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Duskbound #1
Duskbound 1
Monsters don’t fear the dark. They fear
him.
Velik was changed by a childhood encounter he still struggles to understand. Now he’s something else—faster, deadlier, and armed with a unique class built for one hunting monsters.
For ten years, he’s braved the frontier alone, cutting down every beast that threatens the border towns. With each kill, he’s grown stronger, gaining levels and sharpening his skills on the thousands of monsters infesting the wild lands.
But something’s wrong. The monsters are coming faster, stronger, and Velik’s losing ground. The arrival of a guild hunter brings more complications, as the gold-ranked hunter seems more curious about Velik than the monsters he’s been hired to kill.
With time running out, Velik must venture deeper into the woods, facing deadly creatures while searching for the source of the threat. But what he finds isn’t just a nest. It’s a secret—one that could explain what happened to Velik ten years ago.
Something in the dark remembers him… and it’s been waiting.
A top rated novel on Royal Road with over 2 million views and 7k followers, now professionally edited and available on Amazon and Audible narrated by Gary Bennett. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited!
Velik was changed by a childhood encounter he still struggles to understand. Now he’s something else—faster, deadlier, and armed with a unique class built for one hunting monsters.
For ten years, he’s braved the frontier alone, cutting down every beast that threatens the border towns. With each kill, he’s grown stronger, gaining levels and sharpening his skills on the thousands of monsters infesting the wild lands.
But something’s wrong. The monsters are coming faster, stronger, and Velik’s losing ground. The arrival of a guild hunter brings more complications, as the gold-ranked hunter seems more curious about Velik than the monsters he’s been hired to kill.
With time running out, Velik must venture deeper into the woods, facing deadly creatures while searching for the source of the threat. But what he finds isn’t just a nest. It’s a secret—one that could explain what happened to Velik ten years ago.
Something in the dark remembers him… and it’s been waiting.
A top rated novel on Royal Road with over 2 million views and 7k followers, now professionally edited and available on Amazon and Audible narrated by Gary Bennett. Buy a copy or read free with Kindle Unlimited!
510 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2025
859 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 19, 2025
There's a sad note that rings throughout this novel. Velik has had a terrible youth, but it's the fact that he believes he deserved the abuse that is the deeper tragedy.
The world-building and magic system is just one more version of the system based progression stories we've all read before. However, the author doesn't treat us like neophytes, so that sameness feels more like continuation than repetition. Thus we don't waste time getting up to speed with the setting, and can immediately dig into the meat of the main character.
At it's heart, this is the story of a decent person, forced into isolation. What happens when, after years have passed, he must once again enter society in order to complete his ongoing mission; to kill the monsters that he unleashed?
The world-building and magic system is just one more version of the system based progression stories we've all read before. However, the author doesn't treat us like neophytes, so that sameness feels more like continuation than repetition. Thus we don't waste time getting up to speed with the setting, and can immediately dig into the meat of the main character.
At it's heart, this is the story of a decent person, forced into isolation. What happens when, after years have passed, he must once again enter society in order to complete his ongoing mission; to kill the monsters that he unleashed?
July 19, 2025
meh
Promising story, but the mechanics fall short, did not finish.
The levelling makes no sense, he’s apparently killing hundreds of monsters every day, as well for the past 8 or so years that works out to about 300 hundred thousand monsters (give or take a few thousand) and he’s still only level 30?
It’s terrible world building how does anyone/anything advance if the requirements are so high, even the monsters he’s fighting advance by killing each other so if the requirements to level are so high then the monsters would cull each other to the minimum level anyway.
I think it’s lazy writing if I’m being honest, I could see the authors idea but the execution fell flat that’s why it’s a 2 stars and not a 1
Promising story, but the mechanics fall short, did not finish.
The levelling makes no sense, he’s apparently killing hundreds of monsters every day, as well for the past 8 or so years that works out to about 300 hundred thousand monsters (give or take a few thousand) and he’s still only level 30?
It’s terrible world building how does anyone/anything advance if the requirements are so high, even the monsters he’s fighting advance by killing each other so if the requirements to level are so high then the monsters would cull each other to the minimum level anyway.
I think it’s lazy writing if I’m being honest, I could see the authors idea but the execution fell flat that’s why it’s a 2 stars and not a 1
August 2, 2025
Mostly good
Good writing, solid characters, but the world building had holes that were jarring enough to interrupt the narrative. The economy is fatally inconsistent, and the leveling speed/scale makes little sense.
I'll read the next and hope some of the cons are improved or at least explained away.
Good writing, solid characters, but the world building had holes that were jarring enough to interrupt the narrative. The economy is fatally inconsistent, and the leveling speed/scale makes little sense.
I'll read the next and hope some of the cons are improved or at least explained away.
August 9, 2025
This is what i want. Solid character work. A plot that isn't visible from a mile away. Excellent pacing that keeps the book flowing. A crunchy power system, but it is handled without too many complications. I can't wait for more.
September 3, 2025
Not bad but not good either
This was a tough read. It read like a mystery novel and adventure novel at the same time. The plot really never moved along until the last couple of chapters and it was rather anticlimactic. Most of the book is just the MC fighting monsters alone which got really boring. The leveling system didn't seem to follow any set pattern nor the skill awards. The secondary characters are just there, with no real motivation.
This was a tough read. It read like a mystery novel and adventure novel at the same time. The plot really never moved along until the last couple of chapters and it was rather anticlimactic. Most of the book is just the MC fighting monsters alone which got really boring. The leveling system didn't seem to follow any set pattern nor the skill awards. The secondary characters are just there, with no real motivation.
July 26, 2025
Velik is a solitary character who, though he seems balanced, is deeply wounded by a humanity that rejected him — yet he still protects it. This is the background he's lived with for over a decade, even before adolescence. Described this way, it's quite sad. It's a clever move by the author: aside from the hidden suffering and the hero's (implicit) self-punishment, there's no need to delve too deeply into the psyche of the main character, or the others. They each have simple personalities, and everything remains action-focused throughout the book. That makes it pretty easy to read overall.
Added to that are a few world-building inconsistencies, particularly in the relationship between monsters, money, and everyday living costs — some moments left me wide-eyed. You can eat for just a few cents while slaying a monster earns you a fortune… might as well go be an adventurer (as part of a team). Items cost thousands of decamas, supposedly rare, yet the hero acquires them at lightning speed (yes, but there's an invasion so… and so…). Normally doing things solo is hard, but of course the MC and supporting characters manage, etc etc. As is often the case in this kind of book, the author tries to make the MC overly self-reliant and ends up contradicting themselves to make it believable.
Book 1 could stand alone — I’m not sure I’ll read book 2. The characters don’t have enough depth to really stick in my mind. Popcorn read?
Added to that are a few world-building inconsistencies, particularly in the relationship between monsters, money, and everyday living costs — some moments left me wide-eyed. You can eat for just a few cents while slaying a monster earns you a fortune… might as well go be an adventurer (as part of a team). Items cost thousands of decamas, supposedly rare, yet the hero acquires them at lightning speed (yes, but there's an invasion so… and so…). Normally doing things solo is hard, but of course the MC and supporting characters manage, etc etc. As is often the case in this kind of book, the author tries to make the MC overly self-reliant and ends up contradicting themselves to make it believable.
Book 1 could stand alone — I’m not sure I’ll read book 2. The characters don’t have enough depth to really stick in my mind. Popcorn read?
October 19, 2025
I was actually surprised by this book, I enjoyed it much more than I expected going into it.
One thing this book has going for it is its beginning. it starts "in media res", which in this genre means our character has had his class for a decade and we're not seeing the beginning of his experience. That sets it apart from many other books in the genre, and it is fun to read.
Another unique aspect working in tandem with this is that it doesn't dump info on you all at once, but doles it out throughout the book. It can be a bit odd in a litrpg to not know what some skills and mechanics do dozens of chapters into it, but the contextual information is usually sufficient or is explained naturally in the story.
As for the story, it has a fun mythos surrounding the MC where a majority of people hate him and want to see him dead with a minority revering him, deeming him the one person saving everyone from death and destruction.
The MC is understandably terse and aversed to trust after his life fighting monsters and defending himself from humans he is saving, and I liked the surrounding cast of characters that develop alongside him.
This was a litrpg with lots of action and grinding, but with a different narrative path than I'm used to seeing. Well done.
One point off for the lackluster climax
One thing this book has going for it is its beginning. it starts "in media res", which in this genre means our character has had his class for a decade and we're not seeing the beginning of his experience. That sets it apart from many other books in the genre, and it is fun to read.
Another unique aspect working in tandem with this is that it doesn't dump info on you all at once, but doles it out throughout the book. It can be a bit odd in a litrpg to not know what some skills and mechanics do dozens of chapters into it, but the contextual information is usually sufficient or is explained naturally in the story.
As for the story, it has a fun mythos surrounding the MC where a majority of people hate him and want to see him dead with a minority revering him, deeming him the one person saving everyone from death and destruction.
The MC is understandably terse and aversed to trust after his life fighting monsters and defending himself from humans he is saving, and I liked the surrounding cast of characters that develop alongside him.
This was a litrpg with lots of action and grinding, but with a different narrative path than I'm used to seeing. Well done.
One point off for the lackluster climax
September 11, 2025
I think by now I've read enough LitRPG to be able to rate such books without being biased when it comes to judging their quality. I say this because most litRPG simply lacks the oomph that a reader of High Fantasy is used to, so it simply cannot be judged with the same criteria. Moreover, most of these books are self/indie published, so they don't really follow the same "formal" structure of story arches that traditional publishers tend to prefer. With that in mind, I give this book 4 stars.
A solid addition to the genre, this was a most pleasant listen. I finished it wanting more. It is enjoyable when the genre is explored beyond the reincarnated in another world angle that seems to comprise most of its peers in the niche, and here the system seems to be an afterthought to the characters, but not to the story, which shows how naturally it was woven into the story. Where it falls short is in the tension and emotion, especially at the climax, it felt like there was a missed opportunity to give the story more depth. Still, can't wait for the next book!
A solid addition to the genre, this was a most pleasant listen. I finished it wanting more. It is enjoyable when the genre is explored beyond the reincarnated in another world angle that seems to comprise most of its peers in the niche, and here the system seems to be an afterthought to the characters, but not to the story, which shows how naturally it was woven into the story. Where it falls short is in the tension and emotion, especially at the climax, it felt like there was a missed opportunity to give the story more depth. Still, can't wait for the next book!
July 31, 2025
100% great read
With a five star rating system, five stars is anything from 81% to 100%. This is 100% a great read. The mc and his mentor were very well written, even the rich kid. You really felt for the characters. Great action, adventure, world building, character logic, and even some intrigue. A very enjoyable read and a very safe book to try.
Some concerns for the next book though. With only one female character and one not well developed, I have some concerns there. Also there wasn’t a lot of character interaction and dialogue (which was a good thing), so I’m worried the next book will take the focus off of the action / adventure piece and move toward more relationships. And please, I’m begging, please don’t move to a school / academy setting… please.
With a five star rating system, five stars is anything from 81% to 100%. This is 100% a great read. The mc and his mentor were very well written, even the rich kid. You really felt for the characters. Great action, adventure, world building, character logic, and even some intrigue. A very enjoyable read and a very safe book to try.
Some concerns for the next book though. With only one female character and one not well developed, I have some concerns there. Also there wasn’t a lot of character interaction and dialogue (which was a good thing), so I’m worried the next book will take the focus off of the action / adventure piece and move toward more relationships. And please, I’m begging, please don’t move to a school / academy setting… please.
August 12, 2025
Generally pretty well written. Progression system doesn't make a lot of sense. MC kill many thousands of monsters (of a higher level) to increase his level. It's so impractical that most people with combat classes shouldn't have more than a handful of levels when they die of old age.
But even so, the MC should still be significantly higher level given that he's been killing hundreds to thousands of monsters every day for ten years. Or at least that's what's stated.
The quantity of just don't add up. When you read it I would suggest dividing all his kill counts by 10 in your head for it to make sense.
But even so, the MC should still be significantly higher level given that he's been killing hundreds to thousands of monsters every day for ten years. Or at least that's what's stated.
The quantity of just don't add up. When you read it I would suggest dividing all his kill counts by 10 in your head for it to make sense.
September 25, 2025
My reviews are my own. If you liked this book, I’m glad you enjoyed it. If not, I respect your opinion. This is merely my opinion, so let's keep it courteous.
The story is well written, and I did enjoy the slow pace. This is not a fast-paced, packed story, so if that is what you are looking for, this story is not for you. What I didn't like was the multi-POV and some of the side characters. I disliked the female character the most, so knowing that the next book will include her makes me drop the series at this point. If you didn't mind her, the story is entertaining and interesting.
On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
The story is well written, and I did enjoy the slow pace. This is not a fast-paced, packed story, so if that is what you are looking for, this story is not for you. What I didn't like was the multi-POV and some of the side characters. I disliked the female character the most, so knowing that the next book will include her makes me drop the series at this point. If you didn't mind her, the story is entertaining and interesting.
On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
October 20, 2025
Eh.
Main character gets seeming no exp for killing "thousands" of monsters every night. The amounts are ridiculous. He gets like 2-3 decarma coin thingies per kill, so then why does he not have millions of them? If this guy killing thousands of monsters per day, isn't rich, then how can other adventurers be rich?
None of his skills are explained.
None of it makes sense.
Everyone hates him in multiple towns. Yea right. Even if one town blames him for monsters spawning, for which there is no evidence, there is no way this idea would spread to multiple towns.
There's lots of "mystery" surrounding the MC and his friend. I don't care about any of it.
DNF 23%
Main character gets seeming no exp for killing "thousands" of monsters every night. The amounts are ridiculous. He gets like 2-3 decarma coin thingies per kill, so then why does he not have millions of them? If this guy killing thousands of monsters per day, isn't rich, then how can other adventurers be rich?
None of his skills are explained.
None of it makes sense.
Everyone hates him in multiple towns. Yea right. Even if one town blames him for monsters spawning, for which there is no evidence, there is no way this idea would spread to multiple towns.
There's lots of "mystery" surrounding the MC and his friend. I don't care about any of it.
DNF 23%
December 9, 2025
Ok, goodreads, fuck the fuck off. If you want reviews, stop making me do them three or more times. Fix whatever stops the server from saving/uploading my drafts.
Good book. Well balanced, MC appears OP at the beginning, but as the difficulty ramps up he has difficulty keeping ahead of the curve. The skills are also interesting, particularly the disappointment of getting a skill that didn't do what he wanted and had to wait for it to advance for it to be closer to what he needed.
It looks like in book 2 Velik will be getting some education on something other than killing monsters, so I'm interested to see where this goes.
Good book. Well balanced, MC appears OP at the beginning, but as the difficulty ramps up he has difficulty keeping ahead of the curve. The skills are also interesting, particularly the disappointment of getting a skill that didn't do what he wanted and had to wait for it to advance for it to be closer to what he needed.
It looks like in book 2 Velik will be getting some education on something other than killing monsters, so I'm interested to see where this goes.
Read
August 3, 2025Note to self: not bad, but it starts with the the MC at a decent enough level and already mastering their class, so it reads like a light-litrpg at best, and normal fantasy with numbers at worst. Leveling and stats don't matter so much, since leveling takes a while and the MC has already had their class for years.
If that's not an issue, then it's a nice book. It's not my jam, so I'm moving on after a third listened.
If that's not an issue, then it's a nice book. It's not my jam, so I'm moving on after a third listened.
December 19, 2025
Great book
This was a different take on the litrpg but I liked it. It was nice to focus on the story more and let the levels be more of a secondary focus. Good character development and a good story. Slightly more gruesome than my personal preference and it always throws me off when I read English slang and profanity in a fantasy world but in the whole I would recommend it as a good read. Thanks for the story d.e. Sherman!
This was a different take on the litrpg but I liked it. It was nice to focus on the story more and let the levels be more of a secondary focus. Good character development and a good story. Slightly more gruesome than my personal preference and it always throws me off when I read English slang and profanity in a fantasy world but in the whole I would recommend it as a good read. Thanks for the story d.e. Sherman!
July 18, 2025
Very well written! I read a lot of LitRPG and this was refreshing. I found the beginning to be interesting. I enjoyed the story being contained in a LitRPG world. This isn’t novel but there are too many quick isekai starts in books. I found the story to be compelling and the game system to be well thought out. The story had some surprises along the way too. Great read!
August 24, 2025
Solid Read
Solid read start to end. LitRPG lite which is how I like it. Protagonist gets more likeable as the story moves along and the writing quality is solid. Definitely feels like the first step to a longer series, but is a fully contained story in its own right. Will be reading the next when it comes out.
Solid read start to end. LitRPG lite which is how I like it. Protagonist gets more likeable as the story moves along and the writing quality is solid. Definitely feels like the first step to a longer series, but is a fully contained story in its own right. Will be reading the next when it comes out.
September 12, 2025
excellent read with believable characters
An unorthodox start with an already grown character felt like the middle of a story rather than the beginning, but once I got over that initial awkwardness the story was smooth. A few parts seemed rushed or urgency wasn’t conveyed convincingly, but this is a far better than average storyteller compared to most litrpg offerings.
An unorthodox start with an already grown character felt like the middle of a story rather than the beginning, but once I got over that initial awkwardness the story was smooth. A few parts seemed rushed or urgency wasn’t conveyed convincingly, but this is a far better than average storyteller compared to most litrpg offerings.
December 20, 2025
Endless action. Enjoyed the side characters
Im not sure im going to the next book. The action was nonstop with the main character and got old. Started skipping most of it. I enjoyed the side characters more. Was hoping MC would stop and have a conversation at some point. Didnt happen until late in the book
Im not sure im going to the next book. The action was nonstop with the main character and got old. Started skipping most of it. I enjoyed the side characters more. Was hoping MC would stop and have a conversation at some point. Didnt happen until late in the book
January 6, 2026
A nice start to a new series
Velik is a reluctant hero to an interesting new series. Although traumatically changed at 7 years old, he manages to survive on his own in the wild for a decade. Considering how poorly the local towns treat him, it’s amazing he cared enough to stick around to help. A good read.
Velik is a reluctant hero to an interesting new series. Although traumatically changed at 7 years old, he manages to survive on his own in the wild for a decade. Considering how poorly the local towns treat him, it’s amazing he cared enough to stick around to help. A good read.
July 28, 2025
Good read
Great character progression and world so far looking forward to following along with this adventure. First time in a while reading gamelit in bed and wanting to stay up to read more.
Great character progression and world so far looking forward to following along with this adventure. First time in a while reading gamelit in bed and wanting to stay up to read more.
July 31, 2025
Couldn't put the book down
Absolutely amazing story! I tried to put the book down multiple times to get other things done and just couldn't. Definitely one of the best books I've read over the last couple of years.
Absolutely amazing story! I tried to put the book down multiple times to get other things done and just couldn't. Definitely one of the best books I've read over the last couple of years.
August 12, 2025
Never explained anything
Never explained any of the skills or classes other than things like getting stronger at night... Made it to about 40%. Only made it that far because I was traveling and hoping it would explain things. I felt like I was missing parts of the book.
Never explained any of the skills or classes other than things like getting stronger at night... Made it to about 40%. Only made it that far because I was traveling and hoping it would explain things. I felt like I was missing parts of the book.
August 25, 2025
A fun romp, great charcter development and lots of battle.
I really enjoyed this book, looking forward to the next one in the series. The main chapter was interesting and had to earn his development.
I really enjoyed this book, looking forward to the next one in the series. The main chapter was interesting and had to earn his development.
September 29, 2025
A pleasant surprise with all the crap on Kindle
This was a big surprise. Very worth the read. It has good characters with their own drives and personalities. We will see if they develop more in the following books
This was a big surprise. Very worth the read. It has good characters with their own drives and personalities. We will see if they develop more in the following books
October 10, 2025
A breath of fresh air
It’s not often that you read a new fantasy entry that takes the old trope of weak boy becomes the hero in an interesting direction that keeps you engaged until the end. Well worth reading.
It’s not often that you read a new fantasy entry that takes the old trope of weak boy becomes the hero in an interesting direction that keeps you engaged until the end. Well worth reading.
December 21, 2025
Meh not bad not amazing
I think there's too much hyperbole and that the scope is too focused for it to be a great story it's a little too obsessed with itself but it's readable and the magic system isn't atrocious.
I think there's too much hyperbole and that the scope is too focused for it to be a great story it's a little too obsessed with itself but it's readable and the magic system isn't atrocious.
July 1, 2025
It’s a little bit monster-of-the-week, but the characters are interesting enough to keep you invested.
July 8, 2025
Very interesting
The pace picks up quick after the first few chapters. Worth reading and leaves you wanting more. I eagerly await the next book.
The pace picks up quick after the first few chapters. Worth reading and leaves you wanting more. I eagerly await the next book.
July 9, 2025
Fanfreakingtastic!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews