Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Noobtown #9

The Noob Returns: Noobtown, Book 9

Rate this book
LitRPG Noobtown is back!

In the ninth book in Ryan Rimmel's fantastical Noobtown series, Jim has a new threat to face. As he questions how to kill a nearly invincible Elder Demon, he also has to regroup his allies and try to fix his ailing War Badger. Can he do all that, considering it's also time to finally answer for his many crimes against chickens?

What happens when the main boss isn't the final boss?

Jim defeated the Dark Overlord, but that wasn't enough. The Dark Overlord was just a pawn for an even greater threat. Michael, the Elder Demon, has restarted the War in Heaven. Meanwhile, Jim was spending quality time with Shart, trapped in the Walker Orb. Now, Jim's allies are spread all over Ordinal, and the world is breaking apart.

In order to survive, Jim needs to rebuild his class, find his allies, and save the world yet again. His plans start small, but there are, of course, problems. A death cult has taken over Windfall, a Faceless Queen is running the Castle, and Badgelor has a cardiac issue that needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.

But Jim isn't defeated. He will save Windfall and the World. Because he's the Mayor of Windfall.

Audible Audio

Published March 17, 2026

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Ryan Rimmel

21 books535 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
320 (48%)
4 stars
184 (27%)
3 stars
117 (17%)
2 stars
27 (4%)
1 star
12 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for SVETLANA.
421 reviews67 followers
May 11, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Noobtown Book 9.

Returning to Noobtown after a two-year wait felt chaotic at first, especially without a recap. For a while I struggled to reconnect with the story through the audiobook narration and eventually switched back to reading, where the balance between comedy, tragedy, systems, and characters immediately started working again.

What surprised me most is how much this series reflects real life beneath all the absurd humor. As somebody who worked for decades with computer systems, legacy infrastructure, bugs, patches, broken interfaces, and improvised fixes, I constantly recognized the logic hidden underneath the fantasy chaos. The world of Noobtown feels less like a clean magical system and more like a giant living infrastructure patched together over years by desperate admins, workarounds, forgotten rules, unstable code, and people trying to keep everything functional despite the madness.

That is why the humor works so well for me. This is not “just” a comedy series. It is a comic tragedy about systems, civilizations, institutions, and humans somehow continuing to function inside imperfect worlds. The book repeatedly reminded me how often real life survives not because systems are perfect, but because people adapt, improvise, and keep going anyway.

Ryan Rimmel deserves enormous credit for that balance. His humor never feels empty. Beneath the jokes about chicken cults, broken mechanics, laser swords, and god-killing coat racks lies a surprisingly sharp understanding of technology, administration, belief systems, propaganda, technical debt, and human nature itself. You can feel the lived experience behind the writing.

And despite all the philosophy hidden underneath, this book was also one of the funniest reading experiences I have had in years. I laughed so hard and so often that reading it while recovering from a fractured shoulder probably worked better than exercises. Few books manage to combine absurd comedy, emotional warmth, intelligent systems satire, and genuine affection for humanity this successfully.

The greatest strength of Noobtown may be that beneath all the chaos, the series still believes in people. Flawed, ridiculous, stubborn, adaptive people.

Adapt. Evolve. Repeat.

Please, Ryan Rimmel, release the next book sooner than two years after this one.
Profile Image for Sheppard Wolfeyes.
29 reviews
April 14, 2026
The book still has some laugh out loud funny moments, but the reset on the end game and story really brought the series down for me. I'm not saying I won't read the next book eventually. I will not be going out of my way to read it tho of I do. this series isn't going to be able to rehab it's self for me.
Profile Image for Phil.
327 reviews14 followers
August 18, 2026
Wow. This was a dumpster fire on top of a trainwreck...

After reading eight books in this series, I did not come to expect much to change in book nine. I felt I knew what I was getting. It wasn't 'bloody Shakespeare'; it was a silly adventure that relied both on tropes and, generously, borrowing styles and plot lines from other successful series. I gave it the benefit of the doubt because I thought that there was a bigger con riding the undercurrents. And I thought that that payoff would be worth the journey. Also, there were parts of this series that I actually enjoyed.

If someone with confirmed credibility told me that this book was written entirely by AI, I wouldn't doubt them. I recall it was Chapter 5 in this book where I finally said the obvious: what the hell? I will discuss the other issues after this, but this is when I stepped back and said, 'this is so unserious'. Inane doesn't capture it. Chapter 5 literally had no purpose. It read like a submission to an anthology collection of Lit-RPG authors. And when I say it had no purpose, it is almost comical just how little purpose it had, with the book's plot flow thereafter nearly recognizing that it was a waste of ink and paper. Referencing other Lit-RPGs in this series isn't new. Writing about a competition that had "a primal hunter" and a "cat that loves pastries" and literally just describing how several Lit-RPG narrators physically look and putting them into this chapter, only to have your MC fall unconscious and everyone die off page ... and now we are off again! Dude, seriously?

That is just one chapter. You would be more than reasonable to write off my opinion of this book if it was based on just one throwaway chapter. It isn't.

I don't know if Rimmel provided a corrupted file when sending the narrator this book, but that would make more sense than the start of most chapters. I lost count of the number of times our crew is off to do something, then all of a sudden they are talking about a totally different thing that has never been mentioned before, then they see to it and go back as if that was their goal the whole time. It got to the point where I just started not even caring. I had no idea what was going on perhaps five or six times when it seemed like Rimmel forgot to write the part where it explained why they are even doing the thing.

This was also seen during any conflict - whether physical or working through a difficult decision. As with other installments, this one starts with Jim being effectively rank 1 again at the start. He has a new method of obtaining power and as we have come to expect, by the book's end he is pretty darn powerful again. The problem is that we learn how he gets power, yet we rarely see him getting power, but he seems always to have exactly what he needs unlocked at the right time:

"A new problem arises, ha, that would have been a problem except that I unlocked this perfect skill to combat it. I know on the page before I didn't have it and nothing has happened to unlock it but since I forgot to write anything about this I am just going to now say I have it to get through this until the next time something comes up when I will just write that Jim got that power back."

I'm not making this up. Deus ex machina is so common in poorly written stories that we all know the Latin phrase for it. This goes beyond a contrived solution. This is just ignoring anything about the story and making it up. It is how a nine year old would tell a fantasy story. (FN: As of this writing, I am the parent of a nine year old who is starting to get into fantasy books and telling her own stories. I am qualified to opine on this and am speaking from direct experience.)

Despite this being the ninth book, Jim has only been on this new world for a matter of months. By the book's end, he is Jason Bourne, Batman, and Sherlock Holmes in one. And I'm not really talking about the superpowers he has gotten as part of the system. This IT nerd has suddenly become the world's top strategist and perhaps the smartest person to boot. I like overpowered MCs as much as the next but it would be more believable that Jim is the luckiest person in the world than smartest. And more believable if during every fight he runs forward, trips, and somehow that leads to his opponent losing the fight.

I could keep going but I've already spent lost time on this book. I am being harsh, not to be mean or evil-spirited, but because I was fine with this being silly so long as there was effort going into the series. I cannot imagine that this is Rimmel's best. This read like someone who just resigned their position creating a transition plan for the next person, but they hate that person, so they just decided to wing it and burn the house down after them.
129 reviews
April 23, 2026
Good fun!

I love the noobtown series, and this is a fun continuation of that.

It has all the fun and jokes you'd expect. I do have to say, all the breaking of the fourth wall mentioning other books and authors wasn't my favorite, and there were a lot of discontinuaties where things happened just becuase (what was with the weird MC town?)

So it's a fun read, and sets up the next arc of the series, but it's more of a silly cartoon read than any actual developed plot.

Either way a lot of fun.
Profile Image for A.R.
454 reviews38 followers
April 18, 2026
Absolutely hilarious. Was worried with where the series would go, but it seems that this was always the plan and I should have trusted in the plan. Really enjoyed this one.
21 reviews
March 24, 2026
I absolutely love this series.
for me it was laugh out loud funny.
1 review
April 7, 2026
Worth the wait

I always appreciate the humor in this series. Was a long wait between book 8 and 9 but enjoyed it and look forward to him completing the series.
5 reviews
March 23, 2026
the book starts off simultaneously a slow burner and firing fast. there's long drawn out parts that are, fan service?, for lack of a better word.

I think there was half a chapter that was just a little bit of a nod to many people in tik tok, the book voice acting, the con world and the lit rpg world. since I only started with lit RPGs two months before I read this book a lot of it went over my head.

this book also knows it was released slightly before the next DCC and DD books are released. it's fun but a little on the nose at times and felt like the book might have been a little rushed to make that date.

the last 1/4 if the book brings back that standard Indepth fights and explanations you expected from the series while the rest of the book seems to blast through A LOT if content at light speed.

yes I will read the next book. yes I enjoyed this book. But there were too many moments that took me out of the book and into the real world when I rather would have been more immersed with the occasional nod to the real world much like the first 5 books did a better job at. not everything needs to be DCC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
176 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2026
it is very difficult to start a new story arc after an enormously satisfying finale, and the author struggles with that in the beginning of the book.
After book #8 closed in an epic, entertaining, and largely satisfying way, book #9 brings a new beginning for our main characters. and it takes a while for the story to get going and get some semblance of coherence. once it does - it is back to the style and characters we all love (well, if you reached to book #9, you most likely do :)) but it takes a while for the narrative to find its footing and it is a bit of grind for the first 1/4 - 1/3 of the book. Not all jokes land, not all "leveling" is logical and easy to grasp, the new character landscape is empty... and then - back to fun, jokes, adventuring and jiming-things-up. and that is tremendous fun (apart from the sexual innuendos, yeah, I laughed, but some were cringe).
I was a bit concerned where the series will go, but after finishing the book, I am happy. It is in a good place, and I am looking forward for the continuation of the story of the noobs :)
263 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2026
DNR
Cheap sort of public water closet humor. Voyeurism is an inseparable part of human condition but author engages in too much. Self referencing the prior events in the book, and not in a natural way, from pov of a person reminiscing of the past but using book count or specific book as a reference.

Conclusion: 2/5. Listened on Audible bought for 1 credit. Narrated by: Johnathan McClain. Very much banking on cashing in on self referencing and inserting trending concepts in it's narration. The Family Guy of fantasy series. Bad value for the length of the book - 1.58 $/hour ( 26.88 $ / 17 hrs 00 mins ).

Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour

Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone
4 reviews
March 25, 2026
I guess if you had to do a reboot it is pretty good…

I’ll caveat this by saying I think the author should have let the series end with the last book. This feels like an unnecessary reboot. That said, it’s done pretty well.

The new leveling system is interesting, though still very much a cheat. You have of many familiar characters, but the world has changed significantly. The humor leans crude at times but is often funny, consistent with the earlier books. The author breaks the fourth wall occasionally, and there are a lot, I mean a lot, of references to LitRPG books. It is a bit much at times

Overall, it retains the same flavor and feel as the previous entries, and I enjoyed it. I’ll probably keep reading. Still, I think the series should have ended with the last book.
Profile Image for Chris.
644 reviews10 followers
April 6, 2026
It's a fun story but rough around the edges.
Jim's been locked in the Walker Orb for six years and apparently the world's gone to Jersey in a handbasket. The < system> update has taken away all of Jim's classes and Shart is locked out from all the admin functions. Plus the payment coming due for all those chickens that Jim used in his projects.
The double entendres are thick thick enough to walk on and the "Ordinal is weird" jokes get kind of old after a while but there's still a lot of fun stuff happening.
Definitely feel like the beginning could have used some better editing though.
27 reviews
June 25, 2026
An entertaining romp to the Noob and his town. Its been over a year since book 8 and I struggled to remember a lot of the skills, spells, and abilities that regularly came up through the series. I dont need another full description but, a short callback would have gone a long way.

The same humor from books 1-8 are back along with a few staple jokes and I gotta say, Remmel does an excellent job with the delivery. It is almost like I am reading a stand up routine with a one-shot d&d campaign playing out in the background. A fun story that doesnt take itself too seriously.
27 reviews
May 13, 2026
3.5 overall⭐️ The story line continues in a very unexpected way. Honestly I was confused the first half but it started to feel like the other books about half way through. There were a few times throughout the book where the narrator got the voices mixed up based on who was speaking so that was a bit frustrating. Shart’s 3rd wall breaks were great though, along with the pop culture references. I look forward to the next book, this one set it up decently.
1 review
March 24, 2026
It wasn't bad, but definitely not the best.

I'm glad the series is back, but I was hoping for more. The twists were predictable, the plot rushed and filled with holes, while detail was skipped for the sake of word count. The jokes were stale and overdone. Kinda feels like just another cash grab at this point.
Profile Image for Jack Vinson.
1,006 reviews50 followers
April 29, 2026
Too much self-reference.

There might be a bit too much self-referential humor, including asides about the audiobook and “future volumes.” I don’t recall the previous books being quite so obvious.
That said, the story followed along. And the main character is still dealing with the fallout from previous actions.
Profile Image for Scott Wozniak.
Author 7 books97 followers
May 14, 2026
This turned out to be the first book of a new arc set in this world. You REALLY have to read the other books to understand what's going on and get most of the jokes. The comedy was on point (that's really the best part of this series). The plot started a little scattered but the second half of the book came together with a fun adventure.
Profile Image for Hans Kjenes.
44 reviews
June 14, 2026
A few laugh worthy moments isn't enough to save a book that very quickly got stale, focusing more on overused funny moments, 4th wall breaks and jokes that were getting old several books ago.

Easily the worst book of the series, and ending on a note that thankfully leaves the door open to not continue this any further.
Profile Image for James Koss.
Author 4 books6 followers
June 18, 2026
You know, I didn't know what to expect from this one. The last book was a chaotic war. Every book was fun. Madness!

But I love these characters, and the world is fun. Is Jim twitchy because of puma checks? Or is it his abuse of menu time and chatting with Shart? Who knows.

Book 9 was a biological aeromancy explosion! Narrator killed it. Looking forward to book 10.
Profile Image for Viktor Zervas.
39 reviews2 followers
July 26, 2026
Game is not ending and twist plot runs around delivering another adventure. Where we were and what the hell happened with world in mean time.... story still have a lot to say and keeps it funny. Lets see how it would go in 10th book...
32 reviews1 follower
April 9, 2026
New Segment, Same Concept

I almost gave up, but glad I didn’t. The story line eventually “Jim’d” itself up. College humor as usual, banter is enjoyable. I’ll stick around for more
1 review
April 25, 2026
The adventures of Jim continue to be fun, but you can feel the lull that comes from kicking off a new major arc after having finished the big bad who was looming over things over the last 8 books
675 reviews2 followers
May 3, 2026
I love the reduction in power to make the challenges more difficult again and humor is always great but I hate time jumps as plot devices.
Profile Image for Marshal.
6 reviews
May 18, 2026
Back to the basics, solid Noobtown book and it feels like the plot is back on track
Profile Image for Teressa.
168 reviews30 followers
May 20, 2026
I really liked all the DCC references. However all the other references to this story being a book or tv series takes away from the actual story.
Profile Image for Branden.
91 reviews
May 31, 2026
Same same - seems like someone put their fun dnd campaign into words which is def entertaining
Profile Image for Miles.
1,132 reviews5 followers
July 31, 2026
2☆ this series should have ended with the last book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews