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In My Defense #1
Turret Mage: An Isekai LitRPG
A teenage mechanic must battle nightmarish creatures and create formidable weapons to defend his new home from dark forces in this thrilling portal fantasy.
When Ryan Kotes awakens on an alien planet, his mind is a complete mess. But even with his memories ground into a fine paste, he’s pretty sure he would remember having a metal arm . . . not to mention the flashing messages that keep playing across his vision.
Anyone in Ryan’s position would have a few questions. It’s too bad the System tutorial meant to guide him through the vulnerable start to his new life on Ralqir has gone slightly insane, and his arrival may have kicked off this world’s version of the apocalypse.
Not everything is doom and gloom though. Because Ryan discovers he’s an an ascended being with a connection to the great cosmic machine known as the System. What could stand in his way? Well, other than having a skill set that is not suited to combat. If things come down to fighting, his abilities to shape metal and infuse objects with mana won’t cut it.
To survive the coming end times, when the dead will walk and the darkness will feast on the living, Ryan will need to get creative, transforming his crafting Class into something deadly. Building fearsome munitions, he must hone his mind itself into a weapon and use his mechanical know-how to usher in a new age of warfare.
The first volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with almost 900,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
When Ryan Kotes awakens on an alien planet, his mind is a complete mess. But even with his memories ground into a fine paste, he’s pretty sure he would remember having a metal arm . . . not to mention the flashing messages that keep playing across his vision.
Anyone in Ryan’s position would have a few questions. It’s too bad the System tutorial meant to guide him through the vulnerable start to his new life on Ralqir has gone slightly insane, and his arrival may have kicked off this world’s version of the apocalypse.
Not everything is doom and gloom though. Because Ryan discovers he’s an an ascended being with a connection to the great cosmic machine known as the System. What could stand in his way? Well, other than having a skill set that is not suited to combat. If things come down to fighting, his abilities to shape metal and infuse objects with mana won’t cut it.
To survive the coming end times, when the dead will walk and the darkness will feast on the living, Ryan will need to get creative, transforming his crafting Class into something deadly. Building fearsome munitions, he must hone his mind itself into a weapon and use his mechanical know-how to usher in a new age of warfare.
The first volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with almost 900,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 19, 2026
This is just terrible. Starting off as a tutorial keeps you from getting invested since he is meant to leave as soon as it is finished. The setting is neve explained well and until half way through the book is pretty much non existent. The characters are flat and boring. The protagonist is only given depth through flashbacks which is a poor choice given that none of it is relevant. The skills and class are not used until very near the end, making all this seem like a bait and switch. This is just terrible execution with lazy world building and pathetic character development.
March 23, 2026
I listened to the audio version and while the narrator is fantastic, I still really struggled to get through this book at times. It starts out with the MC in a confusing and ultimately doomed “tutorial,” but it’s never really explained what’s going on or why. The narrative is very disjointed because this story is told in a non-linear fashion, switching back and forth between past and present via flashbacks.
I think this story could’ve been significantly better if it had been told chronologically. Ryan’s flashbacks were far more interesting than his useless flailing around in the present. And while his flashbacks made him sympathetic, his behavior in the present still made him a very hard character for me to like. He’s oddly passive at times, and has ZERO self-preservation (2 character traits I despise). For instance, after lots of wandering around, He claims to value his own life, but you would never know it from his behavior.
Lastly, the writing. To be clear, I don’t think this author is a terrible writer, but he seems really prone to extremes and excessive description, and the book became very repetitive and drawn out at times due to this. Just how many times and how many ways can the author describe the MC being tired and hurt? A LOT, and always to an extreme degree. The MC is basically on the verge of death in every single fight scene and that gets old fast.
The MC can’t just have a headache, he has to have a headache that takes a paragraph or 2 to describe, and he has to get it repeatedly, just so we know it’s a really really bad one. Like so bad he’s going to black out. Most people would stop what they’re doing long before that happens but not this MC. He has to do everything to excess. He can’t just be tired, he has to be sooooooo tired that he’s stumbling and wobbling his way through his “battle” scenes, barely able to lift his arms and legs, barely conscious, and for some reason also barely able to remember what he’s even doing, and yet the scene just keeps dragging on and on despite it all. This did not make for good reading, it didn’t add any excitement, or tension, or suspense (we already know this guy is not gonna die); it was mostly just frustrating, especially since it happened in every single fight scene (often multiple times!).
If anything saved this book it’s Trix and the last stand at the end. Trix is just an awesome character and for once, the excessive description did allow the author to paint us a glorious WWZ-esque setting there at the end (but even that started to drag after a while).
I’m not sure i’m interested in bk 2. I didn’t like how self-sacrificing this guy was, and the budding romance made me feel insulted for the female characters, so I’m probably not the target audience for this book (note to author: no amount of looks or heroism can overcome bad hygiene and no woman likes being put in the position of having to “nag” her potential love interest into bathing, there is almost NOTHING more unattractive and annoying than that!).
I think this story could’ve been significantly better if it had been told chronologically. Ryan’s flashbacks were far more interesting than his useless flailing around in the present. And while his flashbacks made him sympathetic, his behavior in the present still made him a very hard character for me to like. He’s oddly passive at times, and has ZERO self-preservation (2 character traits I despise). For instance, after lots of wandering around, He claims to value his own life, but you would never know it from his behavior.
Lastly, the writing. To be clear, I don’t think this author is a terrible writer, but he seems really prone to extremes and excessive description, and the book became very repetitive and drawn out at times due to this. Just how many times and how many ways can the author describe the MC being tired and hurt? A LOT, and always to an extreme degree. The MC is basically on the verge of death in every single fight scene and that gets old fast.
The MC can’t just have a headache, he has to have a headache that takes a paragraph or 2 to describe, and he has to get it repeatedly, just so we know it’s a really really bad one. Like so bad he’s going to black out. Most people would stop what they’re doing long before that happens but not this MC. He has to do everything to excess. He can’t just be tired, he has to be sooooooo tired that he’s stumbling and wobbling his way through his “battle” scenes, barely able to lift his arms and legs, barely conscious, and for some reason also barely able to remember what he’s even doing, and yet the scene just keeps dragging on and on despite it all. This did not make for good reading, it didn’t add any excitement, or tension, or suspense (we already know this guy is not gonna die); it was mostly just frustrating, especially since it happened in every single fight scene (often multiple times!).
If anything saved this book it’s Trix and the last stand at the end. Trix is just an awesome character and for once, the excessive description did allow the author to paint us a glorious WWZ-esque setting there at the end (but even that started to drag after a while).
I’m not sure i’m interested in bk 2. I didn’t like how self-sacrificing this guy was, and the budding romance made me feel insulted for the female characters, so I’m probably not the target audience for this book (note to author: no amount of looks or heroism can overcome bad hygiene and no woman likes being put in the position of having to “nag” her potential love interest into bathing, there is almost NOTHING more unattractive and annoying than that!).
March 22, 2026
About struggle.
I almost gave this a three but landed on 4 star since the ending was done well enough and allayed some of my concerns for the books trajectory. (Not completely though)
It was a slow burn to actually get turrets and after that it kind of came all at once but sometimes reality hits like that.
What concerns me is that this book was struggle centric. The main character would just escape one helish circumstance into another slog. Litterally no reprieve in between. Some of that is natural pacing but... after a certain point it stops making sense. Things can only come hot and heavy for so long.
What concerns me is this... Does this book exist beyonf the MC's struggling? Will the stoey come to a natural lul or resting poiny and be coerced back into action by the author, afraid of the quiet? Of the joy?
I almost gave this a three but landed on 4 star since the ending was done well enough and allayed some of my concerns for the books trajectory. (Not completely though)
It was a slow burn to actually get turrets and after that it kind of came all at once but sometimes reality hits like that.
What concerns me is that this book was struggle centric. The main character would just escape one helish circumstance into another slog. Litterally no reprieve in between. Some of that is natural pacing but... after a certain point it stops making sense. Things can only come hot and heavy for so long.
What concerns me is this... Does this book exist beyonf the MC's struggling? Will the stoey come to a natural lul or resting poiny and be coerced back into action by the author, afraid of the quiet? Of the joy?
August 24, 2026
This wasn't what I expected, but I did enjoy it.
Other than that fricking annoying midget fox thing, this was a fun read.
Seems things are more rotten and dark than seen from the surface.
Will definitely be picking up the sequel. That should shed some light on the problem.
3/5 Stars
Other than that fricking annoying midget fox thing, this was a fun read.
Seems things are more rotten and dark than seen from the surface.
Will definitely be picking up the sequel. That should shed some light on the problem.
3/5 Stars
November 6, 2025
Fantastic writing
Fantastic writing! The setting, characters and story are all unique and just interesting. The author has a gift for building the world and characters they inhabit it.
Fantastic writing! The setting, characters and story are all unique and just interesting. The author has a gift for building the world and characters they inhabit it.
November 18, 2025
Good start of a new series
The book is a good introduction to the world and how it operates. Just a warning, the turret mage does not appear until almost the end of the book. I am looking forward to the next book.
The book is a good introduction to the world and how it operates. Just a warning, the turret mage does not appear until almost the end of the book. I am looking forward to the next book.
January 12, 2026
nice ending, stupid hero
The hero has bouts of forgetfulness where he fails to realize he is deadly,fails to predict obvious consequences, and fails to realize what people are doing.
That said it has a few very good combat scenes, in particular the last one.
The hero has bouts of forgetfulness where he fails to realize he is deadly,fails to predict obvious consequences, and fails to realize what people are doing.
That said it has a few very good combat scenes, in particular the last one.
May 5, 2026
Great adventure, great story
I am hooked, this is a fun story with an intriguing plot. I like the people, and the action is great! The MC is OP, but his team matters, they are much more than window dressing, and I can't wait to start the next book!
I am hooked, this is a fun story with an intriguing plot. I like the people, and the action is great! The MC is OP, but his team matters, they are much more than window dressing, and I can't wait to start the next book!
November 4, 2025
Fun story with great characters
didn-t-like-it
December 1, 2025Note to self: not working for me.
December 5, 2025
conflicted
I liked where it ended up, but the bouncing back and forth from past to present wasn’t something I enjoyed.
I’m not sure I will get book 2. I *think* I will.
I liked where it ended up, but the bouncing back and forth from past to present wasn’t something I enjoyed.
I’m not sure I will get book 2. I *think* I will.
December 5, 2025
This book is awesome—I absolutely loved it! I can’t wait for more, because this is definitely shaping up to be a great series. I’m already excited for the next one!
December 18, 2025
Awesome.
I really liked this book. The world building and character development was spot on. I'm looking forward to book 2.
I really liked this book. The world building and character development was spot on. I'm looking forward to book 2.
December 29, 2025
Well done progression with a compelling and real feeling character
January 28, 2026
Started off slow, got really good, then slowed down again despite the intense action imo
June 12, 2026
very good
A great start to a series can’t wait to read the next one. A good cast of characters all of them interesting.
A great start to a series can’t wait to read the next one. A good cast of characters all of them interesting.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews