drop half a star, but since it was riding a clean five stars all along I'm going to round up anyway. I'm very interested in the next once it's out and I hope it lives up to this outstanding start.
A note about Chaste: There is no romantic interest in this story so there isn't even a little kissing. I consider it very chaste.
3.5 🌟 I liked the focus on charisma based/social combat (though there was a good ammont of focus on physical combat as well) which you don't normally see. I feel like the cut away to other characters midway through was jarring and threw the momentum of the story off, and the ending just kind of happened, which was a bit of a dissapointment. But all together good!
This was so weird! I thought I’ve read Litrpg before but I guess I haven’t because all the stats and levels up and these distracting update messages for skills were new to me. I’m not sure I enjoy it but I did finish it and I am going to read the next one.
The common critique of these types of books stand true for this one, there is a certain lack of emotion and human feeling going around. You expect a person to be grateful to people who help them along the way but our heroine saw the father of her friend(new friend but still) get murdered in front of her but was within seconds impressed by the rewards she got in the dungeon level he defeated for her. Like “Ooh! Cool! Shiny! That will be useful!” kind of reaction. I was all ??? have a little heart lady.
It is somehow rewarding though to watch her level up and I like that a lot of the ‘fights’ are actually just her overcoming difficult social interactions and some political intrigue. That means you’re following behind a fairly competent and bright heroine with some tricks up her sleeve others don’t expect.
It took me a while to really get into this book, but I'm happy I didn't drop it after all.
The audio narration by Katherine Littrell was really competent, even if the Aussie accent does take some getting used to 😅.
The Good
The main intrigue of this book is actually quite good, even though it's barely mentioned in this volume (or at least not enough for my liking). While we focus on the MC, I like that there are other world walkers across the world having to deal with their own brand of culture shock. The real story picks up around about a third of the book and the secondary characters are well fleshed out; while their first function is info dump, it's done elegantly enough not to be glaring. I also really liked that the system didn't become the bloody story. That's rare in the subgenre.
The Less Good
There is something desultory, almost clinical, about the narration tone that made relating to the MC rather hard for me. Especially in her lack of empathy for human death. There was not enough in her backstory to explain her callousness. That bothered me throughout the book. I somehow wanted more of the other isekaied folks to put the MC into perspective and maintain a link to the greater scheme of things.
The Bad
The status sheets! The bloody status sheets! I know it works fine in print, but in an audiobook, it's just... Argh!! The end of the book was too abrupt. I don't know if the book is a repackaging of a web novel, but that was not well done.
The Conclusion
I enjoyed it! I haven't enjoyed Gamelit in quite a while! I will look for the next one.
Interesting system with all kinds of social battles outside of combat. Makes for fun interactions especially navigating around nobles. Definitely a series to continue.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
An isekai based on social intrigue is an exciting concept.
The general story was excellent, as was the overall character development. The whole thing was readily a five star right up till the VERY abrupt ending. While there was enough closure to keep it from being a cliffhanger, it was still incredibly jarring.
My enjoyment of this book was kind of up and down. It started off pretty well. The overall story itself isn't new. A typical Isekai brought to another world story. There were a few things that stood out. The MC was female which only happens in a minority of these type of stories. I listened to the audiobook and the MC was Australian. The author also seemed to take into account that the MC was a woman. A woman is different from a man. They have different strengths and weaknesses. Most of these stories try to ignore that aspect. This one didn't. The MC was given +1 to charisma due to being a woman instead of the +1 to strength that a man would have gotten. She decided to lean into the charisma stat and picked a magic system around that aspect. She chose illusion magic. Her strengths were geared toward intelligence, intrigue, deception and misdirection.
So, it started off pretty strong. Something a little different. That is why I was a little disappointed in what happened over the next couple of hours in the audiobook. It turned into a typical dungeon run. She fought monsters and leveled up. It pretty much ignored her entire build. My enjoyment started to wain at that point. It started out as a 4-star story and dropped to a 3-star story if not less. Then the author redeemed herself in my eyes. The ending of the book was much more in line with what I was expected which caused the rating to go back up. Not quite back to what it could have been due to middle section of the book but enough to get me to read the next book.
The premise has potential in that the main character does not know their purpose and do not have high direct combat prowess. That is somewhat intriguing.
The bad: 1) Stats. I got an audio book, so I was suck having the stats read to me each time. While it can be somewhat meditative to some people, it was not for me. 2) Who is the MC? We get some hints about MC's previous life but we do not know them as a person and its not helped by the setting. The setting has many moments where Mc does not chose something because of their own wit but instead are driven to set actions by their stats, for example its not that they have a poker face or restraint but its their skills points that allow an action/inaction. Which undermines the character and their characterization. For example empathy of the character is all over the place and some of the actions are outright puzzling. "game" skills don't actually feel like "real" skills and feel less earned because of early lucky breaks and one carrying the MC at one point. 3)Foreshadowing. There is a small divergence were we switch to POV of 2 other summoned heroes and their first days, neither of whom are connected to anything yet. While contrast in their treatments was something, the integration was not organic or relevant to the ongoing story. 4) MC friendships were unconvincing and side characters were somewhat thin. Perfectly serviceable if I was playing at the table but lacking for a read.
This was an interesting read. Kandis is sitting at her computer one min and then the next she is naked in a barn and sees words floating across her vision talking about her "stats", and now she has to survive and grow stronger in this new world with people and possible Gods breathing down her neck.
So I've read a lot of isekai manhwa before but I generally like to read from a female protagonists POV so there are not a lot of level/ranking/dungeon focused ones I've found (recs for both books and manhwa welcome) So this book was a good time for me with the word building + magic system.
I also liked Kandis as a character...overall..but more so after the initial introduction where some of her reactions didn't read well for me. ( Plus her strange "oh well"🤷🏻♀️ detachment when Was pretty detached.)
However, I was interested in the scope of the world, what the powers at be are trying to accomplish, the other champions, and how far her character can go.
I liked the book and binged read it in one sitting but the book has a lot of flaws.
The good: 1. The writing flowed nicely and made for an easy non-fatiguing read. 2. Interesting Litrpg system. 3. Overall story was intriguing.
The bad: 1. Neglecting reflection over events that SHOULD have evoked emotion in the character 2. Inconsistent behaviour. 3. The beginning felt really unnatural and stilted. Should have either spent more time there or removed it.
So I have to admit, I’m actually on what we probably be considered the 2nd book in the series. I will keep my review only to this book. I will start out by saying it’s a great book to read of MC in the transporter to a new world and has to find her way. The character does not go the traditional hack and slash route. Instead, she goes for illusion. I won’t say anything more. Now the beginning read like a story of red before just a very first few chapters when she’s getting her feet up under her, but after that, when she branches out into the world begins the world for what it is. A place for opportunity and she takes advantage of these opportunities. I don’t want to spoil anything but she is not overpowered instead, she is a thinker and comes up with creative solutions to problems.
This is a book I recommend five stars, and if you read this book, go online, find the other chapters and read those as well. If you’re like me, you won’t want to wait until the second book in the series drops.
I am familiar with the concept and how repetitive it can be. I picked it up because of that. I wanted something to turn my brain off to and it delivered and more.
I listened to the audiobook, instead of reading it. I would not recommend it to be honest. Not that the audio book is bad in any sense, it is actually great. It's the amount of information that thrown to you in the notifications that is the issue. For example, she read the info of some of the abilities in the first chapter and I had forgotten all of it 5 minutes later. It is essential to the book, but even when I was paying my full attention, I was still going back minutes to re-listen to the explanation.
All in all, I like the FMC. She is smart and even though she has the plot armour, it's more shuttle and only comes on when in dire situations. So there are mistakes or decisions that she does and doesn't get away with. The book tries to play fair and I appreciate it.
I will definitely continue the series and hope that it doesn't disappoint.
This book is strange. The writing quality could definitely improve. It wasn't as engaging as it should/could have been. The story was interesting and had potential to be more, but it felt like the author was in a hurry. The first few chapters felt like a bit of an info dump, albeit in the form of the MC figuring out the system. I don't have anything against stats but the sheer volume in the first few chapters was a bit much, and I'm not all of the explanations really made sense to me. The book was shorter than average (not unusual for the genre) but by the time I hit the halfway point, the main 'issue' and the solution to it felt like the amount of content typical of a first book in a series, crammed into half of an already short book. Another example of the author rushing was when the MC finally reveals to her friends that she's a Worldwalker. It's supposed to be this big thing and best kept a secret, so I was curious how they'd react. "I told them my story". That's it. That's how it's done, as little more than a footnote in an unrelated paragraph. I completely missed it at first and was confused when the MC's friends casually mentioned her being a Worldwalker. I thought the author had missed something major until I went back and found that one line. Then there's what others say about the ending. It's definitely sudden. It feels like the end of the story arc, but it's unsatisfying in the extreme. It's entirely possible it's not the end and will be continued in the next book, but the ending for this book suggests otherwise. I may read the sequel but I doubt I'll bother with any more if they're written. If you skip this book you wouldn't be missing much.
(1) The protagonist tries to apply scientific thinking to the magic system and performs actual experiments to test hypotheses. Better done than I've generally seen elsewhere.
(2) The protagonist uses their background as a...financial analyst (I think) to lean into modernizing the local economy. I found this much more convincing than the "oh, I will just re-invent the light bulb / gun / internet from earth and the locals will fall over themselves in awe" attempts that I've seen elsewhere.
(3) Social dynamics are directly embedded into the magic system with Bargain / Persuade / Intrigue / Intimidate and similar skills and XP awards for winning "Social Contests". I wish other litRPG authors would consider this type of thing. As a entwined benefit, social contests lead to more personal interactions and world building and less endless mindless combat.
Very good read. A pretty typical Isekai with a magic system and gods and goddesses. However, its very well done and has a lot of unique features. I especially liked the social battles and the MC’s illusion magic. It leads to a lot of comedy and intrigue. The MC’s charm is also a nice touch. She’s a bad ass in her own way, but in a pretty dangerous and confusing world, there are a lot of threats. I like the two settings and how the MC deals with nobles, especially the ones she comes to tutor. Quite a nice relationship between them. Looking forward to future volumes.
Overall a fresh take on the Genre. Marvelous to have social interactions be meaning full and part of the xp/combat mechanics of the system. Still the usual complaint about the genre though. Stat sheets are on the one hand necessary but on the other quickly become padding to increase the page count. These particular stat sheets are initially informative and necessary, but they are reprinted in total to many times. To all authors in this genre, remember the purpose of stat sheets is most often served with a simple posting of the changes and not the entire sheet. Keep the focus on the main elements of plot and character which make for good fiction in any genre. In this case those two elements are strong enough to overcome the overuse of stat sheet reprints.
Promising premise, could have benefitted from a good editor or test readers, to weed out repetitive word use and jarring, abrupt moments. The book turns a bit sloppy around halfway through, with sudden jumps in the story that aren't described, just happened outside of the readers "view". Also, who doesn't react to a significant death AT ALL? Like, she didn't even blink an eye, or feel bad for the relatives, wtf? She felt more from killing a fox than any human dying. It just doesn't line up, she's not described as a sociopath or anything otherwise.
I enjoyed this. There aren't that many LitRPG stories out there with a female protagonist. She knows nothing about physical fighting so must rely on her intelligence and charm (she smartly goes heavily into charisma in the beginning). I thought that the system was well developed and not everything that gives experience is fighting. Some parts where a little slow, but I liked the development. I definitely would read another in the series.
I liked it, and it took me until the second book to realize why I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to - the MC acts out empathy and builds relationships, but doesn’t palpably miss the people she’s not with. Very much a love the one you’re with approach to life and it didn’t feel true to me. I really liked the quant aspect, but ultimately this is not going to be a re-read for me.
This books is just like an rpg game but the main character is a lot different. She uses her brains and has that beauty that can captivate anyone. To top it all off, she has magic that is considered support magic. I can tell this book will hit differently from the normal isekai being born to overpower the world. I enjoyed reading this book.
The story was alright, the MC is quite likeable and there are some interesting side characters. The ending however was very sudden and not all that well done.
I enjoyed reading about an intelligent protagonist that did not just rush forward with a sword and hoped for the best. I was very disappointed that there were no part two, I will definitely buy it when it comes out.
Very original and different Isekai book than I though, great story, awesome characters, nice world! For once not an overpowered MC.. The book is quite long and reads pretty much as two differents parts of the same story
A solid start, stats get a bit too much in the way initially but the author bothers to at least give the illusion that they matter to the narrative. Most of this is building the foundation for the better second book
The world walker idea is rather nice. The lack of a good epilogue is extremely annoying. We leave the story not safe, not happy and with no temporary resolutions.
First book by this author, and I'm pleased to say I'm hooked. What would you do if you wake up in a new world? Blue screen in your face, choices to make, and a world to explore
This series is fantastic :). I absolutely love when an author steps away from the normal path of a genre. This series features a 'social combat' system and I think it is amazing. Hopefully more people find tis.
Nice relaxing LitRPG. I enjoyed the take on social contests. All the stats go a little overboard sometimes, especially in the audio version. All in all I really enjoyed it, but was not completely hooked (like with Carl for example).
Solid LitRpg with a focus on Social Skills rather than combat ones (though there is also combat too). A few minor typos and an abrupt ending are the only thing keeping this from a 5 star story.