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Portals of Infinity #2
The God Game
Will’s life has definitely changed since that day he went hiking in the woods of Pennsylvania. He’s discovered that reality is a lot bigger and stranger than he had ever imagined. Learning about the portals that link the infinite number of worlds opened his eyes to that wider reality. Learning that he was being groomed to become the Champion of a God in one of those realities was an even more startling discovery.
But now it’s time for him to pay the bill for his ‘recruitment’. Just as the Gods on a single world fight and jockey for power and position, the older Gods from the many different spheres of the infinite play a much larger and more complicated game. The Goddess Aryanna has a quest she needs completed, and William and four other Champions are the ones tasked to do it.
What bothers Will however is what could a Goddess possibly need? And why would it take five Champions to retrieve it?
But now it’s time for him to pay the bill for his ‘recruitment’. Just as the Gods on a single world fight and jockey for power and position, the older Gods from the many different spheres of the infinite play a much larger and more complicated game. The Goddess Aryanna has a quest she needs completed, and William and four other Champions are the ones tasked to do it.
What bothers Will however is what could a Goddess possibly need? And why would it take five Champions to retrieve it?
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2014
306 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
John Van Stry
48 books364 followersI've had a very varied life. I grew up in New York, on Long Island.
I went to school to become an Engineer, then joined the Air Force.
After that I worked first in Robotics, then in Aerospace as a Flight Test Engineer. I moved into the medical fields, then into more Technical markets working for a number of high tech companies where I became a Contractor.
I used to own and raise big cats. I love motorcycles and old cars. I'm a pilot and former martial arts instructor. I'm a fan of the Reno Air Races.
Then there's the stuff I'm not supposed to talk about, but that's another story.
I've seen a lot of interesting stuff go by, met a lot of interesting, wonderful, strange, or sometimes just psychotic people. I've had the opportunity to work on some truly game changing technologies. And while I've had some very bad things happen to me in my life, I've never let it stop me.
Keep smiling.
-John
I went to school to become an Engineer, then joined the Air Force.
After that I worked first in Robotics, then in Aerospace as a Flight Test Engineer. I moved into the medical fields, then into more Technical markets working for a number of high tech companies where I became a Contractor.
I used to own and raise big cats. I love motorcycles and old cars. I'm a pilot and former martial arts instructor. I'm a fan of the Reno Air Races.
Then there's the stuff I'm not supposed to talk about, but that's another story.
I've seen a lot of interesting stuff go by, met a lot of interesting, wonderful, strange, or sometimes just psychotic people. I've had the opportunity to work on some truly game changing technologies. And while I've had some very bad things happen to me in my life, I've never let it stop me.
Keep smiling.
-John
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
May 8, 2020
I just blew through the first five book in this series so they are getting the same review. Also, I listened to audio books but since those editions aren't listed on Goodreads.com at this time my reviews are going under other editions.
This review has gotten a little long so I'm going to start with an executive summary: If you like world traveler and/or D&D style books you'll probably like these. In general these books are good enough so that a reader predisposed to enjoy them will. If you are that kind of reader you may want to save yourself the time it would take to read this review and go give book 1 a try.
Book summaries: (Note, read at your own risk. I stopped calling out spoilers after the first one.)
Book 1: The MC, Will, finds a portal to a D&D style world. The world isn't named but the city Will comes to treat as home here is "Hillshire" so that's what I'll call this world. Will immediately develops an inter-portal bow trading scheme- Hillshire citizens pay top gold for the better performing modern earth bows while modern Americans pay top dollar for the high quality authentic medieval bows from Hillshire.
While traveling in pursuit of his business Will meets and marries Darlene. Will returns to earth to resupply on modern bows. When Will attempts to return to Hillshire he discovers the portal has disappeared. This leads to Will agreeing to serve as "champion" for the god Feliogustus (Fel for short). In return for his service Fel will help Will get back to Hilshire. Will therefore takes a portal to a cat beast-kin world where he rescues Queen Rachel of the city state Hiland from being sacrificed to an opposing god. Hiland is being invaded by the neighboring city state of Muland. Will, using his knowledge of ancient battles from earth, creates a battle strategy to overcome the 2 to 1 disadvantage faced by the defending Hiland forces. [SKIP THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH TO AVOID SPOILERS] The plan succeeds and Will leads a counterattack that chases the Mulanders all the way back to their city and captures it, contrary to the orders of Fel. Fel only wanted his city to survive, the conquest of Muland effectively wipes out its god and creates hostility towards Fel from his fellow gods. That hostility is muted, however, since Fel can prove to his fellow gods that Will went against his orders.
Book 2: Will tracks down another champion in the hopes of learning more about being champion. This results in Will learning that this champion, Stephanie, was his former girlfriend on earth. Stephanie had been sent to vet Will for Fel. Stephanie's goddess, Aryanna, has put together a team of five champions to take on a difficult mission the details of which are to be kept hidden, even from Stephanie, so another god can't learn of it should they die. It eventually comes out that the route the 5 champions are taking is the reverse of Odysseus' "Odyssey". It also comes out that one of the 5 champions, Cenewyg, is a bad guy. This is where the author's inability to write suspense becomes obvious since he makes it clear Cenewyg is a bad guy but his only method for Will and Stephanie not addressing the viper in their midst until the climax is them denying what they are witnessing.
Book 3: Now that Queen Rachel controls two large city states she sends Will as emissary to three smaller cities adjoining her territory. Will presents Queen Rachel's offer to allow the smaller cities to join her kingdom. Will is also to assist in the building of temples for Fel in the three cities.
Muland was supplying slaves to an even larger city and the three smaller cities were preyed upon by the Mulanders before the Mulanders were defeated and annexed by Hiland. As a result the three cities are friendly toward Hiland and the first of the cities accepts Queen Rachel's offer immediately. The second city only took slightly longer but then the temple being constructed to Fel is repeatedly attacked and damaged. Eventually the temple is completed to the point where Will can head to the third city but two things became clear during his time in the second city: There is at least one hidden temple to another god in the second city and its priests were behind the attacks on Fel's temple.
On the way to the third city Will & co. are attacked by followers of Tantrus, the god of the city Barassa, the primary slave trading city. The attackers didn't know a champion was present, the result being that the attack was fought off, albeit with casualties. Will then tracked the attackers to their camp and in a holy rage slaughters them. Will is then inspired to establish a temple to Fel in the hidden valley where the attackers were holed up.
Will gets to city 3 and meets its leader when he has to run back to city 2 because an overwhelming attack there destroyed Fel's temple. The attackers were done up to look like musicians but Will was able to see though that. Still, the attempt to blame the musicians that follow the local god of music, Fordessa, results in Fel and Fordessa forming a pantheon.
Will's investigation turns up a secret temple to Tantrus which is destroyed in a pitched battle. This reveals that Tantrus has been setting up secret temples in other gods' territories which turns the local gods against him. Next Will encounters grassland tribesmen who ride "wolats" (large wolves) like horses. Will makes a deal to purchase wolats with the idea of starting a cavalry for Hiland.
Next Will is loaned out to Aryanna to vet possible champions. This results in Jane being recruited as champion for Fordessa. After Will returns to visit his family on earth and his sister, Nikki, (who has recently left the army) noses into what Will has been up to and ends up traveling to Hillshire with Will. Nikki takes to Hillshire and remains there when Will heads back to Hiland (Nikki thereafter becoming Aryanna's champion). A fourth city is in negotiation to join Hiland so Will and Queen Rachel head there with Hiland's nascent cavalry. While there, the agreement is signed but word comes of a Tantrus attack on the Hiland palace so they return at speed. Will, Jane and a third allied champion locate a major temple to Tantrus, attack it, killing the high priest and running off the champion dealing a major blow to Tantrus.
Book 4: Will scouts Barassa and ends up rescuing a 13 year old slave girl, Goth. Will failed to discover any weaknesses in Barassa's defenses so Hiland decides to wage economic warfare against them by doing what they can to stop slaves from flowing into the city. By mischance both of Fel's missionaries to the grassland tribes died so next Will is tasked with finding replacements and shepherding them to the grasslands. Will participates in a tribesman raid on a caravan passing through the grasslands. The caravan turns out to be carrying a large number of slaves for Barassa and Will convinces the tribes to step up their attacks and include Hiland cavalry. Will returns to Hiland to get the cavalry and Queen Rachel accompanies him on the return to the grasslands to open relations with the tribes. After Rachel heads back to Hiland Will encounters Evian, the champion of the god Rodin. Evian bizarrely and against her god's wishes, attempts to kill Will. The followers of Rodin are ejected from the grasslands as a result. Will stays in the grasslands until spring when a large caravan with military escort is discovered. Will leads the raids to slow the caravan so a large enough force can be mustered to take it. Will is successful but dies. Book 4 ends with Will speaking with Fel about the campaign while awaiting his reincarnation.
Book 5: In book 2 Will had to spend a couple of months as a female. During that time he became pregnant but moved on before giving birth. Now the gods tell Will he must return and have his baby or lose it for good. So Will returns but he made enemies in that realm so Will spends much of his 6 months there on the run. Once the baby, Cam, is born it is immediately kidnapped (no information is given about how Will was found but that is a theme throughout this book). Will is killed during the kidnapping and reincarnates in Hiland. Will puts together a team of champions and heads to earth to arm and train. Since Cenewyg, the villain from book 2, was an arms dealer in South Africa, the team heads there. The kidnappers have low quality guns so raiding Cenewyg's armory gives Will's team a weapons advantage. While there Will discovers that Cenewyg was practicing human sacrifices to an unknown god. Will's team rescues Cam. Cam is then placed with Will's wife in Hillshire (Darlene). Darlene is told that Cam is Nikki's child (Will's sister and the local champion).
Will then returns to Hiland. Barassa is attacking Marland, the lone city between Barassa and Hiland. So Hiland rides to the aid of Marland and Will rides with them. After the Barassans are forced to withdraw the King of Marland insanely turns on the Hilanders. The Marland army, however, is quickly sidelined and Will and Jane confront the King. In return for signing over his kingdom to Hiland the king is allowed to leave with what gold he can carry and any retainers who choose to join him.
A few months go by and Will receives word that Cam has been kidnapped by Cenewyg (we aren't told how Cenewyg found Cam). Will and Nikki begin chasing Cenewyg through world gates. It eventually becomes clear where Cenewyg is heading. At the end of book 2 Stephanie became a god.
Stephanie, thanks to the gender swapping realm, is also Cam's father. Cenewyg believes sacrificing Cam in Stephanie's realm will give Cenewyg power. Will and Nikki get ahead of Cenewyg and lie in wait for him at the final world gate but Cenewyg's troops are attacking to take control of the gate and so Will and Nikki have to help Stephanie's followers fight them off. Cenewyg shows up and fights Will to a standstill but Will manages to turn that into mutual death. This allows Will to speak with Stephanie who explains the alters on earth were to the god Cenewyg hoped to become. Stephanie also explains that Cenewyg can't be reincarnated for a year and that if Will can destroy Cenewyg's cult on earth in that time Cenewyg won't reincarnate at all.
The closing scene is Will explaining to an FBI agent that the agent's boss is dead because the boss belonged to Cenewyg's cult. No explanation how Will discovered that.
The review:
Books 1 and 2 have slow story development because author spends lots of time on world building. This author does not have the knack of building a world as he goes so we get lengthy explanations of some things. This is less of an issue in book 2 thanks to side adventures. Not really an issue in books 3-5 since the author has most of the background in place by that time.
The author is poor at writing action. In one fight (book 1), where the MC takes on 3 robbers, two of the robbers do little more than stand and wait for the MC to get to them. In a major battle (book 1) essentially all the reader is told is that the MC leads a charge and thanks to his heightened abilities hacks and slashes his way to success. In book 3 there is a fight at an aggressor god's temple and the wounded and injured list given at the end of the fight makes no sense compared to what the reader is told about the fight. In this fight Will fights another champion and at one point Will has both his hands occupied, one pinned with an arrow and the other removing the arrow, and yet the opposing champion doesn't kill him?
The author has no ability to write suspense. This is primarily an issue in book 2 where the author makes it completely obvious who the bad guy will turn out to be but has his characters repeatedly deny the obvious to tell the story he wants to tell. While I like a good straightforward story, this author crosses the line into over simplistic.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE TERRIFIC THING ABOUT THESE BOOKS: The MC is actually polite. I can't believe the number of times I've read books where the MC is rude to someone for no reason but the reader isn't suppose to notice because it is the MC. This is particularly noticeable in fantasy books where the MC will meet a god, king or other noble or powerful entity and act like a jerk AND NOT GET BEHEADED???
There is also one well above average aspect to these books: They don't rely on stupidity to move the story forward. Many times the author doesn't explain things that should be explained (like how Will discovers Cenewyg's pet FBI agent) but that's not the same as being stupid.
Book length is too short:
Book 1: 162 pages
Book 2: 164 pages
Book 3: 198 pages
Book 4: 166 pages
Book 5: 279 pages
With some decent editing these 5 mediocre books could have been tightened up into one good book, but then the author/publisher would have received less money.
The author is BAD at story resolution in general. Book 4 in particular, ends at the very beginning of a military campaign so absolutely no resolution there at all. This is a serious problem in modern publishing- authors seem to be trying to increase book sales by telling incomplete stories. In other words, it seems to have become acceptable to try to get readers to come back for the rest of the story rather than BECAUSE THE AUTHOR ACTUALLY DID A GOOD JOB.
Bottom line: These books can be enjoyed but they require the reader to meet them halfway by over looking many flaws.
This review has gotten a little long so I'm going to start with an executive summary: If you like world traveler and/or D&D style books you'll probably like these. In general these books are good enough so that a reader predisposed to enjoy them will. If you are that kind of reader you may want to save yourself the time it would take to read this review and go give book 1 a try.
Book summaries: (Note, read at your own risk. I stopped calling out spoilers after the first one.)
Book 1: The MC, Will, finds a portal to a D&D style world. The world isn't named but the city Will comes to treat as home here is "Hillshire" so that's what I'll call this world. Will immediately develops an inter-portal bow trading scheme- Hillshire citizens pay top gold for the better performing modern earth bows while modern Americans pay top dollar for the high quality authentic medieval bows from Hillshire.
While traveling in pursuit of his business Will meets and marries Darlene. Will returns to earth to resupply on modern bows. When Will attempts to return to Hillshire he discovers the portal has disappeared. This leads to Will agreeing to serve as "champion" for the god Feliogustus (Fel for short). In return for his service Fel will help Will get back to Hilshire. Will therefore takes a portal to a cat beast-kin world where he rescues Queen Rachel of the city state Hiland from being sacrificed to an opposing god. Hiland is being invaded by the neighboring city state of Muland. Will, using his knowledge of ancient battles from earth, creates a battle strategy to overcome the 2 to 1 disadvantage faced by the defending Hiland forces. [SKIP THE REST OF THIS PARAGRAPH TO AVOID SPOILERS] The plan succeeds and Will leads a counterattack that chases the Mulanders all the way back to their city and captures it, contrary to the orders of Fel. Fel only wanted his city to survive, the conquest of Muland effectively wipes out its god and creates hostility towards Fel from his fellow gods. That hostility is muted, however, since Fel can prove to his fellow gods that Will went against his orders.
Book 2: Will tracks down another champion in the hopes of learning more about being champion. This results in Will learning that this champion, Stephanie, was his former girlfriend on earth. Stephanie had been sent to vet Will for Fel. Stephanie's goddess, Aryanna, has put together a team of five champions to take on a difficult mission the details of which are to be kept hidden, even from Stephanie, so another god can't learn of it should they die. It eventually comes out that the route the 5 champions are taking is the reverse of Odysseus' "Odyssey". It also comes out that one of the 5 champions, Cenewyg, is a bad guy. This is where the author's inability to write suspense becomes obvious since he makes it clear Cenewyg is a bad guy but his only method for Will and Stephanie not addressing the viper in their midst until the climax is them denying what they are witnessing.
Book 3: Now that Queen Rachel controls two large city states she sends Will as emissary to three smaller cities adjoining her territory. Will presents Queen Rachel's offer to allow the smaller cities to join her kingdom. Will is also to assist in the building of temples for Fel in the three cities.
Muland was supplying slaves to an even larger city and the three smaller cities were preyed upon by the Mulanders before the Mulanders were defeated and annexed by Hiland. As a result the three cities are friendly toward Hiland and the first of the cities accepts Queen Rachel's offer immediately. The second city only took slightly longer but then the temple being constructed to Fel is repeatedly attacked and damaged. Eventually the temple is completed to the point where Will can head to the third city but two things became clear during his time in the second city: There is at least one hidden temple to another god in the second city and its priests were behind the attacks on Fel's temple.
On the way to the third city Will & co. are attacked by followers of Tantrus, the god of the city Barassa, the primary slave trading city. The attackers didn't know a champion was present, the result being that the attack was fought off, albeit with casualties. Will then tracked the attackers to their camp and in a holy rage slaughters them. Will is then inspired to establish a temple to Fel in the hidden valley where the attackers were holed up.
Will gets to city 3 and meets its leader when he has to run back to city 2 because an overwhelming attack there destroyed Fel's temple. The attackers were done up to look like musicians but Will was able to see though that. Still, the attempt to blame the musicians that follow the local god of music, Fordessa, results in Fel and Fordessa forming a pantheon.
Will's investigation turns up a secret temple to Tantrus which is destroyed in a pitched battle. This reveals that Tantrus has been setting up secret temples in other gods' territories which turns the local gods against him. Next Will encounters grassland tribesmen who ride "wolats" (large wolves) like horses. Will makes a deal to purchase wolats with the idea of starting a cavalry for Hiland.
Next Will is loaned out to Aryanna to vet possible champions. This results in Jane being recruited as champion for Fordessa. After Will returns to visit his family on earth and his sister, Nikki, (who has recently left the army) noses into what Will has been up to and ends up traveling to Hillshire with Will. Nikki takes to Hillshire and remains there when Will heads back to Hiland (Nikki thereafter becoming Aryanna's champion). A fourth city is in negotiation to join Hiland so Will and Queen Rachel head there with Hiland's nascent cavalry. While there, the agreement is signed but word comes of a Tantrus attack on the Hiland palace so they return at speed. Will, Jane and a third allied champion locate a major temple to Tantrus, attack it, killing the high priest and running off the champion dealing a major blow to Tantrus.
Book 4: Will scouts Barassa and ends up rescuing a 13 year old slave girl, Goth. Will failed to discover any weaknesses in Barassa's defenses so Hiland decides to wage economic warfare against them by doing what they can to stop slaves from flowing into the city. By mischance both of Fel's missionaries to the grassland tribes died so next Will is tasked with finding replacements and shepherding them to the grasslands. Will participates in a tribesman raid on a caravan passing through the grasslands. The caravan turns out to be carrying a large number of slaves for Barassa and Will convinces the tribes to step up their attacks and include Hiland cavalry. Will returns to Hiland to get the cavalry and Queen Rachel accompanies him on the return to the grasslands to open relations with the tribes. After Rachel heads back to Hiland Will encounters Evian, the champion of the god Rodin. Evian bizarrely and against her god's wishes, attempts to kill Will. The followers of Rodin are ejected from the grasslands as a result. Will stays in the grasslands until spring when a large caravan with military escort is discovered. Will leads the raids to slow the caravan so a large enough force can be mustered to take it. Will is successful but dies. Book 4 ends with Will speaking with Fel about the campaign while awaiting his reincarnation.
Book 5: In book 2 Will had to spend a couple of months as a female. During that time he became pregnant but moved on before giving birth. Now the gods tell Will he must return and have his baby or lose it for good. So Will returns but he made enemies in that realm so Will spends much of his 6 months there on the run. Once the baby, Cam, is born it is immediately kidnapped (no information is given about how Will was found but that is a theme throughout this book). Will is killed during the kidnapping and reincarnates in Hiland. Will puts together a team of champions and heads to earth to arm and train. Since Cenewyg, the villain from book 2, was an arms dealer in South Africa, the team heads there. The kidnappers have low quality guns so raiding Cenewyg's armory gives Will's team a weapons advantage. While there Will discovers that Cenewyg was practicing human sacrifices to an unknown god. Will's team rescues Cam. Cam is then placed with Will's wife in Hillshire (Darlene). Darlene is told that Cam is Nikki's child (Will's sister and the local champion).
Will then returns to Hiland. Barassa is attacking Marland, the lone city between Barassa and Hiland. So Hiland rides to the aid of Marland and Will rides with them. After the Barassans are forced to withdraw the King of Marland insanely turns on the Hilanders. The Marland army, however, is quickly sidelined and Will and Jane confront the King. In return for signing over his kingdom to Hiland the king is allowed to leave with what gold he can carry and any retainers who choose to join him.
A few months go by and Will receives word that Cam has been kidnapped by Cenewyg (we aren't told how Cenewyg found Cam). Will and Nikki begin chasing Cenewyg through world gates. It eventually becomes clear where Cenewyg is heading. At the end of book 2 Stephanie became a god.
Stephanie, thanks to the gender swapping realm, is also Cam's father. Cenewyg believes sacrificing Cam in Stephanie's realm will give Cenewyg power. Will and Nikki get ahead of Cenewyg and lie in wait for him at the final world gate but Cenewyg's troops are attacking to take control of the gate and so Will and Nikki have to help Stephanie's followers fight them off. Cenewyg shows up and fights Will to a standstill but Will manages to turn that into mutual death. This allows Will to speak with Stephanie who explains the alters on earth were to the god Cenewyg hoped to become. Stephanie also explains that Cenewyg can't be reincarnated for a year and that if Will can destroy Cenewyg's cult on earth in that time Cenewyg won't reincarnate at all.
The closing scene is Will explaining to an FBI agent that the agent's boss is dead because the boss belonged to Cenewyg's cult. No explanation how Will discovered that.
The review:
Books 1 and 2 have slow story development because author spends lots of time on world building. This author does not have the knack of building a world as he goes so we get lengthy explanations of some things. This is less of an issue in book 2 thanks to side adventures. Not really an issue in books 3-5 since the author has most of the background in place by that time.
The author is poor at writing action. In one fight (book 1), where the MC takes on 3 robbers, two of the robbers do little more than stand and wait for the MC to get to them. In a major battle (book 1) essentially all the reader is told is that the MC leads a charge and thanks to his heightened abilities hacks and slashes his way to success. In book 3 there is a fight at an aggressor god's temple and the wounded and injured list given at the end of the fight makes no sense compared to what the reader is told about the fight. In this fight Will fights another champion and at one point Will has both his hands occupied, one pinned with an arrow and the other removing the arrow, and yet the opposing champion doesn't kill him?
The author has no ability to write suspense. This is primarily an issue in book 2 where the author makes it completely obvious who the bad guy will turn out to be but has his characters repeatedly deny the obvious to tell the story he wants to tell. While I like a good straightforward story, this author crosses the line into over simplistic.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE TERRIFIC THING ABOUT THESE BOOKS: The MC is actually polite. I can't believe the number of times I've read books where the MC is rude to someone for no reason but the reader isn't suppose to notice because it is the MC. This is particularly noticeable in fantasy books where the MC will meet a god, king or other noble or powerful entity and act like a jerk AND NOT GET BEHEADED???
There is also one well above average aspect to these books: They don't rely on stupidity to move the story forward. Many times the author doesn't explain things that should be explained (like how Will discovers Cenewyg's pet FBI agent) but that's not the same as being stupid.
Book length is too short:
Book 1: 162 pages
Book 2: 164 pages
Book 3: 198 pages
Book 4: 166 pages
Book 5: 279 pages
With some decent editing these 5 mediocre books could have been tightened up into one good book, but then the author/publisher would have received less money.
The author is BAD at story resolution in general. Book 4 in particular, ends at the very beginning of a military campaign so absolutely no resolution there at all. This is a serious problem in modern publishing- authors seem to be trying to increase book sales by telling incomplete stories. In other words, it seems to have become acceptable to try to get readers to come back for the rest of the story rather than BECAUSE THE AUTHOR ACTUALLY DID A GOOD JOB.
Bottom line: These books can be enjoyed but they require the reader to meet them halfway by over looking many flaws.
March 16, 2017
Completely average except for the teenage boy sex fantasy fulfillment part. That was so bad it was funny. While there was no graphic depictions of any thing carnal a guy goes from being fired from his job in I don't remembersvile USA to the friend of one God and the Champion of another one with a few wives that get pregnant every time he graces their planet. But both wives (one a queen) are completely happy giving birth constantly and fine with him having a second wife and actually he can and does sleep with someone just about every night.
The second book is not as funny and the whole plot was basically stolen from the Odyssey but it was much shorter so it had that going for it .... the narrator for both books was good though
The second book is not as funny and the whole plot was basically stolen from the Odyssey but it was much shorter so it had that going for it .... the narrator for both books was good though
January 28, 2015
Excellent and Expanded
This story is easily as nice as the first book was, and expanded in scope to provide a larger story and plot. I hope the author writes more of these: they're good reads and there's a lot more potential storylines yet to read. Recommended.
This story is easily as nice as the first book was, and expanded in scope to provide a larger story and plot. I hope the author writes more of these: they're good reads and there's a lot more potential storylines yet to read. Recommended.
October 6, 2014
Good read
I love this story. The author has literally, an infinite number of directions to take the plot. I can't wait for more stories.
I love this story. The author has literally, an infinite number of directions to take the plot. I can't wait for more stories.
May 23, 2021
Rating 4.0 stars
Re-read August 2019. Initial review below.
Not quite as good as the first book but I still really enjoyed it. In fact, there were some parts I thought were funnier, but there was one huge story point that really got on my nerves.
There was some really funny points especially with the relationships between the champions. They all had sex with each other like it was no big deal and for the most part nobody got their feelings hurt. I guess being a champion, either male or female, made you kind of sex crazed? There was one really funny part about halfway through the story
Re-read August 2019. Initial review below.
Not quite as good as the first book but I still really enjoyed it. In fact, there were some parts I thought were funnier, but there was one huge story point that really got on my nerves.
There was some really funny points especially with the relationships between the champions. They all had sex with each other like it was no big deal and for the most part nobody got their feelings hurt. I guess being a champion, either male or female, made you kind of sex crazed? There was one really funny part about halfway through the story
February 11, 2015
Between Van Vogt and Famer
I am giving a five stars only because it is the second book and the impact of the new has faded a bit. Still very good, a tale told as it should be, light, interesting, not pretentious, and funny. Light humour, but good enough.
Five champions of different gods in quest about which they know little, and they will know about only at the end. Across a number of worlds which prove strangely enticing and the more they go on, the more they seem to know them, at least those champion coming from our planet and knowing classical stories. I am saying too much already. Plenty of fights, some sex, but not told in detail, just like a discharge of tension, and it is part of the links among the champions, about who sleeps with whom, helps build the team. How can they proceed if at the first world they are wiped out in a few minutes ?
For you to discover. You can read it standalone, but having read the first one is better. Still Felogustus and Aryanna as main gods, but we learn a little bit more about gods and how they can live and grow and prosper.
I am giving a five stars only because it is the second book and the impact of the new has faded a bit. Still very good, a tale told as it should be, light, interesting, not pretentious, and funny. Light humour, but good enough.
Five champions of different gods in quest about which they know little, and they will know about only at the end. Across a number of worlds which prove strangely enticing and the more they go on, the more they seem to know them, at least those champion coming from our planet and knowing classical stories. I am saying too much already. Plenty of fights, some sex, but not told in detail, just like a discharge of tension, and it is part of the links among the champions, about who sleeps with whom, helps build the team. How can they proceed if at the first world they are wiped out in a few minutes ?
For you to discover. You can read it standalone, but having read the first one is better. Still Felogustus and Aryanna as main gods, but we learn a little bit more about gods and how they can live and grow and prosper.
October 7, 2018
2.5 to 3 stars, Not as good as the first book for me but I am sure some people will still like it. I still think the series has potential and I will continue with it.
July 21, 2022
This time with body transformation
Oh by the way, this has got to be the smuttiest book that has no sex scenes I've ever read.
Many years ago I read a weird little book called Twilight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker. The theme of that book was body transformation. The main characters transform into something else every time they travel to a different zone. This body transmogrification was not cosmetic but had a profound impact on that person. And yet it was still you, but a different you.
This series, Portals of Infinity reminds me of that book, And The God Game even more so. This book is an epic travel adventure tale, but in each new land the characters become what the natives are. There is even a gender swap chapter that was handled very well. I had fun all the way through, except were I started to nod off a bit, but that was likely just me reading past midnight.
I'm really into this series. What a brilliant idea -This universe has infinite possibilities.
Oh by the way, this has got to be the smuttiest book that has no sex scenes I've ever read.
Many years ago I read a weird little book called Twilight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker. The theme of that book was body transformation. The main characters transform into something else every time they travel to a different zone. This body transmogrification was not cosmetic but had a profound impact on that person. And yet it was still you, but a different you.
This series, Portals of Infinity reminds me of that book, And The God Game even more so. This book is an epic travel adventure tale, but in each new land the characters become what the natives are. There is even a gender swap chapter that was handled very well. I had fun all the way through, except were I started to nod off a bit, but that was likely just me reading past midnight.
I'm really into this series. What a brilliant idea -This universe has infinite possibilities.
December 29, 2017
I find myself conflicted with the protagonist's shirking of parental duties. He claims to love his 2 wives (each on a different world) and has children. But the books never go into him having a relationship with his children. No playing with them. Nothing. We barely got their names.
I am hoping that there is quality time in future volumes.
The constant casual sex is one thing, but the apparent neglect of his children is taking away from my enjoyment.
I am hoping that there is quality time in future volumes.
The constant casual sex is one thing, but the apparent neglect of his children is taking away from my enjoyment.
August 28, 2019
I couldn't quite finish. I kept hoping it would improve, but no.
Even the main characters were paper thin. The narrative was reminiscent of children's stories. Things just kept happening, without warning or apparent consequence. But the breaking point, for me, was the ongoing and transparently deliberate ignorance of betrayal in the group's midst. The idiocy was at the level of "Oh, not to worry... I'm sure my leg will grow back in a little while."
Even the main characters were paper thin. The narrative was reminiscent of children's stories. Things just kept happening, without warning or apparent consequence. But the breaking point, for me, was the ongoing and transparently deliberate ignorance of betrayal in the group's midst. The idiocy was at the level of "Oh, not to worry... I'm sure my leg will grow back in a little while."
October 13, 2014
The first one was better, this book tries to solve the first ones lack of conflict by introducing a quest. Which turns out to be one giant sex orgy after another. Whats with books these days and all the sex, I liked the story just fine without it. I guess you need to bang everything in escapist fantasy.
February 4, 2016
I liked it
Good storyline, some plot twists and a bit funny at times. Does have a lot of sex, but as an adult reader it doesn't bother me. More typos than the last book, but bearable. Gonna read the next book and plan to keep going.
Good storyline, some plot twists and a bit funny at times. Does have a lot of sex, but as an adult reader it doesn't bother me. More typos than the last book, but bearable. Gonna read the next book and plan to keep going.
August 26, 2018
Awful book do not recommend. The book seems to think that cheating on yoir spouse is perfectly acceptable, and it is only our societal norms that prevent everyone from sleeping around as we all please imstead of actually looking at those norms and trying to see why they are the way they are.
January 19, 2018
Well done
Looking forward to book 3.
Wonder how Steph will take the news. Wink wink...
This is a very fun series.
Looking forward to book 3.
Wonder how Steph will take the news. Wink wink...
This is a very fun series.
February 12, 2018
Good Read.
The second book of the series. More is found out on the main character and a trek is needed to a unknown destination (till the end).
The second book of the series. More is found out on the main character and a trek is needed to a unknown destination (till the end).
August 5, 2022
I liked the musical battles to contrast volume one's death and violence in conventional warfare. Although at the end of the Song/musical Battles there was violence and gore, that I did not really understand...what would be the point to exterminate the faithful/followers of the other Gods (other than to not have recurrent/repetitive battles forever.
I do not like the fact that these volumes are short about 120+ pages each. Although content is interesting and entertaining so it doesn't feel like a short story. There are really bad/average books that are thousands of pages long, and those are not good because they are long.
The fact that the adventures, quests, actions (in this isekai-fantasy novel series) are so varied in context, themes makes them easy to read, the fact this alludes to Homer's The Odyssey, makes it rise in an intellectual level than before.
I hope the story stays as good as it has been. I am looking forward to the next volumes and I recommend this second volume as well. Although it is isekai-fantasy novel series, it has a lot more thinking behind it, it is well developed and organized.
I do not like the fact that these volumes are short about 120+ pages each. Although content is interesting and entertaining so it doesn't feel like a short story. There are really bad/average books that are thousands of pages long, and those are not good because they are long.
The fact that the adventures, quests, actions (in this isekai-fantasy novel series) are so varied in context, themes makes them easy to read, the fact this alludes to Homer's The Odyssey, makes it rise in an intellectual level than before.
I hope the story stays as good as it has been. I am looking forward to the next volumes and I recommend this second volume as well. Although it is isekai-fantasy novel series, it has a lot more thinking behind it, it is well developed and organized.
August 1, 2021
I enjoyed the first book so much that I had to get the sequel.
I hope this doesn't get "second book syndrome" on me, and turn out bad.
I'm not enjoying this as much as I did the first one. They are on some long journey, and had a literal battle of bands.
The book is nearly finished and I don't think I really enjoyed much. I was so hyped that I got book two and three at the same time... I hope it goes back to what I liked in book one soon.
The book ended "okay", but after that "adventure", I think I will read something else for now.
Will read the sequel later
3/5 Stars
I hope this doesn't get "second book syndrome" on me, and turn out bad.
I'm not enjoying this as much as I did the first one. They are on some long journey, and had a literal battle of bands.
The book is nearly finished and I don't think I really enjoyed much. I was so hyped that I got book two and three at the same time... I hope it goes back to what I liked in book one soon.
The book ended "okay", but after that "adventure", I think I will read something else for now.
Will read the sequel later
3/5 Stars
Read
September 6, 2019Battles for the God's
Every God needs a champion to help protect themselves and protect their followers, but sometimes they are needed to help other God's too. Here 5 champions are needed to go through numerous portals into several very different plains/ worlds. There's nothing to getting the blood moving than to start your day being chased by giants that are also neat waters (you are meat), yummy. My favorite was the sex changed world...
Fun story and on to the next.
Every God needs a champion to help protect themselves and protect their followers, but sometimes they are needed to help other God's too. Here 5 champions are needed to go through numerous portals into several very different plains/ worlds. There's nothing to getting the blood moving than to start your day being chased by giants that are also neat waters (you are meat), yummy. My favorite was the sex changed world...
Fun story and on to the next.
July 2, 2022
Great follow up
Really interesting storyline with clear, concise writing as the 5 champions popped through interdimensional portals and did champion stuff. The musical war in the Sireen dimension where the group was the opposite sex was really creative. However l found it curious that William didnt take a more proactive stance against Cenewyn once his actions became suspicious. Moving right along to book #3.
Really interesting storyline with clear, concise writing as the 5 champions popped through interdimensional portals and did champion stuff. The musical war in the Sireen dimension where the group was the opposite sex was really creative. However l found it curious that William didnt take a more proactive stance against Cenewyn once his actions became suspicious. Moving right along to book #3.
May 1, 2018
My least favorite book in this series of the 5 I have read because the story seems to drag. We spend months/chapters in some Rock & Roll fantasy where everyone has swapped their gender. Then we have every other portal to every other unlikely world where the "evil" champion keeps trying to sabotage/kill everyone without anyone but Will noticing.
October 10, 2018
Ok if you want a story that keeps getting better this is it
I am a huge fan of sci-fi fantasy and military fiction. I have read about 3000 books in my life and it is always a pleasure to come across an author who takes an original view on something that like. This series is really shaping up to be a huge favorite of mine.
I am a huge fan of sci-fi fantasy and military fiction. I have read about 3000 books in my life and it is always a pleasure to come across an author who takes an original view on something that like. This series is really shaping up to be a huge favorite of mine.
November 18, 2018
Pretty good addition to the series. I liked it. Going to read more in the series. I was blindsided by the ending, I guess I should have seen it coming, but nope, not even a clue, and that's a bit surprising. I curious what else is in store for our main character in this one, should be interesting to see how both him and his friends manage.
March 20, 2022
The different worlds gave this book a nice variety and made it enjoyable. Like the first the writing is very simple and not very clever. The ending is very disappointing with characters acting stupid in order for the author to force them into the end he wants... which provided little resolution but setting up for future.
January 6, 2023
Wow way out to left field!
Ok so the first was pretty good even if it had a few questionable places in it but this one wow.! It is one one of the most sexist books I have ever seen! It also should have the LGBT tag.
Could have been a good series but I can't get past the authors obvious sexist views.
Ok so the first was pretty good even if it had a few questionable places in it but this one wow.! It is one one of the most sexist books I have ever seen! It also should have the LGBT tag.
Could have been a good series but I can't get past the authors obvious sexist views.
December 14, 2023
Drugs,Sex and Rock 'n' Roll.
For drugs, read gods.
Actually it is 3½ stars, because of the shameless, heavy borrowing from classical Greece. Including asshole gods.
The woke among us won't like the way the author makes fun of sex changes...
I hope the next book is better.
This feels as if the author just threw it together without much thought.
For drugs, read gods.
Actually it is 3½ stars, because of the shameless, heavy borrowing from classical Greece. Including asshole gods.
The woke among us won't like the way the author makes fun of sex changes...
I hope the next book is better.
This feels as if the author just threw it together without much thought.
March 22, 2019
Great second half of the first book
Stop, read the first book first. If you don't then you will be confused. This expands the universe with familiar material. Sadly it does it, at times, infuriatingly slowly.
Stop, read the first book first. If you don't then you will be confused. This expands the universe with familiar material. Sadly it does it, at times, infuriatingly slowly.
October 25, 2019
Very nice character development
Plenty of action, enough drama to keep things very interesting without getting heavy and tiresome. Great adventure with good guys, bad guys and unknowns in good balance for action readers anyone looking for character driven stories
Plenty of action, enough drama to keep things very interesting without getting heavy and tiresome. Great adventure with good guys, bad guys and unknowns in good balance for action readers anyone looking for character driven stories
August 21, 2020
Greedy champion
I loved this epic story of journey for a great reward to only by set a one by greed, jealousy, lust, anger, and love. The author did a great job cutting to the quick of the issue, giving the details that were needed and driving the story. Loved it
I loved this epic story of journey for a great reward to only by set a one by greed, jealousy, lust, anger, and love. The author did a great job cutting to the quick of the issue, giving the details that were needed and driving the story. Loved it
November 25, 2021
A fin continuation from book one. We got a major expansion if the verse and the quirks that come with it. Really i am actually curious to know what the author intends to do with the pregnancy of Sireen world.
April 10, 2022
Interesting follow-up
Fantasy gate-travel magic
MC William aka Will continues to have adventures on many worlds, meets several other champions, and definitely unexpected ending. Not quite as well edited, but not enough to be troublesome. Enjoyed and recommended.
Fantasy gate-travel magic
MC William aka Will continues to have adventures on many worlds, meets several other champions, and definitely unexpected ending. Not quite as well edited, but not enough to be troublesome. Enjoyed and recommended.
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