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Wishlist Wizard #1
Wishlist Wizard Trilogy, Book 1: The Rise of the Zero Hero [LitRPG]
Wayne appeared in the summoning chambers for Chosen Heroes.
While getting Isekaied was good news, Wayne was 50 years off of the usual cycle for heroes. His body did not become superhuman, and his system access was glitched. He could open menus, but his only clickable option was to view his unimpressive stats. His other option was called Christmas List. None of the scholars in the world found any record of this ability appearing before, and it was greyed out.
Four years into living his second quiet life, he happens upon a strange artifact from Earth: A single page from the 1990 Electronics Boutique Christmas Catalog. His once inactive ability gives him the power to add skills and abilities to his system by ripping them from the games listed in the catalog.
With a second lease on his second life, he sets out to collect more catalog pages. Along the way, he figures out how to combine abilities from wildly different systems–like upgrades from a railroad management simulator complementing a magic sword ability from a classic action RPG–while he does everything he can to not repeat the mistakes of his past life.
This lighthearted LitRPG progression fantasy story mashes a wide array of game genres into a single system, forcing Wayne to navigate a strange chimera of skills and buffs and upgrades. Can his build give him the strength to adventure like the Chosen Heroes, or will this be yet another isekai disappointment?
What to expect from this series:
-Power progression from unusual sources
-Very light number crunching with a greater emphasis on ability synergies
-Playful spins on game and isekai tropes
-No retro game knowledge required
-No harem content
While getting Isekaied was good news, Wayne was 50 years off of the usual cycle for heroes. His body did not become superhuman, and his system access was glitched. He could open menus, but his only clickable option was to view his unimpressive stats. His other option was called Christmas List. None of the scholars in the world found any record of this ability appearing before, and it was greyed out.
Four years into living his second quiet life, he happens upon a strange artifact from Earth: A single page from the 1990 Electronics Boutique Christmas Catalog. His once inactive ability gives him the power to add skills and abilities to his system by ripping them from the games listed in the catalog.
With a second lease on his second life, he sets out to collect more catalog pages. Along the way, he figures out how to combine abilities from wildly different systems–like upgrades from a railroad management simulator complementing a magic sword ability from a classic action RPG–while he does everything he can to not repeat the mistakes of his past life.
This lighthearted LitRPG progression fantasy story mashes a wide array of game genres into a single system, forcing Wayne to navigate a strange chimera of skills and buffs and upgrades. Can his build give him the strength to adventure like the Chosen Heroes, or will this be yet another isekai disappointment?
What to expect from this series:
-Power progression from unusual sources
-Very light number crunching with a greater emphasis on ability synergies
-Playful spins on game and isekai tropes
-No retro game knowledge required
-No harem content
623 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2026
This was pretty fun and very much what it looks like. Wayne read like a realistic fifty stuck in a twenty-something body. He made reasonable choices. And I liked that he had to experiment with a really weird system mechanic based around game ads from a 1990 catalog. The most unrealistic bit was remembering as much as he did, but I'm more than willing to give him the premise on that one (I was an actual computer gamer of that era and my memory was nowhere near that precise—and he didn't even play them himself, merely watched his brother).
I particularly liked the interactions with his actually old friend/mentor/professor. Using Wayne to enter into adventures he passed up as a younger man may seem a bit abnormal, but I can totally see someone who has mapped out the rest of his (steady, comfortable, but boring) life might welcome a bit of a shake-up.
The story was interesting and having Wayne explore after being stalled out for four years made for a great call to action.
So in all, a great story. I was engaged. The pace was strong. So for its own sake, I'm giving this five stars.
But I have no intention of reading the rest of the series. Near the end, we get intimation of a bigger threat to the world and a turn towards grim and a little dire. So the tone starts shifting. It's less fun nostalgia-bait shenanigans with side banter and becomes more hero-journey with an entire world on the line. And we went from light-hearted mystery to figuring out why the world is literally falling apart in a way that endangers literally everyone in every place we have visited or will visit.
So good story. I'm glad I read it. And I don't really care how it ends because saving the world is not what I was reading for.
A note about Steamy/Chaste: Wayne doesn't indulge with some of the young things throwing themselves at him (he's young-looking, semi-famous, and fit). Which I can totally see because that imbalance would just feel icky to someone old enough to be the grandpa of the young hottie making passes. But there is someone who matches him much better both in looking young and in being actually old and him having a fling with potential for maybe more wasn't a bad thing. There wasn't steam. Really. But there was enough detail and side-commentary that I can't really call this chaste, either. So this is kind of neither.
I particularly liked the interactions with his actually old friend/mentor/professor. Using Wayne to enter into adventures he passed up as a younger man may seem a bit abnormal, but I can totally see someone who has mapped out the rest of his (steady, comfortable, but boring) life might welcome a bit of a shake-up.
The story was interesting and having Wayne explore after being stalled out for four years made for a great call to action.
So in all, a great story. I was engaged. The pace was strong. So for its own sake, I'm giving this five stars.
But I have no intention of reading the rest of the series. Near the end, we get intimation of a bigger threat to the world and a turn towards grim and a little dire. So the tone starts shifting. It's less fun nostalgia-bait shenanigans with side banter and becomes more hero-journey with an entire world on the line. And we went from light-hearted mystery to figuring out why the world is literally falling apart in a way that endangers literally everyone in every place we have visited or will visit.
So good story. I'm glad I read it. And I don't really care how it ends because saving the world is not what I was reading for.
A note about Steamy/Chaste: Wayne doesn't indulge with some of the young things throwing themselves at him (he's young-looking, semi-famous, and fit). Which I can totally see because that imbalance would just feel icky to someone old enough to be the grandpa of the young hottie making passes. But there is someone who matches him much better both in looking young and in being actually old and him having a fling with potential for maybe more wasn't a bad thing. There wasn't steam. Really. But there was enough detail and side-commentary that I can't really call this chaste, either. So this is kind of neither.
May 6, 2026
I had a lot of fun with this one. The concept is a fresh take on litrpg, feeling like a blend of "I'm not the hero" and "ultimate level 1" - an MC expecting to stay out of the limelight and a power set that can create diverse builds and random powers.
The story is also helped by having the two MCs be old men - two old men in a bromance, for that matter. You'll get a very different type of friendship than most litrpgs, and even the party is a unique mix of characters.
I enjoyed the path of the story - following in the tracks of heros from the past while also finding out new information along the way.
The unique range of powers helps continue to set it apart, but those looking for more of a standard story progression may be caught off-guard.
P.s. please reformat the book with justified text
The story is also helped by having the two MCs be old men - two old men in a bromance, for that matter. You'll get a very different type of friendship than most litrpgs, and even the party is a unique mix of characters.
I enjoyed the path of the story - following in the tracks of heros from the past while also finding out new information along the way.
The unique range of powers helps continue to set it apart, but those looking for more of a standard story progression may be caught off-guard.
P.s. please reformat the book with justified text
April 7, 2026
Book one DNF
I guess I'm kind of picky.
Within the 1st couple of pages I found 2 mistakes, it's the same mistake it's forty-nine, I'd have even taken forty nine but both times it was spelled fortynine. This is very incorrect. And the fact that it happened twice The very 1st couple of pages Tells me the quality is not worth pursuing. So I did not finish I did not go much further I did just gave up. This could be an excellent book but it needs editing if you can find 2 mistakes within the 1st 5 pages.
I guess I'm kind of picky.
Within the 1st couple of pages I found 2 mistakes, it's the same mistake it's forty-nine, I'd have even taken forty nine but both times it was spelled fortynine. This is very incorrect. And the fact that it happened twice The very 1st couple of pages Tells me the quality is not worth pursuing. So I did not finish I did not go much further I did just gave up. This could be an excellent book but it needs editing if you can find 2 mistakes within the 1st 5 pages.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews