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Skillful: A System, Hunter, & Tower Novel
The Advent of the game-like System changed everything. The world shifted as Gates and Gate Breaks turned society upside down. The other side of that chaos was ruled by the elites who control the Hunters' Associations. Orphaned in the Advent and the turmoil that followed, James aka Skillful C, has grown into the best Hunter he can be. A man denied Skills, the transcendental gifts of the System, and his rightful place in his father’s guild, James has tried his hardest coming up short again and again to his Skilled brethren. Those Hunters stand astride the changed world. Yet the world hasn't finished changing. Just when it seems humanity has a firm grip on the Gates, a broad swath of the world's Hunters are abducted. Within this Tower, the mighty are humbled and the humble will Rise! But will James, an unskilled Hunter survive the Tower? Join the Climb in this debut System, Hunter, & Tower Novel.
581 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2023
180 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 18, 2023
What is going on?
This book is a jumble of nonsense. It starts with the MC calling a secretary a bimbo bc she's doing her job without any additional explanation. Then it starts jumping from time date to the next to show us the MC isn't powerful. Then MC loses his friend in a battle they show him staring into the distance and getting drunk and getting pulled into a tower on hard mode. I thought finally the book is getting into readable territory. Wrong!
The MC gets a new class and title of drunken wizard which literally means nothing to his skills or stats so feels dumb to bring up at all. He becomes op in less than 80 pages, all of which are stat boxes with descriptions of skills he have that make no sense! Magic authority, field authority, samsara authority, lightning, alchemy, metalworks, soul magic... He sneezes and he gets a plus one to his skills and the box doesn't say how he got it or why. He's clearing tower levels in 2-3 pages and the details are contained in the system boxes vaguely and you can't tell what he just did. Then he kills animals and they just give their souls to him and he can use their magic too 😵. I love an op but this is too much with no payoff or enough exposition. Other litrpg will have system boxes, but will have the MC simplify and put it into real words, like, "hunh, so if I kill something, its soul has a chance to be absorbed? Cool." This book just expects you to know what a skill does with no context or reason. Then the MC defeats a female bad guy who asks him to raise her from the dead and he does and they defeat the other bad guy and he brings her back to life and they start having sex, no conversation, no lead up. .. Umm it's been 2 pages since she tried to kill you... I dropped at 20%. This is probably the most incoherent book I've read in this genre, and I've read hundreds.
This book is a jumble of nonsense. It starts with the MC calling a secretary a bimbo bc she's doing her job without any additional explanation. Then it starts jumping from time date to the next to show us the MC isn't powerful. Then MC loses his friend in a battle they show him staring into the distance and getting drunk and getting pulled into a tower on hard mode. I thought finally the book is getting into readable territory. Wrong!
The MC gets a new class and title of drunken wizard which literally means nothing to his skills or stats so feels dumb to bring up at all. He becomes op in less than 80 pages, all of which are stat boxes with descriptions of skills he have that make no sense! Magic authority, field authority, samsara authority, lightning, alchemy, metalworks, soul magic... He sneezes and he gets a plus one to his skills and the box doesn't say how he got it or why. He's clearing tower levels in 2-3 pages and the details are contained in the system boxes vaguely and you can't tell what he just did. Then he kills animals and they just give their souls to him and he can use their magic too 😵. I love an op but this is too much with no payoff or enough exposition. Other litrpg will have system boxes, but will have the MC simplify and put it into real words, like, "hunh, so if I kill something, its soul has a chance to be absorbed? Cool." This book just expects you to know what a skill does with no context or reason. Then the MC defeats a female bad guy who asks him to raise her from the dead and he does and they defeat the other bad guy and he brings her back to life and they start having sex, no conversation, no lead up. .. Umm it's been 2 pages since she tried to kill you... I dropped at 20%. This is probably the most incoherent book I've read in this genre, and I've read hundreds.
May 22, 2023
Fun read
I suspect I should give it a worse review than I am going to, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it enough that its flaws hardly phase me. It has a lot of status screens, so if you don't prefer that bit of the litrpg much, then this likely isn't the book for you. It's also thoroughly in the OP main character camp.
In the vein of less subjective flaws: There are some jarring perspective and time shifts present throughout the story. The side characters don't tend to receive much characterization. There are a few recurring side characters that do clearly have a personality, but we don't really get to see it much as the story is very much focused entirely on the main character. There are a lot of instances (esp early on) where it isn't entirely clear how the main character knows about the thing he is talking about. You aren't given a clear grasp of what the MC should know vs what he shouldn't until pretty late into the story, at which point we've breezed past some concepts that seem like they should have been foreign to the MC but weren't.
These are the main flaws I noticed, and usually having this many listed would be grounds for me to drop the star rating. As mentioned above, however, I enjoyed the story thoroughly and am thus willing to give the 5 star review irregardless of these flaws.
I suspect I should give it a worse review than I am going to, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it enough that its flaws hardly phase me. It has a lot of status screens, so if you don't prefer that bit of the litrpg much, then this likely isn't the book for you. It's also thoroughly in the OP main character camp.
In the vein of less subjective flaws: There are some jarring perspective and time shifts present throughout the story. The side characters don't tend to receive much characterization. There are a few recurring side characters that do clearly have a personality, but we don't really get to see it much as the story is very much focused entirely on the main character. There are a lot of instances (esp early on) where it isn't entirely clear how the main character knows about the thing he is talking about. You aren't given a clear grasp of what the MC should know vs what he shouldn't until pretty late into the story, at which point we've breezed past some concepts that seem like they should have been foreign to the MC but weren't.
These are the main flaws I noticed, and usually having this many listed would be grounds for me to drop the star rating. As mentioned above, however, I enjoyed the story thoroughly and am thus willing to give the 5 star review irregardless of these flaws.
June 2, 2023
Perfect Tower Climb…Not for LitRPG 1st timers.
I really enjoyed this LitRPG story. Battles, questionable morals/dilemmas, and great world building. It really throws you in the deep end if you are new to LitRPG with understanding stats and powers. If you hate stat sheets…move along this one is not for you. The stat sheets are myriad and robust. The plot is pretty rapped up by the end of the book but the event setting allows for a sequel as well. If there is another in the works. I will buy it for sure.
I really enjoyed this LitRPG story. Battles, questionable morals/dilemmas, and great world building. It really throws you in the deep end if you are new to LitRPG with understanding stats and powers. If you hate stat sheets…move along this one is not for you. The stat sheets are myriad and robust. The plot is pretty rapped up by the end of the book but the event setting allows for a sequel as well. If there is another in the works. I will buy it for sure.
June 3, 2023
Best book I’ve read probably in the last year, and I’ve been binging stuff from this genre for ages. LitRPG is a relatively new genre that doesn't have a definitive vision and therefore you have to wade through a lot of Ok to find the good stuff.
This one was a breath of fresh air, and has everything that makes this genre work. Some people are gonna just not jive with the genre because it usually inherently involves highly op characters, but that’s ok. That’s a major part of the appeal for people like me. The OPness is balanced out by recurring reminders that he’s at the beginning of a very long journey among a universe of god like divinities and impossible powers. It’s an incredibly satisfying read, if a bit dense with the notifications sometimes, but even that’s super fun.
Anyway, besides just the core of what makes litrpg, tower climbing, system books, and portal fantasy all work, the character is also a likeable dude who it establishes has an incredible work ethic that pays dividends AND the plot of the story is satisfying too.
I really look forward to this if it becomes a series. Pretty much all my favorite books start out with an OP character in a small arena and escalate to world, galaxy, universe, or maybe even universes level playing field, and this has set that stage. Book 1 is just “The tutorial”
It's not perfect, but it's a thrill ride and I Loved it! If you enjoy Tower Climbing, Portal Fantasy, LitRPG, or System books - it's a major win for all those genres.
This one was a breath of fresh air, and has everything that makes this genre work. Some people are gonna just not jive with the genre because it usually inherently involves highly op characters, but that’s ok. That’s a major part of the appeal for people like me. The OPness is balanced out by recurring reminders that he’s at the beginning of a very long journey among a universe of god like divinities and impossible powers. It’s an incredibly satisfying read, if a bit dense with the notifications sometimes, but even that’s super fun.
Anyway, besides just the core of what makes litrpg, tower climbing, system books, and portal fantasy all work, the character is also a likeable dude who it establishes has an incredible work ethic that pays dividends AND the plot of the story is satisfying too.
I really look forward to this if it becomes a series. Pretty much all my favorite books start out with an OP character in a small arena and escalate to world, galaxy, universe, or maybe even universes level playing field, and this has set that stage. Book 1 is just “The tutorial”
It's not perfect, but it's a thrill ride and I Loved it! If you enjoy Tower Climbing, Portal Fantasy, LitRPG, or System books - it's a major win for all those genres.
October 16, 2023
This is a book that I think people will either love or hate. For me it was love.
The biggest issue, as other reviewers have mentioned, is the non-stop tsunami of stat tables. They don't slow down as each page is filled with tables. If you scan them the book keeps moving. That's what I did anyway.
The story, such as it is, involves James being sent to a dungeon tower. He has a ready room to rest in when he's not fighting in the tower. The challenges for each floor vary as do the rewards. So far, so good. Except James decides to do the tower on hard mode, which ups his reward (and results in a million more tables). Each floor is a battle but except for one or two floors James is never tested all that much.
There is also a ton of crafting in the book when James is between floors. If that floats your boat, then you're in for a good time here. Gem smithing, blacksmithing, leather working, alchemy and much more happen between each floor.
The editing is not great, which isn't a surprise when the author had to create a bazillion tables one after the other. I'm still giving this a 5/5* but I wouldn't mind fewer tables in book two.
The biggest issue, as other reviewers have mentioned, is the non-stop tsunami of stat tables. They don't slow down as each page is filled with tables. If you scan them the book keeps moving. That's what I did anyway.
The story, such as it is, involves James being sent to a dungeon tower. He has a ready room to rest in when he's not fighting in the tower. The challenges for each floor vary as do the rewards. So far, so good. Except James decides to do the tower on hard mode, which ups his reward (and results in a million more tables). Each floor is a battle but except for one or two floors James is never tested all that much.
There is also a ton of crafting in the book when James is between floors. If that floats your boat, then you're in for a good time here. Gem smithing, blacksmithing, leather working, alchemy and much more happen between each floor.
The editing is not great, which isn't a surprise when the author had to create a bazillion tables one after the other. I'm still giving this a 5/5* but I wouldn't mind fewer tables in book two.
May 29, 2023
There are a couple of problems with this book. Firstly, the wall of notifications every time he so much as twitches a finger: You have unlocked the finger twitching skill at rank S+! Upgrading a bunch of other stuff line by line in excruciating detail! This upgrade has set off another upgrade! In just as voluble a style! Needless to say, after about five minutes he’s got every power you can imagine. Which brings us to the second problem: there’s no challenge. He’s powerful enough to do anything he wants already, why should I care about what new stuff he gets? Add in positive reams of meaningless crafting waffle - do we have to have the full name and description of every step and ingredient? - where again, he just gets the best components by snapping a finger, and you have a very frustrating read. I got 2/3rds of the way through and still know very little about him, his dead parents, or his guild that someone possibly stole from him. I’d like to know more, honestly, but it just isn’t in here.
June 11, 2023
Book one
If you want overpowered MC this is a good book for you to choose. If you want overpowered crafting this is the book for you. If you want overpowered base building this book is for you.
This was a fun and interesting book. It does have some mistakes. I listed what I found on Goodreads but I wouldn't say I found them all as I was more interested in the story than hunting flaws. I marked those that jumped out at me.
The MC is an interesting fellow that is always trying his best, even when he has no power.
He can kill when it is needed without turning into a blubbering mess that calls himself a murderer. He will go out of his way though to save a life if he can.
Watching his rise to the top was nice and better than a lot of stories being offered.
8/10 Don't really know if book two can be anywhere near as good.
If you want overpowered MC this is a good book for you to choose. If you want overpowered crafting this is the book for you. If you want overpowered base building this book is for you.
This was a fun and interesting book. It does have some mistakes. I listed what I found on Goodreads but I wouldn't say I found them all as I was more interested in the story than hunting flaws. I marked those that jumped out at me.
The MC is an interesting fellow that is always trying his best, even when he has no power.
He can kill when it is needed without turning into a blubbering mess that calls himself a murderer. He will go out of his way though to save a life if he can.
Watching his rise to the top was nice and better than a lot of stories being offered.
8/10 Don't really know if book two can be anywhere near as good.
May 17, 2023
OP MC, crafting, base building, and tower climbing
I loved this personally, but realize it might not be for everyone. It checked all the boxes for me though.
One thing I didn’t mention is that it is super heavy on system notification boxes for all the achievements, skill ups, etc. I know that some people avoid the more stat crunchy LitRPG stories.
I loved this and can’t wait until book 2!
I loved this personally, but realize it might not be for everyone. It checked all the boxes for me though.
One thing I didn’t mention is that it is super heavy on system notification boxes for all the achievements, skill ups, etc. I know that some people avoid the more stat crunchy LitRPG stories.
I loved this and can’t wait until book 2!
July 6, 2023
KU Review
Absolutely fascinating system and so complex I doubt I could ever truly understand it. The forced tower climb and rewards were crazy and kept the action frantic. Great story.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Absolutely fascinating system and so complex I doubt I could ever truly understand it. The forced tower climb and rewards were crazy and kept the action frantic. Great story.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
May 11, 2023
Very Crunchy LitRPG
Pretty good book with a Chinese/Korean feel to it. The MC becomes extremely OP pretty early in and never looks back. There are so many skill ups and stat ups that sometimes it kinda takes over the book.
Provisionally recommended if you like lots and lots of stats and skill tree descriptions.
Pretty good book with a Chinese/Korean feel to it. The MC becomes extremely OP pretty early in and never looks back. There are so many skill ups and stat ups that sometimes it kinda takes over the book.
Provisionally recommended if you like lots and lots of stats and skill tree descriptions.
May 20, 2023
help me read more books
Not quite what I expected, but it (mostly) works.There's a few unresolved issues in this one, being saved for the next book I guess, and some portions of the story that felt like they didn't really belong there, but overall, it's a strong showing, and I'd be happy to read more in the series.
Not quite what I expected, but it (mostly) works.There's a few unresolved issues in this one, being saved for the next book I guess, and some portions of the story that felt like they didn't really belong there, but overall, it's a strong showing, and I'd be happy to read more in the series.
May 31, 2023
A good book with a few issues.
This is very, very crunchy. It probably has almost two hundred pages of stat blocks. The system is very convoluted. If this is your thing, five stars all the way. If it is not, this is a two star book. The basic idea is solid, but the side characters are very under developed.
This is very, very crunchy. It probably has almost two hundred pages of stat blocks. The system is very convoluted. If this is your thing, five stars all the way. If it is not, this is a two star book. The basic idea is solid, but the side characters are very under developed.
June 27, 2023
the most OP
A mix of Master Hunter K and a maHOOssive amount of crafting, all based around a frustrated genius. Somewhat reminiscent of Chaos Seeds in his good fortune.
The early parts are somewhat confusing as the explanations are delayed in the interest of advancing the plot.
More, please?
A mix of Master Hunter K and a maHOOssive amount of crafting, all based around a frustrated genius. Somewhat reminiscent of Chaos Seeds in his good fortune.
The early parts are somewhat confusing as the explanations are delayed in the interest of advancing the plot.
More, please?
July 8, 2023
Cool combo of ideas
I liked the system and the tower climb plus the real world drama. The text boxes were more prolific than I prefer, but were easy enough to skip when they repeated. Nice wrapup at the end. I appreciate the lack of a cliffhanger while having some nice hooks for the future.
I liked the system and the tower climb plus the real world drama. The text boxes were more prolific than I prefer, but were easy enough to skip when they repeated. Nice wrapup at the end. I appreciate the lack of a cliffhanger while having some nice hooks for the future.
August 18, 2023
not a bad start, but needs serious editing and formatting improvements
I got through this story barely. After the third horrible formatted administrator meeting I was done, but pushed on. Fun concepts. Nothing really new. Lots of unexplained aspects of the world for the reader to guess at. Mostly just the tail of a down on his luck spoiled rich kid who makes himself richer.
I got through this story barely. After the third horrible formatted administrator meeting I was done, but pushed on. Fun concepts. Nothing really new. Lots of unexplained aspects of the world for the reader to guess at. Mostly just the tail of a down on his luck spoiled rich kid who makes himself richer.
September 15, 2023
Really good
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. It was one of the best books I've read this year. It's well with reading. There are two small issues that could be annoying to assume readers. One, it is extremely stat heavy. It doesn't bother me, but some would be put off. Two, some of the transitions can be a bit jarring.
Highly recommended
If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. It was one of the best books I've read this year. It's well with reading. There are two small issues that could be annoying to assume readers. One, it is extremely stat heavy. It doesn't bother me, but some would be put off. Two, some of the transitions can be a bit jarring.
Highly recommended
May 14, 2023
absolute Thrill Ride
OP MC who you can still root for and sympathize with. This is a complete rarity in this genre and I finished the book in one day, still hungry for more. Please get on with Book Two, Mr. Husar!
OP MC who you can still root for and sympathize with. This is a complete rarity in this genre and I finished the book in one day, still hungry for more. Please get on with Book Two, Mr. Husar!
May 24, 2023
Excellent series start
Excellent start of a series! Heavy on stats but I'm just fine with that. The sheer amount of skills he gathered makes sense when you consider his background as well. I'm curious to see where the story and world goes from here!
Excellent start of a series! Heavy on stats but I'm just fine with that. The sheer amount of skills he gathered makes sense when you consider his background as well. I'm curious to see where the story and world goes from here!
June 11, 2023
Exceptional
This was an excellent story. The technical aspects were well crafted into being part of the story (a few errors, but nothing detracting). Hopefully, there will be more to this.
This was an excellent story. The technical aspects were well crafted into being part of the story (a few errors, but nothing detracting). Hopefully, there will be more to this.
June 27, 2023
A good read
A good read the story is very well written and the telling is good for what it is the only downside was the repatriation witch for hard to push through some time s even with this the book was very good .
A good read the story is very well written and the telling is good for what it is the only downside was the repatriation witch for hard to push through some time s even with this the book was very good .
Read
August 16, 2023Misogyny in the first sentanc
Literally did not get past the first page. Calling a secretary a bimbo to start off your story isnt a good look and instantly turns me off.
There a positive uses of the word bimbo, but I doubt a cis man could pull it off.
Literally did not get past the first page. Calling a secretary a bimbo to start off your story isnt a good look and instantly turns me off.
There a positive uses of the word bimbo, but I doubt a cis man could pull it off.
August 17, 2023
amazing
This book was amazing and confusing as the same time, there where parts where I had no clue what was going on. I did kind of like the chaos and MC was god mode OP and nothing was a struggle so be aware of that.
This book was amazing and confusing as the same time, there where parts where I had no clue what was going on. I did kind of like the chaos and MC was god mode OP and nothing was a struggle so be aware of that.
April 30, 2023
Brilliant...just Brilliant!!!!
I have to admit the beginning is rather hard to chew through. OP MC to the MAX!!! CANNOT wait for more of the story.
I have to admit the beginning is rather hard to chew through. OP MC to the MAX!!! CANNOT wait for more of the story.
July 10, 2023
Very good one sitting read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like LitRPG and progression type of books with lots of action and intrigue.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like LitRPG and progression type of books with lots of action and intrigue.
July 23, 2023
Why would he call the receiptionist "bimbo" when she just doing her job without further explanation? The story got tonnes of holes and MC is just childlish. Im fuming when Im reading this book.
August 15, 2023
Refreshing!
This is an amazing roller coaster ride in the Tower traditional litrpg style that was entertaining to the very last page. Can't wait for the next tale.
This is an amazing roller coaster ride in the Tower traditional litrpg style that was entertaining to the very last page. Can't wait for the next tale.
July 7, 2023
The story itself was OK, but I don't know if a teenager who failed English, an AI, or a translator screwed this up.
July 1, 2023
Amazing
This is one of my favorite LitRPG books of all time, and have read hundreds. The system is so cool in how the abilities stack and build of each other, and the synergies it makes, and I love the world building and characters. A must read for middling and veteran readers of the genre.
This is one of my favorite LitRPG books of all time, and have read hundreds. The system is so cool in how the abilities stack and build of each other, and the synergies it makes, and I love the world building and characters. A must read for middling and veteran readers of the genre.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews