What do you think?
The Daily Grind #1
The Daily Grind: A Slice-of-Life LitRPG
An IT worker explores an alternate dimension in his office in the first book of a fun and fast-paced series blending cubical life and dungeon fantasy.
Working as overnight tech support, James Lyle has long said he’d do anything to escape the boredom. But his commitment to excitement is tested when a slight coincidence one shift sends him to a different part of his office building . . . and he discovers a stairwell that contains not stairs but rather a landscape of seemingly infinite cubicles against a distant horizon.
Unwilling (and unable) to stay away, James and a few of his trusted friends begin to explore this endless maze of supernatural business ennui, a few minutes in the real world turning into eight hours of encounters with strange creatures and even stranger interior design choices. But in a realm that allows them to level up in fax machine repair and provides them with enough cash to pay the rent, there are also adversaries that are quickly becoming dangerous—and potentially lethal.
As James, along with his companions, delves ever deeper into this extraordinary place, James starts to realize that animate staplers and time dilation might not be the biggest challenges they face, and those challenges might not stop at the entrance . . .
The Daily Grind is the epic beginning to a slice-of-life urban fantasy that effortlessly blends wry commentary on office life with intricate character- and world-building.
The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than four million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
Working as overnight tech support, James Lyle has long said he’d do anything to escape the boredom. But his commitment to excitement is tested when a slight coincidence one shift sends him to a different part of his office building . . . and he discovers a stairwell that contains not stairs but rather a landscape of seemingly infinite cubicles against a distant horizon.
Unwilling (and unable) to stay away, James and a few of his trusted friends begin to explore this endless maze of supernatural business ennui, a few minutes in the real world turning into eight hours of encounters with strange creatures and even stranger interior design choices. But in a realm that allows them to level up in fax machine repair and provides them with enough cash to pay the rent, there are also adversaries that are quickly becoming dangerous—and potentially lethal.
As James, along with his companions, delves ever deeper into this extraordinary place, James starts to realize that animate staplers and time dilation might not be the biggest challenges they face, and those challenges might not stop at the entrance . . .
The Daily Grind is the epic beginning to a slice-of-life urban fantasy that effortlessly blends wry commentary on office life with intricate character- and world-building.
The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than four million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!
486 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
June 12, 2023
This is one of those books where it constantly feels like something huge and exciting is about to happen, but it never does. Unsatisfying.
May 5, 2023
This has one thing going for it. The name of the book is what reading it feels like. It's a grind. Half way through the book and absolutely nothing of substance has happened. Essentially no growth, same events repeated ad nauseam, and just dumb decisions by the MCs.
Note to self: Do not continue
Note to self: Do not continue
April 27, 2023
This was a very interesting take on a normal dungeon crawl. I loved the concept at first, which is what drew me to this book.
I loved the character building and the setting, the first few chapters were pretty decent. I loved the main character's experience of the dungeon crawl, his fear and excitement was infectious.
The interplay with the other friendly monsters is also good. The fear of the dungeon crawl and the addiction to keep going back was great.
Towards the end it got a bit stale and drawn out, with the revelations not balancing it out enough for me to not feel like the last third of the book was a chore to finish.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the character building and the setting, the first few chapters were pretty decent. I loved the main character's experience of the dungeon crawl, his fear and excitement was infectious.
The interplay with the other friendly monsters is also good. The fear of the dungeon crawl and the addiction to keep going back was great.
Towards the end it got a bit stale and drawn out, with the revelations not balancing it out enough for me to not feel like the last third of the book was a chore to finish.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 14, 2023
I think this was one of the first books in the LitRPG genre that I read and got really engaged with - a lot of other representations that I read at the time seemed sort of... shallow. Mostly about the levels. The Daily Grind, when I first read it around five years ago, was a story that broke the mold. It kind of wraps traditional LitRPG mechanics in SCP-esque urban horror, and then starts asking deep philosophical questions about the nature of power and responsibility and the relationships we have with one another.
Also great and diverse representation. I have a soft spot for it because it introduced me to so many things, and the story's evolved a lot through the various books in the series. One worth reading just to see where it goes.
Also great and diverse representation. I have a soft spot for it because it introduced me to so many things, and the story's evolved a lot through the various books in the series. One worth reading just to see where it goes.
January 4, 2025
70% then DNF. I have never in my life DNF’d a book. Book throws you in to main storyline immediately then slowly feeds you the same crap over and over and book loves the “clever/weak man” and “physically superior female fighter” trope that is soooo overplayed. Male characters are fumbling goof balls and female characters are overly tough. I get it’s an RPG where there will be character development. But I am not willing to waste 50 hours to get to the point I like these characters.
March 7, 2026
fun and re-readable
Jason is a lovely example of a disaster-bi sexual
not sure what all the complaints about it being a grind to get through are talking about.
the stakes raise in intriguing ways as it progresses.
the stuff towards the end feels like one of the creepy Dr who episodes (compliment)
Jason is a lovely example of a disaster-bi sexual
not sure what all the complaints about it being a grind to get through are talking about.
the stakes raise in intriguing ways as it progresses.
the stuff towards the end feels like one of the creepy Dr who episodes (compliment)
December 19, 2023
Really enjoyed the premise of the story and it started off great. There was some really creative and unique dungeon ideas. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two original MC's.
Sadly additional characters were added in towards the middle of the book who I just didn't vibe with. Alanna especially (Why are women in this kind of book always hitting the guys) and the whole plot just got kind of weird.
Sadly additional characters were added in towards the middle of the book who I just didn't vibe with. Alanna especially (Why are women in this kind of book always hitting the guys) and the whole plot just got kind of weird.
June 29, 2026
The Daily Grind was such a pleasant surprise. I loved the unique premise of an ordinary office building hiding an ever-changing dungeon. It's a fresh take on the LitRPG genre that immediately grabbed my attention.
Rather than focusing solely on combat, the story balances exploration, progression, mystery, and character interactions really well. Watching the characters slowly uncover the secrets of the dungeon while figuring out how to survive and make the most of its strange rewards kept me hooked from start to finish.
The slice-of-life elements give the story a relaxed pace without ever becoming boring, making every new discovery feel rewarding. It's a different kind of dungeon crawl, and that originality is exactly what made it work for me.
If you're looking for a LitRPG that steps away from the usual fantasy setting while still delivering satisfying progression and plenty of mystery, this is well worth picking up.
Rather than focusing solely on combat, the story balances exploration, progression, mystery, and character interactions really well. Watching the characters slowly uncover the secrets of the dungeon while figuring out how to survive and make the most of its strange rewards kept me hooked from start to finish.
The slice-of-life elements give the story a relaxed pace without ever becoming boring, making every new discovery feel rewarding. It's a different kind of dungeon crawl, and that originality is exactly what made it work for me.
If you're looking for a LitRPG that steps away from the usual fantasy setting while still delivering satisfying progression and plenty of mystery, this is well worth picking up.
September 28, 2024
2024/09/28 Notes:
Bought audiobook when it was on sale. Bumped up the TBR cause a friend talked about reading 1-4 in VT. Not sure how I want to rate the book.
- Concepts are cool, but setting & characters are dull as dust. Basically, it's not the kind of setup that would interest me, and the stuff that would hook my mind are slim to slivers.
- Narration by Pavi Proczko was fine. He made the story have more life & emotions. I would not be able to read the story in print format.
- Story is told in passive tell style with very little show.
The characters are supposed to be relatable to general readers and take a side step into urban fantasy. Like Office Space with weird office monsters and levels. Let's go on an adventure kind of tale. I get the intent, but there's not enough engaging elements (strong character build, setting, story mechanics, believable relationships/interactions, etc) to get me fully invested.
Note to Self: Read other books in TBR.
Bought audiobook when it was on sale. Bumped up the TBR cause a friend talked about reading 1-4 in VT. Not sure how I want to rate the book.
- Concepts are cool, but setting & characters are dull as dust. Basically, it's not the kind of setup that would interest me, and the stuff that would hook my mind are slim to slivers.
- Narration by Pavi Proczko was fine. He made the story have more life & emotions. I would not be able to read the story in print format.
- Story is told in passive tell style with very little show.
The characters are supposed to be relatable to general readers and take a side step into urban fantasy. Like Office Space with weird office monsters and levels. Let's go on an adventure kind of tale. I get the intent, but there's not enough engaging elements (strong character build, setting, story mechanics, believable relationships/interactions, etc) to get me fully invested.
Note to Self: Read other books in TBR.
July 27, 2026
This is a tough one to review - honestly I think it's around a 3.5 for me, but I'm giving it that bump up. The premise is amazing - an office worker who discovers a dungeon in his office building that's only open for a few minutes each day. The enemies are, of course, office supplies. It's a concept that you just can't help but be drawn in to.
Here's my issue - it's slow. After you're sold on the premise, it feels a little repetitive as they go back into the dungeon, facing the same enemies without much variation for a good chunk of the book. Individual fights feel a little more drawn out than necessary at times.
That said, the final quarter of the book pays out. Suddenly there's new enemies, new conflicts, new delvers. I went from picking the book up and putting it down as it struggled to hold my attention, to dying to know what's going to happen in book 2. If you can get through the slower middle portion, the finale is worth the journey.
Here's my issue - it's slow. After you're sold on the premise, it feels a little repetitive as they go back into the dungeon, facing the same enemies without much variation for a good chunk of the book. Individual fights feel a little more drawn out than necessary at times.
That said, the final quarter of the book pays out. Suddenly there's new enemies, new conflicts, new delvers. I went from picking the book up and putting it down as it struggled to hold my attention, to dying to know what's going to happen in book 2. If you can get through the slower middle portion, the finale is worth the journey.
June 25, 2024
Great premise, enjoyable Character and story, I loved the mystery and how lost our characters are, I sense that this dungeon thing is basically like a mix between snacktooth island from bugsnax and mementos from persona 5 but maybe I'm wrong, James is an excellent character and I do think that there's some greater reason why he likes the dungeon(not that the dungeon is holy or something just that James has issues), also loved how the comedy in this, it's a healthy balance of crazy and real.
it didn't have much of an arc and felt like it was the intro to the story, nothing happened except gathering the party and the story kinda stagnated around the middle but it picked up pace. One thing though is that the monsters get Linda confusing after a while, most of the time Idk what kinda monster we are fighting a lot of monsters are described the same and have the same attacks(except for the shellaxie 2.0 for obvious reasons)
Also I'm confused who James has a crush on, most of the "romance"(I put quotes because there barely is any) he has moments with anesh(my glorious king) and I think they're cute, and after alanna joined he's been having moments with her so idk what the approach is really, if you asked me I would want him with anesh but it's mostly because I love anesh and I think he deserves everything but they are kinda cute together
This isn't a professional review I just started typing shit that came to mind but yeah 4 star gonna read the next one
it didn't have much of an arc and felt like it was the intro to the story, nothing happened except gathering the party and the story kinda stagnated around the middle but it picked up pace. One thing though is that the monsters get Linda confusing after a while, most of the time Idk what kinda monster we are fighting a lot of monsters are described the same and have the same attacks(except for the shellaxie 2.0 for obvious reasons)
Also I'm confused who James has a crush on, most of the "romance"(I put quotes because there barely is any) he has moments with anesh(my glorious king) and I think they're cute, and after alanna joined he's been having moments with her so idk what the approach is really, if you asked me I would want him with anesh but it's mostly because I love anesh and I think he deserves everything but they are kinda cute together
This isn't a professional review I just started typing shit that came to mind but yeah 4 star gonna read the next one
Read
November 19, 2023Good book, interesting plot and char development. Unexpected plot twists, I like the way Argus takes a trope and looks at it from a different angle to change the story arch and my expectations of the story. I honestly did not have high expectations from this story, the book descriptions were not very informative, but I was pleasantly surprised. There is more to the story then the premise lets on. I was and continue to be a little disappointed with the authors tendency to introduce a plot twist or new char, and then wander off and not develop that new angle. I feel like there are some hanging plot points just forgotten about, but that is a small grumble in a larger positive and well written story line.
May 23, 2026
The Daily Grind has been on my Progression Fantasy radar for a while, and it felt like a great book to read while mildly burnt out and stressed about dry rot on windows. It absolutely scratched that itch, and I’m definitely going to keep reading more of this series as a palette cleanser between heavier reads. Is this book going to satisfy anyone’s desire for carefully wrought stories brimming with meaning and subtext? Absolutely not. But for a casual fun trip into an eldritch dimension watching normal people fight animated post it notes, this is a great pick. It has big beach read vibes despite most of the book happening in an unending space filled with cubicles.
Read If Looking For: something simple, repetitive, and chill, casual bisexual representation, uncanny valley office supplies
Avoid If Looking For: dramatic power-ups, careful prose, epic fight scenes
Comparable Media: Several People are Typing, Mana Mirror, Triangle Agency
Elevator Pitch:
James hates his job. To be fair, who would enjoy vague IT support where you get yelled at because the customer lost their remote and can’t change the channel anymore. On his way out one night, he discovers a staircase turns into an alternate dimension for a few minutes – though time works differently on the inside. The endless rows of cubicles seem to be randomly generated by some eldritch mind, and the maze is filled with stapler crabs, computers with jaws in strange places, and bills that come in far more denominations than you can find in the real world. When he learns that killing monsters drop skill orbs (typically for stuff like Excel Spreadsheets or French History) he quickly grows addicted to delving in this bizarre dungeon.
What Worked for Me:
Oftentimes in Progression Fantasy stories, especially ones serialized on Royal Road, the main character is … special. Usually right away. They generally have a broken power, rocket ahead of the curve in terms of skills and abilities. This is true even in stories where the main character gets powers that are theoretically drawbacks and/or take a long time to pay off. The Daily Grind has none of that. James is a bog standard dude, and remains so by the end of book. His skill upgrades rarely give him any advantage in the corporate dungeon. Knowing how a phone book is formatted isn’t going to stop you from being strangled by animated power cords. He gets a few ranks of martial arts skills over the course of the book, but even those aren’t particularly relevant. You plan on punching your way through the ceramic shell of a potted plant? I don’t think so. No, the biggest power James – and his eventual companions – get is money. They happily rob wallets of cash while leaving gift cards for businesses that don’t exist. If James was a superhero, he’d be Robin at the very start of his training. There are plenty of parts of this book that aren’t realistic – such as how characters respond to injuries and combat – but I liked the slower pacing and ‘everyman’ feeling of our heroes. Throw in a couple of adorable sidekicks (a stapler crab and a drone), and the book gives a really solid foundation for an adventuring party.
Another way The Daily Grind surpasses the admittedly low standards of Progression Fantasy is how the narrative voice is wildly misogynistic. This is a low bar, I know, but I cannot count the number of stories I’ve dropped because of how women are written. There aren’t a ton of female characters, but the cast is fairly small overall. They’re treated with the same casual humanity that the guys get, and I don’t know their boob sizes. Actually, this book was a breath of fresh air in a lot of ways. James and Anesh – the main two delvers for the majority of the book – are becoming aware of their own bisexuality in a really offhand way (there are precious few gay progression fantasy stories, as they often get reviewbombed by the reading base). James struggles with depression, which neither magically vanishes nor overwhelms the story. It’s just part of who he is. I wouldn’t call any of our cast phenomenally deep or complex characters, but they are treated with respect by Argus, who expects the same of the reader.
If a lot of this feels like comparisons to the rest of the Progression Fantasy genre, that’s definitely because I don’t think I’d recommend this book to people unless they’re actively seeking that kind of story. This won’t satisfy many fantasy or sci fi readers, but it’s a good option for those in the mood for something that feels a bit like a video game.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
I enjoyed The Daily Grind a ton, but I also can recognize that, if I held it to the standard of many of the other books I read, it would probably come up short. The prose is relatively unremarkable, not keeping me from enjoying the story, not drawing me in with each sentence. The plot repeats without too many variations: every few chapters we get a new and interesting monster, but the core framework remains the same. There aren’t any deep themes, and Argus doesn’t seem to be setting their characters up for any major growth arcs. It doesn’t even have the epic and badass fight scenes or magic that so many progression fantasy books hang their hat on. The Daily Grind satisfied my desire for something simple, like a midnight snack. But if you come in expecting any sort of hearty meal, you’ll probably leave disappointed.
Conclusion: a fun and grounded progression fantasy, but not so addicting I’d give it to people who aren’t asking for a book in that genre.
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
Read If Looking For: something simple, repetitive, and chill, casual bisexual representation, uncanny valley office supplies
Avoid If Looking For: dramatic power-ups, careful prose, epic fight scenes
Comparable Media: Several People are Typing, Mana Mirror, Triangle Agency
Elevator Pitch:
James hates his job. To be fair, who would enjoy vague IT support where you get yelled at because the customer lost their remote and can’t change the channel anymore. On his way out one night, he discovers a staircase turns into an alternate dimension for a few minutes – though time works differently on the inside. The endless rows of cubicles seem to be randomly generated by some eldritch mind, and the maze is filled with stapler crabs, computers with jaws in strange places, and bills that come in far more denominations than you can find in the real world. When he learns that killing monsters drop skill orbs (typically for stuff like Excel Spreadsheets or French History) he quickly grows addicted to delving in this bizarre dungeon.
What Worked for Me:
Oftentimes in Progression Fantasy stories, especially ones serialized on Royal Road, the main character is … special. Usually right away. They generally have a broken power, rocket ahead of the curve in terms of skills and abilities. This is true even in stories where the main character gets powers that are theoretically drawbacks and/or take a long time to pay off. The Daily Grind has none of that. James is a bog standard dude, and remains so by the end of book. His skill upgrades rarely give him any advantage in the corporate dungeon. Knowing how a phone book is formatted isn’t going to stop you from being strangled by animated power cords. He gets a few ranks of martial arts skills over the course of the book, but even those aren’t particularly relevant. You plan on punching your way through the ceramic shell of a potted plant? I don’t think so. No, the biggest power James – and his eventual companions – get is money. They happily rob wallets of cash while leaving gift cards for businesses that don’t exist. If James was a superhero, he’d be Robin at the very start of his training. There are plenty of parts of this book that aren’t realistic – such as how characters respond to injuries and combat – but I liked the slower pacing and ‘everyman’ feeling of our heroes. Throw in a couple of adorable sidekicks (a stapler crab and a drone), and the book gives a really solid foundation for an adventuring party.
Another way The Daily Grind surpasses the admittedly low standards of Progression Fantasy is how the narrative voice is wildly misogynistic. This is a low bar, I know, but I cannot count the number of stories I’ve dropped because of how women are written. There aren’t a ton of female characters, but the cast is fairly small overall. They’re treated with the same casual humanity that the guys get, and I don’t know their boob sizes. Actually, this book was a breath of fresh air in a lot of ways. James and Anesh – the main two delvers for the majority of the book – are becoming aware of their own bisexuality in a really offhand way (there are precious few gay progression fantasy stories, as they often get reviewbombed by the reading base). James struggles with depression, which neither magically vanishes nor overwhelms the story. It’s just part of who he is. I wouldn’t call any of our cast phenomenally deep or complex characters, but they are treated with respect by Argus, who expects the same of the reader.
If a lot of this feels like comparisons to the rest of the Progression Fantasy genre, that’s definitely because I don’t think I’d recommend this book to people unless they’re actively seeking that kind of story. This won’t satisfy many fantasy or sci fi readers, but it’s a good option for those in the mood for something that feels a bit like a video game.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
I enjoyed The Daily Grind a ton, but I also can recognize that, if I held it to the standard of many of the other books I read, it would probably come up short. The prose is relatively unremarkable, not keeping me from enjoying the story, not drawing me in with each sentence. The plot repeats without too many variations: every few chapters we get a new and interesting monster, but the core framework remains the same. There aren’t any deep themes, and Argus doesn’t seem to be setting their characters up for any major growth arcs. It doesn’t even have the epic and badass fight scenes or magic that so many progression fantasy books hang their hat on. The Daily Grind satisfied my desire for something simple, like a midnight snack. But if you come in expecting any sort of hearty meal, you’ll probably leave disappointed.
Conclusion: a fun and grounded progression fantasy, but not so addicting I’d give it to people who aren’t asking for a book in that genre.
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
May 23, 2023
I quite enjoyed this book, though I may be partial to it as an IT person myself. It walks the line between magical realism and urban/present fantasy. Also the creep level can get into full blown horror territory, even if it's not a 'horror novel' book. I was not expecting that, and even though I've encountered a similar mechanic reading D&D forums, it's never been sprung on me, and it was as entirely as effective as advertised. Vague because spoilers. I went to read the next book and was sad it wasn't already available.
February 10, 2026
DNR
!NB! Story is a narration of an online web novel available in text format (or audio using text-to-speech) for free on several web pages. Feel free to get acquainted and purchase the audiobook if you enjoy the story. !NB!
Being bored out of his mind, a man working dead end job at call center wonders about the office building to stave the boredom away. Protagonist uncovers a dungeon, an office dungeon, that appears once a week for 3 minutes at the same door. Thus dungeon delving adventure, as bizarre as it sounds, begins.
Story included several instances of juxtaposed tonal shift. From explorative story telling about the office dungeon in manner befitting David Attenborough to life or death encounter with the local wildlife. Creatures in the dungeon have their own motives and biomes in which explorers are unwelcome intruders. The magic system being unknown to the readers makes imagination run wild. Exploration of the office dungeon is a pathfinder's adventure, e.g. creatures with powers of mind persuasion and memory manipulation, impossible shifting environment.
The story's origin as a web novel is unfortunately felt through the plot arcs, pacing. One can imagine the author started the story to explore the admittedly unique world of office dungeon setting leaving the story progression as an afterthought. The characters motives are uncertain, even to themselves. Dungeon diving for profit or exploring the dungeon for explorations sake. The dangers are in the dungeon, characters rarely express decisive self-determinism, preferring to go with the flow. Only to get hurt, barely survive and then repeat the cycle.
Conclusion: 1/5. Listened on Audible included in plus catalogue. Narrated by: Pavi Proczko. Slice of life story about two cohabiting young adult male friends, with occasionally having friends over or partaking in extreme sport. I wish more story telling was from the perspective of being inside dungeon with the real world in the background, e.g. Either from dungeon natives pov or from trapped human's. The reveal at the end makes me hope story telling in sequel will follow aforementioned, with protagonists looking to rescue the lost person. Bad value for the length of the book - 1.53 $/hour ( 26.79 $ / 17 hrs 32 mins ).
Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour
Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone
!NB! Story is a narration of an online web novel available in text format (or audio using text-to-speech) for free on several web pages. Feel free to get acquainted and purchase the audiobook if you enjoy the story. !NB!
Being bored out of his mind, a man working dead end job at call center wonders about the office building to stave the boredom away. Protagonist uncovers a dungeon, an office dungeon, that appears once a week for 3 minutes at the same door. Thus dungeon delving adventure, as bizarre as it sounds, begins.
Story included several instances of juxtaposed tonal shift. From explorative story telling about the office dungeon in manner befitting David Attenborough to life or death encounter with the local wildlife. Creatures in the dungeon have their own motives and biomes in which explorers are unwelcome intruders. The magic system being unknown to the readers makes imagination run wild. Exploration of the office dungeon is a pathfinder's adventure, e.g. creatures with powers of mind persuasion and memory manipulation, impossible shifting environment.
The story's origin as a web novel is unfortunately felt through the plot arcs, pacing. One can imagine the author started the story to explore the admittedly unique world of office dungeon setting leaving the story progression as an afterthought. The characters motives are uncertain, even to themselves. Dungeon diving for profit or exploring the dungeon for explorations sake. The dangers are in the dungeon, characters rarely express decisive self-determinism, preferring to go with the flow. Only to get hurt, barely survive and then repeat the cycle.
Conclusion: 1/5. Listened on Audible included in plus catalogue. Narrated by: Pavi Proczko. Slice of life story about two cohabiting young adult male friends, with occasionally having friends over or partaking in extreme sport. I wish more story telling was from the perspective of being inside dungeon with the real world in the background, e.g. Either from dungeon natives pov or from trapped human's. The reveal at the end makes me hope story telling in sequel will follow aforementioned, with protagonists looking to rescue the lost person. Bad value for the length of the book - 1.53 $/hour ( 26.79 $ / 17 hrs 32 mins ).
Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour
Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone
May 24, 2026
Well… since my daughter bought it for me as a present, I ground my teeth and managed to finish it.
For the life of me I fail to see how this book has a rating of 3.99 – would be interesting to know the characteristics of the crowd who loved it.
My guess is mainly YA, mainly male - and if I'm right, that demographic is welcome to it. We diverge somewhere around the point where "they made each other giggle" counts as character development.
As to why it is so bad in my view… where do I begin?
There is a protagonist who is quite dumb to be honest, possibly a product of this time and age, thus making the book a best seller, but I digress.
At one point the book mentions that had James pushed forward he would probably have died, and I caught myself thinking - well, that would have been great! What does it say about a book when you find yourself actively rooting for the murderous staplers?
Worse than being dumb and uninspiring, which might be a play of the underdog for a cultivation story, taken to the extreme, he is really boring… and then his “math student” British friend joins him and they manage to make each other giggle from insipid banter where one needs to resonate on the same level of the two antiheroes to actually enjoy it since it is so immature and possibly Gen-Z, I wouldn’t know really.
It reminded me of a younger work colleague I have who told me one day after another telling me another really bad joke/pun, “I am really funny!”, whereby I had to tell him that so far that was the funniest thing he ever told me. Well, at least he finds my own relatively mediocre puns to be hilarious sometimes…
To sum up, the characters are boring and seek validation constantly, the plot is grinding and every time it slightly develops it just gets more confused and meandering; the dialogues, decisions, priorities are all silly in an irritating way, where you feel you are the only adult in the locked room but cannot really affect anything.
For the life of me I fail to see how this book has a rating of 3.99 – would be interesting to know the characteristics of the crowd who loved it.
My guess is mainly YA, mainly male - and if I'm right, that demographic is welcome to it. We diverge somewhere around the point where "they made each other giggle" counts as character development.
As to why it is so bad in my view… where do I begin?
There is a protagonist who is quite dumb to be honest, possibly a product of this time and age, thus making the book a best seller, but I digress.
At one point the book mentions that had James pushed forward he would probably have died, and I caught myself thinking - well, that would have been great! What does it say about a book when you find yourself actively rooting for the murderous staplers?
Worse than being dumb and uninspiring, which might be a play of the underdog for a cultivation story, taken to the extreme, he is really boring… and then his “math student” British friend joins him and they manage to make each other giggle from insipid banter where one needs to resonate on the same level of the two antiheroes to actually enjoy it since it is so immature and possibly Gen-Z, I wouldn’t know really.
It reminded me of a younger work colleague I have who told me one day after another telling me another really bad joke/pun, “I am really funny!”, whereby I had to tell him that so far that was the funniest thing he ever told me. Well, at least he finds my own relatively mediocre puns to be hilarious sometimes…
To sum up, the characters are boring and seek validation constantly, the plot is grinding and every time it slightly develops it just gets more confused and meandering; the dialogues, decisions, priorities are all silly in an irritating way, where you feel you are the only adult in the locked room but cannot really affect anything.
September 15, 2026
There's a brand of LitRPG I don't care for where one character (plus an ally/mascot/pet) does nothing but dungeon delving. This is the most entertained I've been by one of them, so I am going to give it five stars that I normally wouldn't in the spirit of open-mindedness: I think this is a fantastic example of something I don't normally like.
The positives are real: the office dungeon is fun and the threats based on office products are continually creative. I also enjoyed how they aren't immediately handed powers and mostly make do with practical hardware from the real world, even if the number of injuries strains disbelief. While the jokes aren't funny to me personally, they're not insufferable; I buy that these are friends making each other laugh with corny puns. We also get some good twists at the end.
On the other hand, I can't be entirely positive. On a fundamental level, there's just very little going on in this book: no real plot except for vague hints of something suspicious going on, and characterization is pretty limited. The fragments of potential other pieces, such as romance, aren't terribly well handled in my opinion.
Also not a fan of the head-hopping, which seems more unintentional than conscious omniscient POV. I wasn't going to complain until we started getting information from less conventional characters like Rufus the spider stapler. I would have loved a proper Rufus POV.
It's hard to know where this will go in future books. Both fans and anti-fans say it gets more political, which I can see. I could see it becoming mired in character drama and not actually revealing the fundamental mystery (we didn't get many answers this book). I think I'm going to get out while I'm ahead and mark this as a surprisingly positive experience where I didn't expect one.
The positives are real: the office dungeon is fun and the threats based on office products are continually creative. I also enjoyed how they aren't immediately handed powers and mostly make do with practical hardware from the real world, even if the number of injuries strains disbelief. While the jokes aren't funny to me personally, they're not insufferable; I buy that these are friends making each other laugh with corny puns. We also get some good twists at the end.
On the other hand, I can't be entirely positive. On a fundamental level, there's just very little going on in this book: no real plot except for vague hints of something suspicious going on, and characterization is pretty limited. The fragments of potential other pieces, such as romance, aren't terribly well handled in my opinion.
Also not a fan of the head-hopping, which seems more unintentional than conscious omniscient POV. I wasn't going to complain until we started getting information from less conventional characters like Rufus the spider stapler. I would have loved a proper Rufus POV.
It's hard to know where this will go in future books. Both fans and anti-fans say it gets more political, which I can see. I could see it becoming mired in character drama and not actually revealing the fundamental mystery (we didn't get many answers this book). I think I'm going to get out while I'm ahead and mark this as a surprisingly positive experience where I didn't expect one.
September 28, 2026
I read this on a recommendation from a friend after they found out I was reading DCC, and they are not even remotely similar, but it was still a good call. The MC works at a Helpdesk, what kind? Genuinely no clue. But he’s stuck on the night shift and one night after his shift he goes to head out, opens the door to the stairs, and instead of the stairs he’s used to seeing, he sees an endless expanse of cubicles. Now, when I was told about this I swear I saw an animatic, or live action version of the entire first chapter, but we couldn’t find anything. The only other option is I have a really vivid imagination and just read it online at some point and it was so good I thought it was some kind of visual medium. BUT, despite that first chapter, and despite really liking the story and thinking about it sometimes over the years, I never knew there was more to it, I just thought it was a short story about a guy that briefly delves into an office themed dungeon before running away when he gets scared.
But there’s more! So I added it to my Kindle and slowly got to reading at night. I kept falling asleep after a few pages, but I was really enjoying the story and the setting and the characters, so I pulled the trigger and got a print copy. Lemme say, it’s heavy as hell, keep that in mind if you wanna read the physical version. But I got it, and it was done in about a week. It gets a little too quippy and cringey sometimes, but the characters are overall likable, the monsters are interesting, and the setting is interesting. I do feel like sometimes the author introduces elements, and then just kinda forgets about them or takes their time revisiting them, but so far nothing too bad. And there is one element in the story that I was wondering about the entire book, and then at the end it’s like the author could hear my thoughts, cause we circled back and it did become a plot point. (I asked the friend if the author just forgot they mentioned this thing, and instead of reconning it they wrote it into the plot, and they said that’s exactly what happened lol)
Good book, good read, book two is arriving today!
But there’s more! So I added it to my Kindle and slowly got to reading at night. I kept falling asleep after a few pages, but I was really enjoying the story and the setting and the characters, so I pulled the trigger and got a print copy. Lemme say, it’s heavy as hell, keep that in mind if you wanna read the physical version. But I got it, and it was done in about a week. It gets a little too quippy and cringey sometimes, but the characters are overall likable, the monsters are interesting, and the setting is interesting. I do feel like sometimes the author introduces elements, and then just kinda forgets about them or takes their time revisiting them, but so far nothing too bad. And there is one element in the story that I was wondering about the entire book, and then at the end it’s like the author could hear my thoughts, cause we circled back and it did become a plot point. (I asked the friend if the author just forgot they mentioned this thing, and instead of reconning it they wrote it into the plot, and they said that’s exactly what happened lol)
Good book, good read, book two is arriving today!
September 7, 2023
The Daily Grind follows James, a typical nerdy guy who works in IT and spends his free time playing D&D with his friends. His life is quite mundane, until a decision to take the stairs at work one night leads to the discovery of a lifetime: in the early hours of each Tuesday morning, instead of a normal staircase, the door of the stairwell opens into a seemingly neverending room of office cubicles. Of course James has to explore this mysterious real world dungeon. Fighting monstrous office supplies won't be easy, but there's plenty to make this experience worthwhile for James, and eventually his friends, once he shares the secret.
This is such a fun premise. The plot is just like an anime. I enjoyed the imaginative office monsters, and the ones who were a little less monstrous. It was a little slow at first to get into, not sure that all the trips back and forth into the dungeon were fully necessary. Once they started exploring further and getting more into the deeper facets of the dungeon, though, I was hooked. The mystery that crops up at the very end of the novel is especially intriguing, and leaves me wanting more of this story. A fun and engaging read.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is such a fun premise. The plot is just like an anime. I enjoyed the imaginative office monsters, and the ones who were a little less monstrous. It was a little slow at first to get into, not sure that all the trips back and forth into the dungeon were fully necessary. Once they started exploring further and getting more into the deeper facets of the dungeon, though, I was hooked. The mystery that crops up at the very end of the novel is especially intriguing, and leaves me wanting more of this story. A fun and engaging read.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 1, 2023
Our hero may have been rather bored at work, but when he discovers a section of his office that has come alive in a fantasy dungeon style, this might not be exactly what he was looking for. But beggars can't be choosers and exploring these corridors just might lead him where he need to be. If that magical stapler doesn't get him first.
This is book one of the series, so no issue there.
This is a cross between a litRPG and urban fantasy story. I loved the premise.
Rather than our hero and his companions being transported to a fantasy world, they find a modern office setting that has come alive. The story is well written and easy to read with a setting that would be very familiar if it weren't for the animated office furniture. The characters are nicely done and fit really well into the story. The plot itself includes a nice blend of office humor and RPG action and moves along at a nice pace. Overall, I found this to be a highly entertaining story and I definitely look forward to more from this author.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team for review purposes.
This is book one of the series, so no issue there.
This is a cross between a litRPG and urban fantasy story. I loved the premise.
Rather than our hero and his companions being transported to a fantasy world, they find a modern office setting that has come alive. The story is well written and easy to read with a setting that would be very familiar if it weren't for the animated office furniture. The characters are nicely done and fit really well into the story. The plot itself includes a nice blend of office humor and RPG action and moves along at a nice pace. Overall, I found this to be a highly entertaining story and I definitely look forward to more from this author.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team for review purposes.
September 4, 2026
A silly concept in the hands of great writer!
The blurb makes it sound like this is some absurd wander through backrooms style creepypasta.
This is something much better and far more interesting than that. Yes it starts out with that as a setting but it goes so much deeper and so far sideways that you WILL want to know everything.
An absolute page turner that keeps dragging in, surprising you and making you care about the characters in a surprisingly deep way.
Much like the Dungeon Crawler Carl series - this is a silly sounding concept - in the hands of a writer who is WAY better than the description would seem to imply.
If you read Kitty Cat Kill Sat you know the author can write some deep moving stuff that goes to unexpected places. They absolutely did that here again with the Daily Grind series.
I already grabbed the next book but I had to drop a review here before I dive right into that!
The blurb makes it sound like this is some absurd wander through backrooms style creepypasta.
This is something much better and far more interesting than that. Yes it starts out with that as a setting but it goes so much deeper and so far sideways that you WILL want to know everything.
An absolute page turner that keeps dragging in, surprising you and making you care about the characters in a surprisingly deep way.
Much like the Dungeon Crawler Carl series - this is a silly sounding concept - in the hands of a writer who is WAY better than the description would seem to imply.
If you read Kitty Cat Kill Sat you know the author can write some deep moving stuff that goes to unexpected places. They absolutely did that here again with the Daily Grind series.
I already grabbed the next book but I had to drop a review here before I dive right into that!
January 5, 2024
This was a creative approach to mixing real-life with dungeoneering, but I felt that the worldbuilding fell down in places.
In particular there's a subplot where they and I just didn't buy it.
I dropped the series after book two because .
In particular there's a subplot where they and I just didn't buy it.
I dropped the series after book two because .
December 10, 2025
Saw this one in a recommendation thread about positive LitRPGs, gave it a peek on KU.
As far as Litrpgs go, this is a fun one. The setting of real world->portal->back to real world wasn't something I had seen before, so reading this was a new experience.
Pros: Great social interactions, fun setup and execution, fascinating interplay of dungeon with character.
Cons: Story jumps sometimes, somewhat jarring. Several plotlines are brought up and then ignored.
All in all, I enjoyed the system being accessible and not just numbers, the interpersonal aspects, the creative worldbuilding, and the general positive vibes. Would recommend to anyone wanting to dip their toes into Litrpg in a more relatable way without dragons rolling up in the first twenty pages.
Most likely won't read again.
As far as Litrpgs go, this is a fun one. The setting of real world->portal->back to real world wasn't something I had seen before, so reading this was a new experience.
Pros: Great social interactions, fun setup and execution, fascinating interplay of dungeon with character.
Cons: Story jumps sometimes, somewhat jarring. Several plotlines are brought up and then ignored.
All in all, I enjoyed the system being accessible and not just numbers, the interpersonal aspects, the creative worldbuilding, and the general positive vibes. Would recommend to anyone wanting to dip their toes into Litrpg in a more relatable way without dragons rolling up in the first twenty pages.
Most likely won't read again.
April 3, 2024
I wasn’t sure about this one at first. I love the concept, but as other readers have commented reading it was a bit of a grind. I didn’t think it was quite cozy enough to really be called a cozy LitRPG as it says it is, but not really enough progression to be a typical LitRPG in an office setting.
There were interesting tidbits along the way, but yeah—a bit of a grind.
But as it went on, and especially in the last few chapters, there were some mind-bendy twists that definitely caught my interest. I will definitely be continuing the series.
There were interesting tidbits along the way, but yeah—a bit of a grind.
But as it went on, and especially in the last few chapters, there were some mind-bendy twists that definitely caught my interest. I will definitely be continuing the series.
June 1, 2024
Have you seen my stapler? DUCK!!! Office supplies attack
What would you do when you're getting off of work and all of a sudden your exit turns into another dimension? You go in and find cubicles with purses and wallets and money and things like headphones. Oh there's also exploding desk lamps and computers that'll eat your leg off? What's the real Secret?
It's time to do some dungeon diving ala Office Space
What would you do when you're getting off of work and all of a sudden your exit turns into another dimension? You go in and find cubicles with purses and wallets and money and things like headphones. Oh there's also exploding desk lamps and computers that'll eat your leg off? What's the real Secret?
It's time to do some dungeon diving ala Office Space
June 14, 2024
I enjoyed this as something a bit different.
Loved the older MCs and the secret doorway in to an office themed dungeon approach. I also enjoyed the developing relationship/romance between the 2 MC.
My only gripe is at the point more members got added in it began to feel a bit overloaded and repetitive. Alanna felt a bit 1D and her inclusion threw the dynamics off for me. But overall I still enjoyed. I’ve read book 1&2 but don’t feel compelled to read further…
Loved the older MCs and the secret doorway in to an office themed dungeon approach. I also enjoyed the developing relationship/romance between the 2 MC.
My only gripe is at the point more members got added in it began to feel a bit overloaded and repetitive. Alanna felt a bit 1D and her inclusion threw the dynamics off for me. But overall I still enjoyed. I’ve read book 1&2 but don’t feel compelled to read further…
January 22, 2026
The book isn't terrible. It was just too drawn out. The whole book was just a cycle of go into the dungeon, explore, kill stuff, get orbs, leave, repeat. Nothing really significant happened until the last 30 or so pages of this 500 page book. I admit that I am intrigued by what happened in those last 30 pages, but I don't think I'm willing to slog through another few of these books to find out the answers.
May 12, 2023
Fantastic slice of life dungeon story
The characters are well done, the interactions aren't forced and serve to drive the story along. There does develop more of a mystery/conflict towards the end.
This is just a well thought book about a what if: what if dungeons were real in the modern world? What would they look like, and what opportunities would they provide?
The characters are well done, the interactions aren't forced and serve to drive the story along. There does develop more of a mystery/conflict towards the end.
This is just a well thought book about a what if: what if dungeons were real in the modern world? What would they look like, and what opportunities would they provide?
October 4, 2023
It's like the backrooms meets LitRPG and that is just such a fun concept that this book became an instant favorite within the genre for me.
Plus the realism and practicality, and sometimes silliness, of the skills almost makes me want them more. Crushing an orb and ranking up in Spanish sounds amazing.
Plus the realism and practicality, and sometimes silliness, of the skills almost makes me want them more. Crushing an orb and ranking up in Spanish sounds amazing.
October 7, 2023
I don't know what alternate reality these MCs are living in but they can pick up medieval armor and weapons at least over the Internet very easily and so many other type of weapons at an Army surplus, hell even a home depot has a crazy destruction.tools Look how nasty a demo hammer pry bar looks like! or maybe the MCs never been out in the world and are cooped up in the basement.
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