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The Immortal Great Souls #2
The Rascor Plains
Scorio thought victory was within his grasp. He had bested the Final Gauntlet and overcome the treachery of Chancellor Praximar. But the Rascor Plains are full of peril, and his quest for truth has only just begun.
With his friends scattered and his reputation in tatters, Scorio must navigate a web of intrigue that stretches from the powerful House Hydra and the Fiery Shoals to the mysterious forces that govern the Plains. He will face foes both human and inhuman, and confront the darkest secrets of his world.
Beware the fiends, for they hunger for your soul. Beware your allies, for they may break your heart. And beware Scorio, for he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
With his friends scattered and his reputation in tatters, Scorio must navigate a web of intrigue that stretches from the powerful House Hydra and the Fiery Shoals to the mysterious forces that govern the Plains. He will face foes both human and inhuman, and confront the darkest secrets of his world.
Beware the fiends, for they hunger for your soul. Beware your allies, for they may break your heart. And beware Scorio, for he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
554 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2023
724 people are currently reading
1019 people want to read
About the author
Phil Tucker
49 books1,326 followersThanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
November 20, 2025
This and plenty more awesome reviews posted on: littafi.com
Scorio is back and out for blood!
Preamble:
He's as relentless as ever before in this second installment to the great progression fantasy offering from Mr. Tucker, The Immortal Great Souls.
Synopsis:
After a series of unfortunate events that leads the group of misfit Immortal Great Souls to serious catastrophies, they nevertheless emerge transformed into various ascendent levels with our main protagonist shaping up to be a real power to reckon with as the plot unfolds through the rest of the books to come.
Thoughts:
As with the first book, the world-building is phenomenal and is greatly expanded upon with the introduction of numerous other characters and terrifying monsters from beyond, reminiscent of Eldritch horrors of the Lovecraftian mythos that adds plenty more flavor to the gist of our plot and I'm really loving where it's going.
Conclusion:
Epic battle scenes, awesome and amazing magic and progression system coupled with a mystical world lore...very highly recommended! for fans of this genre and fantasy that contains fantasmagoric world-building and out-of-this world magic.
The Immortal Great Souls #1 Review
Scorio is back and out for blood!
Preamble:
He's as relentless as ever before in this second installment to the great progression fantasy offering from Mr. Tucker, The Immortal Great Souls.
Synopsis:
After a series of unfortunate events that leads the group of misfit Immortal Great Souls to serious catastrophies, they nevertheless emerge transformed into various ascendent levels with our main protagonist shaping up to be a real power to reckon with as the plot unfolds through the rest of the books to come.
Thoughts:
As with the first book, the world-building is phenomenal and is greatly expanded upon with the introduction of numerous other characters and terrifying monsters from beyond, reminiscent of Eldritch horrors of the Lovecraftian mythos that adds plenty more flavor to the gist of our plot and I'm really loving where it's going.
Conclusion:
Epic battle scenes, awesome and amazing magic and progression system coupled with a mystical world lore...very highly recommended! for fans of this genre and fantasy that contains fantasmagoric world-building and out-of-this world magic.
The Immortal Great Souls #1 Review
March 30, 2025
Lesson learned from book 2: Don't get on Scorio's bad side. ✍✍
This book jumped straight in after the events of book 1 and the first like 10% of it were very much action-packed and fast-paced. The middle dragged a bit though and I felt like we were going no where but then THAT happened almost halfway and everything just clicked and snowballed and it was NON-STOP ACTION!!!
Scorio my guy! Omg I love this man!!! He is such a complex character and he just keeps getting better and better; seriously an amazing character arc! I need him and Naomi to be a thing please I beg😭
Excited to get to book 3 soon!!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scorio I couldn't stay away for too long😭
Bullied Chatgpt into generating another Scorio image😶🌫️
(there is no official fanart..yet?)
This book jumped straight in after the events of book 1 and the first like 10% of it were very much action-packed and fast-paced. The middle dragged a bit though and I felt like we were going no where but then THAT happened almost halfway and everything just clicked and snowballed and it was NON-STOP ACTION!!!
Scorio my guy! Omg I love this man!!! He is such a complex character and he just keeps getting better and better; seriously an amazing character arc! I need him and Naomi to be a thing please I beg😭
Excited to get to book 3 soon!!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scorio I couldn't stay away for too long😭
Bullied Chatgpt into generating another Scorio image😶🌫️
(there is no official fanart..yet?)
December 5, 2024
Watch my video review by clicking here.
A slow start turns into an absolutely spectacular rest of the book. Overall, even better than the first book and a wonderful addition to the subgenre of progression fantasy.
A slow start turns into an absolutely spectacular rest of the book. Overall, even better than the first book and a wonderful addition to the subgenre of progression fantasy.
March 15, 2024
Quantics Quandry! Loser Claims Triumphant Toad Cheated! "Well, Nox barked, burped, and croaked his way to Quantic victory using a whole bunch of novel melodic strategies. Now he's dominating the spawning pools and about to become an Emperor Wraith Toad! He must've had help! Someone coached him! I reckon it was a Great Soul!" - Nup - The Quantics Quibbler
Secondary character Nox is always fun, and so is this book.
The first novel, Bastion was an awesome read and this is even better. This story is modern epic fantasy at the top of the genre. Sanderson, Fiest, Erikson, Tucker ... all awesome story tellers.
Marvelously inventive, logically coherent, brilliantly told. I'm left wanting to find out what happens next to Scorio and his friends (those that survive!!!).
Go out and read this series.
I'm starting the third book today.
Strongly Recommended, '5 Against All Odds,' stars
Secondary character Nox is always fun, and so is this book.
The first novel, Bastion was an awesome read and this is even better. This story is modern epic fantasy at the top of the genre. Sanderson, Fiest, Erikson, Tucker ... all awesome story tellers.
Marvelously inventive, logically coherent, brilliantly told. I'm left wanting to find out what happens next to Scorio and his friends (those that survive!!!).
Go out and read this series.
I'm starting the third book today.
Strongly Recommended, '5 Against All Odds,' stars
April 3, 2023
OH MY GOODNESS
The first 30-40% of the book was a sort of drag, and I couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was heading. Where was the advancement and adventure I craved from the first novel of the series? It was a slow build, sure, but boy oh boy did it set up for the last 50% of the book. I couldn’t put it down. It was worth it. This book was the perfect refresher from all the half-assed, quick released web novels that have been coming out as of late. This is going to be one of my favorite reads of 2023 for sure.
The first 30-40% of the book was a sort of drag, and I couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was heading. Where was the advancement and adventure I craved from the first novel of the series? It was a slow build, sure, but boy oh boy did it set up for the last 50% of the book. I couldn’t put it down. It was worth it. This book was the perfect refresher from all the half-assed, quick released web novels that have been coming out as of late. This is going to be one of my favorite reads of 2023 for sure.
April 2, 2023
Enjoyable, but badly edited (or not at all?)
Having enjoyed reading the first book in this series, I was looking forward to the further adventures of Scorio and company. Plot wise I found the book enjoyable and full of drama, big events and many ups and downs, and the ending was decently satisfying. I do however have one major criticism, and that is that this book is absolutely riddled with errors. I don’t think I can even recall the last book I read that was this badly edited. It’s horrendous. Every page has at least one or two spelling errors or misplaced words, where is looks like the author had started writing a sentence one way, then switched gears to write it in another way. Every. Single. Page. It’s incredibly jarring and it gives the impression that the book was churned out in haste and with very minimal checking of work. I mean, we’re living in the age of highly advanced digital assistants and AI, so there’s really no excuse. Even running things through Grammerly would have been sufficient to catch most of the errors. Authors…please check your work, or have someone else do it for you.
Having enjoyed reading the first book in this series, I was looking forward to the further adventures of Scorio and company. Plot wise I found the book enjoyable and full of drama, big events and many ups and downs, and the ending was decently satisfying. I do however have one major criticism, and that is that this book is absolutely riddled with errors. I don’t think I can even recall the last book I read that was this badly edited. It’s horrendous. Every page has at least one or two spelling errors or misplaced words, where is looks like the author had started writing a sentence one way, then switched gears to write it in another way. Every. Single. Page. It’s incredibly jarring and it gives the impression that the book was churned out in haste and with very minimal checking of work. I mean, we’re living in the age of highly advanced digital assistants and AI, so there’s really no excuse. Even running things through Grammerly would have been sufficient to catch most of the errors. Authors…please check your work, or have someone else do it for you.
May 22, 2023
The world is out to get me trope. Just FOCUS Phil!
I feel that Phil Tucker feels like the world is out to get him and is translating that bitterness into Scorio's story.
There are a lot of incomprehensible things going on through the story that just don't even begin to make sense when you get through the points of it, such as big ole lies by a cut throat amoral group to pander to good ole perfect moral mr accountability Scorio.
But what's more is that no matter what it is that Scorio does, no one ever starts to treat him better. Everything is massive hypocrisy, massive mistreatment, massive penal colony, manipulation and torture. And Scorio is about as bright as a bag of rocks.
If you do bother with this and get to 56% you'll see exactly what I mean. The very FIRST conclusion to be drawn is the last one reached by Scorio. But, plot armor. Gotta keep him naive even after 7 months of brutal hell and pain as everyone continues to abuse him and refuses to treat him well. I mean, open your eyes man, seems pretty clear all the fed nonsense to bring you there was a clear lie. But WHY lie to him? For Jova? For the extremely flimsy thread of "package deal" when they sorta are just kinda walking the same direction and barely talk or know each other? These master minds that manipulate so thoroughly their 40 followers get in on the conspiracy for directly acting towards this 1 person and gaslighting him and his 3 friends of the crew to mislead them of supposed good intentions, lying so thoroughly about how wonderful they are for 7 freaking months? That many people that are that amoral and thuggish wouldn't begin to hold up a conspiracy for more than a week.
In every rag review that kills me, it is the psychology, when things can not hold up to a simple occams razor, and the psychology gets absurd and unbelievable, that's when I have to drop the 1 or 2 star reviews. Especially when it seems the author is just venting their own bitterness at the unfairness of the world. Every story needs conflict. But unending nonstop bitter vitriolic hypocritical nonsensical mistreatment by everyone save 2 or 3 all but powerless sidekicks that sort of are kind of there? Come. On.
And the one shoulder shrugs that EVERYONE does. Individuals have idiosyncrasies. If EVERYONE does a one shoulder shrug, it's just a shrug. Seeking a word count? A page number amount? Filling in as much as possible with silly descriptors? There was also a rule in creative writing and composition my teachers instructed, keep the vocabulary to the widest audience reach possible, but Phil is trying for PhD grad level where he constantly has to define the words or descriptors so anyone has a clue what he just said. Things you would have to be an anthropologist or archaeologist to know, a geologist to know, just extremely specialized words. I have been reading high level fantasy and fiction all my life, and this just feels like trying to impress himself. Like I said in my review of his first book, it's like he has an SAT thesaurus out as he writes. And chooses the most obscure word, then adds the defining description and contextualizes it, creating a totally unnecessary paragraph that distracts from the scene and flow.
I continue with the story because at the HEART of it, its a decent STORY, but the author's bitterness, victimhood, endless hypocrisy and just lack of balance in acts, the impossibility of tasks gets in the WAY of it.
FOCUS.
I feel that Phil Tucker feels like the world is out to get him and is translating that bitterness into Scorio's story.
There are a lot of incomprehensible things going on through the story that just don't even begin to make sense when you get through the points of it, such as big ole lies by a cut throat amoral group to pander to good ole perfect moral mr accountability Scorio.
But what's more is that no matter what it is that Scorio does, no one ever starts to treat him better. Everything is massive hypocrisy, massive mistreatment, massive penal colony, manipulation and torture. And Scorio is about as bright as a bag of rocks.
If you do bother with this and get to 56% you'll see exactly what I mean. The very FIRST conclusion to be drawn is the last one reached by Scorio. But, plot armor. Gotta keep him naive even after 7 months of brutal hell and pain as everyone continues to abuse him and refuses to treat him well. I mean, open your eyes man, seems pretty clear all the fed nonsense to bring you there was a clear lie. But WHY lie to him? For Jova? For the extremely flimsy thread of "package deal" when they sorta are just kinda walking the same direction and barely talk or know each other? These master minds that manipulate so thoroughly their 40 followers get in on the conspiracy for directly acting towards this 1 person and gaslighting him and his 3 friends of the crew to mislead them of supposed good intentions, lying so thoroughly about how wonderful they are for 7 freaking months? That many people that are that amoral and thuggish wouldn't begin to hold up a conspiracy for more than a week.
In every rag review that kills me, it is the psychology, when things can not hold up to a simple occams razor, and the psychology gets absurd and unbelievable, that's when I have to drop the 1 or 2 star reviews. Especially when it seems the author is just venting their own bitterness at the unfairness of the world. Every story needs conflict. But unending nonstop bitter vitriolic hypocritical nonsensical mistreatment by everyone save 2 or 3 all but powerless sidekicks that sort of are kind of there? Come. On.
And the one shoulder shrugs that EVERYONE does. Individuals have idiosyncrasies. If EVERYONE does a one shoulder shrug, it's just a shrug. Seeking a word count? A page number amount? Filling in as much as possible with silly descriptors? There was also a rule in creative writing and composition my teachers instructed, keep the vocabulary to the widest audience reach possible, but Phil is trying for PhD grad level where he constantly has to define the words or descriptors so anyone has a clue what he just said. Things you would have to be an anthropologist or archaeologist to know, a geologist to know, just extremely specialized words. I have been reading high level fantasy and fiction all my life, and this just feels like trying to impress himself. Like I said in my review of his first book, it's like he has an SAT thesaurus out as he writes. And chooses the most obscure word, then adds the defining description and contextualizes it, creating a totally unnecessary paragraph that distracts from the scene and flow.
I continue with the story because at the HEART of it, its a decent STORY, but the author's bitterness, victimhood, endless hypocrisy and just lack of balance in acts, the impossibility of tasks gets in the WAY of it.
FOCUS.
March 31, 2023
The Rascor Plains by Phil Tucker
Just to give you an idea of how much I was looking forward to the next edition of The Immortal Great Souls saga. I was halfway through a Lindsay Broker book (she is one of my go to sci-fi authors) which I was enjoying when offered the opportunity as an ARC reader to review the Rascor Plains. Diving straight into the book was like coming home, it felt like meeting up with old friends, and I had enjoyed the development style from reading Bastion. Watching Scorio, Naomi and friends develop their skills and relationships, as they travelled through the dangers of the plains. Once again fascinated by Nox as a character when they meet up again. The storyline twist and turns and there are so many surprises I lost count. The descriptive ability of the author kept me totally engaged as I watched the story develop. The actions builds as you read on and the ending does not disappoint, it was a masterpiece of ending one book and leaving you begging for the next. Can’t wait to see where Phil takes us next and I for one will be there with great expectations
Just to give you an idea of how much I was looking forward to the next edition of The Immortal Great Souls saga. I was halfway through a Lindsay Broker book (she is one of my go to sci-fi authors) which I was enjoying when offered the opportunity as an ARC reader to review the Rascor Plains. Diving straight into the book was like coming home, it felt like meeting up with old friends, and I had enjoyed the development style from reading Bastion. Watching Scorio, Naomi and friends develop their skills and relationships, as they travelled through the dangers of the plains. Once again fascinated by Nox as a character when they meet up again. The storyline twist and turns and there are so many surprises I lost count. The descriptive ability of the author kept me totally engaged as I watched the story develop. The actions builds as you read on and the ending does not disappoint, it was a masterpiece of ending one book and leaving you begging for the next. Can’t wait to see where Phil takes us next and I for one will be there with great expectations
January 18, 2026
I agree with other reviewers that the first half of the book was a bit dragging and didn't feel like the feverish "can't-put-it-down" experience of the first book, but in the second half, it picked up exponentially, and it was so worth it!
I think it can be inevitable when the second book in a series needs to kinda set the scene all over again for the rest of the story.
Romance is a sidenote here, but all the probable pairing got shuffled, it was quite surprising, but it made a lot of sense how it was done. This is not a romantic book, but it was an interesting bit that I found quite originally done.
Nox is always my favorite, and he makes everything better.
Note: it was very interesting to have the previous book recap in a short isolated pre-chapter at the beginning of the book. I'm reading them back-to-back, so I could skip it, but otherwise, it's very useful to have. It's a much better solution of both no recap at all and having the first chapter being a mix of new info and infodumps on past events as often happens. This way you can choose to read the recap or skip it as needed.
I think it can be inevitable when the second book in a series needs to kinda set the scene all over again for the rest of the story.
Romance is a sidenote here, but all the probable pairing got shuffled, it was quite surprising, but it made a lot of sense how it was done. This is not a romantic book, but it was an interesting bit that I found quite originally done.
Nox is always my favorite, and he makes everything better.
Note: it was very interesting to have the previous book recap in a short isolated pre-chapter at the beginning of the book. I'm reading them back-to-back, so I could skip it, but otherwise, it's very useful to have. It's a much better solution of both no recap at all and having the first chapter being a mix of new info and infodumps on past events as often happens. This way you can choose to read the recap or skip it as needed.
April 5, 2023
The Rascor Plains lived up to all the promise I saw in Bastion and then some.
The Immortal Great Souls has become a new favourite series and i can't wait to see where Tucker takes us next as we travel with Scorio on his epic journey to discover the 'truth' of Hell.
The Immortal Great Souls has become a new favourite series and i can't wait to see where Tucker takes us next as we travel with Scorio on his epic journey to discover the 'truth' of Hell.
April 1, 2023
An excellent continuation!
Scorio and the crew are back once again for the continuation of their epic adventures. This book absolutely does not disappoint. Hang on for another wild ride with plenty of twists and turns.
I am going to make the assumption that you read Bastion, which is what brings you here. If you’re anything like me, then Bastion has quickly become one of your favorite books. The Rascor planes is an excellent continuation of the story. We see continued character growth, and development. Although there are bumps and bruises along the way. We watch our friends gain new powers as they level up. I appreciate how organic the leveling up throughout this series has been. It is not as ungainly, as it is seems in some other litRPG‘s Their relationships also grow as they face challenges and difficulties.
I am trying not to give anything away. But I will say that I do hope some relationships will mend. While Jova has never been one of my favorites, I did hold out hope for her in this book. I am anxious to see where her character goes within the story. Also, Leonis and Lianshi. I adore them. And I genuinely hope they continue to be a big presence in the next book although I am having my doubts. I also appreciated the appearance of characters from early on in Bastion…Nox. That I wasn’t sure we would see again.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to next one. Phil has solidified his place as one of my favorite authors. I should also note that I received this story as an ACR reader. I had four days to read and review this book. And I had no trouble doing so. It was such an easy story to get into and binge.
Scorio and the crew are back once again for the continuation of their epic adventures. This book absolutely does not disappoint. Hang on for another wild ride with plenty of twists and turns.
I am going to make the assumption that you read Bastion, which is what brings you here. If you’re anything like me, then Bastion has quickly become one of your favorite books. The Rascor planes is an excellent continuation of the story. We see continued character growth, and development. Although there are bumps and bruises along the way. We watch our friends gain new powers as they level up. I appreciate how organic the leveling up throughout this series has been. It is not as ungainly, as it is seems in some other litRPG‘s Their relationships also grow as they face challenges and difficulties.
I am trying not to give anything away. But I will say that I do hope some relationships will mend. While Jova has never been one of my favorites, I did hold out hope for her in this book. I am anxious to see where her character goes within the story. Also, Leonis and Lianshi. I adore them. And I genuinely hope they continue to be a big presence in the next book although I am having my doubts. I also appreciated the appearance of characters from early on in Bastion…Nox. That I wasn’t sure we would see again.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to next one. Phil has solidified his place as one of my favorite authors. I should also note that I received this story as an ACR reader. I had four days to read and review this book. And I had no trouble doing so. It was such an easy story to get into and binge.
April 7, 2023
Holy mother of all the hells and the furies of the Gods this book was amazing. Like orgasmic amazing. Like I am vibrating with anxiety and adrenaline. This book is the reason I read fantasy; this book is why I am glad I picked up reading books in the first place. If I don’t read another good book for the rest of the year, 2023 is still legendary for me. Plot, Characters, Action/magic system, perfection.
Plot:
Where do I even begin? While the book was amazing, most would seem to agree that there wasn’t much happening for a good portion in the middle. The first 100 pages were amazing with all the students hunting our group, cool powers and adrenaline inducing moments. After that it slowed down considerably with their meeting with the underground leaders, their journey across the Rascor plains, the rain wall and eventually to the fiery shoals. Them getting attacked by 6 fiends and saved by the White queen was exciting but then it slowed down again up until the Crucible.
That’s not to say that stuff wasn’t engaging, because it was, it really was. It set the groundwork for so much to come later. The house politics, the White Queens accord being subverted, the betrayal, fighting with the manticore members and getting to know them for Scorio to eventually fight and kill them. None of it would have been as cathartic as it was without that first half of the book setting all that up.
With that being said, nothing could have prepared me for that second half. From the moment Scorio was thrown in that crucible it was like Crack. My heart broke seeing Scorio in that state for that long (2 years! I did not see that coming), I haven't seen such a well done and emotionally exhausting “torture” scene since I read the second Great Coats book. I could feel his internal agony bleeding off the page. Kudos to Phil Tucker for communicating that visceral and raw state of his mental and emotional state.
When he started funneling that Gold mana I literally did a fist pump in the middle of work. I was so giddy and excited. His advancement to Flame Vault made me hop up and down. The wings were a little smaller in scale than I was expecting (compared to Jova) but I still really liked it. I think it was a nice touch and really matched his general demon vibe and aesthetic.
Then we started the Hunt. The best scene in the book was just seeing Scorio so overcome with rage and fury mercilessly hunting down Manticore and those that wronged him. It was so cathartic to see Devalos melt in lava, Evelyn fall helplessly after talking so much shit and begging for her life, and the others run for their lives at the sight of Scorio. The scene of Scorio attacking the castle with the rod and their subsequent escape and pursuit was my favorite part. The action was on point, the tension was raised to the max and it was just unabashedly awesome!
His reunion with Noami after 2 years after everything that happened made me cry. No joke, tears rolled down my cheeks. Leonis and Liashi?!?! I did not know Phil Tucker was that brutal!!
Characters:
Scorio: What can I say that hasn’t been said already? I love this man. I support and care about everything he does. Even in the first book I empathize with his thoughts, rage, pain and happiness. When Jova was telling him not to be so happy about his success and even though he agreed that he let it go to his head, I never felt that way. I was happy for him regardless (though I knew it couldn’t last). If Scorio said he wanted to burn the whole world down I would support him, I trust his heart and instincts that much. I love a good revenge story so seeing him lose himself in his hatred and killing intent felt so good.
Leonis and Liashi: Are you kidding me?! I did not see their deaths coming at all!! I cried and denied it to my last breath. Even seeing the tombstone didn’t convince me. I could not stop thinking about it for the rest of the night. And the end where Scorio had to accept that they are different people after being reborn broke my heart all over again. It’s so sad and unfair. The last book ended with 7 people in the group and this one ended with 2, That’s almost too much to bear. It was nice to finally see their tomb spark powers and I hope we do see more of them, I will miss their group friendship.
Jova: Fuck her. Like for real. At first, I thought she was tricked or lied to about Leonis and Liashis’s death and once she saw Scorio again she would immediately defect back to his side. But no, the SOB doubled down and attacked Scorio and Naomi, defended Dameon and even chased them down through a giant storm Rain wall. She went all out on her betrayal, and I will never forgive her. Even her attitude before that pissed me off. How she kept referring to saving all of Bastion as a “pet project” and all that “You’re not the man I thought you were '' bs. Her head was so far up her ass that it was ridiculous. I was so happy Scorio didn’t want to travel with her again. Phil Tucker really knows how to make you hate someone.
Manticore: I have seen some people complain that they were just mustache twirling villains but I liked them. All of them had enough personality and presence to make them stand out in their own right. I think Evelyn’s betrayal hurt the most because I thought she was so pleasant at first. Her talking shit then begging for mercy a second later was fun though. Same with Davalos trying to reason with Scorio. My favorite was Ydrielle’s death and seeing Dameon constantly run like a little bitch from someone 2 levels lower than him. It felt so good.
Praximor: Untimely a great villain.I honestly believe him when he says he cares about raising the next generation of great souls. I also believe he’s delusional about his role in it. He's sadistic, cruel, manipulative and strangely engaging to watch. His fight at the end and death was so cool and well done to me. The culmination of everything we’ve been through. Admittedly I was surprised to see him die so soon but I get it's time to move on to larger threats. I will miss him though
Action/Magic system:
Hands down my favorite part of any fantasy story. I am just in awe of Phil Tucker's imagination and attention to detail regarding all the different abilities. I was floored by how each and every ability we saw felt multifaceted with its own strengths and weaknesses. Like any random character that Scorio took down could be the protagonist of their own story and not just some group of people shooting generic fire balls. I’m talking about blades that cut only flesh and not bone, fireworks that spray glass shards, boomerang attacks that double back, sandstone giants, shattering the air, winged lion riders and so so so so many more. I could go all day listing all the varied and cool abilities we saw. It is so impressive and why this series is so fun to read.
Another aspect I really like is how there are abilities that weren’t strictly combat related, I don't think we saw any of that in the first book. I’ve made the HunterxHunter comparison before but this really feels like that. It also helps with scaling in my opinion, instead of bigger and bigger explosions, we get to see more nuance and compatibility in the fights. It made sense why a Pyre lady with no offensive ability would be scared of someone on a lower rank who is a purely savage fighter. It makes the interactions and confrontations harder to guess the outcome of even if the ranks don’t match up. I like that dynamic more than most other progression fantasy series I’ve read. I think it does it better then even Cradle
Lastly I want to talk about just how multi-faceted combat is. Like I mentioned above it's not just about bigger fire power. There is so much when it comes to fights, there's Mana quality, mana quantity, mana control, shrouds, individual abilities, saturation of the body, heart depth and reactivity and most of all creativity. We saw this in the first book but being able to see so many more abilities and fights in this book really highlighted how well thought out everything is.
World Building:
I don’t have much to say here but not because I didn't enjoy the world, I definitely did. It was so amazing and expansive. I honestly didn’t think we would get to see as much as we did. Hell is truly a wonder and it makes me so excited to see the rest of it. I think my favorite world building aspect was the floating islands. Also can’t wait to see the Iron Weald and Last rock and fight against the Blood Ox.
Super long review as usual but I love this book. The Immortal Great souls is my favorite series of all time along with Cradle and Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Plot:
Where do I even begin? While the book was amazing, most would seem to agree that there wasn’t much happening for a good portion in the middle. The first 100 pages were amazing with all the students hunting our group, cool powers and adrenaline inducing moments. After that it slowed down considerably with their meeting with the underground leaders, their journey across the Rascor plains, the rain wall and eventually to the fiery shoals. Them getting attacked by 6 fiends and saved by the White queen was exciting but then it slowed down again up until the Crucible.
That’s not to say that stuff wasn’t engaging, because it was, it really was. It set the groundwork for so much to come later. The house politics, the White Queens accord being subverted, the betrayal, fighting with the manticore members and getting to know them for Scorio to eventually fight and kill them. None of it would have been as cathartic as it was without that first half of the book setting all that up.
With that being said, nothing could have prepared me for that second half. From the moment Scorio was thrown in that crucible it was like Crack. My heart broke seeing Scorio in that state for that long (2 years! I did not see that coming), I haven't seen such a well done and emotionally exhausting “torture” scene since I read the second Great Coats book. I could feel his internal agony bleeding off the page. Kudos to Phil Tucker for communicating that visceral and raw state of his mental and emotional state.
When he started funneling that Gold mana I literally did a fist pump in the middle of work. I was so giddy and excited. His advancement to Flame Vault made me hop up and down. The wings were a little smaller in scale than I was expecting (compared to Jova) but I still really liked it. I think it was a nice touch and really matched his general demon vibe and aesthetic.
Then we started the Hunt. The best scene in the book was just seeing Scorio so overcome with rage and fury mercilessly hunting down Manticore and those that wronged him. It was so cathartic to see Devalos melt in lava, Evelyn fall helplessly after talking so much shit and begging for her life, and the others run for their lives at the sight of Scorio. The scene of Scorio attacking the castle with the rod and their subsequent escape and pursuit was my favorite part. The action was on point, the tension was raised to the max and it was just unabashedly awesome!
His reunion with Noami after 2 years after everything that happened made me cry. No joke, tears rolled down my cheeks. Leonis and Liashi?!?! I did not know Phil Tucker was that brutal!!
Characters:
Scorio: What can I say that hasn’t been said already? I love this man. I support and care about everything he does. Even in the first book I empathize with his thoughts, rage, pain and happiness. When Jova was telling him not to be so happy about his success and even though he agreed that he let it go to his head, I never felt that way. I was happy for him regardless (though I knew it couldn’t last). If Scorio said he wanted to burn the whole world down I would support him, I trust his heart and instincts that much. I love a good revenge story so seeing him lose himself in his hatred and killing intent felt so good.
Leonis and Liashi: Are you kidding me?! I did not see their deaths coming at all!! I cried and denied it to my last breath. Even seeing the tombstone didn’t convince me. I could not stop thinking about it for the rest of the night. And the end where Scorio had to accept that they are different people after being reborn broke my heart all over again. It’s so sad and unfair. The last book ended with 7 people in the group and this one ended with 2, That’s almost too much to bear. It was nice to finally see their tomb spark powers and I hope we do see more of them, I will miss their group friendship.
Jova: Fuck her. Like for real. At first, I thought she was tricked or lied to about Leonis and Liashis’s death and once she saw Scorio again she would immediately defect back to his side. But no, the SOB doubled down and attacked Scorio and Naomi, defended Dameon and even chased them down through a giant storm Rain wall. She went all out on her betrayal, and I will never forgive her. Even her attitude before that pissed me off. How she kept referring to saving all of Bastion as a “pet project” and all that “You’re not the man I thought you were '' bs. Her head was so far up her ass that it was ridiculous. I was so happy Scorio didn’t want to travel with her again. Phil Tucker really knows how to make you hate someone.
Manticore: I have seen some people complain that they were just mustache twirling villains but I liked them. All of them had enough personality and presence to make them stand out in their own right. I think Evelyn’s betrayal hurt the most because I thought she was so pleasant at first. Her talking shit then begging for mercy a second later was fun though. Same with Davalos trying to reason with Scorio. My favorite was Ydrielle’s death and seeing Dameon constantly run like a little bitch from someone 2 levels lower than him. It felt so good.
Praximor: Untimely a great villain.I honestly believe him when he says he cares about raising the next generation of great souls. I also believe he’s delusional about his role in it. He's sadistic, cruel, manipulative and strangely engaging to watch. His fight at the end and death was so cool and well done to me. The culmination of everything we’ve been through. Admittedly I was surprised to see him die so soon but I get it's time to move on to larger threats. I will miss him though
Action/Magic system:
Hands down my favorite part of any fantasy story. I am just in awe of Phil Tucker's imagination and attention to detail regarding all the different abilities. I was floored by how each and every ability we saw felt multifaceted with its own strengths and weaknesses. Like any random character that Scorio took down could be the protagonist of their own story and not just some group of people shooting generic fire balls. I’m talking about blades that cut only flesh and not bone, fireworks that spray glass shards, boomerang attacks that double back, sandstone giants, shattering the air, winged lion riders and so so so so many more. I could go all day listing all the varied and cool abilities we saw. It is so impressive and why this series is so fun to read.
Another aspect I really like is how there are abilities that weren’t strictly combat related, I don't think we saw any of that in the first book. I’ve made the HunterxHunter comparison before but this really feels like that. It also helps with scaling in my opinion, instead of bigger and bigger explosions, we get to see more nuance and compatibility in the fights. It made sense why a Pyre lady with no offensive ability would be scared of someone on a lower rank who is a purely savage fighter. It makes the interactions and confrontations harder to guess the outcome of even if the ranks don’t match up. I like that dynamic more than most other progression fantasy series I’ve read. I think it does it better then even Cradle
Lastly I want to talk about just how multi-faceted combat is. Like I mentioned above it's not just about bigger fire power. There is so much when it comes to fights, there's Mana quality, mana quantity, mana control, shrouds, individual abilities, saturation of the body, heart depth and reactivity and most of all creativity. We saw this in the first book but being able to see so many more abilities and fights in this book really highlighted how well thought out everything is.
World Building:
I don’t have much to say here but not because I didn't enjoy the world, I definitely did. It was so amazing and expansive. I honestly didn’t think we would get to see as much as we did. Hell is truly a wonder and it makes me so excited to see the rest of it. I think my favorite world building aspect was the floating islands. Also can’t wait to see the Iron Weald and Last rock and fight against the Blood Ox.
Super long review as usual but I love this book. The Immortal Great souls is my favorite series of all time along with Cradle and Dungeon Crawler Carl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2025
Rascor Plains is a better installment in a series I don't even know my relationship with.
I was kind of torn about this throughout the whole course of reading, since I had this weird feeling that is telling you something is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Eventually I figured it out though - and the best way to characterise it is the lack of direction this series as of now has.
Don't get me wrong, when you read it, it's compelling. It's fun, it's interesting, it's creative. You are having a good time, which is something you can't say about every series out there. The problem is just the lack of overarching story. I do not know where we are going, I do not know what is the endgoal going to be, I do not know how Scorio and his friends want to get there. This, along with the very weird pacing that has been kept from book one as a... staple of sort really challenges the traditional way of storytelling. And I do not exactly mean this as a compliment.
Rascor Plains reads like three books in one. Which I am not saying is bad, all three of the parts were very well written and I consider, against my common beliefs, the middle part to be peak literature. What I struggle wth is how disjointed these three storylines feel. In ideal universe this book would be divided into two, with said middle part being the climax to the first part. Second half of the novel would be book two, and it would be expanded upon. Sort of like Best Served Cold. Regarding the storylines though... this man knows how to surprise.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one, much more than in the first. We finally get some proper characterisation, we finally get some proper character only moments, which I was all in for and even first small hints of romance which did not feel forced at all and hence my heart jumped along in happiness.
I am indeed going to be continuing this series momentarily, and I am very sorry for a clunky review. Part of what I was about to say vanished from my head in the three weeks, which is making me mad.
That, and Tucker's obsession with word "Undulate".
3,75*
I was kind of torn about this throughout the whole course of reading, since I had this weird feeling that is telling you something is wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Eventually I figured it out though - and the best way to characterise it is the lack of direction this series as of now has.
Don't get me wrong, when you read it, it's compelling. It's fun, it's interesting, it's creative. You are having a good time, which is something you can't say about every series out there. The problem is just the lack of overarching story. I do not know where we are going, I do not know what is the endgoal going to be, I do not know how Scorio and his friends want to get there. This, along with the very weird pacing that has been kept from book one as a... staple of sort really challenges the traditional way of storytelling. And I do not exactly mean this as a compliment.
Rascor Plains reads like three books in one. Which I am not saying is bad, all three of the parts were very well written and I consider, against my common beliefs, the middle part to be peak literature. What I struggle wth is how disjointed these three storylines feel. In ideal universe this book would be divided into two, with said middle part being the climax to the first part. Second half of the novel would be book two, and it would be expanded upon. Sort of like Best Served Cold. Regarding the storylines though... this man knows how to surprise.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one, much more than in the first. We finally get some proper characterisation, we finally get some proper character only moments, which I was all in for and even first small hints of romance which did not feel forced at all and hence my heart jumped along in happiness.
I am indeed going to be continuing this series momentarily, and I am very sorry for a clunky review. Part of what I was about to say vanished from my head in the three weeks, which is making me mad.
That, and Tucker's obsession with word "Undulate".
3,75*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2023
Great second book
Great book, starts slow like the first one but then the story falls with a rush into a golden pit full of surprises and sweet vengeance.
One note: The author really needs to have more proofreading done to fix some of the spelling errors.
Great second book can’t wait for the third.
Great book, starts slow like the first one but then the story falls with a rush into a golden pit full of surprises and sweet vengeance.
One note: The author really needs to have more proofreading done to fix some of the spelling errors.
Great second book can’t wait for the third.
May 2, 2024
4.5 rounded up
Scorio and pals are at it again! I had a fantastic time with the progression elements, world building and character arcs.
This was one of those books which had me messaging my bestie who loves the series at every turn of events asking what was about to happen.
Tucker has upped the stakes, deepened the world and left me wanting more.
I can’t wait to get to Lastrock later in the year!
Scorio and pals are at it again! I had a fantastic time with the progression elements, world building and character arcs.
This was one of those books which had me messaging my bestie who loves the series at every turn of events asking what was about to happen.
Tucker has upped the stakes, deepened the world and left me wanting more.
I can’t wait to get to Lastrock later in the year!
October 17, 2025
4/5
Very slow start
Loved the ending. Will say that the plot is moving in a way Im not fully into.
I think most people will like this more then book one but part of the premise is being under used imo.
Very slow start
Loved the ending. Will say that the plot is moving in a way Im not fully into.
I think most people will like this more then book one but part of the premise is being under used imo.
April 5, 2023
Better than the first
It’s been a while since I read Bastion but after I got back into this book I could not put it down. My only problem now is having to wait for the next one.
It’s been a while since I read Bastion but after I got back into this book I could not put it down. My only problem now is having to wait for the next one.
October 6, 2024
Rascor plains was a long ride. I had so many faults with this book but strangely I couldn't stop reading, perhaps I enjoyed the progression aspect a bit much.
The book was filled with a lot of adventure, violence and betrayals but I found it lacking in emotions. I couldn't for the life of me care about the hardship and pain the characters faced, I think that was one of the major issues with the book.
The M character Scorio was a bit too dumb and naive, one would expect that after everything he had been through, he would afford to use a bit of sense in his dealings, but I made my peace with the character having dull witts so it didn't bother me much.
The climax was also a bit of a letdown, scorios vengeance didn't feel good. Compared to everything he had been through, the death of his enemies didn't have that finesse I'd wanted, then again he accomplished it the only way he knew how he could, through pure brute force.
In truth while I can fill a whole page with complaints on what could have been done better, the crux of the matter is, I still enjoyed the book, rascor plains was a good read and I'm sure everyone could enjoy it if they Just tempered their expectations.
The book was filled with a lot of adventure, violence and betrayals but I found it lacking in emotions. I couldn't for the life of me care about the hardship and pain the characters faced, I think that was one of the major issues with the book.
The M character Scorio was a bit too dumb and naive, one would expect that after everything he had been through, he would afford to use a bit of sense in his dealings, but I made my peace with the character having dull witts so it didn't bother me much.
The climax was also a bit of a letdown, scorios vengeance didn't feel good. Compared to everything he had been through, the death of his enemies didn't have that finesse I'd wanted, then again he accomplished it the only way he knew how he could, through pure brute force.
In truth while I can fill a whole page with complaints on what could have been done better, the crux of the matter is, I still enjoyed the book, rascor plains was a good read and I'm sure everyone could enjoy it if they Just tempered their expectations.
July 8, 2025
This is the entry that cemented ‘the immortal great souls’ as one of my favourite fantasy series I’ve read to date!
Tucker gathered everything that made the first entry ‘Bastion’ great and took it all to a whole other level that I was not expecting. The twists and turns, the character development, the world building was all elevated. My one issue with the first book is it felt a bit tame considering they were in hell, not very tame but I just wanted something more… even I wasn’t sure what it was but apparently the author did because he delivered it in buckets starting when (you know) and continuing the full way through the book. Honestly, after ‘The Rascor Plains’ gets goes it just does not let down!
And obviously we got to see more of our favourite friend which is always a bonus.
Tucker gathered everything that made the first entry ‘Bastion’ great and took it all to a whole other level that I was not expecting. The twists and turns, the character development, the world building was all elevated. My one issue with the first book is it felt a bit tame considering they were in hell, not very tame but I just wanted something more… even I wasn’t sure what it was but apparently the author did because he delivered it in buckets starting when (you know) and continuing the full way through the book. Honestly, after ‘The Rascor Plains’ gets goes it just does not let down!
And obviously we got to see more of our favourite friend which is always a bonus.
October 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this book but the first half of this one is definitely a bit slow. The second half of this book is action packed, filled with intense scenes and personal character growth. Definitely give this one a shot if you read the first book in this series. Scorio (and friends) only get better!
August 18, 2024
First 60% was a struggle to get through. I almost DNFed it a couple times. After the awesome read that book one was, this one fell short. Very disappointed.
November 21, 2023
4.75
Lives upto the first book
Lives upto the first book
Like the first, it felt like a journey a good one though after about 50% thought this was going nowhere but the second half was explosive, and after finishing it I yearned for more. There were a lot of changes that happened in the relationship dynamics between the characters and after finishing the book I thought it was a good move on the author's part, Scorio had some significant character development, you'll only be able to glimpse it in the aftermath of the climax through Scorio's decisions
April 9, 2023
a fantastic sequel
Phil Tucker has done it yet again. Easily as good as Bastion, perfectly paced and leaves you craving more of Scorio’s trials.
Phil Tucker has done it yet again. Easily as good as Bastion, perfectly paced and leaves you craving more of Scorio’s trials.
August 7, 2025
Needed an editor—Nick Podehl no doubt did his best to smooth over all the errors in his narration, but even he couldn't do anything about the instances where characters' names were mixed up.
Not a bad book, though. It moved a lot more briskly than the first one, and I found myself hooked.
There is a plot point in this entry into the series that is so shocking, and yet so perfect, that will probably stick with me forever. And it solves, unexpectedly, a problem that's been dogging Scorio from the beginning of the series. A masterstroke of storytelling. It makes Scorio's progression feel earned, and because it's initiated by a third party, helps soften the impression of him as someone who will do anything to progress. It's something he never would have done on his own. And yet it works out for him in a way that's incredible.
Not a bad book, though. It moved a lot more briskly than the first one, and I found myself hooked.
There is a plot point in this entry into the series that is so shocking, and yet so perfect, that will probably stick with me forever. And it solves, unexpectedly, a problem that's been dogging Scorio from the beginning of the series. A masterstroke of storytelling. It makes Scorio's progression feel earned, and because it's initiated by a third party, helps soften the impression of him as someone who will do anything to progress. It's something he never would have done on his own. And yet it works out for him in a way that's incredible.
April 13, 2023
Lots of spelling errors and strange grammar.
Would have enjoyed the book more without the use of f**k, sexual jokes and promotion of pronouns.
Decent plot but somewhat predictable, would be nice if Scorio had some long-term disadvantages as every problem now feels like he just resolves it and moves upwards (except Leonis/Lianshi).
Would have enjoyed the book more without the use of f**k, sexual jokes and promotion of pronouns.
Decent plot but somewhat predictable, would be nice if Scorio had some long-term disadvantages as every problem now feels like he just resolves it and moves upwards (except Leonis/Lianshi).
February 1, 2026
5/5 Stars
Similar to the last book, this is really 2 books in 1. The first half of this book is slow, predictable, boring and without stakes. It's still moving forward technically so I kept reading and all and I still liked the characters, but I was pretty sure I was going to be done after this one. Halfway through the book there is a crazy event and a time jump and it feels like it's the ignition point for the whole series. From that moment on I could not put the book down.
All of my complaints about this book lie in its first half, as I can't think of a single issue in the second half. The biggest of which is that Scorio is getting high on the smell of his own farts and thinking he's the greatest and talking down to those under him. It's annoying in any book, but nearly unforgivable in a progression fantasy book. Everytime he opened his mouth I wish he would have kept it shut. That's a hard thing to accept in a main character.
The tricky thing about all this is that Scorio acts that way in order to lay all the dominoes in place for the second half to topple over. While I do feel like maybe a better author or editor could have fixed the first half so it didn't feel as aimless while we were in it, I don't think you could write what comes after unless you have some serious talent.
So if this were two books, it would probably get a 2.5/5 in the first one, and a 5/5 in the second. Logic would have you round those all out, but that's not how I do things. This book is a 5, no further questions.
Similar to the last book, this is really 2 books in 1. The first half of this book is slow, predictable, boring and without stakes. It's still moving forward technically so I kept reading and all and I still liked the characters, but I was pretty sure I was going to be done after this one. Halfway through the book there is a crazy event and a time jump and it feels like it's the ignition point for the whole series. From that moment on I could not put the book down.
All of my complaints about this book lie in its first half, as I can't think of a single issue in the second half. The biggest of which is that Scorio is getting high on the smell of his own farts and thinking he's the greatest and talking down to those under him. It's annoying in any book, but nearly unforgivable in a progression fantasy book. Everytime he opened his mouth I wish he would have kept it shut. That's a hard thing to accept in a main character.
The tricky thing about all this is that Scorio acts that way in order to lay all the dominoes in place for the second half to topple over. While I do feel like maybe a better author or editor could have fixed the first half so it didn't feel as aimless while we were in it, I don't think you could write what comes after unless you have some serious talent.
So if this were two books, it would probably get a 2.5/5 in the first one, and a 5/5 in the second. Logic would have you round those all out, but that's not how I do things. This book is a 5, no further questions.
June 14, 2023
The lack of an editor is the only thing keeping this from a five star book. Especially near the end. The book's pacing felt a bit slow, but I'll forgive it for the ending being spectacular.
I hated to be pulled out of such an amazing ending because of constant misplaced words/characters warping to places they weren't previously. Was too jarring.
I hated to be pulled out of such an amazing ending because of constant misplaced words/characters warping to places they weren't previously. Was too jarring.
May 4, 2023
absolutely bloody brilliant.
This was even better than the first book, which is one of my favorites. Phil you’re a hell of an author and I can’t wait for the third book! Anyone that’s in any doubt about this series? Give it half an hour. You’ll be hooked!
This was even better than the first book, which is one of my favorites. Phil you’re a hell of an author and I can’t wait for the third book! Anyone that’s in any doubt about this series? Give it half an hour. You’ll be hooked!
June 8, 2025
Power fantasy perfection
I can not get enough of this series. Amazing world building, complex magic, compelling characters. A brutally thoughtful revenge story that was built up masterfuly.10/10
I can not get enough of this series. Amazing world building, complex magic, compelling characters. A brutally thoughtful revenge story that was built up masterfuly.10/10
July 20, 2025
There’s a giant talking toad so it’s instantly a 4.5
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