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Rune Seeker #4
Rune Seeker 4
He saved Fallen Reach. Now he must save the world.
In the battle of a lifetime, Hiral has proven his greatness; the traitors of his people have been defeated and a Fallen was prevented from carving a bloody path through the world.
But just as he was getting ready to rest, he received a new quest: [Save the World]. Hiral’s journey must continue, as he gathers the information, power and tools that he and his party will need to stop the Enemy from destroying not only Fallen Reach, but the very planet they call home.
Luckily, he’s overpowered…but will he be overpowered enough? New monsters wait for him and his companions. Old allies seek to aid their quest.
Yet, even older enemies are stirring. The secrets of a lost age must be mastered for the world to have a future.
Book 4 of a Progression Fantasy series from J.M Clarke, Bestselling Author of Mark of the Fool, written with C.J. Thompson.
Unlock a weak-to-strong progression into power and a detailed LitRPG system with unique classes, skills, dungeons, achievements, survival and evolution. Explore a mysterious world of fallen civilizations, strange monsters and deadly secrets.
In the battle of a lifetime, Hiral has proven his greatness; the traitors of his people have been defeated and a Fallen was prevented from carving a bloody path through the world.
But just as he was getting ready to rest, he received a new quest: [Save the World]. Hiral’s journey must continue, as he gathers the information, power and tools that he and his party will need to stop the Enemy from destroying not only Fallen Reach, but the very planet they call home.
Luckily, he’s overpowered…but will he be overpowered enough? New monsters wait for him and his companions. Old allies seek to aid their quest.
Yet, even older enemies are stirring. The secrets of a lost age must be mastered for the world to have a future.
Book 4 of a Progression Fantasy series from J.M Clarke, Bestselling Author of Mark of the Fool, written with C.J. Thompson.
Unlock a weak-to-strong progression into power and a detailed LitRPG system with unique classes, skills, dungeons, achievements, survival and evolution. Explore a mysterious world of fallen civilizations, strange monsters and deadly secrets.
712 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 14, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 17, 2024
⭐️⭐️ - VERY mid... just so much fluff and repetition, nothing is new, the pace is super slow, all the battles follow the exact same progression, things just aren't interesting anymore. wish i'd stopped at book 3 and left things there.
September 12, 2024
All the problems of the last few, shallow characters, poor dialogue, now add in existential crisis and a complete nerf of the main character. Well he is still OP but does a 180 from his old fighting style which feels strange. Add in fighting/wanting to shape his own destiny and a nonexistent relationship that never goes anywhere, and weird inappropriate references. And I will probably not be back for book 5.
Did Not Finish
April 6, 2026dnf'ed @ 6%
October 13, 2025
It builds on
Rejection is destiny, power differences, and the reunited family! A little bit of everything, feel like I have to dive right into the next one.
Rejection is destiny, power differences, and the reunited family! A little bit of everything, feel like I have to dive right into the next one.
September 16, 2025
While I'm still interested in the cast, I found the pacing of this installment to drag on and feel quite repetitive and boring until the last third with the newest dungeon and discoveries. It took way too many words and exposition to explain minor new concepts that could have been shared in a few words or sentences.
October 16, 2024
I dropped this book.
I really, really, liked the first book in the series, but my enjoyment has been rapidly dwindling ever since. Hiral has become progressively dumber, his 'friends' have become progressively meaner, the story has become less interesting (read: it's literally just dungeons), the references have gotten even more cringe, etc.
My breaking point was the author's PAINFUL and drawn out reference to his other series. For the love of god man, that is so cringe. To go through this out of place, incredibly obvious plug for his other work (literally, one of the characters says "is there a book on this I could go read" or something like that) killed whatever interest I had left in the series.
Plus, I'm really not a fan of the trend of Seena treating Hiral. Basically just running over him completely (his clones aren't even on his side anymore really?). Unilaterally adding his little sisters to their party, constantly berating him and making fun of him, not really putting any effort into the relationship compared to Hiral, etc. Here's one example among many "'Don't kid yourself' Seena said, immediately knocking him down a peg". Like what is that? Are we supposed to find that dismissive and controlling attitude funny? Endearing? I don't even know. And he just takes it. Toxic as hell, especially considering Hiral's issues.
Also, please stop with the overprotective Seeyela thing (irrelevant sidenote here: did their parents really named two siblings Seena and Seeyela? Cringe, literally no other Growers have "See-" names so it obviously isn't traditional or anything). I really hate the overprotective sibling/parent trope. Like, Seena is a GROWN ASS WOMAN, she (or Hiral, come on man) should be telling Seeyela to back off from their relationship. "If you hurt my sister I'll kill you" like really?
Anyways, unless you really liked the mindless dungeon diving of the previous books (and don't care about character development, writing, healthy relationships, or interesting stakes) then I wouldn't bother with this book or the rest of the series.
I really, really, liked the first book in the series, but my enjoyment has been rapidly dwindling ever since. Hiral has become progressively dumber, his 'friends' have become progressively meaner, the story has become less interesting (read: it's literally just dungeons), the references have gotten even more cringe, etc.
My breaking point was the author's PAINFUL and drawn out reference to his other series. For the love of god man, that is so cringe. To go through this out of place, incredibly obvious plug for his other work (literally, one of the characters says "is there a book on this I could go read" or something like that) killed whatever interest I had left in the series.
Plus, I'm really not a fan of the trend of Seena treating Hiral. Basically just running over him completely (his clones aren't even on his side anymore really?). Unilaterally adding his little sisters to their party, constantly berating him and making fun of him, not really putting any effort into the relationship compared to Hiral, etc. Here's one example among many "'Don't kid yourself' Seena said, immediately knocking him down a peg". Like what is that? Are we supposed to find that dismissive and controlling attitude funny? Endearing? I don't even know. And he just takes it. Toxic as hell, especially considering Hiral's issues.
Also, please stop with the overprotective Seeyela thing (irrelevant sidenote here: did their parents really named two siblings Seena and Seeyela? Cringe, literally no other Growers have "See-" names so it obviously isn't traditional or anything). I really hate the overprotective sibling/parent trope. Like, Seena is a GROWN ASS WOMAN, she (or Hiral, come on man) should be telling Seeyela to back off from their relationship. "If you hurt my sister I'll kill you" like really?
Anyways, unless you really liked the mindless dungeon diving of the previous books (and don't care about character development, writing, healthy relationships, or interesting stakes) then I wouldn't bother with this book or the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2024
This is a solid entry in the series and a good start to what I'm taking to be the next major story arc. The characters are still fun, the settings and magic system are still interesting, and while the book tends to rely too heavily on revisiting the same (at this point a little tired) jokes (OP'ness, explosions, testing), the banter is still fun because the characters are just likeable. Li'l Ur is fantastic!
What brought this book down for me was the overuse and over-explanation of runes. It's an interesting magic system, but the runes are actually pretty vague and non-specific. Continuously reading about Hiral's experimentation with runes becomes pretty tedious when it's just combining a bunch of non-specific effects to enact his intention. He'll use four or five runes in combination to achieve a plausible effect, but the author could have chosen any number of other rune combinations, and I'd have just as readily believed that it achieved that same effect because it's ultimately just a bunch of hand waving.
What was missing was an editor stepping in and helping to tighten up how runes are treated. I absolutely agree that they are of central importance to the story, but there are more effective ways of communicating their importance and Hiral's growth in their use than just drowning us in a deluge of Hiral monologuing about them, especially when it comes at the expense of a much-reduced focus on their other party members and their much more exciting and interesting skill sets.
On to the Raid!
What brought this book down for me was the overuse and over-explanation of runes. It's an interesting magic system, but the runes are actually pretty vague and non-specific. Continuously reading about Hiral's experimentation with runes becomes pretty tedious when it's just combining a bunch of non-specific effects to enact his intention. He'll use four or five runes in combination to achieve a plausible effect, but the author could have chosen any number of other rune combinations, and I'd have just as readily believed that it achieved that same effect because it's ultimately just a bunch of hand waving.
What was missing was an editor stepping in and helping to tighten up how runes are treated. I absolutely agree that they are of central importance to the story, but there are more effective ways of communicating their importance and Hiral's growth in their use than just drowning us in a deluge of Hiral monologuing about them, especially when it comes at the expense of a much-reduced focus on their other party members and their much more exciting and interesting skill sets.
On to the Raid!
June 5, 2025
I can't for the life of me remember why I liked the series. I don't remember the emotions I had invested for these series. I am usually reminded by the first few chapters with the quirks of each character and then I chug on through but this series is different. It took the book halfway through to get to the interesting parts.
I can't be arsed to make a coherrent review in paragraph form so I'll do it in bullet form.
*Too Many Dungeons
*Power progresssion to plot progression ratio is insane. You get 5 powerups per plot progression. It is a slog.
*Combat dialogue. It's 5-10 minutes of dialogue per move. Like WTF. I know because I listen in audio book form. Before you criticize this part this is not internal dialogue. This is external dialogue. They are talking for 5-10 minutes between characters per move on a time sensitive action. I can't take it.
*There are 3 arcs in the book. Only 1 is pushes the plot forward. It's like One Piece.
*I forgot the term but these type of sentences are so overused I was so close to dropping.
"Topic 1, sub topic that goes for so long it feels like two paragraphs, back to topic 1."
I was so close to ripping out my hair from my buzz cut and I was fast forwarding praying the character to get on with it.
I can't be arsed to make a coherrent review in paragraph form so I'll do it in bullet form.
*Too Many Dungeons
*Power progresssion to plot progression ratio is insane. You get 5 powerups per plot progression. It is a slog.
*Combat dialogue. It's 5-10 minutes of dialogue per move. Like WTF. I know because I listen in audio book form. Before you criticize this part this is not internal dialogue. This is external dialogue. They are talking for 5-10 minutes between characters per move on a time sensitive action. I can't take it.
*There are 3 arcs in the book. Only 1 is pushes the plot forward. It's like One Piece.
*I forgot the term but these type of sentences are so overused I was so close to dropping.
"Topic 1, sub topic that goes for so long it feels like two paragraphs, back to topic 1."
I was so close to ripping out my hair from my buzz cut and I was fast forwarding praying the character to get on with it.
February 2, 2025
I want to start with my favorite quote from the entire book:
Why does this feel so familiar?
Once again the mob and boss fights are less than stellar. They are, in Hiral's own words familiar. Hiral gets more skills, the monsters get better too. And it's the same thing over and over. During fights, I would skip entire pages, and once, an entire chapter.
However!!! the saving grace is the creativity expressed in the other parts of the book. The way each character progresses is very thoughtfully laid out. it is amazing how much Clarke can get out of little tweaks to expanding skills.
We continue to get more insight into the how/why behind the purpose of the gaming system. We also get cute ways to integrate current gaming lingo into the story format.
And the best for last. I absolutely love Li'l Ur. He is VERY humorous in his interactions with Hiral. I love his persistent death wish. And it makes total sense. He too is progressing, and is more than a non-combat pet, which will allow his character to develop as the story continues to evolve.
Why does this feel so familiar?
Once again the mob and boss fights are less than stellar. They are, in Hiral's own words familiar. Hiral gets more skills, the monsters get better too. And it's the same thing over and over. During fights, I would skip entire pages, and once, an entire chapter.
However!!! the saving grace is the creativity expressed in the other parts of the book. The way each character progresses is very thoughtfully laid out. it is amazing how much Clarke can get out of little tweaks to expanding skills.
We continue to get more insight into the how/why behind the purpose of the gaming system. We also get cute ways to integrate current gaming lingo into the story format.
And the best for last. I absolutely love Li'l Ur. He is VERY humorous in his interactions with Hiral. I love his persistent death wish. And it makes total sense. He too is progressing, and is more than a non-combat pet, which will allow his character to develop as the story continues to evolve.
July 30, 2026
Much Better
I am being a bit generous in my rating this time since I have been quite ruthless in previous ratings/reviews.
So far, this is the best book in the series by a LARGE margin. In fact, this was the first book that truly felt like something from C.J Thomas (I have thoroughly enjoyed their previous works).
However, my primary issue with this book is the "men are there to do what women say and to admit they are right" (slight paraphrasing. I know the exact phrase, but I paraphrased so that it applies to all instances, instead of only married couples). This sort of thing normally is not an issue because it would be said "jokingly" and/or "tongue in cheek", but the series has demonstrated it is NOT done as a joke. So I am curious that if the PIMP is revealed to be a female, would Hiral then be okay with being treated as a tool and forced to follow a path (since he is definitely okay with being a tool while dealing with hypocrisy on a regular basis when it comes from females).
Hopefully, future books will keep up the quality of this one.
I am being a bit generous in my rating this time since I have been quite ruthless in previous ratings/reviews.
So far, this is the best book in the series by a LARGE margin. In fact, this was the first book that truly felt like something from C.J Thomas (I have thoroughly enjoyed their previous works).
However, my primary issue with this book is the "men are there to do what women say and to admit they are right" (slight paraphrasing. I know the exact phrase, but I paraphrased so that it applies to all instances, instead of only married couples). This sort of thing normally is not an issue because it would be said "jokingly" and/or "tongue in cheek", but the series has demonstrated it is NOT done as a joke. So I am curious that if the PIMP is revealed to be a female, would Hiral then be okay with being treated as a tool and forced to follow a path (since he is definitely okay with being a tool while dealing with hypocrisy on a regular basis when it comes from females).
Hopefully, future books will keep up the quality of this one.
April 14, 2026
I really enjoyed Mark of the Fool, so I looked into this series. 1-3 were meh, not great, but not bad. Lots of fighting and the constant dungeons were a lot. Mostly because of everything they earned in the dungeon, they had a ton of names, and you had no idea what they could do with anything they earned. So when they were using things in fights, they had to mansplain it every time. I honestly was able to get past that, and it was interesting enough to keep going until this book. This book I dnfed, why? Because they took things from his Mark of the Fool books and used them in this book. Totally took me out of the story. In the Mark of the Fool, he was able to jump realms, so I get that this could be part of those realms, but using the name of the Fool and his exact abilities, as well as the other heroes in that book series just seemed like a cop-out.
April 9, 2025
Good installment, but minor issues
I really enjoyed this book. The fight scenes, the action, the new abilities, and the party progression was very entertaining. The overall plot as well progressed in a nice way, however, I felt that the party interaction, and the jokes were a little bit forced, and especially the development of the romantic relationship didn’t feel the most natural. I unfortunately don’t have any great advice as to how to fix this, however, I did notice it while reading. Otherwise, like I said, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone who’s been a fan of this series and the author.
I really enjoyed this book. The fight scenes, the action, the new abilities, and the party progression was very entertaining. The overall plot as well progressed in a nice way, however, I felt that the party interaction, and the jokes were a little bit forced, and especially the development of the romantic relationship didn’t feel the most natural. I unfortunately don’t have any great advice as to how to fix this, however, I did notice it while reading. Otherwise, like I said, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone who’s been a fan of this series and the author.
October 4, 2024
it bogs down
Perhaps because this book is the first of a new story arc but the narrative bogs down.
Especially with all the unnecessary explanations of terms like glass cannon, trash mobs, guides etc, your readers most likely know what all that means.
It’s as if the authors decided to switch from a LitRPG subgenre of their own making into the mainstream way of writing LitRPG . I don’t mind the change, I just found the references to guides and Hiral saying “[insertRPGterm]?” And Yan replying “It’s in the guide” to be annoying after the 4th occurrence.
Perhaps because this book is the first of a new story arc but the narrative bogs down.
Especially with all the unnecessary explanations of terms like glass cannon, trash mobs, guides etc, your readers most likely know what all that means.
It’s as if the authors decided to switch from a LitRPG subgenre of their own making into the mainstream way of writing LitRPG . I don’t mind the change, I just found the references to guides and Hiral saying “[insertRPGterm]?” And Yan replying “It’s in the guide” to be annoying after the 4th occurrence.
August 24, 2024
Fun Book
Another solid entry in Hiral’s journey. Though it often seemed like a never ending slugfest without as much character building as prior stories. Also sometimes feels a bit odd Hiral can be a savante fighter but then have the emotional capability of a 13 year old when it comes to talking about his feelings. Despite that, it was a good read and enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next!
Another solid entry in Hiral’s journey. Though it often seemed like a never ending slugfest without as much character building as prior stories. Also sometimes feels a bit odd Hiral can be a savante fighter but then have the emotional capability of a 13 year old when it comes to talking about his feelings. Despite that, it was a good read and enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next!
June 5, 2025
This one was unfortunately very disappointing for me. It drags and it’s meandering. Every fight comes down to Hiral figuring something out with his runes, the others might as well not be there. Then the new thing is a very tiny alteration anyway so the reader doesn’t feel particularly rewarded. Good series but I’m hesitant about starting the next book after this one, it’ll really need to step up its game for me to continue.
January 24, 2026
This one was sloppy. It started off with really bad dialogue and didn't get much better. The quality dropped randomly.
Also felt like a few things were inconsistent - they say the previous magic system could only get to B rank, I feel like they said it was much lower than that previously?
'It's in the guide' is annoying as hell
The shoulder tap for the tank makes NO sense, especially from someone ranged to a melee tank. Why is this a thing
Also felt like a few things were inconsistent - they say the previous magic system could only get to B rank, I feel like they said it was much lower than that previously?
'It's in the guide' is annoying as hell
The shoulder tap for the tank makes NO sense, especially from someone ranged to a melee tank. Why is this a thing
October 5, 2024
This is a difficult series, heavily written and requiring a lot of grinding. I like the characters and the magic system. It would benefit from less explanation of the runes and their effects; I skimmed much of that, and much of the fights after they began feeling repetitious. I'll probably continue the series at some point, despite the love interest.
October 11, 2024
The testing tested me
The book was good, but compared to the other books in the series, it really got bogged down testing new runes abd combos. To many chapters back to back doing the same thing. I started skipping pages at a time to get back to the characters
The book was good, but compared to the other books in the series, it really got bogged down testing new runes abd combos. To many chapters back to back doing the same thing. I started skipping pages at a time to get back to the characters
October 13, 2024
Continues
I love how unlike most series in this genre, this series continues to progress towards an end. The authors have a purpose and are always moving towards it. I don't need the book to be perfect, only for a good story that progresses, and this one delivers.
I love how unlike most series in this genre, this series continues to progress towards an end. The authors have a purpose and are always moving towards it. I don't need the book to be perfect, only for a good story that progresses, and this one delivers.
December 26, 2024
Best volume yet!
Nice action and well paced story. I did notice more than a few typographical errors. The previous installments were well edited and free of obvious typos. I hope the next book will be back up to the standard.
Nice action and well paced story. I did notice more than a few typographical errors. The previous installments were well edited and free of obvious typos. I hope the next book will be back up to the standard.
June 29, 2025
After the climactic events of the previous book, this works as a pretty good "Happy Ever After". The pace slows down, so no 5 star rating, but it does pick up again.
The author does a good job of keeping the new skills coming. Good audiobook narration.
The author does a good job of keeping the new skills coming. Good audiobook narration.
August 19, 2026
The story is really interesting and I like the way he's revealing the ancient lore (can't say how without spoilers). But it does seem that the magic system is a little fuzzy--like they just try harder and then they get a new power. I'm enjoying it, though.
August 17, 2024
Good book
This book is just as great as the last 3 cant wait for the new one
The story is captivating and the skills and stats scratch the LitRPG itch
This book is just as great as the last 3 cant wait for the new one
The story is captivating and the skills and stats scratch the LitRPG itch
August 18, 2024
Hilarious
Amazing I love this book so much the plot twists.The references were so good too. I can't wait for the next book.
Amazing I love this book so much the plot twists.The references were so good too. I can't wait for the next book.
September 6, 2024
Enjoyed it more than the previous book, can't wait for the next one!
May 14, 2025
Starting to skip the fights.
September 4, 2025
Hard to put down
Enjoyed the action. Liked Seena deciding to act. Hated the last boss. How do you fight someone you love? I have liked all 4 books and am ready for #5
Enjoyed the action. Liked Seena deciding to act. Hated the last boss. How do you fight someone you love? I have liked all 4 books and am ready for #5
September 20, 2025
I love the way Hiral refuses to accept the railroad he's been put on and the creative ways he continues to use his abilities and abuse the system. The climax was wild.
March 26, 2026
Fanfreakingtastic!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait to read the next book in this fantastic series!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait to read the next book in this fantastic series!
June 1, 2026
4.5/5 awesome book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews