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Speedrunning the Multiverse #1
Speedrunning the Multiverse: A LitRPG Cultivation Adventure
Already conquered the Multiverse, have you? Well, do it faster!
Behold the Multiverse! Its countless realms overflow with terrific opportunities and terrible dangers—warring sects, priceless treasures, martial techniques, and all manner of horrible monsters abound.
And Dorian has conquered them all.
He’s a Godking—one of the most powerful creatures to ever exist. And as he sits from his throne at the literal summit of the world, bored out of his mind, one question comes to what now?
Do it all again, of course! But faster.
Don't miss the start of this exciting LitRPG Cultivation Adventure about an ancient God who's reached the peak of his power. So like any true gamer, he decides to start fresh in his conquering of the multiverse and aim for the A Perfect Run.
Behold the Multiverse! Its countless realms overflow with terrific opportunities and terrible dangers—warring sects, priceless treasures, martial techniques, and all manner of horrible monsters abound.
And Dorian has conquered them all.
He’s a Godking—one of the most powerful creatures to ever exist. And as he sits from his throne at the literal summit of the world, bored out of his mind, one question comes to what now?
Do it all again, of course! But faster.
Don't miss the start of this exciting LitRPG Cultivation Adventure about an ancient God who's reached the peak of his power. So like any true gamer, he decides to start fresh in his conquering of the multiverse and aim for the A Perfect Run.
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First published July 12, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 30, 2025
If you like a protagonist who is an amoral psychopath manipulating family and tribe for his gain you may enjoy this one. The author does take some pains to give him a motive to help some people (because they'll be resources for him later on) so the potential atrocities are kept down at least somewhat. But he's still a psychopath with cheat powers due to being a deity with a hobby of starting lowly and seeing how fast he can regain his godly status.
Yeah, one star. Interesting world building and decent action couldn't save the moral vacuity.
Yeah, one star. Interesting world building and decent action couldn't save the moral vacuity.
August 12, 2023
AdAstra can write. The world is intriguing, the story is fun, it races along at a great pace but level ups still feel relatively earned. (I mean, this is over-powered fantasy for sure, but doesn't feel out of place). Unfortunately, the main character is fully a sociopath. He sees everyone as tools to be used. He is greedy and suspicious of everyone. He proves that he is willing to sacrifice anything for power, and when he gets it, doesn't care how much suffering he causes with it. Awful, awful main character. If that doesn't bother you, I'd highly recommend.
***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
I don't mind our MC taking the body of someone about to die. I don't mind him not feeling an attachment to his tribe. But his sister goes out of her way to take care of him from the start of the book. Sometimes it's tough love, but it's always with his best interests in mind. The MC doesn't think twice about sacrificing her for a huge leap in power. And like, it's not consensual. There's no "I'm willing to die so you can save all of us" kind of thing. He drags his feet about taking her along on the suicide mission, but then outlines potentially sacrificing her as a positive angle. F***ing gross. When she does almost die, he saves her not out of any kind of gratitude or concern, but "I want to keep my investment".
Once he's got the power he seeks, he drags down a huge flying creature. While it's still alive, he binds it with flaming ropes, and tears it limb from limb. Slowly. Describing the pain it feels. Describing muscle leaving bone. Coulda killed it first, torn it apart second. Coulda figured out some way to extract a monster core maybe. Nope. The author even says its a little morbid but then continues anyway, as though acknowledging how gross behavior this is, excuses it.
I really like the writing and the story. But from this point on, I'm rooting for the MC to lose. 98 lifetimes, hasn't learned to be a decent human being. I'm out.
***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
I don't mind our MC taking the body of someone about to die. I don't mind him not feeling an attachment to his tribe. But his sister goes out of her way to take care of him from the start of the book. Sometimes it's tough love, but it's always with his best interests in mind. The MC doesn't think twice about sacrificing her for a huge leap in power. And like, it's not consensual. There's no "I'm willing to die so you can save all of us" kind of thing. He drags his feet about taking her along on the suicide mission, but then outlines potentially sacrificing her as a positive angle. F***ing gross. When she does almost die, he saves her not out of any kind of gratitude or concern, but "I want to keep my investment".
Once he's got the power he seeks, he drags down a huge flying creature. While it's still alive, he binds it with flaming ropes, and tears it limb from limb. Slowly. Describing the pain it feels. Describing muscle leaving bone. Coulda killed it first, torn it apart second. Coulda figured out some way to extract a monster core maybe. Nope. The author even says its a little morbid but then continues anyway, as though acknowledging how gross behavior this is, excuses it.
I really like the writing and the story. But from this point on, I'm rooting for the MC to lose. 98 lifetimes, hasn't learned to be a decent human being. I'm out.
August 11, 2023
3.5 Stars
Using an essentially self-centered character as the core of a story risks the reader's detachment. In this case, Dorian manages to tease us with moments of almost empathy – offering the hope that he may yet evolve into a caring being.
The story chugs along at a good pace, sprinkled with interesting characters. It is set in an unforgiving world where morality is secondary to survival. We also get a nice mystery to kick off the series. I'm up for at least one more book to see if things gell... or fall apart.
Using an essentially self-centered character as the core of a story risks the reader's detachment. In this case, Dorian manages to tease us with moments of almost empathy – offering the hope that he may yet evolve into a caring being.
The story chugs along at a good pace, sprinkled with interesting characters. It is set in an unforgiving world where morality is secondary to survival. We also get a nice mystery to kick off the series. I'm up for at least one more book to see if things gell... or fall apart.
July 31, 2023
This is the first book I've read by this author.
Dorian is a Godking, one of many who does his best to hold off boredom by starting as a level 0 noob and working to become Godking again. He's done hundreds of runs but he's unwilling to give up.
On this run he starts out on a barren sand world reminiscent of Dune. He joins the Rust tribe which is one of the weaker tribes. He takes over the body of a young boy who hasn't done anything with his life and that's the start of the book.
I really enjoyed it. There are certain books that read quickly, and this is one of those books. The story is engaging and there is plenty of humor to keep things light. Dorian has no sympathy for the weak during his ascension.
The editing is good which is a nice change of pace for Aethon. I'm very much looking forward to book two so I can see what Dorian does next. Recommended. 5/5*
Dorian is a Godking, one of many who does his best to hold off boredom by starting as a level 0 noob and working to become Godking again. He's done hundreds of runs but he's unwilling to give up.
On this run he starts out on a barren sand world reminiscent of Dune. He joins the Rust tribe which is one of the weaker tribes. He takes over the body of a young boy who hasn't done anything with his life and that's the start of the book.
I really enjoyed it. There are certain books that read quickly, and this is one of those books. The story is engaging and there is plenty of humor to keep things light. Dorian has no sympathy for the weak during his ascension.
The editing is good which is a nice change of pace for Aethon. I'm very much looking forward to book two so I can see what Dorian does next. Recommended. 5/5*
November 30, 2023
Nothing wrong with the writing - just didn't like the MC
August 4, 2025
The premise is fairly original but I think its execution was subpar.
The pacing was too slow. This is meant to be a speed-run to godhood, yet the power progression was at a snails pace. The author deliberately chose to slow the stories pacing by having the protagonist voluntarily give up his memories before his runs. Any knowledge pertaining to high level alchemy recipes, cultivation techniques and martial arts is conveniently locked away.
This goes against the premise of speed-running. You're supposed to use your knowledge and experience from previous runs to gain an edge in later speed-runs. The protagonist should pull out perfected divine-tier cultivation techniques and blitz his way up the cultivation hierarchy.
Not only was the progression artificially slowed down but the protagonist also neglected to min-max his foundations. Which made his growth even more unsatisfying.
Despite having completed 99 prior runs. Many of his actions have either slowed down or risked ending the run prematurely. He plainly stated that he would not allow empathy to compromise his judgment. But this is clearly not the case. He’s an immortal god-king that has lived for countless eons. I would also guess reincarnating into 99 other families and living long enough to see them die would give someone a unique perspective on the value of life. Maybe it results in a self defense mechanism, creating a sense of detached apathy towards others. Yet this established mentality is contradicted further on in the book.
Speed-runners repeatedly restart runs in order to look for the best RNG. It would be more interesting if the prologue started off with the protagonist killing himself hundreds of times, reincarnating into a new world with the best possible odds at cultivating to the god-king level. This would lean more towards comedy.
But for more serious story telling this is also simultaneously an issue. Death is more or less inconsequential because it would only mean the end for that specific run. He ultimately has the choice between ascending back to his original realm or reincarnate again. So this story suffers from a lack of stakes and tension. Maybe it would be better if he was betrayed near the start by a fellow god. Maybe his cultivation is forcefully taken away or they tamper with the reincarnation spell. So dying would result in a perma-death unless he cultivates himself to the level of a god-king again. Then the protagonist would be confronted with the possibility of dying for good. With the enemy gods sending avatars to hunt him down in the lower realms.
There also seems to exist a very basic system that records a persons cultivation. Very little of this system is explained to the reader. The protagonist only briefly acknowledges it’s existence when the system registers a technique. I feel like more emphasis and explanation should be put into this.
Here’s a suggestion, what if every newly ascended god was given the opportunity to add their own contribution to the system and hypothetically the protagonists contribution would be a speed timer. Which would also help raise the stakes because the protagonist would always know exactly how much time he would have remaining to beat the runs record and the reader would know as well through brief exposition dumps.
The pacing was too slow. This is meant to be a speed-run to godhood, yet the power progression was at a snails pace. The author deliberately chose to slow the stories pacing by having the protagonist voluntarily give up his memories before his runs. Any knowledge pertaining to high level alchemy recipes, cultivation techniques and martial arts is conveniently locked away.
This goes against the premise of speed-running. You're supposed to use your knowledge and experience from previous runs to gain an edge in later speed-runs. The protagonist should pull out perfected divine-tier cultivation techniques and blitz his way up the cultivation hierarchy.
Not only was the progression artificially slowed down but the protagonist also neglected to min-max his foundations. Which made his growth even more unsatisfying.
Despite having completed 99 prior runs. Many of his actions have either slowed down or risked ending the run prematurely. He plainly stated that he would not allow empathy to compromise his judgment. But this is clearly not the case. He’s an immortal god-king that has lived for countless eons. I would also guess reincarnating into 99 other families and living long enough to see them die would give someone a unique perspective on the value of life. Maybe it results in a self defense mechanism, creating a sense of detached apathy towards others. Yet this established mentality is contradicted further on in the book.
Speed-runners repeatedly restart runs in order to look for the best RNG. It would be more interesting if the prologue started off with the protagonist killing himself hundreds of times, reincarnating into a new world with the best possible odds at cultivating to the god-king level. This would lean more towards comedy.
But for more serious story telling this is also simultaneously an issue. Death is more or less inconsequential because it would only mean the end for that specific run. He ultimately has the choice between ascending back to his original realm or reincarnate again. So this story suffers from a lack of stakes and tension. Maybe it would be better if he was betrayed near the start by a fellow god. Maybe his cultivation is forcefully taken away or they tamper with the reincarnation spell. So dying would result in a perma-death unless he cultivates himself to the level of a god-king again. Then the protagonist would be confronted with the possibility of dying for good. With the enemy gods sending avatars to hunt him down in the lower realms.
There also seems to exist a very basic system that records a persons cultivation. Very little of this system is explained to the reader. The protagonist only briefly acknowledges it’s existence when the system registers a technique. I feel like more emphasis and explanation should be put into this.
Here’s a suggestion, what if every newly ascended god was given the opportunity to add their own contribution to the system and hypothetically the protagonists contribution would be a speed timer. Which would also help raise the stakes because the protagonist would always know exactly how much time he would have remaining to beat the runs record and the reader would know as well through brief exposition dumps.
December 9, 2024
Not my kind of book I see the skill and I'm giving it 4 stars because it's skillfully written. One of the strongs actual writing talents for a royal road writer I've ever seen. Just descriptive as hell. Rich world play nice little moments of hiku word play just pretty. pretty as hell, and his meat head book he wrote after this one I enjoy a lot more because the MC is ernest psycho instead of just this speedrunner psycho guy. But the MC's so gross at the start.
May 27, 2024
This book is exactly the kind of book I've been enjoying reading recently. This is the story of Dorian, a being who has reached the pinnacle of cultivation (God king) and now entertains himself by "Speedrunning the Multiverse." This is where he reincarnates his soul in the body of someone right at the start of their cultivation journey, and tries to beat his best time of ascending back to the pinnacle.
So this is a fresh take on the reincarnated master trope, and I really enjoyed what it accomplishes here. The balance between good story, solid characters, wish fulfillment and plot progression was bang on here, and as a result this was a breeze to read.
That being said, I can understand why a lot of people have some issues with this book; mainly with the protagonist. On a surface level, he's a hard protagonist to like as he is outrageously self-centred, caring only for his latest run and nothing else. People are but tools on his path to ascendancy, and that's hard to stomach... Or it would have been if this book were not one of the best examples of showing rather than telling I have seen in some time.
Listening to the internal monologue of the main character and taking his words at face value, he is indeed a self-centred creature. However, when you take a look at his actions, I get the impression that he is not nearly as self-centred as it seems, and he is, in fact, just telling himself what he needs to hear to justify his actions. The best example of this is how he treats the sister of his reincarnated body in this book. At every step of the way, he talks about her like she is an asset to him, and he is just doing everything in his power to make her the best possible asset she can be. However, in every instance, he is actually taking the best action he can for her interests and rationalising it after the fact to keep up his pretence of cold detachment that I suspect he uses as a shield against the downsides of immortality: the loss of so many loved ones.
This is great character writing, telling us one thing and showing us another to create a truly intriguing main character who is three-dimensional, who cares far more than he lets on, and who has hidden depths we have yet to explore in this series.
The great character work doesn't stop with the protagonist. The cast of supporting characters are just as interesting and unique in their own way. Anyone who has read one of my reviews before knows the importance I place on good characters in a book, and therefore will not be surprised to find how much this pleased me in this novel.
So overall, this was a really solid opening book in the series, and I can't wait to get stuck in the sequel. If I had but one complaint here that I hope could be addressed in the future, it would be that I would like this run/incarnation to teach Dorian something about life so that he can grow as a character. Maybe it's to make him learn to care about the world again, or give him a reason to exist beyond speed running. Whatever the case, it would be nice if this incarnation had more meaning than just another speed run, and give us a reason of why this particular story had to be told.
It's a small niggle in an otherwise great book, so it's an easy 5-stars here. I recommend it to fans of overpowered protagonists, reincarnated masters, and progression fantasy.
So this is a fresh take on the reincarnated master trope, and I really enjoyed what it accomplishes here. The balance between good story, solid characters, wish fulfillment and plot progression was bang on here, and as a result this was a breeze to read.
That being said, I can understand why a lot of people have some issues with this book; mainly with the protagonist. On a surface level, he's a hard protagonist to like as he is outrageously self-centred, caring only for his latest run and nothing else. People are but tools on his path to ascendancy, and that's hard to stomach... Or it would have been if this book were not one of the best examples of showing rather than telling I have seen in some time.
Listening to the internal monologue of the main character and taking his words at face value, he is indeed a self-centred creature. However, when you take a look at his actions, I get the impression that he is not nearly as self-centred as it seems, and he is, in fact, just telling himself what he needs to hear to justify his actions. The best example of this is how he treats the sister of his reincarnated body in this book. At every step of the way, he talks about her like she is an asset to him, and he is just doing everything in his power to make her the best possible asset she can be. However, in every instance, he is actually taking the best action he can for her interests and rationalising it after the fact to keep up his pretence of cold detachment that I suspect he uses as a shield against the downsides of immortality: the loss of so many loved ones.
This is great character writing, telling us one thing and showing us another to create a truly intriguing main character who is three-dimensional, who cares far more than he lets on, and who has hidden depths we have yet to explore in this series.
The great character work doesn't stop with the protagonist. The cast of supporting characters are just as interesting and unique in their own way. Anyone who has read one of my reviews before knows the importance I place on good characters in a book, and therefore will not be surprised to find how much this pleased me in this novel.
So overall, this was a really solid opening book in the series, and I can't wait to get stuck in the sequel. If I had but one complaint here that I hope could be addressed in the future, it would be that I would like this run/incarnation to teach Dorian something about life so that he can grow as a character. Maybe it's to make him learn to care about the world again, or give him a reason to exist beyond speed running. Whatever the case, it would be nice if this incarnation had more meaning than just another speed run, and give us a reason of why this particular story had to be told.
It's a small niggle in an otherwise great book, so it's an easy 5-stars here. I recommend it to fans of overpowered protagonists, reincarnated masters, and progression fantasy.
August 12, 2023
https://fanfiaddict.com/speedrunning-...
Having been burnt many a time by books in this genre, I was very skeptical of the premise expecting cliched characters and tropey plot, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It was was a fun book that kept me binging all the way to the end and left me wanting for more.
The book follows the life of Dorian, a person who has climbed the ranks of Cultivation to achieve supreme power in the multiverse. Rather than sit back and enjoy his power and position, his hobby is to challenge himself to do it faster by reincarnating himself randomly and trying to beat his own time. But then, things don't really happen as expected in his latest cycle....
First off, what grabbed me from the get go was the prose. It was a really well written book very easy to consume and just the right balance between character building, world building, plot progression and action. Very satisfying read.
The character work is also top notch. Io (reincarnated Dorian) is such a well written character. The personality is balance on a knife's edge between the expected naivety of Io and the casual ruthlessness of Dorian. The way his inner voice of conscience alternates between his relationship with the rest of the cast and the utter lack of empathy in disregarding anything that will hinder his speedrunning goal was very realistic and excellently done. Rather than an OP MC, the way he tries to work his powers organically to fit within the structure of the current environment really shines.
The plot is very unique. You'd expect a traditional plot where MC who overcomes hurdles and progresses in quick time. But here, from his step one, the world is steeped in mysteries that he can't unravel. Various interferences that cannot find the source of. Adds a bit of mystery element to the plot which was very refreshing.
Overall, an unexpected surprise and a gem of a read.
Highly recommended!
Having been burnt many a time by books in this genre, I was very skeptical of the premise expecting cliched characters and tropey plot, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It was was a fun book that kept me binging all the way to the end and left me wanting for more.
The book follows the life of Dorian, a person who has climbed the ranks of Cultivation to achieve supreme power in the multiverse. Rather than sit back and enjoy his power and position, his hobby is to challenge himself to do it faster by reincarnating himself randomly and trying to beat his own time. But then, things don't really happen as expected in his latest cycle....
First off, what grabbed me from the get go was the prose. It was a really well written book very easy to consume and just the right balance between character building, world building, plot progression and action. Very satisfying read.
The character work is also top notch. Io (reincarnated Dorian) is such a well written character. The personality is balance on a knife's edge between the expected naivety of Io and the casual ruthlessness of Dorian. The way his inner voice of conscience alternates between his relationship with the rest of the cast and the utter lack of empathy in disregarding anything that will hinder his speedrunning goal was very realistic and excellently done. Rather than an OP MC, the way he tries to work his powers organically to fit within the structure of the current environment really shines.
The plot is very unique. You'd expect a traditional plot where MC who overcomes hurdles and progresses in quick time. But here, from his step one, the world is steeped in mysteries that he can't unravel. Various interferences that cannot find the source of. Adds a bit of mystery element to the plot which was very refreshing.
Overall, an unexpected surprise and a gem of a read.
Highly recommended!
June 1, 2024
Rather enjoyed this and am looking forward to listening to the next.
Some reviewers don't like the amoral aspect of the main character, but I find that the most realistic part of the story. If you are millennia old, know reincarnation to be real, and have lived many many lives, then you are going to treat all those around you with the same consideration as you would NPCs in computer games.
The reason I don't give it 4 stars is the incompatibility between the world setting (poor pre-industrial tribesmen living in a desert where humans are not even the apex predators) and the behaviours. The alchemist who relaxes by reading a novel. The tents with doors. The chieftains discussing motivations and other concepts far removed from day to day survival. The training involving giving magical gifts to reward good performance. And the training itself - I don't know if the author doesn't know how skills are actually taught, or wanted to portray every single instructor as bad, but I found the almost total lack of any teaching being done by any of the instructors (and there was a solitary exception where a kata was demonstrated) to be particularly grating.
So - only three stars, but recommended as an easy listen.
Some reviewers don't like the amoral aspect of the main character, but I find that the most realistic part of the story. If you are millennia old, know reincarnation to be real, and have lived many many lives, then you are going to treat all those around you with the same consideration as you would NPCs in computer games.
The reason I don't give it 4 stars is the incompatibility between the world setting (poor pre-industrial tribesmen living in a desert where humans are not even the apex predators) and the behaviours. The alchemist who relaxes by reading a novel. The tents with doors. The chieftains discussing motivations and other concepts far removed from day to day survival. The training involving giving magical gifts to reward good performance. And the training itself - I don't know if the author doesn't know how skills are actually taught, or wanted to portray every single instructor as bad, but I found the almost total lack of any teaching being done by any of the instructors (and there was a solitary exception where a kata was demonstrated) to be particularly grating.
So - only three stars, but recommended as an easy listen.
July 23, 2024
Good story but not great. The writing needs some work. The cultivation levels are convoluted and not explained well. The workings of magic and people's strength levels are hazy. Also there are times when the writing is just lazy. Like the book's climax, the final boss fight, or whatever you want to call it is completely skipped. Just the end of the chapter is "...and the MC prepares for a huge fight". The beginning of the next chapter "...The MC walks away after winning the big fight." So lazy.
The book's saving grace is the MC. I'm so glad he isn't the typical white knight simp.
People call him a sociopath and that confused me until I finally understood what they were talking about. Society is trying to teach people that who they are, what they have, and what they can accomplish all belong to society. You, as an individual, do not own yourself. You belong to US.
The MC begins in a bad situation. His clan tries to murder him. His sister physically abuses him. His clan chief robs him. So when he has no love for these people you are surprised? When he gains power you think he owes them something? I love seeing him say F that!
The book's saving grace is the MC. I'm so glad he isn't the typical white knight simp.
People call him a sociopath and that confused me until I finally understood what they were talking about. Society is trying to teach people that who they are, what they have, and what they can accomplish all belong to society. You, as an individual, do not own yourself. You belong to US.
The MC begins in a bad situation. His clan tries to murder him. His sister physically abuses him. His clan chief robs him. So when he has no love for these people you are surprised? When he gains power you think he owes them something? I love seeing him say F that!
July 14, 2024
Not a terrible story, there are aspects to it that I didn't care for personally, really odd to have a main character who is powerful, but also not, as well as all the "lucky breaks" that he got. I also didn't really care a lot for his sister and how she was portrayed, but I was interested enough in the story that I am going to continue with the rest of the series to see how it goes.
As for story, the idea here is a "god" (Dorian) who was a mortal and ascended, but he got bored and so what he does it just keeps trying to ascend over and over again to see how fast he can do it because he is bored with immortality. He takes over a body after the inhabitant passes on and then starts to push forward. He doesn't have all his ability or even all his knowledge but he does have enough that he knows how to handle many things. In this first book he comes in a nomad tribe and then rises to become a strong member of that tribe and eventually kills them off when they come to attack him and he leaves them (that is how this one ends).
As for story, the idea here is a "god" (Dorian) who was a mortal and ascended, but he got bored and so what he does it just keeps trying to ascend over and over again to see how fast he can do it because he is bored with immortality. He takes over a body after the inhabitant passes on and then starts to push forward. He doesn't have all his ability or even all his knowledge but he does have enough that he knows how to handle many things. In this first book he comes in a nomad tribe and then rises to become a strong member of that tribe and eventually kills them off when they come to attack him and he leaves them (that is how this one ends).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2024
At 1st i thought this would be a better Cradle, for anyone like me that disliked Travis Baldree or the painful groveling/feudal Asian honor sensibilities... but shortly learn the MC is just as bad. He uses people('adopted' sister) as pawns so he can just gets stronger*. MC supposedly has millennia of life experience, but that only comes up as wisps of those memories & to prove he is jaded & power hungry, as there is no clear goal stated at end of B1 for WHY?! Why get stronger if not to protect yourself/family. For anyone thinking 'get stronger' = improving oneself: FFFFFFFFFFF YOU!!!!! is all i got in this limited medium.
"Teams are only good, because they are beneficial to the individuals involved". (Utilitarianism BS)/(simplified pessimism) sums up the MC well IMO. Teams also serve the community that creates the team as much as the individual.
*=aside=With the same motivation as Jeff Bezos has for 'earning' his 10th+ billion.
"Teams are only good, because they are beneficial to the individuals involved". (Utilitarianism BS)/(simplified pessimism) sums up the MC well IMO. Teams also serve the community that creates the team as much as the individual.
*=aside=With the same motivation as Jeff Bezos has for 'earning' his 10th+ billion.
January 7, 2025
I didn’t expect anything out of this. I didn’t know the author beforehand. I was surprised. This is damn good.
A fair warning for prospective readers. The protagonist is not „good“. If you have read Reverend Insanity, Dorian is like a softened up version of Fan Yuan.
For those who have not : An old being, many millennia old, doing speedruns to have a purpose and not turn crazy. He has found and lost countless loved ones and seen many things. He is not a villain-character but he is unattached to anyone, outside of slight empathy. He would help someone he likes, if its no hassle, but once a situation is too dangerous he strictly weighs the pros and cons. You most likely will find him coldhearted at some point during the story. The character is set up to be this way. I for one loved it. Such an interesting personality and a well paced story!
A fair warning for prospective readers. The protagonist is not „good“. If you have read Reverend Insanity, Dorian is like a softened up version of Fan Yuan.
For those who have not : An old being, many millennia old, doing speedruns to have a purpose and not turn crazy. He has found and lost countless loved ones and seen many things. He is not a villain-character but he is unattached to anyone, outside of slight empathy. He would help someone he likes, if its no hassle, but once a situation is too dangerous he strictly weighs the pros and cons. You most likely will find him coldhearted at some point during the story. The character is set up to be this way. I for one loved it. Such an interesting personality and a well paced story!
September 7, 2025
A good book, but not for me
Well written with an interesting story premise and some interesting world building and foreshadowing.
I just dislike the protagonist.
Small spoilers to follow, but nothing big:
He is a parasitic a**hole who shows no character growth or real reason to grow.
He takes over other lives to start his Speedrun without the any care for the former owners he knowingly ousts.
By the end of the bookI think the author is trying to show he may change (I could be wrong) because he kind of forms an attachment, but by this point the character has done his "speed run" multiple times and shows no remorse for his actions, so it isn't really believable.
It is an interesting take on the genre (cultivation and LTRPG), but not for me.
Well written with an interesting story premise and some interesting world building and foreshadowing.
I just dislike the protagonist.
Small spoilers to follow, but nothing big:
He is a parasitic a**hole who shows no character growth or real reason to grow.
He takes over other lives to start his Speedrun without the any care for the former owners he knowingly ousts.
By the end of the bookI think the author is trying to show he may change (I could be wrong) because he kind of forms an attachment, but by this point the character has done his "speed run" multiple times and shows no remorse for his actions, so it isn't really believable.
It is an interesting take on the genre (cultivation and LTRPG), but not for me.
September 7, 2023
very good book, not the most likable MC, but he can change, hopefully so.
Good story, excellent world building, not the most likable MC., But I think he’s going to grow on me. this is the second one maybe fifth reincarnation story I’ve read, it’s has its own slant to the genre. I just hope the MC who is basically an antihero will develop more of a personality, and take care of the only thing that should be important to him. Besides, his speed run, his sister. might go onto Patreon or Royal Road to read the next section of this book, that’s how intriguing it is, very well done.
Good story, excellent world building, not the most likable MC., But I think he’s going to grow on me. this is the second one maybe fifth reincarnation story I’ve read, it’s has its own slant to the genre. I just hope the MC who is basically an antihero will develop more of a personality, and take care of the only thing that should be important to him. Besides, his speed run, his sister. might go onto Patreon or Royal Road to read the next section of this book, that’s how intriguing it is, very well done.
May 2, 2024
Needlessly cruel mc
This book was an utter waste of my time. The author went to absurd lengths to make the mc act in the most ridiculous ways to pretty much everything that happened. As a result, it created an individual who is not only unlikeable but also incredibly despicable. I had a mostly apathetic response to him initially. By the end of this book that apathy has become active hate. I will not be reading the rest of the series. I have better things to waste my time on. Like watching the grass grow. Or paint dry. Just a heads up. Even if I dont like a book, I don't usually leave a review. This book enraged me so much that I broke that policy.
This book was an utter waste of my time. The author went to absurd lengths to make the mc act in the most ridiculous ways to pretty much everything that happened. As a result, it created an individual who is not only unlikeable but also incredibly despicable. I had a mostly apathetic response to him initially. By the end of this book that apathy has become active hate. I will not be reading the rest of the series. I have better things to waste my time on. Like watching the grass grow. Or paint dry. Just a heads up. Even if I dont like a book, I don't usually leave a review. This book enraged me so much that I broke that policy.
July 21, 2023
My Rating System:
5- Perfect for my taste, I could not physically stop reading/listening and wanted more afterward.
4- Almost perfect, could not stop reading/listening, probably wanted more afterward.
3- I enjoyed the book and could see others loving it, I need to think if I want more.
2- I can see why others might like the book, but I could not, I do not want more.
1- What is this? What went wrong? Why did they do this? This doesn't make any sense! (No idea who it is for, but definitely not for me).
[Audiobook Version]
5- Perfect for my taste, I could not physically stop reading/listening and wanted more afterward.
4- Almost perfect, could not stop reading/listening, probably wanted more afterward.
3- I enjoyed the book and could see others loving it, I need to think if I want more.
2- I can see why others might like the book, but I could not, I do not want more.
1- What is this? What went wrong? Why did they do this? This doesn't make any sense! (No idea who it is for, but definitely not for me).
[Audiobook Version]
August 13, 2023
Amazing
Dorian, a Godking descends from his position in order occasionally , in order to have a little fun in his eternity. As fate would have it (ha!) He is thrust into the body of a weakling of the weakest tribe on the weakest plane of existence. Then his hijinks truly begin. Great story and fun leveling up. Only reason I don't give it a five star rating was because it does follow the trope of most Wuxia cultivation novels. Even if it is from the perspective of a literal god. I would like to see Dorian kick more ass in the next nowel.......which this guy will be reading!
Dorian, a Godking descends from his position in order occasionally , in order to have a little fun in his eternity. As fate would have it (ha!) He is thrust into the body of a weakling of the weakest tribe on the weakest plane of existence. Then his hijinks truly begin. Great story and fun leveling up. Only reason I don't give it a five star rating was because it does follow the trope of most Wuxia cultivation novels. Even if it is from the perspective of a literal god. I would like to see Dorian kick more ass in the next nowel.......which this guy will be reading!
May 20, 2025
I love how amoral the MC is. It feels like he truly isn’t human. He is a god simply passing time by interacting with mortals.
I hate the ending. I’d been complaining about how slow the writing was at points. The author sometimes over-describes a situation and wastes time explaining facts nobody cares about. Yet, when we finally get to what we’ve all been waiting for, the author decides to just skip it!?
I’m confused and it pisses me off that I can’t just say f- this and abandon the series. It’s too good to not know how it ends.
I hate the ending. I’d been complaining about how slow the writing was at points. The author sometimes over-describes a situation and wastes time explaining facts nobody cares about. Yet, when we finally get to what we’ve all been waiting for, the author decides to just skip it!?
I’m confused and it pisses me off that I can’t just say f- this and abandon the series. It’s too good to not know how it ends.
August 8, 2023
OP - Antihero - Breakneck Speedrunning The Multiverse
The story starts at a fast pace and never lets up. From the time we take over Io to the last chapter there really isn’t a dull moment.
The author balances the speed with excellent world building and characters. While our main character could never be called a hero. He is relatable and someone you root for. The humor is on point.
Enough. Just give it a read. I am excited about what the next book has in store.
The story starts at a fast pace and never lets up. From the time we take over Io to the last chapter there really isn’t a dull moment.
The author balances the speed with excellent world building and characters. While our main character could never be called a hero. He is relatable and someone you root for. The humor is on point.
Enough. Just give it a read. I am excited about what the next book has in store.
November 1, 2023
Surprisingly Good
This book was an unexpected good time. Well written, well, edited, solid, characterization, sharp, plotting, excellent pacing, and a delightful intrigue. It is a bit shallow in that the main character isn’t the world’s, most likable, and the supporting cast doesn’t have a lot of depth. However, it’s pretty upfront about both of those things, and they don’t detract much.
This book was an unexpected good time. Well written, well, edited, solid, characterization, sharp, plotting, excellent pacing, and a delightful intrigue. It is a bit shallow in that the main character isn’t the world’s, most likable, and the supporting cast doesn’t have a lot of depth. However, it’s pretty upfront about both of those things, and they don’t detract much.
December 1, 2023
The book started strong, then petered off the closer I got to the end. There's nothing really wrong here. The spelling and grammar mistakes are things I can look past if everything else is top notch, but there were some story things that I THINK the author wanted to include, but didn't because of time constraints at the end. A few things were definitely built up through the story to just not follow through with. The book also just ends randomly. Kind of like
July 27, 2024
LitRPGs are always very interesting, if a misnomer of sorts. Anyway, I intend to read the rest of hte series. Here are 2 predictions I have for the end. 1. Fate is the main character's end state, which is why fate thinks they're friends but the main character thinks Fate is always interfering with him. 2. He's on a metacampaign, which is how he gets to end up going back as fate to interrupt all of his past lives simultaneously.
March 15, 2025
good enough progression fantasy keeping all the good elements of the cultivation genre and the OP MC.
Take a bored OP immortal god that decided to spend his eternity reseting to level 0 and try speed running to MAX level with each reincarnation. After doing this a few hundred times and just barely missing his personal record of a few hundred years, he decides to dive in once again. Best premise for a cool story.
Will definitely continue the series (when on sale)
Take a bored OP immortal god that decided to spend his eternity reseting to level 0 and try speed running to MAX level with each reincarnation. After doing this a few hundred times and just barely missing his personal record of a few hundred years, he decides to dive in once again. Best premise for a cool story.
Will definitely continue the series (when on sale)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2023
Reincarnation fun!
A bored god at near the peak of the multiverse has a hobby to restart from 0 and make it back to the top. This run will be a bit different from his others, though. Maybe it will even be a new record! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cultivation fantasy.
A bored god at near the peak of the multiverse has a hobby to restart from 0 and make it back to the top. This run will be a bit different from his others, though. Maybe it will even be a new record! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cultivation fantasy.
August 13, 2023
So I thought it had some promise at first but it kept same boring pace for a very unoriginal plot that just had the MC endure anything and everything until the end of the book. This is a below mediocre book in my opinion. There is no real cultivation going on everything is just surface level there is no depth to anything.
August 23, 2023
Excellent writing and narration.
After reading a lot of fanfiction of various sorts I have begun to want quick movement in what I read/listen to, and this delivers that along with good style and developed character/relationships.
I was not expecting such a good book, am just floored by the quality.
After reading a lot of fanfiction of various sorts I have begun to want quick movement in what I read/listen to, and this delivers that along with good style and developed character/relationships.
I was not expecting such a good book, am just floored by the quality.
September 1, 2023
Not a likable protagonist
Overall, it’s a pretty interesting read. The pacing a solid, there are a few editing errors, and the story is generally pretty interesting. The problem, is it the main character is infinitely unlikable and selfish. It’s difficult to identify with him or care about his story. He seems more like a sociopath.
Overall, it’s a pretty interesting read. The pacing a solid, there are a few editing errors, and the story is generally pretty interesting. The problem, is it the main character is infinitely unlikable and selfish. It’s difficult to identify with him or care about his story. He seems more like a sociopath.
September 15, 2023
DNF. Got a fifth of the way through and quit.
I thought the central idea would be fun but the main character having no attachment to anyone made all of the story very boring. A desire for the fastest time was a flimsy driving motivation. I was hoping the text would provide something a bit more substantial to help move the plot forward, it did not
I thought the central idea would be fun but the main character having no attachment to anyone made all of the story very boring. A desire for the fastest time was a flimsy driving motivation. I was hoping the text would provide something a bit more substantial to help move the plot forward, it did not
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