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Isekai Herald - Book 1: A LitRPG 5E Kingdom-Building Fantasy
Leading a party of women? Fun. Leading a cult? Not so much.
Waking up in a world with my favorite RPG rules would’ve been a dream come true if I hadn’t started from zero. To make matters worse, I must build a cult for a god I don’t worship to kill a demon king I don’t know.
I’ll have to be ruthless to grind my way to the top to do some good in the world. Rescuing a group of women from slavery to form a party will be a nice start.
Rolling the dice has never been so real. I know the rules, and I know the stakes, but I don’t know if we’ll pull this off. We’re ready to fall in battle, but are we ready to fall in love?
Waking up in a world with my favorite RPG rules would’ve been a dream come true if I hadn’t started from zero. To make matters worse, I must build a cult for a god I don’t worship to kill a demon king I don’t know.
I’ll have to be ruthless to grind my way to the top to do some good in the world. Rescuing a group of women from slavery to form a party will be a nice start.
Rolling the dice has never been so real. I know the rules, and I know the stakes, but I don’t know if we’ll pull this off. We’re ready to fall in battle, but are we ready to fall in love?
- GenresLitrpg
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 1, 2023
I liked this way more than I should
It reads like a cross between a dungeon master guide and the diary of a horny Asperger’s patient. The narrative structure is also lacking. It was well edited and free of grammatical errors.
It was also strangely compelling. I read it in one sitting and immediately looked for the next one. It was refreshing to have the fluff scraped off a story like this and just have the nuts and bolts left over. It might be a little TOO crunchy for some. But you should give it a shot. You will know pretty quickly if this is for you.
It reads like a cross between a dungeon master guide and the diary of a horny Asperger’s patient. The narrative structure is also lacking. It was well edited and free of grammatical errors.
It was also strangely compelling. I read it in one sitting and immediately looked for the next one. It was refreshing to have the fluff scraped off a story like this and just have the nuts and bolts left over. It might be a little TOO crunchy for some. But you should give it a shot. You will know pretty quickly if this is for you.
June 23, 2026
1/5
This book is actually terrible. It’s just written terribly. Dialogue is stiff, paragraphs constantly go off into tangents about inconsequential things, rigid adherence to a game system, including explanation of the games rules, when it has literally no impact on the story. D&D literally has tens of books that use it as a base and yet none explain the rules of AC and medium armor and how dexterity affects them for good reason, it’s because it doesn’t actually matter in a book. The rolls are all decided, so why bother explaining the rules when it doesn’t have a direct in universe correlation. There is no video game type menu in this world, so why does AC matter at all? Look at the Drizzt series of books, they take tons of cues from D&D (of course) but not once is it mentioned the tangible numbers of Drizzt’s AC or how it’s calculated because it doesn’t matter and doesn’t make for good reading.
And again, the tangents, why does the main character constantly spiral off into inconsequential thoughts, domino after domino. The majority of the book are these thoughts and if they mattered, then sure, but they have no tangible effect on the story. It is simply the authors voice piercing through the veil and utterly kills the immersion of the story.
Pacing is all over due to these inclusions as well. Long paragraphs dedicated to thought cascades while months are glossed over in seconds. The MC’s rise to wealth and fortune is summarized in two pages, his meeting with his party done off screen and summarized, when dialogue is actually present, it is so stiff and unnatural I cannot even slightly immerse myself into the writing. There are hardly any descriptions at all which makes the writing read more like a manifest than a story, the utter lack of detail yet the bizarre inclusions of mind spiraling leads to a book with jagged pacing and an absurd lack of actual insight into the story itself. Even the main character is failed to be properly characterized, except by the obvious fact the main character is neurodivergent, possibly autistic, and struggles from anxiety, two components I have seen written in far better manners rather than just going on tirades about morality, ethics, and capitalism. It’s just so out of place.
The characters are nonexistent, the dialogue is poor, the world is empty and uninspired (lack of detail + zero attempt at adapting an already established magic system to a new form of media), the pacing is terrible, and it’s just uninteresting. There is no hook. The author even says you can skip the first four chapters of the book, which should have been my first sign. There is nothing that makes you want to continue reading it. It’s just not good and reads a lot like a fan fiction written in free time, like a daydream recorded, rather than an attempt at a genuine book.
This book is actually terrible. It’s just written terribly. Dialogue is stiff, paragraphs constantly go off into tangents about inconsequential things, rigid adherence to a game system, including explanation of the games rules, when it has literally no impact on the story. D&D literally has tens of books that use it as a base and yet none explain the rules of AC and medium armor and how dexterity affects them for good reason, it’s because it doesn’t actually matter in a book. The rolls are all decided, so why bother explaining the rules when it doesn’t have a direct in universe correlation. There is no video game type menu in this world, so why does AC matter at all? Look at the Drizzt series of books, they take tons of cues from D&D (of course) but not once is it mentioned the tangible numbers of Drizzt’s AC or how it’s calculated because it doesn’t matter and doesn’t make for good reading.
And again, the tangents, why does the main character constantly spiral off into inconsequential thoughts, domino after domino. The majority of the book are these thoughts and if they mattered, then sure, but they have no tangible effect on the story. It is simply the authors voice piercing through the veil and utterly kills the immersion of the story.
Pacing is all over due to these inclusions as well. Long paragraphs dedicated to thought cascades while months are glossed over in seconds. The MC’s rise to wealth and fortune is summarized in two pages, his meeting with his party done off screen and summarized, when dialogue is actually present, it is so stiff and unnatural I cannot even slightly immerse myself into the writing. There are hardly any descriptions at all which makes the writing read more like a manifest than a story, the utter lack of detail yet the bizarre inclusions of mind spiraling leads to a book with jagged pacing and an absurd lack of actual insight into the story itself. Even the main character is failed to be properly characterized, except by the obvious fact the main character is neurodivergent, possibly autistic, and struggles from anxiety, two components I have seen written in far better manners rather than just going on tirades about morality, ethics, and capitalism. It’s just so out of place.
The characters are nonexistent, the dialogue is poor, the world is empty and uninspired (lack of detail + zero attempt at adapting an already established magic system to a new form of media), the pacing is terrible, and it’s just uninteresting. There is no hook. The author even says you can skip the first four chapters of the book, which should have been my first sign. There is nothing that makes you want to continue reading it. It’s just not good and reads a lot like a fan fiction written in free time, like a daydream recorded, rather than an attempt at a genuine book.
January 14, 2024
Dark world that has rape literally everywhere, so if you aren't comfy with that, you should pass this one up. The MC is somewhat of a sociopath that made it impossible to give a damn. The descriptions of combat are so dry and uninspired that I skipped ALL of them. It's that bad, like "Both Sarah and Michelle took hits this round." It's all like that - no descriptions of how they hit, just that hits happened. The characters actually miss most of the time which makes the combat even more tiresome and boring.
He got mostly dwarves for his party which is weird and the sex scenes are... less than exciting. The descriptions were once again bland and actually a bit lame (NEVER call it a "penis" or "vaginal intercourse").
It really bothered me that the author doesn't know how to use quotation marks, making it difficult to tell who is talking and for how long. The way the paragraphs are spaced (like it's a fucking internet forum) didn't help.
About 3/4 of the book could be discarded and nothing would be lost because he rambles a LOT. It's mostly random rambling and that takes me out of it.
This book is so bad that it could be used in academia as learning material for what NOT to do.
He got mostly dwarves for his party which is weird and the sex scenes are... less than exciting. The descriptions were once again bland and actually a bit lame (NEVER call it a "penis" or "vaginal intercourse").
It really bothered me that the author doesn't know how to use quotation marks, making it difficult to tell who is talking and for how long. The way the paragraphs are spaced (like it's a fucking internet forum) didn't help.
About 3/4 of the book could be discarded and nothing would be lost because he rambles a LOT. It's mostly random rambling and that takes me out of it.
This book is so bad that it could be used in academia as learning material for what NOT to do.
January 18, 2024
This is a 5 star book... its certainly not a 'YA' book... it is most certainly for adults only
BUT, there is a warning before chapters 1 through 4 that says, "...This might be boring... skip to chapter 5 if you want..."
What in the fuck... why... why in the world would you think to put that warning in... that's like handing someone food and saying, "This is ass don't eat it..."
Why would you do that?!?
I read the chapters... THEY'RE GREAT! Have confidence in yourself. The pure idiocy of leaving a warning saying, "Heh. My book sucks, don't read this part..." thats insane. Your book is great, take that shit out.
You're book is great! Have confidence in yourself!
I'm just blown away that... in the first chapters of the book... THE HOOK, of the book... you wrote, "Don't read this..."
The idea of your book and the performance is amazing. Living in a dnd world of adventure. Who doesn't want this? Who would want to read that?! That's awesome... but take out the warning shit!
Besides the warning... this book is a breath of fresh air. Very cool. Love the idea of the world and the characters are true to themselves.
BUT, there is a warning before chapters 1 through 4 that says, "...This might be boring... skip to chapter 5 if you want..."
What in the fuck... why... why in the world would you think to put that warning in... that's like handing someone food and saying, "This is ass don't eat it..."
Why would you do that?!?
I read the chapters... THEY'RE GREAT! Have confidence in yourself. The pure idiocy of leaving a warning saying, "Heh. My book sucks, don't read this part..." thats insane. Your book is great, take that shit out.
You're book is great! Have confidence in yourself!
I'm just blown away that... in the first chapters of the book... THE HOOK, of the book... you wrote, "Don't read this..."
The idea of your book and the performance is amazing. Living in a dnd world of adventure. Who doesn't want this? Who would want to read that?! That's awesome... but take out the warning shit!
Besides the warning... this book is a breath of fresh air. Very cool. Love the idea of the world and the characters are true to themselves.
November 6, 2023
Really Not What I Was Expecting
I was not totally blindsided with this book, as I read the reviews and knew what this kind of book would normally bring to the table. The only main difference I was preparing myself for was the 5e style.
First, I will talk about the Litrpg portion: Everything felt rushed and pretty shallow when it came to the world building, story, and characters. The main focus seemed to be the implementation of the 5e game style.
Next, we will touch on the adult subject:
Again, the characters felt pretty shallow and felt like the introductions were also rushed. However, when I read the previous reviews, I did expect the main characters' personality to be worse. But it seems he doesn't so much not care about women, as he is making himself a safety net in the event of betrayal. As for the adult moments, they seemed pretty subpar and could have been better.
As for the Kingdom-Building:
Have not really seen much of it yet, aside from a mention of him bribing his way to nobility and making his own villa.
I was not totally blindsided with this book, as I read the reviews and knew what this kind of book would normally bring to the table. The only main difference I was preparing myself for was the 5e style.
First, I will talk about the Litrpg portion: Everything felt rushed and pretty shallow when it came to the world building, story, and characters. The main focus seemed to be the implementation of the 5e game style.
Next, we will touch on the adult subject:
Again, the characters felt pretty shallow and felt like the introductions were also rushed. However, when I read the previous reviews, I did expect the main characters' personality to be worse. But it seems he doesn't so much not care about women, as he is making himself a safety net in the event of betrayal. As for the adult moments, they seemed pretty subpar and could have been better.
As for the Kingdom-Building:
Have not really seen much of it yet, aside from a mention of him bribing his way to nobility and making his own villa.
October 28, 2023
STORY IS NOT FOR ME
I’m sorry, but I did not car for the MC at all. I don’t care for MC’s that are weak and small. Also, when you have headings to skip certain chapters to avoid establishing chapters on the MC is rather telling. I was hopeful when I first picked this up, but was quickly disappointed.
I’m sorry, but I did not car for the MC at all. I don’t care for MC’s that are weak and small. Also, when you have headings to skip certain chapters to avoid establishing chapters on the MC is rather telling. I was hopeful when I first picked this up, but was quickly disappointed.
September 30, 2023
Great first book
Loved the main character being so real. A guy with little strength being manhandled by a woman was a fantastic twist. It shows the realism of the main character's stats and how those dump stats can affect a person. Can't wait for the next in the series.
Loved the main character being so real. A guy with little strength being manhandled by a woman was a fantastic twist. It shows the realism of the main character's stats and how those dump stats can affect a person. Can't wait for the next in the series.
November 27, 2024
Not my cup of tea but could be worse as an authors first book.
Not my cup of tea but could be worse as an authors first book. This is a first attempt and it shows but don’t let it put you off this authors other works.
Not my cup of tea but could be worse as an authors first book. This is a first attempt and it shows but don’t let it put you off this authors other works.
October 1, 2023
Very good book
This is a fine fantasy harem adventure novel. It is well written and edited. The MC is very cold. I anxiously await the sequel.
This is a fine fantasy harem adventure novel. It is well written and edited. The MC is very cold. I anxiously await the sequel.
Read
October 10, 2023Great Start
I am new to 5E style. The author really made it easier for me to understand 5E now I want to play and read more... Bring on Book 2!
I am new to 5E style. The author really made it easier for me to understand 5E now I want to play and read more... Bring on Book 2!
November 24, 2023
decent
I really want to give this 3.5 stars, the MC isn’t right mentally and he has a crew of insane women. This was a super weird book and I’m not sure I want to read the next one.
I really want to give this 3.5 stars, the MC isn’t right mentally and he has a crew of insane women. This was a super weird book and I’m not sure I want to read the next one.
May 19, 2024
Love the book hope the series turns out to be great
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews