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Ghost of the Truthseeker #1
Ghost of the Truthseeker 1
Earth is initiated, and Alistair finds himself in a dangerous new world…
On a day like any other, an alien descends to Earth, unleashing untold death and destruction. Alistair watches the live news footage of the carnage, his eyes glued to the image of impossible power made manifest.
The alien’s arrival kicks events into motion that no one could have predicted. Earth is prematurely initiated into a universe-spanning empire of cut-throat cultivators, beasts, and entities of ungodly power – all guided by a mysterious AI System.
The System’s first quest? Kill someone.
Amidst the chaos, Alistair must make a choice. Will he fight for the sake of power, or stand against the forces of evil?
His decision will alter the threads of destiny.
Separated from his family and friends, Alistair must find his way through a new world where power is obtained through conflict – and cultivation leads to the insurmountable Peak.
Whatever it takes, he will secure his own path to eternity.
Dive into a cultivation story with LitRPG apocalypse elements, including classes, skills, monster waves, and a progression system full of secrets and possibilities. Perfect for fans of Defiance of the Fall and The Primal Hunter!
A top serial on Royal Road, now professionally edited and available on Amazon and Audible narrated by Daniel Wisniewski. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited today!
On a day like any other, an alien descends to Earth, unleashing untold death and destruction. Alistair watches the live news footage of the carnage, his eyes glued to the image of impossible power made manifest.
The alien’s arrival kicks events into motion that no one could have predicted. Earth is prematurely initiated into a universe-spanning empire of cut-throat cultivators, beasts, and entities of ungodly power – all guided by a mysterious AI System.
The System’s first quest? Kill someone.
Amidst the chaos, Alistair must make a choice. Will he fight for the sake of power, or stand against the forces of evil?
His decision will alter the threads of destiny.
Separated from his family and friends, Alistair must find his way through a new world where power is obtained through conflict – and cultivation leads to the insurmountable Peak.
Whatever it takes, he will secure his own path to eternity.
Dive into a cultivation story with LitRPG apocalypse elements, including classes, skills, monster waves, and a progression system full of secrets and possibilities. Perfect for fans of Defiance of the Fall and The Primal Hunter!
A top serial on Royal Road, now professionally edited and available on Amazon and Audible narrated by Daniel Wisniewski. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited today!
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2023
649 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 30, 2023
You could supply an Amazon packing center for a week with all the cardboard in this story. Character, worldbuilding, plot, it's all surface, at best. It has zero depth and I can't even tell you the (obviously unintended) horror of the scene where they're cheerleading a five year-old killing an unconscious orc.
If you don't mind a shallow story with stuff happening on the say-so of the author, more power to you. For me, this is one-star dreck I wish I hadn't bothered with. I will say that's a very lovely cover, though...
If you don't mind a shallow story with stuff happening on the say-so of the author, more power to you. For me, this is one-star dreck I wish I hadn't bothered with. I will say that's a very lovely cover, though...
April 2, 2023
Book one
While the editing is fine, the writing is just bad. Another story were everything is just handed to the MC. He is incredibly stupid. No looting at all except for a map marble that just happened to fall out of a pocket. Does he bother to check any bodies after this? No he doesn't.
The MC is supposed to be good of heart and yet guilt trips a four year old into killing an unconscious monster.
Gets handed a stack of money for no reason not long after being told that the conversion of old money to new was at terrible rates.
The entire confrontation with the senator was laughably stupid.
The MC used a steak knife to stab a guy in the neck from behind. The rest of the time this plot armoured idiot is running around killing armed and armoured enemies with his bare hands while wearing no armour himself.
Hey don't worry about that though because he took a little kickboxing, but never contact fighting because he was afraid of head trauma. And he has super speed! Doesn't need any time to get used to it. Is mostly sure footed and can bounce around the bad guys like a pingpong ball!
Another MC that can kill above his level too! Levels, skills, and badges are easier to get then it is to change your underwear.
There is no build up, no sense of danger. Lots of fighting but no sense of struggle.
It's just bad.
.05/10 The MC should have been dead in his first fight even with his sneak attack.
Can not and would not recommend.
While the editing is fine, the writing is just bad. Another story were everything is just handed to the MC. He is incredibly stupid. No looting at all except for a map marble that just happened to fall out of a pocket. Does he bother to check any bodies after this? No he doesn't.
The MC is supposed to be good of heart and yet guilt trips a four year old into killing an unconscious monster.
Gets handed a stack of money for no reason not long after being told that the conversion of old money to new was at terrible rates.
The entire confrontation with the senator was laughably stupid.
The MC used a steak knife to stab a guy in the neck from behind. The rest of the time this plot armoured idiot is running around killing armed and armoured enemies with his bare hands while wearing no armour himself.
Hey don't worry about that though because he took a little kickboxing, but never contact fighting because he was afraid of head trauma. And he has super speed! Doesn't need any time to get used to it. Is mostly sure footed and can bounce around the bad guys like a pingpong ball!
Another MC that can kill above his level too! Levels, skills, and badges are easier to get then it is to change your underwear.
There is no build up, no sense of danger. Lots of fighting but no sense of struggle.
It's just bad.
.05/10 The MC should have been dead in his first fight even with his sneak attack.
Can not and would not recommend.
March 30, 2023
-2stars for reading the WHOLE status screen for checking a small addition to status or the whole subsection of the status when something is added there. It feels like word padding everytime it's done. I get it for kindle but for audiobooks it really doesn't work
April 11, 2023
This is the first book I've read from this author.
Alistair is with his two roommates and his girlfriend when the apocalypse strikes. They watch in growing horror as a man comes down from the heavens and wreaks havoc on the Earth. He starts Asia, moving through Russia until he gets to Europe. He kills billions using only his sword.
In compensation, The Final Frontier Universe gives the citizens of Earth priority status to join the rest of the Universe. Earth is inducted, and Alistair ends up with a screen only he can see. The First Quest which everyone receives is to kill a sapient creature.
So far, so good. This is fairly standard LitRPG apocalypse fare with a few nice twists. Alistair comes down on the lawful good side of things by savings strangers from certain death and then helping them get their first kill.
It helps that orcs are invading this area of the Boston suburbs, which means it isn't necessary to kill your fellow humans. Not everyone gets that message. Once Alistair has a few levels under his belt he starts eradicating the rest of the orcs as best he can.
I'll stop the recap there. I liked the book for what it was. The final scenes were far too drawn out for my taste, but that's fine. The two problems I found were inconsistencies with the story, and poor editing.
The first inconsistency I noticed was on the badges. Each person can claim badges for doing certain things, and they usually have positive modifiers (e.g., all stats increase by 7%). Alistair keeps buying space for more badges, but at one point he's given an extra 200 badge slots. Later on, he buys another badge slot, and then a further update tells us he now has 100 badge slots.
The second problem is the editing. There are wrong words, misspelled words and the like. I know editors are expensive, but this book should do well enough to justify getting one.
All in all, I enjoyed this. The stats are ever present, and the tables don't get too big. Alistair is the kind of guy you can get behind. I'm looking forward to reading book two. 5/5*
Alistair is with his two roommates and his girlfriend when the apocalypse strikes. They watch in growing horror as a man comes down from the heavens and wreaks havoc on the Earth. He starts Asia, moving through Russia until he gets to Europe. He kills billions using only his sword.
In compensation, The Final Frontier Universe gives the citizens of Earth priority status to join the rest of the Universe. Earth is inducted, and Alistair ends up with a screen only he can see. The First Quest which everyone receives is to kill a sapient creature.
So far, so good. This is fairly standard LitRPG apocalypse fare with a few nice twists. Alistair comes down on the lawful good side of things by savings strangers from certain death and then helping them get their first kill.
It helps that orcs are invading this area of the Boston suburbs, which means it isn't necessary to kill your fellow humans. Not everyone gets that message. Once Alistair has a few levels under his belt he starts eradicating the rest of the orcs as best he can.
I'll stop the recap there. I liked the book for what it was. The final scenes were far too drawn out for my taste, but that's fine. The two problems I found were inconsistencies with the story, and poor editing.
The first inconsistency I noticed was on the badges. Each person can claim badges for doing certain things, and they usually have positive modifiers (e.g., all stats increase by 7%). Alistair keeps buying space for more badges, but at one point he's given an extra 200 badge slots. Later on, he buys another badge slot, and then a further update tells us he now has 100 badge slots.
The second problem is the editing. There are wrong words, misspelled words and the like. I know editors are expensive, but this book should do well enough to justify getting one.
All in all, I enjoyed this. The stats are ever present, and the tables don't get too big. Alistair is the kind of guy you can get behind. I'm looking forward to reading book two. 5/5*
April 8, 2023
The worst kind of MC combined with bad writing
It has been a while since I disliked a character so much, the MC would make a great antagonist. A self righteous white knight with an ego and zero common sense. Combine that with juvenile dialogue, plot holes, inconsistencies, and contradictory information throughout the story. I have a hard time believing the positive reviews are legitimate. It's like a self insert for one of those guys that no one wants to be around.
It has been a while since I disliked a character so much, the MC would make a great antagonist. A self righteous white knight with an ego and zero common sense. Combine that with juvenile dialogue, plot holes, inconsistencies, and contradictory information throughout the story. I have a hard time believing the positive reviews are legitimate. It's like a self insert for one of those guys that no one wants to be around.
July 5, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
This book comes from a web serial on RR. One of the big things that you need to put in your mind as you come into it is that you will see repeated sentences/descriptions as you go through it. They could've definitely done a better job of final edit for the publish.
It also seems like it's the author's first writing, so there are some rough edges as you go along.
With all that being said, I found it very entertaining and it has a lot of potential. If you like to consume content, there's a ton of material already available that the author will be publishing on KU. This won't make you spend 30-40 minutes after contemplating your life, but you will be entertained (if you can get past the stuff I mentioned above)
This book comes from a web serial on RR. One of the big things that you need to put in your mind as you come into it is that you will see repeated sentences/descriptions as you go through it. They could've definitely done a better job of final edit for the publish.
It also seems like it's the author's first writing, so there are some rough edges as you go along.
With all that being said, I found it very entertaining and it has a lot of potential. If you like to consume content, there's a ton of material already available that the author will be publishing on KU. This won't make you spend 30-40 minutes after contemplating your life, but you will be entertained (if you can get past the stuff I mentioned above)
September 11, 2023
I'm entirely new to litRPG so take my review with a grain of salt.
I've been interested in litRPG books for a while now, and when I saw this book go on sale for $1 I decided to finally give it a go. I was immediately entranced by the story, the way it was written was very easy to follow and I consumed pages very quickly, Strungbound stopped very few times to give a mental image of the surroundings, only when it was necessary, which is welcome as some times authors stop to explain very simple things like how trees or houses look, but at the same time the mental image of most places on earth suffered from this. Characters get a very short physical description of them once and they are never reinforced again, causing the reader to forget their features later on.
The very first story beats were very interesting and probably the peak of my interest in the book. Learning all the mechanics of the world was fun for someone who loves video games, especially RPGs. But I do have to say the story became very stale once alliances were established and it felt like it would be something akin to a generic zombie story where a random dude becomes a dictator of a huge group, in this case, Anthony Ricci. As if Strungbound was reading my mind and knowing I was losing interest, he immediately did a 180° and started the Felons vs. Fellows arc where not only do we get to see other cultivators duking it out to survive or win prizes, but we also get a huge lore dump. Learning all about this planet, the Final Frontier Empire, and how they operate, getting to know people from different races, and why some human concepts exist in the Empire. After this whole arc ends and the participants power up significantly, especially Anthony and Alistair, we finally have their final confrontation which felt like a really long yet very tense fight scene across various chapters.
Now here are some complaints I have that didn't stop me from enjoying the book until the very end but it still nagged me in the back of my head as I was reading:
- Things get too complex too soon: While Alistair keeps doing pretty much the same during the entire book (using [Dash], [Hand of Karma] and [Mana Strike]) there's too many concepts and mechanics introduced that I feel just serve to add a mental toll on the reader of things to remember. Stuff like the upgrade paths, every upgrade in those paths, the concept of Dao that I think wasn't explained fully properly (and the fact it acts like a resource but we don't see a number for it like Mana), the realms of cultivation which feel extremely intangible at this point and another ruler to measure the power scaling once levels don't matter.
- The power scale is weird: The last stat screen we see in the book in chapter 37, Alistair has exactly 1024 stat points, with his Agility almost in 200. By the end of the book and 5 levels more, he must be nearing the 1500 stat total. I'm new to litRPG books so I don't have a frame of reference, and maybe Strungbound wanted something insane like Disgaea's stats, but I feel in book form it only serves to remove impact from the numbers, with percentage-based boosts it just feels it will eventually reach an exponential point where there's people with millions of stat points. Heck, it's implied some beings have reached higher realms of cultivation, and I'm pretty sure they could just wipe entire planets just by looking at them.
- Alistair is kinda bland: I won't deny I related with Alistair a bunch, and it feels like I would've done the same as him in most of the situations in this story. Whenever I play games where I can choose to be good or evil, I will most likely choose to be the goody two shoes that helps everyone and will reject a reward for my good deeds. And while I understand even his Subclass requires Alistair to be this way, I feel most of the time he's a bland character. It would've been cool to see him progress in his personality along the book, maybe being more selfish or cowardly and finding the resolve to help others after failing to save people several times, but it feels as if he was born to be a white knight since the beginning, and his personality doesn't help at all, since he feels like a bland NPC most of the time. I'm guessing this was by design so the reader could feel in Alistair's shoes. It's very common in games, but it ultimately feels hollow when it comes to books.
My conclusion: While I had some issues with the book, and some moments where the pacing could've been changed to either make things go faster or maybe remove some unnecessary moments, I did end up enjoying the book. I understand Strungbound wants this to be a long series with 10+ books, I just hope we get to know more of the world of the Final Frontier Empire and cultivation in general, which I felt was the strongest point of the story.
Plot Summary (mainly for my future self if I need to refresh my memory):
In the beginning, Alistair Tan is an ordinary college student whose life takes a drastic turn when the alien cultivator, Atavius Meloi, devastates Earth, leading to a billion casualties. The Final Frontier Empire intervenes, initiating him and all humans into their ranks, tearing him apart from his girlfriend and friends, and thrusting Alistair into a harsh world of survival. Amidst the chaos, the Empire deploys the Pathfinder AI, and Alistair encounters the rise of ruthless orcs, setting the stage for his journey.
In the middle of the story, Alistair teams up with Alexandra Lykaios after both find themselves loners and together they confront the orc menace. Along the way, they rescue Donna and Tamia, a mother-daughter duo, and Oliver Cambry, a teenage necromancer falsely accused of murder. As they gain strength and allies, they join the New Boston Alliance, a formidable group led by Sofia Mostafa, and face a lawless tyrant, Anthony Ricci, in a dangerous region.
As the story progresses towards its climax, a universe-wide tournament called Felons vs. Fellows emerges, challenging the most powerful initiates on Earth. Alistair faces trials, forms unexpected alliances, and evolves as a cultivator. The narrative intensifies as he confronts Anthony, Xanathar, and Carmen Romero in the tournament's final rounds, making critical decisions that have repercussions beyond the arena.
Ultimately, the story takes a tragic turn as Alistair must face the consequences of his choices, culminating in a decisive battle against Anthony. The aftermath of their conflict leaves him in a bittersweet victory, with the loss of Sofia and a burden of negative Karma. The tale concludes with Alistair and his allies rebuilding and facing an uncertain future.
I've been interested in litRPG books for a while now, and when I saw this book go on sale for $1 I decided to finally give it a go. I was immediately entranced by the story, the way it was written was very easy to follow and I consumed pages very quickly, Strungbound stopped very few times to give a mental image of the surroundings, only when it was necessary, which is welcome as some times authors stop to explain very simple things like how trees or houses look, but at the same time the mental image of most places on earth suffered from this. Characters get a very short physical description of them once and they are never reinforced again, causing the reader to forget their features later on.
The very first story beats were very interesting and probably the peak of my interest in the book. Learning all the mechanics of the world was fun for someone who loves video games, especially RPGs. But I do have to say the story became very stale once alliances were established and it felt like it would be something akin to a generic zombie story where a random dude becomes a dictator of a huge group, in this case, Anthony Ricci. As if Strungbound was reading my mind and knowing I was losing interest, he immediately did a 180° and started the Felons vs. Fellows arc where not only do we get to see other cultivators duking it out to survive or win prizes, but we also get a huge lore dump. Learning all about this planet, the Final Frontier Empire, and how they operate, getting to know people from different races, and why some human concepts exist in the Empire. After this whole arc ends and the participants power up significantly, especially Anthony and Alistair, we finally have their final confrontation which felt like a really long yet very tense fight scene across various chapters.
Now here are some complaints I have that didn't stop me from enjoying the book until the very end but it still nagged me in the back of my head as I was reading:
- Things get too complex too soon: While Alistair keeps doing pretty much the same during the entire book (using [Dash], [Hand of Karma] and [Mana Strike]) there's too many concepts and mechanics introduced that I feel just serve to add a mental toll on the reader of things to remember. Stuff like the upgrade paths, every upgrade in those paths, the concept of Dao that I think wasn't explained fully properly (and the fact it acts like a resource but we don't see a number for it like Mana), the realms of cultivation which feel extremely intangible at this point and another ruler to measure the power scaling once levels don't matter.
- The power scale is weird: The last stat screen we see in the book in chapter 37, Alistair has exactly 1024 stat points, with his Agility almost in 200. By the end of the book and 5 levels more, he must be nearing the 1500 stat total. I'm new to litRPG books so I don't have a frame of reference, and maybe Strungbound wanted something insane like Disgaea's stats, but I feel in book form it only serves to remove impact from the numbers, with percentage-based boosts it just feels it will eventually reach an exponential point where there's people with millions of stat points. Heck, it's implied some beings have reached higher realms of cultivation, and I'm pretty sure they could just wipe entire planets just by looking at them.
- Alistair is kinda bland: I won't deny I related with Alistair a bunch, and it feels like I would've done the same as him in most of the situations in this story. Whenever I play games where I can choose to be good or evil, I will most likely choose to be the goody two shoes that helps everyone and will reject a reward for my good deeds. And while I understand even his Subclass requires Alistair to be this way, I feel most of the time he's a bland character. It would've been cool to see him progress in his personality along the book, maybe being more selfish or cowardly and finding the resolve to help others after failing to save people several times, but it feels as if he was born to be a white knight since the beginning, and his personality doesn't help at all, since he feels like a bland NPC most of the time. I'm guessing this was by design so the reader could feel in Alistair's shoes. It's very common in games, but it ultimately feels hollow when it comes to books.
My conclusion: While I had some issues with the book, and some moments where the pacing could've been changed to either make things go faster or maybe remove some unnecessary moments, I did end up enjoying the book. I understand Strungbound wants this to be a long series with 10+ books, I just hope we get to know more of the world of the Final Frontier Empire and cultivation in general, which I felt was the strongest point of the story.
Plot Summary (mainly for my future self if I need to refresh my memory):
In the beginning, Alistair Tan is an ordinary college student whose life takes a drastic turn when the alien cultivator, Atavius Meloi, devastates Earth, leading to a billion casualties. The Final Frontier Empire intervenes, initiating him and all humans into their ranks, tearing him apart from his girlfriend and friends, and thrusting Alistair into a harsh world of survival. Amidst the chaos, the Empire deploys the Pathfinder AI, and Alistair encounters the rise of ruthless orcs, setting the stage for his journey.
In the middle of the story, Alistair teams up with Alexandra Lykaios after both find themselves loners and together they confront the orc menace. Along the way, they rescue Donna and Tamia, a mother-daughter duo, and Oliver Cambry, a teenage necromancer falsely accused of murder. As they gain strength and allies, they join the New Boston Alliance, a formidable group led by Sofia Mostafa, and face a lawless tyrant, Anthony Ricci, in a dangerous region.
As the story progresses towards its climax, a universe-wide tournament called Felons vs. Fellows emerges, challenging the most powerful initiates on Earth. Alistair faces trials, forms unexpected alliances, and evolves as a cultivator. The narrative intensifies as he confronts Anthony, Xanathar, and Carmen Romero in the tournament's final rounds, making critical decisions that have repercussions beyond the arena.
Ultimately, the story takes a tragic turn as Alistair must face the consequences of his choices, culminating in a decisive battle against Anthony. The aftermath of their conflict leaves him in a bittersweet victory, with the loss of Sofia and a burden of negative Karma. The tale concludes with Alistair and his allies rebuilding and facing an uncertain future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
Tried and true, I guess...
Very formulaic offering. Everything in the book I had read already. I seriously thought about stopping this book and going back to reread Cradle.
Sorry, I can not recommend it.
Very formulaic offering. Everything in the book I had read already. I seriously thought about stopping this book and going back to reread Cradle.
Sorry, I can not recommend it.
January 23, 2024
Interesting, but a bit flat
This one is very fast paced, full of action and explosive battles and if you enjoy that, then you'll have a great time.
It fell flat for me because too many details were skipped over, and the overall narrative seemed to fade in and out of importance in favour of having more fight scenes. Also the characters suffered from "instant changes" to behaviour and speech patterns about halfway through that is not explained.
The "cultivation" aspects of the progression system aren't explained... barely at all. Prime example being the MC gains a couple of abilities fairly early on relating to ghosts, uses them constantly, but the effects and how the ability works isn't actually explained until almost the end of the book. In fact the progression options are largely glossed over in most cases. Which, on one hand does keep the pace of events rapid. On the other hand it's teasing us with information but then never delivering.
This skipping ahead with info also causes massive discrepancies with the MC suddenly knowing things that we never see them learn about at any point. Or we're never told who taught them in the rare occasions where it's something they learned recently. Meaning, many characters start doing things... and as the reader you're left feeling like "ok... what was that?" And you just have to go with it.
Dao energy; super important part of this cultivation system... never explained once and doesn't even show up when the character checks his status. You just have to go with it that he suddenly knows about Dao now. And so does everyone else apparently.
Skills and abilities; the same but different, everyone else seems to have about 50 of them while being lower or equal level as the MC. He only has about 10, if that. He even gets a chance to buy a few at one point but just... doesn't. Yet he complains about needed to shore up certain weakness with new skills, but doesn't try when the opportunity comes?
Very frustrating, as I could have seen myself enjoying this a lot more if the cultivation and systems in general were explained more clearly.
This one is very fast paced, full of action and explosive battles and if you enjoy that, then you'll have a great time.
It fell flat for me because too many details were skipped over, and the overall narrative seemed to fade in and out of importance in favour of having more fight scenes. Also the characters suffered from "instant changes" to behaviour and speech patterns about halfway through that is not explained.
The "cultivation" aspects of the progression system aren't explained... barely at all. Prime example being the MC gains a couple of abilities fairly early on relating to ghosts, uses them constantly, but the effects and how the ability works isn't actually explained until almost the end of the book. In fact the progression options are largely glossed over in most cases. Which, on one hand does keep the pace of events rapid. On the other hand it's teasing us with information but then never delivering.
This skipping ahead with info also causes massive discrepancies with the MC suddenly knowing things that we never see them learn about at any point. Or we're never told who taught them in the rare occasions where it's something they learned recently. Meaning, many characters start doing things... and as the reader you're left feeling like "ok... what was that?" And you just have to go with it.
Dao energy; super important part of this cultivation system... never explained once and doesn't even show up when the character checks his status. You just have to go with it that he suddenly knows about Dao now. And so does everyone else apparently.
Skills and abilities; the same but different, everyone else seems to have about 50 of them while being lower or equal level as the MC. He only has about 10, if that. He even gets a chance to buy a few at one point but just... doesn't. Yet he complains about needed to shore up certain weakness with new skills, but doesn't try when the opportunity comes?
Very frustrating, as I could have seen myself enjoying this a lot more if the cultivation and systems in general were explained more clearly.
April 7, 2023
Received as an audio review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Extraordinarily narrated by Daniel Wisniewski, comes this badass and epic litrpg adventure that begins in harrowing fashion. One moment life was normal for Alistair and his friends, the next moment the world they understand is plunged into harrowing nightmare as everything is lit on fire. Initiated into a galactic empire, humanity finds itself battling not only vicious monsters stalking the streets but each other as they settle into a really life game where leveling up means money, strength and survival. Alistair could be like any other asshole and murder all around him to become something no one wants to take on... yet he tries to hold on to this humanity by becoming a protector to those in the most need as Alistair becomes a wicked tough fighter that leads with fists. As Alistair and the allies he comes to trust take on an ever crazy world of gladiator games, ruthless cultivators; they discover every choice matters and have haunting consequences and trusting each other is everything as they head into a grand all out war with a man that wants to be the dark tyrant of this world. Filled with intense descriptive battles that are full of shock and awe as they care enthralling to poignant moments that are gut wrenching that remind you of the high stakes humanity is embroiled in. This beauty of series beginning ends hauntingly as darkly as it started. Definitely highly recommended.
March 31, 2023
A solid mix of cultivation and litrpg
Overall this book is solid. Reminds me a bit of its predecessors like Defiance of the Fall in the system set ups and badges that work like titles. The MC is a paladin/monk mix mostly with some other abilities thrown in. Overall his abilities as of now feel a little scattered, but I think they will all come together as the story progresses. The supporting characters were decent, though there was a romantic tension thing going on with one that seemed a little forced. Also at the beginning of the book our MC is with his room mates and girlfriend, and we never hear more out of them during book 1 at all. Also for another character close to him.
The action was pretty good, though I have questions about the final villain that were not answered in book 1. Also it ends in a weird spot, that might be due to it being from Royal Road originally. Overall I’d rate this as a decent filler book between options that are honestly better. I will be picking up book 2 when it comes out.
Overall this book is solid. Reminds me a bit of its predecessors like Defiance of the Fall in the system set ups and badges that work like titles. The MC is a paladin/monk mix mostly with some other abilities thrown in. Overall his abilities as of now feel a little scattered, but I think they will all come together as the story progresses. The supporting characters were decent, though there was a romantic tension thing going on with one that seemed a little forced. Also at the beginning of the book our MC is with his room mates and girlfriend, and we never hear more out of them during book 1 at all. Also for another character close to him.
The action was pretty good, though I have questions about the final villain that were not answered in book 1. Also it ends in a weird spot, that might be due to it being from Royal Road originally. Overall I’d rate this as a decent filler book between options that are honestly better. I will be picking up book 2 when it comes out.
January 7, 2025
Not sure if this is bad writing or bad editing, but it isn't good.
There's a decent - albeit generic- system apocalypse story hidden in here about a college kid climbing his way through the leaderboards to become one of the strongest on earth. There's an initial world-building phase, some kind of tournament that opens up the universe and a psychopath antagonist to drive the story. All the elements are here, but the execution is plain bad.
It feels like huge chunks of info were just cut out. Not sure if they were edited out or were never there in the first place, but it makes the entire book feel more like a highlight reel than an actual story. The skill tree system never gets a decent explanation and our MC keeps investing in random "skill leaves" with no noticeable effect instead of actually upgrading his abilities. There's references to training arcs and conversations that never happened...
My guess is someone went through the original, selected full chapters they deemed as not necessary, fully deleted them without adjusting and called this edited and ready for kindle.
There's a decent - albeit generic- system apocalypse story hidden in here about a college kid climbing his way through the leaderboards to become one of the strongest on earth. There's an initial world-building phase, some kind of tournament that opens up the universe and a psychopath antagonist to drive the story. All the elements are here, but the execution is plain bad.
It feels like huge chunks of info were just cut out. Not sure if they were edited out or were never there in the first place, but it makes the entire book feel more like a highlight reel than an actual story. The skill tree system never gets a decent explanation and our MC keeps investing in random "skill leaves" with no noticeable effect instead of actually upgrading his abilities. There's references to training arcs and conversations that never happened...
My guess is someone went through the original, selected full chapters they deemed as not necessary, fully deleted them without adjusting and called this edited and ready for kindle.
July 24, 2023
Absolute dumpster fire
At first I was really interested in this book; however, that changed very quickly. The main character is about as one dimensional as they come. The only thought in his head is basically “I must get stronger for justice”! Granted his entire justice thing is just a pointless excuse to try and give him more hidden power.
The worst thing though was the pacing of this book. Literally it went from 0-1000 and stayed there! We jumped around so much I felt like I got whiplash trying to keep up, and literally every one of these situations accomplished nothing more than MC got stronger at no cost.
I forced myself to finish this book out of hope that it would get better, but it didn’t. It just got worse as I went. Honestly one of the worst litrpg books I have read.
At first I was really interested in this book; however, that changed very quickly. The main character is about as one dimensional as they come. The only thought in his head is basically “I must get stronger for justice”! Granted his entire justice thing is just a pointless excuse to try and give him more hidden power.
The worst thing though was the pacing of this book. Literally it went from 0-1000 and stayed there! We jumped around so much I felt like I got whiplash trying to keep up, and literally every one of these situations accomplished nothing more than MC got stronger at no cost.
I forced myself to finish this book out of hope that it would get better, but it didn’t. It just got worse as I went. Honestly one of the worst litrpg books I have read.
April 9, 2023
What will be in Alisair’s future?
I enjoyed this book, and I’m interested to see where things go from here. I don’t know that we got a satisfactory explanation for Anthony and his capabilities. He wasn’t ever so significantly over Alistair’s level that his dominance quite made sense to me.
Also, where did he get his money, knowledge, and Dao inspiration? Because it certainly didn’t come off like Anthony was some great meditator in the nature of Time.
I felt that the combination of levels and cultivation was clunky, but I think that it was intentional since the Pathfinder AI is considered a low grade add on. Does that mean that Alistair will be able to switch to straight cultivation as he progresses?
I enjoyed this book, and I’m interested to see where things go from here. I don’t know that we got a satisfactory explanation for Anthony and his capabilities. He wasn’t ever so significantly over Alistair’s level that his dominance quite made sense to me.
Also, where did he get his money, knowledge, and Dao inspiration? Because it certainly didn’t come off like Anthony was some great meditator in the nature of Time.
I felt that the combination of levels and cultivation was clunky, but I think that it was intentional since the Pathfinder AI is considered a low grade add on. Does that mean that Alistair will be able to switch to straight cultivation as he progresses?
June 5, 2023
3.5 stars; this could have been a lot shorter. Fight scenes, particularly the finale, went on far too long. Status screens also could have been compressed/summarized more often too.
As for the MC, I'm not sure. I dislike idealistic characters as a matter of course, but at least his do-gooding is incentivized by the system. Otherwise he wasn't too bad, but nothing special.
One structural weakness is his combat style. It takes him the whole book to get a ranged attack, only for it not be useful against peer-level enemies. If there's a book two this must addressed, as there are only so many times I can read about him running straight at someone to punch them. His enemies would easily counter his one-dimensional attacks even with the tricks he picks up late in the book.
As for the MC, I'm not sure. I dislike idealistic characters as a matter of course, but at least his do-gooding is incentivized by the system. Otherwise he wasn't too bad, but nothing special.
One structural weakness is his combat style. It takes him the whole book to get a ranged attack, only for it not be useful against peer-level enemies. If there's a book two this must addressed, as there are only so many times I can read about him running straight at someone to punch them. His enemies would easily counter his one-dimensional attacks even with the tricks he picks up late in the book.
July 22, 2023
I really enjoyed listening to Daniel Wisniewski narrate Ghost of the Truthseeker as Alistair learns to deal with the new apocalyptic system imposed on our world. A world changed and full of danger never to be the same. As Alistair quickly works on his stats and strengths to not only protect himself but others in his neighborhood. Even he's surprised when he receives a badge for “Deliverance of Justice”. So yeah grab the book and sit back.
I love being surprised by a book! A great actor Toshiro Mifune stared in a movie about this great man and finding a quote about him just blew me away:
"Six meters, yet they still walked one foot forward, hunched over, holding their katanas in the vein of Musashi Miyamoto. Five meters."
I love being surprised by a book! A great actor Toshiro Mifune stared in a movie about this great man and finding a quote about him just blew me away:
"Six meters, yet they still walked one foot forward, hunched over, holding their katanas in the vein of Musashi Miyamoto. Five meters."
April 4, 2024
A litrpg by someone who doesn't play rpgs?
Writing pretty mid, but would have kept reading it if it weren't for two things:
Stat system is weird and inconsistent. MC starts at 10 as a college kid. Then at level 2 he puts 2 points in strength and is "near the limit of human ability". At the end of the first day people are faffing about with 50 strength and 20 con yet somehow trading blows without getting one-shot.
The other part is the writer includes cultivation terms for no apparent reason other than to misuse them. "Eyes of karma" is a lie detection skill, wtf does karma have to do with lies?
Tbh the book reads like a ghostwriter was hired to write a litrpg, asked chatgbt what a litrpg is then ran with it.
Writing pretty mid, but would have kept reading it if it weren't for two things:
Stat system is weird and inconsistent. MC starts at 10 as a college kid. Then at level 2 he puts 2 points in strength and is "near the limit of human ability". At the end of the first day people are faffing about with 50 strength and 20 con yet somehow trading blows without getting one-shot.
The other part is the writer includes cultivation terms for no apparent reason other than to misuse them. "Eyes of karma" is a lie detection skill, wtf does karma have to do with lies?
Tbh the book reads like a ghostwriter was hired to write a litrpg, asked chatgbt what a litrpg is then ran with it.
June 11, 2023
can’t wait for the next one
Really liked how human the MC was, something that quickly gets lost in a lot of LitRPG. It probably helped that the MC wasn’t the most OP character in the story, and it’s a strong sense of frailty/inadequacy that keeps people’s egos in check. Certainly that was the case with Earth’s big bads in this story—they were absolutely certain of their invulnerability, so hubris abounded until they got skewered. Other characters were also very human, like Sofia, a cold hard woman who also deeply cared about her people. No cardboard cutouts in the cast list. Now I just want a sequel or two, please…
Really liked how human the MC was, something that quickly gets lost in a lot of LitRPG. It probably helped that the MC wasn’t the most OP character in the story, and it’s a strong sense of frailty/inadequacy that keeps people’s egos in check. Certainly that was the case with Earth’s big bads in this story—they were absolutely certain of their invulnerability, so hubris abounded until they got skewered. Other characters were also very human, like Sofia, a cold hard woman who also deeply cared about her people. No cardboard cutouts in the cast list. Now I just want a sequel or two, please…
June 12, 2023
So I have to be honest and say that this book really had some issues in the pace of the plot in several places it felt like the plot was overly slow and very cliché. The cultivation system is lacking in anything original it's everything you've read in every other cultivation/apocalypse series. Now with that being said. I think this was pretty good book, as in way above average while still nowhere near the top 10, well known and written Cultivation series like Cradle, Defiance of the Fall, He Who Fights With Monsters and The Primal Hunter.
September 2, 2023
starts good then quality drops massively
First 30-40% is really good and well detailed for a system apocalypse and then after that it’s like a different author all together. Things go from show to tell, new things will be introduced in throw away sentences with no how or why like a system shop pill and never told what else is in the store etc.
The second half felt incredibly rushed with almost not depth just being told this happened, then this happened… ending up skimming the last 20% i was so uninvested by that point. Won’t read the 2nd novel in this series.
First 30-40% is really good and well detailed for a system apocalypse and then after that it’s like a different author all together. Things go from show to tell, new things will be introduced in throw away sentences with no how or why like a system shop pill and never told what else is in the store etc.
The second half felt incredibly rushed with almost not depth just being told this happened, then this happened… ending up skimming the last 20% i was so uninvested by that point. Won’t read the 2nd novel in this series.
September 4, 2023
Diving headfirst into a thrilling blend of science fiction and fantasy, "Ghost of the Truthseeker 1" is a pulse-pounding adventure that introduces readers to Alistair, a protagonist caught in a world-transforming event. When an alien invasion brings chaos and power beyond imagination, Alistair faces a choice: embrace the ruthless path to power or stand against evil. The story's dynamic exploration of morality, resilience, and the pursuit of destiny is complemented by rich world-building and intense action. Strungbound crafts a gripping narrative that leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next installment."
November 20, 2023
Fascinating but confusing
If you take the book at face value then you will have a fun adventure, especially with a little imp tagging along.
However, if you try to go deeper, this book throws twisting archer at you that don't make sense. And when the author himself cannot fully explain what happened in the storyline, he talks about system trickery.
First half of the book is fast paced and fascinating in a video game way while the second half goes deep into the idea of Dao without truly exposing when the characters received their Dao abilities.
Have fun!!
If you take the book at face value then you will have a fun adventure, especially with a little imp tagging along.
However, if you try to go deeper, this book throws twisting archer at you that don't make sense. And when the author himself cannot fully explain what happened in the storyline, he talks about system trickery.
First half of the book is fast paced and fascinating in a video game way while the second half goes deep into the idea of Dao without truly exposing when the characters received their Dao abilities.
Have fun!!
March 29, 2023
New LitRPG - Great Start to Series (more please)
No spoilers:
This story is great. Liked the action. Read and sometimes listened on Audible while driving. MC was likable and grew in power at a good clip. I hope there is another book soon.
The universe and world building are vast and leaves room for an extensive series. Definitely recommend for fans of LitRPG like Defiance of the Fall and other with cultivation and game mechanics tied together.
Give this a read or listen.
No spoilers:
This story is great. Liked the action. Read and sometimes listened on Audible while driving. MC was likable and grew in power at a good clip. I hope there is another book soon.
The universe and world building are vast and leaves room for an extensive series. Definitely recommend for fans of LitRPG like Defiance of the Fall and other with cultivation and game mechanics tied together.
Give this a read or listen.
April 4, 2023
Big disapointment in the book. The book has a epic level on monologe and doesnt go far enough showing the reader/listener of the world. The next thing is Anthony, he takes whatever the book built and flushed out and turns it into a back yard fight with a sociopath.
So in the end the big run up was just another fight with a Human piece of trash. Everything else that happened before the fight, I forgot about. That's how much this character took away from the book.
So in the end the big run up was just another fight with a Human piece of trash. Everything else that happened before the fight, I forgot about. That's how much this character took away from the book.
December 17, 2024
this is a good book with a good start. it is really gritty at the start and then evolves into continental wars when everyone starts to grow in power. The main character is truthful and a good MC with morals which in turn helps him grow in power more than the other people of earth. I liked that because you do not really see that in books that have you grow in power as you kill stuff. It was a nice change of pace and I read the book in a day because it was that good.
November 27, 2025
Great world build, but horrible main character
From the beginning the author wrote that the main character had no common sense. And he never got any. So many authors seem to believe they have to make their MC stupid to have somewhere to grow from. I find this very annoying.
The world building is decent and interesting enough to keep you engaged. But a stupid MC will take you out of the story every time. Needless to say, I will NOT be reading anymore of this series.
From the beginning the author wrote that the main character had no common sense. And he never got any. So many authors seem to believe they have to make their MC stupid to have somewhere to grow from. I find this very annoying.
The world building is decent and interesting enough to keep you engaged. But a stupid MC will take you out of the story every time. Needless to say, I will NOT be reading anymore of this series.
April 2, 2023
KU Review
Pretty cool apocalypse story with a blend of rpg and cultivation. Really liked the accidental nature of it and how the compensation is nearly as bad as the event. Good read.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Pretty cool apocalypse story with a blend of rpg and cultivation. Really liked the accidental nature of it and how the compensation is nearly as bad as the event. Good read.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
April 4, 2023
Good for the beginning!
This was quite good for the beginning, though something was not quite right to truly capture the spirit of a cultivation story. I will have to go through the next book to see how it plays out. But overall this was not a bad start. I look forward to reading the next novel in this series.
This was quite good for the beginning, though something was not quite right to truly capture the spirit of a cultivation story. I will have to go through the next book to see how it plays out. But overall this was not a bad start. I look forward to reading the next novel in this series.
April 9, 2023
Good, but...
I liked this book, really I did.
Two problems, though.
One, the pacing is all over the place. There are parts that 20 minutes are spent on a single encounter, but less than 30 seconds is spent on cultivation.
Two, the ending. It's just there. No epilogue or anything.
If there is a sequel, I'll give it a shot.
Recommended, but with caveats.
I liked this book, really I did.
Two problems, though.
One, the pacing is all over the place. There are parts that 20 minutes are spent on a single encounter, but less than 30 seconds is spent on cultivation.
Two, the ending. It's just there. No epilogue or anything.
If there is a sequel, I'll give it a shot.
Recommended, but with caveats.
April 14, 2024
The first 3/4 of this books were really fun & engaging. There are a lot of common troupes but it’s written well and world itself is compelling. The scale of everything feels very big, from early on it’s clear that Alister is a very small cog in this massive universe. The last act was pretty flat, it didn’t land for me personally but overall still had a good time with it so 3.5/5 🌟
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