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12 Miles Below #1
The Frozen Realm
The surface is frozen. The depths filled with monsters. Can anything survive?
Extreme sub-zero temperatures suffocate the surface. Frozen structures of bygone eras span across massive ice-wastes. And the survivors closely guard any technology rediscovered within them.
The only escape from the deadly climate is beneath the surface, but that doesn't mean it's safe...
Monstrous machines lurk in the depths. Unhinged demigods war against them, dying over and over, treating it all like a game. The depths themselves shift over time, more contraption than rock.
When an expedition into the far uncharted north goes terribly wrong, Keith Winterscar and his father get trapped together in a desperate fight for survival. Stumbling upon an ancient war of titanic scale, the two will need to set their differences aside while they struggle against Gods, legends, and the secrets of the realm that lies below.
Don't miss the start of this Progression Fantasy Epic set around a pseudo-medieval society clinging to existence on frozen post-apocalyptic Earth. Impossible odds, weak-to-strong progression, epic battles, scavenged tech, prophecy, magic, and mystery—12 Miles Below has something for everyone. Grab your copy today!
Extreme sub-zero temperatures suffocate the surface. Frozen structures of bygone eras span across massive ice-wastes. And the survivors closely guard any technology rediscovered within them.
The only escape from the deadly climate is beneath the surface, but that doesn't mean it's safe...
Monstrous machines lurk in the depths. Unhinged demigods war against them, dying over and over, treating it all like a game. The depths themselves shift over time, more contraption than rock.
When an expedition into the far uncharted north goes terribly wrong, Keith Winterscar and his father get trapped together in a desperate fight for survival. Stumbling upon an ancient war of titanic scale, the two will need to set their differences aside while they struggle against Gods, legends, and the secrets of the realm that lies below.
Don't miss the start of this Progression Fantasy Epic set around a pseudo-medieval society clinging to existence on frozen post-apocalyptic Earth. Impossible odds, weak-to-strong progression, epic battles, scavenged tech, prophecy, magic, and mystery—12 Miles Below has something for everyone. Grab your copy today!
540 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2023
718 people are currently reading
2139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
November 8, 2023
DNF. Seems like a nice story. But it’s advertised as progression fantasy. I’m 40% in and this is not that. That’s what I was looking for. This is standard post-apocalyptic fantasy/frostpunk. No litrpg or Progression. I’m not sure why the author advertised as such. Also seems like he has the same book without that tag so maybe he just added it in hopes of more readers but that’s not the way to do it bro.
Post comment note: My bad. No reason for me to get annoyed here. You can have a difference in opinion. For me progression fantasy is about and central around an MC gaining obvious power levels. Litrpg and wuxia do this with levels and cultivation respectively. I would also settle for a situation where the author is making clear power level distinctions as goals for the MC. Yes books like “the Dresden files” are a fantastic read and each book Harry is obviously slightly stronger. But that isn’t central and I would not classify it as progression. While it seems like the set up in this book is for him to get a suit of armor. And eventually that will progress for him. It currently ready as a post apocalyptic fantasy. And frankly I’m not sure how I feel about your suit being the central power progression for the narrative. Is iron man Progression now? That said. This again, is all a matter of opinion. If the author wants to mark progression he could add a prologue or alt view chapter where we get to see the suits or know what the goal line is for the power progression in advance. And then continue to have no progression in the first book. Much like it seems to annoy some of you that I’m saying this isn’t Progression, it annoys me when I feel an author misrepresents his work.
Post comment note: My bad. No reason for me to get annoyed here. You can have a difference in opinion. For me progression fantasy is about and central around an MC gaining obvious power levels. Litrpg and wuxia do this with levels and cultivation respectively. I would also settle for a situation where the author is making clear power level distinctions as goals for the MC. Yes books like “the Dresden files” are a fantastic read and each book Harry is obviously slightly stronger. But that isn’t central and I would not classify it as progression. While it seems like the set up in this book is for him to get a suit of armor. And eventually that will progress for him. It currently ready as a post apocalyptic fantasy. And frankly I’m not sure how I feel about your suit being the central power progression for the narrative. Is iron man Progression now? That said. This again, is all a matter of opinion. If the author wants to mark progression he could add a prologue or alt view chapter where we get to see the suits or know what the goal line is for the power progression in advance. And then continue to have no progression in the first book. Much like it seems to annoy some of you that I’m saying this isn’t Progression, it annoys me when I feel an author misrepresents his work.
July 28, 2023
Book one
First this book isn't litrpg. It's futuristic post apocalypse. You have a frozen wasteland on the surface, but things get strange the deeper under ground you go.
You have warring A.I.'s and humans that death can't hold. Caught in the middle are a brother and sister just trying to survive and understand their world.
If this sounds good to you read up and then join me over on Royalroad as there is a bunch more published on that site.
The few mistakes I have found will be listed on Goodreads.
9/10 Surprisingly good read!
First this book isn't litrpg. It's futuristic post apocalypse. You have a frozen wasteland on the surface, but things get strange the deeper under ground you go.
You have warring A.I.'s and humans that death can't hold. Caught in the middle are a brother and sister just trying to survive and understand their world.
If this sounds good to you read up and then join me over on Royalroad as there is a bunch more published on that site.
The few mistakes I have found will be listed on Goodreads.
9/10 Surprisingly good read!
August 5, 2023
Did not finish.
I got through the first quarter of the book before I gave up. The characters are dry and very unlikable, ALL the characters. This has a very slow start that never really got going. A quarter of the way in and the story still hasn't started, so I gave up.
I got through the first quarter of the book before I gave up. The characters are dry and very unlikable, ALL the characters. This has a very slow start that never really got going. A quarter of the way in and the story still hasn't started, so I gave up.
December 6, 2024
On the one hand, there's a lot to like here. It's not shy about homages to pulpy sci-fi, not afraid to be over the top, fresh worldbuilding...
On the other hand, it's full of prose gaffes like this:
"Around me, the white wastes stretched around, a flat surface broken up by the ruins stretching a mile around us."
YIKES
Lots of stuff any editor worth their salt would have caught. I can knock off at least a star for that.
Speaking of editing... the narrator spends about 25% of the book navel-gazing, walking us through mundane processes, explaining every decision from every character, etc. While listening to the audiobook, there were times where I said "shuuuuuut the fuck upppppp" out loud.
Also, no spoilers, but the arrangement is off. The emotional and plot climaxes are in the wrong places in the big picture, and there are loose ends and Chekhov's guns that never go off. It ultimately gives an awkward feel to an opening series arc that could have been nicely wrapped up.
BUT IT WAS COOL SO 3 STARS
On the other hand, it's full of prose gaffes like this:
"Around me, the white wastes stretched around, a flat surface broken up by the ruins stretching a mile around us."
YIKES
Lots of stuff any editor worth their salt would have caught. I can knock off at least a star for that.
Speaking of editing... the narrator spends about 25% of the book navel-gazing, walking us through mundane processes, explaining every decision from every character, etc. While listening to the audiobook, there were times where I said "shuuuuuut the fuck upppppp" out loud.
Also, no spoilers, but the arrangement is off. The emotional and plot climaxes are in the wrong places in the big picture, and there are loose ends and Chekhov's guns that never go off. It ultimately gives an awkward feel to an opening series arc that could have been nicely wrapped up.
BUT IT WAS COOL SO 3 STARS
July 30, 2023
I read this book today and completely lost track of time. I wasn't sure if I would like it based off the blurb but I thoroughly enjoyed it and have added the release date of the next in the series to my calendar.
I won't get too much into it to avoid spoilers but I liked the setting it's fun to read a book so long after the collapse of more technologically developed civilisations. The world building is captivating despite us not learning about the intricacies of the surface and undercity dwellers cultures (yet, more will most likely be discovered in the next book and I'm looking forward to finding out more). The book is action packed and the development of the characters is top notch.
Looking at the other reviews I have to say that I didn't notice any errors and so it didn't affect readability for me. Would definitely recommend as although its not a classic lit RPG like other reviews have commented, personally I think it might be lit RPG there is characters getting stronger its just slower hitting, I'm not sure, this didn't impact how much I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it.
I won't get too much into it to avoid spoilers but I liked the setting it's fun to read a book so long after the collapse of more technologically developed civilisations. The world building is captivating despite us not learning about the intricacies of the surface and undercity dwellers cultures (yet, more will most likely be discovered in the next book and I'm looking forward to finding out more). The book is action packed and the development of the characters is top notch.
Looking at the other reviews I have to say that I didn't notice any errors and so it didn't affect readability for me. Would definitely recommend as although its not a classic lit RPG like other reviews have commented, personally I think it might be lit RPG there is characters getting stronger its just slower hitting, I'm not sure, this didn't impact how much I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it.
June 29, 2024
This was a decent fantasy book. The Frozen Realm is fairly well-written, with excellent action, and interesting characters. However, the story just did not grab me, so I will not be reading another book in this series.
January 19, 2026
I am finally finished with this long as*ed book. I got my copy as an audio book from the Audible free library. Since it was free I didn't pay good enough attention: I knew it was a series but thought this 14.5 hour book was separate books that made up the entire series. I didn't realize there were a bunch more long as*ed books to finish the series. When I figured that out I was about 20% done and not loving it so I was ready to give up.
I normally read post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction, especially about wastelands, though never before a frozen waste. I thought that might be a nice change but ended up bored, even though I don't think it had to be boring. Before making a DNF decision I went back to Goodreads and read some reviews. There I found out there were disagreements about whether this book was a proper LITprg, a genre that has never really clicked for me. Nevertheless, the disagreement interested me for some reason and I decided to finish the book.
This book is so long (the paper copy is over 500 pages) that once you've passed 20% you've got too much time invested to justify not finishing. The book became a little more interesting after that, possibly because I could focus on which LITprg argument was correct. The issues after that point were that the narrator's smarmy voice began really getting on my nerves. Also, more fight scenes came up and they became tediously long and, yes, boring. As a result I lost the plot near the end and got confused about what was happening and why. After that, I couldn't wait for it to be over.
So, I never came to a conclusion about the disagreement, I will leave that to readers more into LITprg than I. I did conclude that the series has good ideas/plot that are poorly executed. Finally, I concluded I cannot justify spending any more time on this series so I won't be going forward with the sequels.
I normally read post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction, especially about wastelands, though never before a frozen waste. I thought that might be a nice change but ended up bored, even though I don't think it had to be boring. Before making a DNF decision I went back to Goodreads and read some reviews. There I found out there were disagreements about whether this book was a proper LITprg, a genre that has never really clicked for me. Nevertheless, the disagreement interested me for some reason and I decided to finish the book.
This book is so long (the paper copy is over 500 pages) that once you've passed 20% you've got too much time invested to justify not finishing. The book became a little more interesting after that, possibly because I could focus on which LITprg argument was correct. The issues after that point were that the narrator's smarmy voice began really getting on my nerves. Also, more fight scenes came up and they became tediously long and, yes, boring. As a result I lost the plot near the end and got confused about what was happening and why. After that, I couldn't wait for it to be over.
So, I never came to a conclusion about the disagreement, I will leave that to readers more into LITprg than I. I did conclude that the series has good ideas/plot that are poorly executed. Finally, I concluded I cannot justify spending any more time on this series so I won't be going forward with the sequels.
January 19, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. It pulls you into its world very effectively, making it easy to understand how everything works while still leaving room for curiosity and discovery. The worldbuilding is clear and immersive, and the story progresses in a natural, well-paced way. By the time I finished the book, I had the strong feeling that things were only just beginning—and that the real journey is about to start.
Easily one of the best books I've read
Easily one of the best books I've read
dnf
November 30, 2025Dnf'ed @ 13%
January 22, 2026
I'm usually fully into fantasy and nothing else. This one had a mix of sci-fi and I actually enjoyed this one. I don't know how novel this storyline is to other people but it's new to me and it was a good change of pace. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
December 31, 2025
Tough start, difficult first few chapters, almost dropped because of the Hans Solo wannabe protagonist, but the story quickly took a turn for the better, much better, I'd say at around 25 to 30%, then I couldn't bring myself to stop reading, planned to read it through a few weeks, half an hour per day, but ended up finishing it in under one week (not counting the initial boring part)
I'll certainly keep reading the rest of the books here.
I'll certainly keep reading the rest of the books here.
December 3, 2024
Such an awesome books and I have a lot of thoughts about it, both good and bad (but mostly good). I gave it a 4.25/5
FIrst the Good…….The two best qualities of this book was the plot and the world building.
About 20% into the book, the plot got going it never let off the gas. I wasn’t too sure where things were going at first but once Keith and father fell into that pit and fell underneath it was like a struggle for survival the whole time. I love that kind of adrenaline filled survival mode that these types of story go through and this one was even longer and more thorough then most. A lot of action and a lot of different androids that felt genuinely well realized. I audibly let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when Keith found his armor and even though I was expecting the dad to die I was still impressed by all he accomplished before he did. The end didn’t drag and we even got some kool displays by the deathless and the feathers which I wasn’t expecting this soon.
The world building was phenomenal. I can’t tell you how tired I am of medieval fantasy stories or any of the other settings we’ve seen soooo many times. It’s part of the reason I liked reading progressions fantasy, just for the pure creativity of it all when its done well (Bastion I’m looking at you). This book is a great addition to that rule. A frozen wasteland on top of miles of underground civilizations and a maze of old tech and remnants of a bygone era. Three giant structure that float around the world and a whole ecosystem of rampaging murderous cyborgs and androids. Like the author is either crazy or a genius for being able to come up with that and to actually be able to bring it to life in a well thought out manner.
Not to mention all the lore and intrigue we got in just this first book. How the world became what it is, the deathless, the different factions and civilizations of the undersides, the armor, the culture behind the clans and migrating under ground. So cool and so much to unpack.
The magic system and action was also pretty unique. We didn’t get a whole lot from the magic but the armor and the exploration of that is endlessly fascinating. I have a few concerns about the armor I’ll talk about in a bit but overall it was a fun addition to the story.
A couple a bad things��mostly nitpicks honestly
First off, this book was not a progression fantasy. It doesn’t bother me at all but I find it weird its labeled as such. Even if the progression comes later its still weird that the first book didn’t have any progression in it.
It did suffer a bit from the serial format. Sometimes the book’s flow felt monotonous and wandering in a way that you can tell the author was just sort of making it up as he goes along. Still fun but it just wasn’t crafted with a cohesive story in mind from start to finish like you find with traditionally published books
The armor concerns me a little bit. I don’t like the idea of the armor doing everything for our heroes. The armor can aim, dodge and fight for them literally. It takes some of the satisfaction out of our protagonist getting out of a situation if the armor does all the work. They already are perfect super weapons with no faults so I just hope Keith doesn’t rely on them too much in the future and he learns to fight and advance in his own right
I didn’t care when the dad died. The book spent the whole time telling us how much of a horrible father he was, he abused, ignored and took advantage of Keith and his sister. So I found it weird that it tried to elicit some emotional response out of us with his death. In fact I think it took him too long to die, he should have died during their first encounter with the screamers and left Keith to fend for himself until he found the armor. I would have enjoyed that more
Overall a well done story and I can’t wait to read more!
FIrst the Good…….The two best qualities of this book was the plot and the world building.
About 20% into the book, the plot got going it never let off the gas. I wasn’t too sure where things were going at first but once Keith and father fell into that pit and fell underneath it was like a struggle for survival the whole time. I love that kind of adrenaline filled survival mode that these types of story go through and this one was even longer and more thorough then most. A lot of action and a lot of different androids that felt genuinely well realized. I audibly let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding when Keith found his armor and even though I was expecting the dad to die I was still impressed by all he accomplished before he did. The end didn’t drag and we even got some kool displays by the deathless and the feathers which I wasn’t expecting this soon.
The world building was phenomenal. I can’t tell you how tired I am of medieval fantasy stories or any of the other settings we’ve seen soooo many times. It’s part of the reason I liked reading progressions fantasy, just for the pure creativity of it all when its done well (Bastion I’m looking at you). This book is a great addition to that rule. A frozen wasteland on top of miles of underground civilizations and a maze of old tech and remnants of a bygone era. Three giant structure that float around the world and a whole ecosystem of rampaging murderous cyborgs and androids. Like the author is either crazy or a genius for being able to come up with that and to actually be able to bring it to life in a well thought out manner.
Not to mention all the lore and intrigue we got in just this first book. How the world became what it is, the deathless, the different factions and civilizations of the undersides, the armor, the culture behind the clans and migrating under ground. So cool and so much to unpack.
The magic system and action was also pretty unique. We didn’t get a whole lot from the magic but the armor and the exploration of that is endlessly fascinating. I have a few concerns about the armor I’ll talk about in a bit but overall it was a fun addition to the story.
A couple a bad things��mostly nitpicks honestly
First off, this book was not a progression fantasy. It doesn’t bother me at all but I find it weird its labeled as such. Even if the progression comes later its still weird that the first book didn’t have any progression in it.
It did suffer a bit from the serial format. Sometimes the book’s flow felt monotonous and wandering in a way that you can tell the author was just sort of making it up as he goes along. Still fun but it just wasn’t crafted with a cohesive story in mind from start to finish like you find with traditionally published books
The armor concerns me a little bit. I don’t like the idea of the armor doing everything for our heroes. The armor can aim, dodge and fight for them literally. It takes some of the satisfaction out of our protagonist getting out of a situation if the armor does all the work. They already are perfect super weapons with no faults so I just hope Keith doesn’t rely on them too much in the future and he learns to fight and advance in his own right
I didn’t care when the dad died. The book spent the whole time telling us how much of a horrible father he was, he abused, ignored and took advantage of Keith and his sister. So I found it weird that it tried to elicit some emotional response out of us with his death. In fact I think it took him too long to die, he should have died during their first encounter with the screamers and left Keith to fend for himself until he found the armor. I would have enjoyed that more
Overall a well done story and I can’t wait to read more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2024
If you like Brandon Sanderson, you’ll love this. It’s like if a Brandon Sanderson book had a baby with a mad hype DND campaign from a methed out DM who ate only nachos from 7/11.
Some of you are reading that description and thinking “oh COOL!!” and others of you are thinking “God save us all.” Those two groups know if they want this book. I’m talking to the rest of you who aren’t sure yet. Ok. Here’s how it is. This may not be AS baroque as the OTT stupid magic systems in Will Wight’s stuff. But it is close. So so close. I do not like being dragged into someone else’s imagination unless they can explain it clearly. Otherwise I’d just as soon listen to my coworker tell me her 90th dream about how her chihuahua got a job at Walgreens and got drunk on white claw.
This starts out well, with world-building a person can envision. Very soon, however, inside of 20% it becomes a stew of neato, gee-whiz stuff that has you either saying “wha?” or “I’m gonna draw this in my notebook during history class.” Since I’m not a Sanderson fan I’m taking a pass on further books.
Some of you are reading that description and thinking “oh COOL!!” and others of you are thinking “God save us all.” Those two groups know if they want this book. I’m talking to the rest of you who aren’t sure yet. Ok. Here’s how it is. This may not be AS baroque as the OTT stupid magic systems in Will Wight’s stuff. But it is close. So so close. I do not like being dragged into someone else’s imagination unless they can explain it clearly. Otherwise I’d just as soon listen to my coworker tell me her 90th dream about how her chihuahua got a job at Walgreens and got drunk on white claw.
This starts out well, with world-building a person can envision. Very soon, however, inside of 20% it becomes a stew of neato, gee-whiz stuff that has you either saying “wha?” or “I’m gonna draw this in my notebook during history class.” Since I’m not a Sanderson fan I’m taking a pass on further books.
September 26, 2023
The first time I tried reading this I didn't enjoy it , at the time I was in the mood for fast paced popcorn fantasy. Two days back I suddenly remembered i had the book on my to-read list and in a more open minded state I gave it a go and found myself enjoying it till the end , though it had parts where the humour was a bit stale it didn't really bother me and I found myself wanting for more by the end.
February 9, 2025
bold choice ,making progression fantasy with no progression
June 21, 2024
Once you get past the fact that this is not a progression fantasy, despite claiming that it is, this is a really enjoyable book. In fact, if you are the kind of person only interested in progression fantasy, then this is not the book for you because I struggle to find a single element in this book that is progression fantasy.
Instead, I would characterise this as dystopian science fiction. Advanced technology plays a far bigger role in this story than magic (though there are hints of that which I assume will become a larger part of the story as it progresses). However, the science that is here is so misunderstood by the main characters that Arthur C Clarke's famous quote applies here:
However, mischaracterisation of the story aside, this is a really good book.
It's the story of Kieth, a young man raised from birth to be a warrior and to one day potentially inherit his family's power armour. The issue with this plan is that the young man in question is far more interested in engineering than he is in fighting. He has a brilliant mind, with the story hinting at genius-level intellect on multiple occasions, but in this dystopian future, thinkers are a lower caste of society as knights are the protectors of their people and, therefore, at the top of the pecking order.
This conflict stands out most strongly in Kieth's relationship with his father, the greatest knight of his age. He is constantly disappointed by Kieth's failure to put aside his nature and follow in his footsteps, and it is this particular conflict where this story really shines. Events in this novel force this relationship to the forefront, sending father and son on a journey where they must each confront their issues with one another. His father must learn that Kieth's nature can be a boon more than a curse, and Kieth must learn that there is much more to his father and his motivations than he originally thought.
It's a great character-led story that doesn't disappoint in delivering impactful character moments (from the main cast as well as the surrounding characters) and also doesn't disappoint with the world-building and plot. This book does everything that a good first story should do, utilising the untapped potential of an exceptional protagonist, delivering a rich world for the story to exist in, setting up the opening events of an intriguing plot, and most importantly of all, using great characters to drive the story.
I'm struggling to find any objective flaws with this one, and will instead fall back on just a couple of personal frustrations. The first is that the story could have unfolded a little quicker for my tastes. This slowing down of the plot was a slight overreliance on action for action's sake. This isn't a major problem for this book, and my personal intolerance of this is probably the only reason why I picked up on it as an issue in the first place. However, there were a few too many chapters where it felt like we were fighting because there hadn't been an action scene in a while, or maybe letting the action run long for the sake of it, rather than meaningfully moving the story forward.
My second issue was that I thought sticking true to a story trope involving a specific character's death was a shame. It didn't undermine the story that had gone before it, but it did drastically remove a lot of potential of where this particular story could have gone. I think the purpose of this particular trope is to deliver a bitter-sweet tragedy, and it was accomplished here. I just think that ignoring that bitter-sweet moment and focusing on the potential of what the story had been setting up instead could have done much more for the future of this series.
Like I said though, they're not objective issues in the slightest, just personal tastes of what I thought could have been improved with this story. Overall this was a cracking first novel, and I highly recommend it.
Instead, I would characterise this as dystopian science fiction. Advanced technology plays a far bigger role in this story than magic (though there are hints of that which I assume will become a larger part of the story as it progresses). However, the science that is here is so misunderstood by the main characters that Arthur C Clarke's famous quote applies here:
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
However, mischaracterisation of the story aside, this is a really good book.
It's the story of Kieth, a young man raised from birth to be a warrior and to one day potentially inherit his family's power armour. The issue with this plan is that the young man in question is far more interested in engineering than he is in fighting. He has a brilliant mind, with the story hinting at genius-level intellect on multiple occasions, but in this dystopian future, thinkers are a lower caste of society as knights are the protectors of their people and, therefore, at the top of the pecking order.
This conflict stands out most strongly in Kieth's relationship with his father, the greatest knight of his age. He is constantly disappointed by Kieth's failure to put aside his nature and follow in his footsteps, and it is this particular conflict where this story really shines. Events in this novel force this relationship to the forefront, sending father and son on a journey where they must each confront their issues with one another. His father must learn that Kieth's nature can be a boon more than a curse, and Kieth must learn that there is much more to his father and his motivations than he originally thought.
It's a great character-led story that doesn't disappoint in delivering impactful character moments (from the main cast as well as the surrounding characters) and also doesn't disappoint with the world-building and plot. This book does everything that a good first story should do, utilising the untapped potential of an exceptional protagonist, delivering a rich world for the story to exist in, setting up the opening events of an intriguing plot, and most importantly of all, using great characters to drive the story.
I'm struggling to find any objective flaws with this one, and will instead fall back on just a couple of personal frustrations. The first is that the story could have unfolded a little quicker for my tastes. This slowing down of the plot was a slight overreliance on action for action's sake. This isn't a major problem for this book, and my personal intolerance of this is probably the only reason why I picked up on it as an issue in the first place. However, there were a few too many chapters where it felt like we were fighting because there hadn't been an action scene in a while, or maybe letting the action run long for the sake of it, rather than meaningfully moving the story forward.
My second issue was that I thought sticking true to a story trope involving a specific character's death was a shame. It didn't undermine the story that had gone before it, but it did drastically remove a lot of potential of where this particular story could have gone. I think the purpose of this particular trope is to deliver a bitter-sweet tragedy, and it was accomplished here. I just think that ignoring that bitter-sweet moment and focusing on the potential of what the story had been setting up instead could have done much more for the future of this series.
Like I said though, they're not objective issues in the slightest, just personal tastes of what I thought could have been improved with this story. Overall this was a cracking first novel, and I highly recommend it.
March 12, 2024
Straightaway, know that I am not a fan of the Progression Fantasy Epic genre. But, this story grabbed my attention. The concept was intriguing to me as I love Postapocalyptic fiction. Upon reading reviews, I garnered that many PFE readers did not think that this book qualified in the genre. So, between the plot and that fact that many thought this not to be PFE, I added it to my list. I own plenty of books that I have not yet read, ensuring I never have to choose my next book from a short list. My wife went through my list after I shared my interest in this story and ordered it for me. So much was my interest that I took up this book as soon as I finished my previous read.
I heartly enjoyed this story, the massive layout of all that was possible and, more so, what was impossible but still somehow available should the story lead in that direction. The storyteller, Keith Winterscar, in first person past tense, deftly describes the innumerable characters, settings, creatures, 'religions,' gods, demi-gods, belief systems, and so on. My mind lacked little to be fully implanted in this story, feeling present in the events, even if watching in safety.
The Postapocalyptic genre is massive and offers endless possibilities, giving authors many ways to share new, dark glimpses of the future. This story tells of our planet, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years in to the future, an earth that we certainly do not know, one well beyond our present time. Mark Arrows creates a believably possible future. There are a few missteps in the telling, a few things not truly possible, like hearing something that sounded outside of a character's vacuum sealed suit, for example, but all told, those types of things were easy enough to pass by and... allow; thankfully there weren't many issues of this sort.
I will absolutely be reading A House Reborn, book two in this series, in my very near future and I hope to enjoy that so that I can move on to books three and four.
I heartly enjoyed this story, the massive layout of all that was possible and, more so, what was impossible but still somehow available should the story lead in that direction. The storyteller, Keith Winterscar, in first person past tense, deftly describes the innumerable characters, settings, creatures, 'religions,' gods, demi-gods, belief systems, and so on. My mind lacked little to be fully implanted in this story, feeling present in the events, even if watching in safety.
The Postapocalyptic genre is massive and offers endless possibilities, giving authors many ways to share new, dark glimpses of the future. This story tells of our planet, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years in to the future, an earth that we certainly do not know, one well beyond our present time. Mark Arrows creates a believably possible future. There are a few missteps in the telling, a few things not truly possible, like hearing something that sounded outside of a character's vacuum sealed suit, for example, but all told, those types of things were easy enough to pass by and... allow; thankfully there weren't many issues of this sort.
I will absolutely be reading A House Reborn, book two in this series, in my very near future and I hope to enjoy that so that I can move on to books three and four.
March 25, 2024
Was recommended this by /r/progressionfantasy. Overall I had fun reading this book, but will not be continuing this series. Spoilers to follow:
One of my biggest pet peeves is when the enemy is a powerful unknowable inhuman entity, but then when you finally meet them they talk and act just like any other human. At the beginning of this book they are fighting terrifying unknowable machines. By the end they are fighting Feather Joe and his robot buddies. I read a couple chapters into book 2 and it got even worse. All the feathers act like angsty teenagers vying for abusive mother's attention. Swapping out remorseless machines for angsty teens is enough to get me to drop a series.
I really liked the spider that kept chasing them. It made the escape from underground exciting. The cat and mouse game with a relentless monster was fun. Too bad they didn't let the spider stay dead and brought it back to life as another angry teen.
Another issue is that the plot feels like it's being made up on the fly. There's nothing wrong with an Author who uses this writing style, but it shouldn't be this obvious to the reader. Plot threads kept getting set up to go one direction, only for that to be abandoned in the next chapter. For example, at one point the new deathless were clearly going to be player characters who use this world like a video game, but then the next time we heard about them they were completely different.
I understand that the progression part of this series doesn't start until books 2+, but so far a system of progression hasn't even been introduced. Shame I didn't even see what that would be like in this world.
The dad was way too personable for a guy who never previously spoke to his kids and regularly beats them. And his death was way too heavily foreshadowed. I still liked his redemption story though.
My only regret about dropping the series is that I want to know how a few things turn out. For instance, the MC seems to have pattern-recognition skills well above human ability. Was his mother a machine or something?
One of my biggest pet peeves is when the enemy is a powerful unknowable inhuman entity, but then when you finally meet them they talk and act just like any other human. At the beginning of this book they are fighting terrifying unknowable machines. By the end they are fighting Feather Joe and his robot buddies. I read a couple chapters into book 2 and it got even worse. All the feathers act like angsty teenagers vying for abusive mother's attention. Swapping out remorseless machines for angsty teens is enough to get me to drop a series.
I really liked the spider that kept chasing them. It made the escape from underground exciting. The cat and mouse game with a relentless monster was fun. Too bad they didn't let the spider stay dead and brought it back to life as another angry teen.
Another issue is that the plot feels like it's being made up on the fly. There's nothing wrong with an Author who uses this writing style, but it shouldn't be this obvious to the reader. Plot threads kept getting set up to go one direction, only for that to be abandoned in the next chapter. For example, at one point the new deathless were clearly going to be player characters who use this world like a video game, but then the next time we heard about them they were completely different.
I understand that the progression part of this series doesn't start until books 2+, but so far a system of progression hasn't even been introduced. Shame I didn't even see what that would be like in this world.
The dad was way too personable for a guy who never previously spoke to his kids and regularly beats them. And his death was way too heavily foreshadowed. I still liked his redemption story though.
My only regret about dropping the series is that I want to know how a few things turn out. For instance, the MC seems to have pattern-recognition skills well above human ability. Was his mother a machine or something?
January 8, 2024
While I did enjoy the book and the future ones. It's a great future frozen apocalypse of man versus wild AI machines trying to kill humanity. Horizon Zero Dawn beneath the earth style.
For those coming in thinking this is going to be progression fantasy. It's not. I know for the first 60% of the book I was awaiting for him to unlock some leveling system or deathless powers or something to 'grow' to progress. He doesn't. Not in this book and not really even in book 2. Maybe in book three? However I don't think so. Not in the typical progression fantasy style.
Honestly it's more like scifi fantasy than progression where the main character just gets new gear with new stuff. Like finding a plasma gun when he's only ever used ballistic or a wizard learning firebolt when he only knew fireball. It's not really progression it's just fantasy and learning. It's like claiming The Hobbit is progression fantasy because he gets a mithril shirt at some point and then a sword at some point. If that's the case then every fantasy and sci-fi book is progression because they learn new spells or how to fight with a sword better or get better guns or armor.
So don't be waiting around all book for him to suddenly unlock something or get some AI that lets him suddenly get more and more advanced abilities and choose what to unlock or add in new things to unlock more. That..doesn't really happen.
It isn't until book 2 he even starts to cobble together a few things to 'progress' at all and even then it's closer to just getting new gear.
For those coming in thinking this is going to be progression fantasy. It's not. I know for the first 60% of the book I was awaiting for him to unlock some leveling system or deathless powers or something to 'grow' to progress. He doesn't. Not in this book and not really even in book 2. Maybe in book three? However I don't think so. Not in the typical progression fantasy style.
Honestly it's more like scifi fantasy than progression where the main character just gets new gear with new stuff. Like finding a plasma gun when he's only ever used ballistic or a wizard learning firebolt when he only knew fireball. It's not really progression it's just fantasy and learning. It's like claiming The Hobbit is progression fantasy because he gets a mithril shirt at some point and then a sword at some point. If that's the case then every fantasy and sci-fi book is progression because they learn new spells or how to fight with a sword better or get better guns or armor.
So don't be waiting around all book for him to suddenly unlock something or get some AI that lets him suddenly get more and more advanced abilities and choose what to unlock or add in new things to unlock more. That..doesn't really happen.
It isn't until book 2 he even starts to cobble together a few things to 'progress' at all and even then it's closer to just getting new gear.
November 10, 2023
A rare book that I both loved and hated.
A trashy post-apocalyptic frostpunk web novel with an unbearably annoying protagonist but a rich and vibrant world and excellent action sequences.
The setting takes place thousands of years in the future with the surface of the Earth turned into an arctic wasteland with a few groups of survivors above and below ground. Meanwhile the underground has been transformed by machines into a bizarre series of cybernetic dungeons. It's a cool set up and has plenty of space for the kind of big action semi-progressive fantasy story that takes place.
The action sequences and fights are the main event with a series of mecha-like relic suits being the humans main form of defence. It's all very fun, fast-paced and that kind of need to read one more chapter that the best webnovels do well.
On the other hand the protagonist is an insufferable whelp who, despite growing throughout the book, still acts like a fool. What makes him worse is the inevitable "wise crack" to EVERY conversation. They are never funny... ever. There are some good characters although dialogue is in itself another issue.
I do want to read on in this series... I just wish Keith wasn't soooooooo "funny".
A trashy post-apocalyptic frostpunk web novel with an unbearably annoying protagonist but a rich and vibrant world and excellent action sequences.
The setting takes place thousands of years in the future with the surface of the Earth turned into an arctic wasteland with a few groups of survivors above and below ground. Meanwhile the underground has been transformed by machines into a bizarre series of cybernetic dungeons. It's a cool set up and has plenty of space for the kind of big action semi-progressive fantasy story that takes place.
The action sequences and fights are the main event with a series of mecha-like relic suits being the humans main form of defence. It's all very fun, fast-paced and that kind of need to read one more chapter that the best webnovels do well.
On the other hand the protagonist is an insufferable whelp who, despite growing throughout the book, still acts like a fool. What makes him worse is the inevitable "wise crack" to EVERY conversation. They are never funny... ever. There are some good characters although dialogue is in itself another issue.
I do want to read on in this series... I just wish Keith wasn't soooooooo "funny".
January 7, 2025
So I thought this was going to be another LITrpg entry, which is cool since I like that genre. I was not familar with the term 'progression fantasy' before this.
And there's a def a litrpg feel here but it's not about spending stat points and gaining experience. Simply about getting better. Better gear. Better knowledge. Better whatever. Thus the progression.
Still, it's a surprising enjoyable book for not having been what i thought. Possibly because it wasn't. A post-apoc world where something happened ages and ages ago and humanity is trying to survive. Not prospser. just survive.
Power armor. Dungeon runs. Classes. Very much an RPG feel like Numenera or Gamma World. I enjoyed all the characters. All the various hints and hooks and eventually reveals. All of it, really. The world and character setting at the start was a bit unimpressive so not a 5 star but still very enjoyable and will def be checking out the next book.
And there's a def a litrpg feel here but it's not about spending stat points and gaining experience. Simply about getting better. Better gear. Better knowledge. Better whatever. Thus the progression.
Still, it's a surprising enjoyable book for not having been what i thought. Possibly because it wasn't. A post-apoc world where something happened ages and ages ago and humanity is trying to survive. Not prospser. just survive.
Power armor. Dungeon runs. Classes. Very much an RPG feel like Numenera or Gamma World. I enjoyed all the characters. All the various hints and hooks and eventually reveals. All of it, really. The world and character setting at the start was a bit unimpressive so not a 5 star but still very enjoyable and will def be checking out the next book.
July 17, 2025
I've read much of this series, and I'm torn. Some of this is fresh, and yet the story often plods along unnecessarily.
I don't mind that it's a slower build/burn. That's actually a plus. I like the backdrop/worldbuilding as different (and thank god it's not a rehash of orcs/goblins/etc.). The author actually deserves props to interpret fantasy as something new and new regurgitated fan-fiction of a world created 50+ years ago. Unlike most LitRPGs, the author actually has character development (personal) and character arcs. Not common for LitRPG and is to be commended.
Now, having said that, like most LitRPGs, I think the MC becomes too overpowered and the stakes wane. And the character arcs are very telegraphed, slow and overt.
You can literally skip chapters of this and not feel the need to backtrack. Ultimately that's my biggest issue with this series...that each book would have been much better if half the length.
But that head/shoulders above the average LitRPG.
I don't mind that it's a slower build/burn. That's actually a plus. I like the backdrop/worldbuilding as different (and thank god it's not a rehash of orcs/goblins/etc.). The author actually deserves props to interpret fantasy as something new and new regurgitated fan-fiction of a world created 50+ years ago. Unlike most LitRPGs, the author actually has character development (personal) and character arcs. Not common for LitRPG and is to be commended.
Now, having said that, like most LitRPGs, I think the MC becomes too overpowered and the stakes wane. And the character arcs are very telegraphed, slow and overt.
You can literally skip chapters of this and not feel the need to backtrack. Ultimately that's my biggest issue with this series...that each book would have been much better if half the length.
But that head/shoulders above the average LitRPG.
July 29, 2023
This is definitely a progression fantasy, though those elements are revealed slowly enough that I can understand why other readers thought it wasn't. I've read the first two books, and so far I haven't noticed much in the way of LitRPG elements (thankfully), although So I guess that's pretty LitRPGish. Still, the worldbuilding, internal logic, and plot are strong enough that those elements don't come off as the typical poorly-thought-out LitRPG book.
The one bad thing about this series is that it is chock-full of grammatical and spelling errors. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the author put much (any?) effort into copy editing when he took the first book off RoyalRoad and published it on Kindle Unlimited. And yet, even with that (really frustrating) issue, I still had to give this book 4 stars.
The one bad thing about this series is that it is chock-full of grammatical and spelling errors. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the author put much (any?) effort into copy editing when he took the first book off RoyalRoad and published it on Kindle Unlimited. And yet, even with that (really frustrating) issue, I still had to give this book 4 stars.
December 16, 2024
This book is both the best edited and least engaging volume of the four published so far. I honestly found the epilogue to be the most intriguing part--and it worked, as it's why I read the second book. Still, I wouldn't have if I'd had to buy it outright rather than borrow with kindle unlimited. That's a theme that persists throughout the series, because as the story becomes more entertaining, the writing (the editing) gets worse and worse.
I read this while miserable from a combo of both COVID-19 vax and the flu shot. I was not at my best. The only glaring editing issue I remember is a place where the author has knights lining up in a half-circle around the "parameter" of something. In my fuzzy state, I stared at that and stared at that certain it was wrong, but unable to think why; it should have been "perimeter".
I read this while miserable from a combo of both COVID-19 vax and the flu shot. I was not at my best. The only glaring editing issue I remember is a place where the author has knights lining up in a half-circle around the "parameter" of something. In my fuzzy state, I stared at that and stared at that certain it was wrong, but unable to think why; it should have been "perimeter".
November 10, 2023
Geeat start to a Sci Fi series
The first two books are not perfect. Mark Arrows has a gnarled bit of writing here and there. Some parts drag a bit. And like a lot of authors he needs to do a bit more showing than telling. But overall this story is addictive.
The mix of occult and science is thought out. Hard to wrap my head around all of it. But that is fine. This is a mix of magic and science at heart. Or chaos theory and science. I admit, I like the premise.
I look forward to the rest. The best science fiction also has some roots in philosophy. I look forward to seeing where this all plays out.
Read this now if you have not already! The journey is worth it!
The first two books are not perfect. Mark Arrows has a gnarled bit of writing here and there. Some parts drag a bit. And like a lot of authors he needs to do a bit more showing than telling. But overall this story is addictive.
The mix of occult and science is thought out. Hard to wrap my head around all of it. But that is fine. This is a mix of magic and science at heart. Or chaos theory and science. I admit, I like the premise.
I look forward to the rest. The best science fiction also has some roots in philosophy. I look forward to seeing where this all plays out.
Read this now if you have not already! The journey is worth it!
January 9, 2026
Rank B+
Personal Tags: (Fun-Read, Grind/Progression, Popcorn Read)
This was a 3.5 star read for me. The concept is really interesting especially the frozen world and the idea of traveling deeper underground, which adds a lot of tension and mystery. The setting and tech gave me strong Horizon Zero Dawn vibes with lost civilizations, ruins, and humanity just trying to survive. The worldbuilding is clearly well thought out, but it can feel pretty heavy at times and slows the story down. Even though it’s labeled as a progression story, that part doesn’t really show up until the last 20% or so, which was a little frustrating. Still, what we do get at the end makes me curious enough to keep going. I’m especially interested in how the different factions interact with the "Gods", because that feels like it could become really compelling later on. Overall, I liked it, but it didn’t quite hit as hard as I hoped.
Personal Tags: (Fun-Read, Grind/Progression, Popcorn Read)
This was a 3.5 star read for me. The concept is really interesting especially the frozen world and the idea of traveling deeper underground, which adds a lot of tension and mystery. The setting and tech gave me strong Horizon Zero Dawn vibes with lost civilizations, ruins, and humanity just trying to survive. The worldbuilding is clearly well thought out, but it can feel pretty heavy at times and slows the story down. Even though it’s labeled as a progression story, that part doesn’t really show up until the last 20% or so, which was a little frustrating. Still, what we do get at the end makes me curious enough to keep going. I’m especially interested in how the different factions interact with the "Gods", because that feels like it could become really compelling later on. Overall, I liked it, but it didn’t quite hit as hard as I hoped.
August 9, 2023
This. This was something entirely new. A mix between magic and very advanced technology, a progression fantasy not paced by muscle but emotional build up and intellect with general pacing that involves the reader through the eyes of the main character(MC) and intriguing mysteries that are slowly asked, magic, tech, gods, and history itself all have questions hidden away.
This novel does a good job as Redemption to all web novel first published on RoyalRoad as it seems to be so different to actually not involve only growing strengths but also the love for the characters, world and eventual goals
This novel does a good job as Redemption to all web novel first published on RoyalRoad as it seems to be so different to actually not involve only growing strengths but also the love for the characters, world and eventual goals
August 10, 2023
Great Fun
12 Miles Below reads to me like it's got layers of influences all wrapped up with fun story telling in mind. I'd list the influences I see, but at this point I'm not sure there's a point when it comes to fantasy/sci-fi. It's the fun that stands out to me the most, I think it's easy to miss the mark when a story teller makes a great effort to make a great story, but in this case the story resonated with me because I felt that despite the stakes of the plot, between the character dialogue and the by play, the writer never lost sight of making it fun without making it cheap.
12 Miles Below reads to me like it's got layers of influences all wrapped up with fun story telling in mind. I'd list the influences I see, but at this point I'm not sure there's a point when it comes to fantasy/sci-fi. It's the fun that stands out to me the most, I think it's easy to miss the mark when a story teller makes a great effort to make a great story, but in this case the story resonated with me because I felt that despite the stakes of the plot, between the character dialogue and the by play, the writer never lost sight of making it fun without making it cheap.
July 3, 2023
Help me read more books
Hmm. This is advertised as being a progression fantasy. Not sure what the author thinks that means, but whatever it is, isn't it.
Don't get me wrong, this is a pretty good story, (in fact, if it wasn't advertised as LitRPG like, I'd not complain at all). I just don't like when books try to pass themselves off as something they aren't, just so they can get ratings.
It's a really good story, and with judicious stretching of imagination, I suppose it could check all the boxes claimed on the blurb, but when a book fits a category, there shouldn't be any need for stretching of any kind, it should be abundantly clear that the book belongs in that classification.
If you picked up this book because of what it claims to be, you will (probably) be disappointed. If on the other hand, you picked up the book because it looks like a cool story, then you're in good hands. The story is a nice one, no doubt, and I'd be willing to read more in the series, but I'm not likely to do so, because it irks me to no end when authors claim categories the story is not just to get ratings, and that's clearly the case in this for instance.
Sorry dude, no more books for me in this series.
Which is kind of a shame, because as a scifi story, this rocks, as a LitRPG wannabee though, it stinks.
Hmm. This is advertised as being a progression fantasy. Not sure what the author thinks that means, but whatever it is, isn't it.
Don't get me wrong, this is a pretty good story, (in fact, if it wasn't advertised as LitRPG like, I'd not complain at all). I just don't like when books try to pass themselves off as something they aren't, just so they can get ratings.
It's a really good story, and with judicious stretching of imagination, I suppose it could check all the boxes claimed on the blurb, but when a book fits a category, there shouldn't be any need for stretching of any kind, it should be abundantly clear that the book belongs in that classification.
If you picked up this book because of what it claims to be, you will (probably) be disappointed. If on the other hand, you picked up the book because it looks like a cool story, then you're in good hands. The story is a nice one, no doubt, and I'd be willing to read more in the series, but I'm not likely to do so, because it irks me to no end when authors claim categories the story is not just to get ratings, and that's clearly the case in this for instance.
Sorry dude, no more books for me in this series.
Which is kind of a shame, because as a scifi story, this rocks, as a LitRPG wannabee though, it stinks.
July 8, 2023
An interesting world that shows promise
I wasn’t sure going in, exactly how much tech vs supernatural etc there might be. But at least for the first book it’s almost entirely based on guns and power armor. There are mentions and instances of magical powers, but they’re not super common. The MC is a young adult trying to figure out his path in life, so pretty standard. But the post apocalyptic setting and callbacks to our society today and from our future was an interesting setting. Despite being labeled as a progression fantasy, there was no actual progression of power here. There looks to be in the next book(s), but I’m this one the MC purely relies on gear and wits to get him through. So at least for this one that label is a misnomer. I’ll pick up the next book, because I did like the story and setting. Hopefully it contains actual power gain etc. otherwise this should be relabeled as another fantasy/sci fi genre.
I wasn’t sure going in, exactly how much tech vs supernatural etc there might be. But at least for the first book it’s almost entirely based on guns and power armor. There are mentions and instances of magical powers, but they’re not super common. The MC is a young adult trying to figure out his path in life, so pretty standard. But the post apocalyptic setting and callbacks to our society today and from our future was an interesting setting. Despite being labeled as a progression fantasy, there was no actual progression of power here. There looks to be in the next book(s), but I’m this one the MC purely relies on gear and wits to get him through. So at least for this one that label is a misnomer. I’ll pick up the next book, because I did like the story and setting. Hopefully it contains actual power gain etc. otherwise this should be relabeled as another fantasy/sci fi genre.
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