Some things cannot be bought for cash. Not even a pot of gold would buy you those coveted tally marks on the blackboard. Rumor has it that this year's leaders will receive an unusual reward from the Emperor himself. The exact nature of that reward is a mystery to everyone. What is absolutely clear though is that the number of prizes is limited, and just about everyone wants them. So let the battle begin—in the hearts and minds, within the school walls, on training grounds, and even in the streets of the capital city. This will be the ultimate test of one's strength and cunning. It will be fair—and not. It will be bloodless—and the stuff of one's worst gory nightmares. And the winner will take all. Brace yourselves, boys and girls. The battle for the rankings is about to kick off.
Arthur Stone is the pen name of one Arthur Smirnov, a prolific author in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Born in 1973 in Donetsk, Ukraine, Arthur worked as a geologist, and also in the environmental sector and industrial archeology all over the world. He lives and works in Ukraine. Arthur began writing fiction in 2005 on a bet, and thus his addiction was born. His first book was published in 2006, and by mid - 2025 he had published a total of 84 books in Russian, English and German-speaking markets.
Mistakes: I've listed those I found on Goodreads. I also sent them to the publisher, so maybe they will get fixed.
I find Arthur Stone to be a great story teller. I've enjoyed reading his work even though I don't always give them the best reviews. This is usually due to poor editing. Most of the mistakes I found in this book were later in the story.
Plot: Just some good adventuring. I wish it had been a bit longer.
Let me preface this by stating I really enjoy this series despite the ever lengthening periods between the release dates. Despite my enjoyment of the previous installments this one is not just disappointing it seems little more than filler for an author experiencing writer's block. The book is not just short, it is triple spaced between paragraphs turning a modest 350 pages or so into and effective 250-275 pages of actual story. Worse yet, this short story covers little more than a week in the life of the hero. Truth be told little other than excessive pointless verbal diatribe and a couple quick trips to the labyrinth occur prior to the last 30 pages of the book, during which the only significant actions of the story occur. Were this story edited for content and the excessive verbal diatribe reduced to something more reasonable, you would get little more than 4 or 5 chapters at the beginning of the book fans of this series might have been hoping for. Instead we have to wait for the next installment and hope the author has overcome his writer's block.
Trust me Mr. Stone when I say that extremely convoluted chaotic and downright overly extensive character build systems hurt the story more than they help. At least a third of this book is the protagonists character build. Add to that the low number of pages of the book and this is a real problem. Really this part should have been added to the last book. Don't get me wrong I love all your series but I've started to gloss over all the stats because it's just too confusing. When I read Cheaters story I thought that was overly confusing but at least I could still follow along without detracting from the a
I can't decide whether it's the action or the humor that keeps me page turning long into the night. Yes series is one of the best of its genre. Please don't miss out on a good time by not checking out this entire series. To be honest, I lime this authors work in other series as well. Don't cheat yourself by not investing a few sleepless nights. Thank you Mr. Stone!
This story of a reborn guy born into a failed old noble house as a zero rating for his first thirteen years of his new life was a great read. In this book he’s the number one student with richer clans trying to kill him for his spot. Also his Chuck Norris name is outed.
Much too short but I enjoyed every second. I love his characters and the complex, intelligent system design. Start from the beginning of course, but a wonderful addition to the series.
It’s a good read though it ends rather abruptly. I will continue reading and hopefully we get more story advancement in the next installment. The main character grew very little in this one.
A very good read the story is strong enough to keep me reading all the way through the righting itself is excellent and the righting itself is excellent loved the book from start to finish