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The Engineer's Dilemma: Awakening
Retired engineering professor David Robertson has lived a quiet, rational life. All of that changes when he wakes up in a strange, primordial forest with no memory of how he arrived there. Surrounded by magic, mythical beasts, and lands scarred by ancient wars, David quickly realizes that he is no ordinary traveler.
In this world, engineers are more than scholars; they are near-mythical figures from a forgotten age, once wielding knowledge so powerful that it shaped empires and ended wars. That era vanished a thousand years ago after a cataclysm known only as the Long War.
Now, the conflict stirs once more.
As demons return, kingdoms falter, and ancient forces reawaken, David finds himself caught between prophecy and fear. His very presence unsettles the world. To some, he is a savior; to others, a harbinger of doom.
Is David here to save this world… or destroy it?
In this world, engineers are more than scholars; they are near-mythical figures from a forgotten age, once wielding knowledge so powerful that it shaped empires and ended wars. That era vanished a thousand years ago after a cataclysm known only as the Long War.
Now, the conflict stirs once more.
As demons return, kingdoms falter, and ancient forces reawaken, David finds himself caught between prophecy and fear. His very presence unsettles the world. To some, he is a savior; to others, a harbinger of doom.
Is David here to save this world… or destroy it?
653 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 7, 2026
I DNF this book after the first 9 chapters. It was as interesting as unbuttered toast, and just as dry.
The MC was a 75yr old man from Earth who wakes up in a new world, runs into some young woman in a forest, and rescues her from a goblin. They go back to town, and she at some point tells him her name, but the author doesn't show it, just tells us "She said her name was Seraphina". That bode poorly for the rest of the book, if you can't show us her telling him her name, but just tell us she did.
Nothing of real substance happens from that point forward, though he's told he might be a person foretold of coming, the rare Engineer. He does some blacksmith work, beats up two thugs using Aikido, and then the two of them head to the capital. Deciding to do that apparently has the system decide they are married, and on their first night in the capital, they have sex. In the most boring leadup to a fade to black scene ever. Nothing about her body was described, no his.
There are lots of continuity issues in the book, and I can't be sure how much of it was the author being lazy, or some "system issue" the Goddess of the System is showing us via his system. His age fluctuates. His Blacksmithing skill level fluctuates. His marital status fluctuates. It's all over the place.
If there will be a sequel, I will not be reading it.
The MC was a 75yr old man from Earth who wakes up in a new world, runs into some young woman in a forest, and rescues her from a goblin. They go back to town, and she at some point tells him her name, but the author doesn't show it, just tells us "She said her name was Seraphina". That bode poorly for the rest of the book, if you can't show us her telling him her name, but just tell us she did.
Nothing of real substance happens from that point forward, though he's told he might be a person foretold of coming, the rare Engineer. He does some blacksmith work, beats up two thugs using Aikido, and then the two of them head to the capital. Deciding to do that apparently has the system decide they are married, and on their first night in the capital, they have sex. In the most boring leadup to a fade to black scene ever. Nothing about her body was described, no his.
There are lots of continuity issues in the book, and I can't be sure how much of it was the author being lazy, or some "system issue" the Goddess of the System is showing us via his system. His age fluctuates. His Blacksmithing skill level fluctuates. His marital status fluctuates. It's all over the place.
If there will be a sequel, I will not be reading it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review