The monster waves have broken, but the fight for Earth has just begun.
The Last Bastion has finally found a moment to breathe, upgrading from a desperate, blood-soaked fortress into a functioning city. But for Logan Hale, the quiet only amplifies the storm brewing inside him.
His Primal Law of Justice is evolving, driven by an ancient, wrathful presence anchored directly to his soul. It demands accountability for a broken world, and if Logan can't master the overwhelming urge to pass judgment, the power will consume him completely.
To temper his Law and push his limits, Logan and his team dive into the brutal, ever-shifting new floors of the World Dungeon. But the true test of his humanity lies in the wilderness. His path leads him to Nokvara—a sprawling, neighboring city ruled by a ruthless syndicate of tyrants, slavers, and murderers.
Leaving the familiar front lines behind, Logan must wage a different kind of war. Armed with a newly unlocked Runic Enchanter class and an expanding arsenal of lethal shadow magic, he infiltrates the corrupt city. His arm a hidden rebellion, manipulate the economy, and systematically dismantle Nokvara's leadership from the inside out.
But delivering absolute justice in a city built on cruelty carries a heavy psychological toll. As the line between savior and executioner blurs, Logan must purge the city's rot without losing his own mind to the bloodshed.
I enjoy reading and writing LitRPG. My debut series is Loop Bound available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
Loop Bound is planned for 10 books total. As a reader of LitRPG I understand the urge to binge. Heck, I am almost tempted to not start a series unless it has 3-5 books in it. With that in mind, I aim for short rapid release windows.
DNF at 68% The implementation of these obscure but overly powerful laws happened way too early for my taste. They don't feel earned at all and only seem to increase the drama.
The new team members is awfully convenient for the chores they have to overcome later on.
The sheer amount of overly flirtatious women around the MC is grating on my nerves as the harem vibes get ever stronger...
Sadly, system apocalypse stories in general seem to be sub par to isekai stories due to lacking social world building. Banter and constant fights without deeper purpose get old quickly.
I got tired of the plot when he starts his girl scout revolution instead just using his skills and booons meaningfully.
Criticism and comments
It's hilarious that his justice law doesn't crave to kill a mass murdering, unscrupulous person like Alyndra but would drive him to slaughter through innocents to get one guilty person..
It's super naive that only men seem able to be evil..
Healers shouldn't be that replaceable. Especially long term..
Why is hierarchy supposed to be necessarily bad?
Why doesn't the buffoon store the bodies of the persons he killed in town?
Why doesnt he just use his house to send the girlies to his town? Drama or does he need to impress another girl?
Quality prose, solid world building (which is easier when your starting point is an apocalypse), and a good MC. He even comes with his very own loot goblin! Seriously, Mira is fun.
books in this series, I completed reading all 3 📚. As of this review, a 4th is pending.
This is absolutely outstanding reading from a brand new Author. AND, is very well edited!
We ALL know that in this genre, there is a LOT of crap!
BUT! Alex Keys has built his story around a believable character, an original plot twist specific to the OP MC genre, very good world building, and a story that is good in all the ways we readers like.
I am waiting for the 4th book. I'm pretty confident that if, you start the 1st book you, will be waiting for the 4th book too!
This entire series came out of nowhere. It started off as an obscure recommendation and turned into my top 3 in this entire genre. First to get the technical parts out of the way. It is incredibly well written and edited, and the prose is way above average. The story itself is rather unique in this genre. It’s got heart and it’s got quite a bit of humour. Finally, the characters. Wow, some of the most lovable and unique characters I’ve come across. The main character is great, but his partner Mira is my favourite I’ve ever come across. If you’re even remotely interested in this genre, then this needs to be on your reading list.
This first two books in this series were pretty good; however, this one was pretty awful.
As the saying goes “the author jumped the shark”. Logan suddenly isn’t actually Logan, he is whatever the heck he actually is and that was just stupid. Also apparently this system restriction doesn’t actually matter because Logan’s helpers just keep popping in whenever they want and do whatever they want.
The ENTIRE Nokvara arc was atrocious. Yay, Logan cleaned things up, but spent an entire book doing it. This honestly felt like a waste of time. It wasn’t filler per se, but it was pretty pointless. Hell, at the rate we’re going it will be 100 books before Logan actually hits a decent level. Granted the author keeps shoving overpowered laws and crap into him for no reason so who knows where it’s going.
All in all, this book was a huge letdown and actually makes me consider dropping the series.
At first I thought this one was heading in the same well trodden direction. Thankfully Logan's side-quest of inciting a city-wide insurrection was refreshingly original. Powering up the down-trodden, funnelling resources into the crafters... so different to simply punching problems away.
Before the climax, Logan had to go through an obligatory "journey of actualisation," [copyright pending]. While I'm not a fan of naval gazing into woo-woo powers, Key's handled it well and I didn't feel the need to start skipping. The fact that the winner of high-level fights seemed to be decided by who grokked their Law better, kept things easy to understand.
There's still a lot of gas in the tank of this series. Here's to book four; defending the Earth.
The first half is a standered get stronger while fighting in the dungeon, which is fine except it also is now flirt while fighting in the dungeon.
Which took me by surprise, as in the first couple of books the MC seemed to be embarased at even the mention of multiple girl friends, an ongoing joke I thought!
but
Here his whole personality seems to embrace it!
Then it becomes obvious
Its harem or at least harem bait.
Think DanMachi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Real quick assessment: The editing is excellent, I found no misspelled words, no poor phrasing, and punctuation was solid. The world building was appropriate to the storyline as it unfolded. Most importantly, for me, was the very, very well-done characterization of all major and above minor characters at appropriate points throughout the story. I rarely recommend books that I read, even most that I rate as 5 stars. This series is absolutely worth your time and interest.
This Series has so much potential. The character development is actually really impressive and the storyline keeps your attention. It's funny because I finish the third book, looking for the 4th. It's rare that I read a series for so long and continue to look forward to the next book. The author is done an amazing job of making sure that you're captivated and focused on the characters. There is so much potential with this series and the main characters, it can go anywhere. I hope it continues because this could be one of the greater series in the genre.
Great. I really enjoy this series; there've been comparisons made to Primal Hunter, and that's fair. Aside from some obvious similarities, it also captures the same general vibe for me, which is about as big a compliment as I can pay a series these days.
Only real complaint: not enough Mira. Splitting the two up for part of the book robbed me of my greatest guilty pleasure. So, no more of that.
A bit more information about the universe, the weak were converted to energy, but some human souls are held in reserve to be recycled once earthlings start reproducing.
Could that mean some of the seven billion human souls that weren’t selected for induction can come back as monsters? Will there be a poop chimpanzee with flashes of a past life on pre induction earth?
Finally! A chard who is not wishy- washy, knows what needs to be done and gets it done. If you like dark fantasy, an author who isn't afraid to create a character who understands an apocalypse won't tolerate a weak individual and a storyline that is not cookie-cutter progression.
The series was going really well, but the progression and story just stagnated for me in this book, okay I get there’s a jump from level 10-11 but not by that much. Killing monsters above his level and still not levelling. Was bored 20% in and couldn’t finish
So far Alex has polished up his writing and world. There are less editing issues, though some still exist. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. I am really enjoying the depth Keys has given his characters. I really care about them and more than once a tear has escaped my eyes ... all allergies of course.
El peor libro por lejos hasta el momento. Al punto de que no se si seguir leyendo. Pierde mucho el sentido que se le da a la historia, y las reacciones de los personajes no hacen ningun sentido con las personalidades contruidas hasta el momento. El sistema de poder empieza a hacer aguas. La verdad es que todo mal con este libro.
The False Pane book three of the Loop Bound series, is an ebook I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited (KU). Introduction and expansion of the Law of Justice stands out in this third installment--so much of the plot revolves around his control and willpower to wield it wisely and fairly. This is just one more layer of complexity and tension to this storyline. Great job!
I'm glad I found this series. It's highly entertaining and deeply satisfying. Reminiscent of Primal Hunter. And just plain good. Looking forward to the next book!
Numbers go brrr, which is always nice. Moral dilemmas abound and are addressed, the MC grows stronger and more depth added to the backstory. Enjoyed this installment in loop bound and hope you do as well.
A sign of a good book is when it can make you laugh or cry. This book has done both. This is a good book, I can't wait to see what happens next with Logan and Mira. Everybody needs a Mira in their lives.
Finished book 3 immediately after book 2 and now I have to wait for book 4. I like the characters still and the fighting is complex. There is definitely conflict in the storyline which is why I'm excited for more.
Really enjoyed character concepts and leveling. Alex was able to contain different concepts instead of it being too big. Doesn't go too hard into the harem style which I appreciate. I prefer a story as I don't read books to find sex. Really fun series.
IMHO this was an almost flawless story on par with the works of best-selling authors like Brandon Sanderson. The world seems like it may have room for a few more books. Hopefully the author doesn't succumb to the temptation to extend the story ad nauseum.
I loved this series at the beginning, now it’s too many people, nothing really happens, and unless you are a teenager the jokes don’t land after the 1000 time.
Amazing characters, he made me curious about where things are going. I love the grey area where the MC kinda lives, definitely not PG but subtle enough to make it very interesting. Great debut series
Few books combine stats block systems and actual character development without feeling like a drag of repetition but this series is one that blends it well.
And also one of the very few I have ever left a review for.
This book had some good twist and also made the character grow from moral decisions. Does might make right? I think this book dove into a philosophical debate and it made the story that much better.
Book 4 can’t come soon enough, I love this series and I hope it continues for a very long time. Incredible progression, both for the story and our MC’s power. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Another fantastic instalment to a very good series. The LitRPG is not hard to understand and interesting to learn. The main character is a good balance of overpowered but not overwhelmingly so. Can't wait to get stuck into the next book.
This book and series tops the majority of the "System" type series I have read over the last 7 years. It has a great story with characters I can relate to as well as interesting twists that keep me guessing what is next!