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Bog Standard Isekai #5
Warbound
No battle plan survives first contact with witches.Armies have risen, the great machines of war are prepared, and the battle beasts are straining at their
leashes. Despite Arcaena’s every attempt to prevent it, the full might of three kingdoms have gathered
at her borders. From all outward appearances, Brin is finally on the stronger side.
But no [Witch] should ever be underestimated, and an ancient [Witch Queen] with her back against the
wall is more dangerous still. While fighting in the army, Brin will feel the pain of curses and poisons even
more than the strength of ravenous undead, fearsome monsters, and trained human soldiers. Arcaena
has had centuries to steep her nation in her power, and every inch of land will resist them. Worse still,
the world’s strongest warrior, Lothar the [Paladin], will do everything he can to undermine the war from
the inside while the soldiers are fighting enemies on the front.
Brin and his Lance will need all the power they’ve won or gathered if they want to survive amid the
clashing armies. As knights-at-arms, they have many privileges and powers, but an equal amount
responsibilities. Bound by duty, and bound by honor, and most of all, warbound.
leashes. Despite Arcaena’s every attempt to prevent it, the full might of three kingdoms have gathered
at her borders. From all outward appearances, Brin is finally on the stronger side.
But no [Witch] should ever be underestimated, and an ancient [Witch Queen] with her back against the
wall is more dangerous still. While fighting in the army, Brin will feel the pain of curses and poisons even
more than the strength of ravenous undead, fearsome monsters, and trained human soldiers. Arcaena
has had centuries to steep her nation in her power, and every inch of land will resist them. Worse still,
the world’s strongest warrior, Lothar the [Paladin], will do everything he can to undermine the war from
the inside while the soldiers are fighting enemies on the front.
Brin and his Lance will need all the power they’ve won or gathered if they want to survive amid the
clashing armies. As knights-at-arms, they have many privileges and powers, but an equal amount
responsibilities. Bound by duty, and bound by honor, and most of all, warbound.
703 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 13, 2026
It's rare that I go beyond volume 4 in a series, and even rarer that I maintain steady enjoyment, but I guess this is one of those series despite so many authorial choices that make me wonder whether he'll still capture my interest with the next plot arc.
The characters have grown on me, even though I'm not really a fan of the Illusionist class, and the somewhat odd turn of events that leads us into the current wartime subplot. There were some hitches in scenes every now and then where the transition into the next scene seemed to happen early and cut off character responses or reactions that I would have expected to see.
Otherwise, I remained interested in where things were going and the new cast of supporting characters. We kind of breezed through the plot arc, though that might have been for the best, because the plot continuing to move is one of the main things I like about the series.
It seems like we may be about to enter a magic tower or magic school arc soon, which is usually a pitfall so deep into a series for me. I always have a hard time feigning interest in petty teenage school drama after being exposed to life-and-death struggles against monsters out in the world.
But if there's one thing this series has shown, it's that it somehow keeps me interested in things that normally wouldn't work for me in a story.
The characters have grown on me, even though I'm not really a fan of the Illusionist class, and the somewhat odd turn of events that leads us into the current wartime subplot. There were some hitches in scenes every now and then where the transition into the next scene seemed to happen early and cut off character responses or reactions that I would have expected to see.
Otherwise, I remained interested in where things were going and the new cast of supporting characters. We kind of breezed through the plot arc, though that might have been for the best, because the plot continuing to move is one of the main things I like about the series.
It seems like we may be about to enter a magic tower or magic school arc soon, which is usually a pitfall so deep into a series for me. I always have a hard time feigning interest in petty teenage school drama after being exposed to life-and-death struggles against monsters out in the world.
But if there's one thing this series has shown, it's that it somehow keeps me interested in things that normally wouldn't work for me in a story.
September 16, 2026
This is my last review for this series. I’m officially quitting. Here’s my review for Book 5 and the series overall:
Bog Standard is a series that invests heavily in its characters for the first couple of books which does negatively affect the pacing of the story. However, once we turn the corner from this character/world-building phase, the series devolves into pretty generic progression fantasy.
Despite all the investment in characters, especially in the first couple of books, I never really liked the MC. I still don’t really understand the context for where his determination and drive comes from, this is a common issue in this genre.
As for the story itself, the pacing is quite slow for the first three books, and the overarching witch theme I never once found even remotely interesting. Put aside the cringy similarity of “witch hunts” in this series to those in the real world, the antagonists in this series to this point are just boilerplate bad guys.
This latest book (5) is where I’ve decided to walk away. Despite looking like we are finally wrapping up the witch plot, which I earnestly disliked for the beginning, the way that it’s done in this book isn’t logically consistent with the story. The story established that the witch queendom had dug tunnels, presumably all over the kingdom MC hails from, and had millions of undead ready to jump out at a moments notice. In the context of the story to that point, this followed what was happening in the Bog. And it also follows that this revelation and attacks in the bog would provoke a war between the kingdoms. Over the last two books, this resulted in an alliance of three or four nations against the Witch Queendom. So far, so good. But this is where the story stops making sense.
Whatever happened to these millions of undead? What happened to all the tunnels ready to unleash them? The Queendom is easily conquered. Even if the enemy is at a numeric disadvantage, at a minimum you would think they would unleash at least some of these millions of undead, to wreak havoc behind enemy lines and delay their invasion. Nope. Apparently most of the queendom’s residents just took off to set up a new kingdom somewhere else?
I could go into more detail of why all these things don’t make sense, but that would go into spoilers. I wonder if the author just wanted to shift the direction of the story, and basically just wrote this to connect where he was in the story to where he wanted to go and ignored the issues or played some unpalatable explanation to explain them away.
However, that’s not where this series totally lost me. It’s the plot devices in the final battle. The typical has just enough mana to whatever trope. The typical new powers unlocked at the right moment trope. But the worst was the chapter about the other knight, the berserker-style one. Won’t get into spoilers, but he pulls two rabbits out of the plot device hat. The first contradicts the previously established lore for how to unlock that ability, and how knightly orders work and why there are different ones for each order’s unique paths and skills, and the other is just a classic deus ex machina plot device ripped off from LOTR.
I understand there’s a need for these, and a tendency in this genre to power up mid battle, but that can’t be ALL they do. I believe progression works best when the results of set piece battles like this are the result of investment in progression, strategy, skill sets, not just winging it and throwing in some plot devices. The good guys are gonna win, that’s a given in this genre, so to me the best way to make that predictable ending fun, is the investment in the progression to make it believable. The way this author chooses it do it time and again, the winging it style, to me is why I’m walking away.
Another aside before I wrap up is the lack of stakes in this series. With the tone of the series being dark at the beginning, and with its focus on characters, you would think endangering these characters by killing them off as we go would be the best way to generate stakes for the readers. But you’d be wrong, like many authors in this genre, this one grows too attached even to his side characters to ever take one out that we really like. To me, that’s the last nail in the coffin. Despite killing off one of the peripheral lance members, the rug pull on killing off an important one, showed me this series doesn’t have the guts to take the step to the next level.
So in the end, a series that begins by somewhat subverting the tropes of this genre with its non-OP MC, it’s focus on characterization, on feelings and experiences and how they affect characters, its slow pace, etc, has devolved into embracing the worst tropes of the genre. I’m apathetic to the MC, no one who matters ever dies, plot devices and plot armor with the most boring plot imaginable. Just another series in this genre doing the same things just with different names. And that’s not good enough to warrant my time.
Bog Standard is a series that invests heavily in its characters for the first couple of books which does negatively affect the pacing of the story. However, once we turn the corner from this character/world-building phase, the series devolves into pretty generic progression fantasy.
Despite all the investment in characters, especially in the first couple of books, I never really liked the MC. I still don’t really understand the context for where his determination and drive comes from, this is a common issue in this genre.
As for the story itself, the pacing is quite slow for the first three books, and the overarching witch theme I never once found even remotely interesting. Put aside the cringy similarity of “witch hunts” in this series to those in the real world, the antagonists in this series to this point are just boilerplate bad guys.
This latest book (5) is where I’ve decided to walk away. Despite looking like we are finally wrapping up the witch plot, which I earnestly disliked for the beginning, the way that it’s done in this book isn’t logically consistent with the story. The story established that the witch queendom had dug tunnels, presumably all over the kingdom MC hails from, and had millions of undead ready to jump out at a moments notice. In the context of the story to that point, this followed what was happening in the Bog. And it also follows that this revelation and attacks in the bog would provoke a war between the kingdoms. Over the last two books, this resulted in an alliance of three or four nations against the Witch Queendom. So far, so good. But this is where the story stops making sense.
Whatever happened to these millions of undead? What happened to all the tunnels ready to unleash them? The Queendom is easily conquered. Even if the enemy is at a numeric disadvantage, at a minimum you would think they would unleash at least some of these millions of undead, to wreak havoc behind enemy lines and delay their invasion. Nope. Apparently most of the queendom’s residents just took off to set up a new kingdom somewhere else?
I could go into more detail of why all these things don’t make sense, but that would go into spoilers. I wonder if the author just wanted to shift the direction of the story, and basically just wrote this to connect where he was in the story to where he wanted to go and ignored the issues or played some unpalatable explanation to explain them away.
However, that’s not where this series totally lost me. It’s the plot devices in the final battle. The typical has just enough mana to whatever trope. The typical new powers unlocked at the right moment trope. But the worst was the chapter about the other knight, the berserker-style one. Won’t get into spoilers, but he pulls two rabbits out of the plot device hat. The first contradicts the previously established lore for how to unlock that ability, and how knightly orders work and why there are different ones for each order’s unique paths and skills, and the other is just a classic deus ex machina plot device ripped off from LOTR.
I understand there’s a need for these, and a tendency in this genre to power up mid battle, but that can’t be ALL they do. I believe progression works best when the results of set piece battles like this are the result of investment in progression, strategy, skill sets, not just winging it and throwing in some plot devices. The good guys are gonna win, that’s a given in this genre, so to me the best way to make that predictable ending fun, is the investment in the progression to make it believable. The way this author chooses it do it time and again, the winging it style, to me is why I’m walking away.
Another aside before I wrap up is the lack of stakes in this series. With the tone of the series being dark at the beginning, and with its focus on characters, you would think endangering these characters by killing them off as we go would be the best way to generate stakes for the readers. But you’d be wrong, like many authors in this genre, this one grows too attached even to his side characters to ever take one out that we really like. To me, that’s the last nail in the coffin. Despite killing off one of the peripheral lance members, the rug pull on killing off an important one, showed me this series doesn’t have the guts to take the step to the next level.
So in the end, a series that begins by somewhat subverting the tropes of this genre with its non-OP MC, it’s focus on characterization, on feelings and experiences and how they affect characters, its slow pace, etc, has devolved into embracing the worst tropes of the genre. I’m apathetic to the MC, no one who matters ever dies, plot devices and plot armor with the most boring plot imaginable. Just another series in this genre doing the same things just with different names. And that’s not good enough to warrant my time.
August 31, 2026
The main story is starting to get a little diluted with wartime politics... that are never fully explained.
There were parts that deserved a re-read, like the battle with Zaff the undead level 70. But at other times, I came close to dropping the book; e.g. when Brin's alter ego took over.
My biggest problem is that the book seemed to be heading for a resolution with the witch-queen but ended in a way that left any sort of series culmination a forlorn hope.
There were parts that deserved a re-read, like the battle with Zaff the undead level 70. But at other times, I came close to dropping the book; e.g. when Brin's alter ego took over.
My biggest problem is that the book seemed to be heading for a resolution with the witch-queen but ended in a way that left any sort of series culmination a forlorn hope.
August 28, 2026
DNF at 60%
I bounced off Warbound hard and I’m not sure if that’s the book or just me.
The first four books were great and clicked. Slow burn, weird glass/illusion stuff, the found-family Lance, the swamp-to-knighthood grind — it all felt distinctive even when the plot was taking its time. Book 5 is the war book. Armies, logistics, curses, the Witch Queen with her back to the wall, Brin and his Lance operating as actual knights-at-arms. On paper that should have been the payoff. Instead I kept putting it down.
Getting back into the groove after a break was a slog. The flow that used to pull me along just wasn’t there. A lot of the page count sits in the machinery of the campaign and the responsibilities that come with being warbound: duty, honour, the unit, the lance. That knight-and-lance focus is the part that started feeling flat rather than tense. Battles and waiting, supply issues, the weight of the class and the title — I get that it’s the point of this volume, but it stopped being enjoyable. I wasn’t invested in the next engagement the way I used to be invested in the next weird skill or conversation.
Maybe it’s just the wrong book at the wrong time. I just decided 60% was enough. Not angry, not hate-reading — just not having fun anymore and not curious enough to push through the rest. Might pick it up again later. Right now I’m done.
I bounced off Warbound hard and I’m not sure if that’s the book or just me.
The first four books were great and clicked. Slow burn, weird glass/illusion stuff, the found-family Lance, the swamp-to-knighthood grind — it all felt distinctive even when the plot was taking its time. Book 5 is the war book. Armies, logistics, curses, the Witch Queen with her back to the wall, Brin and his Lance operating as actual knights-at-arms. On paper that should have been the payoff. Instead I kept putting it down.
Getting back into the groove after a break was a slog. The flow that used to pull me along just wasn’t there. A lot of the page count sits in the machinery of the campaign and the responsibilities that come with being warbound: duty, honour, the unit, the lance. That knight-and-lance focus is the part that started feeling flat rather than tense. Battles and waiting, supply issues, the weight of the class and the title — I get that it’s the point of this volume, but it stopped being enjoyable. I wasn’t invested in the next engagement the way I used to be invested in the next weird skill or conversation.
Maybe it’s just the wrong book at the wrong time. I just decided 60% was enough. Not angry, not hate-reading — just not having fun anymore and not curious enough to push through the rest. Might pick it up again later. Right now I’m done.
August 20, 2026
It's been a large genre shift from the horror/mystery angles of the early books, but it's transitioned elegantly to high fantasy military fiction in this one.
Did Not Finish
August 29, 2026The spark of enjoyment is gone and I can't say how or why. I simply couldn't get into it and kept putting it down to look for something else to read.
September 1, 2026
Volume 5: HurryUpAndWaitbound
A tale of two parts: the very uninteresting one and the megabattle with schemes within schemes, some closures, and some table-setting for the future.
2.5 stars rounded up
A tale of two parts: the very uninteresting one and the megabattle with schemes within schemes, some closures, and some table-setting for the future.
2.5 stars rounded up
August 25, 2026
Fond of this, and it was fun to pick up, but some small spark is missing for me. I think a linear strength progression for exponential effort keeps things reasonable, but I like it when stuff is chaotic. Learning about the witch queen was interesting, but I really want to see more of the Wyrd and the lexicon
October 13, 2026
I still feel like the Bog Standard series went awry with the prior book and the introduction of the knights, and I still feel that way here unfortunately.
The core of this fifth book, Warbound, is that Brin and his Lance of knights have finally taken the fight to Arcaena’s nation, along with many other soldiers of several nations. Fun political times abound here, which leaves Brin with the dual tasks of having to navigate both a dangerous foreign land and the potentially backstabbing “allied” armies invading it.
There are some enjoyable bits. The banter between Brin and his Lance is generally fun. Seeing some of Brin’s illusions in use is a treat as well, as it does add a nice extra dimension to combat.
There are multiple issues I had with this book:
1. The pacing is a bit odd. For example, Brin and the army spend a lot of time hanging out, training, etc. I get that this mirrors the experience of a real army (you don’t exactly spend a whole lot of time in combat) but it doesn’t exactly make for compelling reading either.
2. Brin moves to a new class but continues to have the same issue as in the prior book wherein he has to hide his class and its aspects to a significant degree. It makes a bit more sense here as it is more of an “evil” class but I never understood the point in having your main character forcefully handicap themselves in some way.
3. Most of the time is spent on the frontlines of the “war”, and the setting is just not very interesting in my opinion. Characters don’t get much of a chance to move around and explore new places. There is a short side chapter with Hogg part way through the book which I found significantly more interesting.
4. Brin’s class is getting ridiculous and arguably wildly overpowered. The status overview for him is just pages and pages long at this point and I would argue it has reached a point where things are out of control. At one point he splits his mind up into innumerable threads, after we are told by him via Hogg’s advice that running more than even a few threads is extremely dangerous. Somehow in the end, and after some temporary mental “gymnastics” with the prior inhabitant of his body he comes out of this pretty much no worse for wear and perhaps better off from when he started.
4. After all the setup, we never really get a full resolution to Arcaena in this book. I’m trying not to spoil here but I was unclear on who or what exactly Arcaena is, and I feel like that, and their fate, should have been pretty clear by this point.
I still think the core issue with the series is that something was “lost in translation” when Brin and friends left the Bog. It is hard to describe in detail, but there was more of an “aloofness” to that part of the story (in the first three books) and, while I feel like some of the purpose was to have the feel of things mature along with Brin through the series, the series has at the same time lost a lot of what made it stand out, at least to me. You may feel different but I think this was the core of what made Bog Standard not like a bog standard story (had to throw that in there). The whole idea in my mind was that it was supposed to NOT be like a standard isekai story, hence the title pun and the direction of the first few books, but now it just feels like a standard isekai.
I really enjoyed Brin hanging out with his friends, learning from Hogg, and trying to solve the [Witch] mystery and now that we have sort of a more standard fantasy allotment of wars and politics it just feels like what made this series unique has been lost. As an aside, a reviewer below compares the “witch hunt” plot line in the first few books to real life “witch hunts” and I’m honestly…yeah think maybe you were reading a different book or something because I’m not sure what you are getting at.
Still, this is a decent entry in the series, is a bit better than the prior book in my mind, and definitely still worth your time.
The core of this fifth book, Warbound, is that Brin and his Lance of knights have finally taken the fight to Arcaena’s nation, along with many other soldiers of several nations. Fun political times abound here, which leaves Brin with the dual tasks of having to navigate both a dangerous foreign land and the potentially backstabbing “allied” armies invading it.
There are some enjoyable bits. The banter between Brin and his Lance is generally fun. Seeing some of Brin’s illusions in use is a treat as well, as it does add a nice extra dimension to combat.
There are multiple issues I had with this book:
1. The pacing is a bit odd. For example, Brin and the army spend a lot of time hanging out, training, etc. I get that this mirrors the experience of a real army (you don’t exactly spend a whole lot of time in combat) but it doesn’t exactly make for compelling reading either.
2. Brin moves to a new class but continues to have the same issue as in the prior book wherein he has to hide his class and its aspects to a significant degree. It makes a bit more sense here as it is more of an “evil” class but I never understood the point in having your main character forcefully handicap themselves in some way.
3. Most of the time is spent on the frontlines of the “war”, and the setting is just not very interesting in my opinion. Characters don’t get much of a chance to move around and explore new places. There is a short side chapter with Hogg part way through the book which I found significantly more interesting.
4. Brin’s class is getting ridiculous and arguably wildly overpowered. The status overview for him is just pages and pages long at this point and I would argue it has reached a point where things are out of control. At one point he splits his mind up into innumerable threads, after we are told by him via Hogg’s advice that running more than even a few threads is extremely dangerous. Somehow in the end, and after some temporary mental “gymnastics” with the prior inhabitant of his body he comes out of this pretty much no worse for wear and perhaps better off from when he started.
4. After all the setup, we never really get a full resolution to Arcaena in this book. I’m trying not to spoil here but I was unclear on who or what exactly Arcaena is, and I feel like that, and their fate, should have been pretty clear by this point.
I still think the core issue with the series is that something was “lost in translation” when Brin and friends left the Bog. It is hard to describe in detail, but there was more of an “aloofness” to that part of the story (in the first three books) and, while I feel like some of the purpose was to have the feel of things mature along with Brin through the series, the series has at the same time lost a lot of what made it stand out, at least to me. You may feel different but I think this was the core of what made Bog Standard not like a bog standard story (had to throw that in there). The whole idea in my mind was that it was supposed to NOT be like a standard isekai story, hence the title pun and the direction of the first few books, but now it just feels like a standard isekai.
I really enjoyed Brin hanging out with his friends, learning from Hogg, and trying to solve the [Witch] mystery and now that we have sort of a more standard fantasy allotment of wars and politics it just feels like what made this series unique has been lost. As an aside, a reviewer below compares the “witch hunt” plot line in the first few books to real life “witch hunts” and I’m honestly…yeah think maybe you were reading a different book or something because I’m not sure what you are getting at.
Still, this is a decent entry in the series, is a bit better than the prior book in my mind, and definitely still worth your time.
August 25, 2026
Rating 4.0 stars
I am conflicted with this series. I really enjoy it but I haven't like the last 2 books as much as the previous 3. I miss Hog. I miss Brin being around his friends. In the first 3 books, I knew what Brin's goals were. They made sense. Even if I wouldn't have made the same decisions as Brin, I at least understood the reason for his actions.
In the last couple of books that is missing. Brin and Hog separated. Brin is now in a knight lance and is heading to war. This was not something I saw coming in the first 3 books and it was a jarring switch in tone. Don't get me wrong, Brin is still Brin and I enjoy reading about him. But what is his goal? He seems to be doing a lot of things just because Lumina told him to. Where does Brin see himself going in the future? I don't think he even knows. That lack is noticed. In this one he made a class choice that I don't think he really wanted, but he did it because he felt it would be the best thing to help with his mission and Lumina's plan. I am not sure how I feel about that. I wouldn't have made that decision.
I am conflicted with this series. I really enjoy it but I haven't like the last 2 books as much as the previous 3. I miss Hog. I miss Brin being around his friends. In the first 3 books, I knew what Brin's goals were. They made sense. Even if I wouldn't have made the same decisions as Brin, I at least understood the reason for his actions.
In the last couple of books that is missing. Brin and Hog separated. Brin is now in a knight lance and is heading to war. This was not something I saw coming in the first 3 books and it was a jarring switch in tone. Don't get me wrong, Brin is still Brin and I enjoy reading about him. But what is his goal? He seems to be doing a lot of things just because Lumina told him to. Where does Brin see himself going in the future? I don't think he even knows. That lack is noticed. In this one he made a class choice that I don't think he really wanted, but he did it because he felt it would be the best thing to help with his mission and Lumina's plan. I am not sure how I feel about that. I wouldn't have made that decision.
September 2, 2026
I want to like this book more than I actually do. While the main plot, and all the character are as high quality as the rest of the series, the secondary aspects of the book are rough.
This whole book is about a war between a large coalition of nations fighting against a nation ruled by one of the most powerful people to ever exist in this world, and we know barely anything about anyone involved. This was the perfect time to introduce and explain a lot of power players in this world, and to explain what each nation and its people are like. And there are plenty of scenes that feel like they are building up to something like that but then end just before it happens. It leads to an awkward feeling towards the end of the book as large things are happening, but it feels hollow because you don't know any of the characters involved.
This isn't that large of a problem, but it creates a constant low level feeling throughout the book of "why should I care?" even when massive world-shaking things are happening.
This doesn't extend to the main plot following Brin and his Lance though. That is still well written and enjoyable. Even the returning characters that didn't get much page time in the previous book are fun, even if their scenes are far too short.
This whole book is about a war between a large coalition of nations fighting against a nation ruled by one of the most powerful people to ever exist in this world, and we know barely anything about anyone involved. This was the perfect time to introduce and explain a lot of power players in this world, and to explain what each nation and its people are like. And there are plenty of scenes that feel like they are building up to something like that but then end just before it happens. It leads to an awkward feeling towards the end of the book as large things are happening, but it feels hollow because you don't know any of the characters involved.
This isn't that large of a problem, but it creates a constant low level feeling throughout the book of "why should I care?" even when massive world-shaking things are happening.
This doesn't extend to the main plot following Brin and his Lance though. That is still well written and enjoyable. Even the returning characters that didn't get much page time in the previous book are fun, even if their scenes are far too short.
Review of advance copy
Book 5 currently completed and available on Royal Road at https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/695....
Enjoyed this series surprisingly much, considering I'm not entirely sure exactly what it is in them I'm connecting with. The humour is a lot of puns, the main character is less a character with say, self-reflection or an internal monologue, but rather a vessel to be propelled through a series of levelling-up exercises and incidents. I haven't actually fallen in love with any of the side characters either. But altogether as a whole, it's genuine mindless fun, and I'm reading for the vibes - it's essentially slice of life, and even though I can't tell you what the overarching plot line is, it has a really upbeat tone in spite of the shitty events happening and you never really have to worry about unpleasantly realistic reality interfering in your book-character's madcap adventures.
Book six is currently being posted a chapter at a time onto RR, I've made it to its current end but I'll probably wait until it's finished to read the rest of it as a chunk - it feels like it's better binged, for me at least. Good times, anyway.
Enjoyed this series surprisingly much, considering I'm not entirely sure exactly what it is in them I'm connecting with. The humour is a lot of puns, the main character is less a character with say, self-reflection or an internal monologue, but rather a vessel to be propelled through a series of levelling-up exercises and incidents. I haven't actually fallen in love with any of the side characters either. But altogether as a whole, it's genuine mindless fun, and I'm reading for the vibes - it's essentially slice of life, and even though I can't tell you what the overarching plot line is, it has a really upbeat tone in spite of the shitty events happening and you never really have to worry about unpleasantly realistic reality interfering in your book-character's madcap adventures.
Book six is currently being posted a chapter at a time onto RR, I've made it to its current end but I'll probably wait until it's finished to read the rest of it as a chunk - it feels like it's better binged, for me at least. Good times, anyway.
Review of advance copy
I read this book on royalroad.com so I guess it counts as an ARC maybe? Doesn’t matter.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s meant to be a war book and that’s what we get. From epic battles to the unbearable waiting in between to dealing with the logistics of supply shortages. I’m not gonna spoil anything but there was a lot to love in this one. Brin choosing a questionable new class really racks up the tension from the very beginning and allows for some truly heartbreaking moments later on. It also allows for one of the most fun and epic action scenes I’ve read in a long time. The larger plot also moves forward quite a bit in this book. I was actually surprised by how much plot development we got for the land of witches. I really didn’t expect it. For those who need to know, we do get to catch up briefly with a few old favourites from the previous books but since it is a war, our Lance of misfit knights are still the main side characters and many of them get a fair bit more character development which I enjoyed quite a lot. All in all, it was a very well done book.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s meant to be a war book and that’s what we get. From epic battles to the unbearable waiting in between to dealing with the logistics of supply shortages. I’m not gonna spoil anything but there was a lot to love in this one. Brin choosing a questionable new class really racks up the tension from the very beginning and allows for some truly heartbreaking moments later on. It also allows for one of the most fun and epic action scenes I’ve read in a long time. The larger plot also moves forward quite a bit in this book. I was actually surprised by how much plot development we got for the land of witches. I really didn’t expect it. For those who need to know, we do get to catch up briefly with a few old favourites from the previous books but since it is a war, our Lance of misfit knights are still the main side characters and many of them get a fair bit more character development which I enjoyed quite a lot. All in all, it was a very well done book.
August 25, 2026
Really good book. Probably more of a 4.5 star. The reasons it isn't 5 is because I have some minor quibbles about the end and I wasn't a fan of his class. Or maybe I'm not a big fan of the Wyrd. Basically I thought his class didn't really live up to the hype but that could be my taste in wanting something more bombastic. He did pull out all the stops in one great scene though! As for the rest of the book it's the conclusion of the war arc and it has all the fighting, but also character work, you could want. I am interested to see where it goes from here since this was such a climax in the story. I'm hopeful we get to see more old characters. I like the Lance but I don't thing that's really where Brin belongs!
August 26, 2026
👍
I wish there’d been more of Davi and Zilly, given how much the story revolved around them in the earlier books. I feel there is still much resolution to be had with them that would have fit well in this book rather than a later one. However, I could not bring myself to dock a star. The book never had me bored and I found that it always managed to keep me entertained; plus, I loved the interesting approach to insanity that miles has provided. As someone who has read many litrpgs and regular books, that is something that was both intriguing and emotionally captivating. I loved it! I’d love to see more. I will be reading ahead on royal road, as the next book is due nearly a whole year from now :(
Hope this helped!
I wish there’d been more of Davi and Zilly, given how much the story revolved around them in the earlier books. I feel there is still much resolution to be had with them that would have fit well in this book rather than a later one. However, I could not bring myself to dock a star. The book never had me bored and I found that it always managed to keep me entertained; plus, I loved the interesting approach to insanity that miles has provided. As someone who has read many litrpgs and regular books, that is something that was both intriguing and emotionally captivating. I loved it! I’d love to see more. I will be reading ahead on royal road, as the next book is due nearly a whole year from now :(
Hope this helped!
October 2, 2026
I base my reviews on three stars.
This one kept me entertained and listening when I should have been doing other things. Curses. This is one of my top series, maybe the top one now, but I certainly pick it up as soon as possible (I waited to start it because I wanted to be able to concentrate on the book).
The books tempo is still slow in parts, but I like that about series when I get to feel the world breathe, so not really a problem for me. When the military action is happening it moves along, even when sometimes the army isn't. We're getting more glimpses of the higher politics and whatnot going on, a few new mysteries. The ending problems are a bit too perfect to solve the current issue, but I suspect the reason for that and it'll no doubt be explored in the next book.
This one kept me entertained and listening when I should have been doing other things. Curses. This is one of my top series, maybe the top one now, but I certainly pick it up as soon as possible (I waited to start it because I wanted to be able to concentrate on the book).
The books tempo is still slow in parts, but I like that about series when I get to feel the world breathe, so not really a problem for me. When the military action is happening it moves along, even when sometimes the army isn't. We're getting more glimpses of the higher politics and whatnot going on, a few new mysteries. The ending problems are a bit too perfect to solve the current issue, but I suspect the reason for that and it'll no doubt be explored in the next book.
August 24, 2026
Any criticisms that I had about how Book 2 was too fast-paced in how it handled its war would fall flat here. Book 5 does it incredibly well and it shows great growth for Miles English as a writer.
Though Book 3 is still my personal favourite for its character-focused work and great antagonist and world-building, Book 5 is honestly just as great and builds on all of it while handling a war.
In a significant way, Book 4 (which I also greatly enjoyed with its new cast of characters) is an intermediary novel, Book 5 felt like the true successor to Book 3.
Now on to Book 6, which is still in its web serial form alone.
Though Book 3 is still my personal favourite for its character-focused work and great antagonist and world-building, Book 5 is honestly just as great and builds on all of it while handling a war.
In a significant way, Book 4 (which I also greatly enjoyed with its new cast of characters) is an intermediary novel, Book 5 felt like the true successor to Book 3.
Now on to Book 6, which is still in its web serial form alone.
October 28, 2026
The tone of the series has shifted a great deal from the first three books and feels like we're in a bit of an identity crisis. Brin is still himself and not all that aware of the big picture stuff, so neither of we and considering how most litrpg books go, it feels a bit like none of us know what to expect next. I had also thought that there were more books in this series but it looks like I'm all caught up as the next book isn't set to release until August 2027. I've got it added to my wish list and as this book didn't end on a cliffhanger, which was one of my biggest concerns when starting this book, I'm not going to complain about waiting.
August 18, 2026
Title: Redefines what "bog standard" means
Content Ratings: Language – PG13; Violence – PG13; Other – PG13
I've suspected it for a while, but clearly "bog standard" no longer means plain, ordinary, or run-of-the-mill like I thought it did. It means excellent, epic, or superior. In other words, this was a fantastic addition to a fantastic series. Can't wait for more. I saw in the author's announcement e-mail "put me down for another five". Done! I'm expecting at least five more and will be eagerly awaiting each release.
Content Ratings: Language – PG13; Violence – PG13; Other – PG13
I've suspected it for a while, but clearly "bog standard" no longer means plain, ordinary, or run-of-the-mill like I thought it did. It means excellent, epic, or superior. In other words, this was a fantastic addition to a fantastic series. Can't wait for more. I saw in the author's announcement e-mail "put me down for another five". Done! I'm expecting at least five more and will be eagerly awaiting each release.
August 19, 2026
Bog Standard Isekai always amazes me with how it's able to weave in the themes of magic and witchcraft in new and interesting ways. All of the other books talked about the war and had hard fought battles but this felt like a book where the main character went to war in its glory and horror. The ending had a neat set of twists that felt emotionally deep and set up for new fun arcs to come.
What would I say to my past self before reading? Clear your calendar for a bit. It's going to be a fun read.
What would I say to my past self before reading? Clear your calendar for a bit. It's going to be a fun read.
October 13, 2026
I haven't written a review for each book since I binged them, but I wanted to write a couple of thoughts on this one.
This book, imo, blow the the others out of the water. The scale, the complexity of Brin's character, the breadth of well written supporting cast, the absolutely insane action, and the climax of the war. This war with the Arcanea has been built up since the first book, and this volume manages to stick the landing beautifully. Even after Several months since I last read it, some scenes are still stuck in my head, absolutely amazing.
This book, imo, blow the the others out of the water. The scale, the complexity of Brin's character, the breadth of well written supporting cast, the absolutely insane action, and the climax of the war. This war with the Arcanea has been built up since the first book, and this volume manages to stick the landing beautifully. Even after Several months since I last read it, some scenes are still stuck in my head, absolutely amazing.
August 27, 2026
I loved it! Though I may just be high on the excelent ending of the war haha. It was so emotional and the high of a lot of threads tieing up qas so good! The outro of book 4 was a bit of a downer but I am so happy that Brin basically never let it bring him down. It was even a whole plot wnd at the climax of the war and I feel so proud haha. You are you regardless of whatever XD And I love Lothar and Brin and everything at the end. So good! And also sad. But good!
August 20, 2026
Excellent Stuff
This series was a very sickening story. Little boys are tortured and brainwashed by Witches. Our guy gets put in one of these situations and takes over a child who has given up. Even though he was twenty something, two powerhouses agree to be his parents as they are centuries old. Fantastic read
This series was a very sickening story. Little boys are tortured and brainwashed by Witches. Our guy gets put in one of these situations and takes over a child who has given up. Even though he was twenty something, two powerhouses agree to be his parents as they are centuries old. Fantastic read
August 22, 2026
Amazing
I loved this book so much. Everything was written perfectly. It caused a lot of anguish for me especially with Brin and Alberthol, it felt like we were losing Brin and that hurt. But it was exciting, hoping for his return but trying to accept Aberthol. My only request, please let Brin pick another class that isn’t so…wyrd!
I loved this book so much. Everything was written perfectly. It caused a lot of anguish for me especially with Brin and Alberthol, it felt like we were losing Brin and that hurt. But it was exciting, hoping for his return but trying to accept Aberthol. My only request, please let Brin pick another class that isn’t so…wyrd!
September 10, 2026
Bog Standard Isekai 5: Warbound
Brin and his Lance of Knights march with the combined armies into Arcaena. There, they hope to confront the Witch Queen herself and bring an end to her evil empire. Witches are treacherous though and this war will be far from easy.
This is one of my favorite new Isekai LitRPG! Brin has shifted from being craft focused and is now focused almost entirely on the martial path. Small wonder since he is literally marching into enemy territory. All of the surrounding characters are fantastic and I thoroughly enjoy them. My only complaint is that Paris is not in this book. Jonathan McClain did an excellent job with the narration!
Content warning: brief descriptions of remembered torture
Brin and his Lance of Knights march with the combined armies into Arcaena. There, they hope to confront the Witch Queen herself and bring an end to her evil empire. Witches are treacherous though and this war will be far from easy.
This is one of my favorite new Isekai LitRPG! Brin has shifted from being craft focused and is now focused almost entirely on the martial path. Small wonder since he is literally marching into enemy territory. All of the surrounding characters are fantastic and I thoroughly enjoy them. My only complaint is that Paris is not in this book. Jonathan McClain did an excellent job with the narration!
Content warning: brief descriptions of remembered torture
Review of advance copy
I liked this one A LOT. Small unit war stuff with progression fantasy. Absolutely top series for me. Finished first 4 books in less than 2 weeks, read this one on royal road in about 2 days, and now I'm probably on the Patreon for the foreseeable future. 10/10 series for me.
Review of advance copy
4.5/5
I read this one on RoyalRoad. It is rare to see a progression fantasy series maintain its edge this far in. Usually, the quality dips by book two, but Bog Isekai #5 stays sharp. The writing is as engaging as it was at the start
I read this one on RoyalRoad. It is rare to see a progression fantasy series maintain its edge this far in. Usually, the quality dips by book two, but Bog Isekai #5 stays sharp. The writing is as engaging as it was at the start
August 21, 2026
Absolutely brilliant
I love this series. This book in particular has been a high point, with a very satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend.
Excellent audiobook narration as well.
I love this series. This book in particular has been a high point, with a very satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend.
Excellent audiobook narration as well.
August 22, 2026
Great stuff
This book is such a strong continuation to an already amazing story. Very rarely do Litrpg stories get better with ever entry but I can say for sure that this book is better than all previous entries.
This book is such a strong continuation to an already amazing story. Very rarely do Litrpg stories get better with ever entry but I can say for sure that this book is better than all previous entries.
August 26, 2026
Another great bog standard adventure
A little disappointed that there wasn't more on a certain archmage overcoming a curse. But overall a good read in the series. Maybe felt a little short.
A little disappointed that there wasn't more on a certain archmage overcoming a curse. But overall a good read in the series. Maybe felt a little short.
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