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Mage Tank #4
Mage Tank: Book Four
Phase two is unlocked.
Hysteria has been captured, and the dimensional kingdom of Closetland has been born. However, with the loss of everyone’s favorite hot spring, the victory is bittersweet.
Now, Fortune’s Folly heads to their meeting with the Littan Empress, who makes them an offer they don’t want to refuse.
Before they can accept, they’ll need to deal with some unwanted gifts that Hysteria left behind, and they’ll need to seek out the potential allies promised by the avatar Avarice. The kind of allies with wings, scales, and a compulsive hoarding disorder.
Armies will be crushed.
Dungeons will be conquered.
And silly hats will be worn on all important occasions.
Book 4 of Mage Tank, a new Isekai LitRPG adventure that features steady progression, intelligent characters who spend time making intentional build choices, and tons of laughs.
Hysteria has been captured, and the dimensional kingdom of Closetland has been born. However, with the loss of everyone’s favorite hot spring, the victory is bittersweet.
Now, Fortune’s Folly heads to their meeting with the Littan Empress, who makes them an offer they don’t want to refuse.
Before they can accept, they’ll need to deal with some unwanted gifts that Hysteria left behind, and they’ll need to seek out the potential allies promised by the avatar Avarice. The kind of allies with wings, scales, and a compulsive hoarding disorder.
Armies will be crushed.
Dungeons will be conquered.
And silly hats will be worn on all important occasions.
Book 4 of Mage Tank, a new Isekai LitRPG adventure that features steady progression, intelligent characters who spend time making intentional build choices, and tons of laughs.
720 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 4, 2026
I enjoyed the trial chapters, but the rest of the book with politicking and training dragged on with way too much internal monologuing detail, and the final boss battle was also way more complicated than it needed to be. The final epilogue brought up a bunch of names that I wasn't entirely sure were introduced before and ended up just confusing me further. Yes, we know there is a big bad, but do we really need the narration from his POV?
I'll still continue the series, but this was not a strong book.
I'll still continue the series, but this was not a strong book.
February 14, 2026
This was a steep departure from the quality of previous books. I don't know what happened, but most of the book is spent in build crafting and theory that takes up dozens upon dozens of pages, and then the FUN AND INTERESTING BITS get fast forwarded.
Some examples:
If you're a fan of build crafting and theory crafting and endless presentation of options but not actually having those pages pay off for anything good and love to have the actual progression of their characters almost entirely off screened, then continue reading.
For me, I have to drop the entire series because of this book. I'm sad, because I loved the characters and the world, but just entirely too much bloat. I barely made it to the ending.
This entire book needs a heavy hand with an editor.
Some examples:
If you're a fan of build crafting and theory crafting and endless presentation of options but not actually having those pages pay off for anything good and love to have the actual progression of their characters almost entirely off screened, then continue reading.
For me, I have to drop the entire series because of this book. I'm sad, because I loved the characters and the world, but just entirely too much bloat. I barely made it to the ending.
This entire book needs a heavy hand with an editor.
February 23, 2026
DNF @ approx 50%. A brutal, boring, endless slog - page upon page upon page of Diablo 4esque overly complicated attribute, skill tree, evolution, crafting and loot analysis, purportedly in novel form and made worse by endless power creep. The boring, non-action part of a game turned into unceasing text, utterly lacking in suspense. If ever a book needed an editor - this is that book. If I had confidence this was the last book of the series, maybe I would have powered through - but it looks like there’s at least one more after this one, and for all I know more to follow. So, just, no.
May 31, 2026
final boss: word count
Nice entry and interesting use of powers during the set pieces, but holy moly I found myself skipping whole paragraphs. Not sure what was up with this issue and/or if the RR funding incentive lends itself to a certain style of writing.. but a good 35% of the boom is unnecessary. I struggled to make it a fifth of the way into the book before I just started skimming, and unfortunately had a better experience overall. Book is sorely in need of an editor.
Nice entry and interesting use of powers during the set pieces, but holy moly I found myself skipping whole paragraphs. Not sure what was up with this issue and/or if the RR funding incentive lends itself to a certain style of writing.. but a good 35% of the boom is unnecessary. I struggled to make it a fifth of the way into the book before I just started skimming, and unfortunately had a better experience overall. Book is sorely in need of an editor.
July 20, 2026
It's like the middle of a game, right before you get to the end when you're feeling stronger than necessary for all the stuff you forgot to do. Then it's a difficulty spike in a really good way.
June 30, 2026
The first book in this series is funny. The system here has some crunch to it, and Daniel Wisniewski does a great job with silly voices. This isn't a series that's meant to be taken seriously - Our protagonist wears a feather boa everywhere, is permanently bonded to a laughably villainous critter trying to steer the ship toward world domination, and most of the success our protagonist experiences is largely through luck. It can be a joy, is not poorly written, and knows what it is.
The fourth book feels like the weakest of the series and seems to be more of a layover between interdimensional plot points. I plan to continue consuming this series, but I do wish there was a little more meat on the bones.
The fourth book feels like the weakest of the series and seems to be more of a layover between interdimensional plot points. I plan to continue consuming this series, but I do wish there was a little more meat on the bones.
July 3, 2026
This one badly needed a trim. Very long, multi-chapter passages of planning, internal monologue, system theory and other non character/story elements really killed the pacing. I still love the characters and plot, there just wasn't much room in this installment for them because of all the filler.
April 23, 2026
i had to drop it to 3
I love this story and the characters, but the repetitive dialogue and extreme detail, is bull. I get it, you get paid by the word read, but if i skip a chapter and your mc just stopped thinking about it while still in battle, its a problem. Don’t let your greed screw up this story, because if you continue with this, people, regardless of his much we love these characters, will stop reading your books.
I love this story and the characters, but the repetitive dialogue and extreme detail, is bull. I get it, you get paid by the word read, but if i skip a chapter and your mc just stopped thinking about it while still in battle, its a problem. Don’t let your greed screw up this story, because if you continue with this, people, regardless of his much we love these characters, will stop reading your books.
February 2, 2026
To be completely honest, this was my least favorite book in the series; Book 2 was rather boring but there weren't any parts that I found particularly dreadful, but this book?
Ok lets start with the positives:
The Silver Lounge aka the maybe-there-are-dragons-lounge was brilliant. I enjoyed all the Rulers, their interactions with the crew, the challenges all had different environments and tasks that were immersive, and I am pretty interested to see how this whole thing with Ishi goes (maybe with the single unlikable thing being how FUCKING formal i.e. pretentious Arlo is with the Princess, like just kill me now).
I really liked how the prologue also took the time to shit on haters of the 'Pause's for our favourite lizard. Hell yeah author.
I thought the convo between Tavio and Arlo on the nature and economic system of the Littan empire was pretty interesting.
Ok well wasnt that brief? On to the shitty stuff:
THE ENTIRE FIRST SECTION: i wont say this was the worst bit, because I believe the feeling of discombobulation and listlessness in intended to give the reader the feeling that the party have, and so -if intended- this is pretty brilliant writing. HOWEVER, it still sucks and really feels like a waste of time in a series that generally lives on the knife's edge between being overly long/ a drag and really well thought out/ fleshed out; i generally like these types of books, but aside from the new Core friend I cant find too many points that hook me in this first part, especially since she kinda disappears in the rest of the book. Also come on now author, the system basically forcing the crew to be system handimen at Level 16 due to the Dread Star? Arent you fucking yourself over? Anyway, what do I know about writing. Onwards.
CLOSETLAND: such a fucking stupid concept, need I say more
THE LAST SECTION: maybe its because I kinda skipped the part in book 2 where Arlo and Core watched team Pio run the Delve and didnt really care about Tavio at all in the first place, but this all felt like such a drag. The attack on the city seems rather forced as an encounter for the two teams to bond, and if it was supposed to serve as set-up for the plans of the Avatars and their allies in the Forest the two crews are heading into, then the book ending really just killed any momentum, especially without any hint of our friend's next actions. Also come on, did they really have to fly on the bird? And did the Littans have to immediately discover that the Closet was a Devlve? There were ofc explanations in-story, but it really just felt like excuses to set up the encounter in the Littan city, which you already know my thoughts on.
THE EPILOGUE AND SAVING THE FUCKING WORLD: We get so much talk about how the Avatars and System are gonna bring the end of the world, and about how the Big Bad is plotting to bring about Ze New World Order in every epilogue, but I am frankly kinda tired of it. Maybe its reader fatigue after reading 4 800 page books of this series consecutively, but I am really just tired of the overarching story. I generally think it difficult for authors to write world-spanning and saving plots where the MC and Crew save the day. With this book especially, while I find the concept well thought-out and interesting enough -though, again, its not really my thing-, the timing and pacing are all fucked up: Our crew is facing a world-spanning threat by entities that even the mightiest being on the planet, dragons, can't handle, and yet their entire story lately revolves around resolving this threat despite them being Level 16. They jump through delve after encounter only to be faced with the same problem over and over again; the system and the avatars. And yet they are unable to do anything about the problem, other than using tank-thick plot armour to survive and spread the story to the major superpowers of the world who seem to be doing nothing. Even more annoyingly, we get cryptic visions of the Big Bad pontificating with Avatars and his followers, and them plotting their next move (especially at the end of Book 4). One might imagine that this repetitive cycle might highlight the urgency of the problem, and as no solution is on the horizon and the plotting thickens, the reader will feel this existential anxiety and dread; take an example of such a problem for real life - climate change. However, in a book that tends to be overly detail oriented, have it's best aspects be adventures and slice of life, and be a progression fantasy, the overall effect is to create me a severe annoyance. Our heroes hit a brick wall time and again, survive without any -permanent- brain damage by the skin of their teeth due to a gimmick or plot armour (which includes bullshit skills, events, divine interventions etc), only to learn a crum more information that is broadly similar to what they knew already and non-actionable. Annoying.
Anyway, the reason this isnt a 3-star is because I dont wont to fuck over the author's rating since I enjoy the rest of his work, and because I enjoyed the dragons. I will be continuing this on RR to see where this goes.
Ok lets start with the positives:
The Silver Lounge aka the maybe-there-are-dragons-lounge was brilliant. I enjoyed all the Rulers, their interactions with the crew, the challenges all had different environments and tasks that were immersive, and I am pretty interested to see how this whole thing with Ishi goes (maybe with the single unlikable thing being how FUCKING formal i.e. pretentious Arlo is with the Princess, like just kill me now).
I really liked how the prologue also took the time to shit on haters of the 'Pause's for our favourite lizard. Hell yeah author.
I thought the convo between Tavio and Arlo on the nature and economic system of the Littan empire was pretty interesting.
Ok well wasnt that brief? On to the shitty stuff:
THE ENTIRE FIRST SECTION: i wont say this was the worst bit, because I believe the feeling of discombobulation and listlessness in intended to give the reader the feeling that the party have, and so -if intended- this is pretty brilliant writing. HOWEVER, it still sucks and really feels like a waste of time in a series that generally lives on the knife's edge between being overly long/ a drag and really well thought out/ fleshed out; i generally like these types of books, but aside from the new Core friend I cant find too many points that hook me in this first part, especially since she kinda disappears in the rest of the book. Also come on now author, the system basically forcing the crew to be system handimen at Level 16 due to the Dread Star? Arent you fucking yourself over? Anyway, what do I know about writing. Onwards.
CLOSETLAND: such a fucking stupid concept, need I say more
THE LAST SECTION: maybe its because I kinda skipped the part in book 2 where Arlo and Core watched team Pio run the Delve and didnt really care about Tavio at all in the first place, but this all felt like such a drag. The attack on the city seems rather forced as an encounter for the two teams to bond, and if it was supposed to serve as set-up for the plans of the Avatars and their allies in the Forest the two crews are heading into, then the book ending really just killed any momentum, especially without any hint of our friend's next actions. Also come on, did they really have to fly on the bird? And did the Littans have to immediately discover that the Closet was a Devlve? There were ofc explanations in-story, but it really just felt like excuses to set up the encounter in the Littan city, which you already know my thoughts on.
THE EPILOGUE AND SAVING THE FUCKING WORLD: We get so much talk about how the Avatars and System are gonna bring the end of the world, and about how the Big Bad is plotting to bring about Ze New World Order in every epilogue, but I am frankly kinda tired of it. Maybe its reader fatigue after reading 4 800 page books of this series consecutively, but I am really just tired of the overarching story. I generally think it difficult for authors to write world-spanning and saving plots where the MC and Crew save the day. With this book especially, while I find the concept well thought-out and interesting enough -though, again, its not really my thing-, the timing and pacing are all fucked up: Our crew is facing a world-spanning threat by entities that even the mightiest being on the planet, dragons, can't handle, and yet their entire story lately revolves around resolving this threat despite them being Level 16. They jump through delve after encounter only to be faced with the same problem over and over again; the system and the avatars. And yet they are unable to do anything about the problem, other than using tank-thick plot armour to survive and spread the story to the major superpowers of the world who seem to be doing nothing. Even more annoyingly, we get cryptic visions of the Big Bad pontificating with Avatars and his followers, and them plotting their next move (especially at the end of Book 4). One might imagine that this repetitive cycle might highlight the urgency of the problem, and as no solution is on the horizon and the plotting thickens, the reader will feel this existential anxiety and dread; take an example of such a problem for real life - climate change. However, in a book that tends to be overly detail oriented, have it's best aspects be adventures and slice of life, and be a progression fantasy, the overall effect is to create me a severe annoyance. Our heroes hit a brick wall time and again, survive without any -permanent- brain damage by the skin of their teeth due to a gimmick or plot armour (which includes bullshit skills, events, divine interventions etc), only to learn a crum more information that is broadly similar to what they knew already and non-actionable. Annoying.
Anyway, the reason this isnt a 3-star is because I dont wont to fuck over the author's rating since I enjoy the rest of his work, and because I enjoyed the dragons. I will be continuing this on RR to see where this goes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2026
Arlo & Co. ponder philosophical questions like: If 80% of a book is filler, is it still filler, or is it just the book?
Pointless soul manipulation invented and solved after hundreds of pages to get us where we were in the beginning; endless calculations of stacking bonuses, overlapping auras, etc., and when we're finally levelled and geared up, the author skips the actual delves, the main attraction... and finishes the book with Big Bad talking irrelevant shit with some rando for half an hour. I mean, new achievement - Deific Anticlimax (divine, spiritual).
2.5 stars rounded down
Pointless soul manipulation invented and solved after hundreds of pages to get us where we were in the beginning; endless calculations of stacking bonuses, overlapping auras, etc., and when we're finally levelled and geared up, the author skips the actual delves, the main attraction... and finishes the book with Big Bad talking irrelevant shit with some rando for half an hour. I mean, new achievement - Deific Anticlimax (divine, spiritual).
2.5 stars rounded down
June 11, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up
It wasn’t as good as the others.
It’s getting a bit too complicated with skills and how they work together & stacking etc. I also think there are too many characters & we don’t get enough of each. Sometimes there will be a whole chapter without one character saying anything or even mentioned even though they are there with the group.
It still made me laugh out loud in some places which is why it’s a 4star .
I really want more Grotto next book.
It wasn’t as good as the others.
It’s getting a bit too complicated with skills and how they work together & stacking etc. I also think there are too many characters & we don’t get enough of each. Sometimes there will be a whole chapter without one character saying anything or even mentioned even though they are there with the group.
It still made me laugh out loud in some places which is why it’s a 4star .
I really want more Grotto next book.
August 23, 2026
The story in and of itself remains really cool. I personally do not enjoy the constant non progress they are making. It is simply running from one crisis to another. Any real self driven development seems less important than jumping after crisis and that weekens the character arcs.
On top of that the action timelines of the powerhouses seeme nonsensical. Their inaction has been explained quite well in previous books, but seems lacking this time around.
On top of that the action timelines of the powerhouses seeme nonsensical. Their inaction has been explained quite well in previous books, but seems lacking this time around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2026
NO SPOILERS - ISH.
Another entertaining story. Fortune's Folly spent time dealing with the aftermath of the battle with Hysteria. Which the beginning of Book 4 is dedicated to. Then comes the meeting with the Littans. Which provides a new direction for the group. Switch over to the group going to power ups. Interesting battles and the usual humor is had. No main villain is found here but the story progression continues. Setting up something good for book 5 - hopefully.
Another entertaining story. Fortune's Folly spent time dealing with the aftermath of the battle with Hysteria. Which the beginning of Book 4 is dedicated to. Then comes the meeting with the Littans. Which provides a new direction for the group. Switch over to the group going to power ups. Interesting battles and the usual humor is had. No main villain is found here but the story progression continues. Setting up something good for book 5 - hopefully.
February 4, 2026
Clever power use and fun characters
If you've read up to this point in the series, you already know that you want to read this book too. The world building remains incredible and the clever use of powers continues to enhance the action with uncertainty and cool moments. The characters are as amusing and relatable as ever. It's great as usual.
If you've read up to this point in the series, you already know that you want to read this book too. The world building remains incredible and the clever use of powers continues to enhance the action with uncertainty and cool moments. The characters are as amusing and relatable as ever. It's great as usual.
March 2, 2026
Another great book, with the only problem being that Book #5 hasn't been written yet and won't be until mid-2026, so I have a long wait ahead. Still, it was a fun read, with good character development, a bit more romance (still very light, which is fine), and engaging battles. All in all, a great read!
June 11, 2026
The plot thickens
This was an interesting entry in the series. It felt like there was a bit more "in between" time here....the time between crazy fights and stuff. But I could tell things were moving towards another big conflict throughout. It was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to the next book!
This was an interesting entry in the series. It felt like there was a bit more "in between" time here....the time between crazy fights and stuff. But I could tell things were moving towards another big conflict throughout. It was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to the next book!
January 29, 2026
Another Great Book in the Series
Mage Tank is one of my favorite series and Cornman has hit it out of the park again with book 4. I’ve probably read it 3 times on RoyalRoad and Patreon, and this will make time 4.
Mage Tank is one of my favorite series and Cornman has hit it out of the park again with book 4. I’ve probably read it 3 times on RoyalRoad and Patreon, and this will make time 4.
March 9, 2026
i need a whole book for closetland
I know this is a litrpg book but i love too have the world building or empire building included in the story love it and waiting for the new book to drop.
I know this is a litrpg book but i love too have the world building or empire building included in the story love it and waiting for the new book to drop.
May 3, 2026
4.5 stars. I really liked this book overall and found it entertaining and focused on world building which I enjoy. Bummed I am going to have to wait so long down the next one because the DRAGONS?! Princess is everything and Hep is hilarious.
September 8, 2026
Another good, fun entry with an interesting world that keeps branching out. It doesn’t have the same depth of world or character as something like He Who Fights with Monsters, but it’s still an enjoyable listen.
February 26, 2026
Great
Let’s be honest, if you’ve made it this far, you know how great Arlo is and I don’t need to tell you more
Let’s be honest, if you’ve made it this far, you know how great Arlo is and I don’t need to tell you more
March 6, 2026
Another fun entry in this series. Now with international politicking and even more cleverly used powers and skills, I can't wait to see what happens next!
March 16, 2026
Fun epic craziness
The best part was the fairly epic fight at the end. I’m curious how everyone is going to unite against the avatars.
The best part was the fairly epic fight at the end. I’m curious how everyone is going to unite against the avatars.
April 6, 2026
This series is crazy but super fun
Every time a new book comes out, I’m reminded just how much the author’s sense of humor matches my own. Can’t wait for the next installment!
Every time a new book comes out, I’m reminded just how much the author’s sense of humor matches my own. Can’t wait for the next installment!
July 9, 2026
Dragons!!!! I knew it! lol
July 27, 2026
Great Series n Great Book
I look forward to the next book in the series. The story so far as been funny and engaging. Characters are believable and interact well.
I look forward to the next book in the series. The story so far as been funny and engaging. Characters are believable and interact well.
August 8, 2026
Plot is starting to drag and drag hard...
5/10 for the fact that plot drags hard and the story is just so full of filler.
5/10 for the fact that plot drags hard and the story is just so full of filler.
August 13, 2026
just so much yes
I haven’t been dragged along kicking and screaming by a book like this in ages. What an absolute ride. Can’t wait to dig into book 5!
I haven’t been dragged along kicking and screaming by a book like this in ages. What an absolute ride. Can’t wait to dig into book 5!
August 18, 2026
World building seems to be of little concern - which is fine - action sequences are well done and engaging
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews