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Play to Live #2
The Clan
Once a seasoned gamer, Max has cheated fate swapping his dying body for an immortal avatar in the world of sword and sorcery MMORPGs. He joins the ranks of a new race of people: perma players, forever stuck in the virtual castles and cities of AlterWorld. Now they have to obey the ever-changing rules of their new home while learning to live together in peace, love and justice.
But freedom and immortality are a poisoned chalice. Some of Max's new friends crave power, others become traitors and spies. Soon the first screams of pain fill the virtual world as its freshly-minted slavedrivers and torturers indulge in the absence of law and order. Their crimes provide a constant flow of gold back to their real-world controllers: the power-happy governments plotting to take over AlterWorld's magic technologies and limitless resources.
What would you do? Would you step aside and watch the magical world turn into the Earth's dark twin? Or are you strong enough to step in the virtual sharks' way?
But freedom and immortality are a poisoned chalice. Some of Max's new friends crave power, others become traitors and spies. Soon the first screams of pain fill the virtual world as its freshly-minted slavedrivers and torturers indulge in the absence of law and order. Their crimes provide a constant flow of gold back to their real-world controllers: the power-happy governments plotting to take over AlterWorld's magic technologies and limitless resources.
What would you do? Would you step aside and watch the magical world turn into the Earth's dark twin? Or are you strong enough to step in the virtual sharks' way?
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2013
534 people are currently reading
852 people want to read
About the author
D. Rus
36 books545 followersD. Rus is a young Russian author whose books took the Russian literary market by storm in 2013. AlterWorld - the first novel of his Play to Live series - made him a bestselling author overnight as critics now credit him with single-handedly creating a new science fiction genre: LitRPG. Set in the virtual reality of MMORPG - Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games - his books tell stories of real people who'd become stuck in the game and are forced to follow its rules while preserving their intergrity and fighting to make their new world a better place. The five books of the series have created a huge following as more authors followed suit, making LitRPG the latest bestselling Russian genre that merges science fiction, fantasy and gaming conventions. D. Rus has been nominated for Start, one of Russia's prestigious literary prizes for the best debut science fiction novel. The first two novels of the Play to Live series - AlterWorld and The Clan - have been translated into English, and talks are under way to have the rest of the series published on Amazon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
December 25, 2014
This second book in the Play to Live series is a great read, however it is significantly different from the action and adventure we were introduced to in the first book. AlterWorld is no longer a mere playground, as the main character gradually discovers.
It has evolved from sword and sorcery to a world where clan and world building becomes more dominant, securing the main character's position.
As I pointed out in my review of the previous book, I really don't feel that the main character is in danger at any point in the book. Admittedly, a lot can change in a heartbeat (see the last couple pages), but the main character has such powerful allies, not to mention skills, that his own character is insignificant as a player. As a leader, he moves mountains, forms alliances, bonds players together which sadly does not add much to his character. Book three is going to change this somewhat.
It has evolved from sword and sorcery to a world where clan and world building becomes more dominant, securing the main character's position.
As I pointed out in my review of the previous book, I really don't feel that the main character is in danger at any point in the book. Admittedly, a lot can change in a heartbeat (see the last couple pages), but the main character has such powerful allies, not to mention skills, that his own character is insignificant as a player. As a leader, he moves mountains, forms alliances, bonds players together which sadly does not add much to his character. Book three is going to change this somewhat.
March 4, 2015
I loved it!
May 27, 2016
What can I say, I love a good mmorpg novel.
With intricate plots and well developed characters, this book was an awesome read.
With intricate plots and well developed characters, this book was an awesome read.
July 26, 2014
Fantastic continuation to a great first book.
August 29, 2014
I enjoyed this series. While it's like twitch.tv for MMORPG, yet it's much more than that. If you MMO, this is a series you should take a look at
October 12, 2015
cliffhanger are evil
March 1, 2015
excellent and suspenseful!
Great read! First two books have shown me a new world of reading and having the sensation of living in the mmorpg game Alterworld! A new realm of fiction awaits this eager reader! I'm addicted to this series and it saddens me to know there is only one book left :(. Must read but due to graphic content available to most gamers recommended reading age 11 and above.
Great read! First two books have shown me a new world of reading and having the sensation of living in the mmorpg game Alterworld! A new realm of fiction awaits this eager reader! I'm addicted to this series and it saddens me to know there is only one book left :(. Must read but due to graphic content available to most gamers recommended reading age 11 and above.
January 12, 2015
Enjoyed this continuation. The main character makes me want to scream in frustration sometimes, but I'm enjoying finding out where the story ends up. An absolute cliffhanger at the end of this one.
February 18, 2019
Also, bis auf das furchtbar häufige Vorkommen des Wortes „Gierschlund“ vorallem in der ersten Hälfte des Buches, war das Buch großartig! Und für meinen Geschmack besser als Teil 1! 🥳
Hoffentlich übersetzt der Verlag die Bücher weiter. Ich werde sie aber so oder so lesen. Es gibt sie ja Gott sei dank auch auf englisch.
Hoffentlich übersetzt der Verlag die Bücher weiter. Ich werde sie aber so oder so lesen. Es gibt sie ja Gott sei dank auch auf englisch.
February 26, 2015
Absolutely brilliant, this has been the best series I've read this year! As Max enters deeper and deeper into AlterWorld the quests and adventures become ever more grand, nothing like the first book and much less of a game. On a parallel plain in 'reality' the relationship between the game-controllers and the game itself transforms as the game continues to develop individually from the creators...
December 10, 2015
Nice continued story from the first, was a bit heavy'er on the chaos but fun none the less.. on to the 3rd!
*Also, i read this book way to fast (3days is fast for me mkay since i only read right before i go to bed)...
*Also, i read this book way to fast (3days is fast for me mkay since i only read right before i go to bed)...
November 28, 2018
The story was well enough, although I kinda dislike the fact that this book exchanged playing the game with "getting a bunch of imba rewards shoved down your throat". Kinda like Way of the Shaman, which I disliked because of that.
August 9, 2016
Hate the cliffhanger at the end, but really good book, i think the author takes way too much time developing managment problems for max but that is me, i like action and rapid development
July 10, 2017
(Finished in September 2014)
Seriously guys, do yourself a favor and purchase this Play To Live series.
Seriously guys, do yourself a favor and purchase this Play To Live series.
October 21, 2014
AMAZING!
September 26, 2017
Max is back, and he's more powerful than ever. After The Dark One's intervention in the last book, Max is offered an opportunity to grasp more power. A lot of opportunities, in fact. Max is juggling quests, and his allies and clan only seem to be piling more on his plate.
This second book in the series deals more with the political and financial struggles Max faces. There's a lot going on, and Max races from crisis to crisis at a frantic pace. The glimpses we get of the action outside Alterworld were really interesting. The book definitely kept my attention and I had a hard time putting it down on my first read-through. The narration was excellent as well.
I love the LitRPG genre, and this series was my first introduction to it. I bought the first three Play to Live books in 2015, but I didn't purchase the rest of the series. Even though I loved the plot, as a female reader and gamer, the sexism was difficult to read. One example was when Max hired an all female mercenary group to help him level up. He was a lowly level 52 to the women's 140 plus levels, they'd probably played the game for years and could wipe him out in moments. After playing with them for a few days and witnessing their skill, does he respect them? No, of course not. His only thought is that they could use a 'strong male hand'. Ugh. And Taali, who arguably has a much more interesting storyline than Max's, is relegated to warm his bed and be crowned homecoming queen. Double ugh.
I would give this book 5 stars and highly recommend it if it wasn't for the sexism. There is a lot of great LitRPG out there now, so I won't be finishing the series.
This second book in the series deals more with the political and financial struggles Max faces. There's a lot going on, and Max races from crisis to crisis at a frantic pace. The glimpses we get of the action outside Alterworld were really interesting. The book definitely kept my attention and I had a hard time putting it down on my first read-through. The narration was excellent as well.
I love the LitRPG genre, and this series was my first introduction to it. I bought the first three Play to Live books in 2015, but I didn't purchase the rest of the series. Even though I loved the plot, as a female reader and gamer, the sexism was difficult to read. One example was when Max hired an all female mercenary group to help him level up. He was a lowly level 52 to the women's 140 plus levels, they'd probably played the game for years and could wipe him out in moments. After playing with them for a few days and witnessing their skill, does he respect them? No, of course not. His only thought is that they could use a 'strong male hand'. Ugh. And Taali, who arguably has a much more interesting storyline than Max's, is relegated to warm his bed and be crowned homecoming queen. Double ugh.
I would give this book 5 stars and highly recommend it if it wasn't for the sexism. There is a lot of great LitRPG out there now, so I won't be finishing the series.
December 27, 2018
Slabší 4*, ale stále dobré :-)
Jednička se mi přece jenom líbila více. Tady mě tolik nebavil začátek, přišlo mi, že se ta akce už moc dlouho natahuje. Vím, že dobývání hradu není žádná sranda a čas to zabere, ale nemusí to snad zabrat celou první třetinu knihy.
Očekávaně, stejně jako v prvním díle, spadne Glebovi spousta příležitostí do klína... možná si na to i jednou zvyknu. Obzvlášť pokud se potvrdí má teorie, že .
Mrzí mě, že si tu víceméně zaexpil tak na dvě kapitoly a zbytek už je jen politické pletichaření. Což neříkám, že nebylo zajímavé, jen prostě... no, mohlo to být vyváženější.
Jsem ráda, že jsem se opět setkala s a . A ten Mumínek mi nedá spát. Něco mi na něm nevonní...
Jednička se mi přece jenom líbila více. Tady mě tolik nebavil začátek, přišlo mi, že se ta akce už moc dlouho natahuje. Vím, že dobývání hradu není žádná sranda a čas to zabere, ale nemusí to snad zabrat celou první třetinu knihy.
Očekávaně, stejně jako v prvním díle, spadne Glebovi spousta příležitostí do klína... možná si na to i jednou zvyknu. Obzvlášť pokud se potvrdí má teorie, že .
Mrzí mě, že si tu víceméně zaexpil tak na dvě kapitoly a zbytek už je jen politické pletichaření. Což neříkám, že nebylo zajímavé, jen prostě... no, mohlo to být vyváženější.
Jsem ráda, že jsem se opět setkala s a . A ten Mumínek mi nedá spát. Něco mi na něm nevonní...
April 13, 2023
Now it gets ridiculous...
MC invents the most searched mass product.. yeah well... why not removing money from the story at all?
MC talks to dragons/gods etc and goes from zero to super powerful in just very few weeks..
No fun for me. What is the goal to make leveling part of the story and then just level through giving way to many goodies to the character? If he cannot solve something himself he has the super powerful friends (more an army of friends) that help out.
Sorry - was promising, setting nice, some good characters, some nice story plots but the pace of the story is totally off.
MC invents the most searched mass product.. yeah well... why not removing money from the story at all?
MC talks to dragons/gods etc and goes from zero to super powerful in just very few weeks..
No fun for me. What is the goal to make leveling part of the story and then just level through giving way to many goodies to the character? If he cannot solve something himself he has the super powerful friends (more an army of friends) that help out.
Sorry - was promising, setting nice, some good characters, some nice story plots but the pace of the story is totally off.
November 12, 2017
The continuing story of one man and his inner greedy piggy, and the world they've moved to. Better writing / translation than the last book, no racist comments (though one aside that could be taken that way, or, as a statement of fact - tough to tell when you start mixing in middle east politics), very slightly better when it comes to women. I think I can grab the 3rd via prime lending library, so I'll check that one out in a few weeks.
January 10, 2018
Still good
The author is very Russian. Not a bad thing, but his writing style she declares it.
In this book the hero now must set up a pantheon for the dark. Leaving the past book now our hero has a time limit, before he can be attacked, to set up his castle and defenses.
All this while drama goes on. Learning about hell hounds, dragons, the light forces arrayed against him. Oh and leveling.
The author is very Russian. Not a bad thing, but his writing style she declares it.
In this book the hero now must set up a pantheon for the dark. Leaving the past book now our hero has a time limit, before he can be attacked, to set up his castle and defenses.
All this while drama goes on. Learning about hell hounds, dragons, the light forces arrayed against him. Oh and leveling.
April 14, 2020
Продолжение книги. Честно говоря, читается это, как одна и та же книга. Даже писать разные рецензии сложно. Складывается впечатление, что можно собрать все книги в одну, после, не глядя, разрезать в любом месте и получим то, что сейчас представляет из себя цикл.
Из хорошего - очень бодрый литрпг. Слушаешь, будто в игрушку играешь или стрим смотришь. Но поскольку стримы я не люблю, держит пока только игрой)
Своего любителя книга точно найдет (глядя на рейтинг - нашла), но это точно не я.
Из хорошего - очень бодрый литрпг. Слушаешь, будто в игрушку играешь или стрим смотришь. Но поскольку стримы я не люблю, держит пока только игрой)
Своего любителя книга точно найдет (глядя на рейтинг - нашла), но это точно не я.
February 27, 2022
I liked this. It continued with the same steam that book one started.
It seems everyone is kicking the protagonist in this book. Every scheme he has is shafted by someone else who doesn't consult him first. So much of the resources he is trying to get so he can survive is being stripped.
I hope this book is the lull before the storm. I hope next book he starts getting even with his enemies.
3/5 Stars
It seems everyone is kicking the protagonist in this book. Every scheme he has is shafted by someone else who doesn't consult him first. So much of the resources he is trying to get so he can survive is being stripped.
I hope this book is the lull before the storm. I hope next book he starts getting even with his enemies.
3/5 Stars
September 9, 2023
It's a good plot, interesting world, but very clipped writing. It doesn't expand in dramatic ways, just tells the story no nonsense like. Which is ok of that's what you're looking for. I just find that I get less invested in the characters and story because of that. I still want to know more, so I'm on to book three, but I don't immediately ready for audible to listen when I wake up let I do with some other stories.
June 12, 2019
Still fun, entertaining, and engrossing as our protagonist continues to stumble into crazy amounts of politics, improbably acquisitions, and level-ups. The only downside is that the author writes pretty flat and stereotypical videogame female characterizations, but really, the only character in this series so far that matters is the protagonist anyway.
May 23, 2020
The more I read, the pickier I get. Which is likely why a series I started four years ago and thoroughly enjoyed falls flat now. Between the dumb lead, bad writing, meandering plot, endless carousel of unmemorable characters, and... assassinations? Anyway, it’s hard to get invested in anything that happens. This is a book that fails to do a single thing well.
April 12, 2022
I zde trvaji systemove hlasky, byt svet se probouzi k vlastnimu zivotu bez pricineni administratoru a pocet bohu stoupa coz nemusi byt priznivym znamenim.
Hrdina nemá ani chvíli klidu a skace od jednoho extremu k druhemu. Napjate i fackovaci situace nedovoli knihu odlozit, a i konec vas donuti sahnout po pokracovani.
Hrdina nemá ani chvíli klidu a skace od jednoho extremu k druhemu. Napjate i fackovaci situace nedovoli knihu odlozit, a i konec vas donuti sahnout po pokracovani.
July 26, 2017
This was a chore to finish.
As book progressed, I got increasingly irritated with the main character. It's like everything and anything he does has unforeseen consequences or unique and no one ever thought before or epic. Every. Single. Time.
As book progressed, I got increasingly irritated with the main character. It's like everything and anything he does has unforeseen consequences or unique and no one ever thought before or epic. Every. Single. Time.
August 6, 2018
Great fun
It is flawed, and I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but the "everything is going wrong, but now everything is going right" storytelling makes the rollercoaster an easy read.
It is flawed, and I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but the "everything is going wrong, but now everything is going right" storytelling makes the rollercoaster an easy read.
August 8, 2018
I find this series strangely compelling. I can't point to exactly what drew me back, but I always wanted to get back to it right away.
It is almost like the author has figured out how to translate the psychology of microtransaction mobile games to a novel.
It is almost like the author has figured out how to translate the psychology of microtransaction mobile games to a novel.
March 24, 2019
Slabší, než předchozí díl. Přišlo mi, že Gleb je tak trochu vláčen osudem a jednáním jiných. Chyběly mi staré známé sympatické postavy. A dost plavu v těch všech božstvech a dalších mocnostech.
Snad to třetí díl vysvětlí, určitě si ho přečtu.
Snad to třetí díl vysvětlí, určitě si ho přečtu.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews