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Heavenly Chaos #1
Heavenly Chaos
Benedict Aaron Rodney had a terrible life for eighteen years. His parents were dead, leaving him with his Uncle Skippy Rodney. Skippy was a bust-out drunk who could barely take care of himself. After being given a child he didn’t want, he took out the anger he had on the child.
If that wasn’t enough for someone to deal with, things got worse for him. His one-time friends got tired of him, making him a target of their boredom and anger. This left the growing child with no safe haven— at school or home, someone was hurting him every day.
But then, something miraculous the Heavens stepped in, granting him a Sphere. Spontaneous manifestation of a Sphere was very rare, but it happened on occasion. Benedict, while being beaten unconscious and having his bones broken, was suddenly the Holder of a Sphere of Regeneration.
A passerby broke up the attack on Benedict and got him whisked off to a clinic to see a Healer. The Healer not only found his newest injuries completely repaired, but also the long list of injuries Benedict had endured throughout his life. That examination turned up the fact that Benedict now had a Sphere, and as such, was bound for the Academy to learn how to deal with his new life.
He was shown around by Agatha, his psychiatrist. She’d help him learn the things that his school had never told him about Holders. It was also on his first day that he’d met Atropos Rosaria Foxglove, his roommate, who had her own problems.
He’d have to learn to coexist with a roommate who disliked him, all while trying to find his new place as a Holder of a Sphere. One of the few non-elite students, he would have an uphill climb. Benedict never backed down from a fight or pain, and he wasn’t about to start now.
If that wasn’t enough for someone to deal with, things got worse for him. His one-time friends got tired of him, making him a target of their boredom and anger. This left the growing child with no safe haven— at school or home, someone was hurting him every day.
But then, something miraculous the Heavens stepped in, granting him a Sphere. Spontaneous manifestation of a Sphere was very rare, but it happened on occasion. Benedict, while being beaten unconscious and having his bones broken, was suddenly the Holder of a Sphere of Regeneration.
A passerby broke up the attack on Benedict and got him whisked off to a clinic to see a Healer. The Healer not only found his newest injuries completely repaired, but also the long list of injuries Benedict had endured throughout his life. That examination turned up the fact that Benedict now had a Sphere, and as such, was bound for the Academy to learn how to deal with his new life.
He was shown around by Agatha, his psychiatrist. She’d help him learn the things that his school had never told him about Holders. It was also on his first day that he’d met Atropos Rosaria Foxglove, his roommate, who had her own problems.
He’d have to learn to coexist with a roommate who disliked him, all while trying to find his new place as a Holder of a Sphere. One of the few non-elite students, he would have an uphill climb. Benedict never backed down from a fight or pain, and he wasn’t about to start now.
537 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2024
1006 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Schinhofen
66 books1,313 followersDaniel James Schinhofen is a self-published author in the burgeoning genre of LitRPG/Gamelit. He published his first book, Last Horizon: Beta, in October of 2016, and has recently published his fifteenth book. A best-selling author on Amazon multiple times, his four series have achieved name recognition in the genre. When not slavishly typing away at the next book, Daniel tries to unwind with video games, playing with his dog Sugar, or going for walks around his neighborhood. His books can be found easily via his website http://schinhofenbooks.com/. Daniel can be found via Twitter using the handle @DJSchinhofen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
April 22, 2024
The proportion of the book taken up with childhood mental trauma circle jerks just didn't make for a fun read. Shitty childhoods abound, and mine was not idylic by any stretch, so I know it's a real issue for some people. That doesn't mean I want to read a whole lot about it.
Nor do I want to read a whole lot about cooking and how much everyone loves the MC's food. I infer that the author has a dedicated fan base who like this sort of thing, but I'm not in that circle.
Both of these elements took up something north of 50% of the page count, not what I expected when I downloaded it. Not one of the author's better efforts; if the next book is like this it'll be the end of this series for me.
Nor do I want to read a whole lot about cooking and how much everyone loves the MC's food. I infer that the author has a dedicated fan base who like this sort of thing, but I'm not in that circle.
Both of these elements took up something north of 50% of the page count, not what I expected when I downloaded it. Not one of the author's better efforts; if the next book is like this it'll be the end of this series for me.
April 16, 2024
This terrifies me.
There was another series that stalled out horribly due to a sickly sweet MC that was traumatized and naive. Sound familiar? I see many similarities. The focus on emotion, the overly careful handling, the general sappy tone, it is the same. If this continues in the same vein, I doubt I will finish the series.
There was another series that stalled out horribly due to a sickly sweet MC that was traumatized and naive. Sound familiar? I see many similarities. The focus on emotion, the overly careful handling, the general sappy tone, it is the same. If this continues in the same vein, I doubt I will finish the series.
April 14, 2024
good but thin
Shades of ‘Path of Ascension’ by C Mantis. Interesting ideas and sufficient conflict to be interesting.
But.
It sometimes feels like a superficial understanding of some serious psychological issues. The MC escaped an abusive childhood and is practically saintly: no serious anger issues, no repressed issues, no PTSD. It *could* have been explained away using the ‘system’, but it wasn’t.
And the mystery of his parentage is waved away like a Jedi mind trick. Clear signals that it is important, yet the people who absolutely should be digging hard for answers just…don’t. No hints, no questions, no oblique references. None of the staff are warned to ‘mind your business’. Nobody even mentions myths of a lost child or astounding powerful people being lost. It’s as if it’s being repressed to such a degree *someone should notice*.
I also need to mention the ‘system’ design. “Pockets” are cleared a number of times allowing for a ‘rank-up’, but it isn’t made clear what mechanism ‘counts’ their clearances. Is it a full clear; are they absorbing something specific just for each entrance; does the number of team members change the calculation? All information that absolutely should have been covered in academy classes. But instead it’s just run two pockets at tier once per week and rank up on schedule with everyone else. No difference between people, no one is noted as having missed the mark.
Now, about the harem…more along the lines of Dungeon Walkers than the usual score of partners. A few mildly explicit paragraphs, but nothing more graphic than PG-13. Past sexual assault trauma is discussed somewhat, but without detail.
{okay, wow, I wrote a lot}
I will likely get the next book. It’s readable…mostly. But it’s strangely juvenile for a book with clearly adult material.
Shades of ‘Path of Ascension’ by C Mantis. Interesting ideas and sufficient conflict to be interesting.
But.
It sometimes feels like a superficial understanding of some serious psychological issues. The MC escaped an abusive childhood and is practically saintly: no serious anger issues, no repressed issues, no PTSD. It *could* have been explained away using the ‘system’, but it wasn’t.
And the mystery of his parentage is waved away like a Jedi mind trick. Clear signals that it is important, yet the people who absolutely should be digging hard for answers just…don’t. No hints, no questions, no oblique references. None of the staff are warned to ‘mind your business’. Nobody even mentions myths of a lost child or astounding powerful people being lost. It’s as if it’s being repressed to such a degree *someone should notice*.
I also need to mention the ‘system’ design. “Pockets” are cleared a number of times allowing for a ‘rank-up’, but it isn’t made clear what mechanism ‘counts’ their clearances. Is it a full clear; are they absorbing something specific just for each entrance; does the number of team members change the calculation? All information that absolutely should have been covered in academy classes. But instead it’s just run two pockets at tier once per week and rank up on schedule with everyone else. No difference between people, no one is noted as having missed the mark.
Now, about the harem…more along the lines of Dungeon Walkers than the usual score of partners. A few mildly explicit paragraphs, but nothing more graphic than PG-13. Past sexual assault trauma is discussed somewhat, but without detail.
{okay, wow, I wrote a lot}
I will likely get the next book. It’s readable…mostly. But it’s strangely juvenile for a book with clearly adult material.
May 12, 2024
Book one
I struggled with the decision to give this five stars simply because I wanted to read all about the tournament. I realize that not giving stars because a book ended before I wanted it to isn't exactly fair. After all it was over five hundred pages.
I will probably only read the second book of this series as it seems to be heading towards a harem and I don't normally enjoy the written sexual adventures. To me that adds little to nothing to a story.
I want to let you know though that there isn't any sex in this book. Only some slight flirting.
Well why give five stars then? Simple, I liked the emotional connection.
You have two badly traumatized characters, one from being very badly physically and mentally abused, the other having barely escaped being gang raped. She was also verbally abused.
Watching as these two damaged people slowly connected and grew was for me emotionally satisfying.
Abused people tend to put up shells or to withdraw into themselves for protection from the world. Sometimes those shells are really fragile things that can easily shatter and cause pain.
In both cases though it warps the way an individual would view the world. Most people that have been through this never get professional help for a whole bunch of different reasons.
These characters have that much needed professional help and we the reader get to watch as they slowly start to heal and trust each other.
9.5/10 Remember neither mental or physical abuse is okay and if you suspect someone you know has been going through either, just go slow and be kind and understanding and don't let them push you away.
I struggled with the decision to give this five stars simply because I wanted to read all about the tournament. I realize that not giving stars because a book ended before I wanted it to isn't exactly fair. After all it was over five hundred pages.
I will probably only read the second book of this series as it seems to be heading towards a harem and I don't normally enjoy the written sexual adventures. To me that adds little to nothing to a story.
I want to let you know though that there isn't any sex in this book. Only some slight flirting.
Well why give five stars then? Simple, I liked the emotional connection.
You have two badly traumatized characters, one from being very badly physically and mentally abused, the other having barely escaped being gang raped. She was also verbally abused.
Watching as these two damaged people slowly connected and grew was for me emotionally satisfying.
Abused people tend to put up shells or to withdraw into themselves for protection from the world. Sometimes those shells are really fragile things that can easily shatter and cause pain.
In both cases though it warps the way an individual would view the world. Most people that have been through this never get professional help for a whole bunch of different reasons.
These characters have that much needed professional help and we the reader get to watch as they slowly start to heal and trust each other.
9.5/10 Remember neither mental or physical abuse is okay and if you suspect someone you know has been going through either, just go slow and be kind and understanding and don't let them push you away.
May 2, 2024
Rating 4.0 stars
Another good series from this author. His style is more slice of life storytelling. Guy has been bullied and beaten up his whole life. He ends up with a brutal beating and gets a spontaneous sphere or regeneration. This is a rare occurrence. That is when the authorities find out what his uncle have done to him. They have failed him. Now that he has a sphere he can go to the academy. This is a life he never thought he could have. He will need to get over the idea that everyone is after him. He becomes roommates with another broken person. She came from a rich family but not everything was sunshine and rainbows for her either. Things are rocky to start and it takes a while for understanding to occur.
Another good series from this author. His style is more slice of life storytelling. Guy has been bullied and beaten up his whole life. He ends up with a brutal beating and gets a spontaneous sphere or regeneration. This is a rare occurrence. That is when the authorities find out what his uncle have done to him. They have failed him. Now that he has a sphere he can go to the academy. This is a life he never thought he could have. He will need to get over the idea that everyone is after him. He becomes roommates with another broken person. She came from a rich family but not everything was sunshine and rainbows for her either. Things are rocky to start and it takes a while for understanding to occur.
February 9, 2025
Classic Schinhofen
Non-Isekai / Magical Academy / Dungeon grinding + cultivation hybrid / No sex (yet) / lost heir
It's true, I love 1st books by this guy. When everything is starting out and all the possibilities are endless his books are a treat. If you are enamored with the predictable formula Schinhofen uses this one is par for the course.
Heavenly Chaos is a Daniel Schinhofen book through and through. This thing is comprised of every element from all his greatest hits. Predominately Aether's Revival, with flavors of Alpha World and little bits & pieces of Binding Words and Dungeon Walkers. Hell there's even the hard luck back story form Luck's Voice. If you want a Schinhofen mash-up casserole Heavenly Chaos is the blue plate special.
where it goes from here? Lets wait and see if that's equally as formulaic.
**Update**
I forgot to mention how Godsdamn annoying some (many) of the characters are in this book. Schinhofen usually goes overboard with the villains, but here he made the friends too much.
The two lead characters are "Trauma survivors" who are both endlessly triggered by everything and trigger each other, and get triggered by the other one getting triggered. It's exhausting.
Surprisingly (or not) book two is worse.
Non-Isekai / Magical Academy / Dungeon grinding + cultivation hybrid / No sex (yet) / lost heir
It's true, I love 1st books by this guy. When everything is starting out and all the possibilities are endless his books are a treat. If you are enamored with the predictable formula Schinhofen uses this one is par for the course.
Heavenly Chaos is a Daniel Schinhofen book through and through. This thing is comprised of every element from all his greatest hits. Predominately Aether's Revival, with flavors of Alpha World and little bits & pieces of Binding Words and Dungeon Walkers. Hell there's even the hard luck back story form Luck's Voice. If you want a Schinhofen mash-up casserole Heavenly Chaos is the blue plate special.
where it goes from here? Lets wait and see if that's equally as formulaic.
**Update**
I forgot to mention how Godsdamn annoying some (many) of the characters are in this book. Schinhofen usually goes overboard with the villains, but here he made the friends too much.
The two lead characters are "Trauma survivors" who are both endlessly triggered by everything and trigger each other, and get triggered by the other one getting triggered. It's exhausting.
Surprisingly (or not) book two is worse.
July 15, 2024
Can Only Take So Much Trama
The book mostly followed two folks dealing with trauma. While I can appreciate the therapy and healthy coping mechanisms, it’s not why I picked up a fantasy novel. Between the fact that the book mostly surrounds mental:emotional issues and a cultivation magic system, means it feels slow, redundant, and ultimately boring and stilted. The characters don’t actually explore anything interesting regarding the magic system or the world that they are in. Just a bunch of crying and heartfelt moments with back story of “we are growing”. Not bad writing but not a very engaging book.
The book mostly followed two folks dealing with trauma. While I can appreciate the therapy and healthy coping mechanisms, it’s not why I picked up a fantasy novel. Between the fact that the book mostly surrounds mental:emotional issues and a cultivation magic system, means it feels slow, redundant, and ultimately boring and stilted. The characters don’t actually explore anything interesting regarding the magic system or the world that they are in. Just a bunch of crying and heartfelt moments with back story of “we are growing”. Not bad writing but not a very engaging book.
April 21, 2024
The only reason I purchased this book was because I am familiar with the author's other works. I've read almost everything this author has read. His first series (of which this book is somewhat slightly similar) based on a game I didn't care for, and had wrote this author off as one that didn't write what I wanted to read.
That evaluation changed when he published Binding Words series, followed by a Western themed series, and a harem-fantasy that is a blend of Eastern and Western mythos. Now he is one of my favorite authors.
Despite having said all of that, I bought this first book in this series with some trepidation as I was concerned he returned to a genre that I do not care to read. So I started reading Heavenly Chaos holding my nose expecting a real stinking turkey.
One again the author has surprised me, and has started a new series that I believe that I am going to enjoy reading. I am already looking forward to the next book.
We still have an overpowered MC, but I like the fact that he appears to be growing into his power, much like the author's other MCs. I loved the sarcastic prickly roommate and how their relationship is slowly developing.
With this author I am assuming that we are going to have another lion harem (i.e. - one male with all female harem) who sleeps with a large harem of biselxual women who only sleep with the male and each other.
I hope that in this series the author keeps the harem size to something more reasonable. A complaint of mine in most of this author's series is the male MC ends up with way too many women in his harem. When we start creeping over 10, or 20 (Binding Words) women in the harem, I find my interest waning as even I have trouble smacking the "I Believe" button that hard. I can suspend my expectation of reality only so far.
All in all a good start to a new series with an interesting new world to explore.
That evaluation changed when he published Binding Words series, followed by a Western themed series, and a harem-fantasy that is a blend of Eastern and Western mythos. Now he is one of my favorite authors.
Despite having said all of that, I bought this first book in this series with some trepidation as I was concerned he returned to a genre that I do not care to read. So I started reading Heavenly Chaos holding my nose expecting a real stinking turkey.
One again the author has surprised me, and has started a new series that I believe that I am going to enjoy reading. I am already looking forward to the next book.
We still have an overpowered MC, but I like the fact that he appears to be growing into his power, much like the author's other MCs. I loved the sarcastic prickly roommate and how their relationship is slowly developing.
With this author I am assuming that we are going to have another lion harem (i.e. - one male with all female harem) who sleeps with a large harem of biselxual women who only sleep with the male and each other.
I hope that in this series the author keeps the harem size to something more reasonable. A complaint of mine in most of this author's series is the male MC ends up with way too many women in his harem. When we start creeping over 10, or 20 (Binding Words) women in the harem, I find my interest waning as even I have trouble smacking the "I Believe" button that hard. I can suspend my expectation of reality only so far.
All in all a good start to a new series with an interesting new world to explore.
June 19, 2024
The Last Try...
There were just too many negative tropes and predictably forced plot development to enjoy this book despite having some enjoyable moments.
An MC that had too terrible a background to make any social, mental, and physical progression plausible, a cast of characters that are too black and white for the setting that was created to make sense, and developments/challenges that were so obvious it was actually frustrating to see happen. What makes it worse is that this will likely be the best book in the series. It would not be surprising if the next 2-4 books not being much more than slice-of-life training and cooking, trying out a new dungeon, and working through whatever challenge that comes up during a party or school event that the MC would have been smart to not attend. The only difference is the 1-book length slow-burn development between the MC and 1 or 2 additional women.
Used to really enjoy this author, but once the writing formula has become too transparent, it's become too hard to take seriously.
There were just too many negative tropes and predictably forced plot development to enjoy this book despite having some enjoyable moments.
An MC that had too terrible a background to make any social, mental, and physical progression plausible, a cast of characters that are too black and white for the setting that was created to make sense, and developments/challenges that were so obvious it was actually frustrating to see happen. What makes it worse is that this will likely be the best book in the series. It would not be surprising if the next 2-4 books not being much more than slice-of-life training and cooking, trying out a new dungeon, and working through whatever challenge that comes up during a party or school event that the MC would have been smart to not attend. The only difference is the 1-book length slow-burn development between the MC and 1 or 2 additional women.
Used to really enjoy this author, but once the writing formula has become too transparent, it's become too hard to take seriously.
February 14, 2025
To much harem nonsense to finish
It was an okay plot until the second half. It diverted into one of those Emotionally Intelligent harem books. It got so bad I couldn’t finish the book. The dinner party with 3 gays, 1 bi, 1 asexual & 1 hetero …. All chanting about consent matters!! It was just to much to stomach.
It was an okay plot until the second half. It diverted into one of those Emotionally Intelligent harem books. It got so bad I couldn’t finish the book. The dinner party with 3 gays, 1 bi, 1 asexual & 1 hetero …. All chanting about consent matters!! It was just to much to stomach.
December 20, 2024
I mean it's not bad but
It's a blunt and rip off of Path of Ascension lol. The protagonist has a similar ability comes from a similar background goes to a similar school. The magic system in world building is just about identical and there's even bloodlines too lol
It's a blunt and rip off of Path of Ascension lol. The protagonist has a similar ability comes from a similar background goes to a similar school. The magic system in world building is just about identical and there's even bloodlines too lol
April 20, 2024
Almost great
This was really sizzling along and picking up speed when out of the blue the story falls off a cliff. No epilogue at the end. I actually flipped back a few pages wondering what happened. Not a thing a good author does.
This was really sizzling along and picking up speed when out of the blue the story falls off a cliff. No epilogue at the end. I actually flipped back a few pages wondering what happened. Not a thing a good author does.
April 16, 2024
Great read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression type of books with lots of action.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression type of books with lots of action.
April 16, 2024
A good read. I recommend it.
July 20, 2025
Gotta admit, I chose this book because Andrea Parseneau is the narrator/voice actor. She brings these stories to life.
This story hit some very relatable, and emotion-packed, themes. Even at 60 I remember being a teen/young adult going through some of these emotional struggles. I appreciate how the experiences of Atropos and Benjamin are presented. It is a huge struggle to get past that, even when we think we’ve moved on they still pop up at inopportune times. I appreciate how the characters move past that and help each other heal. The community building is good to see as well. Presenting the effort that must go into relationships is good storytelling, but also good role modeling. While these are fiction and not intended to be about life advice, the attitudes of characters can bleed over to the real world.
Gotta admit, I understand the role/purpose of the sexual tension, but it got irritating. Those bits just aren’t for me.
The story was fast paced and kept me engaged. I enjoy the world building and unique characters.
This story hit some very relatable, and emotion-packed, themes. Even at 60 I remember being a teen/young adult going through some of these emotional struggles. I appreciate how the experiences of Atropos and Benjamin are presented. It is a huge struggle to get past that, even when we think we’ve moved on they still pop up at inopportune times. I appreciate how the characters move past that and help each other heal. The community building is good to see as well. Presenting the effort that must go into relationships is good storytelling, but also good role modeling. While these are fiction and not intended to be about life advice, the attitudes of characters can bleed over to the real world.
Gotta admit, I understand the role/purpose of the sexual tension, but it got irritating. Those bits just aren’t for me.
The story was fast paced and kept me engaged. I enjoy the world building and unique characters.
Read
May 15, 2024I rated this 5 stars initially, as is my habit of any book that I don't actively dislike (which I tend to just not finish if so), but on reflection I'm uncertain about this book on the whole, and removed my rating. To be clear, overall I enjoyed it while reading it, to the point that I finished the whole book in basically one sitting (yes I'm one of those weird people that tend to sit down and read for 10+ hours only interrupted by bathroom breaks). I am a fan of the author's other works, so getting into this was easy, but... the more I thought about it afterwards, the more issues I had with it.
Okay, my main issue out of the way; it stops too soon. And this isn't a "I could just keep reading forever" or "it's too good to stop" type of facetious "complaint", I mean it more along the line that it didn't really have a meaningful third act, it felt like the book just ends all of a sudden. This would have been a much better book if it had been like 20 % longer (or some fluff shaved off previously to make room) and also included the tournament at the end, maybe with some of the previous conflicts coming to a head in the process during it, either that or make that final dungeon they ran more meaningful (have someone come after them and sabotage it inside there, or they get badly injured, or something weird happens, ANYTHING that doesn't come off as more training towards an outcome that's as much as a year away from the reader to get to inbetween the author's other scheduled books), something that would provide some sort of climax to the book, because as it is it basically just ends all of a sudden on a 'to be continued' note, like it's episode 8 in a 10 episode TV show season and the last two episodes will have to be tacked on to next season due to unexpected circumstances. The author's other books, especially the firsts in a series pretty much all had some sort of arc for the first book, where it headed towards a temporary climax of some sort in most of them, but this was more like it just suddenly ran out of steam and ended.
There was also no real antagonist to worry about, the tormentor uncle that we never even met in the book is taken off and executed apparently in the first chapter or two off-stage without any sort of of confrontation or catharsis beyond "that happened, now move on" and the same goes with the conflict in the middle of the book, it happens, the main character is left in a terrible situation where people are threatening him with execution over something that would be the equivalent of a slap on the wrist in real society given nothing truly happened (so clearly their rules and laws are different, but I have no idea how due to the lack of explanation and exposition as opposed to delving on another panic attack or cooking session), and then when that's over due to the actions of another character showing up out of nowhere and solving it, the antagonists are just carted off, not to be seen again. Hopefully they show up and get their skulls smashed in later, but as of now it's another "that happened, now move on" situation. Compared to the devious Nick Shun in Aether's Revival (who yes, did vanish off stage there as well eventually, though I hope he'll return to get what's coming for him later), these are just not well handled conflicts from a literary standpoint and leaves the reader feeling cheated. I mean, they feel realistic, sure, and it's what I would expect in any real-life equivalent situation, but I didn't come to a cultivation dungeon delving sci-fi story looking for realistic handling of antagonists by the justice system. I came to see them get their skulls smashed in.
Lesser issue to me was the overindulgence into the whole personal trauma part. The main issue was that we start off with the main character having an inhumanely terrible life, and then get that out of the way and on the road to recovery from that within like the first three chapters or so, and then we're supposed to care about relatively much less traumatic backgrounds of other characters? No, I'm sorry, the whole "your broken pieces fit into my parts like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle" part of using romance or friendship to overcome each other's trauma could work but it felt like the relatively much lesser issues was given way more attention that then near-murder of the main character we started out with, which just rubbed me the wrong way. While I breezed past it on initial reading, on reflection it just doesn't work for me, and just annoys me the more I think about it. I feel like that thing either should have been different, or solved differently. Ideally rather than everyone being traumatized (in which to paraphrase Syndrome, no one is traumatized!) focus on one trauma, then recovery from that trauma, preferably helped along by people not caught up in their own personal struggles, and then move onto the next trauma rather than play a game of "my life was worse than yours" for most of the book that leaves the reader a bit apathetic to all of them.
Lesser issue is that this sort of fails as a harem book also, given no actual romances are established during the whole book, a lot of flirting, a lot of setup, and some promises for things to come, but the book just ends before anything serious happens. Unless this was supposed to be the author's attempt at a young adult romance slow-build series, in which case good job, but that wasn't what I expected, and romantic relations in this one is sorely lacking compared to other books. I know why, having any of the three jump into bed at the point the book ends would have not worked out but... that's just another notch towards the "it ended way too soon" feeling that leaves me just feeling cheated at the end.
Worldbuilding I'm also sort of in a weird position here. I enjoy the science-fantasy concepts this world is seemingly going for, but it just feels underdeveloped, there should have been more explanation of how this world works. Example, in the beginning as the main character is taken to the Academy by shuttle, I had no freaking idea what sort of shuttle it was. Magical flying carpet? Advanced space shuttle? Dingy rotor engine plane? I have no idea, beyond the bench the main character was on was soft and it had a pilot that was an ex cultivator/holder, but I don't know if that was related to him being a pilot. (Was the plane magical and he was using his lacklustre talents to keep it going? No idea!) Same applies then to the rest of the setting, we know there's other worlds and planets, but how do people get between them, do they use space ships, or magic portals, or do they just jump because they are all godlike by the time you are supposed to go to another planet? No idea! Now, a lot of this is stuff that can be expanded on in other books for sure, I just expected to know a little bit about how the world works and what society is like and what the tech level is like. But what I know is they have bidets, modern kitchen appliances, AI's that get put inside of you during surgery that may or may not be magical spirits rather than anything computer related (again, no idea), and various types of food. I feel like at the end of the day I know more about their eating habits than how their world even functions, and that's a lot less than I expect to know after 500+ pages.
So in conclusion, I'm not rating this book, and I removed my rating from it because of these problems I have with it. I am still a fan of the author, and I'll still pick up the next book and hope it fixes at least some of the issues I had here, but this was probably the weakest book 1 by this author I have read. I feel like this would have benefited a lot towards the author having someone to bounce ideas off or to tell him to give his first draft a rewrite, because he's still one of my favorite authors, but this is just not his best work, at all.
Okay, my main issue out of the way; it stops too soon. And this isn't a "I could just keep reading forever" or "it's too good to stop" type of facetious "complaint", I mean it more along the line that it didn't really have a meaningful third act, it felt like the book just ends all of a sudden. This would have been a much better book if it had been like 20 % longer (or some fluff shaved off previously to make room) and also included the tournament at the end, maybe with some of the previous conflicts coming to a head in the process during it, either that or make that final dungeon they ran more meaningful (have someone come after them and sabotage it inside there, or they get badly injured, or something weird happens, ANYTHING that doesn't come off as more training towards an outcome that's as much as a year away from the reader to get to inbetween the author's other scheduled books), something that would provide some sort of climax to the book, because as it is it basically just ends all of a sudden on a 'to be continued' note, like it's episode 8 in a 10 episode TV show season and the last two episodes will have to be tacked on to next season due to unexpected circumstances. The author's other books, especially the firsts in a series pretty much all had some sort of arc for the first book, where it headed towards a temporary climax of some sort in most of them, but this was more like it just suddenly ran out of steam and ended.
There was also no real antagonist to worry about, the tormentor uncle that we never even met in the book is taken off and executed apparently in the first chapter or two off-stage without any sort of of confrontation or catharsis beyond "that happened, now move on" and the same goes with the conflict in the middle of the book, it happens, the main character is left in a terrible situation where people are threatening him with execution over something that would be the equivalent of a slap on the wrist in real society given nothing truly happened (so clearly their rules and laws are different, but I have no idea how due to the lack of explanation and exposition as opposed to delving on another panic attack or cooking session), and then when that's over due to the actions of another character showing up out of nowhere and solving it, the antagonists are just carted off, not to be seen again. Hopefully they show up and get their skulls smashed in later, but as of now it's another "that happened, now move on" situation. Compared to the devious Nick Shun in Aether's Revival (who yes, did vanish off stage there as well eventually, though I hope he'll return to get what's coming for him later), these are just not well handled conflicts from a literary standpoint and leaves the reader feeling cheated. I mean, they feel realistic, sure, and it's what I would expect in any real-life equivalent situation, but I didn't come to a cultivation dungeon delving sci-fi story looking for realistic handling of antagonists by the justice system. I came to see them get their skulls smashed in.
Lesser issue to me was the overindulgence into the whole personal trauma part. The main issue was that we start off with the main character having an inhumanely terrible life, and then get that out of the way and on the road to recovery from that within like the first three chapters or so, and then we're supposed to care about relatively much less traumatic backgrounds of other characters? No, I'm sorry, the whole "your broken pieces fit into my parts like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle" part of using romance or friendship to overcome each other's trauma could work but it felt like the relatively much lesser issues was given way more attention that then near-murder of the main character we started out with, which just rubbed me the wrong way. While I breezed past it on initial reading, on reflection it just doesn't work for me, and just annoys me the more I think about it. I feel like that thing either should have been different, or solved differently. Ideally rather than everyone being traumatized (in which to paraphrase Syndrome, no one is traumatized!) focus on one trauma, then recovery from that trauma, preferably helped along by people not caught up in their own personal struggles, and then move onto the next trauma rather than play a game of "my life was worse than yours" for most of the book that leaves the reader a bit apathetic to all of them.
Lesser issue is that this sort of fails as a harem book also, given no actual romances are established during the whole book, a lot of flirting, a lot of setup, and some promises for things to come, but the book just ends before anything serious happens. Unless this was supposed to be the author's attempt at a young adult romance slow-build series, in which case good job, but that wasn't what I expected, and romantic relations in this one is sorely lacking compared to other books. I know why, having any of the three jump into bed at the point the book ends would have not worked out but... that's just another notch towards the "it ended way too soon" feeling that leaves me just feeling cheated at the end.
Worldbuilding I'm also sort of in a weird position here. I enjoy the science-fantasy concepts this world is seemingly going for, but it just feels underdeveloped, there should have been more explanation of how this world works. Example, in the beginning as the main character is taken to the Academy by shuttle, I had no freaking idea what sort of shuttle it was. Magical flying carpet? Advanced space shuttle? Dingy rotor engine plane? I have no idea, beyond the bench the main character was on was soft and it had a pilot that was an ex cultivator/holder, but I don't know if that was related to him being a pilot. (Was the plane magical and he was using his lacklustre talents to keep it going? No idea!) Same applies then to the rest of the setting, we know there's other worlds and planets, but how do people get between them, do they use space ships, or magic portals, or do they just jump because they are all godlike by the time you are supposed to go to another planet? No idea! Now, a lot of this is stuff that can be expanded on in other books for sure, I just expected to know a little bit about how the world works and what society is like and what the tech level is like. But what I know is they have bidets, modern kitchen appliances, AI's that get put inside of you during surgery that may or may not be magical spirits rather than anything computer related (again, no idea), and various types of food. I feel like at the end of the day I know more about their eating habits than how their world even functions, and that's a lot less than I expect to know after 500+ pages.
So in conclusion, I'm not rating this book, and I removed my rating from it because of these problems I have with it. I am still a fan of the author, and I'll still pick up the next book and hope it fixes at least some of the issues I had here, but this was probably the weakest book 1 by this author I have read. I feel like this would have benefited a lot towards the author having someone to bounce ideas off or to tell him to give his first draft a rewrite, because he's still one of my favorite authors, but this is just not his best work, at all.
June 5, 2024
Mark my words. This is the beginning of what will be a harem series. Nothing to overt in this book but having read other books by the author, it is obvious the direction things are going. That being said, I enjoyed the book. There were some nice slice-of-life elements with cooking. Even the budding romance wasn’t bad, I just don’t think the ménage a trios foreshadowing. I enjoyed the cultivation system. The book seemed to arbitrarily end without any central conflict being addressed or overcome. Meaning it ended with a cliffhanger of something that seemed like it would have that potential.
June 30, 2024
Another great series
The start to another great series. Really looking forward to how things progress in the next book and finding out more about Ben and his bloodline. Going to be a long 8 month wait for book 2.
The start to another great series. Really looking forward to how things progress in the next book and finding out more about Ben and his bloodline. Going to be a long 8 month wait for book 2.
November 18, 2024
Heavenly chaos
I find it truly hard to read a book that is written by a woman that is pretending to be a man by the time I got done with the 1st book I was practically bleeding estrogen and lactating. There is no way that a man wrote thisPeriods
I find it truly hard to read a book that is written by a woman that is pretending to be a man by the time I got done with the 1st book I was practically bleeding estrogen and lactating. There is no way that a man wrote thisPeriods
June 6, 2024
The overall structure is very reminiscent of the Path of Ascension series. The trigger for becoming a Holder is getting a Sphere, but once you do, you have a Rank system through which you progress, achieving immortality at a set rank. You are granted entrance to a government-sponsored Academy that trains you through the first five Ranks of your development. A cultivator can internalize skills into three concentric zones - core, inner circle, and outer circle - each successively allowing more skills at reduced effectiveness. You increase your Rank by defeating Pockets, small self-contained dimensions that respawn. Rewards from Pockets scale with their Rank, so meat from a Rank 5 Pocket is more potent than the meat from a Rank 1 Pocket. The worlds all have Ranks, there's Chaotic space, and it all feels familiar. Oh yeah, and there's a Duke Inferno. I really have no problem at all with the familiarity; for all I know, it could even be entirely coincidentally. More on that later.
In terms of the story itself, between episodes of near-death experiences and adrenalin-pumping excitement, great adventurers have to make breakfast, eat breakfast, make dinner, eat dinner, relax, hang out, study, clean stuff, have meaningful conversations and go shopping. This book tells THAT story, the in-between story. The tedium that fills every day. We are given about one-and-a-half delves; the rest fade to black. We are told about getting in line for the Pocket, that they ran the Pocket, that they are taking a washroom break before running the Pocket again and that they finished the second delve. Now it's time to talk about dinner again. Unless the climb to Heaven goes through a crockpot, this will be a long series.
I wish the author hadn't touted this book as him tackling mental health. If I hadn't come into this book with the expectation that it would be darker and dealing with someone recovering from childhood abuse, I'd have been much less critical and sensitive to how the topic was treated. I wouldn't have wondered at Agatha expressing he is the worst case of abuse she had ever seen, stopped to wonder why in the world he'd put his abuse victim in a room where two women demand he strips naked for them, Agatha sending session video to a third party without permission, or why the MC's response to the rich, struck up girl being suspiciously nice to him would be to instantly trust in her good intentions. I was left feeling that Ben and Atropos' traumas were all just expressed in their private conversations in their suite, which was all fine, but ended up feeling like a rather one-dimensional treatment of complex and nuanced mental issues.
It wasn't a bad book; I may read the next one, but it feels like so many of this author's recent novels: fundamentally the same book, with a new setting that adds some flavour but never really becomes the meat of the meal. This wasn't a cultivation book for me, it wasn't a mental health book for me, it was a book about cooking, going to the gym, and two people coming to like and trust each other. All the actually interesting "flavouring" reminded me of Path of Ascension, which did all these interesting bits much better.
In terms of the story itself, between episodes of near-death experiences and adrenalin-pumping excitement, great adventurers have to make breakfast, eat breakfast, make dinner, eat dinner, relax, hang out, study, clean stuff, have meaningful conversations and go shopping. This book tells THAT story, the in-between story. The tedium that fills every day. We are given about one-and-a-half delves; the rest fade to black. We are told about getting in line for the Pocket, that they ran the Pocket, that they are taking a washroom break before running the Pocket again and that they finished the second delve. Now it's time to talk about dinner again. Unless the climb to Heaven goes through a crockpot, this will be a long series.
I wish the author hadn't touted this book as him tackling mental health. If I hadn't come into this book with the expectation that it would be darker and dealing with someone recovering from childhood abuse, I'd have been much less critical and sensitive to how the topic was treated. I wouldn't have wondered at Agatha expressing he is the worst case of abuse she had ever seen, stopped to wonder why in the world he'd put his abuse victim in a room where two women demand he strips naked for them, Agatha sending session video to a third party without permission, or why the MC's response to the rich, struck up girl being suspiciously nice to him would be to instantly trust in her good intentions. I was left feeling that Ben and Atropos' traumas were all just expressed in their private conversations in their suite, which was all fine, but ended up feeling like a rather one-dimensional treatment of complex and nuanced mental issues.
It wasn't a bad book; I may read the next one, but it feels like so many of this author's recent novels: fundamentally the same book, with a new setting that adds some flavour but never really becomes the meat of the meal. This wasn't a cultivation book for me, it wasn't a mental health book for me, it was a book about cooking, going to the gym, and two people coming to like and trust each other. All the actually interesting "flavouring" reminded me of Path of Ascension, which did all these interesting bits much better.
June 2, 2024
Interesting start to a new series
Before anything else know that a recommend this book to anybody meeting this review. Next, I want to say that I do my best to separate the quality of the writing from my personal preferences, and I do try and take it easy on the first book of any new series. The writing is what I have come to expect from this particular author, which is why I gave it the five stars. Personally, I'm not all that interested in mental health stuff when it comes to my entertainment. It's probably one of the reasons why I never finished Alpha world, which for those who don't know, it's another series by this author. I probably will go back somewhere down the line and finish it off just so that I've got an ending. I did like the spin-off series better than Alpha world, but unfortunately, it didn't make it and ended with a soft close. Getting back on point, the reason why I'm talking about those two is that this series appears to be heading down the same road. The author stated that there's only going to be two ladies in this relationship with our main character, which is more than fine as far as I'm concerned. I'm not all that interested in stories where the author decides that 20 plus is an appropriate number. Our main character has been physically but not sexually abused for much of his younger years. The first love interest is a rich girl who was betrayed by her friend group culminating in an sexual assault that was not completed due to her manifesting in her moment of need special powers. The other lady in the would-be relationship has her own level of trauma as well. While there are some continuing outside influences, the story appears to be centered around how they're working together to get past their past trauma.
Before anything else know that a recommend this book to anybody meeting this review. Next, I want to say that I do my best to separate the quality of the writing from my personal preferences, and I do try and take it easy on the first book of any new series. The writing is what I have come to expect from this particular author, which is why I gave it the five stars. Personally, I'm not all that interested in mental health stuff when it comes to my entertainment. It's probably one of the reasons why I never finished Alpha world, which for those who don't know, it's another series by this author. I probably will go back somewhere down the line and finish it off just so that I've got an ending. I did like the spin-off series better than Alpha world, but unfortunately, it didn't make it and ended with a soft close. Getting back on point, the reason why I'm talking about those two is that this series appears to be heading down the same road. The author stated that there's only going to be two ladies in this relationship with our main character, which is more than fine as far as I'm concerned. I'm not all that interested in stories where the author decides that 20 plus is an appropriate number. Our main character has been physically but not sexually abused for much of his younger years. The first love interest is a rich girl who was betrayed by her friend group culminating in an sexual assault that was not completed due to her manifesting in her moment of need special powers. The other lady in the would-be relationship has her own level of trauma as well. While there are some continuing outside influences, the story appears to be centered around how they're working together to get past their past trauma.
June 14, 2025
incredibly amateur and sappy in a way that borders on embarrassing. I'm sorry, but the character trope of a beautiful girl that freaks out if anyone even looks at her (but gets over that trauma in 2 days for the MC) is embarrassing.
I think of myself as a woke guy, honestly, but this book is just filled with overly back rubbing, therapist-speak that gives me the creeps. I have never met a person who talks like anyone in here, and I am confident the author has never had a meaningful, serious conversation with a woman.
Beyond that, there are a few fundamentals of writing that are utterly bungled here.
1. Pacing - the emotional climax occurs 40% into the book and then it just sort of ends randomly with not even a proper cliffhanger. It's hard to call this a book, as it has no clear beginning middle or end. It definitely feels like a random section sliced from a web serial.
2. Description - Nothing is clearly described. I don't understand the setting, or how the characters (bar the main 3) actually look. I don't think this world is real because it's essentially just an apartment where the main character makes some variation of cheese bacon and eggs while getting praised for cooking.
3. World Building - kind of married to description, but because of how sparsely this world is described it feels like a void with some shops and a school. No unique ways of speaking, no strange customs, no interesting inventions unique to this other world. It is a souless place
4. Dialogue - Nobody talks like this. If I made the author read a character interaction aloud he would probably burn the transcript in shame. It's all marvel, quippy back and forths, except even less clever and with even less chemistry. Multiple times while reading this I held my head in my hands and groaned.
I think of myself as a woke guy, honestly, but this book is just filled with overly back rubbing, therapist-speak that gives me the creeps. I have never met a person who talks like anyone in here, and I am confident the author has never had a meaningful, serious conversation with a woman.
Beyond that, there are a few fundamentals of writing that are utterly bungled here.
1. Pacing - the emotional climax occurs 40% into the book and then it just sort of ends randomly with not even a proper cliffhanger. It's hard to call this a book, as it has no clear beginning middle or end. It definitely feels like a random section sliced from a web serial.
2. Description - Nothing is clearly described. I don't understand the setting, or how the characters (bar the main 3) actually look. I don't think this world is real because it's essentially just an apartment where the main character makes some variation of cheese bacon and eggs while getting praised for cooking.
3. World Building - kind of married to description, but because of how sparsely this world is described it feels like a void with some shops and a school. No unique ways of speaking, no strange customs, no interesting inventions unique to this other world. It is a souless place
4. Dialogue - Nobody talks like this. If I made the author read a character interaction aloud he would probably burn the transcript in shame. It's all marvel, quippy back and forths, except even less clever and with even less chemistry. Multiple times while reading this I held my head in my hands and groaned.
March 9, 2025
Введение: Мир и главный герой
Действие происходит в фэнтезийном мире с элементами LitRPG и культивации, где люди стремятся к возвышению через "Сферы" — редкие дары Небес, дающие обладателям сверхъестественные способности. Главный герой, Бенедикт Аарон Родни (сокращённо Бен), — восемнадцатилетний юноша с трагическим прошлым. Его родители погибли, оставив его на попечение дяди Скиппи Родни, жестокого пьяницы, который вымещал злобу на мальчике. Жизнь Бена была полна боли: дома его избивал дядя, а в школе бывшие друзья сделали его мишенью для издевательств. У него не было безопасного места, и каждый день приносил новые страдания.
Однако всё меняется, когда во время очередного избиения, когда Бен уже был на грани смерти, Небеса вмешиваются. В момент, когда его кости сломаны, а сознание угасает, он внезапно становится обладателем Сферы Регенерации — редчайшего дара, который проявляется спонтанно лишь у немногих. Это событие кардинально меняет его судьбу.
Начало новой жизни
Прохожий, ставший свидетелем нападения, останавливает избиение и доставляет Бена в клинику. Целитель, осматривающий его, обнаруживает не только полное восстановление свежих ран, но и исчезновение всех старых шрамов и травм, накопленных за годы мучений. Это подтверждает, что Бен теперь — Носитель Сферы. Такие люди обязаны поступить в Академию, где обучают управлению своими силами и готовят к "восхождению к Небесам" — процессу, в котором Носители сражаются и развиваются, чтобы достичь божественного уровня силы.
В Академии Бен знакомится с Агатой, своим психиатром, которая помогает ему адаптироваться к новой реальности. Она объясняет основы мира Носителей, о которых Бен, выросший в нищете, ничего не знал. Также в первый же день он встречает свою соседку по комнате — Атропос Розарию Фоксглав, девушку из знатной семьи с собственными проблемами. Атропос холодна и недоверчива, и их отношения начинаются с напряжения. Её неприязнь к Бену связана с её собственными травмами и чувством превосходства, но со временем между ними начинают завязываться узы.
Академия и первые шаги
Академия — это место, где Носители учатся использовать свои Сферы, сражаться в "Карманах" (магических измерениях, полных опасностей и наград) и соревноваться за ранги. Бен, как один из немногих студентов не из элиты, сталкивается с презрением и высокомерием со стороны богатых сверстников. Однако его Сфера Регенерации делает его практически неуязвимым: он может мгновенно исцеляться от любых ран, что даёт ему преимущество в бою, но и привлекает внимание.
Первый год в Академии проходит неспешно. Бен учится основам: как активировать свою Сферу, как сражаться и как выживать в Карманах. Его наставники и однокурсники постепенно раскрывают систему рангов и "Небесный Путь" — программу, которая направляет Носителей к высшим уровням силы через испытания и награды. Бен также начинает дружить с Сэди Сомниус, их тренером по физподготовке, женщиной старше его, но открытой и прямолинейной. Сэди становится связующим звеном между Беном и Атропос, помогая им преодолеть взаимное недоверие.
Развитие отношений и внутренний рост
Одна из ключевых тем книги — преодоление прошлого. У Бена, Атропос и Сэди есть свои травмы, и их дружба строится на взаимной поддержке. Бен, привыкший к боли, не сдаётся перед трудностями, но ему сложно доверять людям. Атропос, напротив, скрывает свои слабости за маской высокомерия, а её семейное происхождение намекает на тайны, которые раскроются позже. Сэди, с её грубоватым, но добрым характером, помогает им обоим открыться.
Ежедневная жизнь в Академии включает не только тренировки, но и бытовые моменты: Бен любит готовить, и это становится его способом налаживать связь с окружающими. Он готовит еду для Атропос и Сэди, и эти сцены, хоть и занимают много места, показывают, как он учится заботиться о других — то, чего ему не хватало в детстве. Постепенно Атропос смягчается, и между ней и Беном возникает намёк на романтические чувства, хотя книга остаётся лишённой откровенных сцен.
Первые испытания и Карманы
Бен и Атропос начинают исследовать Карманы — небольшие измерения, где Носители сражаются с монстрами (например, похотливыми гоблинами) и собирают ресурсы, такие как эссенция и магические предметы. Их первая вылазка показывает, как Сфера Регенерации делает Бена "танком": он принимает удары, быстро восстанавливается и защищает Атропос, чья Сфера пока остаётся загадкой. Вместе они учатся работать в команде, хотя Карманы на начальном уровне повторяются, что делает тренировки однообразными.
В одном из боёв Бен сталкивается с инструктором, проверяющим его пределы. Его способность выдерживать боль и вставать после любого удара впечатляет, но также подчёркивает его одиночество: он привык полагаться только на себя. Однако дружба с Атропос и Сэди начинает менять его взгляд.
Кульминация: Подготовка к турниру
К концу первого года Академия объявляет о турнире — соревновании между академиями, где Носители участвуют в "мнимой войне" и сражаются в Карманах за награды. Это шанс для Бена и Атропос доказать себя и продвинуться по Небесному Пути. Книга заканчивается на моменте, когда семестр завершается, а друзья расходятся на летние каникулы перед турниром. Бен и Атропос ждут шаттл, который отвезёт их к месту испытания, а Сэди остаётся в стороне, но обещает поддерживать их.
Финал оставляет ощущение ожидания: Бен вырос из изломанного мальчишки в уверенного Носителя, но его путь только начинается. Намёки на его происхождение (возможно, скрытую родословную) и тайны Атропос подогревают интерес к продолжению.
Ключевые моменты для запоминания перед второй книгой
Бен и его Сфера: Бен получил Сферу Регенерации случайно, что спасло его от смерти. Она позволяет ему мгновенно исцеляться, делая его выносливым бойцом.
Атропос: Соседка Бена, из знатной семьи, с неизвестной пока Сферой. Её холодность скрывает травмы, но она сближается с Беном.
Сэди: Тренер и подруга, связующее звено группы. Её Сфера тоже пока не раскрыта, но она играет важную роль в их дружбе.
Академия и Карманы: Место обучения и тренировок, где Носители сражаются за ресурсы и ранги. Первый год был подготовкой.
Турнир: Кульминация, к которой готовятся Бен и Атропос. Это будет их первое крупное испытание во второй книге.
Особенности и стиль
Книга медле��ная, с акцентом на быт (готовка, разговоры) и внутреннее развитие героев, а не на экшен. Бои редки, но показывают потенциал Бена как "неубиваемого". История сосредоточена на дружбе и преодолении прошлого, с лёгким намёком на будущий "тройственный союз" (Бен, Атропос, Сэди). Это типичный Шинхофен: знакомые темы из его других серий (Aether’s Revival, Alpha World), но с новым миром и системой.
Действие происходит в фэнтезийном мире с элементами LitRPG и культивации, где люди стремятся к возвышению через "Сферы" — редкие дары Небес, дающие обладателям сверхъестественные способности. Главный герой, Бенедикт Аарон Родни (сокращённо Бен), — восемнадцатилетний юноша с трагическим прошлым. Его родители погибли, оставив его на попечение дяди Скиппи Родни, жестокого пьяницы, который вымещал злобу на мальчике. Жизнь Бена была полна боли: дома его избивал дядя, а в школе бывшие друзья сделали его мишенью для издевательств. У него не было безопасного места, и каждый день приносил новые страдания.
Однако всё меняется, когда во время очередного избиения, когда Бен уже был на грани смерти, Небеса вмешиваются. В момент, когда его кости сломаны, а сознание угасает, он внезапно становится обладателем Сферы Регенерации — редчайшего дара, который проявляется спонтанно лишь у немногих. Это событие кардинально меняет его судьбу.
Начало новой жизни
Прохожий, ставший свидетелем нападения, останавливает избиение и доставляет Бена в клинику. Целитель, осматривающий его, обнаруживает не только полное восстановление свежих ран, но и исчезновение всех старых шрамов и травм, накопленных за годы мучений. Это подтверждает, что Бен теперь — Носитель Сферы. Такие люди обязаны поступить в Академию, где обучают управлению своими силами и готовят к "восхождению к Небесам" — процессу, в котором Носители сражаются и развиваются, чтобы достичь божественного уровня силы.
В Академии Бен знакомится с Агатой, своим психиатром, которая помогает ему адаптироваться к новой реальности. Она объясняет основы мира Носителей, о которых Бен, выросший в нищете, ничего не знал. Также в первый же день он встречает свою соседку по комнате — Атропос Розарию Фоксглав, девушку из знатной семьи с собственными проблемами. Атропос холодна и недоверчива, и их отношения начинаются с напряжения. Её неприязнь к Бену связана с её собственными травмами и чувством превосходства, но со временем между ними начинают завязываться узы.
Академия и первые шаги
Академия — это место, где Носители учатся использовать свои Сферы, сражаться в "Карманах" (магических измерениях, полных опасностей и наград) и соревноваться за ранги. Бен, как один из немногих студентов не из элиты, сталкивается с презрением и высокомерием со стороны богатых сверстников. Однако его Сфера Регенерации делает его практически неуязвимым: он может мгновенно исцеляться от любых ран, что даёт ему преимущество в бою, но и привлекает внимание.
Первый год в Академии проходит неспешно. Бен учится основам: как активировать свою Сферу, как сражаться и как выживать в Карманах. Его наставники и однокурсники постепенно раскрывают систему рангов и "Небесный Путь" — программу, которая направляет Носителей к высшим уровням силы через испытания и награды. Бен также начинает дружить с Сэди Сомниус, их тренером по физподготовке, женщиной старше его, но открытой и прямолинейной. Сэди становится связующим звеном между Беном и Атропос, помогая им преодолеть взаимное недоверие.
Развитие отношений и внутренний рост
Одна из ключевых тем книги — преодоление прошлого. У Бена, Атропос и Сэди есть свои травмы, и их дружба строится на взаимной поддержке. Бен, привыкший к боли, не сдаётся перед трудностями, но ему сложно доверять людям. Атропос, напротив, скрывает свои слабости за маской высокомерия, а её семейное происхождение намекает на тайны, которые раскроются позже. Сэди, с её грубоватым, но добрым характером, помогает им обоим открыться.
Ежедневная жизнь в Академии включает не только тренировки, но и бытовые моменты: Бен любит готовить, и это становится его способом налаживать связь с окружающими. Он готовит еду для Атропос и Сэди, и эти сцены, хоть и занимают много места, показывают, как он учится заботиться о других — то, чего ему не хватало в детстве. Постепенно Атропос смягчается, и между ней и Беном возникает намёк на романтические чувства, хотя книга остаётся лишённой откровенных сцен.
Первые испытания и Карманы
Бен и Атропос начинают исследовать Карманы — небольшие измерения, где Носители сражаются с монстрами (например, похотливыми гоблинами) и собирают ресурсы, такие как эссенция и магические предметы. Их первая вылазка показывает, как Сфера Регенерации делает Бена "танком": он принимает удары, быстро восстанавливается и защищает Атропос, чья Сфера пока остаётся загадкой. Вместе они учатся работать в команде, хотя Карманы на начальном уровне повторяются, что делает тренировки однообразными.
В одном из боёв Бен сталкивается с инструктором, проверяющим его пределы. Его способность выдерживать боль и вставать после любого удара впечатляет, но также подчёркивает его одиночество: он привык полагаться только на себя. Однако дружба с Атропос и Сэди начинает менять его взгляд.
Кульминация: Подготовка к турниру
К концу первого года Академия объявляет о турнире — соревновании между академиями, где Носители участвуют в "мнимой войне" и сражаются в Карманах за награды. Это шанс для Бена и Атропос доказать себя и продвинуться по Небесному Пути. Книга заканчивается на моменте, когда семестр завершается, а друзья расходятся на летние каникулы перед турниром. Бен и Атропос ждут шаттл, который отвезёт их к месту испытания, а Сэди остаётся в стороне, но обещает поддерживать их.
Финал оставляет ощущение ожидания: Бен вырос из изломанного мальчишки в уверенного Носителя, но его путь только начинается. Намёки на его происхождение (возможно, скрытую родословную) и тайны Атропос подогревают интерес к продолжению.
Ключевые моменты для запоминания перед второй книгой
Бен и его Сфера: Бен получил Сферу Регенерации случайно, что спасло его от смерти. Она позволяет ему мгновенно исцеляться, делая его выносливым бойцом.
Атропос: Соседка Бена, из знатной семьи, с неизвестной пока Сферой. Её холодность скрывает травмы, но она сближается с Беном.
Сэди: Тренер и подруга, связующее звено группы. Её Сфера тоже пока не раскрыта, но она играет важную роль в их дружбе.
Академия и Карманы: Место обучения и тренировок, где Носители сражаются за ресурсы и ранги. Первый год был подготовкой.
Турнир: Кульминация, к которой готовятся Бен и Атропос. Это будет их первое крупное испытание во второй книге.
Особенности и стиль
Книга медле��ная, с акцентом на быт (готовка, разговоры) и внутреннее развитие героев, а не на экшен. Бои редки, но показывают потенциал Бена как "неубиваемого". История сосредоточена на дружбе и преодолении прошлого, с лёгким намёком на будущий "тройственный союз" (Бен, Атропос, Сэди). Это типичный Шинхофен: знакомые темы из его других серий (Aether’s Revival, Alpha World), но с новым миром и системой.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2024
Another excellent narrative by Daniel Schinhofen
The MC is an abused teen that spontaneously develops a self-healing skill after yet another beat down. This skill qualifies him to go to a mage academy where he meets an acerbic woman who is as emotionally damaged as he was physically. Her skill is a poisonous body. Eventually they come to terms with each other, supplying the friendship and emotional support they both need desperately. The MC becomes a beast at training his body, but trouble soon finds him and he is set up to be wrongly accused of a heinous act.
As always, the story is well written with lots of mundane life to create a well constructed world. This really gives a sense of normalcy and relatability in a completly different world where magic is common.
The characters are oh so interesting, exhibiting strengths, but more importantly flaws that we can all relate to (at some level). There is administrative support for the characters as well as entitled nobles acting up, getting fined and then seeking vengeance. They feel completely justified for their nefarious acts though they initiated the circumstances of their conflict. Self deception at its worst.
Of course, I am looking forward to the next installments. The author’s series are among my fave reads because of the depth that his characters have as well as the world-building that constructs such interesting environments.
The MC is an abused teen that spontaneously develops a self-healing skill after yet another beat down. This skill qualifies him to go to a mage academy where he meets an acerbic woman who is as emotionally damaged as he was physically. Her skill is a poisonous body. Eventually they come to terms with each other, supplying the friendship and emotional support they both need desperately. The MC becomes a beast at training his body, but trouble soon finds him and he is set up to be wrongly accused of a heinous act.
As always, the story is well written with lots of mundane life to create a well constructed world. This really gives a sense of normalcy and relatability in a completly different world where magic is common.
The characters are oh so interesting, exhibiting strengths, but more importantly flaws that we can all relate to (at some level). There is administrative support for the characters as well as entitled nobles acting up, getting fined and then seeking vengeance. They feel completely justified for their nefarious acts though they initiated the circumstances of their conflict. Self deception at its worst.
Of course, I am looking forward to the next installments. The author’s series are among my fave reads because of the depth that his characters have as well as the world-building that constructs such interesting environments.
January 19, 2026
Wash, rinse, repeat. Yawn.
This was my first Lit/RPG/harem series. I read the first 4 books of this series before writing this review. I wanted to know what this genre was all about. To be fair, I skipped/skimmed through most of them. I read fast and was hoping to learn more about this popular genre. I did not know about the harem element before I started, and probably wouldn't have started if I had. I don't find it interesting.
Conclusions:
1) I don't care for the Lit/RPG genre. I'm 65. Probably too old to know or care what is happening. Plus, I don't find most of it to be interesting. Thus, this review is admittedly biased.
2) I found the premise, plot, characters, and sexual focus to be adolescent, prurient, and in every way immature.
3) Constructively, the plot is repetitive. It seems to consist of repeating sequences of events: class, training, gym, cooking, sadly adolescent sexual frustration, review of scores...repeat. That seems to be true for all four books, though I skimmed so much by the end that I may have missed things.
4) I gave it 3 stars, rather than lower, as I was engaged enough to see how the plot and characters would develop. The writing was workmanlike.
5) I can't recommend this to people who like the genre as I don't have enough to compare it with.
This was my first Lit/RPG/harem series. I read the first 4 books of this series before writing this review. I wanted to know what this genre was all about. To be fair, I skipped/skimmed through most of them. I read fast and was hoping to learn more about this popular genre. I did not know about the harem element before I started, and probably wouldn't have started if I had. I don't find it interesting.
Conclusions:
1) I don't care for the Lit/RPG genre. I'm 65. Probably too old to know or care what is happening. Plus, I don't find most of it to be interesting. Thus, this review is admittedly biased.
2) I found the premise, plot, characters, and sexual focus to be adolescent, prurient, and in every way immature.
3) Constructively, the plot is repetitive. It seems to consist of repeating sequences of events: class, training, gym, cooking, sadly adolescent sexual frustration, review of scores...repeat. That seems to be true for all four books, though I skimmed so much by the end that I may have missed things.
4) I gave it 3 stars, rather than lower, as I was engaged enough to see how the plot and characters would develop. The writing was workmanlike.
5) I can't recommend this to people who like the genre as I don't have enough to compare it with.
April 15, 2024
Another Schinhofen winner!
Daniel has kept some of his standard tropes but has added some of the tropes that I've seen in other series in this genre. This series (I hope & expect it to be a series) contains shards, something that I haven't seen from this author. It has portals, also something new. The character building is still top-notch. Slow and steady. The plot kept me engrossed, which is a problem for me because I blew through the book, and now I have to wait!
Growing up, I loved Louis L'Amour westerns. By now, at 66, I pretty much only actually read about half (or less) when I re-read one of his books. But they are like comfort food. Like grilled cheese sandwiches, Mac n' Cheese, homemade Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. They comfort me. Daniel Schinhofen's books have become that for me. Even though I have thousands of new books to read (I read multiple genres), I continually grab one of his series and start re-reading it.
So, if you want to read quality writing in the LitRPG genre, any of Daniel's books will do. Try the Morrigan series, the Game of Life series, the Lady Luck series. Hell, read them all! BTW, Morrigan is Fae based; Game is VR based; and Lady has a western themed fantasy base.
Daniel has kept some of his standard tropes but has added some of the tropes that I've seen in other series in this genre. This series (I hope & expect it to be a series) contains shards, something that I haven't seen from this author. It has portals, also something new. The character building is still top-notch. Slow and steady. The plot kept me engrossed, which is a problem for me because I blew through the book, and now I have to wait!
Growing up, I loved Louis L'Amour westerns. By now, at 66, I pretty much only actually read about half (or less) when I re-read one of his books. But they are like comfort food. Like grilled cheese sandwiches, Mac n' Cheese, homemade Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. They comfort me. Daniel Schinhofen's books have become that for me. Even though I have thousands of new books to read (I read multiple genres), I continually grab one of his series and start re-reading it.
So, if you want to read quality writing in the LitRPG genre, any of Daniel's books will do. Try the Morrigan series, the Game of Life series, the Lady Luck series. Hell, read them all! BTW, Morrigan is Fae based; Game is VR based; and Lady has a western themed fantasy base.
November 24, 2024
An incredibly safe story
This story has set up a world and progression system that's pretty interesting, so it's unfortunate that those two things take a back seat to cooking and pretty shallow dialogue.
In the same way that fictional characters are just caricatures of real people, it seems that every character in this story is just a caricature of a caricature. They only really exhibit one trait and don't show any sign of getting deeper.
The MC could just be replaced by a freshly kicked puppy, the MC's roommate could be replaced by a viper, and the third person in their love triangle (because of course there's a love triangle) could be replaced by a sex toy and the story would read basically the same.
The singular "bad guy" gets dealt with pretty early on and that's really when the story devolves into its worst parts. The reader is rushed through the martial development of the MC and the skips in the story are broken up by recipes and cooking montages garnished with totally unrealistic dialogue.
Honestly, if the story spent less time building up to the MC, his roommate, and their third friend having a threesome and more time showing the characters getting stronger, this would be a much better book.
This story has set up a world and progression system that's pretty interesting, so it's unfortunate that those two things take a back seat to cooking and pretty shallow dialogue.
In the same way that fictional characters are just caricatures of real people, it seems that every character in this story is just a caricature of a caricature. They only really exhibit one trait and don't show any sign of getting deeper.
The MC could just be replaced by a freshly kicked puppy, the MC's roommate could be replaced by a viper, and the third person in their love triangle (because of course there's a love triangle) could be replaced by a sex toy and the story would read basically the same.
The singular "bad guy" gets dealt with pretty early on and that's really when the story devolves into its worst parts. The reader is rushed through the martial development of the MC and the skips in the story are broken up by recipes and cooking montages garnished with totally unrealistic dialogue.
Honestly, if the story spent less time building up to the MC, his roommate, and their third friend having a threesome and more time showing the characters getting stronger, this would be a much better book.
November 26, 2024
Let's play a drinking game! Take a shot every time Daniel Schinhofen mentions "friends are good" or sprinkles in the same tired tropes you've read a hundred times before. Warning: you might not make it past chapter ten.
This book is like playing an RPG on repeat with a broken "new game+" button. Change the names, slightly tweak the backstory, rinse and repeat the same essence over and over again. The characters? Cardboard cutouts with "trauma" scrawled on them for depth. The plot? It moves like molasses because the author seems to be hitting a word count quota by literally repeating himself. Benedict's backstory? Painfully tragic—but told with all the finesse of a "this is your sad origin story" meme.
And let’s not ignore the blatant circle jerk going on with the themes. Every other page, the narrative pats itself on the back for being "deep" while characters spout hollow platitudes. It's like Schinhofen thought if he repeated "friends are important" enough times, he'd summon a personality for these paper-thin archetypes. Spoiler: he didn’t.
Oh, and let’s not forget the fetish vibes Schinhofen tries to shove onto the page but fails to translate into anything coherent. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to sympathize with Benedict, root for him, or just pour another drink.
This book gets one star because I can't give it zero. Would I read the rest of the series? Only if I lost a bet.
This book is like playing an RPG on repeat with a broken "new game+" button. Change the names, slightly tweak the backstory, rinse and repeat the same essence over and over again. The characters? Cardboard cutouts with "trauma" scrawled on them for depth. The plot? It moves like molasses because the author seems to be hitting a word count quota by literally repeating himself. Benedict's backstory? Painfully tragic—but told with all the finesse of a "this is your sad origin story" meme.
And let’s not ignore the blatant circle jerk going on with the themes. Every other page, the narrative pats itself on the back for being "deep" while characters spout hollow platitudes. It's like Schinhofen thought if he repeated "friends are important" enough times, he'd summon a personality for these paper-thin archetypes. Spoiler: he didn’t.
Oh, and let’s not forget the fetish vibes Schinhofen tries to shove onto the page but fails to translate into anything coherent. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to sympathize with Benedict, root for him, or just pour another drink.
This book gets one star because I can't give it zero. Would I read the rest of the series? Only if I lost a bet.
July 31, 2025
After reading all 10 available books in the Aether's Return series, this was wonderful and makes a few things clear: Daniel likes food and harems, and I am happy to read the stories he sets around them. I read 'Path of Ascension' earlier, so the setup kinda feels like it, and there's a character named Matt Dinnaman, as in author of 'Dungeon Crawler Carl', so it's all fun, and it was a joy to read, and I have already started the second book as it's promising to be full of action so there I go and will be Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put, I love reading, so I have made it my motto to Forever Keep on Reading. I love reading everything except for self-help books, even occasionally. I read almost all the genres, but YA, Fantasy, and Biographies are the most read. My favorite series is Harry Potter, but then there are many more books I adore. I have bookcases filled with books that are waiting to be read, so I can't stay and spend more time on this review. Remember, I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and then just Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put, I love reading, so I have made it my motto to Forever Keep on Reading. I love reading everything except for self-help books, even occasionally. I read almost all the genres, but YA, Fantasy, and Biographies are the most read. My favorite series is Harry Potter, but then there are many more books I adore. I have bookcases filled with books that are waiting to be read, so I can't stay and spend more time on this review. Remember, I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and then just Keep on Reading.
April 13, 2024
Another masterclass in storytelling
Book One draws you in to the multitude of psychological issues that impact the main cast which hampers their interpersonal relationships, while also introducing you to the universe, magical training academies and portal style dungeons. It’s also Literary RPG style and introduces the integration of a personal AI system that assists the characters levelling up and inherited bloodlines. There are several villains in this book leaving you wanting them to be punished, and plenty of hints that there is more going on in the background. The early chapters had me worried that there was too many psychological issues being introduced and that the story would tank due to overcomplicating budding friendships, but Daniel manages to balance the tightrope of a good story and leave you wishing for more. Daniel has stated that this will end up a slow burn ‘small’ harem series, so don’t expect any of his typical fade out or more detailed adult scenes in this book.
Book One draws you in to the multitude of psychological issues that impact the main cast which hampers their interpersonal relationships, while also introducing you to the universe, magical training academies and portal style dungeons. It’s also Literary RPG style and introduces the integration of a personal AI system that assists the characters levelling up and inherited bloodlines. There are several villains in this book leaving you wanting them to be punished, and plenty of hints that there is more going on in the background. The early chapters had me worried that there was too many psychological issues being introduced and that the story would tank due to overcomplicating budding friendships, but Daniel manages to balance the tightrope of a good story and leave you wishing for more. Daniel has stated that this will end up a slow burn ‘small’ harem series, so don’t expect any of his typical fade out or more detailed adult scenes in this book.
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