Vivienne has poured so many hours into the massively popular VRMMO The Seven Cataclysms that she has more of a life inside the game than out. It's a fitting irony, then, when one day she wakes in the body of her maxed-out demon-mage 'Vivisari'—and finds that now, the game really is her life.
But the world of Seven Cataclysms isn't what she remembers. A hundred years have passed since the game's concluding events, and Vivisari is a hero of myth thought long dead. As she meets old faces and new in this familiar-yet-not world—casting spells of mass destruction and slowly reforming the scattered-to-the-wind remnants of her Guild—she starts to wonder if she was sent here with a purpose.
Rumors of a sequel had been circulating just before her unbelievable reincarnation. Did she, perhaps, need to fear an impending Eighth Cataclysm? If so, it's a good thing she has firepower in spades.
Fun twist on the genre and just over all a good ride along with an OP character that has a functioning moral compass. Well written with consistent and interesting characters. Didn’t want to put it down. Looking forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed this book, great premise and well executed. It’s always fun to read about an overpowered magical mastermind interacting with a well-created fantasy world, but one thing this story does so much better than a lot of progression fantasy is have great pacing with a plot that all ties together by the end of the book. I’m excited for the rest of the series!
Plot A twenty-something gamer wakes up as her character from a popular Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Game after soloing the final boss on the hardest difficulty. She discovers that nearly 100 years have gone by in the game world and she's the sole surviving member of the Party of Heroes, as the world calls her former guild.
Our MC tries to learn what has changed in the world over the last 100 years, discover how things work differently in this reality now that it's no longer a simple game, and find out whether any of the characters she knew are still around...all while trying to keep a low profile. While her party defeated the original Seven Cataclysms, she may very well be considered an Eighth Cataclysm to this new world. But it's also possible that she was brought into this world for a reason, and she won't be able to stay obscure for as long as she likes.
Anyone who enjoyed Overlord or The New Gate should find plenty to enjoy here.
Characters I enjoyed our MC, Vivi, and felt that the author achieved a nice balance of traits. There was an appropriate amount of introspection without devolving into excessive hand-wringing. Likewise, she didn't immediately transition into being a murderhobo either.
There are a number of additional characters, some who were around during the Cataclysm Era and knew our MC during that time, and many who were born after and don't understand the power levels of the previous era. I thought all the characters served their roles and were convincing as well.
Setting & Magic The author did a great job with the worldbuilding. I didn't feel like anything was infodumpy. It was a balance provided by our MC already being familiar with the broad strokes of the world (as most readers are likely somewhat familiar with your average fantasy medieval world), which allowed the author to focus on the specific traits that made this world unique, namely the Cataclysms and surrounding lore developed in the subsequent century, the way the game mechanics worked, and how the old political powers who survived the war interact with the new and softer generation.
The magic, in particular, was fun to explore and was done by way of Vivi taking an apprentice. This was a good choice because I usually find it boring when a character just flies solo for the entire story, but also because the apprentice serves as a proxy for the reader and allows the author to explain the magic system in a way that fits organically within the narrative.
I really enjoyed the depiction of magic as it had a consistent enough system to feel grounded rather than being ass-pull nonsense, but also not entirely under control, so there is an element of danger when overreaching. I think the idea of technique efficiency providing consistency combined with the slight element of uncertainty was a great duality exemplified by some memorable descriptions I've listed below:
Spell circles weren’t even consistent between usages. Mostly the same, yes, but a painter couldn’t paint the same artwork twice, not identically, not down to the exact brush strokes.
Magic was a wild beast, a half-tamed lion, and spell circles were the commands a mage barked at it. A good tamer was almost always obeyed, but that didn’t mean they understood how their words were being interpreted in the head of a wild beast.
“Magic is not evil. Neither is it good. It is wondrous. And what is wondrous to man is often horrible beyond comprehension.”
Writing The writing was very clean, with very few mistakes, if any. I honestly don't remember anything jarring me from the prose, so any mistakes would have been minor. Locations were clearly described and easy to visualize, and it was never difficult to keep track of characters within a scene or where the dialogue was coming from.
I'm really happy to see quality writing like this from stories that start as web serials.
Enjoyment I really enjoyed this and it might end up being a favorite series of mine depending on where future volumes go. It's refreshing to have a main character who's a pure spellcaster as well. Spellblades are fine and their abundance is understandable, but sometimes I want to read a story without a multiclassed character. This is one of the best gamelit stories with a pure spellcasting character that I can think of off the top of my head.
I'm also immensely thankful that the author didn't try to shoehorn unnecessary romance into the plot, which is way, way too common when things go into the power fantasy tropes. While our MC is undeniably OP, the focus is more on exploring the game world and various character relationships. When the MC has to flex her magical might, it's often out of necessity rather than ego.
I would highly recommend this book to any gamelit fan and I can't wait to see where the next volume goes when it comes out in December.
I read this for reference, not really expecting to enjoy it, but I couldn't finish. I just don't think I'm learning anything from the reading process. I've read genres I don't enjoy before, gaining some understanding of how they operate, but this just feels like nothing to me.
It's a copy of a clone of a derivative, with no flair or substance to engage me. Like a photocopy that's been so degraded that it's just a haze of gray. Won't rate, but the extraordinary popularity of this is depressing to me.
Besides the terrible prose this book constantly promises something interesting only to not deliver on it.
This is most evident in its best chapters 61 and 62, that showcased the authors amazing dialog to the füllst extend but also promised intrigue only for it to be resolved two chapters later without the protagonist or the antagonist doing anything.
Vivienne was a shut in who made her living posting videos from the VRMMO The Seven Cataclysms. When she wakes up in the body of her max-level mage character, she's thrilled to finally experience REAL magic. But in this world, she carries the legacy of one of its greatest Heroes . . . and circumstances are pointing her at what might become an Eighth Cataclysm.
I love this story. Unlike a lot of overpowered MC stories, this one had a good amount of depth to its characters. Vivi is powerful, as well as incredibly awkward dealing with people (which comes back to bite her more than once). She loves magic so much she gets distracted in battles simply to analyze the magic in play. It's easy to see why she's as strong as she is, because she's autistically obsessed with all things magic. Her strength is clear, but it's far from a "solve everything instantly" button, and in a lot of places it actively makes things WORSE (witness how Vivi helpfully keeps "proving her identity" to people).
But what really makes this story shine is the strong secondary characters. Saffra, the teenage cat beastkin who just keeps INCHING closer to the truth about Vivi but isn't bold enough to take her observations to their logical conclusions. Jasper, the adventurer whose hobby is poking bears--aka running his mouth at all the powerful people around him. Rafael, Vanguard's steward who makes the mistake of wishing for the chaos of the old days to return. And so many more. My favorites are a toss up between Jasper and Rafael. Jasper is consistently hilarious, but it's also fun watching Rafael trying to pretend harder and harder nothing is beyond him as Vivi gets increasingly outrageous.
And there is a deeper layer of mystery surrounding everything. Are Vivienne and Vivisari truly separate people, when they have so much exactly the same? Why does Fate keep subtly guiding Vivi to stumble across things that look awfully like the buildup to the same kind of world-ending disaster she's best known for stopping?
Overall, this story is fun, hilarious, and jam-packed with memorable and loveable characters. Whether it's a grumpy dwarf talking himself out of retirement or the poor bank teller that had the misfortune to man Vivi's line, even the smallest of roles feel like real people trying to live their lives around the strongest mage in the world. And as for the mage herself? Well, she's probably distracting herself with the magical puzzles someone left lying around. Highly Recommended.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Mostly focuses on other characters perspectives since following someone around who one shots everything will get boring after a bit. It is satisfying to read and the plot is actually very good.
The book focusly mainly on world building and the adventure vivi takes around the new world she finds herself in. She does settle down in a city so the book is not all adventure but it does follow her journey to the city.
The overarching plot is subtle and really doesn't appear until the end of the book in full. You see pieces but I don't believe it's anything anyone could put together from just that. Maybe people can but I am terrible at that so I couldn't.
I did find it odd that vivi began speaking in the terminology of this new world. It felt sudden. She also felt like she randomly gained knowledge that she shouldn't have known. Maybe it was explained poorly and the terms she uses are the game terms that translated over to this world but it is not really presented that way originally. Other than that fun book looking forward to the next one.
This was a lot of fun and I could not put it down. All 700+ pgs devoured in no time. I'm usually not one to like OP MCs in this genre. There's no real motivation for anything. No one can hurt them and they power through things like a hot knife through butter. They also tend to have really warped morals. Vivi and this story are not like that. This is very much character driven even though there is a lot of action. And Vivi is not the only one seen doing things, which is great. She's also a very morally upstanding person who wants to help people and in fact can't keep a low profile to save her life because of it. Very much looking forward to the next entry in the series. Vivi and Saffra are favorites already.
The writing is great, I lol'd a bit at the start. But the tropes were a bit tired by the end, I felt. It's a pretty repetitive cycle of amazement/disbelief at the op'ness of the mc, then amazement at her name, then more amazement at how calm she is...I can see potential for more here, the plot seems a little bland at this point, the enemies are just generic 'abyss' trope we've seen before, but it didn't really get explored much here, it was focused on the mc finding her feet and going back home. I can see this being a really long series, so I'm withholding summary judgments on the plot as a whole for now.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting to. Vivisari is a pretty enjoyable character to read and I think this author does a good job at setting the tone of the world and sticking to it. Characters talk in a certain way and it feels normal because they always talk that way. I found the magic scenes really fun even if they aren't the most complex. The author does a good job at not letting Vivi just hand wave every problem away which keeps the stakes feeling real. As well I think Rafael is a really great example of an intelligent character that actually shows their intelligence. Overall fun read.
I would say that it is on par or better than just about every isekai anime or manga I have ever seen, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Admittedly, very little actual plot happens over the 500+ pages that I read, but I never once felt bored or unengaged. In fact, towards the end I could put the story down because I had to know what was going to happen.
It’s very rare that I find a book like this. A book that somehow manages to hit every one of the tropes that I enjoy, so I was very thankful to have found this wonderful story.
New Life as a Max Level Archmage, book one of an OP MC LitRPG Adventure, is an ebook I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited (KU). The plot, worldbuilding, and characters were terrific. This was an unusual spin on the LitRPG I normally read which usually finds a human dropped into a character's body-- in this case, the player is dropped in her character's body with all the knowledge and backstory included. Truly, an OverPowered main character, and I loved every minute of it...anxiously awaiting the next book.
This book is very well written and engaging. No editing, spelling or language issues and the writing is engaging and keeps you interested. The characters are very well written and you come to care for them and what is happening. The world is well done and vibrant. The idea of a game world that is now real was excellently done and feels real without stretching your beliefs. This one is going on my list to buy on Kindle after reading on KU so that the author gets the recognition they deserve. Another book is on the future and I can’t wait!
I probably read 2-3 books a week on average on KU and I rarely leave 5 stars. This is the single best book I’ve read on here in awhile and I would easily give it an extra star if I could. I picked it up over the holiday weekend and could not put it down again until I finished and immediately added the next in the series to my watch list so I can grab it as soon as it comes out. If you like swords/sorcery, lit rpg, isekai, stories with OP main characters but real stakes then you’ll love this. 5/5 no notes.
I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. That is not like me at all.
The main character was well developed, the world building was just enough to immerse in the world, but not feel like you’re reading chapters of world budding like Robert Jordan’s novels. The protagonist is hiding her identity, but it doesn’t feel gimmicky, and you truly become invested in the characters.
I was not aware of the OP (overpowered) subgenre, so it felt very silly to me. The MC is just comically overpowered. But while that might sound negative, I did quite enjoy this. I got the feeling that Vivi was heavily inspired by Frieren. Which, again, is not a negative comment. I am going to follow the progress of the next book on Rocky Road, because I must know how the story continues.
Really liked this tbh! The characters are loveable and interesting, and the plot strains all flow well together and the novel creates so many mysteries that one is hardly bored. My only complaint is that the interactions of the MC with many people is 'oh my god I can't believe you are her and so OP'; it gets kinda tiring xD
This book is a perfect example of execution over concept. There are many books like this one out here, but this one stands as a gem in the rough. The author seems to understand the key to writing overpowered protagonists; focus on the affect they have on the world around them and their interactions to it rather than predictably one sided fight scenes.
Characters were well written, worldbuilding made sense, descriptions were good.
For this sort of read, I'll say this one is best in slot.
This is one of the better examples of the genre it gives you all the vibes you know and love expect in a OP power fantasy. This was wonderfully written with little to no grammar issues or structure problems.
If you want someone who is just so OP it’s ridiculous this is the right book for you. But while Vivi is OP she has enough trials and issues to make her quite an engaging character. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next installment
If you like reading about an overpowered MC and other characters perspectives on the MC's actions and how they are shocked and stunned, then this is the book for you.
This was a great read. I love our hero in this story and I love how she’s not super jaded like she could be, I really really hope the Duke gets the reward he truly deserves and not the pragmatic one.
The beginning was a bit too artificial and slow to me, but once it gets going it becomes really exciting. Bonanza of aurafarming and glazing, all as it should be.
I’ve been in a bit of a 3 star slump and randomly saw this and gave it a try. I cannot wait till the next one! Entertaining, and even with an all powerful character she’s likable instead of insufferable. Constant plot and adventure
It's very difficult to maintain an story that is challenging and entertaining when the MC is truly OP. Cadence has succeeded... I read 200+ books per year and this is currently the top contender for my personal book of the year award.
Vivisari arrives in a world she knew... but 100 years down the road. Some things are similar, some are not, but she is immediately thrown into events from simple betrayal to world-ending threats. A fantastic first book and I am eager for the second.
This isn’t your normal lit RPG there are game mechanics but it was more background. So no long swaths of text about levelling up. This is an ideal book to start Lit RPG in my opinion. The story was well thought out and I enjoyed it very much. Waiting for book 2!
I love how the book was written and the storyline progression. I feel that it really kept me engaged In the story with action and a little bit of mystery from the protagonists Apprentice.