Sojourner

Victor of Tucson #8

by Plum Parrot

A skilled hero with more kills than he can count discovers not all power has limits—but it sure has a price—as this action-packed series continues.

Since being displaced from Earth, Victor has achieved more than any being could have dreamed. He elevated himself from the brutal slave pits of Fanwath to become a battle lord known to all as a nigh-unstoppable warrior. His journey has been chaotic, but that doesn't mean he's left his humanity behind.

Victor has gathered a cadre of friends who've followed him into blood-drenched combat, including, in particular, the desirable-yet-dangerous Valla. Now, on the world of Sojourn, where he's under the tutelage of a Spirit Caster who can show him a completely new plane of existence to explore, he's trying to balance his own destiny and ambitions with the safety of his companions.

But before Victor can ascend to even greater heights, his master needs him to visit yet another realm to save his long-lost kin. Unfortunately, simple defeat is no longer an option. It's either victory or death. Well, nobody ever got anywhere by being human all the time . . .

The eighth volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

Genres: Fantasy

420 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2025

About the author

Plum Parrot is the pen name of author MC Gallup, who grew up in Southern Arizona and spent much of his youth wandering around the Sonoran Desert, hunting imaginary monsters and building forts. He studied creative writing at the University of Arizona and, for a number of years, attempted to teach middle schoolers to love literature and write their own stories. If he's not out walking his Airedale Terrier, you can find Gallup writing, reading his favorite authors, or playing D&D with friends and family.

Reviews

[Andrew G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second filler/setup novel in a row. I’m officially disappointed at the direction of this series.

Book eight is similar to book 7, but even more filler than book 7. It’s mostly setup for the next big arc for Victor as well as addressing circumstances to facilitate that arc.

I don’t have much to say about the filler or set up, which is the majority of the book, other than I loathe when authors do this. It’s not that hard to incorporate set up and needed maintenance of your series while also telling a self-contained story. This is just lazy writing, and all too common in this genre, sadly. Authors love to milk their cash cows.

As many other series hit the brakes on the pace of progression when they near the ten book mark, the coasting of Book 7’s diminished pace continues to coast and all but roll to a stop in this book. In the first 6 books of this series, Victor (MC), gained a tier in each book. Last book we only got five levels. This book 3…

The first actual story in this book is the Prison Dungeon episode. This concept is an awesome idea, but it’s poorly executed. First, we haven’t had any fights in this book to this point, so why the hell would the author decide to skip over the majority of the trap and fight at the entrance? I don’t care if Victor wasn’t challenged and just destroyed them, I want to read that! This is why we read these series, to see the fruits of the investment in progression, even if it is utter domination! Not every fight has to be a challenge, sometimes being overpowered in a fight is a reward for the progression. Just boggles my mind why the author would gloss over this. I assumed in the moment the justification was more interesting fights, but sadly there’s only two more in this episode. Those are both fun, but sadly just a small fraction of the book.

The other story is rescuing the low-levels trapped in some scheming, bumbling noble’s dungeon. This contains one fight, but it’s also a good one. And that’s it for stories and combat in this book.

Overall, I’m disappointed in the direction of this series, as I’ve seen other authors make the same unfortunate decisions with regard to slowing the pace of progression, filler novels, and the open-ended, no-end-in-sight, and frankly, rudderless direction they point their series.

A series that began with a lot of potential, I feel falls short in numerous areas, namely stagnating pace and filler, but also failing to really explain MC’s decision making with context, the source for his affinities (especially rage), or the meaning behind his path, or direction, in life. That said, it doesn’t a number of things very well. The interpersonal writing is top shelf for this genre. The combat, the magic system, are also top tier. So after eight books in this series, I give Victor of Tucson a solid 4-star ranking.

[Mr. J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent edition of Victor. Great characters, intrigue, drama, friends, family, and progression.
Robb's performance is stellar as usual. He voice acting for Victor's aspects adds something you don't find often in audiobooks.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Stellar work once again from Plum Parrot! Lots of action and adventure, magic and monsters. Looking forward to the next one!

[Shonari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sojourner Delivers Blood, Steel, and Glory

Victor’s story just keeps delivering. Book 8 hits hard with big fights, bigger stakes, and a good look at how far he’s come since the pits of Fanwath. The action is as relentless as ever, but what really works is how it balances the brutality with moments that remind you he’s still human, at least when it counts. His training with the Spirit Caster opens up some wild new possibilities for the series, and the realm-hopping quest keeps the pace moving without feeling like filler.

There’s solid progression here, both in power and in Victor’s connections with the people around him, and while the victories are satisfying, the costs are starting to weigh heavier. It’s a reminder that being unstoppable doesn’t mean being untouchable. This one’s a strong continuation that sets the stage for even bigger moves ahead.

[Grant Merrifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awsome book 8.

I love this whole series.
From book one. I was drawn into this universe.
I enjoy the characters.
Epic story.
Wish I could summon dudes.

[Devin Mayhew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Another fun entry to the series. I finished it in a day and was left wanting more. Enjoy this one!

[Spencer Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another classic side quest that becomes main quest for this series, but an enjoyable one. I was happy to see the development of Ranish Dar and the relationship with Victor, good to see some actual training there rather than meeting a stranger and signing him to join a dungeon like the last book.
I am enjoying the side stories with Edey and "Dare" and it was good it connected back to the mains storyline.

best element of this story was the jail dungeon & the complexity of Ronkerz, his mission, and the detail added to the tests of steel/veil elements.

Part of me is looking forward to Victor moving away from his gang in the next book (or seeming like it) because often they don't seem to connect back to his personal missions.

[Devan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was probably my least favorite book in the series. It felt like a filler book and I think one could skip it completely and not really be missing much. No character or story progression and none of the epic feats we are used to seeing Victor accomplish.

Also, I hated the relationship stuff between him and Vala in this book. He comes off as whinny and dumb and she comes off as needy and bratty. Totally derailed the story and spoiled that aspect of the story.

[Steven Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book!

Victor loves to fight. More adventures, new faces, not predictable at all. This is one of my favorite series and I'm always excited to see a new book released. So fun!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing as always.

A bit heavier on story than usual, but not lacking in action at all, it has wonderfully set the foundation for the next few books. Really looking forward to seeing how the characters i love grow in the future.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

More good stuff, bring on book 9. If you've read this far, you'll want to keep going. Victor continues to develop, and we are occasionally reminded how young he actually is as certain relationship things throw him curveballs even as he bulldozes through physical challenges.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

I love Victor. And the stakes are always high. Even though Victor fights above his weight class the battles are well done.

[Aadam Abdul-Alim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring on challenges

Victor needs a break. Going back home was what he needed. Once he and Valla get back all will be good.

[Matthew hutchins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Loved it! Like all the books in this series; can't wait for the next one. Definitely worth it, if you like litRPG/fantasy.

[Johnny Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are just fun to listen to.

[Mark Bannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best series I've read in recent years.

Awesom read. It is easily the same quality and adventure as Primal hunter and others in that vein. Download it now!