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The Bathrobe Knight #1
The Bathrobe Knight
What happens when you find yourself submersed in a fantasy world you've never imagined, and you don't know the rules? How much can one bathrobe and a spoon change the fate of the world? Is there enough ramen to ever sate a gamer's hunger?
403 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2015
340 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
July 31, 2015
Started out amusing, but it's never a good thing when I constantly skip the sections of two of the three POVs the story is told from. Even Darwin's chapters slowly dragged/became less funny and interesting as time went on.
March 16, 2018
I don't know, is it me? Am I just hitting a burned out period?
I like most all of the LitRPG books I've read, but after a while every genre spins out some duds. LitRPG is a relatively new genre about involvement in Role Playing Games that somehow become real. Of course when I say the genre is new it doesn't mean novels and stories of this ilk have been around a while (for example Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame Series). Still of late it seems the idea has been discovered by a wider audience. People moved by magic or technology into a game for various reasons can make a great story.
Here however the story is really just silly. I suppose that was what was being aimed for. When something gets popular parody can't be far behind.
So if you'd like the story of a warrior and his deadly spoon...enjoy.
I like most all of the LitRPG books I've read, but after a while every genre spins out some duds. LitRPG is a relatively new genre about involvement in Role Playing Games that somehow become real. Of course when I say the genre is new it doesn't mean novels and stories of this ilk have been around a while (for example Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame Series). Still of late it seems the idea has been discovered by a wider audience. People moved by magic or technology into a game for various reasons can make a great story.
Here however the story is really just silly. I suppose that was what was being aimed for. When something gets popular parody can't be far behind.
So if you'd like the story of a warrior and his deadly spoon...enjoy.
May 29, 2016
This novel starts out light hearted and funny, with a dash of intrigue as it quickly becomes clear that the Virtual World is a lot more real than people realize. However, the story quickly starts dragging out and becomes a lot less interesting midway through. Characters become stale or begin deviating in a nonsensical ways from their initial characterizations. By the end of the story, there's no clean resolution to any of the plot-lines and nothing is explained. Volume 1 feels more like the first 1/2 of a real novel fluffed out to the length of a full one. Below will be a spoiler laden review of my main gripes with the story:
June 26, 2015
Somehow Charles was able to put a soft touch of Magic Realism into the VRMMRPG world.
Some NPCs are as important as players, and you have awesome stuff going on outside of the game as well.
The Bathrobe Knight brings new spices to the genre, and is full of surprises and plot twists that can be enjoyed not only by avid gamers but general fantasy consumers as well.
Some NPCs are as important as players, and you have awesome stuff going on outside of the game as well.
The Bathrobe Knight brings new spices to the genre, and is full of surprises and plot twists that can be enjoyed not only by avid gamers but general fantasy consumers as well.
October 4, 2015
I had to stop reading this book. Sorry, but the premise was painful and I couldn't get past Chapter 3.
It read more like I was playing a video game through a third-party rather than reading an actual book. The comedy felt more slapstick than cerebral and did not really entertain me enough to pull me into the shallow plot line.
It read more like I was playing a video game through a third-party rather than reading an actual book. The comedy felt more slapstick than cerebral and did not really entertain me enough to pull me into the shallow plot line.
June 21, 2015
I bought it to support the author, but I read it as a free, serialized web novel, thus I have trouble reviewing it as a purchased book.
To me, it was a fun weekly web novel. The author reads all the comments, responds and can course correct depending on the readers reviews.
This is VRMMO, without all the silly 'real life' stuff, and yet not quite 'transported' genre. Players actually play the game like it is an MMO.
It is given in different POV sections, kinda like 'Song of Ice & Fire'.
It starts off strong as a comedy, then towards the conclusion, the humor goes away.
There is an abundance of gamer & 'nerd'(or is it 'geek'. I always get the 2 confused) pop-culture references.
Really, this plays more like an MMO than most other VR stories I've read, which is quite nice. I can tell that the author has experience with and appreciation for games..(Obviously, there are many things that would never be in a REAL mmo, but I accept it for the sake of the story)
Unfortunately, it suffers from a badly done romance plotline towards the end. (Many readers immediately commented, and apparently the writer viewed the situation completely differently, so I'm still hopeful that the situation will be improved)
________
If you aren't sure whether you want to buy this story, then don't. It is available for free on the author's Blog: http://thebathrobeknight.blogspot.com/
I would recommend reading it there anyways, if for no other reason than the community and the interaction with the author.
It was worth my while as a free story. If you enjoy it like I did, then you can always buy it later for the extra content in the paid version.
To me, it was a fun weekly web novel. The author reads all the comments, responds and can course correct depending on the readers reviews.
This is VRMMO, without all the silly 'real life' stuff, and yet not quite 'transported' genre. Players actually play the game like it is an MMO.
It is given in different POV sections, kinda like 'Song of Ice & Fire'.
It starts off strong as a comedy, then towards the conclusion, the humor goes away.
There is an abundance of gamer & 'nerd'(or is it 'geek'. I always get the 2 confused) pop-culture references.
Really, this plays more like an MMO than most other VR stories I've read, which is quite nice. I can tell that the author has experience with and appreciation for games..(Obviously, there are many things that would never be in a REAL mmo, but I accept it for the sake of the story)
Unfortunately, it suffers from a badly done romance plotline towards the end. (Many readers immediately commented, and apparently the writer viewed the situation completely differently, so I'm still hopeful that the situation will be improved)
________
If you aren't sure whether you want to buy this story, then don't. It is available for free on the author's Blog: http://thebathrobeknight.blogspot.com/
I would recommend reading it there anyways, if for no other reason than the community and the interaction with the author.
It was worth my while as a free story. If you enjoy it like I did, then you can always buy it later for the extra content in the paid version.
January 30, 2019
Well, in short, this was pretty disappointing. It started off a little questionable with the main character having claws and red eyes for no good reason, but was still mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, none of the characters ever felt even remotely like real people as the story progressed. Even more unfortunately, the author made the (in my opinion) mistake of adding multiple pov characters before giving enough time to the initial character. Then even more unfortunately, some of those povs were very removed from the primary character so I struggled to care about anything going on with them even though I expected it to tie in later.
There were various misspellings and grammar mistakes...not egregiously so, but probably 20 or so...just enough to run into another one before the memory of the previous one had time to fade. While the beginning started off with an ok sense of humor, I felt like the glamour faded and the various "humorous" similes and metaphors became more annoying and kind of odd considering NPCs in a medieval fantasy game were using contemporary real world references. It almost seemed like the author forgot when he was writing from a player rather than an NPC, but most of the characters were pretty generic and flat so I guess I'm not surprised.
I had War Aeturnus on my to-read list, but after noticing that it's written by the same author as this book, I am having some serious second thoughts. I might go to that book down the road to give the author a second chance, but I have zero desire to read the next book in this series.
There were various misspellings and grammar mistakes...not egregiously so, but probably 20 or so...just enough to run into another one before the memory of the previous one had time to fade. While the beginning started off with an ok sense of humor, I felt like the glamour faded and the various "humorous" similes and metaphors became more annoying and kind of odd considering NPCs in a medieval fantasy game were using contemporary real world references. It almost seemed like the author forgot when he was writing from a player rather than an NPC, but most of the characters were pretty generic and flat so I guess I'm not surprised.
I had War Aeturnus on my to-read list, but after noticing that it's written by the same author as this book, I am having some serious second thoughts. I might go to that book down the road to give the author a second chance, but I have zero desire to read the next book in this series.
February 11, 2016
SPOON!!!! Don't worry, you'll find out eventually as this humorous story unfolds. The basic premise seemed overused until you get further along and realize there is more to the story than you might think at first glance. Personally I was hooked from the beginning but in a genre overflowing with imitators sometimes it's hard to find something you're willing to spend time on. With that said, how can you not be intrigued by the idea of a Bathrobe Knight, it's right there in the name, you just know something wierd is going to happen.
Even so, the book at it's darker moments, questioning the nature of VR and how you should react and interact with the NPCs and how you yourself fits into that world. While it wasn't a deeply philosophical book, the care that the protagonist shows for the denizens of the digital world did make me think twice about the future of gaming and VR. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading, and I eagerly looked forward to the second book from the moment I finished the final page of bonus content.
Thanks Charles Dean TBK
Even so, the book at it's darker moments, questioning the nature of VR and how you should react and interact with the NPCs and how you yourself fits into that world. While it wasn't a deeply philosophical book, the care that the protagonist shows for the denizens of the digital world did make me think twice about the future of gaming and VR. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading, and I eagerly looked forward to the second book from the moment I finished the final page of bonus content.
Thanks Charles Dean TBK
November 28, 2021
This is just a fun ride.
It starts off very silly and ramps up quickly. Drops in a little meta and just keeps mixing the pot.
It starts off very silly and ramps up quickly. Drops in a little meta and just keeps mixing the pot.
June 24, 2020
I listened to an audio book but as that isn't listed on Goodreads.com I am placing my review here.
Note: I summarize the stories in books 1 and 2 which likely contain spoilers so read at your own risk.
So this is the third book by Charles Dean I've read and he is one of the better authors working in the litRPG genre. I read books 1 and 2 together so I will review them both simultaneously. Book 2 was a significant drop off in enjoyment for due to story choices. In both books the author does an admirable job of focusing on the characters. As a result, when book 1 ended with many matters still in progress I did not feel a lack of resolution. Book 2, while still doing an excellent job of focusing on the characters, demeans some of those characters and brings the manipulations of couple of characters to the forefront. Since we are never told what the purpose of the manipulations is, the second book left me feeling like it was pretty much filler between books 1 and 3.
So, the book 1 story: The MC, Darwin, is a good guy who games and has no idea where his glowing red eyes or superhero type body comes from. Somehow the Darwin is transported directly into a VR game and, as far as he knows, he is trapped there. As a result the MC begins to befriend the NPCs, after all, their wold is now his world. Darwin also meets Kass, a gamer, who sees Darwin as an experience mine and whose father, Robert, is the lead programmer for the game.
While on a quest Darwin meets Eve, a "sister" he never knew he had, which is where the big unexplained mystery that largely ruined book 2 begins. We aren't told how Darwin has a sister or anything that actually confirms sibling status. Eve does, however, give Darwin a powerful sword and tell him where to find a super powerful treasure.
Upon returning to the town Darwin has started to call home he finds it ruins and is made town leader by the dying captain of the guard. Darwin leads the town people to the mine where he met Eve since it is not too far away and immediately defensible. Upon leveling up Darwin's race was revealed to be demon and Darwin also got the ability to raise his kills so Darwin secures the mine using zombie monsters.
Cass finds Darwin at the mine still re-settling villagers. Cass and Darwin go after the big treasure and discover Stephanie, a medusa, guarding it. Stephanie wants Darwin to get the treasure and hits on Darwin since he is immune to her "stone stare". The treasure, it turns out, allows Darwin to start his own demon faction and, upon use, will even transform all of his followers to demons.
Darwin returns to the mine lays out the options for the villagers, all of whom follow Darwin and are therefore turned into demons. All of this happens, however, on an island starting area and Darwin and Cass are nearing the level where they will have to leave for "the mainland". As a result the entire village marches to the sea to find transport en masse to the mainland.
Meanwhile the three factions on Darwin's island have been fighting for control. Eve manages to enter the confidence of the human king right as he is victorious. Eve aids the king in bringing the 3 armies together to oppose an invasion from an adjoining beginner island where one of the factions is a flying bird-person race. Although Darwin hasn't communicated with Eve since their initial meeting Darwin & co. arrive at the beach just in time to see the start of the battle. The defenders are greatly outnumbered but Darwin & co. are able to attack the invaders from behind and turn the tide, thanks in large part to Stephanie turning a large number of invaders to stone. This leaves the vast majority of the invaders' ships available for looting which, in turn, means Darwin and co. have their rides to the mainland. Also, three of the bird-person players revolted against their faction and aided Darwin in the fight. As a result they join Darwin's faction at the end of the book 1.
In a "bonus chapter" at the end of book 1 we see Eve and Stephanie carrying an infant Darwin through a battle zone to a "giant blue portal" in a game-like world. I forget when it is revealed but by this time the reader knows Stephanie was only pretending to be a medusa. In banter during the shootout it is revealed that Darwin "is the future of the Red Eye clan" (whatever that means). Stephanie betrays and shoots Eve when they reach the portal while claiming that Eve should understand what is happening and that is all a part of "an overworked plot". Stephanie takes Darwin and leaves through a portal. Eve, dying, collapses through the portal and ends up in our world. Eve is found by a scientist (Charles) who saw the blue portal and came to investigate. Charles nurses Eve back to health. The end. Note how all of this just raises more questions than it answers: How do Eve and Stephanie get back to the game world? Why did Stephanie betray Eve?
Those are just the two most obvious ones but I could list about 100 more without trying.
Book 2 starts with a surprise visit to the VR company by its billionaire owner, Charles. The author goes out of his way to make Charles seem sinister. This whole treatment of the Charles character was irritating- it was as if the author didn't think his story was good enough so he added artificial drama in the form of making Charles overtly creepy/evil when there was no REVEALED reason for him to be so. But the lack of of reveals is book 2 biggest problem anyhow.
In the game world, Eve has talked the human king, who is also a powerful warrior, into going adventuring with her. They are sailing to the mainland behind Darwin & co. Somethings happen on the boats, but nothing major so eventually Darwin & co. arrive at the part of the Mainland primarily run by beast-kin and ruled over by the Panda King. Darwin explores the city on his own and is immediately roped into a tournament with two new companions. Darwin & co. win and are given a quest by the Panda King to clear out bandits. Darwin discovers that the "bandits" are actually human rebels. The panda king has discriminated against humans for years and so a rebellion formed.
Darwin recruits the rebels to his cause but Darwin's villagers are still in the Panda King's city so Darwin heads back to fool the Panda King into thinking Darwin completed the quest and to get the villagers to safety.
Messengers are sent to all the other rebel groups and everyone congregates in a cave which they fortify while Darwin trains a phalanx. Stephanie is working in the bowels of the cave to create an inter-world portal through which, or so she tells Darwin, everyone, villagers and all (except players) will be able to escape. Darwin just has to hold off the Panda King's army for long enough.
Eve, hoping to separate Darwin from the evil Stephanie, helps the Panda King but it irritates the human king to help the Panda King kill humans. Darwin's defense virtually decimates the Panda King's army, but with losses. During the fighting the human king finally has enough and stabs Eve to prevent her from killing all the humans, after which the human king and Panda King essentially kill each other fighting. However, in his last moments of life the human king see Eve has healed from the wounds he gave her. Eve comes over and claims the human king just cost many more lives than he saved, although given the complete lack of explanation as to why Eve believes this the value of this statement is unclear.
After the battle Darwin goes to check on Stephanie. Stephanie pulls Darwin through the portal where Darwin finds Charles waiting for him. The end.
Bottom line: Although generally well written, book 2 felt like a waste of time due to the author's failure to communicate just where the story is going. There is a reason articles have headlines, without knowing the direction of the story the reader has no way of knowing if he/she should continue reading. For this reason I will be dropping this series.
Note: I summarize the stories in books 1 and 2 which likely contain spoilers so read at your own risk.
So this is the third book by Charles Dean I've read and he is one of the better authors working in the litRPG genre. I read books 1 and 2 together so I will review them both simultaneously. Book 2 was a significant drop off in enjoyment for due to story choices. In both books the author does an admirable job of focusing on the characters. As a result, when book 1 ended with many matters still in progress I did not feel a lack of resolution. Book 2, while still doing an excellent job of focusing on the characters, demeans some of those characters and brings the manipulations of couple of characters to the forefront. Since we are never told what the purpose of the manipulations is, the second book left me feeling like it was pretty much filler between books 1 and 3.
So, the book 1 story: The MC, Darwin, is a good guy who games and has no idea where his glowing red eyes or superhero type body comes from. Somehow the Darwin is transported directly into a VR game and, as far as he knows, he is trapped there. As a result the MC begins to befriend the NPCs, after all, their wold is now his world. Darwin also meets Kass, a gamer, who sees Darwin as an experience mine and whose father, Robert, is the lead programmer for the game.
While on a quest Darwin meets Eve, a "sister" he never knew he had, which is where the big unexplained mystery that largely ruined book 2 begins. We aren't told how Darwin has a sister or anything that actually confirms sibling status. Eve does, however, give Darwin a powerful sword and tell him where to find a super powerful treasure.
Upon returning to the town Darwin has started to call home he finds it ruins and is made town leader by the dying captain of the guard. Darwin leads the town people to the mine where he met Eve since it is not too far away and immediately defensible. Upon leveling up Darwin's race was revealed to be demon and Darwin also got the ability to raise his kills so Darwin secures the mine using zombie monsters.
Cass finds Darwin at the mine still re-settling villagers. Cass and Darwin go after the big treasure and discover Stephanie, a medusa, guarding it. Stephanie wants Darwin to get the treasure and hits on Darwin since he is immune to her "stone stare". The treasure, it turns out, allows Darwin to start his own demon faction and, upon use, will even transform all of his followers to demons.
Darwin returns to the mine lays out the options for the villagers, all of whom follow Darwin and are therefore turned into demons. All of this happens, however, on an island starting area and Darwin and Cass are nearing the level where they will have to leave for "the mainland". As a result the entire village marches to the sea to find transport en masse to the mainland.
Meanwhile the three factions on Darwin's island have been fighting for control. Eve manages to enter the confidence of the human king right as he is victorious. Eve aids the king in bringing the 3 armies together to oppose an invasion from an adjoining beginner island where one of the factions is a flying bird-person race. Although Darwin hasn't communicated with Eve since their initial meeting Darwin & co. arrive at the beach just in time to see the start of the battle. The defenders are greatly outnumbered but Darwin & co. are able to attack the invaders from behind and turn the tide, thanks in large part to Stephanie turning a large number of invaders to stone. This leaves the vast majority of the invaders' ships available for looting which, in turn, means Darwin and co. have their rides to the mainland. Also, three of the bird-person players revolted against their faction and aided Darwin in the fight. As a result they join Darwin's faction at the end of the book 1.
In a "bonus chapter" at the end of book 1 we see Eve and Stephanie carrying an infant Darwin through a battle zone to a "giant blue portal" in a game-like world. I forget when it is revealed but by this time the reader knows Stephanie was only pretending to be a medusa. In banter during the shootout it is revealed that Darwin "is the future of the Red Eye clan" (whatever that means). Stephanie betrays and shoots Eve when they reach the portal while claiming that Eve should understand what is happening and that is all a part of "an overworked plot". Stephanie takes Darwin and leaves through a portal. Eve, dying, collapses through the portal and ends up in our world. Eve is found by a scientist (Charles) who saw the blue portal and came to investigate. Charles nurses Eve back to health. The end. Note how all of this just raises more questions than it answers: How do Eve and Stephanie get back to the game world? Why did Stephanie betray Eve?
Those are just the two most obvious ones but I could list about 100 more without trying.
Book 2 starts with a surprise visit to the VR company by its billionaire owner, Charles. The author goes out of his way to make Charles seem sinister. This whole treatment of the Charles character was irritating- it was as if the author didn't think his story was good enough so he added artificial drama in the form of making Charles overtly creepy/evil when there was no REVEALED reason for him to be so. But the lack of of reveals is book 2 biggest problem anyhow.
In the game world, Eve has talked the human king, who is also a powerful warrior, into going adventuring with her. They are sailing to the mainland behind Darwin & co. Somethings happen on the boats, but nothing major so eventually Darwin & co. arrive at the part of the Mainland primarily run by beast-kin and ruled over by the Panda King. Darwin explores the city on his own and is immediately roped into a tournament with two new companions. Darwin & co. win and are given a quest by the Panda King to clear out bandits. Darwin discovers that the "bandits" are actually human rebels. The panda king has discriminated against humans for years and so a rebellion formed.
Darwin recruits the rebels to his cause but Darwin's villagers are still in the Panda King's city so Darwin heads back to fool the Panda King into thinking Darwin completed the quest and to get the villagers to safety.
Messengers are sent to all the other rebel groups and everyone congregates in a cave which they fortify while Darwin trains a phalanx. Stephanie is working in the bowels of the cave to create an inter-world portal through which, or so she tells Darwin, everyone, villagers and all (except players) will be able to escape. Darwin just has to hold off the Panda King's army for long enough.
Eve, hoping to separate Darwin from the evil Stephanie, helps the Panda King but it irritates the human king to help the Panda King kill humans. Darwin's defense virtually decimates the Panda King's army, but with losses. During the fighting the human king finally has enough and stabs Eve to prevent her from killing all the humans, after which the human king and Panda King essentially kill each other fighting. However, in his last moments of life the human king see Eve has healed from the wounds he gave her. Eve comes over and claims the human king just cost many more lives than he saved, although given the complete lack of explanation as to why Eve believes this the value of this statement is unclear.
After the battle Darwin goes to check on Stephanie. Stephanie pulls Darwin through the portal where Darwin finds Charles waiting for him. The end.
Bottom line: Although generally well written, book 2 felt like a waste of time due to the author's failure to communicate just where the story is going. There is a reason articles have headlines, without knowing the direction of the story the reader has no way of knowing if he/she should continue reading. For this reason I will be dropping this series.
January 12, 2018
Ok. I'll admit. This book was pleasantly surprising. I liked the way the book started you off wondering about the MC, and then wondering about the new world he was thrown into, and then wondering about how he's going to get out of it. And then wondering about all the random people that keep poping up in his life that he has no idea about. And THEN wondering about how it's going to all tie together, only to get to the end of the book and THEN wonder what in the hell is going to happen next. I literally bought all of the series after reading about halfway through this book. That's not even a joke. They have me hook, line and sinker with this.
Ok, the review. I give 5 stars. It's a LitRPG, so if you know what that is, you have the basic formula down. The story for this is well written, and the characters that you are introduced to are well thought out. Now they aren't as deep as the Grand Canyon, but they are definitely fleshed out enough throughout the book to keep you interested in them. If you like meme's, this book is FULL of them. Like, no really, I had to stop highlighting because I would have had half the book in highlights. WITH THAT SAID. They aren't used too much. I know that sounds counter to what I said, but in today's day and age, the way they are thrown around in the book is akin to how you would use them IRL while playing a MMORPG. This isn't a ground breaking book by any means, and doesn't come off trying to be one, but I will say that this. The one thing it does have going for it, it does it VERY well, and that my good friends is the interaction between characters. This isn't going to make you cry or rage, but it is something that would make you think that the characters are real people. Also, the dude who's shaping up to become the "villain" is playing his role well. I don't have any strong feelings to any of the characters one way or the other, but the villain? I hope he get's skinned alive and stuck in a brazen bull.
Ok, the review. I give 5 stars. It's a LitRPG, so if you know what that is, you have the basic formula down. The story for this is well written, and the characters that you are introduced to are well thought out. Now they aren't as deep as the Grand Canyon, but they are definitely fleshed out enough throughout the book to keep you interested in them. If you like meme's, this book is FULL of them. Like, no really, I had to stop highlighting because I would have had half the book in highlights. WITH THAT SAID. They aren't used too much. I know that sounds counter to what I said, but in today's day and age, the way they are thrown around in the book is akin to how you would use them IRL while playing a MMORPG. This isn't a ground breaking book by any means, and doesn't come off trying to be one, but I will say that this. The one thing it does have going for it, it does it VERY well, and that my good friends is the interaction between characters. This isn't going to make you cry or rage, but it is something that would make you think that the characters are real people. Also, the dude who's shaping up to become the "villain" is playing his role well. I don't have any strong feelings to any of the characters one way or the other, but the villain? I hope he get's skinned alive and stuck in a brazen bull.
March 14, 2018
It started off confusingly. A guy living in the normal world yet seems to have ZERO attachment to anything and anyone around him even though he was an adult is our MC.
Also He's probably a demon. how many guys do you know outside of anime have red eyes, pre-sharpened nails to a point and super buff even thought they never work out and spend their days in an office while playing video games through the night?
Yeah sketchy start but I was open to it... he got zapped into an MMO by -UNKNOWN JUST GO WITH IT- and fine lets get this started.
The king... I don't know what to say here, you start off with a benign ruler that is trying his best to hold his kingdom together without really hurting anyone and mid way that goes out the window.
Actually a lot of things go out the window by then including whatever goodwill this book gained from the light hearted first few chapters.
I found myself skipping paragraphs and then full pages without missing anything. Never a good sign.
It feels like this was a short story of maybe 50 pages that got padded and filled with fluff until that was all that was left which is a shame. The author's love for MMOs and gaming is obvious and I do hope he finds his own voice.
Also He's probably a demon. how many guys do you know outside of anime have red eyes, pre-sharpened nails to a point and super buff even thought they never work out and spend their days in an office while playing video games through the night?
Yeah sketchy start but I was open to it... he got zapped into an MMO by -UNKNOWN JUST GO WITH IT- and fine lets get this started.
The king... I don't know what to say here, you start off with a benign ruler that is trying his best to hold his kingdom together without really hurting anyone and mid way that goes out the window.
Actually a lot of things go out the window by then including whatever goodwill this book gained from the light hearted first few chapters.
I found myself skipping paragraphs and then full pages without missing anything. Never a good sign.
It feels like this was a short story of maybe 50 pages that got padded and filled with fluff until that was all that was left which is a shame. The author's love for MMOs and gaming is obvious and I do hope he finds his own voice.
October 24, 2015
This book wasn't at all what I expected. I thought it would be a comedy because the premise seemed completely comical. So the book caught me completely off guard by being serious. Then even more so by managing to pull off a somewhat entertaining story with a ridiculous premise.
It wasn't the best thing I have ever read but it was good and kept me reading right up to the last page. Picking up Vol. 2 tonight!
It wasn't the best thing I have ever read but it was good and kept me reading right up to the last page. Picking up Vol. 2 tonight!
September 12, 2016
I love this Series, a great read
October 3, 2015
Reads like a gamer wrote down a long weekend of D&D, then (thinly) disguised it as a novel.
July 23, 2017
There are several good parts about this book and some downsides that will either attract or tick off some readers.
Plot: First off the plot is about an accountant named Darwin who somehow gets digitized to a game world with his only bathrobe. The game world is pretty much a non-typical MMORPG with virtual reality interface and NPCs that have become self-aware. Trapped inside this world Darwin encounters both players and NPCs and and a possible sibling he never knew.
Grammar.: Yep the book has its problems, don't get me wrong some people might excuse them while other people wont. Most of the time it is something like 'hwo' when it should be 'how' it can just stop the flow of the reading.
Characters: I think the author put some real time into these people, creating back stories and trying to make them as interesting and diverse as possible. The problem is I think the author put in the characters just to make up the word count, some of these were unneeded and it could have made things that much tighter without them.
Personally I liked Darwin till he got all mysterious and I dislike Eve because she is a manipulating bitch.
Style: This is the real problem and its the same with The God Warriors by Sean Liebling, and as an author myself I originally thought it was a good idea, until it isn't. The story is cut into several points of view with sections centered around a different characters, all third person narrative which was the only thing that saved it, trust me, if this was first person perspective I would have tossed it right in the bin.
The theory is if you don't like a specific character than you can just skip to the one you like without losing that much of the story.
The problem with this is that it makes it hard to know who the main character is and you start thinking a side plot is the main objective. There is a reason there is a thing called a main character and a supporting character, you do not have ten main characters trying to fight for screen time all at once.
For example at the end of the book I believed Kass made a better main character than Darwin. As for the king thing I think he trusted Eve to easily.
Plot holes: If you like closure at the end of a book don't. The author has gone down the route of teasing you with plot holes in order to keep you interested in the series, strangely enough this works on masochistic readers who have to wait for nearly a year till they get their fix.
I for one will most likely buy the next book, but I better see some plot holes fixed up or I will just see this bloody series as a tease and stop.
Plot: First off the plot is about an accountant named Darwin who somehow gets digitized to a game world with his only bathrobe. The game world is pretty much a non-typical MMORPG with virtual reality interface and NPCs that have become self-aware. Trapped inside this world Darwin encounters both players and NPCs and and a possible sibling he never knew.
Grammar.: Yep the book has its problems, don't get me wrong some people might excuse them while other people wont. Most of the time it is something like 'hwo' when it should be 'how' it can just stop the flow of the reading.
Characters: I think the author put some real time into these people, creating back stories and trying to make them as interesting and diverse as possible. The problem is I think the author put in the characters just to make up the word count, some of these were unneeded and it could have made things that much tighter without them.
Personally I liked Darwin till he got all mysterious and I dislike Eve because she is a manipulating bitch.
Style: This is the real problem and its the same with The God Warriors by Sean Liebling, and as an author myself I originally thought it was a good idea, until it isn't. The story is cut into several points of view with sections centered around a different characters, all third person narrative which was the only thing that saved it, trust me, if this was first person perspective I would have tossed it right in the bin.
The theory is if you don't like a specific character than you can just skip to the one you like without losing that much of the story.
The problem with this is that it makes it hard to know who the main character is and you start thinking a side plot is the main objective. There is a reason there is a thing called a main character and a supporting character, you do not have ten main characters trying to fight for screen time all at once.
For example at the end of the book I believed Kass made a better main character than Darwin. As for the king thing I think he trusted Eve to easily.
Plot holes: If you like closure at the end of a book don't. The author has gone down the route of teasing you with plot holes in order to keep you interested in the series, strangely enough this works on masochistic readers who have to wait for nearly a year till they get their fix.
I for one will most likely buy the next book, but I better see some plot holes fixed up or I will just see this bloody series as a tease and stop.
September 4, 2023
This VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game) -isekai-ed into a game "urban"-fantasy novel series tries to cover too much ground, too many "alternate realities at the same time and ends up confusing and convoluted. Especially when they (both authors), use the names over and over again (apparently to name different people/in probabily alternate realities). Sometimes the banter clicks, most of the times the jokes miss.
There are things that I do not agree with in this first book: 1) A game company does not give anybody control of their game (not even if they are Hi-Tech AI's). 2.) Starting towns, are safe zones. This book has one small guild killing everybody and burning everything since the first day?? If that is highly atypical, then the idea that the towns/territories in the "safe-zone"/starter town try to destroy each other before the players really get to finish the tutorial/level up to 40 (to be able to leave the starter town) is nonsensical, irrational and illogical.
The last part, should have started the first book. It would have clarified a lot of the obvious plot holes left by the authors in the beginning of their story.
There is a glossary that is more trying to hard to make funny terms, than an actual glossary, but there are no inside illustrations, no maps, no character summaries of skills or abilities, no real world building with explanations about geopolitical, economic, social, religious, etc. systems in place in the different worlds where the stori(es) take place.
This first book needs an editor and a lot of polish to improve the sequences, the POV's (Point of views), the order of the story and timelines. The authors have a bias, towards the Pk'ers (small guild that likes to kill everything off, loot and destroy everything. If they did not have a bias, they would have placed penalties and consequences in the game for the chaos, mayhem and destruction they are causing. I feel that the game is extra in this story. They could have placed the characters, the story in a fantasy world (or several worlds) and there wouldn't have been a need to have a "game-like" background to this story. That and there really is no game system in all this chaos, disorder and destruction. Main character (Darwin/Charles), does what he wants, Mad Dog (Pker guild) does what he wants, the AI's do what they want, the NPC's (Non-player Characters) do what they want, and nobody is playing a game with a system that has rules and conditions to be met and followed.
There are things that I do not agree with in this first book: 1) A game company does not give anybody control of their game (not even if they are Hi-Tech AI's). 2.) Starting towns, are safe zones. This book has one small guild killing everybody and burning everything since the first day?? If that is highly atypical, then the idea that the towns/territories in the "safe-zone"/starter town try to destroy each other before the players really get to finish the tutorial/level up to 40 (to be able to leave the starter town) is nonsensical, irrational and illogical.
The last part, should have started the first book. It would have clarified a lot of the obvious plot holes left by the authors in the beginning of their story.
There is a glossary that is more trying to hard to make funny terms, than an actual glossary, but there are no inside illustrations, no maps, no character summaries of skills or abilities, no real world building with explanations about geopolitical, economic, social, religious, etc. systems in place in the different worlds where the stori(es) take place.
This first book needs an editor and a lot of polish to improve the sequences, the POV's (Point of views), the order of the story and timelines. The authors have a bias, towards the Pk'ers (small guild that likes to kill everything off, loot and destroy everything. If they did not have a bias, they would have placed penalties and consequences in the game for the chaos, mayhem and destruction they are causing. I feel that the game is extra in this story. They could have placed the characters, the story in a fantasy world (or several worlds) and there wouldn't have been a need to have a "game-like" background to this story. That and there really is no game system in all this chaos, disorder and destruction. Main character (Darwin/Charles), does what he wants, Mad Dog (Pker guild) does what he wants, the AI's do what they want, the NPC's (Non-player Characters) do what they want, and nobody is playing a game with a system that has rules and conditions to be met and followed.
dropped
July 24, 2019When I picked up this book, it was because I like LitRPG and I was interested in the bathrobe knight. How fun could it be to read about a guy fighting with a spoon in a bathrobe?
And then, I became less and less enthusiastic as I read. I've been wondering why and I think the multiple POV is part of the reason: I'm interested in the bathrobe knight, not the player killer, not the other player girls... I know, I really do, that these characters are surely necessary for the plot. I understand, and usually that doesn't bother me much. So what's different here?
First, I think that is because in the half-part of the book I've read so far, it feels like only a fourth of it (or even less) was about Darwin. Is he really the main character? It is to the point that I'm doubting it. Second, I have no attachement to the other characters (I mean, multiple POV didn't bother me in "The Wheel of Time", but that is because I liked most of the characters). Third, because some scene are written from a particular POV, we miss out on things that I'm interested in, like the first meeting with his sister: we are kept in the dark like Kass and that is frustating. Again, I understand this is done for the plot and the suspens, but it just frustates me.
The other part of the reason is that Darwin rapidly stop fighting with the spoon (so we lose the funny aspect) and it becomes a sort of mystery novel: who is Darwin? Where does he come from? Why is he different? And that is not my thing.
I didn't rate the book because I've only read half of it. I don't feel like reading the rest. I had to force myself to read so far. Maybe I'm not in the right mood for it, but for now, I'm dropping it. I'm disappointed.
And then, I became less and less enthusiastic as I read. I've been wondering why and I think the multiple POV is part of the reason: I'm interested in the bathrobe knight, not the player killer, not the other player girls... I know, I really do, that these characters are surely necessary for the plot. I understand, and usually that doesn't bother me much. So what's different here?
First, I think that is because in the half-part of the book I've read so far, it feels like only a fourth of it (or even less) was about Darwin. Is he really the main character? It is to the point that I'm doubting it. Second, I have no attachement to the other characters (I mean, multiple POV didn't bother me in "The Wheel of Time", but that is because I liked most of the characters). Third, because some scene are written from a particular POV, we miss out on things that I'm interested in, like the first meeting with his sister: we are kept in the dark like Kass and that is frustating. Again, I understand this is done for the plot and the suspens, but it just frustates me.
The other part of the reason is that Darwin rapidly stop fighting with the spoon (so we lose the funny aspect) and it becomes a sort of mystery novel: who is Darwin? Where does he come from? Why is he different? And that is not my thing.
I didn't rate the book because I've only read half of it. I don't feel like reading the rest. I had to force myself to read so far. Maybe I'm not in the right mood for it, but for now, I'm dropping it. I'm disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2017
This is another book I picked up because of the humorous title. The book... the first couple of chapters are sanctimoniously the best and worst part of the story. For starters, it capitalizes on the humor of and premise of the title.
There's a very Hitchhikers guide feel about a character running around a fantastic landscape in a bathrobe and wielding a common household item as their only defense. Unfortunately the first couple of chapters is also a chaotic mess of pushing the character from point to point with no time to breath or acclimatize to what's happening.
This frantic pace does calm down eventually, unfortunately the premise is lost at the same time. The main character quickly switches from wielding a spoon and wearing his bathrobe to duel wielding axes and his bathrobe is tailored, enchanted, and upgraded into a legendary quality robe. For a moment you think the humor might continue as the robe gives attack bonuses to spoons, but that joke is never mentioned again and the story falls into the worst trappings of the wish fulfillment LitRPG trope. The main character goes from fish out of water to unbeatable badass with game breaking skills immediately making him boring to follow. The side characters he runs into are irritating too.
The story also jumps around to other characters that are even less interesting. The only interesting thing about the story is the mystery surrounding what happened to Darwin and how he got there.
There's a very Hitchhikers guide feel about a character running around a fantastic landscape in a bathrobe and wielding a common household item as their only defense. Unfortunately the first couple of chapters is also a chaotic mess of pushing the character from point to point with no time to breath or acclimatize to what's happening.
This frantic pace does calm down eventually, unfortunately the premise is lost at the same time. The main character quickly switches from wielding a spoon and wearing his bathrobe to duel wielding axes and his bathrobe is tailored, enchanted, and upgraded into a legendary quality robe. For a moment you think the humor might continue as the robe gives attack bonuses to spoons, but that joke is never mentioned again and the story falls into the worst trappings of the wish fulfillment LitRPG trope. The main character goes from fish out of water to unbeatable badass with game breaking skills immediately making him boring to follow. The side characters he runs into are irritating too.
The story also jumps around to other characters that are even less interesting. The only interesting thing about the story is the mystery surrounding what happened to Darwin and how he got there.
February 9, 2020
"Congress is about as productive as a jittery 56K modem trying to load a movie off Netflix... in HD." That quote forced me to put the book down while I got the image out of my head. What image? It goes about 24 years back when I saw a TV commercial from an ISP showing a young woman getting ready for a hot date with her 'internet boyfriend'. She was downloading a picture of him, but the connection was sloooooooooooow. While talking to her girlfriend on the phone, telling her how excited she was for the first date, a picture slowly emerged on her monitor. That was a picture of a hunk of serious proportions. When most of the hunk's face was visible, she was getting really anxious to meet that 'fine piece of meat' as she put it. She hung up on her friend on the phone, put on her coat, grabbed her keys and was out in a flash. Then the rest of the picture emerged. Under the portrait of the hunk there was a threadbare couch and on that particular piece of furniture sat an obese, ill groomed man in his 40s wearing a stained wife-beater and sweats. That was her hot date.
What has this story to do with the Bathrobe Knight? Absolutely nothing.
I did however like the book and I've already put #2 on my to-read list.
What has this story to do with the Bathrobe Knight? Absolutely nothing.
I did however like the book and I've already put #2 on my to-read list.
December 8, 2018
This was the most stupidest start to a book I've read in years.
And the character thinking things he already knows to himself (and thus explaining it to the readers) doesn't help in the least.
There are too many POVs. I'm already disliking all the "gamer banter", games and reddit lingo and trivia I already see I'm going to be grumpy when I finish this book.
The puns and banter are the worst... wait I said this already.
Why do these "game literature" always have to contain such god awful puns, and forced atmosphere of fun and enjoyment. It's like the author is trying too hard to show how much fun his characters are having.
This was horribly written. Bad banter, cliches, and puns everywhere.
The logic doesn't even make sense.
Also I think the author self inserted near the end.
I'm not touching the sequels or anything else written by the author.
I guess the author can't have it his way.
1.5/5 Stars
And the character thinking things he already knows to himself (and thus explaining it to the readers) doesn't help in the least.
There are too many POVs. I'm already disliking all the "gamer banter", games and reddit lingo and trivia I already see I'm going to be grumpy when I finish this book.
The puns and banter are the worst... wait I said this already.
Why do these "game literature" always have to contain such god awful puns, and forced atmosphere of fun and enjoyment. It's like the author is trying too hard to show how much fun his characters are having.
This was horribly written. Bad banter, cliches, and puns everywhere.
The logic doesn't even make sense.
Also I think the author self inserted near the end.
I'm not touching the sequels or anything else written by the author.
I guess the author can't have it his way.
1.5/5 Stars
May 16, 2019
Well I was just barely able to listen to the book as it was up until they encounter the Medusa boss. Can someone please tell the narrator to not frigging smack every other sentence. I think this is the first narrator that's actually made me angry while listening to a book. Seriously who do they think wants to hear that. Not to mention the whole valley girl rendition is just stupid.
So far the book has read more like a lot of short stories that have no direction all happening in the same area. It jumps around so much it's hard to follow at times. I'm going to do my best to get through the book but it's quite doubtful I will waste my time on any more of them. Especially if the same narrator is reading all of them. Hopefully there is only the one lip smacking valley girl talking Medusa boss scene so i never have to hear that again in this book.
So far the book has read more like a lot of short stories that have no direction all happening in the same area. It jumps around so much it's hard to follow at times. I'm going to do my best to get through the book but it's quite doubtful I will waste my time on any more of them. Especially if the same narrator is reading all of them. Hopefully there is only the one lip smacking valley girl talking Medusa boss scene so i never have to hear that again in this book.
Read
April 13, 2023Did not finish...
It is seldom for me to not finish a book. Even if it is not for me i often at least fast forward through the chapters to get the story but in this case I couldn't.
The story itself starts promising, the writing is okay. But what threw me was the change of POV all the time with stories that seems to have no or little connection. Sometimes you don't see a character for several chapters and when he finally comes back into view it is hard to remember who he was and what his motivations are.
As i did not finish i won't give it a rating.
It is seldom for me to not finish a book. Even if it is not for me i often at least fast forward through the chapters to get the story but in this case I couldn't.
The story itself starts promising, the writing is okay. But what threw me was the change of POV all the time with stories that seems to have no or little connection. Sometimes you don't see a character for several chapters and when he finally comes back into view it is hard to remember who he was and what his motivations are.
As i did not finish i won't give it a rating.
October 3, 2021
An interesting read
With a bit of humor that reminds me a bit of Monty Python. The bathrobe knight engages in a story and setting low on stat points and skills summary as found in other LITRPG books and instead focuses more on weaving a story. I enjoyed it, the only problem being the continuing switch between characters and their adventures not being as interesting as others. Would still recommend though.
With a bit of humor that reminds me a bit of Monty Python. The bathrobe knight engages in a story and setting low on stat points and skills summary as found in other LITRPG books and instead focuses more on weaving a story. I enjoyed it, the only problem being the continuing switch between characters and their adventures not being as interesting as others. Would still recommend though.
April 29, 2023
Tiresome
Not sure if it suffers from debut author syndrome, overused tropes, or no editor - but this falls short of my expectations and is the same rogue AI, one character upsetting the whole game so now the devs are angry bs that litters this genre.
I made it to 63% because I full-on skipped a few char povs and no regrets. Dropping the series. YMMV if you like the VR gamelit tropes.
Not sure if it suffers from debut author syndrome, overused tropes, or no editor - but this falls short of my expectations and is the same rogue AI, one character upsetting the whole game so now the devs are angry bs that litters this genre.
I made it to 63% because I full-on skipped a few char povs and no regrets. Dropping the series. YMMV if you like the VR gamelit tropes.
November 26, 2017
Very interesting
This was a unusual LitRpg story because it had multiple POV's. Some how this storyteller makes it work. This story of a gamer thrust into a game world in his bathrobe is a action packed entertaining story. While others are playing a game, he is playing for his survival.
This was a unusual LitRpg story because it had multiple POV's. Some how this storyteller makes it work. This story of a gamer thrust into a game world in his bathrobe is a action packed entertaining story. While others are playing a game, he is playing for his survival.
February 19, 2018
2.5 really
Ok, so the overall story is good, however this book suffers in a few different ways. It jumps between multiple character focal points to often; every chapter is about someone else. The mystery about the MC feels a little overdone, and in this book at least is not needed. Several of the plot points ( mostly irl stuff) seem taked on.
Ok, so the overall story is good, however this book suffers in a few different ways. It jumps between multiple character focal points to often; every chapter is about someone else. The mystery about the MC feels a little overdone, and in this book at least is not needed. Several of the plot points ( mostly irl stuff) seem taked on.
November 11, 2019
I found this forgotten deep within a Kindle folder at about 8% finished, so I decided to give it another shot. At first it had some charm, didn't fall prey to too many of the standard LitRPG traps, but it quickly lost any luster.
I can pinpoint the exact moment this book lost me, but overall it just didn't give me a reason to keep turning pages.
I can pinpoint the exact moment this book lost me, but overall it just didn't give me a reason to keep turning pages.
November 22, 2017
Awesome
It's a witty read, with just enough of the good stock material to keep it familiar and just enough by the way of twists to keep things from getting stale. The characters are fun and it's easy to get invested.
It's a witty read, with just enough of the good stock material to keep it familiar and just enough by the way of twists to keep things from getting stale. The characters are fun and it's easy to get invested.
September 6, 2018
DNF's @ 69%
Started out good, but got less and less interesting the more I read. And, out of the many POV's, I was only really interested in Darwin, Kass, and Robert's. I mostly skipped through the others.
Started out good, but got less and less interesting the more I read. And, out of the many POV's, I was only really interested in Darwin, Kass, and Robert's. I mostly skipped through the others.
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