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Qing's Quest #1
Qing's Quest 1: A LitRPG Adventure Fantasy
Two worlds on the brink of annihilation, an unlikely hero must rise to save everything he holds dear...
Isekaied into the terrifying world of Elrydisan, Qing Baker must quickly adapt and survive, armed only with his wits, a mysterious quest, and a growing set of powers from a system he barely understands. He becomes the last hope for Shadowgrove, a village beset by evil. Qing must level up his skills, conquer his fears, and make heart-wrenching choices to unravel the secrets of this new world and prevent a cataclysm.
But Qing is not alone in this fight. Joined in his adventures by a grizzled veteran and a fiery young warrior, he'll forge unbreakable bonds with brave allies and discover wells of courage he never knew he had. Yet even as he battles external threats, Qing must also grapple with his own inner demons and the heavy weight of leadership he never asked for.
Can an unlikely hero like Qing rise to become a beacon of hope in a land shrouded by darkness? Or will both Elrydisan and Earth fall to ruin?
Packed with intense action, emotional depth, and shocking twists, Qing's Quest is a riveting LitRPG portal fantasy perfect for fans of He Who Fights with Monsters and The Way of the Shaman. You'll be on the edge of your seat as Qing faces down undead armies, demons, grapples with agonising moral dilemmas, and discovers his true magical power.
An action-packed blend of LitRPG and Portal Isekai, with strong character growth and development.
Isekaied into the terrifying world of Elrydisan, Qing Baker must quickly adapt and survive, armed only with his wits, a mysterious quest, and a growing set of powers from a system he barely understands. He becomes the last hope for Shadowgrove, a village beset by evil. Qing must level up his skills, conquer his fears, and make heart-wrenching choices to unravel the secrets of this new world and prevent a cataclysm.
But Qing is not alone in this fight. Joined in his adventures by a grizzled veteran and a fiery young warrior, he'll forge unbreakable bonds with brave allies and discover wells of courage he never knew he had. Yet even as he battles external threats, Qing must also grapple with his own inner demons and the heavy weight of leadership he never asked for.
Can an unlikely hero like Qing rise to become a beacon of hope in a land shrouded by darkness? Or will both Elrydisan and Earth fall to ruin?
Packed with intense action, emotional depth, and shocking twists, Qing's Quest is a riveting LitRPG portal fantasy perfect for fans of He Who Fights with Monsters and The Way of the Shaman. You'll be on the edge of your seat as Qing faces down undead armies, demons, grapples with agonising moral dilemmas, and discovers his true magical power.
An action-packed blend of LitRPG and Portal Isekai, with strong character growth and development.
- GenresFantasy
721 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2024
449 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 17, 2024
In Qing’s Quest, a LitRPG novel by Henrik Saetre, gamer Qing Baker is transported to Elrydisan, a world whose imminent destruction is inexplicably connected to the fate of Earth. He lands in a village called Shadowgrove, which is being invaded by the rising undead. As in the video games he plays, Qing now has access to a stats window, an inventory, and quests that give him the steps to carrying the burden of saving two planets.
Qing’s Quest is full of fight scenes that showcase Qing’s exploration of his new powers. Since there is so much action, often against similar opponents, I found the book a bit repetitive, especially in the latter half. This is compounded by the unchanging scale of the worldbuilding: Qing starts and ends the novel in Shadowgrove, a small and medieval-style town, and he never explores other areas of Elrydisan. I think Qing’s Quest would benefit from broadening its scope as the plot progresses, forcing Qing to adapt to new social and environmental surroundings as well as the physical challenges the book is already adept at presenting.
Often I found that Qing was not held accountable or questioned for actions I expected would lead to confrontation, i.e., choices that I don’t think certain side characters would be so quick to let slide like they do in the novel. This first becomes an issue at the beginning of the book, when a villager shows romantic interest in Qing almost instantly, romantic interest that’s presented as being deeper than seems reasonable, considering the way he fell out of nowhere and indirectly led to the deaths of her friends. This is just one example. I think part of what makes a dynamic between the main and side characters feel real is the way they clash against one another and work past their differences—the side characters in Qing’s Quest seem to accept many of Qing’s actions with much less protest than feels natural. As a result, they tend to feel contrived.
Overall, I was hoping for more intrigue and complexity, both from the characters (especially the antagonists) and from the RPG system itself, which frequently appears to be governed by convenience.
The greatest strengths of Qing’s Quest lie in the breakneck pacing and brutal, vivid imagery, especially the descriptions of the various horrific monsters. This book is easy to fly through, immersive, and very entertaining, and the RPG aspects complement the fast pace nicely. In addition, Qing’s character arc is quite compelling.
Although this novel is a cut from SPFBOX, I would recommend Qing’s Quest by Henrik Saetre to readers who like having fun with action-packed books and are fond of the LitRPG genre.
This is a review for the tenth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. More SPFBOX reviews can be found at Before We Go Blog.
Qing’s Quest is full of fight scenes that showcase Qing’s exploration of his new powers. Since there is so much action, often against similar opponents, I found the book a bit repetitive, especially in the latter half. This is compounded by the unchanging scale of the worldbuilding: Qing starts and ends the novel in Shadowgrove, a small and medieval-style town, and he never explores other areas of Elrydisan. I think Qing’s Quest would benefit from broadening its scope as the plot progresses, forcing Qing to adapt to new social and environmental surroundings as well as the physical challenges the book is already adept at presenting.
Often I found that Qing was not held accountable or questioned for actions I expected would lead to confrontation, i.e., choices that I don’t think certain side characters would be so quick to let slide like they do in the novel. This first becomes an issue at the beginning of the book, when a villager shows romantic interest in Qing almost instantly, romantic interest that’s presented as being deeper than seems reasonable, considering the way he fell out of nowhere and indirectly led to the deaths of her friends. This is just one example. I think part of what makes a dynamic between the main and side characters feel real is the way they clash against one another and work past their differences—the side characters in Qing’s Quest seem to accept many of Qing’s actions with much less protest than feels natural. As a result, they tend to feel contrived.
Overall, I was hoping for more intrigue and complexity, both from the characters (especially the antagonists) and from the RPG system itself, which frequently appears to be governed by convenience.
The greatest strengths of Qing’s Quest lie in the breakneck pacing and brutal, vivid imagery, especially the descriptions of the various horrific monsters. This book is easy to fly through, immersive, and very entertaining, and the RPG aspects complement the fast pace nicely. In addition, Qing’s character arc is quite compelling.
Although this novel is a cut from SPFBOX, I would recommend Qing’s Quest by Henrik Saetre to readers who like having fun with action-packed books and are fond of the LitRPG genre.
This is a review for the tenth Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. More SPFBOX reviews can be found at Before We Go Blog.
April 8, 2024
Average at best
I would not recommend it unless you have nothing else to read. The main character is always crying throughout the whole book. He is crying because he killed an undead wolf that literally was going to murder him, just was a kill not to the whole story. Every time something exciting happens it is followed by him crying and wallowing.
I would not recommend it unless you have nothing else to read. The main character is always crying throughout the whole book. He is crying because he killed an undead wolf that literally was going to murder him, just was a kill not to the whole story. Every time something exciting happens it is followed by him crying and wallowing.
October 21, 2024
MC is awful, plus added plot holes!
In addition to the MC being about as unlikeable as an MC can get, there is one glaring plot hole that took me immediately out of immersion: the "God" of the world SPECIFICALLY told him "Don't tell anyone or my help stops." And so he immediately tells EVERYONE, and...nothing. it's like the author wrote a specific plot device and then just ..ignored it. It got retconned out of the plot ON THE NEXT PAGE. 1 out of 10 stars, do not recommend.
In addition to the MC being about as unlikeable as an MC can get, there is one glaring plot hole that took me immediately out of immersion: the "God" of the world SPECIFICALLY told him "Don't tell anyone or my help stops." And so he immediately tells EVERYONE, and...nothing. it's like the author wrote a specific plot device and then just ..ignored it. It got retconned out of the plot ON THE NEXT PAGE. 1 out of 10 stars, do not recommend.
June 16, 2024
A TRUE ADVENTURE
This was a great read. It's a LitRPG/Isekai but not your usual. No overpowered hero, no harem, no epic battles won with ease
This book is more like Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. The world is rough, grimy, and unforgiving. Our "hero" is a nobody who just barely survives the opening chapter. He deals with self doubt, grief, why me?, and indecision. This is more a realistic view of what an Isekai moment would be for any of us
Definitely a series worth reading.
This was a great read. It's a LitRPG/Isekai but not your usual. No overpowered hero, no harem, no epic battles won with ease
This book is more like Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. The world is rough, grimy, and unforgiving. Our "hero" is a nobody who just barely survives the opening chapter. He deals with self doubt, grief, why me?, and indecision. This is more a realistic view of what an Isekai moment would be for any of us
Definitely a series worth reading.
November 25, 2024
Not worth it
Sorry but I’m sick and tired of the Author making the MC into a naïve little bitch. And on top of that, he gets his ass kicked by regular zombies that are weak as shit over and over again. Clearly the Mayor is the big bad villain but he’s too dumb to see it. Not to mention the Author makes everyone around the MC die. Not a fun or good read. You need to stop making him so human that it gets sooooo boring! This is supposed to be fantasy LitRPG. Instead I had to sit there read how he’s just a gamer and doesn’t know what to do. Boo hoo! Suck it up loser!
Sorry but I’m sick and tired of the Author making the MC into a naïve little bitch. And on top of that, he gets his ass kicked by regular zombies that are weak as shit over and over again. Clearly the Mayor is the big bad villain but he’s too dumb to see it. Not to mention the Author makes everyone around the MC die. Not a fun or good read. You need to stop making him so human that it gets sooooo boring! This is supposed to be fantasy LitRPG. Instead I had to sit there read how he’s just a gamer and doesn’t know what to do. Boo hoo! Suck it up loser!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 7, 2024Loved how the main character is a gamer and ends up in a world similar to the games he plays. As he learns about the world and saves both the new world and Earth he collects friends and fights the evil sorcerer. One of the best books I've recently read.
April 8, 2024
Really good
I really enjoyed this book. I'll be honest, the MC is kind of hard to like at first. However, this really sets up the character development. Another issue is that the ending is a tad abrupt. It feels like the book should be a couple chapters longer, just to allow for the current arc to end. That's a relatively mild quibble, though.
All in all, this book is well worth the read.
Highly recommended, but with a (relatively minor) caveat.
I really enjoyed this book. I'll be honest, the MC is kind of hard to like at first. However, this really sets up the character development. Another issue is that the ending is a tad abrupt. It feels like the book should be a couple chapters longer, just to allow for the current arc to end. That's a relatively mild quibble, though.
All in all, this book is well worth the read.
Highly recommended, but with a (relatively minor) caveat.
April 4, 2024
Reads like a mix between Diablo 3 and 4. Between the portals, the similar classes, heaven/hell, and the literal butcher shouting fresh meat it was a little too on the nose for me.
The TikToks published by the author made it seem like the main character had a healing ability, be he didn’t heal anyone until after 500 pages in… even then potions regrow eyes and limbs, but not teeth, but the healing ability regrows teeth. Weird.
Also it felt like several characters were introduced simply to die…
Would have been 2 stars but Rowan got his teeth back.
The TikToks published by the author made it seem like the main character had a healing ability, be he didn’t heal anyone until after 500 pages in… even then potions regrow eyes and limbs, but not teeth, but the healing ability regrows teeth. Weird.
Also it felt like several characters were introduced simply to die…
Would have been 2 stars but Rowan got his teeth back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2024
Not bad
The story is a good story. It was even able to catch me off guard with a few of the twists. There are a lot of grammatical errors in the book, and it does feel a little rushed. Overall, I enjoyed it, but is not my favorite book in the LitRPG genre.
The story is a good story. It was even able to catch me off guard with a few of the twists. There are a lot of grammatical errors in the book, and it does feel a little rushed. Overall, I enjoyed it, but is not my favorite book in the LitRPG genre.
March 21, 2024
Worth the wait
I've been waiting months for this book to come out, and it did not disappoint. The MC starts out as weak crybaby and let's face it, that is the most realistic version I've ever read cause who wouldn't be scared outta their minds amd bawling like a baby when dropped into the middle of a freaking zombie apocalypse?! Excellent and realistic character growth and horrific adversaries made this a book I devoured. Can't wait for the second!
I've been waiting months for this book to come out, and it did not disappoint. The MC starts out as weak crybaby and let's face it, that is the most realistic version I've ever read cause who wouldn't be scared outta their minds amd bawling like a baby when dropped into the middle of a freaking zombie apocalypse?! Excellent and realistic character growth and horrific adversaries made this a book I devoured. Can't wait for the second!
June 22, 2024
I will not read this
Tears in his eyes? Tears? What a f.. cking wimp,instead of trying to save himself he starts crying!! This is what's wrong with the USA
Tears in his eyes? Tears? What a f.. cking wimp,instead of trying to save himself he starts crying!! This is what's wrong with the USA
Want to read
February 13, 2025This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBOX contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.
A LitRPG where a boy who likes to game goes to sleep and wakes up fighting zombies in his pajamas.
There’s a template that so many of these litRPGs follow that it surpasses cliché. For better or worse, this follows the trend. But, candidly, I found myself enjoying this typical litRPG opening.
This genre comes to us from Japanese Isekais. Although this is playing in the sub genre of gamified mmorpg fantasy world, I felt the tone of this opening learned pleasingly on its anime influences rather than the game influences.
Sure, coins appear by slain victims and a screen pops up that our MC can’t look away from, but the narrative wasn’t in such a rush to get to those moments. It takes some time to ground us in the bewildered experience of our young MC.
I found this humorous without it being ridiculous (beyond the proven conceit). Imagining it as an anime with all the flailing, dramatic action and high pitch screams really carried the fun for me without the text seeming like absurdist schlock.
The MC is sincerely terrified. He does not think this is cool. The narration sticks with his experience. The prose is clear and relates the action with enthusiasm. The MC has a distinct voice. This simply does a lot right and is fun to read.
The fact that our MC isn’t just a blank slate, but has a small family with its own tragedies and difficulties makes him feel more like a real person that can root for. I find myself wondering, jeez, what the heck is this kid gonna do?
He’s already been badly hurt. A healing potion? Yeah, that does sound like it would be nice. Where can I get one of those - uck.
I love manga and anime, and I find this fits right in alongside things I have enjoyed before. I think if you handed me this book when I was 13 I never would have put it or the series down. I’m defenseless. I’m in!
A LitRPG where a boy who likes to game goes to sleep and wakes up fighting zombies in his pajamas.
There’s a template that so many of these litRPGs follow that it surpasses cliché. For better or worse, this follows the trend. But, candidly, I found myself enjoying this typical litRPG opening.
This genre comes to us from Japanese Isekais. Although this is playing in the sub genre of gamified mmorpg fantasy world, I felt the tone of this opening learned pleasingly on its anime influences rather than the game influences.
Sure, coins appear by slain victims and a screen pops up that our MC can’t look away from, but the narrative wasn’t in such a rush to get to those moments. It takes some time to ground us in the bewildered experience of our young MC.
I found this humorous without it being ridiculous (beyond the proven conceit). Imagining it as an anime with all the flailing, dramatic action and high pitch screams really carried the fun for me without the text seeming like absurdist schlock.
The MC is sincerely terrified. He does not think this is cool. The narration sticks with his experience. The prose is clear and relates the action with enthusiasm. The MC has a distinct voice. This simply does a lot right and is fun to read.
The fact that our MC isn’t just a blank slate, but has a small family with its own tragedies and difficulties makes him feel more like a real person that can root for. I find myself wondering, jeez, what the heck is this kid gonna do?
He’s already been badly hurt. A healing potion? Yeah, that does sound like it would be nice. Where can I get one of those - uck.
I love manga and anime, and I find this fits right in alongside things I have enjoyed before. I think if you handed me this book when I was 13 I never would have put it or the series down. I’m defenseless. I’m in!
September 2, 2024
One of those mystery origin stories
Who why what where when how?
Pretty much none of those questions are answered by the author when the protagonist wakes up in a seemingly different world being attacked by undead in his pajamas.
The protagonist is really a hard character to like He's very much a wuss and a coward who has basically never stood up for himself to anyone in any way shape or form and spent his life playing video games.
He bumbles through some very limited action sequences being incredibly ineffective at basically anything including being able to fight slow moving zombies with a hatchet.
I understand the author may be intending to show progression and thus starts the character way below what should be feasibly possible for a grown adult but it's very hard to read.
The author also chooses to provide pretty much no world building or system building or character building or anything approaching explanation for any of that.
Maybe those won't be stumbling blocks for you and you'll enjoy it but I made it to about 20% and just couldn't read more.
Who why what where when how?
Pretty much none of those questions are answered by the author when the protagonist wakes up in a seemingly different world being attacked by undead in his pajamas.
The protagonist is really a hard character to like He's very much a wuss and a coward who has basically never stood up for himself to anyone in any way shape or form and spent his life playing video games.
He bumbles through some very limited action sequences being incredibly ineffective at basically anything including being able to fight slow moving zombies with a hatchet.
I understand the author may be intending to show progression and thus starts the character way below what should be feasibly possible for a grown adult but it's very hard to read.
The author also chooses to provide pretty much no world building or system building or character building or anything approaching explanation for any of that.
Maybe those won't be stumbling blocks for you and you'll enjoy it but I made it to about 20% and just couldn't read more.
May 10, 2024
Man. Ohhhh man, this book didn't let any grass go under it's feet, before it started on its pulse-pounding trip. Don't you wish every book started out this way? It starts with a quest to save not only the new world that he jarringly finds himself on, but if successful he'll save Earth from the coming Apocalypse as well. So two birds, one stone... What this book is, is an overall large quest with a bunch of smaller quests linked together in order to make Qing as strong as possible. Find out how it plays out by grabbing the book and reading. It absodamnlutely unputdownable! (And yes unputdownable is a real word...)
Here's a couple of quotes that amused me:
"Shuffling feet, moans, and growls. Then, zombies staggered into view, lurching from the shadows like drunkards near closing time."
“Escaping!” “Are you sure?” Rowan said."
Here's a couple of quotes that amused me:
"Shuffling feet, moans, and growls. Then, zombies staggered into view, lurching from the shadows like drunkards near closing time."
“Escaping!” “Are you sure?” Rowan said."
September 25, 2024
Qing's Quest is a typical LitRPG story with some interesting twists that makes it (somewhat) unique in the genre. It's a pretty good story, though I don't know how it will proceed from the end of the second book, it will be interesting to see where this one goes.
December 6, 2024
fascinating storyline tying reality with isakai
In the genre of waking up in a magic world from earth, this is a good American version. I could do with less self therapy in the heat of every action scenario. Human nature of survival wouldn’t allow so much dialogue while killing zombies to save your life.
In the genre of waking up in a magic world from earth, this is a good American version. I could do with less self therapy in the heat of every action scenario. Human nature of survival wouldn’t allow so much dialogue while killing zombies to save your life.
May 23, 2025
Was not able to catch my interests and I read low rated works. The character seems whiny and seems like the type where everything bad seems to happen to him. I think the author uses tragedy to propel the story. Lost, broken with a sick sister (who he needs to get to, of course) you can already guess that the MC doesn't want an adventure; he just wants to go home. Not my thing.
June 26, 2025
Not bad. Not bad. This was a fairly typical LitRPG story, but had a really strong ending. I will probably read more of this series. Could have used a monicom of editing. Some parts of the story ran long and I to focus to hold interest. Ultimately the last 20% really picks up. If you enjoy LitRPG, this is a good read. 3.5 stars, but I'll round up to 4.
August 4, 2024
amazingly deep
Really felt like an emotionally deep book to me. Not just another isekia litrpg , this is dark and gritty and has a main character who can be honest about who he is. Really great book!
Really felt like an emotionally deep book to me. Not just another isekia litrpg , this is dark and gritty and has a main character who can be honest about who he is. Really great book!
September 15, 2024
Very immersive read. Long but no fluff. Some typos, but nothing major. Hero is likeable, and there is a full range of interesting and diverse characters. A lot of thought gone into crafting the world and the battles. A great first novel, and I enjoyed it.
March 3, 2025
Excellent book
This book is different because the character is from our world and time but travels to a similar but different world. I found myself relating to character because I understood he was questioning the workings of the new world the same as I was.
This book is different because the character is from our world and time but travels to a similar but different world. I found myself relating to character because I understood he was questioning the workings of the new world the same as I was.
March 26, 2025
Very cool
Honestly it took a few tries of me starting and stopping, but once I got a few chapters in I couldn't put it down and binged the last 80% or so in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyed this book once I actually got into the groove of it.
Honestly it took a few tries of me starting and stopping, but once I got a few chapters in I couldn't put it down and binged the last 80% or so in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyed this book once I actually got into the groove of it.
August 18, 2024
Good
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November 19, 2024
refreshingly different
A bit of a slow burn at first, this book starts taking off downhill and snowballing until you can’t put it down
A bit of a slow burn at first, this book starts taking off downhill and snowballing until you can’t put it down
didn-t-like-it
June 19, 2025Note to self: hell no. Feels depressing, don’t like the MC, just meh.
January 11, 2026
if you like isekai Manga/Anime then this is for you.
sent to an other world to save it and level up, story started slow then picked up quickly.
sent to an other world to save it and level up, story started slow then picked up quickly.
September 25, 2024
DNF 11% got bored.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews