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Magic Eater #1
Manipulation
Tad has a secret.
Found as a child, the sole-survivor of an apparent shipwreck, he grows up an orphan with no memory of his past or the heritage, which gives rise to his strange ability to smell magic.
Tad has a problem.
Adventurers hoping to exploit Tad’s ability to find the best magic, forcibly take him into a dungeon so far beyond his level that the slightest mistake could mean death.
Tad has a plan.
In the depths of a dungeon, Tad learns more about his true nature. Not only can he sniff out magic—he can eat it, using the mana to bend enchantments to his will, creating some truly epic gear in the process. He must unlock the secrets of his heritage and find his place in the wider multiverse. He knows he’s a man, but there’s a demon who says he’s so much more. He’s a Magic Eater.
Found as a child, the sole-survivor of an apparent shipwreck, he grows up an orphan with no memory of his past or the heritage, which gives rise to his strange ability to smell magic.
Tad has a problem.
Adventurers hoping to exploit Tad’s ability to find the best magic, forcibly take him into a dungeon so far beyond his level that the slightest mistake could mean death.
Tad has a plan.
In the depths of a dungeon, Tad learns more about his true nature. Not only can he sniff out magic—he can eat it, using the mana to bend enchantments to his will, creating some truly epic gear in the process. He must unlock the secrets of his heritage and find his place in the wider multiverse. He knows he’s a man, but there’s a demon who says he’s so much more. He’s a Magic Eater.
- GenresFantasy
552 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2025
1121 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
January 8, 2026
This is an interesting LitRPG power fantasy with a main character who is a good guy in impossible circumstances doing his best to survive. The story starts with Tad kidnapped and scrambling to resist being functionally a slave of his kidnappers. They know he has a unique ability but not its extent and he spends much of the first half of the story carefully rationing what he can admit and what he has to hide.
This made a great dynamic because Oswald's characters are fully fleshed. So the evil kidnappers have believable motivations and reasons to give Tad some slack on the leash they hold over him. I mean, they are unquestionably evil, using Tad as a tool to achieve their own ends in the dungeon they expect to exploit. But they aren't unthinking or unreasoning with Tad as he bargains with cooperation and information to both test his boundaries and their tolerance for letting him have castoff resources to try to "help them better".
And that engaged me with Tad from the start. He's doing his best but completely outclassed and in an environment that will kill him with a single misstep. So he's highly motivated to twist every advantage he can gleam from them.
And I like, too, that while Tad is "special" in a bit of a broken way that feeds my power fantasy crush, it isn't all win. He has to balance drawbacks against his strengths and do so in a way that doesn't give away to much to those who would use his uniqueness for their own greed. There are early enough hints about his nature that I don't think it's a spoiler to say he's a piece of chaos in a system long conquered by order. And the implications of that grow as the reader gradually learns what that might mean in terms of Tad's world and the people most empowered by the System that seems to run things.
So I was fully engaged with an interesting protagonist and strong worldbuilding with an author who doesn't skimp on the characterizations all around. Add some great action and it's an easy five stars for me. The only thing may be lacking is that the plot as some definite slow downs after the two-thirds point. The change is drastic, but I found it welcome and loved the subsequent developments. No spoilers, so I'll just say if you're looking for a non-stop action story full of dungeons and overcoming bad guys the plot is actually more complex than that.
Also, there were lots of stat blocks I just skipped. If you're in LitRPG for the stat nerdery, it has lots of that. I find that stuff tedious, though, so I'm glad it was easy to skip..
A note about Chaste: Tad doesn't really have romance options and he's not a "pleasure for its own sake" kind of guy even when opportunity presents itself. So this is very chaste.
This made a great dynamic because Oswald's characters are fully fleshed. So the evil kidnappers have believable motivations and reasons to give Tad some slack on the leash they hold over him. I mean, they are unquestionably evil, using Tad as a tool to achieve their own ends in the dungeon they expect to exploit. But they aren't unthinking or unreasoning with Tad as he bargains with cooperation and information to both test his boundaries and their tolerance for letting him have castoff resources to try to "help them better".
And that engaged me with Tad from the start. He's doing his best but completely outclassed and in an environment that will kill him with a single misstep. So he's highly motivated to twist every advantage he can gleam from them.
And I like, too, that while Tad is "special" in a bit of a broken way that feeds my power fantasy crush, it isn't all win. He has to balance drawbacks against his strengths and do so in a way that doesn't give away to much to those who would use his uniqueness for their own greed. There are early enough hints about his nature that I don't think it's a spoiler to say he's a piece of chaos in a system long conquered by order. And the implications of that grow as the reader gradually learns what that might mean in terms of Tad's world and the people most empowered by the System that seems to run things.
So I was fully engaged with an interesting protagonist and strong worldbuilding with an author who doesn't skimp on the characterizations all around. Add some great action and it's an easy five stars for me. The only thing may be lacking is that the plot as some definite slow downs after the two-thirds point. The change is drastic, but I found it welcome and loved the subsequent developments. No spoilers, so I'll just say if you're looking for a non-stop action story full of dungeons and overcoming bad guys the plot is actually more complex than that.
Also, there were lots of stat blocks I just skipped. If you're in LitRPG for the stat nerdery, it has lots of that. I find that stuff tedious, though, so I'm glad it was easy to skip..
A note about Chaste: Tad doesn't really have romance options and he's not a "pleasure for its own sake" kind of guy even when opportunity presents itself. So this is very chaste.
June 1, 2025
Pretty good, but the ending was so contrived.
May 11, 2025
so much Deus ex Machina
The story is mildly interesting. But lacks in some serious ways.
The main character is about as interesting as a paper bag. He’s there. He’s doing stuff. He’s ridiculously overpowered, good at everything, and has so much plot armor he makes Harry Potter looks a well balanced character.
The bad guys are… bad. Definitely bad. Apparently the BBEG wants eternal youth? Boring.
The entire storyline is pretty weak. The most interesting character is an albino lizard.
It will appeal to some. But I wouldn’t call it a great book by any means. Wouldn’t recommend.
The story is mildly interesting. But lacks in some serious ways.
The main character is about as interesting as a paper bag. He’s there. He’s doing stuff. He’s ridiculously overpowered, good at everything, and has so much plot armor he makes Harry Potter looks a well balanced character.
The bad guys are… bad. Definitely bad. Apparently the BBEG wants eternal youth? Boring.
The entire storyline is pretty weak. The most interesting character is an albino lizard.
It will appeal to some. But I wouldn’t call it a great book by any means. Wouldn’t recommend.
April 30, 2025
I wanted to rate this higher except it has some plot holes.
Normally you can see them in my notes and highlights but I keep getting an error message when trying to post a review through my Kindle.
6/10
Normally you can see them in my notes and highlights but I keep getting an error message when trying to post a review through my Kindle.
6/10
July 22, 2025
Great book
Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone
Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone
February 5, 2026
5 🌟 so so so good. Loved the story. Read on KU.
January 29, 2026
Another unique take on magical systems and world building, using familiar mythos (Endless Dungeon, Yggdrasil and Fey) in a new an interesting way. I really loved the primary character being more of a maker than a warrior, and the description of how spells and enchantments are made and integrated into objects. A nice variation on the typical LitRPG progression story.
July 14, 2025
Interesting
While it was interesting its not Iseki. While I don't think the magic system is quite sustainable it is unique. I had a few issues with the martial scenes as well. It remained interesting and then we got to the ending. Not the books finest moment.
While it was interesting its not Iseki. While I don't think the magic system is quite sustainable it is unique. I had a few issues with the martial scenes as well. It remained interesting and then we got to the ending. Not the books finest moment.
April 20, 2025
This wasn’t my favorite book by this author (welcome to the multiverse) but it wasn’t bad. There was a lot more action in the first half of the book than the last where it transitioned to more training and crafting.
I’ll probably still read the next in the series but it’s not something I would rush to, more something I’d read in between other books.
It needs another editing run. Whomever the editor is, they missed a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. If this was a paid editing service, a refund is warranted.
I’ll probably still read the next in the series but it’s not something I would rush to, more something I’d read in between other books.
It needs another editing run. Whomever the editor is, they missed a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. If this was a paid editing service, a refund is warranted.
April 14, 2025
The Friends Were the Enchantments We Made Along the Way
I'm not crazy about how the story progresses in the beginning. I think the starting point of the book is what could have been a quarter or a third of the way in, skipping past a lot of immediate characterization and exploration of world and it's characters. Even so the author manages to weave the exposition and persistent questions into the prolonged and maybe premature dive into our introduction to the story.
Some great points for this story are the shifting focuses between the main character, the side characters and the MC's expansion on enchantment crafting. Yes the main character is the main character but you'll find yourself experiencing the story alongside him as often as you're getting details on how he's different or special - why he's the MC.
Those moments made the story feel like a relaxing and engaging read. The main character is not struggling to define himself and sell you on how interesting or special his struggles and his qualities are, he's just doing him - often through situations he has little to no control over. It's a bit of a treat to not have to sit through a main character bloviating over their own self hatred and/or particular brand trauma and supposedly interesting neuroses. Nope, you're just hanging out with Tad, and he's just a guy doing his best, and that's pretty rad. I'm looking forward to the next installment, and am happy to recommend this to anyone in the litrpg crowd.
I'm not crazy about how the story progresses in the beginning. I think the starting point of the book is what could have been a quarter or a third of the way in, skipping past a lot of immediate characterization and exploration of world and it's characters. Even so the author manages to weave the exposition and persistent questions into the prolonged and maybe premature dive into our introduction to the story.
Some great points for this story are the shifting focuses between the main character, the side characters and the MC's expansion on enchantment crafting. Yes the main character is the main character but you'll find yourself experiencing the story alongside him as often as you're getting details on how he's different or special - why he's the MC.
Those moments made the story feel like a relaxing and engaging read. The main character is not struggling to define himself and sell you on how interesting or special his struggles and his qualities are, he's just doing him - often through situations he has little to no control over. It's a bit of a treat to not have to sit through a main character bloviating over their own self hatred and/or particular brand trauma and supposedly interesting neuroses. Nope, you're just hanging out with Tad, and he's just a guy doing his best, and that's pretty rad. I'm looking forward to the next installment, and am happy to recommend this to anyone in the litrpg crowd.
February 7, 2026
This is one of those impatient author stories. The author clearly has a goal where his character is supposed to go in his growth but he is so eager to get there that he just rushes there by making the MC incredibly overpowered in every aspect through all the worst standard tropes. In short the MC is super speshul and can just do everything including punching up not 1 or 2 tiers but at least 4 tiers. It's not some kind of special exploit using some trick either. He is just that strong and has magic that potent that nobody else does.
But this causes all the classic problems that go along with this of course.
First of all, complete lack of any sort of power balance. The author still wants his MC to have challenges and setbacks. But this necessarily means that these challenges have to be
1. So ridiculously overpowered that it breaks consistency with the rest of the world.
2. The MC just has to suddenly be randomly weak in unbelievable ways which leaves gaping plot holes behind.
3. They need to happen in some isolated fabricated environment which is way too convenient to not scream authors pen.
And the book does all of these.
The next problem I had was the constant praise and admiration towards the MC. Everyone loves him and treats him almost like a god even early on when he really didn't yet deserve it. The author even tried to set him up in an outsider role which receives a lot of ridicule but nothing comes of it. It's a pointless setup as the author apparently decided that his MC wouldn't be grand enough if people visibly disliked him for any reason. No resentment over his rapid rise, the laughably unfair favoritism he receives from literally everyone. Nobody seems to disagree that this is just his due. No conflict, no friction. It's such a bonkers contrast to how he was treated as an orphan in his home town.
I think this is the main reason I found this so annoying. There are lots of zero-friction power fantasies where the MC just kinda is the messiah. But here we start out with a lot of friction, unfair power dynamics, oppression, etc. But then it all just kinda goes away like the MC has an invisible saint aura that makes everyone nice or something.
Then there is the weirdly rapid emotional attachment. His master talks about him as if he is the proud father of a prodigal son after DAYS of meeting him the first time.
Relationships in general are completely out of whack in terms of time spent vs character closeness.
And I think the author even tried to work on that based on feedback. Because the obvious love interest basically falls for him within days but then suddenly makes a 180 and becomes very distrustful and distant again without any reason.
This brings me to my last big point which is the weird detachment of the MC towards everything really. He is trying to survive and in really desperate situations he really is trying hard to survive with his whole being. But beyond immediate danger he seems to not care about really anything much. Getting every bone in his body in the stereotypical hard first training lesson where they beat you up with a mace? No reaction. No emotion. Just something like "this hurts, a lot." No thoughts of unfairness or quitting. No thoughts of having to push through either. Just a kind of strange apathy that goes completely counter to his actual behavior being driven like nothing else. He behaves like demons are driving him but there is no emotion behind it. Just another Tuesday I guess.
One small complaint I have about the epilogue is that it straight up reveals most of the mystery of the MCs past. Not to the MC but to the reader. This felt rather anti-climactic. Why do you build up all this tension and mystery with very small hints here and there to just throw it away within a few minutes at the end in one large info dump without any payoff. Very strange. But I also really dislike knowing more about a situation than the protagonists of a story do. So this is doubly annoying to me.
I know that some of these complaints are not technically weaknesses but intentional. And I am no stranger to enjoying even over the top power fantasies. I can't put into words why it works for me but at other times doesn't. With this one its something in between. I can point to these flaws but who the hecc knows if those are really why it didn't work. I keep realizing that the flaws we articulate about books we didn't like have this sneaky tendency to just be post-hoc justifications which rarely capture the actual reasons. It's not I-have-to-stop-and-dnf kind of bad. It's mostly ok. It just has a few of these common flaws that just keep rubbing me the wrong way.
As is customary this sounds like I just straight up hated this. But I really didn't. There were some good elements. I really liked the initial setup and the core tension about the MC becoming a target for exploitation by more powerful people and trying hard to prepare to avoid that.
Quite a lot of my complaints are probably weaknesses in technical writing skill. And that kind of skill can improve with deliberate practice. The only problem with that is that, this is not his first series. So this really might be a deliberate style or a complete lack of awareness which doesn't bode well for my enjoyment of the next volume.
From what I can tell, the rest of the series is mostly the same but bigger scale. I doubt there will be a big shift in tone or character work, only in scale.
But this causes all the classic problems that go along with this of course.
First of all, complete lack of any sort of power balance. The author still wants his MC to have challenges and setbacks. But this necessarily means that these challenges have to be
1. So ridiculously overpowered that it breaks consistency with the rest of the world.
2. The MC just has to suddenly be randomly weak in unbelievable ways which leaves gaping plot holes behind.
3. They need to happen in some isolated fabricated environment which is way too convenient to not scream authors pen.
And the book does all of these.
The next problem I had was the constant praise and admiration towards the MC. Everyone loves him and treats him almost like a god even early on when he really didn't yet deserve it. The author even tried to set him up in an outsider role which receives a lot of ridicule but nothing comes of it. It's a pointless setup as the author apparently decided that his MC wouldn't be grand enough if people visibly disliked him for any reason. No resentment over his rapid rise, the laughably unfair favoritism he receives from literally everyone. Nobody seems to disagree that this is just his due. No conflict, no friction. It's such a bonkers contrast to how he was treated as an orphan in his home town.
I think this is the main reason I found this so annoying. There are lots of zero-friction power fantasies where the MC just kinda is the messiah. But here we start out with a lot of friction, unfair power dynamics, oppression, etc. But then it all just kinda goes away like the MC has an invisible saint aura that makes everyone nice or something.
Then there is the weirdly rapid emotional attachment. His master talks about him as if he is the proud father of a prodigal son after DAYS of meeting him the first time.
Relationships in general are completely out of whack in terms of time spent vs character closeness.
And I think the author even tried to work on that based on feedback. Because the obvious love interest basically falls for him within days but then suddenly makes a 180 and becomes very distrustful and distant again without any reason.
This brings me to my last big point which is the weird detachment of the MC towards everything really. He is trying to survive and in really desperate situations he really is trying hard to survive with his whole being. But beyond immediate danger he seems to not care about really anything much. Getting every bone in his body in the stereotypical hard first training lesson where they beat you up with a mace? No reaction. No emotion. Just something like "this hurts, a lot." No thoughts of unfairness or quitting. No thoughts of having to push through either. Just a kind of strange apathy that goes completely counter to his actual behavior being driven like nothing else. He behaves like demons are driving him but there is no emotion behind it. Just another Tuesday I guess.
One small complaint I have about the epilogue is that it straight up reveals most of the mystery of the MCs past. Not to the MC but to the reader. This felt rather anti-climactic. Why do you build up all this tension and mystery with very small hints here and there to just throw it away within a few minutes at the end in one large info dump without any payoff. Very strange. But I also really dislike knowing more about a situation than the protagonists of a story do. So this is doubly annoying to me.
I know that some of these complaints are not technically weaknesses but intentional. And I am no stranger to enjoying even over the top power fantasies. I can't put into words why it works for me but at other times doesn't. With this one its something in between. I can point to these flaws but who the hecc knows if those are really why it didn't work. I keep realizing that the flaws we articulate about books we didn't like have this sneaky tendency to just be post-hoc justifications which rarely capture the actual reasons. It's not I-have-to-stop-and-dnf kind of bad. It's mostly ok. It just has a few of these common flaws that just keep rubbing me the wrong way.
As is customary this sounds like I just straight up hated this. But I really didn't. There were some good elements. I really liked the initial setup and the core tension about the MC becoming a target for exploitation by more powerful people and trying hard to prepare to avoid that.
Quite a lot of my complaints are probably weaknesses in technical writing skill. And that kind of skill can improve with deliberate practice. The only problem with that is that, this is not his first series. So this really might be a deliberate style or a complete lack of awareness which doesn't bode well for my enjoyment of the next volume.
From what I can tell, the rest of the series is mostly the same but bigger scale. I doubt there will be a big shift in tone or character work, only in scale.
April 22, 2025
Good til the last drop
I are this up over Easter weekend. Having an extra two days off of work was just enough time to devour this book. I enjoyed everything about it but especially like it didn’t go the traditional route when building the MC. I don’t wanna spoil anything but from the very beginning you get the feeling he’s unique he’s smelling magic. Once you see him level and grow you get a real feeling for there’s something special here it gets even better. I didn’t expect it to turn the direction it did but once it started making that turn I could see how some would see this coming, but it was so good well written I didn’t see the two maybe 3 typos. The one issue is the character status sheet got long, but the author was kind enough to just combine all of it together and make it into a chapter whenever we had to see his entire status and that made sense because you could just skip to the next chapter. The character how the story grows where it ultimately ends up wonderful I recommend everyone read it and tell your friends. I know I can’t wait until the next book in the series drops in July.
Message to the Author
I always write a note to the authors of books. I really like and boy you have no idea. I devoured this book pun intended. I’ve told everybody I know on Facebook about it and I’ve promoted it in the groups. I’m a part of. I certainly hope more people read it. I only have two issues here to bring up. It’s the status screen, which got really long. Of course it would appear as its own chapter so it wasn’t so bad. You could skip it if you want it to, but if it can be consolidated, that would be great. Second and this is an issue and a potential spoiler.
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
My only issue with the book was the ending. First the right of passage that scenario started out good, but then it made no sense. I don’t see what he was supposed to get from the dungeon to understand his heritage. We heard about the court and that gave me ideas, but I don’t know how that was supposed to give him ideas. Perhaps more confusing his frustration afterwards that made no sense to me. He exited the dungeon and said that’s it. I wanna leave. We’ve never seen that from him before it seemed out of place. For him to just take off I’m tired of the swaps he never said that before he was saying this place was like a home he never had. To me it would’ve made sense if he just left that random and Fara said I wanna come with you. That would’ve made way more sense. We could’ve still got the same outcome where he ended up on the boat and killing some of the law but that exit from the other world just did not click. With all that being said. I can’t wait for the next book.
I are this up over Easter weekend. Having an extra two days off of work was just enough time to devour this book. I enjoyed everything about it but especially like it didn’t go the traditional route when building the MC. I don’t wanna spoil anything but from the very beginning you get the feeling he’s unique he’s smelling magic. Once you see him level and grow you get a real feeling for there’s something special here it gets even better. I didn’t expect it to turn the direction it did but once it started making that turn I could see how some would see this coming, but it was so good well written I didn’t see the two maybe 3 typos. The one issue is the character status sheet got long, but the author was kind enough to just combine all of it together and make it into a chapter whenever we had to see his entire status and that made sense because you could just skip to the next chapter. The character how the story grows where it ultimately ends up wonderful I recommend everyone read it and tell your friends. I know I can’t wait until the next book in the series drops in July.
Message to the Author
I always write a note to the authors of books. I really like and boy you have no idea. I devoured this book pun intended. I’ve told everybody I know on Facebook about it and I’ve promoted it in the groups. I’m a part of. I certainly hope more people read it. I only have two issues here to bring up. It’s the status screen, which got really long. Of course it would appear as its own chapter so it wasn’t so bad. You could skip it if you want it to, but if it can be consolidated, that would be great. Second and this is an issue and a potential spoiler.
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
My only issue with the book was the ending. First the right of passage that scenario started out good, but then it made no sense. I don’t see what he was supposed to get from the dungeon to understand his heritage. We heard about the court and that gave me ideas, but I don’t know how that was supposed to give him ideas. Perhaps more confusing his frustration afterwards that made no sense to me. He exited the dungeon and said that’s it. I wanna leave. We’ve never seen that from him before it seemed out of place. For him to just take off I’m tired of the swaps he never said that before he was saying this place was like a home he never had. To me it would’ve made sense if he just left that random and Fara said I wanna come with you. That would’ve made way more sense. We could’ve still got the same outcome where he ended up on the boat and killing some of the law but that exit from the other world just did not click. With all that being said. I can’t wait for the next book.
September 12, 2025
Quite an interesting book with unexpected allies in the midst of villanies.
An orphan who is sensitive to mana, but who cannot wield it himself grows up in a harsh environment. He gets kidnapped by high level, but also highly mercenary adventurers. They are on a quest on behalf of a pretender to the throne (of sorts). As the MC begins to come into his inheritance, advesaries become allies and the kidnappers become his albatross.
The story is well crafted with good training montages, fight scenes and mystic crafting, along with interesting takes on magical theory.
Though I am not a big fan of stat pages, and game mechanics to assign XP and hit points they werent too onerous. The MC did have to work hard to develop his physical and mystic skills by practicing and experimenting.
I was disapointed that one story arc semed to have been left hanging. The MC's former boss, the shopkeeper was summoned by the lawgiver (to his great distress), but the arc stalled there as there was nothing further. No reason for the summons, no outcome, no connection to the troubles the kidnapping adventurers caused; nothing. That was disappointing.
The epilogue was quite interesting as it set the stage for higher level conflicts from human and fae potentates, as well as the machinations of a (temporarily) captive demon. I look forward to continuing this intriguing story. It became even more interesting when the epilogue introduced the backstory of the void court's schemes.
An orphan who is sensitive to mana, but who cannot wield it himself grows up in a harsh environment. He gets kidnapped by high level, but also highly mercenary adventurers. They are on a quest on behalf of a pretender to the throne (of sorts). As the MC begins to come into his inheritance, advesaries become allies and the kidnappers become his albatross.
The story is well crafted with good training montages, fight scenes and mystic crafting, along with interesting takes on magical theory.
Though I am not a big fan of stat pages, and game mechanics to assign XP and hit points they werent too onerous. The MC did have to work hard to develop his physical and mystic skills by practicing and experimenting.
I was disapointed that one story arc semed to have been left hanging. The MC's former boss, the shopkeeper was summoned by the lawgiver (to his great distress), but the arc stalled there as there was nothing further. No reason for the summons, no outcome, no connection to the troubles the kidnapping adventurers caused; nothing. That was disappointing.
The epilogue was quite interesting as it set the stage for higher level conflicts from human and fae potentates, as well as the machinations of a (temporarily) captive demon. I look forward to continuing this intriguing story. It became even more interesting when the epilogue introduced the backstory of the void court's schemes.
April 18, 2025
5 star first read 6 star second read
Note: I am a Patreon supporter of this author.
First read thru on Patreon was awesome, second read thru on Kindle after buying the book was better. There are multiple places with subtle hints to what will happen later in the book that make multiple reads enjoyable, and I would not be surprised to find a third read thru after book 2 comes out results in more hints being uncovered in book 1.
Spoilers Below:
I love the universe that is being built here. A system universe that appears to be well defined, dungeon system that can link worlds, and magic/void dichotomy that is refreshing. Can’t wait to see how many big bads we face in this series with 5 potentials of different levels shown. Can’t wait for book 2 and more information about Tad’s father.
Note: I am a Patreon supporter of this author.
First read thru on Patreon was awesome, second read thru on Kindle after buying the book was better. There are multiple places with subtle hints to what will happen later in the book that make multiple reads enjoyable, and I would not be surprised to find a third read thru after book 2 comes out results in more hints being uncovered in book 1.
Spoilers Below:
I love the universe that is being built here. A system universe that appears to be well defined, dungeon system that can link worlds, and magic/void dichotomy that is refreshing. Can’t wait to see how many big bads we face in this series with 5 potentials of different levels shown. Can’t wait for book 2 and more information about Tad’s father.
July 8, 2025
Another great story, world and an interesting magical class and race combo
I really enjoyed Tad’s beginning story and training arc, can’t wait to see what’s next!
Orphaned and barely surviving working and living in the back of a store, he is suddenly thrust into a life of adventure in a dungeon that he is dozens of levels too low for. As he wakes up from his kidnapping and finds himself nearly a space to some callous adventurers, Tad must find more inside himself than he ever imagined as life now demands more than being a store shelf stocker or a porter. The only question left is, does Tad have the drive to survive and grow stronger? He has a kind heart that will guide who he becomes unless the dangerous trials of his life turn him bitter.
I really enjoyed Tad’s beginning story and training arc, can’t wait to see what’s next!
Orphaned and barely surviving working and living in the back of a store, he is suddenly thrust into a life of adventure in a dungeon that he is dozens of levels too low for. As he wakes up from his kidnapping and finds himself nearly a space to some callous adventurers, Tad must find more inside himself than he ever imagined as life now demands more than being a store shelf stocker or a porter. The only question left is, does Tad have the drive to survive and grow stronger? He has a kind heart that will guide who he becomes unless the dangerous trials of his life turn him bitter.
December 8, 2025
Enjoyable, though I had some problems with how the main character acts after the inciting event. I also found it a little silly/irritating how the inner monologue would be like "I longed to do this certainly foolish thing that would get me in trouble!" and then the next paragraph would be like "But I decided not to, because that would be foolish". It's a frequent occurrence.
There's a lot of mysterious hinting that isn't resolved very quickly, if at all, but it's often presented in a way that promises future payoff. Unfortunately this means ole Tad doesn't know much about himself, from what race he even is to his character (which is quite wobbly).
I think I shall read the sequel despite being a bit burned out on multi-part series at the moment.
There's a lot of mysterious hinting that isn't resolved very quickly, if at all, but it's often presented in a way that promises future payoff. Unfortunately this means ole Tad doesn't know much about himself, from what race he even is to his character (which is quite wobbly).
I think I shall read the sequel despite being a bit burned out on multi-part series at the moment.
January 22, 2026
Saw this a while back. The cover made me never read the blurb. Then I read and liked the author's Welcome to the Multiverse series, and book two of this book just popped up in front of me.... so I read book one's blurb and it seems he can make things. So I will give this a go.
This wasn't too bad. I don't mind picking up the sequel.
This would have been crazy if it was someone with Earth's knowledge. Imagine crafting hover bikes, or disintegration ray guns.
I wonder if the next book is going to be lizard romance. Some weird human-lizard offspring.
3/5 Stars>/b>
This wasn't too bad. I don't mind picking up the sequel.
This would have been crazy if it was someone with Earth's knowledge. Imagine crafting hover bikes, or disintegration ray guns.
I wonder if the next book is going to be lizard romance. Some weird human-lizard offspring.
3/5 Stars>/b>
April 14, 2025
wow! orphaned as a child he never wanted to enter a dungeon
Tad an orphan has no core never wanted to be an adventurer but he was kidnapped and found himself in a dungeon with the ultimatum fight or die…
Tad is something special knowing as a sniffer. He can “smell” magic and the different qualities of magic at least that’s what his kidnappers think. He can change magical enchantments. Armed with a stat boosting flask he needs a find a way to fight and survive. I don’t want to give the story away but I am looking forward to the second book
Tad an orphan has no core never wanted to be an adventurer but he was kidnapped and found himself in a dungeon with the ultimatum fight or die…
Tad is something special knowing as a sniffer. He can “smell” magic and the different qualities of magic at least that’s what his kidnappers think. He can change magical enchantments. Armed with a stat boosting flask he needs a find a way to fight and survive. I don’t want to give the story away but I am looking forward to the second book
June 9, 2025
I hope the editor credited on the cover did development work because the copy editing is poor. That being said, I’m happy I pushed through the mistakes (repeated words, the occasional garbled sentence, etc.) to get to the story.
I had fun with the MC. He’s absolutely OP, but there’s satisfaction in that, probably because the antagonists ATA. I especially like that he doesn’t just fight. Instead, there’s a lot of time spent on him bettering the lives of others. The crafting elements are cool and I am looking forward to seeing more. I’m interested in his heritage and where his powers go.
I had fun with the MC. He’s absolutely OP, but there’s satisfaction in that, probably because the antagonists ATA. I especially like that he doesn’t just fight. Instead, there’s a lot of time spent on him bettering the lives of others. The crafting elements are cool and I am looking forward to seeing more. I’m interested in his heritage and where his powers go.
April 16, 2025
Enjoyable and excited for the next one!
I thought it was a great read. The first half is a bit slow, but it's getting you used to the world and circumstances but the second half I couldn't put it down and loved the journey that was taking place. I've read his other series and enjoy it a lot but, this one felt like it had more meaning with his skills if that makes sense. Loved it and huge recommendation for it. Interesting ideas, love it!
I thought it was a great read. The first half is a bit slow, but it's getting you used to the world and circumstances but the second half I couldn't put it down and loved the journey that was taking place. I've read his other series and enjoy it a lot but, this one felt like it had more meaning with his skills if that makes sense. Loved it and huge recommendation for it. Interesting ideas, love it!
April 23, 2025
Sean Oswald Starts a Great New Series
Wow, I really loved this one. The story follows a young man who discovers a special magic he has, and in the course of being dragged into a dungeon finds a way to make the best of a bad situation.
I think the world building is cool. I like that maybe it could be a in a world connected to others that are in the Oswald Multiverse… and I’m very excited to see where book two goes. Can’t wait til July.
Wow, I really loved this one. The story follows a young man who discovers a special magic he has, and in the course of being dragged into a dungeon finds a way to make the best of a bad situation.
I think the world building is cool. I like that maybe it could be a in a world connected to others that are in the Oswald Multiverse… and I’m very excited to see where book two goes. Can’t wait til July.
June 4, 2025
Manipulation
Tad has no memories from before he woke up on a beach clutching a pendant. With no known family, he grew up in an orphanage before getting a job with a merchant to manage inventory. It helps that he has always been able to smell magic. That was when an adventuring party decided that he would be joining them in the dungeon to help sniff out magic items, whether he wanted to or not.
This is the start to a great litrpg series! The magic system is well defined and the enchantments even more so. Tad is a very interesting character and I’m looking forward to seeing him develop more. It is not official, but I suspect that this series will be attached to Welcome to the Multiverse. One side note, the bonus chapter at the end is a preview for a different book all together. Giancarlo and Hannah Schooner do a great job with the duel narration.
Content Warning: none in Manipulation, but language in the bonus chapter
Tad has no memories from before he woke up on a beach clutching a pendant. With no known family, he grew up in an orphanage before getting a job with a merchant to manage inventory. It helps that he has always been able to smell magic. That was when an adventuring party decided that he would be joining them in the dungeon to help sniff out magic items, whether he wanted to or not.
This is the start to a great litrpg series! The magic system is well defined and the enchantments even more so. Tad is a very interesting character and I’m looking forward to seeing him develop more. It is not official, but I suspect that this series will be attached to Welcome to the Multiverse. One side note, the bonus chapter at the end is a preview for a different book all together. Giancarlo and Hannah Schooner do a great job with the duel narration.
Content Warning: none in Manipulation, but language in the bonus chapter
August 22, 2025
Y4 and not 5
The only reason that it got 4 stars was proofreading. On a couple of occasions Characters ended up entering the same Room they were already in , There's also the fact That 6 months after He entered the new world he still had 88% of the shared life.
Is this being petty? There is nothing more frustrating than to be caught up in a story and then have a glaring mistake like that kick you out.
The only reason that it got 4 stars was proofreading. On a couple of occasions Characters ended up entering the same Room they were already in , There's also the fact That 6 months after He entered the new world he still had 88% of the shared life.
Is this being petty? There is nothing more frustrating than to be caught up in a story and then have a glaring mistake like that kick you out.
October 25, 2025
ugly duckling
An orphan washed ashore, growing up in a town surrounding a spatial anomaly, gets abducted for his hidden talent by some Scary People, finds his way to slowly grow his power.
Lots of exploring the nature of magic and how dungeons and systems behave.
The morally grey characters lost out on a chance of a lifetime, because they treated the least of them (who may become their better) with disdain.
An orphan washed ashore, growing up in a town surrounding a spatial anomaly, gets abducted for his hidden talent by some Scary People, finds his way to slowly grow his power.
Lots of exploring the nature of magic and how dungeons and systems behave.
The morally grey characters lost out on a chance of a lifetime, because they treated the least of them (who may become their better) with disdain.
December 11, 2025
Overall a good book, abrupt ending
I enjoyed the story a lot, it's a nice refreshing tale, definitely has enough twists to keep you guessing about where it's going. The ending felt extremely rushed and unfulfilling, with the main character making a choice that seemed completely at odds with everything else he'd done, but I'll still pick up the next one. Also not a fan of the satire-esque references, they felt jarring and shoehorned into an otherwise serious fantasy.
I enjoyed the story a lot, it's a nice refreshing tale, definitely has enough twists to keep you guessing about where it's going. The ending felt extremely rushed and unfulfilling, with the main character making a choice that seemed completely at odds with everything else he'd done, but I'll still pick up the next one. Also not a fan of the satire-esque references, they felt jarring and shoehorned into an otherwise serious fantasy.
January 13, 2026
This book is pretty much
Boy refuses to do thing.
Boy gets kidnapped.
Psycho girl blinks at him
He's now her willing slave.
4 hours in. This is just abuse porn.
Updated rating to 1.
Written by a dude who clearly loves to be stepped on and manipulated. This is Abuse Kink porn. I rarely delete books from my server but this one is an exception.
Stopped at ~6.3 hours into the book.
Boy refuses to do thing.
Boy gets kidnapped.
Psycho girl blinks at him
He's now her willing slave.
4 hours in. This is just abuse porn.
Updated rating to 1.
Written by a dude who clearly loves to be stepped on and manipulated. This is Abuse Kink porn. I rarely delete books from my server but this one is an exception.
Stopped at ~6.3 hours into the book.
February 11, 2026
Good Storyline. Great Character Development. The main character goes from nothing to better but not overpowered and does struggle. He also isn't perfect in anything combat but above average. The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star is because the secondary "behind the scenes" stuff is confusing as well as when he does his talent. I'm sure the first will be cleared up in the next series of books though.
April 19, 2025
An intriguing premise and powerset
Cool powerset for sure and a fun premise, lots left obscured even at the end, but that just builds anclticipation for book 2. The MC is smart and controlled while also showing his immaturity as a teen. Decent supporting cast and very similar litrpg elements as Seans other books so that's easy to pick up.
Cool powerset for sure and a fun premise, lots left obscured even at the end, but that just builds anclticipation for book 2. The MC is smart and controlled while also showing his immaturity as a teen. Decent supporting cast and very similar litrpg elements as Seans other books so that's easy to pick up.
April 19, 2025
WOW! Amazing start to a new series
Outstanding story that kept me gripped from start to finish! Excellent blend of character development with solid world building. Highly recommended to all LitRPG fans that enjoy a great story with a novel twist to the magic series. Can’t wait for the next book!
Outstanding story that kept me gripped from start to finish! Excellent blend of character development with solid world building. Highly recommended to all LitRPG fans that enjoy a great story with a novel twist to the magic series. Can’t wait for the next book!
April 21, 2025
Definitely top 5 author
Read all of your books your writing style is expert and professional and can immersive the most beginner readers. Having read so much lit RPGs it's a breath of fresh air when you read a litrpg with an original powerset. Takes you back when LitRpg was just hitting the shelves
Read all of your books your writing style is expert and professional and can immersive the most beginner readers. Having read so much lit RPGs it's a breath of fresh air when you read a litrpg with an original powerset. Takes you back when LitRpg was just hitting the shelves
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